Meetup.com

Ever moved to a new area and not known anyone? Ever lived in the same location all your life and wanted to meet other people who share the same interests?? Ever just wanted to let loose or learn something new?? If you answered yes to any of these questions then I have the best site for you. It's called Meetup.com. 


Since moving to the Cleveland area, I have joined this great website that I just mentioned above. Rob came across this site and started looking around. He found a couple groups that I may be interested in, and so he sent me the links. One of them was called "The High Tea Society". It is a group devoted to tea!! The main purpose of this group is meeting other people who share your interest in learning new teas and visiting different tea houses in the area. I am really enjoying this group. I signed up last month for a tea event and loved it!! We all met at The Ashley Place which is a tea room located in Medina, Ohio. Four other women showed up for that one and we had a lovely conversation over some tea and food. I tried a raspberry flavored tea and found it to be ok...I am not too sure if I would get that one again. Today was another event with the Tea Society. I met up with four other women in Vermilion, Ohio which is about thirty minutes west of my house. We met at this small little tea shop called Decidedly Different. I tried a new flavor of tea again. This time it was a tea called Scottish Breakfast. If you are a black tea drinker who enjoys the Breakfast teas, then this is a must try! It is a bit strong and a bit bitter, but after putting two packets of sugar in my cup, I thought it tasted pretty good. 


Another group that I found is a Movie & Book lover club. They are a group well that views movies together and then also reads a book together as well. Last month, I met up with this group to see the movie Inception. After the movie we then went over and had a bite to eat and discussed how we liked or disliked the movie. I was in hopes of going to the event tomorrow to see the new movie Eat, Pray, and Love, but due to the time the movie is, it is a conflict with something else that Rob and I had planned. The book part of this club is just the same as the movie part. The current book is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I read this book back in middle school and so I was excited to hear this was the next book the club was going to read. I went out and bought the book at a half priced bookstore. I have started reading the book (ok, so I am just 3 pages in), so I need to get going on the book since the book discussion is in about a month. I have heard from other group members is that if you have read the book as a child, then when you are reading this book as an adult you tend to understand more of the adult roles in the book. I will let you know once I finish the book. 


Rob has found a couple social groups on Meetup.com as well. He found a hiking group and a couple others. He has yet though to attend any of the events that have had. He is hoping to try and go to one of the hiking ones soon. 


So I encourage you to go over to Meetup.com and check it out for yourself. It is completely free to sign up and you never know...you may find a great group just for you!!! 

Change of Blog topic from moving to Adoption

I was going tell you all about how Rob accepted a visiting professor position at Cleveland State, but I ran across an article that is worth sharing. I can not remember where I found this article but it must have been from another blog that I was reading tonight. If I can remember which blog it was I will include it in with this blog to thank the blogger for bringing this article to my own attention.

Anyways, back in May of this year Newsweek featured an article called, "Why Birth Moms Deserve Respect". Click on the title to read the article. I am always ready to bite when I see titles like this. I didn't know where this article was going to go but hey...I didn't have much to do since I am sitting here listening to the hum from the computers in the sever room here at home. Ok...back to topic here. hahaha.

The article starts off saying how today's society really focus' on two parts of the Adoption Triad which being the adoptive parents and then the children, but tends to leave out the most important part of the triad, us birth mother's. When society thinks or even refers to us birth mothers they depict us as drug users, unfit mothers, or teens who don't have the maturity to care for the child on their own. But for those of us who are in the adoption world, we know that there are more of us every day people out there who thought that placing our child into another woman's arms was the best choice at the time for our child.

Society has recently brought the adoption themes into movies, books, and even television shows. The article as talks about this. In movies such as Juno or Knocked-Up it shows unmarried women as either some opinionated teenager or as cutesy blonde woman who is freaking out about being pregnant. Now don't get me wrong, I truly love both of these movies and Knocked-Up is not for the young eyes to see or really revolve around the adoption world...but it shows what we think when it comes to Birth moms. The article brings up the adoption plots in television shows as well. Glee, Brothers & Sisters, and even Friends have all had adoption themes, where only the child is the one involved.

By still making fun of the adoption world...people in real life still tend to look down at adoption. Even six years after placement, I get the odd looks and "oh's" when I tell people that I placed my daughter into an Open Adoption. I often wonder what they think about, but I know what they are thinking. "How could she just give up on her child?" But these people are the ones who are not willing to open their minds and see the whole picture.

I like a part of the article that says,  “Our society has lifted much of the stigma of single motherhood, but still finds it difficult to support a woman who is, as they see it, abandoning her child. These women are told: ‘How can you possibly give up your child? What kind of person could do that?’ So while adoption is listed as viable option, it’s a choice that’s rarely made.” I believe this is  a very true statement.  


I would hope that Adoption thoughts would become more real and not so taboo in today's society. If we look back in ages...we see open adoption but just not in full form with the name adoption. When a mother was unable to care for her child her family would step in and take care of the child and gain custody if needed. How is that not adoption? It is in my eyes. Even now with the majority of families being now "blended" families how is that any more normal or ok than adoption? 


