The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas -and- other summer entertainment

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas just made my list of favorite books.  AND, so far this summer (all six and a half days of it) it's my very favorite.  The striking division of parallels in the story is both fascinating and heartbreaking.  That it's told from an innocent nine year old boy's perspective allows the heaviness of the topic (The Holocaust) to be somehow more bearable.  I love that the boy is German.  So many thoughts about being born into circumstance filled my head... LOTS of food for thought.  It's not a fairy tale (like the Holocaust, there was no happy ending, except that happily, it finally ended).  I'm aware that a movie has been made from the book, but have no plans to see it.  The story was so compelling--I found it both fascinating and tragic that the two little boys found so much in common, yet couldn't quite make sense of their worlds-- plus I hate to ruin my version with someone else's interpretation on the big screen.  Besides; I can so quickly pass over an unpleasant incident in print... while uninvited images tend to burn swiftly into my memory...  a book in the hand is worth dozens on the big screen. 

I am pleased to report that my goal for summer (to find my self occasionally with my feet up, book in hand) is going swimmingly.  There are several books on my bedside table.  The only other book I've finished this season is Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading this out loud with Morning Boy.  It was clever, entertaining and thought-provoking: my kudos to the eight year old for predicting the outcome less than half-way into the story.  I don't know if that means the book is disappointingly predictable or if he's just imaginatively brilliant.  I will admit that the only way I'll check out the next book in the series is if he begs me to read it to him.

Finally, it's been a very RAINY week.

We treated ourselves to an afternoon at the movies last week and saw Monsters University.

Fantastic.

Also: my kids had to keep shushing me.  Apparently moms who laugh out loud in the movie theater are embarrassing.  Two thumbs up for the sequel to one of our very favorite movies ever.

Hilarious AND sweet.  If you're the one who usually waits for movies to come out on DVD, this one's worth the admission price.  AND the price of snacks.

P.S.

Bragging rights for making my kids sit through the credits.  They were up and trying to leave, and I kept telling them it's always worth sitting through the credits to see what happens at the VERY end.  They thought I was crazy.  Just so you know, Monsters University did not disappoint.  You'll have to sit through the credits (ALL of them) to see what I mean.

(told you so)

For a couple of hours yesterday, my mom and I lunched leisurely.  We had soup and salad on trays and watched The Country Girl in the middle of the afternoon.

Heaven.

Three cheers for lunch and a movie with Mom!!

And Grace Kelly--what a treat.

 Speaking of treats, I stopped to visit my SIL extraordinaire Rachael before my re-entry into reality.  I had peeled, cored and sliced a few dozen apples during the movie, and brought some to share with her.  She inspires me.  And boom!--I came home to find a recipe for apple cake in my email inbox.  (Thanks, Rach!)

So THIS is what we all ate for breakfast this morning.

You should make it.

It's apple season you know.

After-School Apple Cake

 (in our case, BEFORE school)

6 apples peeled, sliced and chopped

2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 cup white flour

1 cup wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan.  Put apples in a bowl, sprinkle with cinnamon, set aside.  In mixer, blend oil, eggs, and sugar.  Add the baking powder and flours and blend until combined.  Pour the batter over the apples, gently stirring until the apples are just coated.  Pour this mix in to the prepared baking pan, arranging the apples in an even layer, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  When the cake is cool, cut it into small squares. 

Makes 16 to 18 pieces.  

Namaste

Last week I embarked on a new cooking journey, which, although I was very fond of the end result, did not end up being so popular. There was no weeping and wailing;  I give my peeps credit in the good sports column.  It has taken me five days of eating an extra large bowl of curried lentils for lunch to finish off the leftovers, but lucky me.  I happen to like curried lentils.

My husband asked me on a date to see The Avengers last Friday night.  On the heels of curried lentils, imagine his delight when I suggested going to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel instead.

I suspect he either

1) Looked in the family history books to see if the name Patel came up on my side

2) checked online accounts to see if I had booked passage to India

or

3) figured it would be less complicated to endure lentils and a movie set in India than to actually travel there.

He's a good sport.

We arrived to the theater just as the previews were starting.  Despite the dimmed lights, we made our way to some seats in the back, as the room was quite full.

I started giggling as he leaned over to whisper

"We are by far the youngest couple in this theater."

Then again, maybe it's our warped sense of self that had us believing that.

Whatever the case, we both enjoyed the show.

The take-away: life can begin again when you let go of the past.

This was either sweet or sad, depending on your point of view.

The film provided some interesting food for thought.

I happen to really like Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.

The cinematography was lovely.

For me, it felt like a little trip to Jaipur.

Return and Report.

First the return.  The Vagrants is going back to the library.  After my resolve not to finish a book that was less than extraordinary, I'm hesitant to admit that I had a hard time slipping this book back into the pile.  I so WANTED it to be good, but when the author introduced a character that was distasteful, I closed the cover. It's taken me almost two weeks to let go.  That might explain my clutter problem.  Life is too short.

On a smaller scale, my nights are also too short.  I long to climb in bed well before I do each night, and last night was no exception.  Mesquite and Enrique were homework-deuling on the computers, so I decided to watch the library movie I picked out two weeks ago while they worked.  I pulled the loveseat right up to the TV, plugged in my ear buds so as not to disturb the scholars and assumed the prone position.  I had NO idea what the movie was about; I picked it because the DVD cover was charming.  So much for not judging by appearances... I'm pleased to announce that the movie did not disappoint.

