Republican? Democrat? Zombie?

I hate politics. I tend to distrust anything and anyone politically related. The thing I hate most is talking about politics, so I don't. It's no coincidence that the root of the word "politics" is the same root as "polarizing".



(image: thebrandbuilder[dot]wordpress[dot]com)

The thing I hate most about American politics (because let's face it, I have to deal with American politics, and don't know enough to discuss other systems) is the two party thing. The Two Party System is flawed. The Two Party System assumes that everything is black and white. The Two Party System seems to be based on the belief that, if a person feels one way about subject A, they must therefore feel a particular way about subjects B, C, and D as well.

Seriously?
What, did the party elite suck out the brains of all the party members?
...and why do I suddenly sound like I'm discussing twentieth century Russian politics? "party elite"? dude. Wake me up.

There is no universal party. Anyone who toes their party line 100% must have been zombi-fied by that party. I have worked very hard, all my life, as I grew up and developed my world view, to weigh each issue on its own. (I do recognize that growing up overseas, surrounded by close friends from many different countries and world views has given me a variety of views on a variety of subjects, and that perhaps this is why I don't fit into either party very well.)

My parents are die-hard Republicans. They are Republican in the same way that I am a Chicago Bears fan. Yeah. Hardcore. (Don't tell them I accused them of being zombies, though. They might suck out my brain.)

Zeus* is the same. Maybe more vocal.

Hestia married into the Democrat party, I think. And Diana does not discuss politics, so I have no idea. BRAVO, DIANA!

Poseidon is active-duty military (if you pray, please include him, he's in a dangerous place) which usually translates to Republican, in my experience. If so, he must be conflicted, based on what I know of his choices and tastes. Maybe he's neither.

*The link is to my "cast of characters", and will help you make sense of the names I've given my siblings.

I decline to toe a party line. I said I have a variety of views on a variety of subjects. Here's a sampling of why I can't party with either party:

IN GENERAL, and based on the standard projected party-lines I hear...

A. I stand with Republicans on military issues.
B. I stand with Democrats on gay marriage.
C. I stand with Republicans on education. (although this is kind of off the radar these days, so this stance is based on the last I heard.)
D. I stand with Democrats on the environment.
E. I think American foreign policy sucks. It's screwed up. It's not based on any sense of reality of what is happening overseas, and both parties are full of foreign-policy idiots.

Words of wisdom, indeed.

But I'm not on the fence. I believe each way very strongly! Where's MY party? There are so many shades of grey in between the two parties. Take gay marriage. I don't see how we can IL-legalize it.  Until Brett, I had never been able to stick with a loving relationship, but I know several gay/lesbian couples who have been in a loving, committed relationship for longer than a lot of marriages. How is that bad for the country?

Don't get me wrong, I don't think a church should be forced to perform a ceremony that contradicts their beliefs, but how can the government say no? If people are so concerned about family values, let's tackle the domestic violence issue instead of attacking loving couples, m'kay?

As far as education, I think teachers need more freedom to teach, and not just push on towards the test. I also think that until families get involved together, and kids learn to value education, I don't think the system will be resolved. The last I heard, the Repubs were pushing some kind of "school choice" concept which is what I like. However, this is not a direct issue for me, since I do not have kids. (It is a marginal issue for me, as the generation being educated today will affect my life as a senior.)

The environment is my particular bugaboo. My mom disagrees with me on this. She thinks we have to save people first, then the environment. I think that saving people with bandaid solutions first will hurt us all in the long run. If we continue to rape and pillage the earth, we won't be leaving anything for future generations except the same problems we inherited.

