Movie Review: Real Steel

I am not an avid movie watcher, but when I have the time, or a movie catches my attention and I end up staying up past my bedtime to finish it, I like to tell people about it.

My most recent viewing experience was Real Steel. Adam was super excited when it came in that red envelope that everyone knows as Netflix! He ran around the house like a little kid saying, "Real Steel James Neal" Yes- the Penguin player who he is obsessed with (I like to call him Adam's boyfriend). But anyways, so he was really excited to watch it. So to begin, here is a preview of one of my favorite parts.

The movie is based in the not so distant future and features a younger kid, Max (played by Dakota Goyo) who I believe was 11, and Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) who you find out is his dad (but trust me, I didn't ruin it...you find that out in the first 5 minutes).

So Charlie fights these robots. I have to admit, they were really cool to watch. It was almost like they had to really build these robots to have them do the things they do, but we all know its CGI.

Well the story is about how Max's mom passes away and his deadbeat dad, Charlie, pays off Max's aunt and uncle to take custody of the kid. Except, the aunt and uncle are going on vacation and didn't plan for Max to go. So Charlie agrees that he will take him for a couple weeks or so but then he'll go live with them afterwards.

It is the typical movie from here. Kid hates dad. Dad doesn't like kid. Kid finds interest in robots. Dad starts to like kid. Kid almost falls off cliff. Dad starts to like kid more. Kid grows even more interest in robots and makes his own. Dad is proud. Kid wins battle. Dad wants to keep him.

I know it doesn't sound great from there, but I don't want to ruin it for you. It really is a good family movie and boys and girls will like it.

And trust me, there HAS to be a sequel coming out because there has to be more to it. You'll understand when you watch. Let me know what you think of the movie in the comments below!

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This is Going to be like a Kennywood Ride

When I was 18 my mom decided I should go to my first annual gynecological checkup. I knew the dreaded yearly exam would come soon enough as I remember hearing in health class that females should start to go around 17-18 years old. I really wasn’t sure what to expect. The thought of spreading my legs while hoisted in stirrups, with my private girl parts out for the world to see really freaked me out – and rightfully so. When I got to my appointment, I waited the usual half hour for my doctor. I finally heard a knock at the door and in walked a 50-some year old man with salt and pepper sideburns and a chocolate brown toupee. He gave his hair piece a quick fix, looked at me and winked. What was I getting myself into?

I am sure reading this it sounds like a very awkward first experience/impression. Weirdly enough it was his way of lightening the mood for what was to come. In a very strange way, I must admit, it helped. I figured he had a good sense of humor considering he knew it was so obvious he wore a rug on his head. I left there with a sense of relief; it was not as bad as I thought. He was super nice and he made me feel comfortable in one of the most uncomfortable situations.

Last week it was time for another one of my annual gynecological exams and lucky as you all are, you get to hear about this one too. I debated discussing this trip as these types of appointments are rather personal but the event that took place was too entertaining to keep to myself. My regular toupee-wearing doctor transitioned to focus more on delivering babies so I was forced to schedule an appointment with the newest doctor to the practice. She is a nice, short young female of Indian origin (I am trying to paint you a picture). When it was time for my exam the nurse came in, I leaned back and anxiously awaited the end of my appointment.

The doctor sat down, she was so tiny that I could not see her too well. All of a sudden I hear, “I am going to bring you up. This is going to be like a Kennywood ride.” Oh how fun. Up, up and up I go as the table begins to rise. I am sure the look on my face was quite entertaining as I look at the nurse who is just as surprised as me with how high I was in the air, my legs spread wide open and my private girly parts out. She then says, “I am going to lean you back a bit so I can get a good look.” Lean me back? Well this doctor must not have much experience with this table because she clearly held this button in for too long, I start grasping the sides of the table in fear I would slide down then back, head first with my hoo-ha out. The nurse couldn’t hold in her chuckle and neither could I, she asked if I was ok and the doctor kept apologizing for leaning me back too far. I had never had an experience quite like this before. The toupee-wearing doctor would have never pulled such shenanigans. I prayed that the next time I came in she would be better trained and I wouldn’t have to hold so tightly onto the table in fear of slipping off head first, hoo-ha out. If it were anyone else in my position I am sure they would have been a little irritated and mad. But I couldn’t because I was too busy laughing and she is so tiny, it’s the only way she feels she can see in there. I wish I was making this up, but I am not. Sadly (or thankfully) for my next appointment I will not get to see if she brushed up on her table-operating skills as I am getting new insurance and they’re not in my network. I will, however, be sad to leave my toupee-wearing doctor.

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Has It Been Five Year's Already?

