Can you believe that Rockies game? Holy cow! Now that was exciting! I'm not usually a big baseball fan but I always root for the home team and that was a great way to end that game! Now I haven't seen the highlights - I'm at work and had to follow the game on ESPN.com but I'm told there's a little controversy over whether or not Holliday actually touched the plate. I'll watch SportsCenter in the morning.

Anyway, on to the end of month festivities: Books & Movies! Once again, my reading was sparse.

27. The Golden Torc - Julian May This is the 2nd book in the Pliocene Exile series and it's very good. I've got two more to read after this one.

28. Mysteries of the Unexplained - Time/Life I love books like this and that's why this is the BOTM. Despite being published in 1982, it still had some great stories about ghosts, UFO's, disappearances, zombies, etc. Very entertaining reading.

However I stayed on par with my movie watching:

125. To Catch A Thief Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in a stylish thriller. This was a fun one.

126. Titanic I was working through the shutdown at work which meant I was the only one on my floor so I brought Jordyn's portable DVD player and some movies to keep me occupied. This was the first one - Collin had just bought the special edition for me with the alternate ending and all the special features. I can never get enough of this movie.

127. Because I Said So 2nd movie of the shutdown. Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore...I had heard bad things about this one but ended up really enjoying it.

128. The Patriot Movie #1 of Day 2 of the shutdown. I hadn't seen this movie since it came out and had forgotten how good it was. Jason Isaacs as the bad guy is too wonderful...he's got great bad guy eyes! And Adam Baldwin as the traitor...I was so disappointed in him! :)

129. Driving Lessons Movie #2 of Day 2. Third time I'd watched this one and I enjoyed it just as much.

130. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire I was still in my HP obsession phase and decided that this one might be my favorite. At least until HP & OOP comes out on DVD.

131. Hot Fuzz Dad was bored and asked to watch this. Who am I to say no?

132. After The Thin Man I loved this movie. William Powell and Myrna Loy were too stinking cute! I love their expressions and the dialogue...and all the drinking! And Jimmy Stewart was so young and SO good looking!

133. Cellular We had had this one from Netflix for a while and finally got around to watching it. It ended up being very good - we were tense throughout and rooting for Chris Evans. Jason Statham as the bad guy helps too!

134. Transporter 2 After seeing Jason Statham in Cellular, Collin decided I needed to see this one with him as the good guy. It's a "suspension of belief" movie but a lot of fun and a lot of action. The crazy chick with the guns and great shoes was awesome.

135. 3:10 To Yuma My MOTM. Mom and I went to the theatre to see this remake with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale and loved it. Can you get any cooler than Christian Bale?

136. An American Haunting This one was disappointing. It didn't scare me at all and I figured out the secret at the very beginning.

137. Next of Kin Lord, the movies you watch because you like an actor. Adam Baldwin was the bad guy in the cheese-packed Patrick Swayze vehicle. It was so incredibly cheesy I would have turned it off if AB hadn't been in it. Liam Neeson as a hillbilly is some weird casting....

138. A Chorus Line I love Terrance Mann, I can't say it enough. I loved him as Rum Tum Tugger in Cats and as Javare in Les Miserables but as Larry, the stage manager in this movie, he's adorable!! I loved this one so much I plan on watching it again this weekend!

139. Unaccompanied Minors Jordyn talked us into watching this and we went in hesitant. She's steered us wrong before (Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties) but this one was great. Very cute, good dialogue, three of the Kids In The Hall (including Kevin McDonald of Tallest fame) playing the "guards in the hall," and a good message. We're actually going to buy this one.

140. Crank If not for the Christian Bale western, this movie would have been tops last month. This was a fun ride, watching Jason Statham try to stay alive. Dwight Yoakum was a surpise cast member but he was awesome and Amy Smart, never one of my faves, was entertaining.

141. Clue Madeline Kahn was a genius in anything she did and as Mrs White, she didn't fail. Her line "I hated her so much that flames...flames...from the side of my face...." has always been a staple of mine. Maybe the movie isn't great but I love the cast - Tim Curry and Michael McKean especially. And the end line "I'm going home and sleep with my wife" always make me smile.

Go Rockies!!!

Labels: Books, movies, sports

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I heard on the radio last night that the Moscow Ballet troupe is coming to town in a couple of weeks to perform The Nutcracker. I've always wanted to see both a ballet and The Nutcracker so I'm hoping that maybe I'll get to go while they're here. Being a girl, I've always had a slight fascination with ballet. When I was in 4th grade I took ballet lessons - nothing ever came of them, though. We never even had a recital. I wonder why. But I had the tutu (Derek posted that pic a couple weeks ago) and I knew the feet and arm positions.

About that time (4th grade, I think...) Mom informed me that my grandparents were coming to visit from Junction and that Grandma, Mom, Uncle Ray & I were going to see The Nutcracker ballet in Denver while Dad, Grandpa & Derek went to see a Colorado Rockies hockey game. I was so excited!! A real ballet and The Nutcracker no less!! Ray got the tickets and came back with the sad news that the ballet was pretty much sold out and they couldn't get 4 tickets together, only 3 so guess who got shut out of the experience? Yep. I was told that I would instead accompany the boys to the hockey game. Pfft. What fun was that? I wanted to see the ballet, damn it!!!

So reluctantly I went to see Rockies Hockey. I sat next to Grandpa and some old fat man who drank beer after beer after beer. He scared me at first but as the game wore on, I realized that it was pretty cool - fast and exciting and there was even a fight! Grandpa is a pretty quiet guy when he's watching sports so I turned to the drunk next to me and watched him for his reactions. When he cheered, I cheered. If he booed or cussed, I booed and got mad. That man taught me how to watch a hockey game.

And now here I am, a huge hockey fan. If I had gotten to go to the ballet, I might be an anorexic living in New York right now!

A postscript: When Mom came back from the ballet she said the seat next to them was empty the whole time! Guess it was meant for me to see that hockey game!!

Labels: sports, stories

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Happy Friday to everyone! For your weekend pleasure I proudly present a few pics! Enjoy!

We start with a picture of Collin's kids taken by Mom last week on her back patio. She had one picture left on her camera so she snapped this. I think it's the best picture I've seen - Jordyn usually gets the Chandler Syndrome where she suddenly can't smile if there's a camera pointed at her but Justin surprised her by grabbing her.


Next we have the man himself, Collin of F&P fame, before his hair cut. This was also taken by my mother at my cousin's wedding in July. You'll notice the glass of wine in his hand...my cousin had arranged for 2 glasses of wine for each guest. We're not big wine drinkers and I felt bad about not drinking mine but luckily a fly landed in mine and I was saved!!


Yesterday morning was spent going through all the hockey team sites, getting caught up on who was playing where...I've decided I'm rooting for Calgary this season - they look more like the Avalanche then the Avs do!! While I was browsing through the Chicago Blackhawk site, I found Eric Daze's new pic. He looks like a total dork! Look at that tongue...and that hair:


So there you go! Enjoy and have a super weekend!

Labels: family, Pictures, sports

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