Ramblings – Part 3

But now on to the happy stuff. I wrote most of this post yesterday, so this should be quick. All the frustrating things this week once again made me realize that I spent too much time dwelling on all the “bad” stuff and that I have a hard time to let it go and move on. I’m determined to try harder though and to pay more attention to the good and happy stuff. And thus I will follow Steffi’s example with a “happy moments diary”. I won’t post these moments on a daily basis, but rather compile a post at the end of a week. I did something similar a few years back, with “Good & Bad” lists, but now I want to focus on the good and I will definitely try and note at least one happy moment every day. Today that would be

The three very nice and helpful shop assistant/waitress/barista I met in various locations this afternoon.

There were actually a lot of happy moments during the last few days, even if the “Rambling – Part 2″ post might have left a different impression. I was just too busy to write about all the events properly before now. And even this will just be a short compilation of the great moments I experienced since last week. Last Wednesday I saw the new StarTrek movie with some friends and I really enjoyed it. I wasn’t sure I would, because I don’t know much about the original series (even though I was diehard fan of StarTrek TNG in the 90ies) but I loved this movie. It was typical StarTrek stuff, but also extremly funny. And I got kind of sentimental to see the Enterprise and the bridge and was tempted to get hold of some TNG DVDs to watch some of it.

Must-See Movie: Milk

Oh my God! I can’t remember the last time I cried that much during a movie. I don’t know if I ever cried that much during a movie at all. What an awesome and touching movie. What an important story to be told. It captured the time and age of the 70s so vividly and it’s sometimes hard to believe that homosexuals were treated like that not even a generation ago. It’s even more disturbing to know that even 30 years later there are still countries and societies, which deny homosexuals the right to live their lifes and to just be who they are. To know that even worse in some parts of the world they are still killed just for being homosexuals. One of the many moments that impressed me was Milk’s approach to make the people see that we all know one (or more) gay or lesbian person and that there is absolutely no difference between hetero or gay or lesbian
Dustin Lance Black wrote an amazing script, Gus van Sant did a amazing job directing it, but mostly I bow to Sean Penn for this performance. The Oscar was so so so deserved. In my eyes he became Harvey Milk and disappeared completely behind this character. He was amazing and so was this movie. Unfortunately it’s not shown in to many movie theatres in Germany at the moment and it also seems to be out of the movies soon. So if you haven’t seen it yet, hurry and go and see it. It’s so worth it.

And now I’m off to watch the Oscars speeches on youtube once more…

My Night With Edward & Benjamin…

I’m so exhausted. And I dread the next week, because it will be just as busy as this one. Which was partially my own fault. I could have used yesterday to chill and relax. But instead Hai_di and I went to Cologne and watched TWO movies in a row. Which was fun though and entertaining and I don’t regret it. We rarely have the chance to watch movies in the original (undubbed) version around here and a cinema in Cologne is showing the original versions of “Twilight” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” so we decided to watch both of the movies on one day. Due to my exhaustion these will be short reviews.

My Movies and TV list of 2008

Her’s another one of the 2008 media recap posts. The movie and TV list of 2008, sorted after Movies in at the movie theatre, on TV/DVD and all the TV series. [G/E] stands for German/English. There will be a new system on the current “I’ve Watched” page.

Listless Times…

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m so utterly listless today and it’s just the first day of the week. My weekend wasn’t too busy. Not busy at all, but I just feel… off. There are actually a couple of things I have to do besides my regular work. Work for job #2, doing local politics stuff, maybe get back to more disciplined studying? But I can’t get myself to do much of anything lately. Maybe the weather is bringing me down. I liked to see the first snow covering everything last night, but some icy rain had already washed that away until this morning. And walking to the train station in that icy rain sucks. It seemed to have snowed a bit again this evening, but I guess it’s all going to be gone in the morning as well. Yes, I’m not much of an optimist at the moment.

Maybe (probably?) it’s also bringing me down a bit, that my mom is still hospitalized and has to have some more tests done before she can have the bypass surgery. She is trying to keep in good spirits and managing pretty well so far, but she is so bored, especially as she so far had only weird patients to share the room with.

A few more random things:

Miscellaneous, 2008/08/04

I called in sick today. And as precaution for tomorrow as well. My lower back is killing me. I have problems with blocked lumbar vertebraes every once in a while, and now is one of those times. I guess, my vertebraes didn’t like walking around on pavement and climbing about 400 stone steps in London last week, because my lower back already bothered me a bit then. It didn’t get better, although I tried to relax and treated it with heat in various forms. Nothing seemed to help, so I went to see the doc this morning.
My general practitioners are on vacation at the moment, so I had to go to their stand-in GP. And as I don’t own a car I literarily mean “go”. During a nasty heavy shower and even with an umbrella my pants were soaked. Ick!
Being in that GP’s practice I once again know why I like the practice and staff of mine so much. The doc himself was ok, though. He did some manual manipulation to un-block the vertebraes, advised me to take some ibuprofen for the next three days and to not do anything to strenous. I think I can do that :-). At least it doesn’t hurt constantly, only at certain movements.

