Sometimes I only get the chance to blog once a week. And since I can't always get up the motivation to think of a topic, it's nice to have other friends to blog with so we can take turns. I enjoy being challenged to write about stuff that might not normally come to mind and also reading everyone else's thoughts on the same topic. Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about a year now, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.
This week I chose the topic: Five Firsts and Five Lasts (you can choose whatever you want for each separately or do a comparison for each.) First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic: Darwin Shrugged Froggie Moma Rock
When I read People magazine, I love the last page where they ask celebrities what their last of something was, such as the last time they laughed, spent money, had a dream, etc. It's a cool way to get to know them on a different level. Also, a while back, my blog idols Liz and Lisa asked their visiting authors about firsts and lasts. I was reading their questions and having a hard time coming up with my answers to them. However, I thought it would be a fun, and yet somewhat challenging topic for this group. I decided to go the comparison route.
(As of November 19th at 10:20 pm)
First movie I saw in a theater:Mary Poppins when I was about three years old, even though I was apparently scared of the dark and didn't want to stay. (At least my parents were smart and took me out instead of letting me cry a lot and ruin other theatergoers' experiences.)
Last movie I saw in a theater: Big Hero 6, which was fantastic! My three-year-old sat so well the entire time, so it was the other patrons who couldn't keep their kids from attempting to ruin everyone else's experiences.
First time I flew on a plane: My second trip to Florida for Disney World when I was six years old. My (late) maternal grandma came with us too.
Last time I flew on a plane: Home from my most recent trip to Disney World in 2013. While I was with my parents and sister for most of the trip, I also shared the experience with my husband and kids.
First thing I posted on Facebook: A bunch of pics of my older son when he was a toddler back in summer 2007, when we lived in NJ.
Last thing I posted on Facebook: A timehop pic of my first trip to DC. After going on this trip, I decided I wanted to move out to this area. Less than a year later and we had a house and established our lives here pretty quickly after moving in. Side note:I love that the monument reflects in the pool. On my most recent visit to the Lincoln Memorial, it was too cloudy to get any reflection.
Last job: The job I will be celebrating five years at in December....working for a local Jewish non-profit. It's amazing how much has changed in five years between staff coming and going and a new office space.
First thing I did this year: Played board games with some close friends of ours. This lasted until about 1:00 a.m. after 2014 started.
Last thing I did this year (as of tonight): Aside from writing this blog post, I watched Jane the Virgin. I'm an episode behind at the moment, but will be caught up soon. Such a fun show!
When I found out about the Stupid Movie Tour that was going to take place this month, I just had to get on board! I've enjoyed reading about everyone's choices and coming up with my own. Originally, I just had one movie in mind, but then I thought about a few others and didn't want to neglect them. So I will share a little bit about each one, along with a fun video clip or trailer. Enjoy! Teen Witch Something came to mind recently that made me think of this movie and brought back a slew of fun memories. Teen Witch is about Louise (played by Blake Lively's half-sister, Robyn), a girl who is pretty, but shy and not fashionable, so she's practically invisible. Then she learns that she's a witch and she uses her powers to help herself fit in at her school, learning some important lessons along the way. Not only is Teen Witch a movie, but it's also a musical! Of course, the music is super cheesy as is expected with late 80s films. (My friend and I would randomly sing "I Like Boys" while getting ready for dance class.) There's a hilarious scene involving this teacher who is always mean to Louise. I don't even want to say any more as to not spoil the fun. I think the main reason I liked this movie is that it spoke to my fantasy of becoming popular. Oh, how I wished I had magical powers so that I could get the jacket of my favorite rock star, which would be used to make me the most popular girl (see video below). I just thought life would be so much easier that way. However, I like the lesson she learned after becoming popular and almost losing her best friend, who looked very similar to one of my closest friends. I think her friend forgave her since she gave her special rapping powers earlier in the movie. Oh yeah, and Zelda Rubinstein from Poltergeist has a special role.
Grandma's Boy
This was actually the first movie that came to mind when I heard about this blog tour. I knew I definitely wanted to write about it. My husband and I saw it for the first time in 2006 and we couldn't stop laughing. We've seen it again since then. Sometimes, we'll just randomly quote lines from it. I think this is the only time I've seen Allen Covert in a starring role. And I'm surprised he only plays bit parts or secondary roles in other movies (my favorite being "10 Second Tom" in 50 First Dates). He's really funny and adorable as Alex, the video game programmer who has to move in with his grandma. Playing an equally funny secondary role as Alex's best friend, Jeff, is Nick Swardson, whom my husband and I only like because he played Terry on Reno 911. Anyway, there are a lot of really funny moments and quirky characters. The villain of the story is socially inept and talks like a robot all the time. Linda Cardellini is cute as Alex's potential love interest. Doris Roberts, Shirley Jones, and Shirley Knight are the icing on the comedy cake though. I think Grandma's Boy even inspired my husband to design his own video game. Given that this is a Happy Madison production, you know you're in for a treat. Check out the trailer:
UHF
Before Michael Richards was Kramer and Fran Drescher was the nanny, they starred along with Long Duk Dong in a classic late-80s comedy that takes TV to a whole new level. And best of all, it stars the one...the only...WEIRD AL! (Hence my subject line.) I can watch this movie over and over and laugh each time, as well as quote most of the lines along with it. There are great lines and puns ("Badgers? We don't need no stinkin' badgers!"), as well as hilarious parodies, such as the Beverly Hillbillies version of "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits.
