Oh, just go rent this. It was hilarious. I'm not a huge Adam Sandler fan, but this was silly enough to enjoy after a few drinks. In all honesty, rent this just for the DVD extras. The special with the director (Dennis Dugan) was absolutely hilarious, especially when they were filming in Mexico. One extra dealt with Middle Eastern actors, of Israeli, Egyptian, and Palestinian descent, and how they all pretty much got along on the set. One Egyptian actor in particular talked about how his feelings changed just by virtue of interacting with some other Israeli actors. It actually was pretty amazing, for an Adam Sandler film. Well, I thought it was amazing. Anyway, it was pretty funny in that Zoolander sort of way, where reality is just a little bit beyond what you expect reality to be. In other words, after a few drinks.
More info: Wikipedia entry
01 June 2009
Movie: Bright Young Things
I snuck this on the Netflix list ONLY because David Tennant was in it. And, yes, I had read the warnings about the moustache. And, yes, OMG it was hideous. Mercifully, he wasn't in there all that much. The movie itself, by Stephen Fry, is set in the early 30's before WWII. It focuses on the party and entertainment and gossip scene of the super-rich aristocracy, the "bright young things" constantly in search of the next thrill. Tennant's good friend Fenella Wollgar has possibly the best scene *ever*, waking up in 10 Downing and having NO IDEA where she is. I cried laughing. The movie is pretty gaudy for the most part until about three-fourths of the way in, when reality comes crashing down in the form of WWII. The serious perspective did seem a little forced at the end, and Nina did seem a pretty unsympathetic character for most of the movie. What Adam sees in her I don't know. But, the end was okay, and I have to admit Stephen Campbell Moore was nice to look at for 2 hours, more so than even David Tennant believe it or not. AND Mr. Tumnus, James McAvoy, also is here which is a bonus. I'd just seen The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe so this was a pleasant suprise :)
So, if you are in the mood for a witty British period piece with nice eye candy, check this out.
More info: Wikipedia entry
So, if you are in the mood for a witty British period piece with nice eye candy, check this out.
More info: Wikipedia entry
08 May 2009
April/May Catchup
I had a rotten day in the lab, so I am drinking and catching up on my DVR recordings. And I figure I should catch up on April, since I wrote nothing about it yet.
April 4th: BP got tickets for us to see Lewis Black at the Coolidge Theater in Northampton! We were way up in the peanut gallery, but the show was absolutely hysterical. The opening comic, John Bowman, was pretty good. And Lewis Black - the line of the night was, "I've been reading some things, and apparently, the economy is in the s*****r." I don't remember the last time I laughed that hard (well, when I was sober at least)...
April 11th-12th: Easter weekend, my parents and my brother came up here to celebrate Easter. We had a lot of food and a lot of alcohol. And, amazingly, everything I thought went really well. We had a nice night and a nice dinner and it was good to see them.
April 18th: METS GAME AT CITI! BP & I drove down Friday night and met up with people Saturday morning. The drinking commenced at about 11am with department peeps, and good old DC stopped by too (he happened to be at the game as well!). Johan then pitched a FANTASTIC game and the Mets won 1-0 over the Brewers. We were in Section 531, and I have to admit I liked Citi in spite of myself. We got to hang out with my folks, and we headed back to MA on Sunday.
April 24th-25th: We had a team from the department participate in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life overnight. This was an amazing experience. In addition to making a fool out of myself to raise over a grand for the cause, it was a pretty intense experience to be there overnight with so many people for such a great cause. I didn't get much sleep because it was noisy and we had a nice 4am thunderstorm that woke everyone up. I got more sleep when I got home and over the rest of the weekend.
May 1st-3rd: ROAST! It was FABULOUS to catch up with everyone, live on 7 hours of sleep for the weekend, and generally be back "HOME"! The new frosh at the Haus are great from what interactions I had with them, and all went smoothly. And of course, all of you who gave me more kicks in the ass to graduate I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Today was a rough day - it's hard doing something when you are so on your own and no one cares about what you're doing. But, there is a farmer's market tomorrow and I am looking forward to buying lots of good food. So, yeah.
April 4th: BP got tickets for us to see Lewis Black at the Coolidge Theater in Northampton! We were way up in the peanut gallery, but the show was absolutely hysterical. The opening comic, John Bowman, was pretty good. And Lewis Black - the line of the night was, "I've been reading some things, and apparently, the economy is in the s*****r." I don't remember the last time I laughed that hard (well, when I was sober at least)...
April 11th-12th: Easter weekend, my parents and my brother came up here to celebrate Easter. We had a lot of food and a lot of alcohol. And, amazingly, everything I thought went really well. We had a nice night and a nice dinner and it was good to see them.
