Aimee's Film Awards: 2013.

...because sometimes the "Academy" doesn't acknowledge some of the best* projects and performers... (*BOLD indicates the winner of the nominees according to me in the category.)

Film:
Skyfall
The Avengers
The Hunger Games
Battleship

Television Series:
Downton Abbey
Revenge
Covert Affairs
Game of Thrones

Cinematography:
The Hobbit
Prometheus
Skyfall
Snow White and the Huntsman

Actress:
Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman
Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games
Judi Dench in Skyfall
Lena Headey in Dredd
Reese Witherspoon in This Means War

Supporting Actress:
Rebel Wilson in Pitch Perfect
Emmy Rossum in Beautiful Creatures
Olivia Thirlby in Dredd
Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables

Actor:
Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables
Jamie Foxx in Django
Nicholas Hoult in Warm Bodies
Martin Freeman in The Hobbit

Supporting Actor:
Sam Rockwell in Seven Psychopaths
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Dark Knight Rises
Michael Fassbender in Prometheus
Mark Ruffalo in Avengers
Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages

Special Effects:
Men in Black 3
Battleship
Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hunger Games
Prometheus

Early 2013: Film Reviews: Warm Bodies & Beautiful Creatures.

1. BEAUTIFUL CREATURES. Book Review: My best friend Bill just wrote a fabulous book/movie review of Beautiful Creatures over at his blog The Nerdly Ginger, and generally I agree with him about the movie and film. As I said on our Book Club page: "Honestly, the book had a bit too much in common with the Twilight series for me to take it very seriously. The first draft was written in three months by two authors and it is very obvious that quality for what could have been a charming story was sacrificed in the rush. (Although there are several lovely passages worth reading (maybe 6 pages in total) in the 500+ page book.) It was refreshing in that it was written in the perspective of a male protagonist, however, but just as the disappointing lead males in I Am Number Four, The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson, so this "Ethan" also seems to fall flat. I do feel that the current tendency for authors to create "2-levels of depth" in cookie cutter leading men is lazy and inaccurate. Men have just as many layers as women: histories, traumas, lost loves and jobs and fortunes...does every motive for a character need to be either self serving or sacrificial? I have been disappointed and bored with these new lead "characters" lately. For Beautiful Creatures: give me Ridley's back story- hers was actually worth telling. Advice? Skip it, unless you're missing the novelty of a series like Twilight. See the movie instead. Emmy Rossum looks delightful in the trailer." 

Film Review: Surprisingly, the movie did all of the things the book didn't do: it had believable character portrayal in a perfect casting mix in all of the leads, it added Ridley's back story, it immersed us in gorgeous southern nature shots, there were fun interior sets, and believable "magic" effects (instead of campy/overdone effects). It was even funnier than the book! I attribute that to the unfaltering passion of the male lead, newcomer Alden Ehrenreich, who you can't help but root for in all of his jock-nerdiness, because he gives such a raw performance of a real struggling young couple. (No lifeless Edward Cullen here!) Main question: Can someone who hasn't read the book enjoy and understand the movie? Yes, but you should read the book afterwards, because there are some slight changes to the ending. Can we expect a sequel? Probably not considering it only brought in $11.4M on a budget of $60M. Although, it was in a tough "teenage girl" category, competing with Safe Haven and Warm Bodies. (So perhaps as word picks up about how good it was, so will the box office returns.) Advice? See it in theaters and enjoy a magical southern escape :)

2. WARM BODIES. Another enjoyable book-to-movie adaptation, I was worried that the snarky-adorable inner monologues of the male lead 'R' wouldn't translate well to the big screen. I was wrong. Not only did they include most of the hilarious inner-sequences of 'R's mind as he struggles to communicate at first with Julie, a zombie slaying human, but it was a seamless effort of screenplay writing brilliance come to be expected in other witty modern teenage flicks; Napoleon Dynamite, Juno, Scott Pilgrim, Superbad, Garden State, Adventureland. In a similarly silly style, the audience gets to watch the leads fall in love in an apocalyptic, zombie filled battle worn America. There's a happy ending. What's not to like? I can imagine my parents watching this on DVD one night in the future and my dad laughing the whole time, and my mom smiling and wincing through the two or three moments of campy gore/zombie fighting. Advice? Rent it for a date night on DVD.

Sport Review: Rollerblading.

Apparently rollerblading has decreased in popularity recently because I bought these $200 K2-skates last weekend for $105.00 at Dick's Sporting Goods. (I'm betting that they are even cheaper in the Cold States right now.) Let me explain to you why this was such a bargain.