Really though, all the reason to watch this movie is right here:
Good Burger
"Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger. Can I take your order?" I first saw this movie when I was in college. The previews made it look pretty, um, cheesy. (My friend would even imitate Ed dancing around in the milkshake machine.) However, for a dollar at the second run theater, I figured it couldn't hurt to try it out. And you know what? I actually enjoyed it! It was funny with lots of slapstick moments, as well as an interesting plot. It's about this teen, Dexter, played by Kenan Thompson (who is now on SNL). He has to work at a burger joint to make money so he can pay back his neighbor, played by Sinbad. He's hoping to just do his job each day and get out of there. However, Ed, played by Kel Mitchell (who--kind of--disappeared after this movie), makes this more difficult by always getting underfoot and being his quirky and goofy self. (He's so convincing in his role that the New York Times thought he was a real fast food chain employee). Then he invents a sauce that gives them a huge boost in business, much to the chagrin of this more modern burger place across the street (along the lines of Fuddrucker's), run by the evil Kurt. Overall, it's a story about friendship and teamwork. Linda Cardellini (mentioned earlier for Grandma's Boy) even plays a small role in this movie before she became famous for Freaks and Geeks. I saw Good Burger again a few years ago and still found it just as funny and endearing as I did 16 years ago. I'm even excited to show it to my kids someday.
Check out this trailer and then "consider yourself tomatoed!"
What is your favorite stupid movie? Please share in the comments. Visit Deb's blog on Friday for more stupid movie fun. See the full tour schedule here.
This past week, I went to see Big Hero 6 with my kids. I wasn't all that interested to see it at first, since it's about science and robots and has a Marvel Comics element to it. However, one of my friends who has similar tastes in movies posted that she loved it, so I decided to check it out. I'm SO glad I did!
Big Hero 6 is about a boy genius, Hiro, who graduates high school at age 13 and creates robots to use for Bot Fighting tournaments, in an effort to make money. His brother, Tadashi, inspires him to get into San Fransokyo University, which is accomplished by creating a unique contribution to technology. Hiro's efforts are rewarded, but then disaster strikes and everything he created is gone. With the help of Tadashi's health-care robot, Baymax, Hiro finds out that his creation is still in existence, but taken over by an evil villain who is intent on using it for his own purposes. Hiro gathers his friends, along with Baymax, to overtake the villain and get back what is rightfully his.
I loved everything about this movie, from characters, to art design, to music (and not typical Disney show-stoppers, but the songs playing as the action is going on). The story is clever and emotionally driven. There are a lot of action scenes, as well as comedic moments. I was laughing as much as my six-year-old son, if not more. I even cried at times.
I totally loved Baymax as a sidekick. He's funny and not annoying at all. What's amazing is that even without a mouth, he can still convey emotion. He's mainly created as a revolutionary healthcare device. I wish he were around when my son was having ear problems. He could have resolved the issue in no time! I love that he won't go away until Hiro is satisfied with his care. How often do health care professionals even ask that of their patients? It's such a simple question too. There's so much more to Baymax than what he appears to be and the result is incredible. He's definitely the source of most of the humor too.
The main song, "Immortals," is really good and goes well with the action scenes. It's sung by Fall Out Boy, even though I thought it was Adam Lambert until I saw the credits. (Shows how much I mix up rock groups and singers these days.) The marriage of Tokyo and San Francisco was really cool in terms of what they were able to do with scenery. Most of the character voices were not well known, but Maya Rudolph played Hiro's aunt, which I thought was cool. Alan Tudyk, who was the voice of King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph and played Wash on Firefly, also did a voice in this movie. Another fun fact: Scott Adsit, the guy who did Baymax's voice, is from a town near where I grew up.
What worries me is that because this is not a movie about princesses with memorable songs, it will fade into the background. I felt like Wreck-It Ralph did that, and I loved that movie too. I highly encourage everyone to see Big Hero 6 and stay all the way through the end for a special celebrity cameo visit.
All I can tell you for now is that I'm glad I braved the theater experience to see this on the big screen and that my three-year-old princess-obsessed daughter sat better than most of the bigger kids in the theater. She told me she liked it a lot too.
Sometimes I only get the chance to blog once a week. And since I can't always get up the motivation to think of a topic, it's nice to have other friends to blog with so we can take turns. I enjoy being challenged to write about stuff that might not normally come to mind and also reading everyone else's thoughts on the same topic. Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about a year now, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.
