Casablanca has to be one of the best love stories of all time. I don’t just say that because a majority of the public forum agrees. It is a simple and classic tale, and the best part about it, is that it doesn’t fall prey to the “cinema magic” and give the viewers the ending you all know we want. All the romantic comedies, dramas, etc. today are predictable, and there is no denying that. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are two characters that everyone can relate to. Both are down to earth, and the genuine love they have for each other depicts the basis for a great romance. Toted as #3 on the AFI’s List of Top 100 Movies, it is the #1 Romance of all time, in my humble opinion

4 STARS

Movie Review-The Godfather

The Godfather is certainly full of violence, power, obligation, corruption, crime, and most importantly, family honor and loyalty. The story is about the Corleone family in the boroughs of New York City. We see the family is dominated at first by patriarch "Don" Vito Corleone. This role is played by Marlon Brando (who won a Best Actor for this film), and is probably one of the most imitated roles of our times. Brando plays the head of one of the five Italian-American families involved in crime. The movie is really about the “Mafia-family” and its ups and downs over the years. You will notice though, that the word “Mafia” is never used in the film, but rather “family”. (Just as “Play it again, Sam” is never said in Casablanca). Godfather Corleone is set in his family’s ways, dealing with the business of alcohol and gambling and doesn’t really want to see the “wave of the future” approaching, which is the drug trade. It is because of this, that eventually he is dethroned as the Godfather, and Al Pacino takes over in a more brutal and persistent manner. It was amazing to see the change from his Pacino’s introduction at the wedding, as an honored war veteran and Ivy League gentleman, to Don Michael Corleone, Head of Family, and one of the most volatile Corleones.
The entire film was able to intertwine family events with day to day business of “family “events. Traditions bestowed upon the Corleone family, and business as usual for the “Mafia family” seemed to be paired side by side. There was a family wedding, shopping, and a baptism; while at the same time over 20 people were brutally killed in the film. It was evident that this film shows how America could be desensitized to the violence or crime going on around them, or even the aloofness paired with it. I had been told for years that I HAD to see this movie, but I went into it with no expectations, but by the time it was done, I felt like a member of the family with no way out, unless I wanted to dishonor the Corleone name.

3.5 STARS

"Do The Right Thing" Review

Jason and I have started to watch the American Film Institute's List of Top 100 Movies of all time. I plan to share some of my thoughts on the films with you!

Let's start with a movie lower on the list, #97 Do The Right Thing:

Do the Right Thing was directed by Spike Lee, and falls on the AFI’s list of the Top 100 movies as #97. The film takes place over a 24 hour period and chronicles the lives of a number of locals in an area of Brooklyn. Diversity plays a big part in this film, and no character goes undeveloped. Regardless of race, age, gender, or ethnicity you feel sympathy, pain, or relate to the characters within the film. Ironically, the title “Do the Right Thing” is exactly opposite of the story, since no one in the story really knows what the “right thing” is, so how can they do it? Every character’s choice influences one another leading to loss of a business, a life, and a job. When the movie was over, I was rather turned off by the whole story line, but as I thought further about it Lee did a marvelous job establishing that there is a problem in society today. He confronts the issue of racism head on, and pulls no punches. By setting up the characters from the get-go, he lets the story play out, and you are made to think about the fact that this, indeed, could be happening in your town.

3 Stars in my opinion

It's been a LONG TIME

Well folks. It really has been a long time. Two days after my last post I was admitted into the hospital for what they now say was a norovirus. Since then 2010 has been up and down and down and up. It's a roller coaster ride.

Let's sum it up:

April: Admitted into the hospital, and stayed for 4 days. The next week I was diagnosed with Lyme's Disease.

May: Mom and Dad each had their birthday. Jason's nephew, Mason, was born. I got new glasses and contacts (small detail, but I am happy about that)

June: no clue what happened this month, seriously

July: I started a racing series in sailing! Go me! No real training and I was out there, sort of contending!

August: Jason and I moved in together :). Jason started a new job that is in Blue Bell, Pa. We thought it was going to be a job where he traveled four days a week out of state. First client's home base: Blue Bell, PA.....UGH

September: I started a new job!!!! It gives me the ability to work at Apple bee's maybe one day a week....woooohoo! Unfortunately, my cousin passed away, but I was able to see my favorite cousin, Rob, and be there for him.

October: My best-est friend and my little sister got married. I was honored to sign her wedding license. Then only one week later, Chloe won third prize in the dog costume contest. I also got to see Rocky Horror LIVE for the first time.
Oh and October was also another terrible medical month. I woke up in pain one night, and was unable to move my shoulder for two weeks. Diagnosis? Stress. Go figure!!

