P90X...Bring It!

OK...so I haven't posted in a LONG time. That last one was also very wussy! I hate Wussy Beth. Anyway, one of the reasons that I haven't posted is because I have started the torture known as P90X. I am currently in the 3rd week.

What is P90X you ask? Well, it is an intense workout routine that uses muscle confusion to build muscle and get you in shape. Some days you work on Arms and Shoulders and then the next day is Core or Cardio. Some days you even get to add in the Ab Ripper X. It is 15 minutes of total torture which features over 340 ab exercises! Superman...Banana...SORRY...that was a bad flashback! The P is for "Power", the 90 is for the number of days you do the workout and the X is because it is the kicked up version of P90 which apparently wasn't bad enough!

Honestly, I can say that I am getting better every time I do a workout. I am now doing push ups that I couldn't do before. My arms are starting to show signs of a small "gun show" and my abs have more definition. I am also yelling less at the TV. (In the early days I liked to yell at the P90X guy, Tony, and tell him I wanted to stop. He NEVER listened!)

Is my goal to look like the people in the posters for this workout (see Tony and Dreya below)? No. I hope to have better looking arms, abs and legs at the end of the game. BUT...if someone wanted to look like those people (and they followed the diet, etc.), I bet they could. It is intense and whips you into shape!

Want more?! Well, they have that too. It is called Insanity. The name alone scares me so I am leaving that one to someone else!

Ravings of the crazy...

Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." I think those are very true words.

Having said that, I have allowed my own consent in the inferiority war I wage with myself.

Ever know someone who is smarter, kinder, more Godly, more attractive, happier, more put together, etc. than yourself? If not, you need to get out more!

I am struggling at the moment with someone like that. Whose fault is that? MINE! I know it is my fault but I am still choosing to wallow in it. Then comes those questions from out of the back of my head. Why does so and so "shine" and I don't? Why are they all the things I wish I could be? Well, those questions can lead to building a better "me" or lead to a big hole called depression. I am not in the hole but I am looking down into it a bit. The smart person stays as far from that hole as possible and uses times when they feel inferior to look for ways that they themselves can become a better person. However...sometimes you just want to feel sorry for yourself and look in the hole.

Why am I telling you guys this? I don't know? It is a bit therapeutic to write things down for me and a heck of a lot cheaper than traditional therapy...or so I'm told.

Thanks for reading the ravings of the crazy. Until next time...

Pride and Prejudice

Yes, I know I haven't blogged about Iron Man 2 or the finale of LOST. (Short version...Iron Man 2 was tons of fun and LOST was perfectly wonderful. I will come back to those in the future.)

Last night, in my almost never ending Facebook movie quote guessing game, I posted a quote from Pride and Prejudice. No one got it. I think that not a lot of folks saw it for several reasons. (I am talking about the 2005 version of the movie.) It can be viewed as a chick flick. I get that. It is also a bit hard to follow the dialogue as it is not the way we currently speak.

What is it about? Here is a brief summary from imdb.com written by a fan...

Pride and Prejudice is a humorous story of love and life among English gentility during the Georgian era. Mr Bennet is an English gentleman living in Hartfordshire with his overbearing wife. The Bennets 5 daughters; the beautiful Jane, the clever Elizabeth, the bookish Mary, the immature Kitty and the wild Lydia. Unfortunately for the Bennets, if Mr Bennet dies their house will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met, so the family's future happiness and security is dependent on the daughters making good marriages. Life is uneventful until the arrival in the neighbourhood of the rich gentleman Mr Bingley, who rents a large house so he can spend the summer in the country. Mr Bingley brings with him his sister and the dashing (and richer) but proud Mr Darcy. Love is soon in the air for one of the Bennet sisters, while another may have jumped to a hasty prejudgment. For the Bennet sisters many trials and tribulations stand between them and their happiness, including class, gossip and scandal.

Here is the trailer...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARWfCBr0ZDM

The movie is, of course, based on the beloved novel by Jane Austen. This version stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy. Although the story follows all the Bennet sisters, it concentrates on the relationships of Jane and Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy...with the last being the central love story. There is also more than a bit of comedy thrown in when Mr. Collins arrives and decides he is in love with Elizabeth. Her mother is thrilled but Elizabeth is horrified at the thought of marrying Mr. Collins. In the end, Elizabeth's friend marrys Mr. Collins for security and they seem content...but not in love.