'Nuff said.
Here endeth the soap box.
~~~~~

The Presidential debate was last night. I watched a few minutes just to check, verified that it was sound-bite central, and switched channels. Maybe they got serious later and I missed it.

Here's why I don't care what happened:

Say what they like, no President can get it done on his own. He needs to work with the Congress. Until everyone agrees to work together, and until some people learn to compromise, those campaign promises will lie mouldering in their graves.

Douglas Adams said it best (but my Hitchhikers Guide is in storage, so I have to paraphrase) when he said that the President has no real power. He's merely a figurehead to distract attention away from the real power. Indeed.



I honestly saw this sticker on a car this summer.

People vote for the candidate who they believe upholds their same values and ideals. If you don't know the candidates' values and ideals by now, you must have been living under a rock.

So, how do I vote?
I vote for a person, not a party.
I haven't voted a straight ticket in a long time.

I WILL vote, because too many people in this world can't vote, and too many people in this country's history worked to hard to enable me to do so.
I will vote my conscience and I will not talk about it.

If I can get people together, maybe I will actually play that drinking game for the next debate! (Who knows, inject a little alcohol, I might find politics amusing.)

One Hundred! 100! ...or "The other Big C"

(ha. Get it? "C" like as in Roman Numerals? 100? I'm such a dork.)
Some people would have us believe that on your 100th blog post you are supposed to list 100 things about yourself. What is that supposed to do? A. That's a very long list. B. Yes, I suppose I could list 100 things...but it would be incredibly dull. What 100 things?

What 100 things would I want to list for readers who don't know me? I'm not sure if there's a rule that the list of 100 should be things not divulged elsewhere in my blog. However, I know some people just recently started popping in here, and not everyone feels drawn to read every archived post by every blogger they follow. 

To make this Herculean labor easier for myself, and to make better sense for you, I'm breaking the 100 into 10 sets of 10.

Let's give it a whirl...
(upon re-reading, I think the boring stuff is first. Keep reading.)

I'm the little one with the crazy grin.

A. GENERAL, GROWING UP

1. I'm the 4th of 5 kids.
2. I was born in Iowa.
3. I started piano lessons at age 5. (For the story about my 5th birthday, see this post.)
4. I know all the words to a lot of old songs because of giant piano books we'd play from as kids: Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, Blue Moon, Beer Barrel Polka, Heart and Soul, Downtown...the list goes on.
5. I grew up in Asia.
6. I don't know where I'd live if I had my choice, but I'd like to get back to the Indian subcontinent someday.
7. I'm obsessed with Stonehenge.
8. Yes, I've been there.
9. I'm obsessed with the Taj Mahal.
10. No, I've never been there. (Ironic, huh?)

B. THOUGHTS ABOUT SCI-FI

1. I don't really read sci-fi.
2. I do not speak Klingon.

3. I do enjoy Star Trek.
4. In college, we played the Star Trek drinking game while watching The Next Generation. I no longer have the rules.
5. I do not speak Wookiee.
6. I know more about Star Wars than anyone I know (unless you count the videogames).
7. Yoda does NOT always speak with reverse sentence structure: the script-writers of the prequel trilogy were lazy.
8. My secret weight loss goal is to be able to successfully wear the Princess Leia slave-girl costume from Return of the Jedi.
9. I've watched Dr. Who, but not enough to be caught up with current plot-lines and casting.
10. I prefer Red Dwarf, when it comes to Brit-Sci-Fi.

C. A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT BOOKS

1. I was reading and writing in sentences at age 3.
2. My favorite book is Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker Guide trilogy. (yes, the 5 book trilogy)
3. I own everything he's written.
4. My most consistent author to read on a whim is Agatha Christie.
5. I do not own everything she's written... I only have 40-some of hers.
6. I started reading her mysteries at age 11.
7. My favorite living author is Christopher Moore.
8. His book "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" is HILARIOUS ... if you can separate fiction from your faith.
9. Another whacky-fiction author? Jasper Fforde. Grandly twisted. Check him out.
10. In the past, I have organized my books alphabetically, by color, or by Dewey.

D. ABOUT WORK

1. I don't really know what I want to be when I grow up.
2. My ideal job would ultimately be overseas.
3. My former boss used to say I only ate popcorn, peanuts and pizza. He was pretty close. Add peanut butter.
4. My last job was at a marina. I could smell the ocean from my office when the windows were open.
5. I've worked in housekeeping.
6. I was on a paint crew for a summer job once.
7. I worked in a TV studio during college.
8. From there I worked captioning videos.
9. Captioning was probably the most fascinating job I've had... too bad my boss was insane!
10. I am about to go insane if I don't get a job soon!

E. RESPONSIBILITY AND IRRESPONSIBILITY

