Where Have All the Good Movies Gone?

During the month of May we went to two movies in the theater: Thor and Pirates 4. Sadly, I found both to be a bit disappointing. Maybe I've just become pickier about movies, but I thought both movies had a lot more potential. I'll try not to reveal any spoilers (at least any that aren't obvious) in my reviews:

Thor

The good: This movie was visually very good. I thought all the effects looked really cool, and I liked the overall feel of the film. It was an adventure, but it could have been a LOT better.

The bad: I thought the characters were really weak. They could have shown a lot more character development for Thor. Not to give too much away, but it was like he just all of a sudden flipped a switch and did all his growing all at once and everyone could see he was different. I'd like to see that take more time, or see him go through something more emotionally challenging that takes more of the movie. I just didn't end up caring about him, or really any of the other main characters. To be honest, I thought the most interesting character was the gatekeeper. I would've liked to know more about him.

Pirates 4

The good: Visually everything looked okay...but I can't really think of anything I liked.

The bad: To be honest, I was bored. Although I wasn't offended about anything, I actually considered leaving because I felt like I was wasting my time. As amazing as Captain Jack Sparrow was in the first Pirates movie, I'm done with him. I just don't think he's a deep enough character to carry more than one (let alone four!) movies. He doesn't (much) about people, and I don't see really any character development over the course of the films. If anything, I think the movie would have been better if they explored the relationship with his father as opposed to some woman he cares about that we've never seen before. And of course they left the door open for yet another sequel...

A Post of Lists

I keep telling myself I'm going to blog more, and then another month and a half goes by without writing a word...I don't feel especially verbose at the moment, but at the same time I feel like writing. Strange combination, I know, which I think will amount to a post of lists.

I've been feeling extremely blessed lately. Here are 5 of the many reasons I'm blessed:

1. I have a husband I adore that loves me despite my imperfections.
2. I'm surrounded by supportive friends that I get to see on a regular basis.
3. I like, respect and have a good relationship with my parents and my in-laws.
4. I have close friends I can go for months without talking to, yet pick up exactly where we left off once we do finally talk.
5. Despite there being a lot of things I want, I have more than I actually need.

Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to be born in a different time. I wonder how I would do being cooped up knitting all day, what it would be like living in a tribal culture, or what my opinions of current events would have been - without knowing the end result. 

All of this also gets me thinking about how technology has changed so much more than adding the convenience of shopping from your living room or streaming movies through to your TV. As much as I enjoy Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Blogger, etc., I think it's easy to get distracted from real, face-to-face socialization. That being said, here is a list of what I like about my favorite types of social media:

• Facebook:
• Most of my friends use it.
• The new groups feature is a handy way to plan an event.
• Sharing pictures is easy, especially when tagging people.
• It can enhance existing relationships (although not replace them).
• Twitter:
• It's an easy way to get news headlines.
• I can get score updates for teams I care about in real-time.
• Tumblr:
• I can get brief news summaries.
• It's easy to share / discover interesting content with / from people I don't know.
• Sharing content doesn't require much thought.
• Blogger:
• I like writing longer blog posts here than on Tumblr for some reason. Not quite sure why.

Aaaaaand my brain just jumped to movies. So here's a list of new movies I want to see:

• Pirates 4
• Kung Fu Panda 2
• Super 8
• Cars 2

Wow, there are numbers in each of those movies titles...weird. 

To change topics again, I'm switching to animals. I recently realized I'm not an animal person. As much as I find pictures / videos adorable, I'm just not into taking care of them...maybe that's why I prefer wild animals? Here's a list of my top 5 wild animals:

1. Giraffes
2. Polar Bears
3. Penguins (especially this one)
4. Ducks
5. Alpacas

On that note, I'm going to call this post complete. 

Healing and Rowing

It amazes me how the human body can heal. I mean, with all the crazy science and inventions, there's nothing that can repair itself the way a body can. I was reminded of that this past weekend when my lips got burned and then started to peel (gross, right?). And then I was reminded again this morning when I ripped some skin off my hand at practice to form a new blister in my palm (even grosser, right?). Can you imagine how terrible it would be if even minor things like blisters and chapped lips didn't heal?


So why did my lips get burned this past weekend? Because I was outside in the sun! Normally this isn't an exciting thing for me as I much prefer clouds and rain, but I do like calm weather when it comes to regattas. Our club had a good showing (at least the Masters team did). I was in two races in which we got 1st in one (women's 4+) and 2nd in the other (women's 8+), and our mixed 8+ got 3rd in their race (although I wasn't in that boat). It was a lot of fun!

I Failed

So it looks like I failed on my 365 Project this year. It's been over a week since I took any pictures and, to be honest, I don't really care that much. I guess I just lost interest. I think it would be easier if I had a child to take pictures of (although that's not a good reason to have a baby). Maybe if we have kids someday I'll give it another try.


That being said, I did take a few pictures a few weeks ago during a walk that I wanted to share:

Happy Spring

Temperatures are starting to warm. The sun's making an occasional appearance. Spring is here! 

