Last night, Mike and I went to see Just Go With It. On moviefone, the critics supposedly said "skip it," but since Adam Sandler is one of Mike's favorite actors, and I kinda like Jennifer Aniston, we went and saw it anyway.
The premise of the movie is that Adam Sandler is a plastic surgeon who wears a wedding ring, makes up fake wives who are horrible to him just to get in bed with other girls. But finally, at a party, he meets a girl whom he feels he really connects with. Of course, she finds his ring, which causes him to create this elaborately complicated story about a divorce and kids and all that, which causes him to involve his assistant and her children into the story. All so he can get in with this girl.
The plot takes the group to Hawaii, during which lots of crazy antics happen, and different situations that make the lies even more complicated. And of course, Adam Sandler's character has a change of heart etc. I won't go into details about the end, because I don't want to give it away.
The nice thing about this movie is that it wasn't a bunch of slap stick humor like a lot of Sandler's movies. And he talks like a normal person and not someone who might possibly have some sort of mental disability. You all know what I'm talking about (Waterboy, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore...)
The movie is more about situational humor and different things happening to the group that just makes you go "oh no!!" and then laugh.
The two little actors, Bailee Madison and Griffin Gluck, who play Jennifer Aniston's kids, did really well. They were funny, cute and witty, and I thought were a welcome addition to the cast. They worked well with Sandler, I thought.
Oh, and Jennifer Aniston is really pretty.
If any part of you likes Adam Sandler movies, this is one worth watching. There are no tear jerker moments (Click) and Mike thought it was a good movie for Sandler to return to comedy from his stint in drama.
I give it a 3 1/2 of 5 stars.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Another Writing Prompt
Prompt: Take the first line of your favorite song and write a story using it as the first line.
Picture perfect memories are scattered all around the floor. The love I once felt is hanging out the window, attached to the end table by a noose of broken dreams. Now all I am left with are tear soaked tissues crumpled into little balls in the garbage can. When it finally came down to it, those tissues were all our four year relationship was worth. To me, at least. To him, I think I was nothing.
When we began, it was beautiful. He was the perfect boyfriend. We made plans, oh, how we made plans. Trips, children, homes, and he promised me everything. Once, he said I could have the moon, as soon as he made enough to afford it. He even bought me flowers on days when I didn’t expect them. And for Valentine’s day that first year, he sent me three dozen red roses. The other girls at the office were jealous, and I felt like I was on top of the world.
A year and a half in, the spark was snuffed out. But I couldn’t let go. Even after the first time he hit me. He’d come home late on the night we had plans, and I asked him what he was doing and why he didn’t call. He didn’t say anything, but he looked at me with those deep brown eyes, so full of a hatred I hadn’t known existed. Where had that hate come from? When I opened my mouth to speak again, the blow came. Right across my cheek. Hard. My head snapped to the side and I felt the blood rush into the place where his hand left a mark. I was too stunned to move, too stunned to say anything. He pushed me to the side and went into the bathroom and locked the door. I slept on the couch that night.
Throughout the next two years, there were little patches of sun that came through the cloudy day of our relationship. Those little patches continued to give me hope that we’d be okay. When things were good, they were really just okay. He never looked at me again the way he did when we first began dating. But we were able to sleep in the same bed and have normal conversations.
The bottom broke when I caught him in our bed with another woman. They just laughed at me, and I was humiliated. Neither of them felt any remorse about hurting me and destroying my relationship. When I voiced this, the girl laughed and in this awful, gratingly female voice, said, “Honey, you destroyed your own relationship. I just picked up the pieces.”
I ran away from the apartment in tears and found a hotel room. For a couple of days, I cried my out until there were none left in my whole body. Finally, the tears stopped and I laid on that bed feeling empty and numb. Then came the knock on the door. When I opened the door to see him standing on the other side, my stomach did a little lurch, anticipating what was going to happen. He stepped around me in the room and shook his head at the evidence of my grief. When I closed the door he turned to me and pulled the slender piece of death out of his coat.
“You don’t need to be here anymore,” he said, and fired. When he left the room, he stepped over my body and left the door open. My body lays broken on the ground, bleeding. His final moment with me was to take away the life he’d already shredded. And now I’m left with nothing but these memories.
The song of course is "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum.
Picture perfect memories are scattered all around the floor. The love I once felt is hanging out the window, attached to the end table by a noose of broken dreams. Now all I am left with are tear soaked tissues crumpled into little balls in the garbage can. When it finally came down to it, those tissues were all our four year relationship was worth. To me, at least. To him, I think I was nothing.
