Saturday at the Movies #31 - Movies I Need

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Yep, one of those weekends. I could use a good movie today, as my brain is scattered, schedule convoluted and the day is going to be a long one, the part of it requiring the most energy and concentration coming at the tail end. Writing needs to happen, but it feels like going to an empty well, so that right there is an indication it's time to refuel.

Reading is not a problem; after coming off my reading fast, I now have four books I'm reading at once (more on that in another post) but days like this, it comes down to the basic need to sit in the dark and have somebody tell me a story. Having a big bucket of hot buttered popcorn and some gummi bears can only enhance the experience. (I would also accept spice drops or Hot Tamales.) In an ideal world, that story would be one of these:

Never Let Me Go:


Deuling versions of Wuthering Heights?

This


or this?


I already wanted to see An Education, but knowing that Nick Hornby wrote the screenplay, it is now a burning need.


The trailer for A Single Man has no words at all, but definitely entices:


None of these are available to me at the moment, hence the frog in my chai. Harumph. If you could see any movie in the world right this second, what would that be?

Happy Dance Friday #34 -Put on a Show

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One of the things I love about DH is that he knows when he's found something that will hit exactly the right notes for me. His latest discovery in this vein is Red Hot Chili Pipers. Bagpipes meet loud, passionate rock. Happy dancing Anna for sure.



I can only imagine the energy that must pulse in the air at a live show with these guys, They'd have the crowd on their feet for sure:


For those who prefer their musical fusion to have a more Eastern European flair, how about an epic cello rock battle? Maybe not so much dancing on this one but amazing music, and it's my blog, so I say it's appropriate. Deal.


What show-stopping music gets you up and dancing?

Bookmark, please

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Last night, DH wanted to watch Iron Chef and I did not (something about loud clanging things and a ticking clock not being terribly conducive to the falling asleep process) so I removed myself to the office for some petting of my bookshelves.

While I'm not saying the reading respite is entirely over, I did read five chapters of "The Night Riders" by Hannah Howell in the The Immortal Highlander anthology. I've been keeping notes on this not-reading phase and had earlier listed things I would like to find in my next read. An anthology was high on the list because sometimes, much as I love the big, thick books, I am too pooped to turn that many pages and want to get from once upon a time to happily ever after in relatively quick fashion. Since I didn't want to have to access the WABAC machine part of my brain, a reread made sense, and since this story world takes place in late 15th century Scotland, same as the historical portion of a current ms of my own, that's where my brain already is for a good part of the working day. I'd started reading the Howell/Sands anthologies when they first came out, but wandered off around the third volume. This seemed like the right time to come back.

I didn't consciously plan to read anything last night, but that is the way I planned for things to happen - the not-planning. The important thing, I've found, is that for reading for pleasure to be worthwhile, I have to change the way I look at things. While it is important to keep up with the market if one expects to work in that market, when it comes to reading for pleasure, the books serve me; I don't serve the books. There needs to be, at least in my corner of the world, a balance.

Do I have to read the books that are getting all the buzz? No. Be culturally literate, yes, but it's not worth tying myself in a knot so that I can't fill my creative well. Do I need to keep current with the unending proliferation of unending series? No. They'll do fine without me, for the most part. Rereading is good. New books are good. The right book for me to be reading for pleasure at any given time is...the one I want to read. That easy. Any others will wait, and if the wait is long, there are other things I can do in the meantime.

Last night, I didn't spend that long sitting cross-legged on the floor, digging through my shelves, petting covers, until I plucked something from its shelf and flipped to the first page and had that "yes, this, now" feeling that I'd been missing. I did scout out a few future reads, but that is subject to change. I'm allowed.

Saturday at the Movies #30 - grousing and coming attractions

This picture is from a couple of years back, but I can verify that it looks pretty much the same as my current surrounds. Still steering into the skid on the non-reading but as the DH is home tonight but in need of extra snooze time, it's going to be reading or a DVD and at the moment I'm not inspired in either direction. On the other hand, I've gotten farther along in a Sims neighborhood than I ever have before and I've been making a ton of art. I almost went to see The King's Speech again yesterday but while the spirit was willing the body was in need of a nap. As we are currently Netflixless (but considering remedying that) my choices are restricted to what's on hand.

Since I recently recovered my copy of About A Boy, this may be an option. Definitely have to snag How I Met Your Mother DVDs at the next opportunity, since I'm on a strong Barney/Robin kick at the moment,and these fan-made promos are only adding fuel to the fire.




Ditto on acquiring Bones DVDs, so a trip to a few local libraries to see who has what may be in order.



Since I found that tango scene last week, I'm very interested in getting my mitts on a copy of Easy Virtue.


Liam Neeson's Unknown looks like it will lure me into the theater in the very near future:


But tonight's choice? Still anybody's guess.

Happy Dance Friday #33 - technical difficulties

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One of my favorite parts of Friday morning is searching for the Happy Dance Friday clips. Small slipup (hah, see what I did there? Slidey polar bear, slipups?) today, though. My mp3 player and I became separated (though player is safe at a friend's house and we will be reunited at lunchtime) and thus I have no working earphones. The desperaton backup pair I grabbed in order to not steal hubby's for the morning do not work at all, so while it keeps me from blasting all of Panera with my musical selections, it also keeps me from blasting myself with my musical selections. Since it isn't the same surfing the interwebs for clips of people cavorting to complete silence, today you get a newborn polar bear:


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Come on, newborn polar bear. You can forgive anything for newborn polar bear, right? Look at them paws - he was made for dancing allllllllllllllll night long.