Why do I love this movie? Well, I didn't at first. Like I stated earlier, it is hard to follow when you first watch it. However, as I watched it for the second time, I began to be drawn in by the quirky family. Then I was enchanted by the love story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. More specifically, I began to love how their interactions where filmed. For example...there is a scene where Mr. Darcy helps Elizabeth into a carriage by taking her hand very briefly. That brief touch is filmed in such a way that you know both characters felt some sort of "spark" that they weren't expecting. It is their more complex scenes that really pack the most punch. In one such scene, Mr. Darcy asks Elizabeth to dance. They are verbally sparing and the director chooses to remove everyone else in the scene for a short time. It works so well because they have become lost in the little world they are creating. See what you think...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykf0dtw8OYc&feature=related (Sorry - This version translates what they are saying but it was the best version I could locate.)

As you can see, these two already have some issues. Elizabeth has met a man named Mr. Wickham that Mr. Darcy knows. Wickham is charming...and a liar. He has told Elizabeth and her sisters of his misfortunes at the hands of Mr. Darcy. Wickham makes claims that Mr. Darcy has treated him unfairly in a deal over inheritance and Elizabeth believes what Wickham told her. Unfortunately, he is a cad and a liar and she doesn't know that part yet. So, she is judging Mr. Darcy on a previous encounter with him that did not go well and this incorrect information from Wickham. She wants to dislike Mr. Darcy...she is finding it hard. Don't worry...he steps up and does something really stupid and then she really dislikes him! His friend, Mr. Bingley, is falling for Elizabeth's sister, Jane. Mr. Darcy thinks Jane is just playing with his friend so he suggests that "fact" to Mr. Bingley and ends the relationship which crushes Jane since she was falling for Mr. Bingley! Elizabeth is none too pleased when she happens to learn what Mr. Darcy has done. Unfortunately for Mr. Darcy, he has come to realize that he doesn't dislike Elizabeth at all.

The next clip is right after Elizabeth learns what Mr. Darcy has done to her sister and Mr. Bingley. It is shot in the rain which gives it a great mood. Also, be sure to listen for how the thunder punctuates the scene. Good stuff...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R-Zg5es7mg&feature=related

I love how they build passion in this scene. Mr. Darcy, who is usually so proper, finally breaks through that barrier of propriety and shows he can be as fiery as Elizabeth. I also love how they almost lean in for a kiss but don't at the end.

So, we have lots of misunderstandings going on. We also have a couple who shows a lot of heat...even if it isn't in the right direction yet. Mr. Darcy now knows what he must do. He doesn't think he can win Elizabeth, but he wants to correct those misunderstandings and sets about to do so.

Along the way, Elizabeth sees she too has been wrong and comes to the realization that she loves Mr. Darcy. This all seems hampered by the fact that he is suppose to marry someone else and his aunt (played beautifully by Judi Dench) shows up to tell her that an engagement (although one has not yet happened) to Mr. Darcy is out of the question. The following morning, Elizabeth goes out walking just before dawn...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqidX_5ZsLg&feature=related
Of course, he must ask for her hand and all that does transpire. Her family is taken aback by this turn of events since they all thought she loathed the man! At the end, the marriage of the two isn't shown but we get a brief glimpse of their post married life...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx9Ke9f407k&feature=related

So, through a terrible first meeting and misunderstandings and everything else, they end up happy in the end. Would that life always had such happy endings! Jane Austen actually said all her heroines would have happy endings. She herself did not have one. Her story is beautifully told in the movie Becoming Jane. Check that one out if you have time. Here is its trailer...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNe13rzidOA

Waking Up To Find The World Is A Bad Place...

You know how sometimes you are looking for one thing and find something else instead? Well, I was checking out cnn.com to see how the "Top Kill" was working in the Deepwater Horizon incident. (If you have no idea what I am talking about, for heaven's sake turn on the TV or something because I know about this and I am practically a hermit!) Anyway, while looking around the site I noticed a story about the Atlanta Child Murders that took place 30 years ago.