So think about your thoughts and feelings about adoption verses some of the thoughts I have placed in here. I bet you have thought some of these yourself without even knowing it. You think adoption when Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie adopt a new baby, or when another celebrity adopts because it is the "cool thing to do" right now. You think of these movies and television shows that poke fun of pregnant woman who has to decide whether to parent her child or place it into a family. But what you really should think about if you were in the same situation or if you were an infertile married couple who would love to adopt a child and know how it feels to love a child. You should really think about the emotions that the Natural mother or Birth mother feels when every holiday, mother's day, or birthday comes around. 


So like the article says...Birth mother's deserve some respect in today's society. 

Movie Theatre Pet Peeves

Ok...so this will probably be a long list, but things have been bugging me lately. If I don't tell you then if you are doing them to me or other people then you people will never learn. Hahaha. This past weekend I just happened to pick up on quite a few of them and I just wanted to cringe each time something happened.

• Handing me your crinkled up money when I tell you the total amount of the transaction, assuming that I will count it for you, and give you back what you need. I really just want to count the money and keep the extra as a tip if you are too incompetent to unravel your money and give me the correct amount. 
  
• Standing in a concession line for 5 minutes and still have no idea what you want when you get up to my register. I really just want to tell you to go back to the end of the line and then maybe by the second time you get up to my line you will know what you want to order. 
  
• Yelling at me that I told you that someone was in line before you, and telling me that you have stood in three different lines for ten minutes. What I want to tell you is that if you would be patient and stand in one line then you will eventually get served. But to continue to jump from line to line is  not my problem. 
  
• Annoyed at me that you are running late for your movie because you tripped over your dog, forgot your wallet, or what ever excuse you have to give me. Next time...try leaving the house earlier and/or have a back up movie planned just in cause the movie you want to see is sold out! 
  
• If you are ordering tickets or concession items, get off the phone!!!!!! I find it very rude that you assume that you can not hang up your phone conversation or put the phone down for just a couple of minutes to get your items. 
• When you are handing your movie ticket to me at a ticket drop location...don't continue to walk and assume I will chase after you to give you back the other half of your ticket. Just be patient, stand and wait until I have torn your ticket and gave it back to you. Also, if you have a large party with you, please have one person have all the tickets. This will speed up the process as well!   
  
• Pick up your own trash as you exit the theatre. This will help the usher crew get a theatre cleaned a lot faster, especially if you are in a sold out show!! 
  
• If you are under the age of 25, don't be offended if I ask for your drivers license if you are buying a rated-R movie ticket. If you are under 17, don't try and have your parent buy your ticket for you! We know that you are going to try and sneak into the rated-R movie after your first failed attempt and then get a PG movie that is "near" the desired movie. Stay in the movie auditorium that you have a ticket for. This makes everyone's jobs a lot easier! 

I kept the list short, I probably could have gone on for awhile...but these are the main ones that myself and other co-workers gripe about. I could probably make a list of what my co-workers and even myself need to stop doing...but that is for another post all together. ;) 

Movies in May....What's coming??

    

Well since tomorrow in the movie business will kick off the "summer movies" I thought I would give you all a little sneak peak on what is in store for the month of May. Some of you will probably know about a lot of them especially if there is a movie that you are excited about. I never really caught onto the whole movie maddness until I started working at the movie theatre. Now I may be excited for movies...but I dread the premier days of each big big movie!! The studios always start the summer off with a big anticipated movie on the first Friday of May. Last year the big movie was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The year before that was the first Iron Man.

May 7th will be the kick off for the movies.  Here is what is in store:
Iron Man 2 which is what most people will be milling into the box office for. Some of you may even be going to the midnight premier tonight with your friends. Some theatres are showing the first Iron Man earlier in the evening at a discounted rate and then see the new movie of Iron Man 2 at midnight. Check with your local theatre to see if you can get in on the great deal! In addition to Iron Man 2, a movies called Babies is coming out as well. This movie is a documentary about looking at four different babies from around the world for one year. Sounds interesting, especially if you are into admiring different cultures, life, and development of humans.

May 14th will bring the new Robin Hood movie. I have seen most of the Robin Hood type of movies and will probably go and see this one, too. By far though, my favorite RH movie is probably RH: Prince of Thieves. So next week I will have to see if this new RH movie is any good. Well maybe not next week...but you know what I mean!! Another movie that is coming out on the 14th is Letters to Juliet. A light hearted movie about an American girl who goes to Italy and finds an unanswered letter. Basically we all know how these movies go...but if you are like me...you will go see this just to get the warm fuzzy feeling. Great date movie...and hey...this comes out just 5 days before my anniversary. hmmmm!!?? Another date night type of movie that comes out on the 14th is Just Wright. Ok...stop for a moment...can anyone tell me who Common is?? I went and looked up what other shows he has played in and I am still stuck. This moving with Common and Queen Latifa does look kind of cute. I have not seen many commercials for this moving only because I tend to skip through commercials when I watch television shows if they have been taped on my dvr.