I have always loved K2 (ski) boots, so much in fact, that I named my cat after the brand. So when researching popular rollerblades last week, imagine my delight when I remembered that K2 also made blades! More importantly, every review that I read indicated that it was worth paying extra for these "lighter" and smoother "soft boot" blades over the other competitive brands. So I went in to our local Dick's and bought a pair, along with a set of knee/elbow/wrist pads because I knew I'd be falling...a lot. You see, it had been fifteen years since I'd bladed/roller skated and I was preparing for the worst. Add my bike helmet and I was ready to roll. The first time I went "out" to try them out, I drove back to my old apartment, 3 miles from our condo, where I knew there was beautiful new pavement on the bike path. This was a good choice for a first timer. I suited up slowly, figuring out the pads (yes, 2013 pads are much more comfortable and stylish than 1996 pads,) tying the laces, setting the velcro and ankle boot clips (which were a replica plastic version of my K2 metal winter ski boot clips, which made me happy, especially in January, knowing that I now live in Florida instead of Massachusetts) and rolled away testing out the right heel brake and doubting how that could stop me safely in a quick need to. (They can.) I rolled out about half a mile, and then came back to the car. The wheels rode as smoothly as anyone could dream of. I felt safe with my helmet and pads, and enjoyed with nervous giggling the speed I could pick up before coasting safely back to a slow glide. This is how long it took me to get comfortable adding mileage and speed.

Day 1: 1.0 miles.

Day 2: 1.2 miles.

Day 3: 4.2 miles.

Day 4: 6.0 miles.

(3 day break.)

Day 7: 1.8 miles.

Day 8: 4.0 miles. 

Which means that in a little over a week, I've logged 18.2 miles (with no wipeouts or falling) on these new blades. No blisters, or sore ankle spots. (I've been using mid-weight L.L.Bean day hiking wool socks.) I feel great. Rollerblading stimulates thighs, calves, shins, your core and arms (for balance) and is a cardio workout that is less of an impact on my knees (which were severely hurt on days 1 & 2 from running.) The first 12.4 miles on blades could probably have increased if I hadn't started this sport injured from the week of running before. 

One of my foreign exchange students bought a pair of these same blades this weekend after seeing me blade all week. She tried on a couple of brands and noticed, like I did, that these were the lightest with the K2 soft boot. I'm excited to have a blading partner for this new sport, which did I mention, is extremely fun? Since I can't ski, or mountain bike, or swim in a lake, I guess I'm sticking with blading for a while...and I'm so happy I found this sport! 

Winter Film Review.

This is not going to be a cheerful, rousing or exciting film review. In fact, I'm so disgusted at the movie industry right now I will say in no uncertain terms that the movies this past fall and early winter were abysmal. Let's begin with:

1. Breaking Dawn, pt. 2: This was possibly the worst movie I have ever seen. True Twi-hards who have stuck with the extremely overstretched series and are currently suffering through the detoxification of Edwardian Romance withdrawal have stubbornly insisted that it was a good ending. Let me be clear: it was not. I have never been so disappointed in Melissa Rosenberg (screenwriter of Dexter.) At least with Stephenie Meyer, we KNOW that she writes barely digestible, highly old fashioned quixotic idealistic bullcrap. Rosenberg, Meyer and their team sanctioned a completely original "twist" at the end of the movie which was so over the top it was laughable. I actually enjoyed purist's screeches of horror in the theater and appreciated that the director, (who was hopefully truly messing with us for kicks and a paycheck) had probably spent weeks filming this "twist." The end result? Pathetic. The actors showed up, put on their clothes and make up, repeated lines blandly, smirked, and trained for this epic fight which never really happened. Advice: Don't waste your money or your time.


2. Skyfall: I was so depressed by the BD2 review that I had to move on to the best film of the year. (Sorry, Avengers.) Skyfall was absolutely the best film of the year and I hope you were able to see it in theaters. (I did, twice.) I love good action movies and amazing stunts. This film had both. I appreciate strong female leads: this movie had three. I appreciate witty and believable banter: no one does that better than 'M' and 007. Add Ralph Fiennes into that caustic mix? Brilliant dialogue. Now, here's the level that most action films never touch: the emotional history and trauma of a world renowned hardened character, and the most important living relationship he might have with a mother figure. Skyfall does both again. Besides the fact that the locations were beautiful; especially the locations like the casino in Macao, Shanghai and the actual Skyfall property Scotland. Advice: See it in theaters, buy the DVD in the highest definition possible. 

3. Jack Reacher: Honestly? I was not impressed with this film. I'd seen all the stunts before, seen Tom Cruise play this part before (this time without the charm, humor and romance of Night and Day.) The story is from a long line of serial books with the same drifting character in his exploits at helping uncover the truth about military crimes. Was it entertaining? Yes, but the actual "case" evidence and unravelling was mediocre at best. Tom is also not at his best, I felt like he was just "cashing a paycheck." Is it worth seeing in theaters? Not really. Advice: Rent it. 

