Tonight I go just a little crazy and sit down in an annual tradition, to watch the Oscars. I am not that enamored of stars and their personal lives-in-a-bubble and troubles, but I do love great movies! The best movies capture amazing human moments and are as satisfying as a great work of literature. They are amazing works of art, and to watch gifted actors at their craft is just a joy. The movies aren't elitest; they are available to everyone, regardless of literacy level. They are something our entire family enjoys together.
So here we sit. Perhaps you have noticed I am blogging while the Oscars are playing, and guess what? The boys are on their computers, while watching it on TV. This is emblematic of modern life. You have to be plugged in to not just one, but a variety of devices. And while I write this, "Social Network" is winning the best adapted screenplay award. I didn't like that movie, by the way. A bunch of youngsters making terrible choices and acting really crappy toward one another, all at super high speed, living in a world I didn't recognize and would never want to inhabit. Don't care much for Facebook either. But it's true that the historic unrest in the Middle East has been at least facilitated, if not caused outright, by social media that allow masses of people to communicate almost instantly.
Speaking of modern technology ... our family was sold on these little armbands called "ibalance" at the Home and Garden show. Dwaine tried the on-site balance test and was a lot more balanced with the armband on. The guy who sold them to us said that all the little electronic devices we carry around cause us an imbalance of ions (too much negative?) and this device, which has magnets and magnesium or something, recharges your positive ion balance. Leading, of course, to all kinds of delightful results ... better oxygen flow, better balance (the signature result that can actually be measured immediately upon slipping the band on), more restful sleep, more energy, better digestion, better sex (well, that wasn't actually stated but it would certainly follow, wouldn't it?). I could use a good dose of all of the above right now. Frankly, I don't care if it really does all these things or if it is a placebo effect, which still works. All that for $20? What a deal! But I'd be embarrassed to have to explain why I'm wearing this little armband at work. Maybe no one will notice. (Note to self: long sleeves. Every day.) 'Cause really, doesn't it just sound like the biggest scam? But I must confess, today I felt great! Went and worked out, the first time in a week.
This show is called the "Home & Garden Show" but lately when we go, we buy these personal well-being items. Things like little shoe inserts Dwaine got to prevent plantar fascitis, a painful inflammation of a muscle in the foot. Hey, they worked! We got a nightlight that melts scented chips, too. Now they have several vendors who sell beer and wine, as well as lots of foodie items. They even have a pet section and one of the vendors sells pet urns to preserve their ashes. Home? Garden? Hmm.
Is that Anne Hathaway singing? She looks fab in that tux.
OK, "The Fighter" just won both best supporting actor Oscars and I've never heard of it. That means nothing, though. I have not been going to the movies and keeping up with all that. Used to be, when Dwaine and I first married, we went to a first-run movie at a movie theater every weekend. So we were well-versed in the movies of the late '80s extending into the early '90s, maybe.
I have previously blogged about making our kids get some culture, if only the pop kind, by watching "great" movies on Netflix. Including, recently, "The Shining" and "Throw Momma from the Train." Just to show that your idea of great might be a hair different than what I'm talkin' about. But then we also have seen some classics (getting through the whining about sitting through them) like "Casablanca," "Lawrence of Arabia," "The Birds," "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "High Noon." Then there are movies we own, "Holiday Inn" and "It's a Wonderful Life" (of course) and "Saving Private Ryan."
Some good funny movies we have watched include "Young Frankenstein," "Blazing Saddles," and "Mrs. Doubtfire."
The movies are a part of our family life and part of our shared history together. They have enriched my life, that's for sure.
Signing off because the suspense of who will win for best sound editing is just about to kill me!
So here we sit. Perhaps you have noticed I am blogging while the Oscars are playing, and guess what? The boys are on their computers, while watching it on TV. This is emblematic of modern life. You have to be plugged in to not just one, but a variety of devices. And while I write this, "Social Network" is winning the best adapted screenplay award. I didn't like that movie, by the way. A bunch of youngsters making terrible choices and acting really crappy toward one another, all at super high speed, living in a world I didn't recognize and would never want to inhabit. Don't care much for Facebook either. But it's true that the historic unrest in the Middle East has been at least facilitated, if not caused outright, by social media that allow masses of people to communicate almost instantly.
Speaking of modern technology ... our family was sold on these little armbands called "ibalance" at the Home and Garden show. Dwaine tried the on-site balance test and was a lot more balanced with the armband on. The guy who sold them to us said that all the little electronic devices we carry around cause us an imbalance of ions (too much negative?) and this device, which has magnets and magnesium or something, recharges your positive ion balance. Leading, of course, to all kinds of delightful results ... better oxygen flow, better balance (the signature result that can actually be measured immediately upon slipping the band on), more restful sleep, more energy, better digestion, better sex (well, that wasn't actually stated but it would certainly follow, wouldn't it?). I could use a good dose of all of the above right now. Frankly, I don't care if it really does all these things or if it is a placebo effect, which still works. All that for $20? What a deal! But I'd be embarrassed to have to explain why I'm wearing this little armband at work. Maybe no one will notice. (Note to self: long sleeves. Every day.) 'Cause really, doesn't it just sound like the biggest scam? But I must confess, today I felt great! Went and worked out, the first time in a week.
This show is called the "Home & Garden Show" but lately when we go, we buy these personal well-being items. Things like little shoe inserts Dwaine got to prevent plantar fascitis, a painful inflammation of a muscle in the foot. Hey, they worked! We got a nightlight that melts scented chips, too. Now they have several vendors who sell beer and wine, as well as lots of foodie items. They even have a pet section and one of the vendors sells pet urns to preserve their ashes. Home? Garden? Hmm.
Is that Anne Hathaway singing? She looks fab in that tux.
OK, "The Fighter" just won both best supporting actor Oscars and I've never heard of it. That means nothing, though. I have not been going to the movies and keeping up with all that. Used to be, when Dwaine and I first married, we went to a first-run movie at a movie theater every weekend. So we were well-versed in the movies of the late '80s extending into the early '90s, maybe.
I have previously blogged about making our kids get some culture, if only the pop kind, by watching "great" movies on Netflix. Including, recently, "The Shining" and "Throw Momma from the Train." Just to show that your idea of great might be a hair different than what I'm talkin' about. But then we also have seen some classics (getting through the whining about sitting through them) like "Casablanca," "Lawrence of Arabia," "The Birds," "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "High Noon." Then there are movies we own, "Holiday Inn" and "It's a Wonderful Life" (of course) and "Saving Private Ryan."
Some good funny movies we have watched include "Young Frankenstein," "Blazing Saddles," and "Mrs. Doubtfire."
The movies are a part of our family life and part of our shared history together. They have enriched my life, that's for sure.
Signing off because the suspense of who will win for best sound editing is just about to kill me!
Posts
Other good "old" movies -
ReplyDeleteSilence of the Lambs (this has become one of Juliana's favorites)
The Breakfast Club
What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
Oh, and I have to agree on Mrs Doubtfire - the girls both have quotes they like from that movie. We also watched The Shining together, along with The Exorcist - Jul was disappointed with both.
And yes -
movies = shared history
I like that.