I'm Tired...

I'm soo tired right now. I've been up working on a complicated project for my grandpa instead of chilling in front of the TV and letting my mind turn into a lukewarm puddle of glop. Sometimes, I can be a bit of an idiot :P

Hope everyone is doing well...I'm going to bed, and I'll try and post again tomorrow...

Run Fatboy Run

Last night, the Brother and I finished watching Run Fatboy Run with Simon Pegg, Hank Azaria, Dylan Moran, and Thandie Newton. It was a hilarious movie about Dennis Doyle (Pegg) who abandons his pregnant fiance Libby (Newton) at the alter, and five years later, when she starts dating handsome and competitive Whit (Azaria) decides that he wants to win her back by racing in the same marathon as her boyfriend. He's trained by Libby's cousin Gordon (Moran) and his landlord Mr. Ghoshdashtidar (Harish Patel). Hilarious, feel-good movie!

Coming of the Dawn

I've been listening to this song all day, so I thought I would pass it on to you guys. It's from the musical Frankenstein, although, I'm sure you could figure that out from the YouTube video screen... :P

Anyway...enjoy ;)

The Toxic Avenger: The Musical

As I was randomly flipping through library CDs, I found The Toxic Avenger, and spent about ten minutes trying to decide if I wanted to check it out or not, and finally realizing that it would be okay to try it. Umm...yeah...I think I might have made the wrong choice.

First of all, please let me say that I had no idea this was based off a movie. Looking it up later, it sounds like a really weird movie at that. Actually, I had originally thought that The Toxic Avenger: The Musical would be something similar to Little Shop of Horrors: a slightly nerdy/awkward/down on his luck young man falls in love with a pretty girl, finds himself unable to win her, but with the sudden appearance of something that is both a blessing and a curse, is able to win her heart, but destroys himself in the process. You know, a dark, depressing romance story of sorts.

The Toxic Avenger is a little different. Melvin Ferd III is an earth scientist investigating global warming. When he finds out that the Mayor is supporting toxic waste dumps that leave vats of the crap all over the city, he confronts her about it, only to have her henchmen throw him into the toxic waste and leave him for dead. He comes out as a giant mutant monster and rips people apart.

The lead female is blind, which is good for the hideous Melvin, but I also found her to be a very shallow and vain sort of person. She loves the attention she gets from dating "Toxie," who is now a local hero, but when she learns he's leaving the town, she asks to feel his face and breaks up with him because of his new deformities. She also attempts to sell her story as a memoir so that she can get on Oprah.

The cast is very small, and it makes for some weird characters, as many of the female characters are played by men. I'm used to cross-dressing in theatre, but this just gets weird.

All in all, not really a fan, although I will admit that the premise was interesting (just not for a musical--maybe a late night horror film) and some of the songs were pretty good. Still, I would not check it out again.

My Library

As most of you know, I really want to be a librarian. Well, today, Sarah just gave me a step forward in the right direction! We went out to lunch today, and she gave me a little gift she had picked up while on vacation: A Personal Library Kit!

Isn't that just the coolest thing ever?? The kit contains everything I need for my own personal library, including checkout cards, pockets to hold said cards (I'm sure you remember those from the old library books from like grade school...you write your name on the card so the librarian knows who checked out the books), a date stamp and stamp pad, and a pencil. I'm going to have to decide which books to prepare for circulation :D

Thanks so much, Sarah! This really means a lot, and I had fun today :)

Weekly Wodehouse #21

She was definitely the sort of girl who puts her hands over a husband's eyes as he is crawling into breakfast with a morning head and says, `Guess who!'


~P.G. Wodehouse

Bird's Nest

It's been a bit windy lately, and Dad found this bird's nest that had been blown onto the sidewalk. I can't even imagine the craftsmanship that must have gone into building it! It's a beautiful nest.

Robert Browning?

So, I'm sure you're wondering why I have a picture of Robert Browning here on the blog with no real explaination. Well, I was looking through my vacation pics on my camera, and I stumbled upon this one. I had totally intended to post it nearly a month ago, but I forgot about it entirely! Um, better late than never, right?