1. No kids: don't have any, don't want any.

2. Eight nieces and nephews.
3. Once when I was babysitting my niece and nephew for a weekend, there was a thunderstorm. My niece was 5, and terrified. I had no idea how to calm her: fear of thunder & lightning was absolutely foreign to me. She survived.
4. Four godchildren. (In the church sense, not in the sense that I am responsible for them if their parents die.)
5. I taught middle-school Sunday School at my church in Delaware. (grades 5-7)
6. They were unbelievably fun.
7. One of the 10yo's admonished me before I moved here to Indiana "Don't tell your new friends out there that you live with your parents!" She was embarrassed for me. Cute.
8. No pets, mostly because I hate being a burden on someone else if I go out of town and they need to be cared for.
9. I had a Dragon Amigus named Spartacus.
10. Plants die in my care. I am fortunate to still have two that have lived for more than 2 years: a spider plant and a jade.

F. DEATH

1. My grandmother died 2 1/2 years ago, at age 101.

2. Her funeral was all planned out...by her.
3. At her 100th birthday, I asked her what the secret was to long life. She said, "love everybody."
4. DUDE! That's really hard! 
5. I don't want a funeral when I die. I want a "celebration of life".
6. My family knows I prefer to be cremated.
7. I want my sister to read Psalm 19 at my Celebration of Life, if she's still alive.
8. She hasn't said definitively yes.
9. There should be an open bar at the Celebration of Life.
10. You're all invited.

G. ABOUT THE PANTHEON OF MY LIFE

1. I do not use real names of anyone I write about from my personal life: I've swapped their names for a pantheon which can be found in this post.
2. I use (usually) the names of Greek gods and goddesses for pseudonyms in this blog.
3. That is because in our family, we are steeped in that knowledge, due to Dad's college education. Yeah. Weird.
4. ...Seriously. It was dinner table conversation. At age 4, I was hooked!
5. When we lived overseas, my sister Diana and I, and the two daughters of the other missionary, would take Poseidon into the ladies' cloakroom, put his hair in pigtails, and exit into the public calling him Persephone.
6. His hair wasn't really that long.
7. I took "Greek and Roman Mythology" as an elective in college. It was awesome.
8. Because of the whole boarding school situation, I really only got to know my oldest siblings when I was in college.
9. I think I broke my mom's heart when I told her that. (and I don't know why)
10. Not yet in the pantheon officially, my eldest niece will be Calliope for her artistic talent, and my youngest nephew will be Icarus for consistently going too far.

H. COLLEGE DAYS

1. I went to the same college with my older brother.
2. Unfortunately, this meant that I dated very little. His temper was well-known. I was gold.
3. I had tried to start going by my full name instead of the age-old shortened version, but having a sibling there ruined that.
4. I got my first apartment during my Junior year of college.
5. I kept a double minor all through college because I couldn't decied what my "practical" minor should be. I graduated with one minor and a TON of elective credits!
6. Like Old Testament Theology, from when my 2nd minor was theology.
7. Or Adolescent Psychology, from when my 2nd minor was psychology.
8. Or Music Theory, from when my 2nd minor was music.
9. The minor I graduated with was Geography/Earth Science.
10. This should have been my major.

I. A MOVIE WHORE IS BORN
...a.k.a. 10 movies I watch regularly if there's nothing on TV.
(Please note, these are not my Top 10 faves, just easy to have on and ignore because I know them well.)

1. The Star Wars trilogies (obviously)
2. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (obviously)
3. Star Trek - 2010 version (obviously ...and because I don't own any others. If anyone feels like supplying me with Wrath of Kahn, I will be eternally grateful.)
4. Casablanca (obviously)
5. Clue
6. Ghostbusters
7. Young Frankenstein
8. Kelly's Heroes (possibly the stupidest WWII movie, ever. But so funny.)
9. Bridget Jones' Diary
10. Muppets From Space (Best. Soundtrack. EVER.)

 J. The one you've all been waiting for:
The Red & Brett Story in 10 Key Posts.
(you're welcome)
p.s. There are others, but these are key.

Remember these? If not, read 5 & 6, below.

1. Your Bloody Valentines Day We'd been reading each other's blogs and commenting, but this is The Key Post. (If you don't read any others, read this and the comments.)
2. Evidence That I Am Harmless (posted at The Transformed Non-Conformist)
3. Of Axe Murderers and Other Creepy Folks This is my response to no. 2.
4. The Secret's Out and the Plot Thickens Because I'm an anonymous blogger, all of this was only in the blogosphere of my world until now.
5. Chaos Butterfly Powers (posted at The Transformed Non-Conformist)Red & Brett's Secret Squirrel Squad 
7. Red Arrived in the "Brett Zone" and Was Never Heard From Again Documenting our first meeting. There's a corresonding post at The Transformed Non-Conformist.
8. Allow Me to Explain (or What Really Happened at The Avengers) This one is kind of left-field, unless you'd been following some of the Twitter convos out there.