4. Les Miserables: (SPOILERS AHEAD). Okay, this is going to be a controversial post, because everyone else loved this movie, and there's a lot of "Oscar Nod" chitchat for the leads. Honestly? Most of the leads were sub par. Anne Hathaway (who looked nothing like the descriptions of Fantine in the book or Broadway show) did a heart wrenchingly good job singing "I Dreamed a Dream." Hugh Jackman's Jean Valjean was...acceptable. The singing was good enough ("Who am I?") not to cringe (which I truly did for Russell Crowe's Javert on "Stars"- what were they thinking?) and there were some truly emotional moments where I empathized so deeply for his misfortune that I tossed aside any disbelief that he might carry a small child fifty feet in the air with a small rope. Another major miscasting was with Amanda Seyfried. She was terrible. The entirety of Cosette's songs were completely out of her range. She ended up squeaking in falsetto in a painfully unromantic way at poor Marius. Also disappointing was Samantha Barks, who had the easiest job ever: to play Eponine, the role women everywhere had coveted at some point in their lives, and she totally botched it. I didn't care when she whined about loving Marius, or gave up her safety to help him out, or when she died in his arms. She DIED IN HIS ARMS and I still didn't care. The death song duet was beautiful though. Thank you Marius. So Eddie Redmayne played Marius, another hard-to-accept casting, but when he sang it was understandable why he was cast. He was tolerable. His "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables" was another of the three good song adaptations in the film. Also irritatingly over-typecasted were Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen: they were simply boring, pathetic and not humorous at all. However, this entire review aside, I am completely biased. I saw the 25th Anniversary National Broadway Tour of Les Miserables last February with performances so spectacular that I (as well as most of the crowd) literally sobbed THREE times during the course of the well known depressing show. It was a life changing experience. I'd seen over fifty such broadway show tours in my life time, thanks in kind to a decade of season tickets with mom at the Providence Performing Arts center, but this was clearly the best show I'd ever seen. (You can read my review of the Broadway Tour here.) Valjean, Javert, Fantine, Eponine, Enjolras (rebel leader) and Cosette were perfectly cast based on talent. This movie? Not so much. Leave the singing to the real stars and you'll attain Rent levels of appreciation. Advice: See it in theaters for the spectacular cinematography, not the singing, but take a Dramamine before you go because the close up shots are often out of focus and blurry.

5. The Hobbit: What the hell was Peter Jackson thinking when he decided to make this lone book into a trilogy to rival Lord of the Rings? (Insert "Old Toby" joke here.) First of all, I actually saw this movie twice, both in 3-D (unremarkable) and in 2-D. The first time I saw it, it was entertaining enough and quick-paced enough to be three hours long and I hardly noticed (even at 12-3am) the second time, the movie was so long and irritatingly overfilled with action that I wanted to die. There are only a few scenes that are worth watching more than once, such as the haunting "Misty Mountain" song that the dwarves sing in deep bass voices: something not commonly heard in mainstream movies. (Spoilers ahead.) Another enjoyable scene was Gollum's cave, and the final scene with the "flying bird" who travels from the group to the mountain and wakes the dragon by pecking on the cliff. Will I see the next two installments? Yes. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes. Was it pure to the original text of the book? Yes, with some additional wild imaginings. Advice: See it in theaters once. 

6. Django Unchained: If you like Inglorious Basterds, you will love this movie. I for one,  enjoyed Inglorious Basterds and all of its gory, history-changing, satisfying rewriting of Hitler's demise. In true Tarentino style, Django had a few moments of flinchingly brutal assault violence, not unlike 300 or Spartacus or any of Tarentino's other films. (Are we too desensitized to violence now?) Also like Inglorious Basterds, it stars Christoph Waltz as a humorous, morally questionable bounty hunter/murderer. More notable is Jamie Foxx's Django however, (spoiler alert) who triumphs over almost impossible odds. Dark, violent, disturbing and not for young adults under the age of 18. Advice: Rent it. 

"The Skinny on 'Gluten Free:' ten years of dietary evolution."

So every year for a New Year's Resolution I usually aspire to lose twenty pounds. 2012 was the year that I've come the closest to that goal. Did I eat less and exercise more often? I would definitely say that the tried-and-true regimen "kickstarted" my progress down from my mid-twenties working professional weight to the normalized BMI that I'd been chasing since college. However, I attribute the overall weight loss to one significant change that I've made in my diet.