I remembered those murders from when I was a child. I was about 7 or 8 when they started and I recall the news coverage. That was back in the day when there were only 3 channels on TV and we still watched the news instead of iCarly or the like. My 8 year old brain saw, maybe for the first time, that there were bad things in the world. Being the child that I was, I didn't want to think that could happen to me in my city (Atlanta was the big bad world) so I decided that it couldn't happen to me where I lived. Then came Peaches.

Peaches was the nickname of a 6 year old girl who lived in Montgomery Village...better known as "the projects" in South Knoxville. On the day after Christmas in 1980, she walked to a store near her home and disappeared. I knew the store well as it was on the way to where my aunt lived. After that fateful day, whenever we past it, my mother would point it out as the last place Peaches was seen.

I guess it is just "degrees of separation" or something that made me remember Peaches. You know, the Atlanta article on cnn.com jogged my memory. So, I did a search for Knoxville TN Peaches Murder on Google and the first return was for an article that ran just last Saturday in the Knoxville News-Sentinel on the cold case! Apparently, the police thought the prime suspect was dead but the newspaper reporter found him very much alive and living in a nursing home. As I read the article, it took me back to that horrible time when my own backyard became the bad place in the world.

The article details the events of December 26, 1980. Peaches' mother sent her to the store on Old Knoxville Highway to get her a Coke because she was thirsty. Let's just stop right there and let me set the scene. Montgomery Village was a bad place to live in 1980 (still is) and it was freezing outside. The walk to the store took about 15 minutes roundtrip...and it was in the snow. SO...this mother of three who was only 22 at the time (three kids by 22...that is some fast work) SENT her 6 year old out in the snow...in freezing temps...to buy her a Coke because she was thirsty. Just so I am clear...it was the mother who was thirsty. I am just going to make the wild leap based on the whole 22 and has 3 kids thing that she wasn't the most responsible mother in the world. As a mother, I am wondering what was up with this lady. I mean, it wasn't like the world was totally innocent in 1980. Those Atlanta Child Murders were on the news all the time from '79 to '81. Also, Montgomery Village was crime infested.

So, we have a little 6 year old walking to the store to get that all important Coke. Then she never showed back up at home. The search was on but Peaches was not found that night...or the next...or for more than a year. During the time she was missing, a relatively famous psychic in the area, Bobby Drinnon, was called in. The police were desperate and were looking for help from anywhere they could get it. Drinnon told them (based on my memory) that Peaches was dead. She would be found in a wooded area by water. In January of 1981, hunter found a skeleton in the woods near Rockford (the town I lived in). The police were called in and the remains of clothing, shoes and hair ribbons marked the end of the search for Peaches. She was found in the woods and her body was near a stream.

The story is a cautionary tale for all parents. It is a tragedy. It is also sad for a myriad of other reasons.

A suspect was almost immediately questioned just after the little 6 year old went missing. He was one of her mothers many boyfriends. In fact, the mother had a fight with this boyfriend because, according to the mother's words "he wanted her to be his old lady and she couldn't decide" just moments before Peaches was sent to the store to buy that Coke...with money the mother borrowed from that boyfriend. Oh...that same boyfriend told the mother as he was leaving that he would make her pay. Was his revenge the murder of her child? Maybe. The police could never pin the murder on him and all evidence on the body was long gone after a year in the elements. To this day, the man claims he is innocent. He is a really upstanding guy too. Only like half a dozen arrests and significant prison time on his record. But, who am I to judge...(HE DID IT PEOPLE!)

It has been 30 years and Peaches' mother still lives in Montgomery Village. I feel sorry for her loss. BUT...I wonder why a mother would send a 6 year old to the store...in the snow...with a mad boyfriend on the prowl...for a Coke. I also wonder why, after 30 LONG years, she is still living off the government in Montgomery Village. Actually, I am not really wondering about that part. I think I know.

Peaches will always remain stuck in my memory as the little girl who didn't get to grow up like I did. I always look at that store on Old Knoxville Highway and remember her. I can point to her disappearance and murder as when I figured out the world was a bad place full of people that might want to hurt others.

As a mother now myself, I can't imagine losing one of my children. I am not sure what I would do if something similar happened...such as one of them being taken by someone I knew. I do however know what my mother, their grandmother, would do. She has laid out the game plan. She would hunt the person down and use her particular set of skills to make them pay. Do I doubt her? Not one bit. She would happily sit in prison (if she were caught) because she would have gotten them in the end. Yeah...she scares me a little. What scares me a little more is the fact that I think I would help her but I would plan it out better where she might be a hothead. There is always places to bury folks in the mountains. Bleach gets rid of almost all DNA evidence and you need a rock solid alibi. Don't worry folks...I am just thinking aloud...