When we began, it was beautiful. He was the perfect boyfriend. We made plans, oh, how we made plans. Trips, children, homes, and he promised me everything. Once, he said I could have the moon, as soon as he made enough to afford it. He even bought me flowers on days when I didn’t expect them. And for Valentine’s day that first year, he sent me three dozen red roses. The other girls at the office were jealous, and I felt like I was on top of the world.
A year and a half in, the spark was snuffed out. But I couldn’t let go. Even after the first time he hit me. He’d come home late on the night we had plans, and I asked him what he was doing and why he didn’t call. He didn’t say anything, but he looked at me with those deep brown eyes, so full of a hatred I hadn’t known existed. Where had that hate come from? When I opened my mouth to speak again, the blow came. Right across my cheek. Hard. My head snapped to the side and I felt the blood rush into the place where his hand left a mark. I was too stunned to move, too stunned to say anything. He pushed me to the side and went into the bathroom and locked the door. I slept on the couch that night.
Throughout the next two years, there were little patches of sun that came through the cloudy day of our relationship. Those little patches continued to give me hope that we’d be okay. When things were good, they were really just okay. He never looked at me again the way he did when we first began dating. But we were able to sleep in the same bed and have normal conversations.
The bottom broke when I caught him in our bed with another woman. They just laughed at me, and I was humiliated. Neither of them felt any remorse about hurting me and destroying my relationship. When I voiced this, the girl laughed and in this awful, gratingly female voice, said, “Honey, you destroyed your own relationship. I just picked up the pieces.”
I ran away from the apartment in tears and found a hotel room. For a couple of days, I cried my out until there were none left in my whole body. Finally, the tears stopped and I laid on that bed feeling empty and numb. Then came the knock on the door. When I opened the door to see him standing on the other side, my stomach did a little lurch, anticipating what was going to happen. He stepped around me in the room and shook his head at the evidence of my grief. When I closed the door he turned to me and pulled the slender piece of death out of his coat.
“You don’t need to be here anymore,” he said, and fired. When he left the room, he stepped over my body and left the door open. My body lays broken on the ground, bleeding. His final moment with me was to take away the life he’d already shredded. And now I’m left with nothing but these memories.
The song of course is "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum.
Buster Midnight's Cafe - Sandra Dallas
I chose this book to read after I finished "The Girl who Played with Fire" and while still in the middle of "The House of Seven Gables." It considered a "light read." And to be honest, it kind of was. It's really a straight forward book without many surprises.
The premise of the book is that two elderly women, Whippy Bird and Effa Commander, are living in Butte, Montana and decide to tell the real story of their childhood and to try and correct the lies that some other guy who wrote a book spread about certain folks from town. They allude to a murder, so when that part happens, the reader isn't really surprised about it.
Chapter 2 starts at the beginning of a friendship between Whippy Bird, Effa Commander and May Anna Kovaks. How they met and such. From there, the story progresses through their life pretty chronologically from beginning to end.
It's a nice story about friendship, love and relationships, as well as the detrimental effects of a small town girl hitting it big in Hollywood. And certainly qualifies as a "light read" in my opinion. The nice part is that it's not a teen read where it's dripping in romance and all that. The narrator, Effa Commander, leaves out most details about her romantic life. I believe it comes from her character having been raised during a time when such things weren't talked about in polite society. It deals more with the bonds of friendship between both men and women and always being there for each other no matter what.
Sandra Dallas has another book I've read called "The Chili Queen" which is about a woman who runs a whorehouse. I recommend both books for their light read quality and their occasional silliness. After reading, you'll be set to delve into some other classical literature novel.
The premise of the book is that two elderly women, Whippy Bird and Effa Commander, are living in Butte, Montana and decide to tell the real story of their childhood and to try and correct the lies that some other guy who wrote a book spread about certain folks from town. They allude to a murder, so when that part happens, the reader isn't really surprised about it.
Chapter 2 starts at the beginning of a friendship between Whippy Bird, Effa Commander and May Anna Kovaks. How they met and such. From there, the story progresses through their life pretty chronologically from beginning to end.
It's a nice story about friendship, love and relationships, as well as the detrimental effects of a small town girl hitting it big in Hollywood. And certainly qualifies as a "light read" in my opinion. The nice part is that it's not a teen read where it's dripping in romance and all that. The narrator, Effa Commander, leaves out most details about her romantic life. I believe it comes from her character having been raised during a time when such things weren't talked about in polite society. It deals more with the bonds of friendship between both men and women and always being there for each other no matter what.