In 2006, I was hospitalized on the Panhandle of Florida with a moderate case of "gastroenteritis"- which basically (according to my memory) meant that I had consumed too many highly processed foods, (fresh frozen fruit smoothies- who knew?!) and after a few days of these "healthy" 24oz breakfasts (thank you Smoothie Cafe!) my body started leaching toxins into my body, and I had something akin to Toxic Shock: where my heart raced at 180 bpm sitting down, I was dizzy and Bass Pro Shops made me go to the hospital at the start of the second half of my shift. (Did I mention that it was Tom's birthday?) So Tom drove me to Sacred Heart Hospital (where they pray over the intercoms, and it's very comforting!) and they X-Rayed me and after about four hours, I had been treated. It was there that a doctor first mentioned the Eat Right for Your Blood Type book and some other titles. I remember being surprised- I should actually read these? And thrilled, because these seemed like helpful answers to the questions of my dietary needs, something that had haunted me since high school. I discovered that as the "oldest bloodtype" (O-Negative) that my type hadn't evolved enough to process processed foods. Is there truth to this statement? All I know is that this DEFINITELY applies to me. I realized that I'd been eating the "Paleolithic Diet" since '02- mainly meat, veggies and fruits: all basic 1-ingredient foods. Rx from the Doctor? No more refined or highly processed foods, or I might be hospitalized again. Bummer.

Back in 2002, I had seen a dermatologist who said that I should stop eating dairy to help clear up my face. After three months of this idea, I was never able to process dairy again. (I broke "free" from the pull of the GOT MILK? media campaign which suggests we be the only species to continue drinking milk after birth periods.) Rx from the Dermatologist? No dairy now, or at least minimal dairy, for the rest of my life due to a developed (but natural) intolerance.

So I've adapted my diet, excluding large amounts of dairy, and processed foods, while limiting my sugar, and sticking mainly to: meat, vegetables, fruit and carbs.

In 2010, Rachel and I trained for the 3-Day for the Cure, walking in the ballpark of 550 miles. Many people encouraged us with comments such as, "You two must be losing so much weight!" but in truth, we both lost about 2lbs each during the sixth months. The mistake we made the first time, was to make sure that we didn't become overly dehydrated, or dizzy, so we ate/drank back the amount of calories that we were burning with Gatorade, protein bars, nuts and fruit- all "seemingly healthy" snacks! In fact, on Saturdays, we were eating over the 1,000 calories that we had burned over ten miles or so, by eating lunch at Panera!

So when we trained for the same endurance event in 2012, we knew our body and caloric limits. We burned more calories than we were eating, but in a healthy way, maintaining our hydration and energy levels, by eating smarter and less that we had in 2010. We lost more weight, (I was around 7lbs lighter in July than I had been in January of 2012) and after the 3-Day was over we both committed to continuing our physical training with the Couch to 5K programs.

At just about this time, I welcomed two Chinese high school students into my house and my diet made a drastically different change. I was introduced to rice noodles, rice, authentic and healthy sautéed vegetables and more. While my running times disappeared with my new guardian duties of making nightly meals, and cleaning, my weight continued to drop with the combination of my new Chinamerican diet and one new major dietary change: I found Gluten Free bread.

Cue "the Great Dietary Change of 2012" ---I have now severely limited my intake of gluten based products, dropping and maintaining another 5lbs off of the 7lbs I had slimmed down to. None of my pants fit anymore. I now weigh the same amount as I did in college. I no longer use the term "food baby" on a daily or weekly basis when referring to my swollen or bloated bread belly.

Should everyone do this? Let me clear. I haven't cut all carbs out. I've replaced wheat noodles with rice noodles, wheat bread with gluten free whole grain bread (Udi's is a great brand), whenever I can. Have I noticed a difference? Between training, my Chinamerican diet, (which I am very full, happy and satisfied about) and the "Gluten light" diet change: I have noticed my afternoon energy levels increase, my waistline decrease from a size 10/12/13 to a 6/8, and my overall weight drop about 12-13 pounds this year, so I plan to make this a permanent change.

You may have noticed many other people making this change too. Some, for health reasons: Celiac disease, allergies, health improvements...as awareness grows, more and more people have been calling the government to demand new labeling for genetically modified wheat and corn (which has been shown to agitate or harm individuals as it becomes harder to digest). As we watch these changes being made, it's important to take a true look at true ingredients in the things we are consuming, and letting our kids consume. Sometimes fresh fruit, when blended with ice, can have invisible toxins from pesticides that literally cause our bodies to go into shock. Even healthy vegetables, when not washed with a fruit/veggie wash, can harm us. So when I can't afford organic- I make sure to wash, wash, wash!

Mars Monday!

It was a pretty spectacular start to the week to see/hear/experience the Mars Rover landing this morning at 1:32AM-EST streaming live on NASA-TV.  Starting an hour and a half early as I worked on my novel in the wee hours of the morning, NASA-TV covered acutely-rendered images and video of simulations of what the entire landing process would entail: and this was a landing feat that I truly didn't believe would happen.

Firstly the successful landing required a multitude of first-ever technology attempts including a supersonic parachute, a rocket powered descent into a "sky crane" and hanging cable rover separation.
(To watch the NASA video "7 Minutes of Terror" click here...) It also required the communication satellite Odyssey (over Mars) to reposition itself to report back on the landing data, which had never been done before, which was also done successfully.

