Garden Update

We’ve reached another Friday and today I’ve got some garden pictures to share with you. My garden is growing like crazy this year. I was talking with my neighbor Jeff the other day and he said his garden was growing like crazy too. I’m not sure if it’s the humidity or the fact that we are getting rain almost every night or what the deal is, but my tomato plants are already above the cages; and the garden was planted less than a month ago!

Tony’s garden is growing fast as well. I saw it on Memorial Day but didn’t take my camera so I don’t have any photos to share. We are really anxious to see how the pumpkins turn out.

Here are some photos of my little garden:

The garden on May 25

The garden on May 31

May 25

Little tomatoes coming in

More tomatoes

Tony decided he wanted to point at the blooms

And then he wanted to hold one

This is a juliet hybrid tomato - very good!

Tony's probably pondering why I haven't pulled the weeds out of the spot where the peppers are planted.

Last year I planted this Hydrangea- it only has one bloom.

Closer look at the lone bloom

My neighbor Jeff gave me this plant last year.

I'm not sure what it is.

This dog, Dudley, moved in next door. He likes to bark!

Here are some photos of The Tide (just for you, Candy!)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thursday Movie Review MacGruber and Prince of Persia

As mentioned in an earlier post, Tony and I saw two movies on Saturday afternoon/evening. The first of the double-header was MacGruber, based on the Saturday Night Live skit of the same name. MacGruber is a spoof of MacGyver, a television series from the late 1980s – early 1990s.

For whatever reason, Tony and I think the MacGruber skits on SNL are hilarious; and it is not uncommon to occasionally hear us singing the theme song. I had seen where this film was dubbed the best SNL movie since Wayne’s World, and since Jackie and I loved Wayne’s World as kids, I figured MacGruber had to be funny. WRONG! This was one of the worst movies I have seen in I don’t know how long. The plot was dull, there was lots of bad language and strange sex scenes and the crude humor was not funny at all. I thought the funniest part of the movie was when MacGruber said to his friend, “I’m going loco man,” and the translation came on the screen, “I’m going crazy man.”

If you were thinking about seeing this movie, but haven’t yet made the plunge, take it from me, save your money. It was awful! 

Tony's take: awful.

The second movie we saw was Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan. This movie, oddly enough, is based on a video game. When I saw the previews for this movie, I was intrigued and wasn’t sure if it would be that good. Tony thought the same and after I told him I thought I would go see it by myself, he decided he too wanted to see this one. So, off we went.

I thought the plot of this movie, although fantastical, was very interesting and the movie kept me intrigued throughout. All the characters were interesting and there were many times when I couldn’t decide who was trustworthy and who was not. The true villain of the film may come as a surprise to you, it did to me.

Produced by Disney, this movie had more of a grown-up or young adult feel to it, similar toThe Pirates of the Caribbean movies; so, you may not want to take the youngest of children. The best I can remember, there was no foul language, making this a very family friendly movie.

I enjoyed this movie immensely and would recommend it for anyone looking for a good date movie or a family movie night. Two thumbs up from me.

Tony's take: pretty good

Thursday Movie Review - Sex and The City 2

This past Friday, I hit the theater to see Sex and The City 2 with my friend Brenda. Brenda and I work together and she accompanied me when I saw the first Sex and The City movie a couple of years ago. So, we decided we would go see this one together too.

I had read a lot of the critics’ reviews before seeing the film and I think I went in expecting to be disappointed; but, I wasn’t because nothing beats Carrie and the girls getting together for a cocktail and to catch up. After all, after being absent from the scene for two years, who isn’t ready for a dose of Carrie and company?

I started watching Sex and The City when I lived in New York and immediately fell in love with the show. I have all the seasons on DVD and while not an uber-fan like some crazy people out there, I do love it. When I lived in North Carolina, I watched all the seasons with my friend Jessica (hey Jess!) and we had a grand time laughing and talking about the show.