Sandra Dallas has another book I've read called "The Chili Queen" which is about a woman who runs a whorehouse. I recommend both books for their light read quality and their occasional silliness. After reading, you'll be set to delve into some other classical literature novel.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson
I finally finished this book the other night. It took me a really long time to get into it. Compared to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it has a really complicated storyline that deals with sex, drugs, trafficking, and so many names that are Swedish that it's really difficult to wade through the all names, relationships and information.
Finally towards the middle of the book, the story picked up and it started to get exciting. There were all these connections between the characters that made you set the book in your lap and say "WOAH WHAT!?" And of course, the awful cliffhanger ending that makes you want to immediately pick up Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. And of course, all the libraries in my surrounding area don't have it, are ordering more and almost all are on hold by other people and due at much later dates. But I'll find a way. Even though I hate electronic book readers, I might just have to download the book onto my iPod and read it that way.
Anyway, it's an interesting sequel to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, though if you desire more of the relationship between Mikael and Lisbeth, don't get your hopes up too much. Mikael spends more of the book chasing Lisbeth's tail, and they don't actually speak face-to-face at all the entire 600 some pages, which leaves some to be desired, but I'm putting my faith in Hornet's nest that they'll meet again.
My suggestion for this book is to keep a piece of paper and a pen with you while reading it and write down people's names and who they are and what they're purpose is in the story. I've had to do that before with other books just to keep all the names and relationships straight, and I think it would be helpful for the serious reader of this book. Unless you're good at remembering all that. I'm not.
Looking forward to an update after reading Hornet's Nest and a whole review of the trilogy that Stieg Larsson so sadly missed the popularity of.
Finally towards the middle of the book, the story picked up and it started to get exciting. There were all these connections between the characters that made you set the book in your lap and say "WOAH WHAT!?" And of course, the awful cliffhanger ending that makes you want to immediately pick up Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. And of course, all the libraries in my surrounding area don't have it, are ordering more and almost all are on hold by other people and due at much later dates. But I'll find a way. Even though I hate electronic book readers, I might just have to download the book onto my iPod and read it that way.
Anyway, it's an interesting sequel to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, though if you desire more of the relationship between Mikael and Lisbeth, don't get your hopes up too much. Mikael spends more of the book chasing Lisbeth's tail, and they don't actually speak face-to-face at all the entire 600 some pages, which leaves some to be desired, but I'm putting my faith in Hornet's nest that they'll meet again.
My suggestion for this book is to keep a piece of paper and a pen with you while reading it and write down people's names and who they are and what they're purpose is in the story. I've had to do that before with other books just to keep all the names and relationships straight, and I think it would be helpful for the serious reader of this book. Unless you're good at remembering all that. I'm not.
Looking forward to an update after reading Hornet's Nest and a whole review of the trilogy that Stieg Larsson so sadly missed the popularity of.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Zingerman's Roadhouse - Really Good American Food
I went to this place with my book club group on Wednesday January 25, 2011.
This place not only has a large inside area, but a drive up trailer outside to order (I think) the same or at least similar food to what you can get inside. Pretty awesome.
The restaurant was kind of loud, so it wasn't the greatest place to be talking about books, but that wasn't a problem.
I was very impressed by the waiter we had. We was very knowledgeable about the food, where their ingredients come from, the drinks etc. I was impressed to hear about how they acquire a lot of their foods locally.
While we were sitting around talking and deciding what to order, the waiter brought us a free appetizer. We were all surprised and flattered. What he brought us was a plate of sweet potato fries with a side of sauce. The sauce was a combination of mayo and Frank's Red Hot Sauce (which is my favorite). Now, I don't normally like sweet potatoes, but this fries have almost turned me into a believer. With the sauce, it was perfection. So delicious.
For our meal, I ordered their original mac and cheese. I wish I could remember the ingredients, but I don't. While it was a smaller portion (and my original thought was "this is is?") the portion size was perfect. I ate it all, and was satisfied. The other ladies in my group really enjoyed their meals as well.
Finally, the waiter brought us a free dessert!! It was a chocolate pudding with raspberries and a little whip cream on it. Also yummy. He was pleasant when we asked to split up our bill into 5 separate bills, and I know I tipped well. I'm sure the others did too.
I loved this experience and would recommend it to anyone who loves American food, and more importantly, wants to support a place that buys their food locally.