Screen Shot of NASA-TV 8/6/12

It was truly spectacular to receive the successful landing data in real time LIVE on the NASA-TV stream, and to see the pictures come in from the Odyssey link as the scientists and engineers did live as well. You can see their reactions here from my screen shots (at right).

The first two photos which came in (the image on the left of the two boxes in photo right) were horizon images and wheel images only. It was the third shot (below) where you could see the outline of the rover on the surface of Mars clearly, with the dust from the protective lens cover that will come off later.

Photo courtesy of NASA Mars Rover Curiosity 8/6/12.

Considering the fact that the rover had landed only moments before the images came through, mankind has truly made history this morning. GO USA! Check it out before you head out to work today! A great moment for our country!

Upcycling is the new Recycling, Part 2!

1. OLD FILE CABINETS: Before I left the school for Summer Vacation someone suggested to me that I should get rid of my old dodgy grey stained and chipped file cabinet. I considered it for a bit, but then realized that 1) it's huge and heavy, and 2) it's still useable, just ugly. So my focus narrowed to solution based path. How can I make this old ugly thing pretty enough to be displayed in my middle school classroom? And then I turned to Pinterest- because if someone's done it before, it will be on there. Quickly, I found the solution and the ugly "problem" became a creative project! View how-to steps here. 

(Then, while at home in Boston for the Komen 60-mile walk, my uncle showed me his newly "upcycled" file cabinet and walked me through the revamp-process. He had used a citrus-based paint stripper and taken the paint off of his file cabinet first, and then sprayed it with a metal-specific spray paint.)

2. TANK TOPS: These can really pile up over the years! What better than to create a few more "totes" out of the material of things we might have donated anyway? There's a whole tutorial on how to do this, with step-by-step directions here.


3. CREATING ORGANIZED SPACES: I feel like every time I pin these awesome projects to my pinboard on Pinterest, I'm committing some future Saturday off to junk hunting or yard sale scoping, a trip to Home Depot to buy paint and sandpaper and often wonder if I'll ever get any of these projects done successfully. However, with this project in particular, I feel like these "rails" are everywhere to be found! Baby cribs, ladders, rungs from bannisters, crates...so this is my next project. I can use one for my things, and Tom could probably use one of these for his garage gear and tools! The tutorial to turn any "railing" into an overhead storage unit can be found here. 

4. MAKE YOUR OWN CRAYONS! I have a couple of readers who have kids and probably have tons of broken crayons at home. Here's a solution! Using greased muffin tins (oven) or paper cups (outside in sun for a few hours) you can make new crayons out of the old broken crayons by remelting them! Directions here! 

5. PET TOYS: Every time I go to the Pet Store to buy Science Diet cat food (because I'm a sucker for those cats) I also usually pick up the ten-count tailed fake mice. Lord knows where they all end up because a month later I can't find any of them, and I buy ten more. So this could be a whole project for a day for me, creating "cat nip" filled cloth balls. This project is pretty self-explanatory, using recycled "extra" materials from old clothes filling them with a squeaky toy or shaker, or cat nip, but if you need directions, head over here...


So there are a few of my favorite projects, but there are 100's of other ideas online if you google: upcycle project, or upcycle ideas. I just found this link today: 100 Amazing Upcycling Ideas Anyone Can Do, which has some more ideas.

If you missed my first "Upcycling" bog post check it out: Upcycling is the new Recycling! 

RECAP: Boston 2012 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure!

Aimee & Liz on Day 2!

Throughout my entire life, my mom and I have been on some pretty crazy adventures. From the 13k hike with river crossings in a thunderstorm in Canada when I was a kid, to the unforgettable nightmare hike in hail for twelve grueling miles on the Fourth of July (2009), to many beautiful hikes across Joshua Tree National Park desert in CA, the Blue Ridge, the White Mountains, the Green Mountains, Eastern Canada, and around my home state Massachusetts. We were dubbed by our family members as the "Walkie Talkies" and even had matching hats and shirts for our adventures! That team spirit followed us on our latest challenge in our 3-Day Team Name: The Walkie Talkies!

Now we can add another milestone: the grueling 4-6 month training and successful completion of the 60-mile Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure event! We trained in separate states, across the country from one another, but were able to have many walks together in Florida in March, in California in April, and during two wedding trips up in New England this past spring. I was so proud that my hesitant mother, who loves walking, trusted me enough to sign up, and then see how many people were willing to support her along the way to raising the $2,300.00 needed to walk (which she did with months to spare.) My mother's energy and enthusiasm was relentless (until about 8:30pm each night of the 3-Day) and I enjoyed watching her delight and emotions all along the 60-mile trail. 

