{crazyjen}

The Hunger Games (movie)

GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

Seriously. Go see it.

If you loved the book you will love the movie. I'm not kidding. This as quoted by my sister Kimmie, "Is one of the best book to movie I've ever seen."

I LOVED THIS MOVIE! It was good, made you think, gave you the willies, made your heart ache. Seriously, I'm speechless other than to say GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

 

A special moment in Minnesota spring | Minnesota Public Radio News

As I was driving to work this morning listening to MPR I heard Peter Smith recite this essay "A special moment in Minnesota spring | Minnesota Public Radio News."

It resonated with me. The first thing I thought of was, "OMG, I feel exactly the same way!" So that's what I'm posting it here. It's a beautiful essay and it describes perfectly this time of year in Minnesota, the beginning of spring.

Here's a section of it:

"For me, the best of all Minnesota spring pleasures is sleeping with the windows open again.

For months, you've slept with the windows shut-or cracked open just slightly at the most. Now in this part of Minnesota spring, you can throw them open again, and climb into bed for the night.

The cool spring night air flows, thick and delicious, over the windowsills into the room, surrounding the bed, driving you deeper under the blankets. That air and the weight of those blankets all but suppress your breathing, and push you under. The effect is narcotic.

When you sleep with the windows open in spring, you sleep deeply, dream well, and yet somehow you still manage to keep an ear out for old familiar sounds that mark the passing hours."

Something I thought was cute and a little funny

So I was sitting outside the Lincoln Elementary Gym on Monday night waiting for the boys basketball practice to finish up so my Cardio class could begin. I had Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in my gym bag because I like to read it sometimes when I'm working out at the gym (walking, elliptical or bike), so I figured I'd sit and read a chapter or two. I had about 15 minutes or so. So I sit there and read then I see some movement out of the corner of my eye so I look up and a couple little boys walk by and one of them sees what I'm reading so he pokes the kid next to him and points then they kind of smile. That scenario happened a couple of times while the boys poured out of the gym.

I just thought that was kind of cute. Little boys all excited about seeing a grown-up reading HP. Glad to see kids are interested in reading like that.

Night Owl

I'm a night owl, always have been. When I was little my sister and I shared a room and she'd go to bed at 9 p.m. like a good girl but that just isn't me, I'm not always good (insert wicked grin). I pulled the covers over my head, turned on my flashlight and read for a couple hours after she went to bed.

I've been known to stay up until 4 a.m. scrapbooking, 2:30 a.m. playing Guitar Hero, 5 a.m. chatting, 1 a.m. messing around on the computer and last night...

I watched the Twins game with Kimmie, fell asleep for a couple hours at her house, woke up at 1 a.m. (I've been doing that a lot lately, falling asleep at people's houses. Makes me feel guilty.) and went home. I couldn't sleep so I stayed up until 3:30 a.m. reading a book. I couldn't put it down and I wasn't tired. Apparently I only need a few hours of sleep to function.

Honestly I haven't been that passionate about what I've been reading lately, at least not enough to want to have to stay up that late reading. So it could have been the reading material and the fact that I had a sort-of nap.

Vince Flynn

I saw Vince Flynn in person tonight. Oh yeah, I went to his q&a and book signing tonight at the Roseville Barnes and Noble. He was a very nice man and funny too. He seemed very down-to-earth. He answered the questions that he could with humor and wit. I liked him. I like his books too so that's a happy pair. He was just dressed in jeans, black cowboy boots and a black button-down. I sat in the second row so I had a close up view. I must say he's cuter in person than on his book jacket picture. What do you think?

Oh, I got his autograph on my copy of his latest book, "Protect and Defend"

MN State Fair Scrapbook Layouts

Here are the three layouts I submitted for the MN State Fair. I didn't win anything so they aren't that great but I haven't posted anything scrapbook pages for awhile so I thought I'd include these. Sorry about the poor quality. I did it at night in a room with very poor lighting, no flash. :)

Paris Las Vegas LO, click on image to enlarge to read

Harry Potter Midnight Magic Party for book 7.