9. The Kids of Indianapolis Have a New Hero
10. Brett's Plans Fall Apart Again (posted at The Transformed Non-Conformist)

That wasn't too painful, was it? 100 things you never cared to know about me, in 10 quick sessions. ...and all the pictures came from elsewhere in this blog.

Whew.
Time for a beer.

Guest Posting and What's Up in Iowa

Dudes! I survived the weekend road-trip with my parents!

Actually, I'm not even really here to say that. Adam, AKA DJTrain over at The Train's Whistle was given the Kreativ Blogger Award, and suggested I write it as a guest post. Woot-woot! My first guest post! I have to say, not only did I have fun with it, I think it's some of my best - and indeed most creative - writing so far. Go check it out HERE! (and while you're there be sure to read some of his earlier stuff. It's pretty cool.)

Since I wrote a full post already, I'm just going to share some photos from this weekend's trip, and call it a day. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words!
(I'm including an extra special bonus)

First, to catch you up in general. Last week on Thursday I went out to watch Brett's softball game. I brought along homemade peanut-butter cookies, and before heading to the game...

...we spread them with Nutella, satisfying the debate happening over on Rusty's blog.

yes, there are milk chocolate chips in some of them. I like to experiment.

At the game, I was commissioned to write for The Train's Whistle, as I linked to above.

Here he is: the man, the myth, the Coach DJTrain!

On Friday, my parents, my aunt, and I headed off towards Iowa.

The Amana Colonies are an Amish community in Eastern Iowa.

Iowa is NOT flat! It is gently rolling prairie - well, fields now.

That gets me every time. People who've never been there think Iowa is flat. Not true, people. You are mistaking Iowa for Kansas.

This cracked me up...

You "redeem" your empties for the deposit, but it sounds
as if there's an AA meeting in the back room or something!

Summertime at the lake. Crazy. People with boats tethered together, people on boats with a raft pulled behind, speed boats, pontoon boats...

This isn't even the most crowded part, because I was trying to get all the RVs.

This is the town of my paternal grandmother. We visited a lot when I was a kid. I was delighted to see that the same old death-traps toys are still in the park:

The rolling barrel o' joy.
Or, for those of us with big brothers:
The rolling barrel o' terror.

...and isn't it amazing that we ALL survived these?

The reunion itself was fun. As of course they always are. I won't share pictures of all the family, though. You're welcome!

Sunday we headed back across the state to my Mom's brother's house. When we stopped for lunch, guess whose table number was the Ultimate Answer!!!

(My parents did not understand why this was photo-worthy.)

More proof of Iowa's non-flatness.

For breakfast the next day we stopped at a good old fashioned Iowa local restaurant. Check out this cinnamon bun!

Dudes! It's as tall as a juice glass! That's 3 meals right there.

The Mighty Mississippi. It's really big, dudes. And I'm not even crossing it at a notably wide spot!

Well that's it, really. Not really, really, because all the stuff that you'd have to be family to appreciate isn't here, and that was the whole purpose of the trip. My dad was the youngest of 6. Of the 6 kids, 4 had 5 kids, and 2 had 3. PLUS any living siblings of my dad's dad, and their kids/grandkids come, too. (My dad's dad was the oldest of 6.)

That's a LOT of people. Of all ages. Actually, there are only two from my generation (and my grandpa's branch) that are younger than me: my brother and one cousin. I have cousins who have kids that are nearer my age than my cousins. Heck, I have cousins who are grandparents! So it's kind of weird, still being the young one. But it was fun. And I decided that if our generation is going to continue this, we need to start wearing name-tags. And family tree-tags.

Extra Special Bonus...JUST for playing along and actually reading this lengthy post all the way to the bottom, I've decided to include an actual, CURRENT picture of me:

My Eye.

True, dudes. It was a lot of driving, and somewhere in between reading and napping, I got bored and took an extreme close-up of myself. You're welcome.

And FINALLY finally,
In today's Something to Celebrate:
On this date in 1942, Anne Frank was given a diary for her 13th birthday. It gives you chills, doesn't it?

Red Arrived in the “Brett Zone” and WAS NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN...

...seriously people, this is the Movie Whore and Red's Inner Bibliophile (I.B., here. I'm going to try to sit back and just edit). Red drove off to meet her internet fiance Brett today, and hasn't been in her right mind since. We can only assume she's in some “other” mind (or “frame of”). But we knew you'd like to know what happened, so we'll do the best we can.

(okay, I.B. again. The Movie Whore does a fine job telling this story, but she's not a reader. I know readers, and some of you out there skip to the end. Shame on you. But just so that you WON'T do that, I am over-riding the Movie Whore's instincts and editing the order of this story, by bringing the end to the top. Enjoy.)