Completing an event like the 3-Day requires intense amounts of support. Waking up at 5am on both days of a weekend for months (while working full time) can be draining and I could not have done this without my best friend, and fellow walker teammate, Rachel. Thank you Rachel! As Co-Captains, Rachel and I had talked in the fall about expanding our team. I coerced convinced my high school life-long friends Jenna and Randi to join us. I was nervous about the fundraising, because $2,300 is daunting, but I knew how inspiring our first 3-Day experience in Tampa Bay in 2010 was, and I knew that if we could do this together, we would make a difference. So the challenge began!

Training for and the 3-Day event was not achieved without obstacles. The grueling physical demands of endurance walking has its own set of problems: blisters, blisters on top of blisters (yes, this exists), shin splints, road rash, hyponatremia, chafing, heat stroke, muscle sprains-pulls-pain, dehydration, hypokalemia, and more. Maintaining energy, strength and happiness is very challenging during the event especially when it rained on the camp for hours after we got in after Day 2. Again, I could not have done this without Rachel for the toughest miles on Day 2, the day I spent four months dreading...

But no 3-Day is without its own personal experiences, (like the 3am sprinklers going off on Day 2 into Day 3 on the '10 walk) and the 2012 was no exception. Rachel and I were pulled off the course at 5pm after ten hours of walking, just shy of Camp, on Day 2 for a ferocious thunder and lightning storm and relocated to the school gym of the complex we were staying at. (I was very excited to earn a "2012: I survived a Relo" button for my lanyard. I LOVE flair!) 

One of the best parts of the 3-Day is meeting new people and hearing their stories. The heartbreak, inspiring strength and resilience of these repeat-walkers always moves me to tears. One man, George, had raised his entire amount in eight days for his 9th WALK on the Komen boards because he was so well liked and remembered as "Honey, I'm hoooo-me!"and a "Man with Heart" (a group of men who carry heavy backpacks filled with anything women walkers might need) shared his heartbreaking story for an hour with me and Rachel while we were waiting for my cell to charge on night 1. After sharing some tears and his nail polish, he solidified himself in my mind as the role model for overcoming any and all adversity and loss. To another mother and her daughters walking for a cure,  my mom's "favorite" Walker-Stalker, to the people we all met individually along the trail or at night in camp, the stories create a bond of  strength and connection to these complete strangers, who have come together from all parts of the country to walk for a cause greater than any one of us. Our team, the Walkie Talkies, successfully raised just under $12,000.00 for breast cancer research and community support. The 2012 Boston Komen walk raised over $3M. It was incredible to be a part of that success. 

Even more incredible than the fundraising success, was the personal success of the journey. Seeing my mom cry as she realized the "Victory Tunnel" was a tunnel of thousands of cheering people and not a plastic football tunnel, as complete strangers saluted her efforts and sacrifices for the cure, was a highlight of my life. I am so proud to call these women, Mom, Rachel, Jenna and Randi my teammates and friends. 

If it's time to do something "bigger than yourself", or to spring board into a feasible and achievable fitness regimen, please contact me, and I'd be happy to tell you more about the 3-Day Walk. (Or any other hikes around the USA!) 

A BIG Thank You to our Sponsors, without whom we would not have been able to achieve this amazing achievement!

And finally: a special shout out to our Walker Fans who showed up along the trail to cheer our team on!

Lynne! 

Aunt Beth!

Aunt Sue & Uncle Jim!

Aunt Cheryl & Donna!

Sean and Louise!

Surviving an Apocalypse: Real Estate.

Yahoo had an awesome article today which featured the latest in Zombie-proof Real Estate which was ACTUALLY FOR SALE in America. Highly amusing.


One such house in Florida had its own moat for about $10M:

While yet another had an underground Nuclear Bunker for only $800k:

Although, if it weren't for hurricanes (and money), I'd probably buy this Floridian Island near Marathon  for $12M:

And finally, and perhaps the most ridiculous safe, is the "Jamesburg Earth Station" in California, complete with original satellite, working generators, a helipad and a gym. 

Which one would you pick? See the rest at the article, here,

OR: You can check out my "How to Survive a Supervolcano" Eruption Guide and even my original 

Apocalypse Article: "How to Survive an Ice Age."

X-Country Biking Road Trip: Al and Al for Best Buddies!

One of my Facebook friends (Al) is riding across the country with his friend (also Al) to raise awareness for BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL. They started in Portland, Maine, and are spending the summer road biking and camping across northern America all the way to Portland, Oregon!

You can track their cross-country progress on their Public Facebook Group Page:

Al and Al at the beginning of their cross-country voyage!

They chose the Best Buddies International Alternative Break Program to raise awareness and also to raise donations for the Nonprofit:

"Best Buddies® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

The money raised will go toward the initiation and expansion of travel programs for people with disabilities, 

creating empowering opportunities for people with disabilities to do service work!" 

