home improvements

So, while "renovations" are considered more Needs, I suppose that "improvements" are more along the Wants. Really, really, really wants.

1. DOG!!! (this list is in no particular order, but I wanted to be clear that this is high on the list of priorities) :)
   
2. King Size Bed
3. Bed Frame
4. Refrigerator (stainless steel, double door...)
5. Porch Swing
6. Entertainment Center
7. 42" Plasma LCD Flat Screen HD TV
8. new MAC for photo editing
9. new laptop for downstairs
10. new doorknob for the front door (Uncle Brian?)
11. Console table for behind the couch
12. Wingback chair & ottoman for Dining Room
13. Bookcase for Guest Room
14. Bedside tables for bedroom
15. Mirror for bedroom
16. New rug for Master Bedroom
17. Rug for Dining Room
18. Rug for Guest Room
19. Rug for Office
20. Frames for Gallery Wall
21. Frames for Un-Calendar
22. (2) more air conditioner window units
23. New Washer/Dryer combo
    

home renovations

After several attempts at keeping this list in our heads, Josh finally made me sit down and start writing it out. This list, the "renovations" are deemed: Needs, or "things-that-really-should-get-done-in-the-house-to-make-it-livable"

1. Kitchen/Pantry - FINISH!!!
   
1. Drywall
2. Spackle
3. Paint
4. Sand
5. Trim
6. Appliances
   
7. Cabinets
8. Counters
9. Paint again
2. Hallway/Stairway
1. Tape
2. Spackle
3. Paint
3. Office - Paint
4. Guest Room - Paint/fix up
   
5. Bathroom - Paint / replace or fix medicine cabinet, sink, etc...
   
6. Hardwood Floors - refinish upstairs
7. Attic: clean out and insulate/drywall
8. Basement: cleaned and insulated
9. Wine Cellar in basement
10. Front Porch: replace columns and porch with recycled wood
11. Front Yard: Landscape for "curb appeal"
12. Side of house: clean up and make functional
13. Backyard: landscape
14. Back Deck: have one. Preferably out of recycled wood, with stone patio at base leading to shed
15. Shed: remodel to create photo-studio and/or outdoor entertaining area
16. Have paint/doors tested for lead content
17. Replace Doors:
1. Front
2. Back
3. Basement
18. Replace fence in back yard
19. Replace ceiling fans:
1. Master bedroom
2. Guest Room
3. Kitchen
20. Get mailbox
21. replace lightswitches throughout house
    

The Reader

The Reader

First: Do not read this if you have not yet seen this movie and plan to see it. I think it is important to go into the film without knowing much about the story.

Second: I don't have an answer to the obvious question whether I liked the movie. I might by the end of the post, but at the moment, I'm conflicted. I'll explain.

The story presents an interesting point of view on two completely different, troubling situations. There is a decided juxtaposition of the uncomfortable illicit affair between a 15 year old boy and a much older woman and the uncomfortable subject of the murder of millions of people in the Holocaust. Both topics are difficult to discuss and present in a story for different reasons.

I would think that many people are put off by the thought of an adolescent boy and an older woman having sex, somewhat graphically, only to have that uneasy feeling crushingly diminished by the confrontation head on of a recounting of an Auschwitz Death March during a Nazi SS war crime trial.

I did not like the movie for the first 45 minutes or so. I did not enjoy the affair; I felt there were to many unanswered questions and holes that were skipped over. It is obvious that the affair was a defining moment in both main characters' lives and yet it felt rushed and painful.

It is not until the trial that the movie becomes interesting. Of course, Michael is a law student and of course his former lover is at the center of the war crime trial. Of course, Michael will have information that could change the outcome of the trial. But how does he, a law student, still young, admit to an affair with a woman 20 years his age? He can't, not when it would bring so much attention to himself and bring the wrath and hatred of a nation, of a world, on him. How could he defend this Nazi? He can't and it haunts him until the day she dies in prison and beyond.

The end, when he goes to New York to give the young survivor of the Death March Hannah's money, draws attention to the reparations that Germany made to survivors of the Holocaust. The home of the survivor is full of expensive fine art and the wealth is evident. In the end, when she takes only the tea tin that the money was kept in, perhaps is when the intended storyline comes to light.

The film highlights the humanity in everyone, from the Nazi to the confused young boy to the Holocaust survivor. Everyone has the capacity to feel empathy and to show kindness, to make reparations and find the humility to ask forgiveness for the unforgivable, to admit being closed off and open up their heart to another.

My overall feeling is that I did not enjoy the movie, though it is difficult to say one can enjoy a movie with such uncomfortable and troubling subjects at the center of the story. Still, I disliked the first half and felt the second half carried the film to its Oscar nomination.

The Reader at Rotten Tomatoes.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire

I had absolutely no idea what this movie was about heading into it. Becca and I decided to take advantage of AMC's before noon weekend deal ($6 if the movie starts before noon on Saturday or Sunday) and it limited us to two movies: Slumdog Millionaire and Frost/Nixon. We were interested in both movies, but everyone we had spoken to about movies recently all were raving about Slumdog.

I'm glad that I didn't know anything about this movie before seeing it. I had escaped seeing trailers for it on TV (thank you Tivo) and I hadn't asked anyone what it was about while they were spouting its praises. If I had learned what it was about, I probably would have stepped into the theater with a preconceived idea in my head about the movie. I can hope that my notions about it would have changed during the movie, but I can't even say that I would have seen it in the theater.

Working from a blank slate, the things that really stood out in my mind were:
1. Cinematography - the scenes are beautifully shot. Interesting angles, beautifully complex and equally simple settings. There is lots going on and to see, but rarely is your eye pulled away from the focus of the scene.

2. Colors - stunning and earthy, a mixture of dark earth tones and bright colors throughout the movie.

3. Storytelling - superbly structured, the story starts not quite at the end, but near it, just before the climax and is told through a series of flashbacks that develop the main characters in an interesting way.

There are scenes that are difficult to watch (the blinding of a young beggar child), the murder of a gangster, but they are essential to the story. In fact, everything in the movie is essential to the story. Everything is woven together nearly perfectly into a beautiful tapestry of a movie.

Like everyone who told me about the movie (without telling me anything about the movie), I can't help but rave. It was really an excellent film.

Slumdog Millionaire on Rotten Tomatoes.

Oscars 2009

This year, I would really like to make a point to see the movies that have been nominated for Best Picture. I make a half-hearted attempt each year, but this year I think I can see it through.

1. The Reader

2. Slumdog Millionaire saw & loved!

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

4. Milk

5. Frost/Nixon

BONUS
Doubt

• I saw Meryl Street get the SAG for this and it piqued my curiosity.

Gran Torino

• While promises of "Classic Vintage Eastwood" and a preview showing Clint give us the gun-finger & a wink (not once, but twice!) are enough to get me to the theater, Debby came in to work today with genuine praise for the movie. So, if there's money left in the bank after the first 5 I'd like to see this one as well.

Crossed Off Restaurants

Max & David's
Elcy's Cafe
Honey's