~~~

Seriously, that was an awesome good-bye. I bet Red can't wait to see him again, just to say good-bye again! ...well, maybe not just that. And I guess more to the point she probably wishes she'd stayed there just a little bit longer.

Are these squirrels, I.B.?
No, Whore, those are Prairie Dogs.
Whatever. Rodents.

But DUDE! It sure took them long enough to get there! They should have started their day that way.

I.B.: No-no. It was just right. They had to get used to each other's presence first. And it didn't matter that they started slow. These two can't keep anything from each other. Didn't you hear them?

Yeah, yeah. They both wanted to start out by greeting the other with a kiss. Both FAILED! Sad, so sad. It would have made a better opening scene if they had. ...I should have written this script. Romance is wasted on the unromantic.

I.B.: Maybe a better scene, but think it through. If they started the way they ended, would they have had the rest of their random adventure?

Sure! You know Red loves her “random”.

I.B.: Yeah, but after 3 months of talk? It's better that they ended today this way. It's a better story. PLUS you know there will be a sequel.

~~~

(I.B. the editor back again: There, now you know it ended well. And some goobers who still skipped to the bottom will have learned their lesson! Now I'll let the Movie Whore tell it.)

First off, if this were a movie, the costumes would get about a B-. Red stuck to her guns (thankfully) and dressed as she naturally would in shorts and a tank for such a hot day. She did NOT follow Aphrodite's unsolicited advice to wear a dress. But seriously, Red? Sandals? Fail. Big time fail. Should have gone with flip-flops.

I.B.: Brett looked good, what's your complaint there, Movie Whore?

Brett did look good in his black jeans and light blue shirt that matched his eyes perfectly. (Yeah, we're onto you, Brett; that was SO not a coincidence!) But jeans? In 85-degree weather? Fail.

They both looked good, natural, like themselves, but since they both got a FAIL, that brings them both down to a B-.

I.B.: Okay, I'll go along with that logic. Tell them about the State Park Fiasco!

Yeah. They had this one all figured out until the day before when they decided to meet at a different State Park. See, Red liked the idea of meeting at a park because it's different, it's active, you get to really see what the other person is like. ...It's a good idea, really. Only because of the last minute change, Red and Brett found themselves at a state park whose nature center was not open – not such a catastrophe since it turned out to be sunny for the first time since Red got here! - but Red gets these ideas in her head, and so this "not being able to meet at the nature center" kind of threw her off.

Anyway, they started off on one of the trails, just chatting like on one of their phone calls. Boring stuff. Then they get to the puddles in the path and Red remembered that it had been raining for 3 days! Seriously, what a goober she is. After a while of both of these two nuts trying to find the dry ground on either side of the many puddles, and of Red finding guck squishing into her sandals, she finally took them off and carried them. This is what I'm saying: FLIP-FLOPS!

I.B. Hey at least there can be no pretense! She wanted to be her real, natural self and not the dress-wearing perfect Miss that Aphrodite was suggesting... and I think squishing through the mud and splattering it from your shoes onto your clothes qualifies as “real” and “natural”!

Whatever. When they got back to the parking lot, they decided to find something else to do that would be less hot and muddy. Thanks to Brett's road atlas, they trekked off down the road to a town of historical significance that was in the direction of Brett's hometown.

I.B.: Oh that's good. I know Red was concerned about the fact that he had to drive the furthest.

Yeah, but did you hear later when he said he didn't mind driving so far, because he knew she had just driven across the country? Geez. Is it possible for two people to be TOO considerate of each other?

I.B.: I don't know. But it sure seemed like the two of them together have difficulty making any clear decisions. Go on with the story, you're doing fine.

Well, kudos to the historian who was giving the tour of these little buildings from a time before Indiana was even a state. He really knew his stuff and was very thorough. Red is a very good audience, and she later blamed herself for how long he took. But after all, this is her new home state, and she loves this kind of stuff anyway.

The funny thing was that later, when Red blamed herself, Brett agreed that the historian seemed to get excited every time she asked questions.

I.B.: Do most people not ask questions when they're touring an historical site?

I dunno. I've only ever been in Red's head. I don't think she's a good example of “normal”. ...and what's with the pretentious "an historical", I.B? Loosen up!