I have been following their updates via their Tumblr account, which includes many heartwarming stories of generosity across the Northeast so far, interesting accounts of people that Al & Al have met, and their physical exertions as they have now completed most of the Adirondack Mountain Range. An impressive amount of mileage biked already! Wish them luck, check out their sites, or donate to them here!

Music Review: EVERCLEAR's newest album.

It was a lollipop in paradise when I discovered two days ago that EVERCLEAR had just released a new album. For those of you who weren't fans back in the 90's: Everclear's "So Much for the Afterglow" album was literally my middle/high school soundtrack, and the single "Amphetamine" my anthem for a decade.

My mom even noticed my excitement on Facebook- as I immediately shared this golden nougat of knowledge, asking me to "sing one of their songs" in our most recent phone conversation. She didn't know it- mainly because I wore a lot of giant headphones in that decade while listening to Art's teenage angst filled lyrics.

Imagine my surprise then when learning that EVERCLEAR was also currently on tour in America! Taking the stage with none other than the following 90's powerhouse line-up:

So, in addition to going to that concert at my earliest possible convenience, I bought the new album: INVISIBLE STARS on iTunes for the bargain of $9.99. It exceeded my expectations by far! I was very happy to read: "...they are certainly eager to evoke memories of the past by reworking [successful] hooks...whether this nostalgia--so calculated that the prom queen of "Falling in a good Way" pointedly entered high school in 1995, the year Everclear had their first big big, "Santa Monica" (and this album's "Santa Ana Wind" certainly brings to mind that tune as well)- has an audience in 2012 is almost beside the point; after many years in the wilderness Alexakis [E's lead singer] has once again found the sound of Everclear on Invisible Stars."

 -iTunes Album Review. 

So I journeyed forth to find "new" bouts of nostalgia from my favorite band and as soon as I heard Art's voice, which has not changed in almost twenty years, my heart warmed and I was head nodding, window down in 90 degree Tampa, blasting my Everclear pride to anyone who would listen. Check out these tracks:

1. My favorite track "Jackie Robinson" is a rousing fist-pump towards racial progress in America, which  reminds me clearly of: "I Will Buy You a New Life" ('97). 

2. "Falling in a Good Way": It's almost a sequel to "Amphetamine" ('97). 

3. "Be Careful What You Ask For": I'm sorry, was this track recorded in 1997 and then time-capsuled? I can't tell the difference. Everclear at its best.

4. "Santa Ana Wind" slows us down, like "New Life" ('97)  again picking up into a nostalgic memory of  the 90's. 

5. "I am Better Without You": High gear fun. Great guitar licks. Oldschool Everclear again.

6. "Aces" like "El Distorto De Melodica" ('97) begins with cranked guitar with matching high octane 

7. "Promenade" was the song that in the 30-second demo on iTunes made me buy the whole album. It's original Everclear that you should be here for.

The band in 2012: 

Even Princesses Recycle!

Celebrity Spotlight: Even Princesses recycle! 



Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, recycling outfits in a modern world.

Writing a Book: Why you should start now!

National Novel Writing Month

I have lately been rewriting a manuscript of mine for many hours, which was professionally edited this past spring. Basically, I have learned that there's a lot more to writing a book than just having a good story. At the direction of my editor, I have been researching things called "point of view" and "character arcs," "scene conflict, climax, struggle and resolution," basically: all of the nitty gritty not-so-very-fun-stuff. However, four scenes into this new process of mini t.v. "episode"-like scenes and for the first time in years, I'm actually becoming proud of my work. I can see the craft finally reflecting the story. Which leads me into today's topic: novel writing: why you should start now!


Novel writing seems so exciting: the romance of a new idea, the pull of a scintillating character, the shocking climax, the heartfelt resolution, the immortality of printed pages, the hint of success to come, the dream of a monetary advance, the Pulitzer Prize in writing. [Insert guttural laughing here.]

I am laughing now, because I began this process almost two decades ago, with my first "novel" idea in the fifth or sixth grade (pun intended.) That idea has ballooned into a trilogy of fantastical (literally-it's a fantasy) proportions. However the entire project was halted, when at sometime during my advanced high school or early college years, my laptop died and I lost eighty written pages of that manuscript. I had to completely begin afresh with only an old printed version of forty pages or so. A rookie mistake, but heart wrenching, nonetheless. Bridging the gap from teenage to adult writing can be challenging. Teenagers have the ideas but not the craft. Adults tend to have honed the craft, but now have fewer ideas, or time to realize them. This author, "10 Things Teenagers Should Know About Writing" (while trying not be condescending) makes some really good points about the general weaknesses in teenage and amateur writing while giving many tips on where and how to begin the process.

SCROLL DOWN TO his point #2: the more you read and write, the better you'll get at it. 

Point #3: You need to write everyday. 

And the author continues to give seven more pointers about getting into this industry. He also has quite the hilarious follow up article "On teens and the fact their writing sucks" where he apologizes for his initial statement from article one, and clarifies his meaning: that you can only get better, and by limiting yourself to where you are right now (in your teens) you will never improve. 