For all I had to say about Peaches' mother, I feel she has more than paid for her error in judgement. We all make mistakes and she paid a very high price for hers. I pray that she will one day be reunited with her daughter in that land that is fairer than day...

Coming Soon

It's almost here. As some folks in this neck of the woods anxiously anticipate the swell of Rocky Top being played in Neyland Stadium on the first football Saturday of the year, I look forward to summer movie season! Yep, that time of year where the Oscar contenders are no where to be found and the over-the-top sequels, reboots and shoot 'em ups arrive in theaters!

What am I looking forward to seeing? Glad you asked. Here's my countdown.

7. The Expendables - I think this one has probably very little story line. Why would I put it on here? Well, there are several reasons...Stallone, Statham, Li, Lundgren, Austin, Rourke, Willis, Schwarzenegger and lots of guns and explosions! How could all these guys together be bad?! Sounds like a first-class summer popcorn flick to me! See what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6RU5y2fU6s

6. The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - The first trailer I saw for this one made me worry. The next one caught my attention. So, even though I am not sold on it, this one is going on the list. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a guy...the prince I assume...who finds a dagger that holds the sands of time. By activating this dagger's special powers, the holder can turn back time. Of course, the bad guys want said dagger to destroy the world...it always happens that way! Anyway, it has promise because I do like Jake Gyllenhaal and he seems to have some nice banter with the girl cast as his love interest. Also, Jerry Bruckheimer usually knows what he is doing. FYI - That stupid G-Force movie will be forgiven if you make good with this one, Jerry! Here's a sample.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8EA7EbFX4k&feature=related

5. The A-Team - I LOVED this TV show so I hope the movie lives up to my childhood memories. I wonder about the casting of Liam Neeson as Hannibal but I love the casting of Bradley Cooper as "Faceman"! We shall see if they pull it off or not. Check out this trailer...just try to get past the part where they parachute out of a plane IN A TANK then start shooting in mid-air. Like I said, I hope they can pull it off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z93AADd2Dpo

4. Shrek Forever After - Most of you know something about this one. This is the fourth (and they claim final) chapter of the Shrek series. Looks like all our old friends are back to play in this installment of the odd little franchise that continues to make good. I think this one is a sure bet to rake in the bucks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7__TG7swg0&NR=1

3. Eclipse - Yes, another chance to visit the world where Kristen Stewart can't act and Robert Pattinson has great hair. Back, once again, we go to Forks, Washington to visit with accident prone Bella and the love of her life/death, Edward. I predict more action in this one since the guy that directed 30 Days of Night got his hands on this installment. Victoria shall finally get dispatched and Bella and Edward come one step closer to their happily ever after her heart stops beating. If you have no idea about any of this, then this one is most certainly not for you! Check out the trailer anyway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1D5goGz0SY

2. Toy Story 3 - Eleven years ago, Woody was stolen and Buzz and crew had to get him back from Al of Al's Toy Barn. Along the way, Jessie and Bullseye joined the gang. They made it back in time to welcome Andy home from cowboy camp! Yee Haw! Now, Andy is leaving for college and the toys are getting a new home...at a day care center. YIKES! Yep, they are not so happy about this new arrangement so they plan on busting out of the joint! Pixar hasn't let me down yet so I expect this one...the third installment of the one that started the very lucrative Disney/Pixar venture...not to disappoint!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_FfHA5whXc

1. Iron Man 2 - Tony Stark is BACK! (Cue Black Sabbath) Robert Downey, Jr. returns in this sequel to the wildly popular (and I think best movie based on a comic book ever...but you probably shouldn't ask me on that one) Iron Man from summer 2008. We now have the backstory with how he came to be Iron Man, now let's see what Tony has up his sleeve for this one! I am certain it will be a wild ride! (This link is to the official site because the trailer loads much faster. You might have to launch the trailer.)
http://ironmanmovie.marvel.com/

I can almost smell the popcorn! See you at the movies...

Remember This One?

