Entries Tagged 'Spirituality and God' ↓
August 25th, 2008 — Beauty, Cosmetics, Fashion, Grief, Humorous, Movies, Opportunity, Romance
I saw this movie today, and it was surprisingly funny. I hadn’t particularly wanted to go, but I was glad I did.
The entire audience laughed a lot. There were only a few really dumb things, and one character I could have written out, but the main character is so delightful and watchable and innocently kind that she is a pleasure to watch. And she holds many lessons.
There are a couple of questionable things for very young children and some bad language, but not a lot. My girls would love it, at 10 and 12. I think they can handle it.
Shelley (Anna Farris is charming in the part and makes the movie) is living the life of her dreams at the Playboy Mansion. She feels the mansion has given her the home she never had before. (The movie begins with a short montage of her early childhood spent in an orphanage, until she finally found acceptance and a sense of family. This is not dwelt upon, but you might need to be aware of it.)
Hugh Hefner plays himself in several cameos in the movie. It’s good to see his health has improved. I hadn’t realized he was in it.
When Hugh goes off for a time, immediately after Shelley’s 27th birthday party, she is presented with a letter from him giving her 2 hours to leave the premises as she is now ‘too old.’ 27 is now evidently 59 in Bunny years.
How she finds herself the housemother of what likely began as Zeta (Zeta Tau Alpha) but morphed into a close cousin in name, is part of the poignancy and fun. The girls in the house need to pledge 30 girls in order not to lose their charter. How she turns them into a viable sorority is a delight.
There is a typical sorority bitch that has shown up in several movies. (And there is a Bunny bitch too.) In a way this movie is like a female version of Sydney White, but we liked it better. (The theater rated it 3 out of 5.)
It’s easy to imagine Elle Woods living this life. (Colin Hanks plays her love interest.)
She’s definitely a likeable bimbo, and you can’t help but root for her. Many scenes touched my heart.
We went out happy.
Karin
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August 20th, 2008 — Books, Friendship, Grief, Hope, Opportunity, Romance
The Frog Prince is a modern day fairy tale. Because I liked Flirting with Forty so well, I had high expectations for this one.
In a mere 371 pages Holly goes from being a devastated, whiny, soon-to-be divorcee to a sense of personal empowerment. Shortly after Holly marries, she finds her husband evidently never loved her, but felt railroaded into marriage. And he chooses the venue of desire (or lack of) to make his point in a harsh way. Holly is unable to accept what a complete jerk he is. She calls him when she is low and demeans herself more than once, until he basically tells her not to get in touch with him again.
And she thought he was in love with her? I wondered if she was only a field for his homosexuality. She never considers that seriously. I would under the circumstances. Even though he ends up in another heterosexual relationship, I’m not convinced, and I think he would do something similar again with another woman. Not a good bet, for sure. OTOH, Holly was particularly needy. This would be an issue, except the new woman is even ‘needier’ and he is even more railroaded into marriage, though he is the one making the choice, evidently. Give me a break. He’s adult enough to say what he means without a sham marriage.
Meantime, Holly is challenged at work by her boss who ends up sabotaging her. But along the way Holly proves her meddle, makes modest friends, and determines that friendship might be better than having a lover.
In the end, she finds herself and gives a new definition to good girl. She’s good, but she’s no pushover. When she comes out on top, you think, ‘It’s about time!”
I’m not entirely sure that someone who is so far from being empowered could be empowered in a short period of time. Maybe. But in RL, it’s probably harder to move out beyond old habits.
It’s hard for me to relate to her, because I can’t imagine myself this whiny, though I have been devastated more than once in my life in other sorrows. Well, perhaps one person’s whine or rant is another’s deep sorrow. Maybe I was whiny too, but I doubt it. I was grieving, but so is she.
I give it a 2.5. It’s only fair to say there are a lot of positive comments about this book, but it seemed less adult to me than Flirting with Forty, not that I don’t like a good romp with the best of them. This tries to be serious, to have serious subjects, but the connecting points aren’t as well connected.
Karin
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August 13th, 2008 — Books, Forgiveness, Grief, Humor, Humorous, Relationships, Resentment, Romance
I enjoyed this book by Fern Michaels. It is only the second one I’ve read by her.
Central to the story are three sisters ranging in age upwards from 69. They were so funny to me, especially when they instigate a ‘kidnapping’ of sorts, which is really a rescue. I suppose what I like about them is that I want to be like them when I get to that point in life — feisty, involved, loving, fun to be around, engaged in what is going on around them, taking care of their families. I wasn’t enamored of the amount of drinking they did. And there is a brief mention of a child born and left to be raised in Japan.
Alongside their stories (and two brief forays into romance for two of them) is the story of their grown niece, interwoven with the stories of the historical nature of where they live, as well as those who live in their neighborhood.
Also central to the story is the subject of organ donation (which was done against the will of well-beloved character.) It ultimates in finding those who received the donations (by computer hacking) — and ultimately redemption.
It is a story of love, affirmation and good will, with a tidy ending, perhaps tidier than real life would be, but evidencing forgiveness.