May 21st will be a weekend for most families. Well that is if a family loves the Shrek movies. The fourth installment of the Shrek movies will be released. This time, the movie will be in 3D. This new Shrek movie is titled Shrek Forever After. This installment just does not look good to me. I think that DreamWorks is trying too hard with these movies and should have stopped after the second one. One of the reviews that I read said that this new Shrek movie was not at the same level as the first two movies, but better than the third one. So who knows. I will probably skip this one, myself. Another movie that will be released this same week is a movie called MacGruber. I have not seen or heard what this movie is really about. I guess I need to get caught up on my movie previews for this week in particular!

May 28th is the last Friday of May. The weekend of Memorial Day, so what will families have a choice to see if they have seen everything that is listed above? There are two movies for people to choose from. The first one is Disney's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. This movie looks good and I will go and see this one. I will let the hype die down with this and see what other people think about this movie. On the 27th of May, Sex in the City 2 will be released as well. For those of you who are avid fans of the first one are probably already counting down the days until this second movie is released. Yes I am a female...but no, I will not be seeing this movie. I never got into the television show and or even the first movie that was released a couple years ago. I guess I will probably never know or understand the hype with these movies, just like I don't understand the hype for the Twilight saga movies either.

So there you have it. You have now seen what is in store for the month of May. In a couple weeks, I hope to show you all what June and July all have in store as well. Hope you enjoy!! Please let me know what you all think about these movies!! I will be curious to hear!

Television to the Movies?

While I was taking a shower this morning I started to think about the movies that are coming out this summer. One that I am looking forward to the A-Team movie. When I got to thinking about that, I wondered what other old television shows would be even comical if they made into a movie.

The Jeffersons or Mama's Family? Ok...how about Punky Brewster? All in the Family? The Waltons? Silver Spoons? Oooh...better yet...how about Sanford & Son?! You all now know that I have probably lost my rocker  for just posting all of these shows. But really...how do you think these shows do as a movie that was placed into the theatres? Think anyone would go to them? I guess it would just be who was the actor or actress in the movie and who was directing it. I loved watching Mama's Family as a teen (it was in reruns by then). I love Carol Burnett...and I am sure she would come back to play Eunice!

As for modern day television shows being put to movie, I am sure there will eventually be an ER movie or even a Grey's Anatomy movie since Sex & The City is now onto the second movie installment which comes out this summer.

Back to the A-Team, I just went over and watched one of the trailers. Yes I know, I work at a movie theatre but have not seen a trailer for this movie until now?! Sorry!!! I do get to stare at a huge A-Team movie banner when I work in the box office. So I guess I have that going for me. For those of you who are like me and have not seen one of the many trailers, here is one for you to enjoy!! Click HERE to view trailer as when I tried embedding it, the picture was too big for my template. *sigh*

Well ok, maybe I didn't have much to post on for this...but it just proves to you how random my thoughts are while taking a shower.

New Movies for week of April 9, 2010

This was another slow week for new movies opening. My theatre only got two new movies where some other theatres may have recieved three or four depending on the market they are in. 


The two new movies this week that my theatre got were: Date Night and Letters to God. 


Date Night - Stars: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg - The Plot: In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple's attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous. **This movie was the popular one today at box office while I was working. I do like Steve Carell and Tina Fey and so I would go see this movie for a good laugh.**


Letters to God - Stars: Tanner Maguire, Jeffrey Johnson, Robyn Lively The Plot: A young boy writes letters to God as he fights cancer, inspiring, among many other people, a postal worker tasked with "delivering" the boy's mail. **From what I have read, this movie is from the same guys who brought us Fireproof last year. In the eight hours that I worked today, only two people asked for tickets to this movie. I have not heard anything about it or have seen any trailers for this movie. If you liked Fireproof and Facing the Giants then you would probably like this movie as well.** 


So that is it for this week's movies. The rest of the month will be some what medium for movies as everyone is waiting for May which will kick off the start of the summer blockbusters. 

Relaxed and Refreshed...

So it has been a couple days since I have been home from Oregon. Figure I should fill you all in on how the rest of my trip went. Normally when I am in Oregon I am running from one place to another then stop at my mom's to sleep for a few hours and then back up and run again. This trip was very different. I am sure I upset people because I was not calling everyone to set up meetings and get together's with them. I figured...people knew I was in the state since I had posted it on facebook and they all had my number. So if they wanted to see me...then they knew how to get a hold of me.

So Wednesday like I had said, I had one of the most amazing hour full body massages with a focus on my upper back. I really did need that. I didn't realize how much tension I had built up in my muscles. I think I will be scheduling another one out here. I have just a little bit of money left on a gift card that I was given a couple years ago. :)

Thursday was spent with one of my best friends, Renee. She and I went to lunch, did some shopping, and then spent a couple hours sitting at Starbucks. I always know when I am around a true best friend. How?? Well, two friends or even a group of close friends...they can be separated for a year or even more, but then once they are back together in person things pick up as if no one was apart. That is how Renee and my other best friends are with me. I miss that...and I love it! Thursday evening I went to dinner with my parents and brother.