This week Moma Rock chose the topic: When you witness someone else making a mistake, what do you do? Do you believe it's a chance for lessons learned, or do you intervene? First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic: Darwin Shrugged Froggie Moma Rock
I will admit I had a hard time coming up with what to say on this topic. It was so broad that I felt the need to narrow it down. And even then, it still felt like it could go so many ways. I didn't feel comfortable talking about witnessing personal, life-changing mistakes because we all make them in one way or another at different times. Then my older son had me check over his homework tonight and I got all obsessive over the spelling errors. I also read what the assignment was asking and felt he didn't do that, so I made him correct his work. He's in third grade and I want him to be accountable. I know my younger son's first grade teacher is more concerned about his handwriting and understanding how sentences work. However, third grade is more complex. My son is smart and is doing well in school, according to the parent-teacher conference I attended. However, I feel the need to correct his homework before his teacher sees it. I don't make the corrections, but I ask him to do it. I'm not as hard on my first grader with his homework, but I will still point out little errors that drive me crazy if they don't go corrected.
I'm not only the Grammar (and Spelling) Police with my family (and believe me, I've corrected my husband on things too), but also with friends. I have this mini-proofreader living in my brain and they won't leave me alone until I make sure errors are fixed at once. Don't even get me started on punctuation either. If I see so much as a comma out of place, I have to intervene! I'm sure I've annoyed people when I've pointed out spelling or grammar mistakes, but other people have appreciated it. I've been known to stand over someone and correct what they're writing as they are going along. I'm like the back seat driver of the writing world. One thing that frustrates me is when a book goes to final print and comes out with errors all over the place. If I were an author and those errors weren't caught before my book went to final print, I'd be fuming! Maybe some authors feel they just have to let it go and hope the readers aren't as obsessive as yours truly.
I don't know why I'm so obsessive about little errors or why it's so important that something looks right. Shouldn't I allow my kids to be kids and let their teachers correct them, if necessary? Why is it so important that their work be turned in with proper spelling and grammar? I feel that I'm preparing them for the future, where a little mistake could cost them in the long run. (I recently witnessed a mistake that could have cost someone a large amount of money, but thankfully the responsible party realized what they did and was able to stop it in time.) Having my kids be accountable for their work and how they present everything is a step in the right direction. After all, I don't want them to be Rachel Green and send off their resumes with a glaring error.
Sometimes I only get the chance to blog once a week. And since I can't always get up the motivation to think of a topic, it's nice to have other friends to blog with so we can take turns. I enjoy being challenged to write about stuff that might not normally come to mind and also reading everyone else's thoughts on the same topic. Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about a year now, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.
This week Darwin Shrugged chose the topic: Can someone be overqualified for something? First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic: Darwin Shrugged Froggie Moma Rock
When I think of the word "overqualified," I think of applying to jobs. Then again, I was usually told I didn't have enough experience for the job I was angling to get. How does one get experience if no one will give it to them in the first place?!? I don't know that I've been overqualified for any of the jobs I applied for, per se. Most jobs I've had required a learning curve of some sort. My husband has the kind of career now where he could be overqualified for certain positions. He's made his way up the IT ladder since he started out in the field. So he now even feels overqualified for a job that he had five years ago.
Oddly enough, in timing with this week's topic, I saw this article about a bestselling author who tried to get a job at The Container Store. Do you think her past jobs have rendered her overqualified? When is a job just a job?
I was thinking about the field of performing arts and how someone who is an established actor would be overqualified to be put in a movie as an extra without a speaking role. I also thought about someone who has had a professional career going for an entry-level position in their field. However, if someone wants to start fresh in a field where they have no base of familiarity, I wouldn't say they are overqualified if they don't have the experience in that field to begin with.
There are some jobs or careers where one can never be overqualified. This is because I feel they should have as many qualifications as possible to be the utmost successful.
Doctor: I think you should have every qualification in the book and also pick up new skills if you're going to be responsible for someone else's health and well-being. Case in point...my younger son had terrible ear pain a few weeks ago. His ENT (that is "ear, nose and throat" specialist) couldn't figure out that the ear wax that he even saw was causing the problem. That caused his pain to last longer than it had to and added inconvenience for us both.
Dentist: Same thing...if the health of my teeth is in your hands, you better have every qualification imaginable. I'm still impressed with my dentist's ability to fix the tooth I cracked earlier this year. You can't even tell anything happened to it!
Teacher: If you have too many qualifications, you could always be a professor instead. Seriously, education is so important that someone should know what they're talking about first before passing along that knowledge. Especially with this new "Common Core" stuff our kids are being taught.
Any job involving possible danger to self or others. Like a pilot, construction worker, electrician, etc.
Chef: If the success of a restaurant is depending on your cooking skills, you should be as qualified as possible.
Any job involving handling money. Otherwise we're putting our trust in someone who could lead us into another Ponzi scheme.
President or any other major leadership role. Do I even have to explain this one?
What jobs do YOU think someone can't possibly be overqualified for?