The kids were done well before the movie ended, but I had been strung along, and could not disconnect without knowing what would happen to Miss Potter.   Miss Potter turns out to be the story of  the famous English children's author Beatrix Potter.

How can you go wrong with Renee Zellweger?  I think this movie was released in 2007.  I'm not sure how we missed it the first go-round, but for anyone who has enjoyed The Tale of Peter Rabbit or any of the delightful Beatrix Potter books, it will charm its way into your heart.

The Pope's Toilet

For those of you who tend to dabble in Independent and Foreign films,
the pope's toilet is calling your name. 
For those of you who never really do, consider this one (please). 
The title of this film caught my eye (how could it not?!) as I strolled past it at the library this week, and I couldn't resist.  With Dub out of town, I knew I might have an evening to myself when I could sit and enjoy something he might not pick.
I really liked it.  It was like taking a mini-excursion to Uruguay, and was also a chance to brush up on my Spanish (although it has English subtitles).  The story  centers around an Uruguayan town on the Brazilian border, where the Pope is expected to make a visit (in 1988).  The movie is both visually and dramatically intense, with humor and heartbreak at the same time, causing laughter, tears and the chance to reflect on the inequalities of our global economy.
If you can get your hands on it, I recommend it.

To laugh

Spontaneity. (what a great word!)
I love that moment when you hear yourself laughing out loud--not because you planned it or wanted to.
It just happens, and feels oh, so good.
Like yesterday, when my sister commented here using the phrase
"nocturnal wheel running hamster" and it just resonated.  Funny!
So tonight my husband and I finally sat down and had a date with
"500 Days of Summer"

a movie that came out last summer (of course) and we never got to see,

but vowed to get it when it came to redbox.

And it's been there for a while now, but never actually in the box when we want to rent it.

So we paid $4 extra to view it via Comcast.  That little "buy" feature that comes with our TV subscription that we never use, because *gasp* it costs money!

Worth it.  The movie? meh.  I liked it.  Entertaining.  I loved the music, camera angles, narrator, her wardrobe and hair, some of the situations... But the experience?  Good.

Best line of the night:
"Darling, I don't know how to tell you this, but...
there is a Chinese family standing in our bathroom."
I missed the next 60 seconds of dialogue, because I couldn't hear over my laughter.
Fun.  And I miss when I don't laugh.
So share.  Please?  What has made you laugh recently?

Gets my vote for picture of the year

I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but how can you not love a movie that makes you laugh and cry, go weak in the knees and shake your fist in rage all in the course of a couple of hours? We rented this at our favorite redbox location, and it was SO worth the dollar we spent to watch it. We even kept it an extra night so I could re-watch some scenes; the dialogue is witty and quick, and the English and Australian accents are a delight. Plus, in addition to the cinematography, the pure entertainment value and two leads that clearly have big screen appeal, you get the bonus of the historical element. Two thumbs WAY up.

Quotes from a movie

(and a proposal)

"...then maybe she's an uppity-better-than-everyone-super-skank"

and

"In college, they called me perfectly adequate; handsome."

Mr. Dub: if you're reading this, I would LOVE to see this with you.

Looking ahead to October

I'm planning on making THIS movie a priority. Based on one of my all-time favorite childrens' books ever.

A Family Adventure

For FHE tonight we saw "Up."

We paid $46 to get in. Alpha son said "Why didn't we just wait until it came out on video?" as we were walking past the ticket booth. That's why we don't frequent the movie theatres too much; We hauled in our own contraband water bottles and snacks. Mr. W. is out of state on business, or we would have forked over $54.

I can't remember the last animated movie I saw in which I cried towards the beginning, at the end, and in the middle a couple of times. I laughed out loud. A lot. And the short at the beginning of the film was genius. The seven of us occupied every seat in our row. The sharing of the giant licorice, starburst and peanut m&m bags went so smoothly, I almost wondered if aliens had captured my children and taken up residence in their bodies. We were captivated. It was funny, touching and pure entertainment. But most of all, it made me grateful for the adventure that IS my life.

Go see it. And take someone you love.

May I recommend:

Paper Heart
Charlyne Yi does not believe in love. Or so she says. Well, at the very least, she doesnt believe in fairy-tale love or the Hollywood mythology of love, and her own experiences have turned her into yet another modern-day skeptic.

Shipping thanks over to my friend Yankee Girl for discovering this movie.

I will be clearing some time in my calendar to watch it on the big screen when it debuts in August.

Saturday starts early and gets crazy

opening day for spring soccer!

8:00 am Munchkin game - Primary School field
9:00 am travel team game - HS field
9:30 am youth soccer game - middle school field
10:00 am kick out one dozen teenage boys sleeping in the basement

The best part is that we have to figure out how to divide that schedule and responsibly chaperone the rest of the birthday sleepover between two adults. One reason why cloning might be a good thing on a morning like this one.

As a random note, we hit redbox and watched "Bedtime Stories" last night.

I would give it a 3 out of 5 stars, and Adam Sandler definitely makes the movie.

If you're looking for something family friendly and light, this is it.