Friday was spent with my Grandma Schneider. We ate lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory, and yes I had meat sauce with Mizithra cheese over spaghetti. Grandma even tried it and thought it was good. Rob is a bit upset that he can not find this type of cheese at Whole Foods. I just laugh at him. Friday evening was spent over at my other best friend's house. Christy and I ordered a pizza and watched a couple movies. Before that Friday, she had never seen the movie "The Hangover". *GASP, I know!* She laughed through it just like I thought she would. We then watched "Zombie Land". What a dumb movie!! I don't get it...how was this movie suppose to be drop dead funny? (No pun intended?) After that we just at and talked and talked...I kept looking at the clock and finally at 3:45am I asked Christy if I could just sleep at her house. I know the back roads to Canby, but it was late and I was tired. So I slept a couple hours at her house before I headed back to my mom's house. I hated to leave so quick from Christy's in the morning...but I had to run home and get ready to see Kaylee!

Saturday afternoon was spent down in Albany having a visit with NaeDean, Kaylee, and my mom. Kaylee is getting so big, and she is very creative. She had made me a poster that said, "I love Amy" and it had two hearts on it because she loves me a lot she said. We had a good visit. She is still very much into Barbi, princess stuff, but she enjoys playing soccer as well. Saturday evening, I went to church with my parents. It had been awhile since I have been to church. I can not wait to get into a new area and get connected with a church that I actually like or feel connected, too.

Sunday was spent at the beach!!! Yes it was cool, a bit rainy and windy...but that is the Oregon Coast. We had lunch at Mo's, went shopping at the outlet mall, and then get some taffy at the taffy shop that my family always stopped growing up. I went in and grabbed a couple handfuls of each flavor. Well not every flavor, just the flavors that I grew up enjoying. We took the long way home from the beach as traffic was pretty hectic going the way that we would normally would drive. So we drove down through Corvallis and then up I-5.

Monday I spent several hours up at the mall with my friend Sarah who just got back in the states. She spent the past five months in Vietnam. She looks great, and we had some awesome conversation over lunch and then coffee. It was a perfect setting since it was a typical Oregon spring rainy day. I was thinking that I was going to hang out with another friend for dinner, but she never called and so I drove back to my parent's house.

Tuesday was spent doing absolutely nothing. What an odd feeling it was, but yet something that was needed. I caught up on some of my shows that had been posted online and just sat at home doing nothing. When my mom got home, she asked if I wanted to run with her over to Grandma's house and then go pick up my dad from the bus stop. So I got my shoes on and we were off. After we picked up dad we decided to go get some dinner and ended up at The Ram. The Ram is a brewery that is in Portland as well as just a couple other locations through out Washington and a few out east. Well Indiana is the most east they get, so far. They have good beers and very yummy ribs!

Wednesday I spent sleeping in late and then having lunch with my mom. For dinner we went downtown to my dad's office. We went to dinner at this place that was a block over from his office. He thought it was just some bar and grill...well it was more of a uppity bar and grill. You know one of those places that has one sheet for the menu and you just really want a burger but there is no burger on the menu. Ya it was one of those places. It was good to try something new, but would probably not go back to that place. We then walked down to Voodoo Donuts, but they were too busy. I really just wanted to get a tshirt...but realized I could get a donut and a tshirt on my next trip to Portland. :)

Thursday, I had to fly back to Connecticut. I finished my Confessions of a Shopaholic book and wished that I would had another book to start, but it was ok to just sit and do nothing. If I would have had Rob's Sony Reader, then I could have had several books to read, but that is ok. I am one who likes to hold the actual book rather than a device and "turn the page" on the screen.

So now I am home and back to the same old busyness. Work is not as busy as what I thought it would be with it being Easter weekend...but maybe that is because it is almost eighty degrees outside and sunny. I am not complaining!!

So there ya have it. Once I get the pictures off loaded from the camera I will share them with you!!

New Movies for FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2010

Wow...so I have been out of the loop since I have been in Oregon!! I figured it was Friday, that I would start back up with announcing what the new movies are for the week. I will blog later more on how my trip to Oregon was. :)

Clash of the Titans - Rated: PG-13 - Stars: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes - The Plot: In a loose adaptation from Greek mythology, Perseus (Worthington) who was born a god but raised as a man, sets off on an epic mission to combat Hades (Fiennes) before he can seize power from Zeus (Neeson) and unleash hell on earth.**I could go either way on this movie. Rob saw this movie today and didn't really care for it.**

The Last Song - Rated: PG - Stars: Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth - The Plot: A drama centered on a rebellious young woman (Cyrus) who is sent to spend the summer with her estranged father, who abandoned his family in the past. **My mom and a few other friends read this Nicholas Sparks book and said it was awesome. I had a male co-worker watch this yesterday and he said it was ok...but definitely better than Dear, John. So I don't know...I just put the audio book for this on my iTunes and it will be on my iPod soon!! I can not wait to listen to the story!**

Why Did I Get Married, Too? - Rated: PG-13 - Stars: Janet Jackson, Tyler Perry, Jill Scott - The Plot: Four couples reunite for their annual vacation in order to socialize and to spend time analyzing their marriages. Their intimate week in the Bahamas is disrupted by the arrival of an ex-husband determined to win back his recently remarried wife. **My sister loved the first one...and I know she is looking forward to this new one. If you like the other Tyler Perry movies, then you will probably like this one as well.**

Ramona Quimby on the Big Screen!!!!