Zingerman's Roadhouse
2501 Jackson Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
This place not only has a large inside area, but a drive up trailer outside to order (I think) the same or at least similar food to what you can get inside. Pretty awesome.
The restaurant was kind of loud, so it wasn't the greatest place to be talking about books, but that wasn't a problem.
I was very impressed by the waiter we had. We was very knowledgeable about the food, where their ingredients come from, the drinks etc. I was impressed to hear about how they acquire a lot of their foods locally.
While we were sitting around talking and deciding what to order, the waiter brought us a free appetizer. We were all surprised and flattered. What he brought us was a plate of sweet potato fries with a side of sauce. The sauce was a combination of mayo and Frank's Red Hot Sauce (which is my favorite). Now, I don't normally like sweet potatoes, but this fries have almost turned me into a believer. With the sauce, it was perfection. So delicious.
For our meal, I ordered their original mac and cheese. I wish I could remember the ingredients, but I don't. While it was a smaller portion (and my original thought was "this is is?") the portion size was perfect. I ate it all, and was satisfied. The other ladies in my group really enjoyed their meals as well.
Finally, the waiter brought us a free dessert!! It was a chocolate pudding with raspberries and a little whip cream on it. Also yummy. He was pleasant when we asked to split up our bill into 5 separate bills, and I know I tipped well. I'm sure the others did too.
I loved this experience and would recommend it to anyone who loves American food, and more importantly, wants to support a place that buys their food locally.
Zingerman's Roadhouse
2501 Jackson Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Harper's Bar and Grill- Lansing, MI
One of my best friends, Lisa, and her boyfriend Tim, wanted Mike and I to come out and visit her at her apartment near Lansing. So we headed out there (half the drive being consumed by snow). We ended up going to a place called Harper's Bar and Grill.
We got there around 8pm. At that time, it wasn't too busy. Like any college town bar, the music was loud and the drinks were pretty cheap. We went on a Friday, which meant $2.50 pints, bombs, Svedka, and Jack. We ate there as well.
The place looked like a regular old bar, but also was it's own micro brewery. I don't like beer, but I took a sip of Mike's raspberry wheat, and I thought it was okay- mostly because it didn't really taste like beer at all.
Our group had a mixed selection of food, and mixed opinions. I had a hamburger, to which I added Ranch, as usual, and tomato, lettuce and bacon. The size of the burger itself was really small, and it was over cooked for my taste. No pink at all. Also, they charge an extra $1.50 for fries, so I didn't order any. A mistake because I got hungry again quickly.
Mike and Lisa got two different pasta dishes. While I was not super excited about my meal, Mike and Lisa's dishes were actually really good. Lisa got a sorta of lasagna type thing, which was thick, but good, and Mike had a genius combo of pasta, three cheese Alfredo and bacon. That too was really delicious. Tim had a hamburger like I did, but he said his was alright. That can be accounted for through differences of taste.
I think the best part of our evening was our waiter. He looked like his was miles above Earth. He was very forgetful and looked like his probably didn't know he was actually at work. Poor kid, but sadly, not surprising. He was, however, a source of entertainment for the night.
The night we were there, the bar had a band who played 80's covers, afro wigs and everything. I don't know the name of the band, though. They were actually decent, and were a nice break from the overly loud Top 40 songs.
The last aspect of the night was the pool tables. It cost $1.50 to play pool, but they at least had a change machine right next to the tables. The cues were okay. And the felt on both tables were stained from games of beer pong (they had a big wood slab that could be placed over the pool tables for the game).
Overall, I'd probably go again, but not order the hamburger. And hope that I would get a waiter who didn't decide to get high before work.
Harper's Bar and Grill
131 Albert Ave.
East Lansing, MI 48823
We got there around 8pm. At that time, it wasn't too busy. Like any college town bar, the music was loud and the drinks were pretty cheap. We went on a Friday, which meant $2.50 pints, bombs, Svedka, and Jack. We ate there as well.
The place looked like a regular old bar, but also was it's own micro brewery. I don't like beer, but I took a sip of Mike's raspberry wheat, and I thought it was okay- mostly because it didn't really taste like beer at all.
Our group had a mixed selection of food, and mixed opinions. I had a hamburger, to which I added Ranch, as usual, and tomato, lettuce and bacon. The size of the burger itself was really small, and it was over cooked for my taste. No pink at all. Also, they charge an extra $1.50 for fries, so I didn't order any. A mistake because I got hungry again quickly.
