Saturday Double Feature

This was the first kid free weekend we'd had in a couple weeks and I have to say I was a little relieved. I understand that most people have their kids every weekend, but in my defense, we don't have Carolina during the week or every weekend so when we do have her it's always a slight adjustment for me. I was able to sleep in and we were able to do a double feature at the movies on Saturday. What's even better was I got to pick one of the movies!!

Poor Isaac, I know this makes him sound like kind of a control freak and that I have no free will and this is not true (well not totally true).

We'd done two previous double features. The first was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo followed by Sherlock 2: Game of Shadows. I hadn't read Dragon Tattoo and had little interest, but it was well hyped and Isaac had read all the books so I willingly went and was of course horrified. Luckily we ended the night chuckling with Sherlock and Holmes in a movie that wasn't great, but was fun and is pretty much just Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law flirting with each other. You know, like how the Oceans movies are just George Clooney and Brad Pitt carrying out a bromance.

Our next double feature was Oscar themed with a screening of Oscar nominated shorts, which were all great this year followed by the Artist, which was one of my 2011 favorites. That was a fun double set and wasn't one where one person picked the flicks as they were Oscar nominated so they're considered "necessary" viewing.

This double feature had not started that way, Isaac wanted to build points up for when he forces me to watch Prometheus in June (I wonder if I can fake illness....no, that didn't work with Tron Legacy, I had a cold but still had to go watch the movie while drinking hot tea).
Anyway to build points up he offered to see Five Year Engagement with me starring Jason Segal and Emily Blunt. Don't get me wrong, this was not completely self less on his part, he likes Jason Segal and this is Judd Apatow produced so there was a good chance he would enjoy as well. But it was treated as a grand gesture and I have let him have his moment. It wasn't necessary though, because we both really liked the movie! The cast is great besides Segal and Blunt our Thursday night comedies were represented with Allison Brie playing Emily Blunt's sister (with a British accent, that was a little off putting), Mindy Kaling as one of Emily Blunts co workers and Chris Pratt as Jason Segals Chef buddy who was hilarious.

The movie is very sweet, an engaged couple puts off their wedding to move to Michigan so that Blunt's character Violet can take a job at The University of Michigan. Segal's character, Tom, agrees to give up his career as a chef to move with her. He can't find a job in an upscale restaurant like he had in San Francisco so he takes a job at college sandwich place. Not like a Subway, but kind of a cool one with specialty sandwiches and a quirky staff. While Tom is wallowing in this new situation Violet is living it up with nutty fellow Social Psychology...people...coworkers and a hunky Welsch boss/professor.  Hilariousness/drama ensues.

At first glance one has to wonder a few things. Why did they have to wait? Couldn't they have either had a quickie ceremony before they left? Or maybe had a small one once they got there? It's frustrating, but I also get it, you want everything to be perfect and when they first go it is supposed to only be for 2 years so sure, why not wait, but after a while you start to want to yell at the screen "just do it!!".

Also the premise that Tom is a great chef who can't find a job in Ann Arbor is a bit hard to comprehend. I know little about Michigan having been there only once (or so I've been told) as a very young child. All I know is that Detroit once made cars then it made Eminem and it gets really cold! But I've heard of Ann Arbor many times so it's not exactly the middle of nowhere and they montage him going to many nice looking places looking for a job. I have a hard time believing in 5 years an opening never came up at one of the other restaurants. Or that he couldn't have opened his own place. And as Violet points out at one point he works at a cool place, but he can't see that.

Having said this I still did really love the movie and if you think about it, how many of us haven't been in situations where we refuse to see the good? Or look to make it better. Once you get in a funk it can be hard to pull out of it, plus it was snowing a lot, maybe poor Tom had a little of the SAD (seasonal affective disorder).

I also sympathized with Tom being somewhere he didn't want to be. I love Austin, it's my home, and really the only place in Texas I could ever live. But I've been here my whole life and sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live someplace else. I love the thought of Isaac and I finding a new city anywhere in the world and trying it out. But Carolina is here, so here is where we must remain. Look, this isn't something I dwell on in the least, I mean, I am in Austin, it's pretty sweet, but sometimes when I think about it, I realize that I'm tied here for good or at least another 9-10 years until Carolina graduates and it makes me a little wistful.  Not angry or resentful, but wistful. Obviously I don't hate Austin the way Tom hated Michigan, but I kind of knew where he was coming from and I felt for him.

Anyway, the movie ends (spoiler alert) with the cutest wedding that I would love to have and I was crying and all was well with the world!

I have to note the one thing that totally bugged me was that early in the movie they have a conversation in bed. Violet is on left, Tom on the right. Later in the movie we see them have another conversation in the same bed but they've switched sides. I call bullsh*t and maintain this would not happen. Anyone who shares a bed knows, you don't switch sides. Your side, remains your side. Isaac and I switched sides one night to see what happens and I was so miserable, I made him switch back in the middle of the night. 