This second movie was on par with the first in my opinion. The plot wasn’t over the top or extra ordinary; it was just okay. It’s a bit difficult to tell a story about established characters when you’ve only got two hours and the characters have been MIA for two years, which is why the show was so much better than the movies have been.

The fashion was absolutely amazing, as expected. I read somewhere that the budget for clothes was in the millions and I believe it. In the movie the girls take a trip to Abu Dhabi and the scenery is absolutely amazing and so extravagant and beautiful – it almost made me want to plan a trip to the UAE – almost.

A lot of the critics’ reviews I read complained that the girls had fallen into a more societal role of wife and mother rather than being the trend setting fly by your pants type of women they were in the television series. I personally didn’t find this offensive in the least. I think it’s more appropriate that these characters have become wives and mothers rather than the bed hopping singletons they were previously. It shows that they are much more mature than they once were and after all, that’s what life is all about – growing up and casting away the crazy lives we had in our 20s. I know I’m quite happy I’ve moved on from that time in my life. The only character that remains the same is Samantha. She's up to her same crazy antics and quite frankly, I think it's time she grew up as well.

In short, if you are a fan of the Sex and The City franchise, then I think you will enjoy this movie as well; because it’s always good to catch up with old friends, wouldn’t you agree?

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Hello, is anyone out there? It's been a long time since anyone commented on this blog. I'm beginning to wonder if anyone is reading these days. How was your Memorial Day weekend? I hope those of you that work enjoyed the day off; I know I did. I also took last Friday off so that I could enjoy a four day weekend. I had lots of activities planned; but unfortunately some of them didn’t happen because of rain.

On Friday, Tony and I had plans to go over to Decatur and attend the Daikin Festival. I had never heard of this before, but a man I work with told me about it and I thought it sounded like fun. Of course, the festival was outside and it started raining Friday afternoon into the night and I didn’t particularly want to hang out in the rain; so, we cancelled those plans and went to Olive Garden and watched Couples Retreat instead. It was just as funny the second time around.

Saturday I had thought about going to Decatur for the Alabama Jubilee to watch the early morning hot air balloon races. I was going to ask my dad to go with me since I know he likes hot air balloons; but I opted to stay in town and go to the gym instead – I think there’s something wrong with me! So, Saturday was spent cleaning house, going to the grocery store and watching softball and hockey on TV – I know you are jealous of how awesome my day was.

Sunday Tony and I saw two movies at the theater, which I will be reviewing later in the week. One was terrible, the other was really good, which is usually how it goes when we see two movies the same night. It’s our curse I suppose.

On Monday morning, Tony came over about 6:30 and made sure the tires on my bike were pumped up and we headed out on our bikes up Bankhead Parkway to Tollgate. I did a lot of complaining and heavy breathing; but looking back on it, it really wasn’t that bad and I’m planning to do it again soon. I hope to build up my endurance on this part of the course and perhaps make it all the way up the mountain one day not so soon. At any rate, we went up to Tollgate and Mountain Wood to watch the Cotton Row runners come up the big treacherous hill. Tony said he wanted to see the agony on their faces. I had a grand time. Tony was actually feeling sick so I don’t think he enjoyed it as much as I did. There were over 4,000 runners this year and in the mass of people coming up the hill I missed seeing everyone I know. Actually, I recognized a few people – someone from the gym, the son of a couple at church, another face or two – but no one I could yell and cheer for. Three of my cousins, and a score of other people I know ran in the race and I saw not one of them as they came by. It probably didn’t help that the HPD was letting cars pass right in front of us as we watched; which brings me to a complaint.

The Cotton Row Run has taken place every year for the past 30 years and has had the same route for I don’t know how long; so, drivers, if you live on the route and need to get out on the morning of the run – how about planning accordingly? And HPD, why do you feel the need to let these idiots drive down the road when there is a foot race taking place? One person almost ran over my toes – it wasn’t pleasant. One person even turned in the same direction as the runners after he was directed to go the other way by HPD. I’m not even kidding. I guess that person wanted to see how many runners he could take down. It was bizarre. I personally think that HPD should have made people wait or take a different route rather than allow them to drive alongside the race route while people were on the street. OK, thanks, I feel better now.