Last night while was watching the trailers for the movies that are coming out this summer one movie made me very excited. I grew up reading all of the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary.

Well this summer, they will be releasing RAMONA & BEEZUS (which is the first book in the Ramona series) as a movie in all theatres!!! Oh I am so excited!! I saw the trailer last night and I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning!! Rob probably thinks I am a freak...but he didn't grow up reading these books. I feel as if a Harry Potter has just seen the trailer for their favorite book of the series. Ok, long stretch...but I think it works.

Beverly Cleary is from the Portland, Oregon area...and so Ramona and her family are from Portland in the books. When I was first reading these books when I was in grade school I didn't realize that. When I got older though, I found this out and loved the books even more.  I am tempted to go and buy the whole Ramona series so that I can add her back into my book library. I know...I am such a dork...but I can't help it!

Anyways....here is the trailer for the movie which comes to theatres in July. Oh I can't wait!!

New Movies for weekend of MARCH 19, 2010

I realized that I forgot to do this posting last week. Oops!! I guess it was because I was not at work last weekend. So here...I will be getting back into the swing of things. Below are the new movies for this week. 

The Bounty Hunter - Rated: PG-13 - Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler - The Plot: A bounty hunter (Butler) learns that his next target is his ex-wife (Aniston), a reporter working on a murder cover-up. Soon after their reunion, the always-at-odds duo find themselves on a run-for-their-lives adventure with a bunch of New Jersey heavies in pursuit. **This looks cute...it was popular for today when I was working the box office.**

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Rated PG - Stars: Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Rachael Harris - The Plot: Greg Heffley (Gordon) uses the journal his mother forces him to keep to plot his middle-school survival. **This movie is based on the children novel of the same title. I have seen the books in Target and they look really cute.** 

The Runaways - Rated R - Stars: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon - The Plot: A chronicle of the groundbreaking Los Angeles band The Runaways, who formed in 1975 and were led by teenagers Joan Jett (Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Fanning). **I don't know much about this movie to say yes or no on it.**

So I watched it...

 Last night at work was busy...but a controlled busy. It was pretty much only busy for one movie...yes you can guess what it was. Alice In Wonderland of course! Guests coming in kept asking me if I had seen it or heard anything about it, and I had to keep telling them no. When the busyness really died down I looked to see if there was a 3D showing around the time I was getting off from work With my luck there was! I called Rob on my break to let him know that I would not be home till real late since the showing I was going to watch was the midnight showing. I then texted my friend to see if they were busy or even wanted to see a movie. I figured they would be busy, but they said they would meet there for the movie.


12am rolls around and the previews start. EEEE!!! I am so excited!! First time watching a 3D movie in the theatre that I work in. Yes, my theatre has had 3D capabilities since late last year, but I waited until now to experience the beauty of this type of technology. The previews for the upcoming attractions looked somewhat interesting. They are sadly remaking the original Karate Kid movie. I am already shaking my head with the movie as they are really changing up the story. I don't know...will just have to see when it comes out. The new TRON Legacy movie looks interesting. I remember seeing parts of the old one and so I would probably see the new one that will make an appearance later this year. Then of course Toy Story 3. I am a sucker for this movie series and will have to watch this movie as well.  There were a few other previews as well.

Then the movie started!!! I was so excited. I felt like a child on Christmas morning to open the presents that has been looking at for three or four months.  About thirty minutes into the movie I started thinking, "This is going to pick up once Alice falls back down the rabbit hole and enters Wonderland, right?" Well that happened...and I said, "ok...well it will pick up when Johnny Depp comes into the picture right?" Ok...so it did...but ehhh...I was let down. Almost like the same child who had been looking at the presents for three or four months to just keep opening up presents that were socks or other unwanted clothing with maybe one little cool thing that they kind of wanted which was ranked pretty low on the wish list. I walked away feeling let down.

I think that if the movie could have been PG-13 and been able to develop something more...then it may have been ok. Or had even a bigger twist and did a movie only on the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp's role). Anne Hathaway was annoying as the White Queen. She just bugged me on how she talked and did everything in the movie. Helena Bonham Carter who played the Red Queen was pretty good. Tim definitely had fun with this character's role in the film. Johnny Depp was good for what was given to him. He just was not given a major role in the film. If I had to choose between Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter or Willy Wonka...I would choose him as Willy Wonka. At the end of the movie there is a scene where you see Alice on a boat headed off for a new journey. As cheesy as the movie was getting I was almost expecting Johnny Depp to appear as Captain Jack Sparrow. It may have worked in some odd way.