This past Friday, my hubby and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary and it was one of the best days that we’ve had together in a long time.  I really wanted to make the day special for him.  Not only because it was our five year wedding anniversary (which I feel like these days, that’s a real accomplishment) but because things have been a little crazy for us over the last month.  So this seemed like the perfect time to celebrate and I just wanted to celebrate us.
Here’s what we did…

First, my hubby woke up surrounded by five heart-shaped balloons and each balloon had one reason why I loved him attached to it.  He just laughed and smiled because he knows that I love balloons just  because I feel like you can’t help but laugh and smile when you see a balloon…right?  Next we exchanged gifts.  The gift he gave me was a really big deal.  He gave me my engagement ring back which has been at the jewelers for the last seven months trying to be fixed…don’t ask.  The important thing was that it was finished and back on my finger.  My gift to him was a two-parter.  I always like to give one “traditional” gift and for five years, the traditional gift is wood.  So I went out and found a log and cleaned it up.  I carved our initials in it with a heart around it just like you would in a tree.  I then dug out a hole in the top to place a votive candle in it that was used at our wedding.  It’s totally cheesy and corny but cheesy and corny is just who I am sometimes.  The second part of my gift was a little adventure.  We went to a new place that just opened called Copper Kettle Brewing Company.  It’s located in Greenfield on Greenfield Avenue and we actually got to brew our own beer.  It was such a neat experience and we had a blast.  It really taught us so much about the beer making process and for two people that love beer as much as we do…this couldn’t have been a more perfect thing for us to do.  We then get to go back in 14 days to bottle and label our beer so now we’re trying to come up with a clever name for our anniversary beer.  Following the brewery, we went out for a nice dinner and then to a local bar to hang out and have a few drinks.  We laughed and had great conversations.  I felt so lucky and for the first time in a long time…I just felt like a normal couple, doing normal couple things.  A lot of the time I just feel like our bar runs our life and that’s all we do and all we talk about.

So that was our anniversary day together.  It was fun, relaxing and perfect and if you are looking for a really fun thing to do, definitely check out Copper Kettle Brewing Company.  They don’t have a website yet but you can find them on Facebook or through their bar website which is Hough’s.  And if you have any ideas on what we could name our brew, leave it in the comments section!  Thanks for letting me share.

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It Takes a Village

We've all heard the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." Well, it actually takes a whole lot more than a village to raise a child, raise awareness, raise self-esteem or do just about anything.

We live in a world full of "communities." Facebook is a community. Our churches are commuities. Our neighborhoods, co-workers, friends, friends of friends are our communities.

Back in our childhood days, we were taken care of by our parents, coaches, friends' parents. We ate dinner wherever. Slept wherever. And never worried. Someone would take care of us. Someone always took care of us.

As we enter adulthood, somewhere, we lose that. We lose the security of that "community" that cared for us and had our back. We have circles of friends that we are truly blessed to have. But we lose the "I'll look out for you if you look out for me." We get busy with our own lives and the waters get muddy. Too many ingredients fill the batter and we are left with something that looks amazing, but doesn't fill our hunger.

I have a lot of good friends. Friends that I could call at any hour of any day who would talk me off a ledge, bring me a home-cooked meal or laugh me out of a funk. But still, I hunger for more. I have back-up at work if I'm on vacation or sick, but what about in my real world?

I live far away from my hometown. The place I actually still refer to as home. But through communities, such as facebook, I'm still connected. Recently, on one of my daily facebook checks, I saw a posting from Liv With Autism. It regarded a simple idea--to anonymously friend another mom in the group and become their "Secret Sista." Someone who understands where you are, what you are going through and gives you anonymous words of encouragement, wisdom and the occasional Starbucks gift card. I'm not a part of the support group. I'm too far away. But the idea that someone, somewhere could give me validation that not even most of my closest of friends could (though they try, bless them all). I was in. All in!

Same goes for a friend of mine whose husband is fighting renal cancer. She's made her own community of support. She's set up the Renal Race. Gotten sponsers. Created a website and facebook following. All to honor her family's fight, but also support her mission. Surrounding herself with loved ones and friends, who in a most desperate time of need, are willing to step up and step in to help.

I don't know where my communities will lead me. I don't know if they will feed me or let me sleep under their roofs. I do know that where I am right now, among all my fellow villagers, we are doing what we can with what we have and we are crying, laughing and smirking through it all.

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Happy Birthday, Cuz!

When I was younger, I always wanted a bigger family. I wanted more siblings than my one younger brother. It wasn't until much later in life that I realized I come from a HUGE family. I don't think this occurred to me because it was so normal to have a big extended family. And I was only around my extended family a couple times a year.

