Sinister

I should not be allowed to go to a movie theater and see a scary movie. But I love to see them, just maybe I should watch at home, where I can have the lights on, and a remote control that allows me to mute the movie at anytime. Alas, there are times I manage to get to the movies to see a horror flick and watch a lot of the movie through my fingers and this movie made me do just that.

It starts off simple, an author writing a true crime story about a murder where four people were hung in their backyard. The unseemly thing is that he chose to live in the house where the people lived. So he likes to get into his work, I don't blame anyone for getting that deep into it, good for him. Of course he does what every male does and fails to tell his wife why he picked that house. And before some of this, scary stuff happens in the house. I won't tell you about the box of home movies but they are not typical home movies.

One of my favorite parts is when the author contacts a folklore professor at the local college. The reason it is my favorite is because the professor is played by none other than one of my favorite actors, Vincent D'Onofrio (Vincent D'Onofrio). I enjoyed his parts even though they were small. And he looks good like a mountain man, beard and all.

Simply put, I probably should have waited for this to hit Netflix so I could watch it in the safety of my home. Instead I braved a dark movie theater that added to the scariness of the film. And I will continue to spend my money to see scary movies that I watch through my fingers at the theater.

If you want to read more about the film check out this link to the IMDB page Sinister.

Argo

I went to the movies today for the first time in a long time. I can't remember the last movie I saw but it was way earlier in the year. I've decided that I'm going to try and see a movie a week because I love movies and miss going to the theater.

Today I saw the movie Argo. This is a movie based on real events that happened even though some of the movie was changed to add dramatic emphasis. Real events, events that were put into motion the year before I was born and concluded on the exact day that I turned a year old.

The movie is set mostly in Iran with some action happening in the United States. It begins by describing what has occurred so far and gets the viewer up to speed on where we begin. It was scary to watch a group of unhappy people storm the embassy in Iran. The fear was intense as the people tried to burn and shred all of their documents. Then there were the six up front that had to make a life or death decision in a mere matter of minutes.

Those six chose to take a chance and flee because they were close to the street. They had all of the Iranians waiting for visas go first to avoid capture or death at the hands of the insurgents. Then they left and ended up at the house of the Canadian ambassador. There they stayed for what I'm sure were over 80 days of fear.

Back in the U.S. a man in the C.I.A. is planning a way to extract them and get them out alive. The plan is to create a fake movie and get them out as part of the crew.

I don't want to spoil anything if you plan on seeing it at some point, which I recommend. But to think this event occurred in my lifetime, granted before I had a real good sense of memory. Something that has had a long lasting effect with our relationship with Iran. I know that history is written by the victors and that there is another side to the story.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some Oscar nominations for this film. I'm thinking maybe actor and film, but I'm sure there might be more.

Here is a link to the film on IMDB in case you are interested. Argo

So for now, the plan is to see a movie once a week, fingers crossed that it can happen. I have to pick the next movie so I better get started to see what is out and what peaks my interest.

The Process Starts

On January 6, I went and met with my surgeon about Lap-Band surgery.  And while he did say that bypass was a better option for someone with my BMI I'm still going to get the LB.  I figure since I have to wait six months (insurance requirement) that I can lose some weight to begin with thus lowering my BMI.  Right now it is just a little over 50.  So that appointment went well.

Tomorrow, I have my psych evaluation.  This is the step that always worried me, but not anymore.  I know what I need to do to get myself better.  And I'm not totally crazy so that works too.

Everyone I have told is supportive and that is going to make this super easy to reach my goals.  So some of my goals are: to sit comfortably in an airplane seat, sit comfortably at baseball stadiums, fit into more age appropriate clothes, be overall more comfortable with me.

Major Decision

Today is the last Sunday of 2009 and as some people already know, I have decided to take a major step next year. 

I saw my primary care physician a week ago Monday and found out that I have gained nine additional pounds bringing me to a total weight of 300 pounds to close out the year.  I haven't been at a healthy weight for years now.  I have tried all things to lose weight with no success. 

In January, I see for the third time a bariatric surgeon.  I have decided to get lap-band surgery.  In January I also turn 30 so I need to do something to try and save myself.  I want to have kids and this is my last option.  

I plan on keeping a journal of my journey, the good, the bad, and the struggle.  I hope you will read it, and if you too are struggling with what to do, perhaps we can join forces and support each other.

