Because I am such a sucker I ordered 'The X-Files: Revelations' this week. It's a DVD that states "Essential guide to The X-Files Movie, 8 critical episodes handpicked by the series creator". I figured there's more chance of us watching 8 episodes before next Friday than working our way through 9 seasons.
I DVR'd this ages ago because I couldn't remember if I had seen it before. As soon as I started watching it I realized I had, and quite frankly it would have been a freak occurrence had a Harrison Ford movie slipped by my radar (the notable exception is of course the one on a submarine with Ford doing a Russian accent because even I have limits). I am such a scared cat that even Michelle Pfeiffer in varies stages of anxiety puts me on edge, and I have been fast forwarding through the creepy bits.
This film reinforces why I wont live in a large house on the edge of a lake (even if Harrison Ford comes included in the real estate). Poor old Pfeiffer has just packed her daughter off to college and is left rattling around a large house with her second husband (Ford). Her over active imagination kicks in and she goes all Rear Window with her new neighbours. This is of course a decoy and it is actually her husband's dead mistress who is driving her slowly mad. That's what I like sisters doing it for themselves. No need for Hamlet to send Ophelia doolally when one of the sisterhood of the traveling pants could do it for him. If I had a ghost who was trying to get a message to me I would prefer a more direct route. Reach out from beyond the astral plane and friend me on FB. Don't blow doors open and closed, turn the stereo on at random moments or keep knocking over a photo until I realized that there was an article printed on the back that would explain all - the missing girl, the accident a year ago, why her husband kept bringing her flowers.
You can be somewhat sympathetic of Ford's character (even if he is a philander) because sharing a creepy house with such a highly strung wife would be a challenge (especially when she gets that far away look in her eye - is she short sighted and squinting or is a repressed memory floating to the surface) but then he commits the cardinal sin, and starts looking into having her committed. At that point I am all for Pfeiffer's character being possessed by the ghost and going after her errant husband.
I have a fairly unhealthy relationship with my iPod. The geniuses at Apple make it really easy to listen to one song over and over again. At least with a Walkman you had to go to the trouble of rewinding and checking you were in the right place. But with an iPod you can repeat with ease until your ears bleed. For the past ffew days I've been obsessively listening to Hunters & Collectors 'Throw Your Arms Around Me', however my preferred version of the song is by the Doug Antony All Stars. Way back in the mists of time (the late 80s and early 90s) these guys were boss. They could loosely could be described as a rather salty cabaret act. The bulk of their show was comedic songs (one focused on the dangers of meeting a "girl" in a saliors' pub in the early hours of the morning when it is easy to over look that see has an adams apple) but they would always do a few straight songs that always had more resisence because they were few and far between. In 2003 DAAS reformed for one night to perform 'Throw Your Arms Around Me', and I think Australia (and their fans) were very happy.
Although we typically post on Team Vox to let you know about things that are going on with Vox (to, uh, state the obvious), once in a while, we like to let you know about other cool things that are happening around the blogosphere. And we think the idea of four hilarious mommy bloggers traveling across the U.S. on their way to the BlogHer '08 conference - all the while blogging and video blogging the journey - is one trip you will not want to miss.
Four adventurous bloggers from the Silicon Valley Moms Group were selected to participate in the Summer Road Trip '08 and blog about their travels, hotel stays, media appearances, time away from their families, and life on the road. Six Apart helped them partner up with General Motors, who provided the blogging mommies with a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV to help make their journey comfy, safe, and a little more green.
In case you're not familiar with them, SV Moms is a group of over 200 bloggers who showcase the ups, downs, outrages, struggles, victories, and everyday humor of motherhood. There are currently nine regional and demographically tailored sites that give mothers from D.C., New Jersey, the Deep South, Rocky Mountains, L.A., and Silicon Valley a powerful voice and sense of camaraderie across the country. Whether you're a mother, a child, or just a person who enjoys a good blog, you'll really love reading the words of these amazing women.
The moms buckled into their Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV on July 11th and even got an encouraging message from Katie Couric to kick things off! They are currently somewhere in the middle of America making their way to San Francisco where they'll attend an SV Moms Group Party, as well as BlogHer '08.
You do not want to miss these entertaining and irreverent bloggers -- or their spontaneous contest giveaways! -- as they blog from the road. Experience the journey at MomRoadTrip.com.