April 18th: METS GAME AT CITI! BP & I drove down Friday night and met up with people Saturday morning. The drinking commenced at about 11am with department peeps, and good old DC stopped by too (he happened to be at the game as well!). Johan then pitched a FANTASTIC game and the Mets won 1-0 over the Brewers. We were in Section 531, and I have to admit I liked Citi in spite of myself. We got to hang out with my folks, and we headed back to MA on Sunday.
April 24th-25th: We had a team from the department participate in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life overnight. This was an amazing experience. In addition to making a fool out of myself to raise over a grand for the cause, it was a pretty intense experience to be there overnight with so many people for such a great cause. I didn't get much sleep because it was noisy and we had a nice 4am thunderstorm that woke everyone up. I got more sleep when I got home and over the rest of the weekend.
May 1st-3rd: ROAST! It was FABULOUS to catch up with everyone, live on 7 hours of sleep for the weekend, and generally be back "HOME"! The new frosh at the Haus are great from what interactions I had with them, and all went smoothly. And of course, all of you who gave me more kicks in the ass to graduate I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Today was a rough day - it's hard doing something when you are so on your own and no one cares about what you're doing. But, there is a farmer's market tomorrow and I am looking forward to buying lots of good food. So, yeah.
04 May 2009
GF Healthy, Green and Cheap: Soda Sucks
So everyone knows soda is bad for you. I always had to have my Coke with lunch. After I was diagnosed with celiac, I was so happy that Coke was GF, and only had 6 ingredients so I came up with my "6 Ingredient Rule" that if anything had more than 6 ingredients, I wouldn't waste my time trying to decide if it was safe or not.
So, being poor and unemployed and with the economy in the crapper, I decided soda was just not worth it anymore. I could make lemonade or iced tea for oodles less money AND be healthier in the process. Granted, lemonade from scratch has sugar in it, but normal cane sugar is far better than high fructose corn syrup, which has been documented all over the place as being inherenetly evil (here's one example). And iced tea has antioxidants and other good things in it.
Also, since I went GF, I gained a ton of weight. And now it's catching up to me. So, switching off soda is good not only for health reasons but for weight reasons. Personally, all the fake crap that they put in there to reduce sugar or calories frightens me. And let me add I have a degree in chemical engineering, so I speak geek. There is no mystique behind shampoo bottles or preserved meats anymore for me - I know exactly what those long lists of unpronounceable chemicals are and, frankly, I don't want them in my body, even if they are deemed "safe" by the FDA (whom I do not trust). And lo and behold, my paranoia may be vindicated. Since I've gone of soda (maybe about a month now?) I do feel a little more sluggish, but having a little more coffee has helped. I was having trouble sleeping and my stomach was a bit upset for a little while, but I think my body is getting used to the lack of caffeine and sweetners. (PS there's also the small matter of Coke's human rights abuses.)
Overall I think it's been better for my wallet and my waistline. Have you given up soda? What do you drink?
So, being poor and unemployed and with the economy in the crapper, I decided soda was just not worth it anymore. I could make lemonade or iced tea for oodles less money AND be healthier in the process. Granted, lemonade from scratch has sugar in it, but normal cane sugar is far better than high fructose corn syrup, which has been documented all over the place as being inherenetly evil (here's one example). And iced tea has antioxidants and other good things in it.
Also, since I went GF, I gained a ton of weight. And now it's catching up to me. So, switching off soda is good not only for health reasons but for weight reasons. Personally, all the fake crap that they put in there to reduce sugar or calories frightens me. And let me add I have a degree in chemical engineering, so I speak geek. There is no mystique behind shampoo bottles or preserved meats anymore for me - I know exactly what those long lists of unpronounceable chemicals are and, frankly, I don't want them in my body, even if they are deemed "safe" by the FDA (whom I do not trust). And lo and behold, my paranoia may be vindicated. Since I've gone of soda (maybe about a month now?) I do feel a little more sluggish, but having a little more coffee has helped. I was having trouble sleeping and my stomach was a bit upset for a little while, but I think my body is getting used to the lack of caffeine and sweetners. (PS there's also the small matter of Coke's human rights abuses.)
Overall I think it's been better for my wallet and my waistline. Have you given up soda? What do you drink?
08 April 2009
Quick Update
Been busy with various things, hence no writing. Had a birthday, had to give group meeting on said birthday after staring at a computer screen for 7 hours analyzing data, and it sucked. Oh well. Also been sick as a dog. The boy has it now, heh. Also got to see Lewis Black which was possibly the funniest experience of my life. I'll write about that separately later. Parents coming up for Easter weekend. Apartment is a mess. Still broke and unemployed. Saw a bunch of my friends from my old job on Monday, that was fun. Always good to keep in touch with people. Hope you are doing well too!
25 March 2009
Sleep Keeps You Healthy. In Other News, Sky Is Blue.
Sleep keeps animals (and people) healthy. Bowl me over with a feather.
