Rain Gods

I tested the gods today. Rest assured, prolific Greek authors of old, they are as ruthless as ever. I was feeling a little under-the-weather today. The sky was gray and the air brisk, the best kind of atmosphere for some good walking. I thought a bowl of soup across the street would be perfect, and as I headed over a light mist was leaking out of the sky. I ignored this, delighting in the short walk to deliciousness. Just as I got across the street the gods cackled and dumped a bucket of water on the valley. I enjoyed my soup and reading, happily dry inside, but the rain got heavier and heavier. It's beautiful to watch and listen to, but my sprint home drenched me, umbrella and all. Now I'm nursing myself back to warmth with chocolate and some delicious homework, while the rain still drums menacingly, daring me to try to leave the house again.

The Dilemma Review

Rating system (out of five):

Stars = measures the film's cinematic quality.

Hearts = measures the film's enjoyability.

Bowls of Ice cream = measures the numbers of bowls of ice cream it would require to get me to watch the film again.

The Dilemma is a classic story putting forth the endless question: bros or hoes? The plot is simple, should our hero tell his best friend some news he won't like hearing, in the middle of the biggest business deal of his life, or does he wait 'til things have settled, knowing that he has lied all that time. Throw in a couple of ladies, and the awkward comedy that only Vince Vaughn and Kevin James can provide, and the recipe is complete.

In the beginning, the film presents ideas that are universally familiar. The characters are people we know and the plot is something we can believe, but once we are hooked into relating with what is going on, we are given twists of comedic gold. Our boys deliver clever dialogue with charming timing, but it is when the physical comedy comes out that this duo truly shines. Vince Vaughn takes a thorough beating in this film, something that us "little guys" can appreciate once in a while. Also seasoning the film are unique supporting characters that bring something wacky to the world. Queen Latifa is a particular delight in a role as a woman who is especially turned on by cars. Her lusty descriptions of engines are just clever and silly enough to really work.

Winona Ryder's character gets a bit wearing after a while. The voice she was using for most of the film sounded so much like the old lady version of herself she played in Edward Scissorhands, it was a bit distracting, but as we weren't meant to be fond of her, it worked.

The film is set in Chicago, the perfect city to house the combined feelings of anonymity in the large urban landscape, and small-town closeness that only the midwest can provide. The shots of the city were lovely, and it made me miss Chicago something awful.

All in all, this film was fun and light and perfect for a weekend afternoon with nothing to do but eat popcorn and watch movies.

My Rating:

3 1/2 Stars

4 Hearts

0 Bowls of Ice cream

Champagne & Shopping

A couple days ago I was out shopping for a dress. I was wandering around the mall up here, taking tours of all the stores whether I knew what kinds of dresses they sold or not. Well it was my lucky day, because I happened to walk into a store that greeted me with a glass of champagne. Just little old me, just for walking into the store. Hoorah! Instant celebration. It was so delightful, it made me wish there was any chance of me actually purchasing one of these dresses.

I felt very spoiled and sipped it gratefully as I walked around the store. The only problem was, there were only four racks of dresses, so there I was surrounded by roughly forty dresses I couldn't afford, holding a half empty glass of champagn, trying to finish it without appearing to pound the drink like a drinking game at so many college parties.

My options were drying up, I couldn't very well walk around the mall drinking an alcoholic beverage, nor could I stand and conspicuously not try on dresses any longer, so I guiltily returned my glass to the store owner and avoided that wing of the mall for the rest of my shopping trip. Awkward exit aside, it was very glamorous to have been liquored up for dress perusal, which brings me to:

Thing #6 I like about the Valley:

Champagne drinking while shopping: the fanciest of mall activities.

Quest For Chinese Food

Happy Chinese New Year! I like to eat Chinese food for diner on Chinese New Year, a little tradition my mom started with her love of themes… well, actually the people in China truly started the tradition… but my mom brought it to my family. In any case, nothing sounded better when I got out of class then a stack of greasy, fabulous take-out. Unfortunately, I don't get out of class until ten, so I don't get home until eleven, so I drove all over looking for anywhere open. I even found a place with all the lights on, people inside, and a wide open door, but they said they were closed as well…. So, frozen veggie spring rolls it is. Just me, my spring rolls and The Nanny. Perfect. Cheers!