Florida 2007

the squeak-child, pinochle and reading

My nephew, the squeak-child. he's the squeak-child because he's pretty darn loud. I shouldn't complain because I'm a Harbal, we're loud and it would be freakishly weird if Jack weren't seeing as he's half Harbal.

"ohhhhhh...", says Jack.

Auntie Jen reading Jack his favorite, lately, Fire Engine book. He walked around tonight and pretty much made everyone read it to him.

Kim contemplating whether or not she wants to try and bid me up or end up being too greedy and getting herself set. hee hee

Silence of the Lambs

Over the weekend I finished reading Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. Awesome book. Well, I pretty much knew it would be as I loved the movie and the books are always better. He's so descriptive. Sometimes he says things or makes references to things I don't understand. Makes me feel stupid but then again, you can't know everything. So I try to google them or ask somebody who I think knows. Basically it makes the book go by slower but at least I understand more.

I'm not sure what to say about the book other than it is extremely titilating. Kept me on the edge of my seat and occassionally made me laugh. Something about reading about serial killers is fascinating to me. They are an abheration of society. Something dreadfully wrong happened to them as children to make them the way they are. I hesitate to believe serial killers are genetic. Just doesn't seem right so I go by the belief that they upbringing contributed to it. It's interesting to read a book where someone had to think about how a serial killer is "made." Interesting to see how they act and react to other humans and how they de-humanize their victims so they can do whatever twisted things they want to them. Anyway, it's fascinating.

So tonight I think I'm going to start Hannibal then when I'm done with that move on to Red Dragon. I have all three movies on DVD. I really can't decide which one I like the best. Hannibal has some beautiful scenery but some disturbing images. Red Dragon makes me feel empathy for the killer because he tries to be better but ends up going off the deep edge and he was made that way by a twisted old bat of a Grandma. Sad. Anywho, I'm wondering if the books will give me some new insight. (p.s. Thanks for letting me borrow them Nance.)

Good news!

So...the good news is that I have regular internet access at home now which means that I'll be able to post pictures regularly without having to go over to one or more of my family members' households to use their computer and internet. Friggin' sweet, ain't it. :) No more going over and trying to load pictuers and carry on a conversation. No more feeling guilty because I'm not over there just to see, talk and hang out with them but to nazify their computer. I think that'll knock off about a half dozen episodes of unexplained heartburn. :)

Second, I hung out with the hubby and my in-laws over the weekend. Sweetness batman! They live in a peaceful house out in the valley of middle Wisconsin. Prime deer-hunting country, amish inhabit the area and people generally wave at you as you drive by. Kind of like the farm country of where I live in MN.  Here are some pics of their house and their pond and swamp area. (not really a swamp but pretty spongy complete with sink-holes.

the house from the driveway

the landscaping right before the house. new pine trees as a storm a few years ago wiped out the older distinguished trees. Nancy was sad about that.

the newly redone pond. the pond is spring fed. When my husband and his brother were little they would swim and fish down there but after a family of muskrats wrecked the pond there was no water in it. the dnr came out and fixed it so now the pond is completely filled. sweet huh? spring fed, crystal clear.

the deck of the house,extends around on two sides complete with wooden, comfy furniture even if it doesn't look it.

ahh, the money shot, me and the hubby after a couple days of canoodling. :) if you look closely he's actually happy but doesn't show it well, he prefers the strong mean-looking type.

HP and the Deathly Hallows

Some of my favorite pictures from reading HP and the Harry Potter Midnight Party at the B&N at MOA.

Me, sitting in the chair so Michelle could have the bed to herself.

Michelle quietly roaring through the book, secretly thanking her sister for letting her have the bed to herself (well, she's pregnant you know and she would have probably clobbered me anyways.).

Kimmie and Krista sharing a bed. Ahhh, isn't that cute?

mad-eye moody and twohogwarts students

Professor Trelawney

Professor McGonagall, Ron Weasley (4th year) and Professor Sprout

Hagrid (pretty good one to, eh?)

Slytherin Girl

Luna Lovegood (notice the radish earrings) and ??? McGonagall?