Tim Burton...I think you failed on this one. Good try...but stay away from Disney next time you want to make a movie.

Cheap Movies!!

I am always looking for a deal, especially when it comes to movies. A couple weeks ago, Rob noticed that the Hollywood Video over by the grocery store had a "going out of business sale" going on. He went in and saw that the older movies (probably 6 months or older) were all on sale for a discounted price. The next day I went in with Rob and probably picked up nine or ten movies. A lot of them were 3 for $20. Well today when Rob went to the grocery store he noticed that there were new signs up at HV. This time everything was on sale, including all new releases. He called me up to see what he wanted me to pick up. Well it is hard to say what I want when I don't know what is there. So I told him to pick up a few and then I would go down when he got home.

I went down alone (probably a bad mistake!) to see what I could find. Well I came home with 24 movies. Yes...I did say 24 movies. So what all did I get? A little bit of everything. Some movies that I have not seen, some that I have seen, and some that I have not seen in a long time.

Here is a list of what was purchased today:
MILK
THE SOLOIST
17 AGAIN
DUPLICITY
GAMER (which I purchased for a friend)
A NATIVITY STORY
W.
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
FAME (2009)
CHRISTMAS VACATION
ENCHANTED
LOVE'S ABIDING LOVE
LOVE'S ENDURING PROMISE
LOVE'S LONG JOURNEY
CITY SLICKERS
3:10 TO YUMA
NICK & NORA'S INFINITE PLAY LIST
POST GRAD
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 (2009)
STATE OF PLAY
BREACH
HOTEL RWANDA
JULIE & JULIA
CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (2005)
and a few more.

Rob told me today that is a sign. A sign that we will end up someplace cold where we can not go out of the house all winter and we will be able to sit and watch all of the movies that I just bought. I laughed and said, "No...this is the best time to pick up movies because it is cheaper than buying them online and paying for shipping and handling. :) Yay for an awesome deal today!

You're Late! Your Late, for a very special date!

This week there were only two new movies opening nationwide, but you would not know that since Tim Burton's "Alice In Wonderland" opened this weekend. The other movie this week was called Brooklyn's Finest. Below is the synopsis for both of these movies....

Alice In Wonderland - Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp - The Plot: 19-year-old Alice (Wasikowska) returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror. **Now you all know that I love Johnny Depp. I will be seeing this movie as I have been totally waiting for this movie. I am a fan of most Tim Burton movies as well. There are a few Tim Burton movies that I have not seen due to I was just not interested in then. But when it comes to Tim and Johnny working together I do like what I end up watching. I have not seen this new movie yet, but I will soon. Hopefully this weekend...but I may wait for the big hype die down a little bit. I don't know. I am not listening to what people are saying about the movie.** 

Brooklyn's Finest - Stars: Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke - The Plot: In Brooklyn, New York, three veteran cops (Gere, Hawke, and Cheadle) struggling with their own personal and professional dilemmas dispatched to a notorious housing project, where they will each collide with destiny.**This movie looks interesting. I am curious about this one. Maybe because I like the actors in this movie, I don't know.**

Well that is what is out this week. Still popular at the box office is Avatar, Shutter Island, The Crazies, Crazy Heart, and The Blindside.

Johnny Depp = Strange?

 Since March's blogging theme is "STRANGE" I thought that blogging about Johnny Depp. When one thinks about Johnny Depp one would probably say that he was a pretty strange person. He chooses off the wall roles in movies but yet suceeds in all the roles he plays. I have personally loved Johnny Depp ever since I was an adolescent. I think my first exposure to Johnny Depp was the movie Edward Scissorhands. Now that movie could be a whole blog "strange" topic of its own. As dark and kind of creepy as that movie is...I do still like it.

So why is he in so many Tim Burton films?? Well, they are best friends! Two Hollywood outcasts that felt like they knew each other. And yes...any movie that Tim and Johnny create together are very odd...but I think that is why I like them. Johnny Depp is one of those actors who will not let Hollywood type cast himself. He said that he will pick which roles he plays and that is why we have seen him play many different roles. Take Edward Scissorhands and the role that he had in that...then look at him in the role in movies such as Don Juan DeMarco, Chocolat, or From Hell. All three of these roles are very different, but were pulled off very well because he makes the character more than what it was ever written to be.

I find it funny when people tell me that the Pirates of the Caribbean were Johhny's first movies. I tell them, "Nope sorry you will loose this argument. Johnny has been around a lot longer than these movies! Try looking back before you were born! I would classify myself as possibly a Johnny fanatic like some people may classify themselves as a Twilight fanatic. I can not believe I just gave that analogy. Wow...but yes...I do love Johnny Depp. I have watched his biography on the A&E channel a couple of times. When I watch that I realize that I have seen just about all of his movies. Yes I will admit that I have not seen some either because they were too scarey for me or I just didn't know about them.