I was actually looking at a very nice doll collection at the Florida library we visited (can't go for a two week vacation without a tiny library trip, right?) They had dolls from all over the world, and they were all so pretty and original, but this one in particular caught my attention: the name tag said it was the poet Robert Browning!

So, here is the doll...

I apologize for the picture quality...There was a nice pane of glass between myself and the dolls as I went to photograph them. If you can't read the sign, it says : "Robert Browning. By Peggy Nesbit of England"

The Old Dark House

As promised, here is my review of The Old Dark House, starring Boris Karloff and Melvyn Douglas...

A quick review of the plot for those of you not familiar with this film: a group of travellers find themselves stranded in a storm in Wales and seek shelter in a dark and mysterious mansion. There, they are greeted by a frightening, scarred, mute butler Morgan (Karloff) and his masters Ms. Rebbecca Femm and her brother Horace. The group is soon joined by two more travellers, also caught in the storm. It's the classic stereotypical horror story.

I thought all-in-all, it was an interesting movie, although, of course, it was not as good as the other Karloff movies I have seen. I'd say that if you were interested in the genre (classic horror films) then I'd check this one out. If not, then I would say pass. As a fan of the genre, I found it to be a fun way to enjoy a stormy night, but the rest of the family didn't agree.

My Guilty Pleasure

Today, I decided to spoil myself by purchasing a new movie (well, not exactly...I used a gift card that I had won in a raffle last weekend, so I guess it wasn't spoiling myself, but...) It's actually one of my favorite movies: The Wolfman. This is the old, 1941 movie starring Lon Chaney Jr., rather than the new film that came out a few months back. Personally, I'm not sure if I want to see the remake; I think it would ruin it for me.

But, getting back to the topic of my guilty pleasure...I love horror movies! Well, not all horror movies, but I love the old ones from the 1930s and 40s with Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and Lon Chaney Jr. The classics like Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein (both of which I have to see :x), House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, Dracula, and The Ghost of Frankenstein (all of which I have seen and loved), and even the comedic classics Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Abbot and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

So, right now, I'm just taking a break in the middle of my current movie: The Old Dark House, starring Boris Karloff, which I will review on here in the next few days :)

I'm a bit of a movie freak :P And I love the classic horror films, because they scare you, but they don't gross you out. You'll never see Lon Chaney Jr. in a slasher film, and Boris Karloff movies never get too racy. I like these movies because they are good, clean fun. Just a nice little scare, but that's all.

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story

Today, I also finished watching Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. In case you haven't noticed, I'm totally a huge fan of Dylan Moran, and I decided to watch the movie because I heard he was in it. I was disappointed by his small role, but even so, that was not my real issue with the movie. For those of you who don't know, this is a movie about making a movie, namely, Tristram Shandy. So, there are scenes from the movie, and the rest is about the cast and crew. Personally, I found the scenes from Tristram to be very interesting and funny, but the rest of the film was kinda boring to me :( Sadly, I would prolly rate this movie about a 4 out of 10.

But, I am going to check out the book that inspired it all: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy.

Frankenstein the Musical

Finally! I've found a wonderful musical that has everything! The music is amazing, the lyrics are perfect, the plot is suspenseful, and the perfect cast has been selected! Hunter Foster plays the doomed Dr. Frankenstein, Christine Noll plays his beloved Elizabeth, and Steve Blanchard is the Creature. The musical is a powerful production and a faithful retelling of the classic story. It transports you through tender love scenes, hard-wrenching deaths, and the painful circumstances that unite a man and a monster that is destined to ruin his life. I cannot recommend this highly enough! I'd have to say that of the three musicals I have recently reviewed on my blog, this is by far the best!

Coraline: The Musical

As a had mentioned in my post about Spring Awakening, I've checked out several CDs at the library...and the second on my list is Coraline: The Musical. I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's work. I can't get enough of his short stories, and I personally loved his novel Coraline. So far, though, I haven't seen the movie, but I've read the graphic novel (creepy, but also wonderful). So, when I saw the musical at the library, I thought it might be fun to listen to.