I think I enjoyed it as much for the older women and their relationship to each other as anything. In some ways they reminded me of a beloved grandmother. While there are difficult subjects tackled, they are tackled in a light way. Sort of like the substance of whipped cream. Not real satisfying, but an attempt to be deeper than the average romance novel.
I give it a 2.5.
Karin
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August 4th, 2008 — Age, Books, Inspirational, Joy and happiness, Spirituality and God
I came across this interesting woman, Ruth Hamilton, yesterday, and now I can’t remember where. Perhaps you’ve looked at my various links and seen the link to the oldest blogger — well Ruth was even older — 109, imagine! And embracing new technology!
If you want to see and listen to a woman, born in 1898, who was the first women elected to the legislature in New Hampshire, who was one of the first women to have a radio talk show, who taught diction to movie stars, have fun perusing this site for more of her.
I’m always on the look out for people who lead interesting lives as they age — and for the ones that younger people gravitate toward because they have a zest for life that is contagious. If you play around at the site, you will find her eulogy and also information about a book she wrote as well as excerpts. It’s fun listening to her talk about God. For example, she asks God why she has lived so long, and all she hears is, “Shut up!”
Who do you know who might qualify as another Ruth? I’d love to have more real life stories of real men and women who are living vibrant lives as they get older.
Karin
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July 8th, 2008 — Inspiration and creativity, Opportunity, Spirituality and God
I saw this mentioned at another list this morning and thought others might enjoy it too. (It mentions God in the message and Jesus is mentioned in the website title.)
It deals creatively with the concept of fear (and even flying). I’m reading a fiction book now where the woman has a phobia of flying so it struck me on two levels.
Karin
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July 8th, 2008 — Just thinking, Movies, Opportunity
Here’s a short 3 minute inspirational movie on the importance of having dreams for your life.
I enjoyed it. I hope you do too!
Karin
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June 21st, 2008 — Books, Memory and forgetting
Reading Kinsella’s book has got me thinking.
Who is the keeper of my memories? Is there any one person who would know enough about my life to help me put it back together again?
I tend to be a reticent person, picking and choosing what and when to share, while at the same time being out-going. Some aspects of my life I haven’t shared with anyone, and some things I might yet share at the right time with the right persons under the right circumstances. I suppose that says that I don’t trust easily.
It used to be in pre-writing societies that the Keeper of Memories was a revered person, one who kept memories alive of the families and their history. It was important that it be remembered exactly and told in the same manner.
I’d have to get together with several of my friends and family in order to piece together the fabric of my life. And I suspect that some memories would clash with each other. Not all views of me would be the same.
It’s quite a heady subject. One that hopefully I’ll never have to test.
How about you?
Karin
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June 20th, 2008 — Books, Inspirational, Memory and forgetting, Romance
This was a really interesting book. Imagine if you wake up in the hospital after a car accident and your most current memory is three years before when you were out with your friends for the evening. You slipped and fell getting into a taxi. In the hospital, you think this is what has brought you to the hospital. But it is three years later and every vestige of those three years is lost to you.
No one is sure how long your memory will be gone or if any parts of it will resurface.
But ‘you’ as you are now are not the ‘you’ that you remember. The old you had the nickname Snaggletooth. Now you have perfect pearly whites. And that’s just the beginning. All your friends have changed. You are now a high powered executive (or you are told you are one…and you weren’t particularly likeable.)
And how are you to figure out the truth when there are lies in abundance around you?
Oh! and don’t forget you are married — and you have the wedding album to prove it — but not a single memory. Never mind that he is handsome and wealthy and perfect — or not.
That is the premise of this book and Kinsella keeps it up through 389 pages.
Is there any three year portion of your memories that you’d be willing to give up? Not likely, not when every single memory is wiped out.
And who is Lexi to trust? her husband who is more than a little creepy? the colleague in her office who covets her job? the man who says they were lovers and she was going to leave her husband?
And those who knew her during these years are not so quick to fill in the blanks, or they revise history if it would show themselves better, so whose ‘memories’ can she trust?
Her life is perfect — or is it?
She is a heroine you root for, with spunk, courage and joy, and you are not disappointed. She manages to get the best of those who want the worst for her, while finding herself, and the memories she makes are worth having.
This book is a delight to read. Nearly every page has some humor in it. It’s told in Lexi’s voice and takes place in London. I think it might be good to listen to this book read, if the reader is British.
Kinsella has also written the Shopaholic books, which I intend to read in the near future.
Have you read this book or any of her books? I give it a 4. Whose memories of your life would you trust? I suspect there are some parts of my life that would be lost to me as I’d have a hard time believing it all!
Karin
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June 2nd, 2008 — Guest writer, Spirituality and God
I do not know the source for this story. But I like the moral.
Karin
Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.
From a distance, each looks like every other horse.
But if one stops the car, or is walking by, one will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing. Listening, one will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, one will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her bridle is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.
As one stands and watches these two friends, one sees how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray.
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by God and those whom he places in our lives.
Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see God. Author unknown.
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May 23rd, 2008 — Memory and forgetting
Count us in. We are going. I’m not sure if we will take the 12 and 10 year olds, but the other three of us will go.
We had an Indy marathon the other night so we’d be up to speed again.
This is the kind of movie we would have gone to at 12:01 a.m., but life conspired this year to get in the way. Next time!
Karin
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