One of my favorite Johnny Depp movies of all time is "Benny & June". I just love him...as the character and how if this was played by someone else...the movie would have failed. I also like the movie "Blow" which is based on the big cocaine drug lord back in the 70s. I think he makes this movie only because he was kind of going through his own druggy, scummy period of his own life at the time of this movie was film. I do love him in the Pirate of Caribbean movies as I can not think of anyone else who could play Captain Jack Sparrow! Well and who else could play John Dillinger?? What a fine looking man Johnny is in every movie he is in.

And yes, I will be watching his new movie, "Alice in Wonderland". shhhhhh...don't tell me that it looks bad or wierd, or anything you have read about it. I want to go and see it with out hearing what people think or have heard. It is best for me to form my own opinion. Of course though...this movie will be weird and strange because it is Tim Burton AND Johnny Depp together again.

New Movies for weekend of FEBRUARY 26, 2010 & AMC Best Picture Showcase Event

Once again, this week is pretty slow for new movies being released nationwide. Looks like quite a few people went and saw Shutter Island last week.

If you have quite a bit of time on your hands for the next two Saturdays, AMC Theatres is hosting their annual Oscar Nomination Showcase. It normally is only one weekend, but since there are ten nominees this year, it is broken into two Saturdays. The events consists of being able to view all ten movies in their entirety, so that one will be able to make up their own mind which movie should win. For more information on this event please click on the link here. This is a great deal though. 2 full Saturdays, 10 movies, for only $50, or a one-day pass for $30! You will receive a free refillable popcorn bag for the entire day on each day, in addition to a special event lanyard (at least that is what has been given out in the past.) Last year I had seen almost all five nominations, but this year I have only seen a few. There are a few on the nomination list that I am curious about, but in order for myself to watch these...I would have to buy one of the tickets to see that movie. Unfortunately you either buy for the entire day. One can not pick and choose which movies they want to see and only purchase tickets for that those showings. I have heard of people in the past buying for the whole day, figuring out what time each movie is playing, then come and go as they please for the entire day.

New movies for this are the following:

The Crazies - Rated R - Stars: Radha Mitchell, Timothy Olyphant, Danielle Panabaker - The Plot: As a toxin begins to turn the residents of Ogden Marsh, Iowa into violent psychopaths, sheriff David Dutton (Olyphant) tries to make sense of the situation while he, his wife (Mitchell), and two other unaffected townspeople band together in a fight for survival.**Once again this is a horror flick. I do not do horror flicks and I will not be seeing this film.**

Cop Out - Rated R - Stars: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan - The Plot: A comedy about a veteran NYPD cop (Willis) whose rare baseball card is stolen. Since it's his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, he recruits his partner (Morgan) to track down the thief, a memorabilia-obsessed gangster. **This movie looks pretty funny. If I had two hours to spare...I would sit and watch this one.**

short posting

Tonight will be a short posting. I don't have much to say...but wanted to get a daily blog in since I have been blogging everyday since the first of January. Good for me, as I would say. It is sometimes difficult to sit down after a busy day or during a busy day to post a blog. Sometimes like tonight I just feel like i don't have much to say.

So how was my day? It started out a bit slow as I didn't sleep well last night. We had to move out all the bed and furniture stuff in our bedroom last night since the carpet guys were coming today to put in the new carpet. "But you are selling the house, amy...why put new carpet in?" Well we had to put new carpet in just that room because it was pretty stained (from the previous home owner) and casey (our youngest dog) dug probably a square foot of carpet up last year during a party that we held at our house. we had locked the dogs all in different bedrooms, and found out that casey has some anxiety issues. So we had to take care of that. :)

I went to the dentist office today as well. It was my last appointment for fillings!!! as of now, I have no new cavities!! yay!! So as much as I hate going to the dentist...this appointment was a good one. It only took me three years to fill or pull all of my troubled teeth. I do need to get my wisdom teeth taken care of...but they are not causing me pain...so they will be left alone for the time being. 

I was suppose to go down to class tonight...but because of the crappy weather, I opted to stay home. since i was home, rob and i did a date night. We went to dinner, the a different place for dessert and then over to the theatre to watch the new Jeff Bridges movie, "Crazy Heart." I liked it!! It is slow...but I still liked it. I will say that it is not a movie for everyone. Kind of like the movie last year called Gran Torino. 

So now we are home and I am typing out this blog before it hits midnight at my house. I hope that you had a good day, too.

New Movies for weekend of FEBRUARY 19, 2010

This week's posting will be pretty short for new movies that were released to theatres nationwide. The only movie that was released at least to my theatre this week was Shutter Island. It was one of the popular movies today though during the day. Other popular movies that I ripped tickets for were Valentine's Day, Wolfman, Blind Side, and Avatar.

Shutter Island - Rated R - Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo - The Plot: When a psychotic killer (Mortimer) disappears from a mental institution on Shutter Island, a pair of U.S. Marshals (Ruffalo and DiCaprio) race against the clock in order to track her down. 