I'm disappointed :( The music is creepy, but the lyrics are all rather mundane. They don't have any depth, and the overall impression I got from them is that they had nothing better to write songs about, so they wrote about electric green gloves or being a cat. But, even then, they couldn't make it exciting.

The casting was strange as well, with Mrs. Forcible sounding rather like a man, while the Other Mother actually was a man. And, the eleven-year-old protagonist Coraline was played by a woman in her fifties, which didn't make any sense to me at all. :S

Weekly Wodehouse #20

When he spoke again, it was to talk of pumpkins and cabbages, and after that, for he was a man of limited ideas, of cabbages and pumpkins.

~P.G. Wodehouse

A Little Bit of Eye-Candy

I added a new section to the sidebar. What do you guys think? Should I keep it or take it off? And what do you guys think of my selection? Anyone you would add or take away? (If I keep this up, I'm going to edit it every so often to add my new favorites and take away guys I'm not so interested in anymore).

The Actors

Two Shakespearean actors, lots of money, two parties who have never met each other, and a dangerous plan. Dylan Moran and Michael Caine star in the hilarious movie The Actors as Thomas Quirk and Anthony O'Malley.

Bit-actor Tom Quirk (Moran) is down on his luck; his auditions fall through, he can't act well enough to achieve a leading role in any of his plays, and his house just burned down. As he sinks to his lowest point, his friend and mentor, fellow actor Anthony O'Malley (Caine) offers an interesting proposition. While doing some research on villains for his production of Richard III, he learns about a debt between two crime lords, but with a twist; neither parties have met before. O'Malley suggests that they step in as the receiving party and take the money for themselves. With the help of Tom's nine year old niece Mary, they attempt to pull off the biggest impersonation of their careers.

Both actors are amazing, although, I must say I think that Dylan Moran was really the star actor of the movie. His various characters throughout the course of the show are hilarious and volatile, but he's able to slip into each one with very little effort.

A few things...First, sadly, this Irish film is only available in Region 2, so for all of my American readers, I'm sorry to say that its not one of those movies we can run and pick up at the library :( I did however, manage to find it on YouTube, so if you don't mind having to transition between the videos like I did, then you can still enjoy it. (Just search under the actors dylan moran and it should be the first thing to come up). Second, there is a TON of swearing. Normally, that doesn't bother me, but when every other word is an "f-bomb," then it can become a bit distasteful. Swearing aside, however, this is one of the funniest movie's I've seen in a long time! I'd highly recommend it ;)

Spring Awakening

I just finished listening to the musical Spring Awakening today. For those of you who don't know, I'm a HUGE Broadway fanatic. I just love listening to the music. But, anyway, this is one I didn't think I would actually check out. I mean, it just never really appealed to me. A couple of people had been pushing for me to check it out, but I finally decided to when I happened to stumble upon it at the library. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but I found several CDs, to try out, and of course, this is going to be the first of several Musical Reviews :P

First of all, the music is amazing! I mean, I can't believe how amazing the music sounds. Its wonderful! The storyline, however, is a bit tense and controversial. And the lyrics are very intense. If you're offended by a lot of swearing, I would advise you to pick up a different CD.

All in all, I think its a wonderful musical, and I would highly recommend it. :)

Black Books

Okay, so the Brother and I just finished another British comedy series, this one recommended to me by Javmango. It's a hilarious series starring Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, and Tamsin Greig.

The basic premise of the story revolves around the lives of Bernard Black, a misanthropic bookstore owner; his well-meaning and bearded assistant Manny Bianco; and Fran Katzenjammer, Bernard's oldest friend who owns the gift shop next door.

The series is hilarious! I can't recommend it enough! ;)

A Sunday Afternoon Walk

My family and I went for a walk on one of the local nature trails today; it was wonderful. The weather has been very warm this past week, but today was a bit cooler. Another plus: there was minimum sun, and lots of shade. We saw luminescent dragonflies and even a frog (sitting right in the middle of the path! :D)

I think the only damper to the event was at the very end. Coming back to our car, my parents stopped us and asked us if we knew what the awful smell in the air was. No, it was not skunk. They actually informed us that it was weed. Yep. There were three 30-something Hispanic men hidden just slightly in the trees behind the parking lot, smoking marijuana and laughing with the high...

What fun, right?

Weekly Wodehouse #19

Blair Eggleston was a man who wore side-whiskers and if the truth were known, was probably a secret beret-wearer as well.

~P.G. Wodehouse

Gods of Olympus

Can you handle the epicness?

A Little Light Goth

Just a little something funny I found online...See? Goth isn't all dark and depressing; sometimes, there is "Happy Goth" :P

Drivers License

I finally got it!

Better late then never, right? ;)

Fahrenheit 451

It's first semester Freshman year. I'm sitting in the basement of the campus library with two friends, Kitsune and Neo; somehow, we start talking about books, so I toss out a title: Fahrenheit 451, one of my favorites. "That book should be burned," Kitsune grumbles sullenly. And I laugh. It was a clever joke: burn the book about burning books. But when I meet Neo's eye, he has a different reaction.

"I don't think she's kidding," he says quietly.

I turn back to Kitsune for answers, and she's staring at me pointedly. "You weren't serious, were you?" I ask, surprised.

"Yeah, I was."

Suddenly, its not funny so much as it is ironic.

Men and Cartoons

I've finished another book! This one is called Men and Cartoons and is written by Jonathan Lethem. I found it my chance; stumbled upon it at the library while I was looking for something by H.P. Lovecraft. I didn't find the Lovecraft (this was general fiction and it was housed in sci-fi) but I did find this book with such an unusual title and a creative cover design.

This is my introduction to the works of Lethem, and I rather enjoyed it. I tore the book apart in about two days, and like any good book, its left me satisfied. The writing style called to mind the works of Ray Bradbury and Neil Gaiman, both of which I enjoy.

The only drawback for me would be the last two stories. The edition I was reading had two "bonus" stories that weren't included in the hardcover publication: "This Shape We're In" and "Interview with the Crab". They weren't bad, per se, but I felt like they dragged. They didn't have the same flair that the other stories had. They didn't hold my attention or make me want to read more. To be honest, I more of less skimmed them. I mean, I read them, but my heart wasn't in it. :(

Despite the ending, I still thought that it was a wonderful book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone! Happy reading :)

Leave it to Psmith

First, let me just say that the P in "Psmith" is silent. :P

This is just another of the wonderful Wodehouse books I have read, and my first for the summer. I've never read anything from the "Psmith" series, but this book has sparked an interest in the others for sure! Combining characters from the Blandings series with characters from Psmith's world, the reader is presented with a delightful cast of characters, such as Lord Emsworth, Rupert Baxter, Freddie Threepwood, and of course, Ronald Psmith.

This book has everything from romance, to suspense, to mystery; and parts literally had me laughing out loud! I cannot recommend it more highly. Yet again, another wonderful Wodehouse novel that does everything but disappoint! ;)

Weekly Wodehouse #18

He placed the letter beside his plate, and, having decapitated an egg, peered sharply into its interior as if hoping to surprise guilty secrets.

~P.G. Wodehouse

Weekly Wodehouse #17

Since I was not here last Sunday to post Weekly Wodehouse #17, this week is a two for one!

He then turned to the subject of the clock . . . ``My father bought it many years ago. He took it everywhere with him.'' Here . . . I might have [asked] . . . him if his parent wouldn't have found it simpler to have worn a wristwatch.

~P.G. Wodehouse

I'm Back!

Hi guys! I'm finally back from my long vacation! Although I'm rested, tan, and happy (we went to Florida), I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the stuff I still need to do now that I'm back home. Hopefully, I'll be able to post some exciting stories later, but right now, I'm just trying to get used to my normal life again.

Hope all of you are doing well. I came back, and had at least 40 emails, and am still reading over all the blog posts that I missed while I was gone. Sounds like everyone had a pretty exciting time, too!

Well...Got to go. There is a ton of cleaning to do...and my last copy of the P.G. Wodehouse Society's Wooster Sauce is sitting on my bed, waiting for me to pick it up. (Sadly, I had to let my subscription go...my lack of a summer job pretty much screwed me. But, I'm hoping that my parents could renew it for a birthday present later on. Yeah, I'll have missed a few issues, but I could always order them as back issues...)