My advice to teenage and adult writers alike:

CONSUME the information around you and on the internet. 

DIGEST the information.

SPIT IT BACK OUT in a way that floors people. 

Here's my favorite example by J. D. Salinger: 

So while your style might not have that finesse of your future years, it's important to get started. It's important to get those youthful ideas onto paper, because these are the kinds of ideas everyone identifies with. The nostalgia of "going back in time to your youth" that people, adults try to escape to. The ideas that younger children look up to, try and emulate.

Commit to your writing future: get started today. 

June Movie Survey!

It's that time of year again: when I got see almost every movie in the theaters just because it's summer. Mainly this means that I'll write up quick reviews for anyone that may be interested in knowing what's a dud or a gem. In a nutshell?

The Big Screen Winners: Battleship, Prometheus, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Avengers.
The Small Screen Renters: MIB-3, Rock of Ages, The Hunger Games, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

#1. The Surprising Favorite (that critics hated): BATTLESHIP. I was as surprised as the next person at how much fun Battleship was. Viewers can quickly suspend belief at the ridiculous plot of alien invaders setting up a base in the ocean because the effects are SO GOOD. The aliens have a very STAR TREK (2009) feel and the acting is funny and reminiscent of INDEPENDENCE DAY. I was proud to be an American after this film. It was also a great view of the capabilities of the U.S. Navy, the veterans who have served previously, and had a feel-good ending. It's on its last week in theaters, go catch it! It's better than A.Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

 #2. The Surprising Dud (that critics loved): M.I.B. III. I had very high expectations for M.I.B-3. Especially since it's been TEN YEARS since the last installment, and has been promoted since early 2011. Honestly? It was depressing. While the "Time-warp" gimmick from Tommy Lee to Josh Brolin in the 1960's was UNCANNY and spot on- the film just maintained a level of seriousness that didn't deliver. Yes, there is one "feel good" moment towards the end that explains Will's past, but all-in-all, not what I was looking for from the franchise that used to be slimy, spunk and fresh.

 #3. Just along for the Ride: ROCK of AGES is a going to be a great house-party movie. Eventually, when it comes out on DVD. Worth the $10 ticket price? Eh. The 80's band songs/mashups are the best part of the movie (along with Tom Cruise as the hilarious "Stacee Jaxx") but you can get those on iTunes already. Check out the songs, and rent the DVD. 

#4. AS GOOD AS IT GETS: I fully expect Charlize Theron to be nominated for an Oscar for her role as the Evil Queen in SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN. She was absolutely thrilling and terrifying (in a good way). It almost made me believe Kristen Stewart's hysteria...almost. Even though Kristen may have only used a half dozen facial expressions, the movie was still worth seeing in theaters due to the beautiful costumes (expect another oscar nod), the other general well acted characters and theatrically epic plot (think The Two Towers even with dwarves! running across mountain range panoramic shots) and scary-good special effects. I fully expect to buy this one when it comes out on DVD. 

 #5. Now everyone knows how much I love the author (Seth Grahame-Smith of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) but I actually hadn't read this one before seeing it. However, the lead Benjamin Walker, played such a believable Abraham Walker, that I enjoyed much of this mind-warping revamp satire. Unlike Battleship and Snow White, though, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter had campy special effects that were ridiculously unbelievable at times. (Reminiscent of the original Hell Boy or Sin City.) Advice: Rent it for your plasma at home.

 #6. I have always loved Joss Whedon. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) but honestly: this film would have been a hit no matter WHO directed it. Waiting out the set up of THE AVENGERS literally for five or six years as: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Captain America, Thor and The Incredible Hulk all came out first was painful. However, the wait was worth it, as we all knew it would be. The team was hilarious together in their dysfunctional relationship and I can't wait for the next installment. SEE IT IN THEATERS.

 #7. Another surprising dud for me was The Hunger Games. While it did have decent semblance to the book, it was shot and pieced together too quickly to do the character development or relationship arcs any justice. I felt disconnected from all of the characters, except for Gale, who I identified with "watching this all go down badly." I admit I will still see the sequels in theaters, and probably think the same of them, just like I have for all of those irritating Twilight films, but honestly, if you liked The Hunger Games, read the books: they're better.

#8. PROMETHEUS: I loved it. I think a lot of adults (my husband and best friends) were turned off of this "Aliens Origin" film because the trailers made it look like a horror film, but honestly there was only one or two moments of surprising terror and many more thrilling moments of Sci-Fi fun. Unlike the other Aliens movies, where you expect the characters to be stalked by dinosaur like devils, the movie was more like an Indiana Jones film with that 'What's down there?' sort of explorative feel with some of the best special effects space and technology sequences ever seen. Go see it in theaters!