I.B.: Whatever. They both got a personalized bookmark out of the tour, and I LOVE it! I'll put it in the book I'm reading right now! But moving on, what did you think of the dinner scene? (if that's what we're calling it, because it was quite early for true “dinner”.)

That was a surprise! I know neither one had eaten before they met, so by 4:30 in the afternoon of course they were hungry, but Red was intentionally avoiding that scenario by doing the park thing because if you do a meal there's the whole “decision-making” thing, the whole “here's what I don't eat” thing, the possibility of dripping/splattering all over yourself, the possibility that he might chew with his mouth open and then it's all over(because that's disgusting), and of course the whole “Bistromathics” thing. ...although she needn't have worried: Brett took care of the Bistromathics issue by just paying for everything, like a gentleman.

I.B.: Should we explain Bistromathics?

Nah, Red already did. I'll just link to that post

(For those of you who aren't going to click the link,
Bistromathics is a theory from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.)

I.B.: You may be on to something with your "is it possible to be TOO considerate?" Although they decided on Fazoli's pretty quickly, for all Red's concerns about eating on a first "date".

I think Red was only pretending to be indecisive about where to eat. She knew full well she'd passed a Fazoli's, and ever since Brett's daughter made a comment about that chain on her FB page, Red's been looking forward to that aspect of Indiana.

I.B.: See what I mean? Too considerate. She could just as easily have said, “I saw a Fazoli's, and I've been anxious to eat there, because we don't have them in Delaware.” Brett's a very easy-going guy. He wouldn't have minded ...and then someone would have made a quick decision!

Well, regardless of how they got there, the dining scene was my least favorite part of today: No action. Just two people talking and eating. And then good-bye.

I.B.: Good-bye was good!

Good-bye was very good! I'd watch a replay of that. Maybe that's where Red is...watching the replay. Haha!

(I.B. the editor: For those of you who jumped to the end first, regardless of the warning. HAHA! Joke's on you! The ending is at the beginning!)

Well, hopefully Red will return to her right mind soon enough to field the comments. I don't know if we're equipped to answer any questions!

The Movie Whore is Hungry For More Hunger Games

Before I say anything, I must confess I’ve not read this book.

I’ve heard good things about it, and almost bought it, but then remembered that it would be just one more thing to pack.

The Movie Whore stayed home sulking while I went out with The Nurse to see the movie on Monday. We met for Mexican and I told the whole story of e-e-everything leading up to my decision to move. (Oddly enough, she suggested that maybe there were "more fish in the sea" out in Indiana "If that’s what you’re looking for". ...why are people so concerned that I’m single? I just don’t get it. Anyway, I took her into my confidence, and informed her that I’ve already been talking to someone out that direction, who I met online. I did not provide details about my internet fiance and she didn’t ask. I think the whole "I met him online" thing sort of shut down her interest level.) 

Either way, we had a delightful dinner – mine included scallops, AGAIN, yea! – and wandered over to the cinema. Since we’d just eaten, we didn’t consider popcorn, so the Movie Whore wouldn’t have wanted to be there anyway. (She’s such a glutton.)

The Hunger Games was a thoroughly absorbing movie. I’d been warned that it is SO FAITHFUL to the book that some people don’t catch the nuanced details. It was also fun to see with The Nurse! I usually go to movies alone, but we actually had fun, made occcasional whispered comments to each other, and debated casting at the end. So, I guess it’s a good "date" movie. See it with someone.

I read a blog post recently – forgive me; I can’t remember whose, was it Mayor Gia, Crack You Whip, Pish Posh?...I visit so many, so randomly – and the writer of that post was definitively against a movie about kids killing kids. I disagree: I don’t think it was "about kids killing kids" as much as it was about adults manipulating every situation to achieve a desired outcome. I’ll be very interested to read the book and learn if they manipulated The. Exact. Outcome. ...which is kind of predictable, but not precisely. Some nice twists in there.

It reminded me of Survivor, but instead of being voted off – YOU DIE!

The characters were extremely defined. The Bad Guys were very obvious, and the Good Guys maintained their goodness throughout, so to me, I can see why it appeals to teens. ...that is the target demographic isn’t it?