Now I’ll spend the next couple of hours with a hot pack on my back once again, before I have to accompany my mom to one of her doctor’s appointments. Doctors all around and none is looking like McDreamy. Or Alex Karev. Or Pete or even Sam :-) *sigh*

Books & Movies – July 2008

Books

Read

• Teach With Your Heart (Erin Gruwell, 2007) [E]
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream (William Shakespeare, 1600) + the according Cliff’s Notes (2001) [E]
• Lightning Strikes Twice (AriaAdagio, 2007) [E] (This fanfic has 670 pages, so it definitely belongs in the book section) [E]
• Shakespeare: The World as a Stage (Bill Bryson, 2007)

trial & error

• Der Goldene Kompass (1995, Philip Pullman) [G]

Movies & TV

• Penelope (at the movies) [G]
• Pride And Prejudice (DVD) [E]
• An Ideal Husband (DVD) [E]
• Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod (DVD) [G]
• Freedom Writers (DVD) [E]
• Becoming Jane (DVD) [E]
• Chicago Hope 2.17- 3.16 (TV/DVD) [E]
• Batman – The Dark Knight (at the movies) [E]
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (DVD) [E]
• The X-Files – I Want to Believe (at the movies) [G]

Batman – The Dark Knight

I think I might have watched the first Batman movie in the early 90s. Maybe not at the movies, but on video or TV later. I’m not sure though. But looking at the cast and the plotline I think I might remember it. I don’t really remember anything of any other Batman movie, so I guess I definitely haven’t watched those. Not on TV, DVD and certainly not at the movie theatre. I remember trailers and photos of the cast in their costumes like Catwoman, the Pinguin, Mr. Freeze, but they were all over the media, so I know about the movies without having seen them.
I probably would never have watched this new Batman movie if it hadn’t been for Heath Ledger. As the movie was already in the theatres in London I was determined to watch it there and I did, although the ticket prizes did shock me. Ok, it was Saturday but 14,50 £ (18,4 EUR / 13 $) for a movie ticket? And it wasn’t even the most expensive section. But it was the Odeon at Leicester Square. And it was a vacation, so who cares about the money?

Penelope

Probably in the last week before the movie disappears from the movie theatres in Germany I managed to see “Penlope” and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes it was a little too overboard and I still haven’t figured out why her father’s love and acceptance wasn’t enough to counteract the curse. But other than that I found the story rather entertaining. Funny and sweet, typical chick-flick.

Unfortunately we shared the theatre with a dozen members from the James McAvoy fanclub. Or for whatever reason these ladies’ were there to watch this movie. But they were sort of obnoxious. I just can’t stand people who start laughing loud and hysterically during the stupidest and least funny commercials or trailers. And of course they had to swoon over the romantic scene near the end just as audibly. Can’t they enjoy and sigh internally, like I did :)?
So, the audience sucked a little bit, but the movie didn’t. And I really liked James McAvoy in the first movie I’ve ever seen him in except for his unexpected part in the Lynley serie. But could anyone please tell him to never again try this feeble attempt of a designer stubble?

Books & Movies – June 2008

I used to just post a list of the books I’ve read and the books I’ve bought. Recently I’m reading not that much and watched quite a lot movies or TV shows on DVD. So I thought I’d just merge these lists in one post. Although there never has been a list of movie / TV before, but that’s so not the point right now :-)

Books

• Canadian Slang (Reise Know-How, 2007)
• Careless in Red (Elizabeth George, 2008)
• 2 London travelguides
• Abgespeist – Wie wir beim Essen betrogen werden und was wir dagegen tun können (Thilo Bode, 2007)
• Der Mann hinter dem Regenbogen – Kanadische Eigenheiten (Helge Sobik, 2001)
• [and lots and lots of Grey's fanfictions...]

Movies, DVD & TV

• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (at the Movies)
• Inspector Lynley Mysteries 1.02 – Payment in Blood (DVD)
• In Bruges (at the Movies)
• Inspector Lynley Mysteries 1.03 – For the Sake of Elena (DVD)
• Inspector Lynley Mysteries 1.04 – Missing Joseph (DVD)
• Inspector Lynley Mysteries 2.01 – Playing for the Ashes (DVD)
• Inspector Lynley Mysteries 2.02 – In the Presence of the Enemy (DVD)
• Inspector Lynley Mysteries 2.03 – A Suitable Vengance (DVD)
• Inspector Lynley Mysteries 2.04 – Deception on his Mind (DVD)
• Enchanted (DVD)
• Chicago Hope 2.11 – 2.13, 2.15 – 2.16 (DVD)
• Doctor Who 1.09 – 1.10 (DVD)
• [and lots of EURO 2008 football]

trial & error

• Schiller (DVD)
  (Sorry, tinaskywalker, but I didn’t get beyond than the first 15 minutes)

Next months I really should share pix of my cramped racks of unread books and unwatched DVDs… :)