Thinking on New Year's Resolutions

As the end of the year is fast approaching I begin to start thinking about what I will want to do differently in the new year.  Of course the usual options spring up, lose weight, make more money, really take a nice vacation that isn't a meeting of some kind.  But I keep coming back to the lose weight and then my mind starts racing with what can I do and what should I be doing to make myself healthy.

Perhaps a back story is necessary for you the reader to understand my dilemma.  I have struggled with my weight all my life, I was overweight as a child, lost weight, gained weight, it was a yo-yo.  The summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school I lost so much weight that I was able to wear a size 2.  Then slowly it began to creep up again.  Then I made a drastic move to the east coast and gained over 100 pounds in my first year of living there. 

I have tried diets, been to a bariatric doctor twice about surgery, and just about everything in between.  I have a problem, I'm not denying that.  What I can't seem to do is stick with a plan.  I don't have a very good sense of a strong will.  I think my psyche sets me up to fail.  Of course that means I set myself up to fail.  I will do good for a few weeks but then go right back to eating all the time (yes I eat because I'm anxious).  So, what do I do?  How can I solve the psyche problem in order to help my body.

My doctor has informed me that in no uncertain terms am I healthy enough to have a baby, one of my ultimate goals.  I really want to be a parent.  I also know that I am morbidly obese, have high cholesterol,  have high blood pressure, pre-diabetic, and to thwart things an under-active thyroid. 

So here I am, sitting in my room, wondering what steps I can take to put myself on the path to being healthy.  It feels like a hopeless journey that I will start on and just stop again.  I need something that's going to stick.  An option or someone who will be there 24/7 to remind me that I can't let others influence my needs (as I let people do) and to keep me on that path to relearn behaviors that need to be relearned. 

I'm going to think on this and see what I come up with by January 1st.  That gives 31 days, well 32 since I still have November 30.  So here's to coming up with a workable plan.

Weekend of Movies

This weekend has been relaxing, exciting, and a good time to catch two more flicks at the local movie theater.  I got to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine Saturday morning and Angels & Demons today.  I love going to the movies as is evident by my list of movies that I have seen so far this year.  You'll see most of them are older films but that is because I love going to the Arclight on AFI night.  What a great opportunity to have living in Los Angeles to see movies as they are originally intended on the big screen.  Between the old and the new there is always something at the movies to see.  With summer coming movie season is going to pick up with all the summer movies that are coming out.  So my list is just going to keep growing.  I can't wait to see how many I can catch before the end of the year.

The Beginning of New Adventures (May contain spoilers of the movie Star Trek)

**Originally published on the blog Do You Smell Guinea Pigs?**

Last night I had a blast seeing Star Trek.  We saw it at the AMC on the IMAX screen.  The sound was awesome at times vibrating the seats.  The picture was awesome on the large screen.  The whole experience was phenomenal.  

 

I am the first to admit that I have been a Star Trek (ST) fan since I was a little girl.  My fascination with the show began when I watched old episodes of the original series and then carried on to Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG).  I tend to enjoy the characters that are logical and look for a way to express their feelings.  So I love Spock and Data.  I will admit that I fell out of love with ST after TNG ended and I couldn't get into Deep Space Nine (DS9) or Voyager.  I never did watch Enterprise and I kick myself for that because I love Scott Bakula.

 

So back to the new movie.  I thought that the story was great.  I know that the show tended to use time travel a lot as a plot point and they do that in the film but in a great way.  While the action of the film revolves around a Romulan vessel coming through a black hole that is also a time warp to destroy Vulcan, the time travel in the film will allow for future movies if everyone involved is game.  History has now been changed for our heros back in the early years, who knows what can happen.  Granted I don't think the persona of Kirk will ever stop being a womanizer or a hot head that is full of himself.  I really want to see another movie that will explore the relationship between Spock and Uhura.  I loved at the end of the movie that Sarek admitted to Spock that the reason he married his mother was because he loved her.  He is human enough to admit that he had feelings which Spock has fought all his life. All I'm saying is that Uhura and Spock make an interesting story line.

 

I hope that there will be another movie with this young group of actors.  They did a wonderful job making each well known person their own.  The whole movie was an original based on an iconic television show that has captured many generations.  My hope is that this resurgence of Star Trek will capture another generation or two so that it lives on.  

 

Live long and prosper.