~~~

There are movies that MUST be seen on the big screen, there are movies that can wait until DVD (which, I believe this is), but there are also movies that can be re-watched again and again. The Hunger Games is in the 3rd category, for me.

So yesterday I dragged the Movie Whore with me for a second viewing. She noted many things we’re now going to look for when we read the book. Boy, she was annoying with her questions that I couldn’t answer!

Movie Whore: Is there any particular significance to the song Katniss sings to Prim?

Me: I don’t know. They don’t tell us.

Movie Whore: What about that silent salute-thing?

Me: Dude! I know as much as you do! – they haven’t explained the symbolism!

Movie Whore: Hey – check it out: Gale’s name was entered 42 times – the Ultimate Answer!

Me: Now that is cool. The author must be a Douglas Adams fan. Sweet.

Movie Whore: I don’t get why they are "The Hunger Games". How does hunger enter into it?

Me: Seriously, can we just watch?

Movie Whore: That’s a cool Mockingjay pin. ...

...You know those are going to be the next most popular accessory. ...which is weird because it’s hardly in the movie at all. What’s up with that?

Me: Dude! I’m leaving you home next time! Shush!

Aaaand...Critique, or whatever...

• The Movie Whore wants to dress as that whacked-out, extremely pink character for Halloween. (We didn’t catch her name.)
• Am I crazy, or do all the "peacekeepers" marching in perfect step, corraling all the people, reflect back to George Lucas‘ stormtroopers? Bad guys, dressed all in white. Yep.
• Donald Sutherland. Let’s take a moment in awe of his diversity. His portrayal of the President makes me want to go watch Kelly’s Heroes to see his fun side again. The Movie Whore recognized his voice early on, but we did not know he was in this. Oh...he is. He is indeed. Manipulative devil!
• And while we’re on the cast, how about the chick playing the lead? Jennifer Lawrence. She was very soulful. That’s the only way I can put it. You really believe her terror. Her tortured sobs. Her sisterly affection. She makes you see Katniss and say, "Wow. She’s got it tough – *I* wouldn’t want to be her!" even while you believe she’s good at living that way.
• Woody Harrelson was good too. I haven’t seen a lot of his movies, but I liked him in this.
• And Lenny Kravitz! I knew I recognized the sexy Cinnah, but didn’t know from where until I saw the credits. The Movie Whore didn’t know he could act. I still say we don’t know if he can act, because he really didn’t have to do much but be himself.

Finally, OSCAR PREDICTIONS:

This movie will be a contender for its score, and for costumes/make-up, if nothing else. And maybe sound. Whoever was in the editing room did a good job of swelling the music to drown all conversation, to show when a character was so overcome they couldn’t hear what was going on around them.

...The Movie Whore has been whispering to my inner Bibliophile, trying to convince her we need the books. The movie Whore wants to know what happens next...and what happened in the past that led to The Hunger Games in the first place. But my inner Bibliophile has enough books on her plate right now. She needs to be more disciplined and not get distracted by this new series.

A theatrical "Reason to Celebrate" (thank you Cranky&Difficult):

Robert Downey Jr.‘s birthday! I think we should not have a drink in his honor though, because isn’t he trying to live clean and sober these days? Let’s toast him with Grape Fanta or Ginger Ale or something.