Our next movie was Isaac picked and that was Cabin in the Woods. I went in knowing nothing other than it was a "take on horror movies" written by Joss Wheadon, who is Isaac's nerd crush and that was it. I'm not a horror movie fan and the only actor I recognized was Chris Hemsworth (Thor). Oh and just so it's out there I am Team Chris when it comes down to the Hemsworth brothers. I can't be on the team of anyone who dates Miley Cyrus.

Anyway, you learn very quickly there's a twist on this horror movie and near the end you see an even bigger twist. I'll just say...think Hunger Games.

I'm not a devout follower of Wheadon, but the movie wasn't bad. The dialogue was smart and fast, the story kept me involved and any chance to see my man Josh Lyman (aka: Bradley Whitford) is a good day. It was a little gory for me, but the gore didn't prevent me from enjoying the movie. Just don't tell Isaac that, I want him to keep thinking he owes me! ;)

Not sure what or when our next double feature will be but I hope it's soon!

My Guinness milkshake, a must have for a double feature day!

Making Faces

I was going through my phone earlier this week and came upon some photos we took while eating out a couple weeks ago. We were the only ones on the outdoor patio and we started doing self photos on my phone. Some of them were too good not to share!

extreme close up!

silly

Mad Faces

Kissy faces

There's one in every family

And sometimes the "one" changes!

Thug life

Playing it straight

Zombie faces

April Days

April Stress

It’s 9 days into April, I’m late posting in this and in full on stress mode. I know April is stressful for many due to the tax filing deadline, but my taxes have been filed, and refund has been spent paying off my Madrid purchases. (Darn you H&M!!) My stress is coming from other places though. 

Currently most stress if coming from our annual Easter Extravaganza. Yes, I know Easter was yesterday, but schedule placed our yearly egg hunt next weekend and really I’m probably more stressed then I need to be about a kids Easter egg hunt, but last years was just short of a disaster and I’m determined for better results. (I should add none of this was because of the kids, they were fine it was a whole myriad of other things that just made the day kind of crappy)

So I’m doing what any sane adult would do, putting possibly unreasonable expectations on myself to throw the best Easter Extravaganza complete with egg hunting, a scavenger hunt, egg races, homemade desserts and possibly a 8/7 year old sleepover.

On top of that we’ve been booking our honeymoon and come to the realization we need to save a bit more so I've been told to cut my spending. Nothing stresses me out more than being told I can’t spend money, even if it’s for a good reason that I fully support. I love spending money, it’s one of my hobbies and while I fully comprehend it’s not a good hobby and I understand that most people consider this a fatal character flaw, I still love to spend. When, told not to spend money, it seems that more opportunities arise.

I’m not crazy home shopping and I don’t buy designed purses and shoes, but I like picking up a cute tee or skirt here and there. I love buying stuff for Carolina and Isaac, I like going to the movies and I really, really love going out to eat or just going to get drinks. This is Texas, March through October our state pastime is sitting on a covered patio drinking margaritas. I’m sure it it’s been declared the official state weekend activity some where. Missing out on this sacred tradition for even a summer does bum me out a little.

 

Then there’s the planning of the honeymoon and the wedding, now that we've agreed to let my mom host a reception afterwards. And little things; timing international packages and Father’s day and a going away party for Carolina before she heads to Spain for 6 weeks and as soon as she gets back the Olympics begin and really I can’t let the opening ceremonies pass with out a viewing party complete with décor and themed food. Almost immediately after that is Carolina’s birthday and we have a lot to live up to after last years weekend long birthday palooza and then we get married.

Gahhh, my head is spinning!!! Thinking about it, I don't think it's stress so much as I'm just thinking ahead a little too much and I'm making my self crazy. I understand there are people without jobs, families, variious limbs and homes so yeah, in the grand scheme of things

So with all that in mind my April goals are as follows.

1)      Pull off Easter Extravaganza with minimal melt downs. I am taking a half day the day before for house cleaning and I’m going to spend lunch times putting together what I can. However, I will remember that the kids will have fun as long as they get to look for eggs and eat some candy, a lot of the extra fluff doesn’t matter to them. Also I’m looking at non expensive egg fillers (ex: coupons for things like an extra chapter at bed time, playing a game of their choice or a Friday family movie viewing of their choice).

2)      Get birthday gift for MIL created and in the mail by end of month so it arrives on time. A little extra pressure with our Carolina weekends being a bit off, but I think we can!

3)      Take everything one event at a time. Carolina doesn’t leave until early June, her going away dinner does not need to planned now. I d have some time. The Olympics are not until end of July, once again nothing has to be decided now. 

4)   I've been a little lazy on my weekly cooking; not ditching it but one night I bought sushi and one night I reheated chicken for fajitas. I need to try a little creativity again. 

5)  Have a positive attitude even when it means walking away from the adorable dress at Old Navy. Remember it will be worth it when we're strolling Paris. 

Happy April everyone!