Tonight I was walking in Home Depot (yes, I know my life is gloriously exciting) and I heard a song playing. Mind you, it was hard to hear it playing over the fighting being done by my three boys, but I heard it nonetheless. It was like a nice little piece of the past had stopped by to visit. I love this song...always have. What is it about? Well, it is about the end of innocence. Actually, that is the title...The End of The Innocence.

I don't know that Don Henley has ever said what the song is exactly about, but most folks say it is about the Reagan era and the loss of small town America or the American farm. Some claim it is the loss of a different kind or kinds of innocence. I think it is probably all of the above and then some. It is a great song and I thought I would share. I bet you find yourself singing along...I did.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FPEBWZ1EOY

Who knows, maybe next time I will throw a little Bruce Hornsby your direction...

I Have A Blog?

Apparently, I have a blog...here it is! I know, you would think if I have one I would write on it. Not so much lately.

After reading some of my entries, it seems I talk about movies...A LOT. So, I am going to again write about movies. I know you guys have just been waiting for me to return to the keyboard with brilliant insight! No? Really?! Hummm...

Inglorious Basterds - Saw this one by myself in the theater. Normally you can't say that a movie based on WWII is laugh out loud funny but this one is. It is also not at all historically accurate. Quentin Tarantino decided to just blow off the history books and film how he thought WWII should have went down instead. Kudos to the brilliant performance of Christopher Waltz. He is amazing and deserves an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He got the Golden Globe. I hope he can nab an Oscar too!

So, what is this movie with the misspelled title about? It is several stories, told in chapters, that all tie together in the end. The group that give the movie its title are part of the story in that they are a mostly Jewish-American team dropped into Nazi occupied France with the sole purpose of freaking out the Germans by doing things Lt. Aldo Raine's way. Aldo...or Aldo the Apache...is played by Brad Pitt. He turns in a delightful performance as the head of the Basterds who just happens to be from Maynerdville, TN. His accent is pretty dead on...I am sorry to say! Anyway, the Basterds cause mayhem and Hitler is none to pleased. Another large portion of the film involves a Jew (Shoshana) who escapes from Waltz's character (the Jew Hunter) and sets herself up as a cinema operator in France.

The movie weaves in and around France following the exploits of the Basterds and Shoshana. It all ends with a bang when everyone finally gets together.

It is Tarantino's best work. The story works and the actors are excellent. It is long, and bloody at times, but a fantastic movie! I give it nothing less than an A!

Zombieland - Saw this one in the theater by myself too. Guess no one wants to see movies with me anymore! As you might guess from the title, this one has Zombies. It also has Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenburg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin. The four are survivors of the zombie plague. They join up, reluctantly, and travel across the country.

One of the funniest...and most clever...parts of the movie is the way Eisenburg's character gives his rules for surviving Zombieland. The rules actually pop up on screen when they are needed. It is just hilarious! Oh...and there is a celebrity cameo that rocks! You got to see it...I'm not telling you who it is or what happens!

At the end of the day, Zombieland is full of gore, laughs and even a touch of romance. It is one of those "put your mind in neutral" movies. I loved it! Is it Oscar bound? Heck no! Is it fun? Heck yes!

Be sure to check it out when it is released next week.

Sherlock Holmes - Robert Downey, Jr. plays Holmes in this movie based on the detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Downey brings his brash and comical vision to the character. Opposite him, in what can only be described as a bromance, is Jude Law playing Dr. Watson. Sherlock Holmes is a fun ride through England in the late 1800s. The movie is visually appealing and fast paced. In fact, the dialogue between Holmes and Watson is so rapid that I had a hard time keeping up at times. Of course, they needed a woman so this thing didn't take on some weird Brokeback Mountain vibe so enter Rachel McAdams. She has a past with Holmes and seems to be the only one ever to have gotten the better of him. She is a fireball and jumps right into the action with the guys.

The story was not exactly my cup of tea but the movie moved at a rapid pace and kept my attention. I certainly hope we have not seen the last of Downey in this role!

Well...that is about all I have seen on the big screen. I have been enjoying some stuff on TV. If you are not a fan of The Big Bang Theory, Castle, 24 or The Vampire Diaries, I suggest you give them a try. Oh...and that little show known as LOST will return in just a few days to answer all those nagging questions...or maybe not! Since this is the final season, I have high hopes for the show that I believe is the best to ever grace the small screen!