And let us know about your summer road trip - or plane/boat/bus trip - in the comments! (I like to live vicariously.)
I was chatting away with my mum this week, and we got onto the subject of how the British PM had likened himself to Heathcliff. My mum summed it up as ""Fantastic, we're being governed by a fictional character from a Yorkshire farming ghetto". I don't quite get why Gordon would go for Heathcliff. Has he read Wuthering Heights? Did he fall into the pre-GCSE trap of seeing Heathcliff as a brooding, misunderstood character than roams the moors and not the inarticulate chav that sets out to destroy all around him. Perhaps Gordon is trying to imply that he is a closet farmer, a man's man who wants us to get back to a simpler time when there were foundlings in Liverpool. Of course it could be something more sinsiter if Gordon is Heathcliff then is the British populous Cathy - being held captive as Heathcliff takes out his revegne and expands his empire. The flip side to Gordon 'Heathcliff' Brown is an article about how much of a reader Obama is, and if he wins in November he could be the most well read President and that is an exciting prospect. I'll over look that he favors Melville because I don't think that he will fall into the trap of comparing himself to Ahab, Ishmael or Queequeg.
And finally, before I got to lament the near passing of my laptop, how the hell did Rushdie win best of Booker? How many people have actually managed to finish Midnight's Children. Come on be honest is it sitting on your shelf next to A Brief History of Time?
The barbecue was a great success, and my food went down a treat. No great surprise there since I had mined the depths of Nigella for her best recipes: buttermilk chicken drumsticks, vodka marinated steak, cornbread, coleslaw, watermelon with rosewater, and seasame peanut noodles. For desert I decided to keep it simple and made a truck load of madelines and a summer pudding. I wasn't quite prepared for the overwhelming compliments for my summer pud because it is just moulded berries and stale bread. It's a simple desert that I grew up with as a kid, though my dad was a bit more sparing with the sugar than I am.
Our friends always tell me off for doing the bulk of the cooking and not sharing the load but I can't help it as I love to cook and I am a complete control freak in the kitchen (just like my dad). More photos of the barbecue over at Alex's Flickr site.
Last night an astonishing amount of food was delivered to our pad. The fridge is packed with fresh produce, the freezer is awash with chicken drumsticks and my cupboards are full of every condiment and herb know to man. What can I say other than - we're having people over for a picnic slash barbie tomorrow afternoon. I actually think that the cooking bit will be almost as much fun as the entertaining segment of the weekend. The sense of achievement that you have managed to turn all this raw ingredients into a feast, and people are like eating it!!!! Planning what dishes to make (and cooking them) has filled the void that is left when I am not incessantly studying. Both tasks require thought and contemplation, and to rise at an ungodly hour on the weekends.
I should really be getting a jump ahead this evening but we have dinner plans at Babbo, and I am hoping that delicious meal should put me in the right mind frame for cook.
Have you ever broken a bone? If not, what's the worst injury you've sustained?
I just spent the last 20 minutes writing a some what amusing account of when I sprained my ankle last year playing tennis, and then to the alarm of my co-workers didn't hot foot it to the doctor's for an x-ray or MRI (because I knew it was just a bad twist and I didn't need to pay someone to tell me that because the ankle was getting better everyday), but the power gave out on my powerbook and my post was sucked into the ether. I'll hold my hands up and say that it was my fault for not plugging in the power which was a foolish oversight given that this laptop is going through a phase of spontaneously shutting itself off. I think it needs a new battery but Alex down graded its operating system from wild cat to house cat and it appears to be helping. When I re-booted it and got the message about the date being rolled back to 1969 (a la Life on Mars) but when I opened the date/time thingy it corrected itself so there is hope.
Do you live in or around Cincinnati, Ohio? If so, you're in luck because Scott and the Queen City Voxers Group have organized a Vox user meetup!
WHERE: Ault Park Playground. 3600 Observatory Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208. "We'll look for each other at the playground marked by the red X below. If it's raining, head for the shelter to the north of the [red] X."
To RSVP (which is not essential, but is appreciated), reply to Scott's announcement or send him a private message. All Voxers, as well as their friends and family, are welcome to attend.
If you do attend the meetup, have a great time and please take lots of pictures and send them to me so I can post them in Team Vox for everyone to see!
Thank you so much to Scott for organizing this meetup. Wish I could be there!
What question do you hate being asked?
"Say something in Chinese!"