My dad had eight siblings. While not all lived into adulthood or married and had children, my dad's side of the family is quite large. We segment the offspring by grandchildren (which I am a member of), great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Adding in the in-laws, this side of the family easily numbers over 100, stemming from my grandparents.

My mom's side of the family is not nearly that large. I have 5 cousins. But almost all have married and have kids of their own. I see and interact with this side of the family more frequently than my dad's side.

The great things about cousins, if you are lucky, is that they become friends. They aren't people you only see at weddings and funerals or only hear from at the holidays or keep up-to-date on their lives through your parents. But since they are family they understand and deal with all the quirks that make us who we are and don't hold those things against us.

Well...today is my cousin Robin's birthday! And it is a milestone birthday, but I won't say what it is. :) She lives in North Carolina and I don't get to see her too often, but I appreciate and love the person that she is. I am blessed to have her in my life!

Happy Birthday, Robin! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you!

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Can I Stay Dedicated for the Next 7 Months?

I’ve been intrigued lately by a relative of mine who has made the change in her life to go vegan. She is not a PETA vegan (she carries a leather purse and owns UGGs) but she made the choice to improve her health. In less than five months she has transformed, all by changing her diet.

Now, her measures to cut animal products out of her diet completely may be drastic to some, but to me it shows discipline and dedication.

We all talk about losing a few pounds here or there, or trying a new “fad” diet plan, but how many people are dedicated enough to make these changes permanent?

Dedication is something you have or lack throughout your life. Some things in life might come easy to you, and these changes benefit you in the long run. Other times in our lives, we are quitters – giving up because it is “too hard” or you lack the discipline to keep going at something out of your comfort zone.

We have all been there, faced with new challenges that turn and we tackle head on. But then the going gets tough, and we retreat. Sometimes it’s just hard to stick with something new. It’s easier to go back to the way things were.

I could never be disciplined enough to do what my cousin is doing. I admire her dedication to creating a healthier lifestyle. I’m accustom to eating a box of Oreos weekly. Cutting sugar out of my life would place me straight into that uncomfortable zone, and I would quit. I can almost guarantee you that.

So where can we find this dedication and discipline. Does it show up when we need it most?

There have been plenty of times that I have thought about making positive changes (starting small) – attempting to implement a workout plan (Workout Wednesdays, ladies), changing my diet by not consuming AS MUCH crap, and especially not eating after 9:00 p.m.

But here we are – going on weeks of abandoned Workout Wednesdays and I snacked on brownies and chocolate covered strawberries at lunch. My challenge list might seem minimal to most, but to me a healthier lifestyle has to start somewhere.

Now – to find the dedication and discipline. It is only 7 months till the wedding (EEEK!)

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Is time really flying?

Is it me or is January just flying by? I seriously feel like it was last week that we were celebrating New Years. This weather certainly does not help the fact that I can't keep my mind straight on what month we are even in! Can you believe it was almost 60 yesterday in Pittsburgh? Hellllllo! It is January...when it is supposed to be blizzarding and icing, making my morning commute hell. Since when do we get thunderstorm warnings in January? Welcome to 2012 where all strange things are going to happen.

I swear come every Tuesday I am wishing it was Friday. Sure, we all do because Friday is much better than Tuesday. For me, there isn't any reason in particular that I wish it was Friday, besides the obvious, but I just feel like once I get to Wednesday that Monday and Tuesday are just a blur and Thursday just flies by so Friday can get here. Is time going faster than ever?

This year will actually be a longer year than normal thanks to Leap Year and the fact that the controllers of universal time are actually adding a second of time at the end of one of the months. Forgive me but I can't exactly remember which month and the Google machine isn't giving me anything, but I want to say that it is going to happen on the last day of May going into June. The world clock will basically be held for 1 second, so June will get here 1 second later than normal. No big deal for us. We won't even notice, but this is due to the rotation of the Earth and the sun, etc. etc. etc. space geeks.

The point is, do you remember when it felt like Christmas would never get here? When it was forever until your birthday or the last day of school? Now time just slips away when I want it to slow down the most. I want to enjoy this time in my life, when I am still young. I don't want to rush to 50 anytime soon even though I am halfway there. Actually, we will be lucky if we make it past 2012 since the world is supposed to end this year. So that explains all of the strange happenings...

Is your life just passing you on by these days like mine? How do we make it slow down? I don't know how to get out of my normal Monday through Friday routine to break the time-space-continum thingy since I wake up, go to work, get home, do a couple things around the house, have dinner, shower and go back to sleep to do it all over again. Thank God for the weekend. But can it get here faster, please?

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