**I did hear people commenting as they walked out of this movie that they liked it. I will not be seeing this movie as it looks too creepy for me. If you see this movie...please let me know if you like it or not.**

New Movies for weekend of FEBRUARY 12, 2010

Ok first off...Happy Birthday to my little sister. She turned 28 today. Just two more years and she will be the one turning 30 like I will be this year. Here...lets get down to business. Today was busy at the theatre since the public schools in Connecticut had no school due to a Teacher In-service day, so this made my life busier at the theatre than normal for a Friday. It gave me a better feel on what movies will be busy this weekend though. Here is what is new at my theatre. :)

The Wolfman - Rated: R - Stars: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt - The Plot: Nobleman Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) returns to his ancestral homeland, where his brother has gone missing and villagers are being killed by a nightmarish beast. The search reunites him with his estranged father (Hopkins) and draws him near to his brother's fiancée (Blunt), however, Talbot's lager concern is the discovery of a side to himself which he never could have imagined existed. **This movie was popular for adults today. I heard that it is pretty gruesome, so if you are into that...then you may like this movie.**  

Valentine's Day - Rated PG-13 - Stars: Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, and many more! - The Plot: Intertwining couples and singles in Los Angeles break-up and make-up based on the pressures and expectations of Valentine's Day. **This movie looks extremely cute and it was one of the popular movies for today. I really want to see this one, but hope that it is not a let down like "He's just not that into you" that came out last year about this time. So time will tell. I love most of the people who are in this movie. :)**

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Theif - Rated PG - Stars: Logan Lerman, Kevin McKidd, Steve Coogan  - The Plot: Life changes in an instant for troubled 12-year-old Percy Jackson (Lerman) when he learns his birth father is the god Poseidon and he's looped in on a cross-country mission to settle a feud between his dad, Zeus, and Hades. **This was the popular family friendly movie today. I have not heard if it is good or not, but based on how popular one would think that it may be ok. Kind of find it fitting for this movie to come out as tonight is the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Game Olympics.**

So there you have it. What comes out next week? Shutter Island and The Ghost Writer.

Friendship in Music, Movies, and Books

This month I posted a little article in the Birthmom Buds monthly newsletter. I thought I would share it with my readers. Since it is a birthmom type of newsletter part of the article does have to tie into adoption. But this article could be used for just about anyone.

Friendship in Music, Movies, and Books
by Amy Schumaker

Webster's dictionary defines a friend as: "–noun 1. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. 2. a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter. 3. a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile." 

I love friendships. A best friend is like a sister or a big brother. They are people who you can laugh, cry, and tell your deepest most secret thoughts with. We all have them!! Think...who is that one person that you can do this with. Was she or he the first person you told that you were pregnant? Were they the first person who called to check on you after you signed away your motherly rights and placed your child into the adopted parents arms?? If you said yes to any of these...then you indeed have a best friend. Over the years my friends have been through it all with me. Placement of my first child, the bad relationships that I got myself into, my wedding and the teary conversations finding out that my husband was infertile. All of these are life stones that my best friends helped me out with. I love every one of them. I have three best friends, one being a male.

February is a month about friendships and love. I can often relate to music, movies, and even books. I thought I would list some that correspond with Friends. 

Music
"That's what friends are for" Dionne Warrick 
"Friends" Micheal W. Smith
"You've got a Friend" James Taylor
"I'll be there for You" The Rembrandts 
"I've got friends in low places" Garth Brooks
"With a little help from my friends" The Beatles

Movies
"Circle of Friends"
"The Joy Luck Club"
"Calendar Girls"
"The Bucket List"
"Beaches"
"My Best Friend's Wedding"

Books
"Sisterchick book series" written by Robin Jones Gunn
"Winnie the Pooh" written by AA Milne
"Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom 
"The Blue Bottle Club" by Penelope J. Stokes

If you have not heard, watched, or read any of these...you should check them out!!!

New Movies for weekend of FEBRUARY 5, 2010

Here are the new movies that were released this week at my theatre. I don't know how well theses movies are doing at the box office, since I am home sick all weekend do to dealing with Vertigo.

Dear John - Stars: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Richard Jenkins - The Plot: A romantic drama about a soldier (Tatum) who falls for a co-ed (Seyfried) while he's home on leave. Their relationship is tested in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks, an event that causes him to re-enlist for service.**This one looks awesome as it is based on the book from Nicholas Sparks.**

From Paris with Love - Stars: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers - The Plot: In Paris, a young employee in the office of the US Ambassador (Myers) hooks up with an American spy (Travolta) looking to stop a terrorist attack in the city. **From the previews...this movie does not interest me. It just looks dumb. I do like John Travolta...but I think I will pass on this movie.** 

Another movie that my theatre got that is Crazy Heart. Now this movie has been out for awhile but since it is getting Oscar Flutter our programmers wanted us to have it for a couple weeks. Stars for this movie are Jeff Bridges, and James Keane. The plot for this movie is: Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician.