Movie Review: Skyfall

What did you say your name was?

Bond.

James Bond.

I don't know about you but I really think that Daniel Craig is the best 007. He really takes the focus off of the "panty-droppin'" charisma of former Bonds. I mean, we know that Bond can get anyone he wants. Been there, done that, we know. I really feel that Craig (and his writers) make that point with subtle emphasis without it being sex sex sex all the time.

Tyler and I went and had a date-day last week that concluded with Skyfall.

In brief, the newest 007 movie in a lineup of greats begins with our very favorite: the chase scene. 007 is in Istanbul attempting to retrieve a hard drive of sensitive information that leads to an epic scene on top of a train and ends with a hard choice by M and a hard fall by Bond. Bond is believed dead and M is left to deal with the ramifications. Bond resurfaces when news of the information being leaked reaches the place where he has lain in semi-retirement, trying to drown his depression with a nice young lady (whose name we never learn) and lots of booze. He makes his way back to MI6, and the plot thickens as someone from M's past is discovered to be behind everything and Bond is sent on a mission to win the day.

Pretty standard James Bond.

What I love about Skyfall is that it reaches back into the past. In a day and age where the majority of action films are so full of CGI and special effects that the standard human eye has a hard time tracking what's happening and human effort doesn't really factor in any more (Transformers, anyone?), the subtlety, science fiction, and all-around cool factor of old school action movies is crushed under tons of explosions, screaming, and spinning movement.

Bond and M commiserate on how they're going to do the mission "old school" and show the world that just because they've been around the block doesn't mean they're "obsolete."

The Aston Marten DB5 with it's machine gun headlights and ejector seat make an appearance. Bond kicks it old school and makes it — in my book at least — one of the coolest action movies of the year, if not the decade.

Bond delivers as always with twists, turns, and drama. The acting stays strong and the plotline keeps you sane.

See it, but know that unlike times past, the big screen is not the only place you have to see it in order to get the full effect any more.

Though don't be old like Tyler, who as we were leaving the theater said to me, "You know, that was fun, but it would have been better if we'd been at home with the dog and cat and I could have worn my slippers."

Ciao,
kc

Shake It Situation

Many years ago my aunt started "collecting" glass paperweights. And by collecting, I mean, one of her friends started giving them to her and started telling people that she collected them, thus creating a rather hilarious snowball effect regarding these stupid glass paperweights.

My mother thought it was really funny.

My aunt thought it was really stupid.

Especially when it seemed to start to evolve into salt and pepper shakers. Which was even funnier.

Until the day that my aunt started my mother's collection...of salt and pepper shakers.

My mom always says she can tell exactly when someone giving her salt and pepper shakers because they all have the "same shit-eating grin on their faces" and make her open it right away.

The nice part about this particular collection is that it provided me with disposable salt and pepper shakers through college, but the bad part is that I seem to be forming such a collection. I swear, if I even mention that I like a particular set or think it's cute in passing, BAM, all of a sudden it's now decorating my windowsill.

I swear to God, none of us actually collect the damn things, so don't you even think about it.

I can tell you are. Wipe that grin off of your face.

The beauty of this collecting business is that they're easily regifted. So don't even start it with me, or you'll find that you have a collection of your own.

Now, my dearest friend Heather recently started her very own collection. Not of salt and pepper shakers, however. Of gnomes. So I really feel like I'm getting off easy here. Just like my aunt's paperweight collection and my mother's salt and pepper shaker collection and my evolving salt and pepper shaker collection, it started with a passing comment.

And then someone posted on Facebook.

And then someone else told everyone that Heather and her husband collected gnomes and wanted them as wedding gifts.

Heather sent a video to my mother, sister and I regarding the situation. Revenge is sweet and comes in the form of a foot and a half tall garden gnome with a bobble head...

It really puts things into perspective, don't you think?

Ciao,
kc

Catching Up

I can't believe Turkey Day is almost here. As in, it's here tomorrow.  Can you? I can't remember where my October or my November went...

I'm pretty sure the dog ate them.

Banyan is so big now. It's crazy. We weighed him two weeks ago and he's 21 lbs. which means that by now he's close, if not surpassing 25! That's a long ways from 4.8 lbs.

Tyler graduated him to the "big dog" leash this week...

It's crazy.

This is terrible, but I sat down to write this and remembered that I have about forty things that I wanted to get done and didn't intend for one of them to be a blog. SO. I will post this, and hopefully I will return.

It's my goal to write a bunch and spread them out over the next couple weeks so that y'all have something to read since I've been so lax lately!

Love you all,
kc

Dear Nana

Dear Nana,

It's weird not having you here for my birthday. I'm writing my thank yous, and I know that's something handed down from you, and it just feels weird not writing something that starts with "dear Nana."

I hate that everything now coming from "5 Everett Ct" is no longer from you. Did you know that your address was the first one I remember recognizing? Maybe because it was always accompanied by big boxes filled with more goodies than one little girl could ever dream of.

I'm writing to you because it just feels off-kilter that a whole year and then some has gone by without me writing to you or receiving a single, smokey letter from you. Even the paper you used smelled like cigarettes and Nana's house.

I remember that some of the things you sent took weeks to air out, though often we were too excited by whatever it was to really care that they smelled faintly of smoke.

Opening boxes from you was my favorite part of any gift holiday, because there was never any foreknowledge of what you would send...everything from weird, old, gross panties to wicker dumpling cookers to pretty pretty princess dolls. You were as good as Santa when we we're little, and as I grew older and left home there was always a secret, satisfied happiness that I finally didn't have to share Nana boxes with anyone else.

I'm so glad you were my grandmother, and I'm so grateful for every little thing you ever did for me.

I wish you weren't gone.

I wish you could see me in my pretty white dress and get drunk at my wedding and give everyone sloppy, wet, Nana kisses and tell everyone how wonderful everything was. I'm glad you got to meet Tyler and that you think he is a wonderful young man, and I wish you could see our little family now.

I hope you can.

So, Nana, this year this is your thank you letter. I wish you could get it in the mail.

I love you for always, I miss you forever.

Love,

Your granddaughter

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In the Works

It's a sad day when I've been so remiss with my blogging! It's hard to find a spare moment these days. I'm not a "mommy" in the truest sense of the word, but I'm feeling like I'm getting a very real taste in parenting with this puppy business. Those of you not in a place in your life where you have a bit of spare time for worry, training, poop, etc. don't do it! Simply live vicariously through me!

I sit down hundreds of times a week to write even a little -- this moment is even a great example of it -- I sat down for a second here at 6:48 a.m. only to here a tiny "whoop" from the bedroom from B telling me, "Mom, I have to go potty."

He's back in bed and here I am trying to remember what I was doing.

I was supposed to go to Portland yesterday to pick up my wedding dress and see my lovely friend, but the shop was closed and so the trip was postponed. Not that I didn't want to go up just to see Heather, I did, truly, but we had already arranged for Banyan to go to work with Tyler, which meant that if I stayed home, I could get all those things that I've just needed time away from our puppymonster to get done.

Like cleaning the house.

And making muffins.

And finishing baby quilts.

Okay, so the quilts aren't done yet, and there are about forty other projects backlogged as well. But two of three quilts are done. Which is impressive because one of those quilts has been in the works since January, and the baby was born in March...oops!

So I had some alone time, and was soooooo productive.

And I wanted to tell you not to give up on me. I'm still here. Mr. B is potty trained (for the most part, we had an accident yesterday...), can sit, stay, lie down, and come occasionally. We're still working on "come." It's selective. But he's getting better.

Now that he's getting older (and so much bigger!), I should have more time. Theoretically.

He's 15.6 lbs now. Compared to 4.8 lbs when we got him. Huge!

Ciao,
kc