A few things I love about Spring:

• Baseball is back! I've been a Giants fan pretty much my whole life; I admit I'm still excited about the World Series last year. Even though they only won one of the first four games of the season, I think this season's going to be good. I only wish they came up and played the Mariners a few times...(or even once).
• Easter is coming. I love Easter. It's a toss-up as to whether I like Easter or Christmas better, but it definitely is one of my two favorite holidays. It's fun to form new traditions living up here, although I really miss the sunrise service and french toast breakfast served by the youth group on Easter sunday. Still, our church's Easter breakfast was pretty fun last year and I'm looking forward to celebrating Christ's resurrection. 
• Spring regattas. Since I started rowing again last summer, I'm really excited for Spring regattas. Although I'll do the longer Fall races, I much prefer the Spring sprints and can't wait for them!
• The weather. Even though it still rains fairly frequently and is a little chilly, it's warm enough to start considering going outside in just a couple of layers. We even got to run around outside and toss around a football at youth group tonight!

I'm sure there are more reasons I like Spring that I'm just forgetting. What are your favorite things about this time of year?

What My House Could Look Like

One of our clients, a redesign firm, recently shared a fun site with me called Houzz - a site that showcases interior and exterior house design. Even though we don't have a house yet, and our first house isn't likely to be (or at least start off as) our dream home, it's really fun to look at ideas others have come up with and make ideabooks of rooms and decor that I like. 


Here are a few examples:

Okay, this pool is way more extravagant than I actually imagine having at my house someday, but it's just so amazing I can't stop looking at it:

tropical pool design

As someone that works from home, I think this sort of office set-up would be great. I'd have a desk available in addition to a window seat when I want a change of scenery:

traditional kids design by minneapolis interior designer RLH Studio- Renee LeJeune Hallberg

I have a habit of putting my purse and sweatshirt down on the first flat surface when I get home, so I think a little bench with hooks and cubbies like this would be a great way to keep the clutter down, plus the bench could provide extra storage:

traditional entry design by portland interior designer Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc.

Although I like the blue tile, I'm not sure I'd actually want it in my shower. I do like the multiple shower heads though. It'd be like it's raining, only the rain would be warm and functional:

contemporary bathroom design by other metros architect Leonard Grant Architecture

I just really like this bathroom:

modern bathroom design by san francisco architect John Lum Architecture, Inc. AIA

You can see all my ideabooks on Houzz. Feel free to make your own, too! Please let me know if you do - I'd love to see which designs you find that you like.

Washington & California: What I Love & What I Miss

This summer will mark the second complete year of living in Washington. It's really sunny today, which I guess is what made me think about summer and, henceforth, moving here. A lot of people still give me a hard time for one of the reasons I love living up here: the weather. I love the cloudy, rainy skies overhead 9 months of the year. I know most people don't share my sentiments for the gray weather...but there are other things I love about living in Washington (in no particular order):

• Chicken Teriyaki. It is really easy to get good chicken teriyaki up here. It's everywhere. We have a couple of default restaurants, although we just tried a new place last night that was also very good. In fact, there are at least two teriyaki restaurants within walking distance of our apartment. It's a great substitute to a burger when you're on a budget.
• DaddyO's Burgers. Speaking of burgers, theirs are delicious. Yes, my husband works there, but that doesn't mean I have to like the food. I tend to be a little picky about fast food, but DaddyO's makes good quality burgers with their own special sauce. Mmm...I could go for a burger now...
• It's beautiful. How can you not enjoy the green of evergreens with Mt. Rainier in the distance? 
• It's light longer. Well, at least during the summer. It's not uncommon for the sun to be out until past 9pm in the months of June, July and August, allowing even more time to get outside and do something fun!
• Sometimes it snows (but just a little). When it does snow, it's just enough to be really pretty and fun to play in, but not enough to last for months at a time. It's also a big enough deal that a lot of businesses shut down and get snow days along with the kids in school.
• Life Pointe Church. I have to include our church on this list, because I love it! From the day we started attending, it felt like home. Our Life Group is a HUGE part of that as well :)

With all the things I love about Washington, I do have to admit there are a few things I miss from California:

• Friends & Family. This one's obvious, but needs to be said. Most of our family, plus a lot of close friends, still live down in California. I really wish they all could've just come up here with us, although that's not exactly practical.
• The San Francisco Giants. I've been a fan for as long as I can remember and have a lot of fond memories of going to the games, especially with my dad. I was SO excited about them winning the World Series last year, although I was also a little sad I couldn't go to any of the games or just celebrate with other fans before, during and after the games.
• Chinese food. I grew up in a predominantly Chinese/Taiwanese neighborhood. In addition to standing out in class photos, I learned to expect a certain quality of Chinese food (thanks to all the family-owned restaurants). Although the places I've tried up here have been okay, none of them have quite hit the spot.
• Disneyland. Even though we lived in Northern California, a trip to Disneyland only took 6 hours, which made it much more feasible.