Also explains why my cat sleeps 18 hours a day. Heh - she's still mentally sick though.
Also explains why my cat sleeps 18 hours a day. Heh - she's still mentally sick though.
24 March 2009
GF Healthy, Green and Cheap: Cleaning With Vinegar & Baking Soda
So since Monica already brought it up in my last HGC post (see here), I figured I should start there. She mentioned vinegar and baking soda - I seriously use this to clean 100% of of my house. I can't even remember what else I use - I don't think there is anything. At about $2.00 a gallon (cheaper if on sale), you can't get any more economical. Baking soda also usually runs about a buck a pound. I have an old Windex bottle that I usually do a little stronger than Tuch, I go about 75/25 vinegar/water. This cleans mirrors, tables, windows, countertops, you name it. Also, Trader Joe's (and other places, probably) has reusable cleaning cloths that can be thrown in the washer, so you even save on paper towels. I also tend to save rags and old (clean!) socks to dust and clean with as well.
I used to use Swiffers for the floors, but those got expensive real quick. I invested about $12 in a Libman Wondermop and a spare mop head. The heads are machine washable. I use probably about 2 cups of vinegar (give or take) in hot water in a bucket, and use that to mop my floors. If there's a stubborn stain, a little bit of baking soda will help (as Tuch also mentioned). I have a cat, and the bathroom floor where the litterbox is located gets dirty REAL quick. This mix works wonders. In addition, pure baking soda sprinkled in the litterbox helps with odors.
Now, the only minor downside is the odor of vinegar if that happens to bother you, but if you have good ventilation this isn't a problem. Vinegar also doesn't sit well with most pets but it is 100% harmless to them. And usually the amount used for the floors I find is pretty minimal and my cat has never been bothered by it. Also it doesn't bother my asthma at all, a problem I've had with Windex (which my mother is addicted to for some reason).
You can bake with it, cook with it, clean with it, and I've even heard it cures sore throats! Vinegar - the wonder fluid =)
UPDATE: Almost forgot - you can use it as a laundry stain treater too!
I used to use Swiffers for the floors, but those got expensive real quick. I invested about $12 in a Libman Wondermop and a spare mop head. The heads are machine washable. I use probably about 2 cups of vinegar (give or take) in hot water in a bucket, and use that to mop my floors. If there's a stubborn stain, a little bit of baking soda will help (as Tuch also mentioned). I have a cat, and the bathroom floor where the litterbox is located gets dirty REAL quick. This mix works wonders. In addition, pure baking soda sprinkled in the litterbox helps with odors.
Now, the only minor downside is the odor of vinegar if that happens to bother you, but if you have good ventilation this isn't a problem. Vinegar also doesn't sit well with most pets but it is 100% harmless to them. And usually the amount used for the floors I find is pretty minimal and my cat has never been bothered by it. Also it doesn't bother my asthma at all, a problem I've had with Windex (which my mother is addicted to for some reason).
You can bake with it, cook with it, clean with it, and I've even heard it cures sore throats! Vinegar - the wonder fluid =)
UPDATE: Almost forgot - you can use it as a laundry stain treater too!
23 March 2009
Movie: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
So it's literally been about 20 years since I read the whole Narnia series. I have been meaning to buy a box set and re-read them, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. This has been sitting in my apartment for a month now, wasting valuable queue space on our Netflix account, so I decided to finally watch it. I haven't watched the bonus material DVD yet, but I'll add on any comments about that after I do.
What a good movie! They did a nice job with this, and they could have messed it up pretty bad but they didn't. I think the parts were cast spot-on, and the filming (which seemed to take place in about 6 different countries) was gorgeous. I think, as I remember the book, it was pretty faithful to it so I was happy. And yeah, I cried when Aslan died, so there.
If you're a fan of the book, the movie doesn't disappoint.
More info: Wikipedia entry
What a good movie! They did a nice job with this, and they could have messed it up pretty bad but they didn't. I think the parts were cast spot-on, and the filming (which seemed to take place in about 6 different countries) was gorgeous. I think, as I remember the book, it was pretty faithful to it so I was happy. And yeah, I cried when Aslan died, so there.
If you're a fan of the book, the movie doesn't disappoint.
More info: Wikipedia entry
GF Healthy, Green and Cheap: The Beginning
So I've been thinking about writing about my "lifestyle", if you want to call it that, for a while now. As an unemployed asthmatic celiac, there's a lot of crap i have to deal with: keeping my living space clean without using stupid chemicals and buying good, healthy gluten-free food without putting myself further into debt. So I think I'll start a sub-series here about ways to be green and healthy (and GF) without breaking the bank. I know lots of people do this kind of thing, so when I find links to other sites along the same lines I'll link to them too. And feel free to share your own tips (all 3 of you that read this blog).
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