Mike and Lisa got two different pasta dishes. While I was not super excited about my meal, Mike and Lisa's dishes were actually really good. Lisa got a sorta of lasagna type thing, which was thick, but good, and Mike had a genius combo of pasta, three cheese Alfredo and bacon. That too was really delicious. Tim had a hamburger like I did, but he said his was alright. That can be accounted for through differences of taste.
I think the best part of our evening was our waiter. He looked like his was miles above Earth. He was very forgetful and looked like his probably didn't know he was actually at work. Poor kid, but sadly, not surprising. He was, however, a source of entertainment for the night.
The night we were there, the bar had a band who played 80's covers, afro wigs and everything. I don't know the name of the band, though. They were actually decent, and were a nice break from the overly loud Top 40 songs.
The last aspect of the night was the pool tables. It cost $1.50 to play pool, but they at least had a change machine right next to the tables. The cues were okay. And the felt on both tables were stained from games of beer pong (they had a big wood slab that could be placed over the pool tables for the game).
Overall, I'd probably go again, but not order the hamburger. And hope that I would get a waiter who didn't decide to get high before work.
Harper's Bar and Grill
131 Albert Ave.
East Lansing, MI 48823
Monday, January 10, 2011
Ruggles Cafe- Milford, MI
**UPDATE** I'm not sure when, but Ruggles Cafe has closed. From what I could tell, they tried to gain a liqueur license, and didn't quite make it. There are now signs in the window for a Mexican style restaurant.
-- -- --
Mike and I went to Ruggles Cafe a couple of days ago. It's new in Milford, and we just wanted to see what they were about.
First impressions upon walking in: the wait staff seemed really unhappy. They looked up at us as we made our way through the double set of doors with the most depressed and unmotivated looks on their faces. Not the best way to instill confidence in a customer.
Our actual waitress was a little happier, but you could tell that she probably felt the same way as the others working there. Now, as a retail worker, I can relate to how much it sucks doing that stuff. I really can. But even though it's not my favorite job ever, I still have to pretend I'm happy for the customers.
The atmosphere of the place was kind of dreary as well. The walls are painted a sort of purple-gray color. There's some art on the walls, and lots of windows. We were placed by a window that obviously has some leakage, cause neither of us took our coats off the whole time we were there. It was too chilly. The room has a lot of open space, and the ceiling and pipes are all painted black (understandable) but the rest of the space just felt cold.
As for the food, however, it was really good. Mike had a hamburger and he thought it was really good. I had a turkey club with bacon and avocado which was too big for me to eat, so it became more like a salad than a sandwich, but it was alright. I also had chicken noodle soup. I did find a thick piece of chewy skin, but other than that, it was good soup- more than just soup from a can, it had veggies, thick noodles and real chicken.
The prices are reasonable. An average of $8-13 depending on what you order. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.
I would still recommend checking this place out for the food. Maybe we went on a fluke day when the wait staff were having a bad day- but really, the food is worth it.
Ruggles Cafe
525 N. Main, Ste. 200
Milford, MI 48381
Ruggles Facebook
-- -- --
Mike and I went to Ruggles Cafe a couple of days ago. It's new in Milford, and we just wanted to see what they were about.
First impressions upon walking in: the wait staff seemed really unhappy. They looked up at us as we made our way through the double set of doors with the most depressed and unmotivated looks on their faces. Not the best way to instill confidence in a customer.
Our actual waitress was a little happier, but you could tell that she probably felt the same way as the others working there. Now, as a retail worker, I can relate to how much it sucks doing that stuff. I really can. But even though it's not my favorite job ever, I still have to pretend I'm happy for the customers.
The atmosphere of the place was kind of dreary as well. The walls are painted a sort of purple-gray color. There's some art on the walls, and lots of windows. We were placed by a window that obviously has some leakage, cause neither of us took our coats off the whole time we were there. It was too chilly. The room has a lot of open space, and the ceiling and pipes are all painted black (understandable) but the rest of the space just felt cold.
As for the food, however, it was really good. Mike had a hamburger and he thought it was really good. I had a turkey club with bacon and avocado which was too big for me to eat, so it became more like a salad than a sandwich, but it was alright. I also had chicken noodle soup. I did find a thick piece of chewy skin, but other than that, it was good soup- more than just soup from a can, it had veggies, thick noodles and real chicken.
The prices are reasonable. An average of $8-13 depending on what you order. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.
I would still recommend checking this place out for the food. Maybe we went on a fluke day when the wait staff were having a bad day- but really, the food is worth it.
Ruggles Cafe
525 N. Main, Ste. 200
Milford, MI 48381
Ruggles Facebook
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)