November: Overall, not a bad month. We went hiking with Lori and the family. We celebrated Brian and Maureen's birthdays. I discovered the library once again, and will probably be reviewing some books from time to time. We watched the first season of West Wing. Dogtoberfest in November was a blast and Alvin smooched me (Alvin is Jenny's dog)

Wooooo! Whirlwind, right!

Ok, so now it is Thanksgiving Eve, and I am covering the phones at work. By the way, I work for an educational company. So, most schools had half days today and are off until Monday, so you can imagine how busy I am. :)

Tomorrow is the Turkey Trot, a 5K in Flemington. I told one of the more important people at work today that I am doing it. Thirty minutes later he had me signed up for the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia, PA. That one is a 10 miler, but at least it;s in May, so I have plenty of time to train. :) It would be very cool to do...you know..run with the high execs of the company.

So I think this blog was originally supposed to be about migraines, which I will talk about because they have been pretty severe. So severe, I had to prove to work that I have them.

So topics to expect: migraines, lymes disease, Polar Bear Plunge, 10 mile run training, my excessive need to work, West Wing Episodes review, and book reviews


STAY TUNED!!!

Let's Play Catch Up!

Wow….it really has been a long time since I updated this blog! Things have been crazy busy, and I have been trying to keep up!

Ok, so the last time I blogged I was talking about the Polar Bear Plunge. Well, we did it, and it was a BEAUTIFUL day!! The temperature on the beach was about 55-60 degrees, but the announcer kept saying that the temperature of the water was 38 degrees! Brrrrr!

A bunch of us met at my house, and headed down for an early breakfast and to snag a good parking spot. Down there we met up with my brother and Maureen, and my dog-phew, Tucker. After, a good breakfast we headed off to register, and start to "warm-up" to jump into the frigid Atlantic! The event took place at Seaside Heights, and it was PACKED. The best part was that as we were walking around we kept hearing our team's name, CAT Crew, being recognized! What fun!

I was so lucky to have two of my best friends there to support the cause. Sarah and Jen are sisters from my sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma (so get used to seeing them :) )




Plunge time was at 1:00 pm, and after the National Anthem was sang, we jumped right in!! Then it was over! Just like that! It was quite the expereince, and I can't wait to do it again next year. To date, the CAT crew has raised almost $38,000!! Incredible!


Here are some pictures from the day:


Brian and Maureen



Chris and Kelli





Crowd Shot!



CAT CREW 2010




Siblings




Colin and Me





Jason and Me



The things we do for the love of a little boy :)




Whew! That's all I have for now!! Maybe more later!

Polar Bear Plunge 2010

I am very excited for this weekend! I will be doing the Polar Bear Plunge in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The Plunge had been postponed due to poor weather conditions in Seaside Heights. The plunge will now happen on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 1pm in Seaside Heights, NJ. Over 3,000 people will be plunging into the arctic in support of the Special Olympics of NJ. The team that I am a part of has raised over $30,000 to date, and the money keeps coming in :) The team was supposed to have a warming up party after the event, but when the event was postponed they decided to still have it last week! This is my family at the event, along with my boyfriend!



Can't wait to jump into the frigid waters with my family and some of my best friends!!! Donate here!

...so just a little History

I have had migraines now for almost 16 years…and as an almost 31 year old…that is over half my life with pain. In the past, doctors have had me give up caffeine, and done stress tests. We have done MRIs and CAT scans. I have been put on daily beta blockers, and gone through 4 prescription pain meds. Why four? I managed to grow an immunity to the others. So now here I am trying new things for the diet to help myself out. Towards the beginning of the year, I gave up monosodium glutamate, or at least attempted to. It's amazing how much of this is in everything I ate!!! Now, more recently, upon a friend's suggestion, I am lowering my dairy intake. They told me that they had done that, upon their doctor's instructions, and have been migraine free for four weeks!!!! I figured anything is worth a try at this point!

Of course, it starts off very discouraging for me when I had a migraine yesterday: a BAD one. Vision blurred, throwing up, every muscle in my bottom tight….not fun. The worst part was that it came out of NOWHERE, and all of a sudden I was practically incapaciated. I say "practically" because I had no choice but to stay at work. I have missed too many days to afford to leave.


This was just a minor setback in my opinion!! I took the time at lunch today to go through some dairy and MSG free recipes I found on the web. I think that maybe if I can make this more enjoyable to myself (given I love to cook), it may make it easier. Any recipes I find that are worth making again, I will be more than happy to share!!