After we watched the runners come up Mountain Wood, we headed down the mountain on Randolph Street and saw some of the same folks head towards downtown. Then it was time to go home and nap. Here are the results in case you want to look up some Parkers or other people you may know.

I also mowed the lawn and did some grilling before watching game two of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Why is it that in every year of my life the Flyers stink it up in the Stanley Cup Finals? I wasn’t even alive the last time they won the cup, you’d think they could win it just once.

So, that was my Memorial Day weekend. I hope yours was just as adventurous as mine!

Get Out And Vote!

There will be a weekend update and movie reviews later in the week; but, for today, it’s the first day of June and also the first Tuesday in June which means it’s time for the primaries in Alabama. If you know me, then you know I am a HUGE advocate of getting out and letting your voice be heard in the form of voting. This is a privilege that we have as Americans and so many people take it for granted by not voting, and that is really sad to me.

I hope you will get out and vote today and let your voice be heard. There are a lot of offices to vote on this time around, including some big ones – governor and U.S. Representative. The polls are open from 7a.m. – 7p.m.; so, please get out there and vote!

Updates and Memorial Day Weekend

Here are a few updates I know you are just waiting with baited breath to hear about…

Charlie – apparently Charlie has a lake house! I found this out through my neighbor Jeff. Tony says I (why not we?) need to cozy up to Charlie so we can get an invite to this mysterious lake house.

Daily Bible Reading – I am still keeping up with my daily Bible reading and have only missed five days so far this year. I am really proud of myself for keeping this going.

Gym – I’m still going to the gym four to five times a week and have not lost one pound, which can be a little discouraging. I have lost some inches because I can tell my pants are a bit looser and also some of my friends have been kind enough to tell me they can see a difference, which is nice.

Garden – The garden is coming along quite nicely. I actually took some photos, but haven’t uploaded them from the camera yet. The tomato plants are to the top of the cages and already have some blooms. It always amazes me how fast these things grow! Speaking of gardens, Tony planted a garden this year too. I think his has corn, watermelon, pumpkin, okra and one tomato plant. Not sure if there’s anything else there or not and I’m also not sure what it looks like since I haven’t seen it. If I ever make it past the locked gates, I’ll take a photo and share it with you all.

Feet – I was able to skip the shots at my latest doctor appointment even though I’m still having pain. The feet were taped up again, which is annoying, but I do think it helps. I don’t have to go back to the doctor until the end of June. So, keep your fingers crossed for good results.

I think that’s all the updates for now. You can now go about your day without wondering about all these things. Don’t you feel better already?

This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and it’s sure to bring a lot of fun along with it. I plan on seeing some movies this weekend and also watching the Cotton Row runners – that’s right, watching. I am not participating this year. There’s also a Memorial Day ceremony at Maple Hill Cemetery that I went to a couple of years ago and I may check that out this year too. I’ll be off work starting tomorrow (Friday); so, no more updates until after the holiday weekend. I hope you all have a nice Memorial Day and that you are able to enjoy it with your friends and family; and remember the reason for Memorial Day – to honor those who died for our freedom. Buckle up and be safe!

Dore Holte - Who Are You?

(I snagged this picture from this MSNBC article)

I’m pretty sure that no one who reads this blog (with the exception of Tony) watches cycling. A few years ago I didn’t watch it either; but when I started dating Tony, he got me interested in it and now I really love to watch.

Cycling brings out all kinds of weirdoes. Fans from around the world will go to the Tour de France and dress up in the most outlandish outfits and run alongside the cyclists. These people absolutely crack me up and make watching cycling all the better. Often during the Tour de France coverage, I will spot a man wearing a jersey, carrying an American flag, and wearing a helmet that has either longhorns or antlers on it running up the mountainside while the cyclists are trudging up a mountain. This guy makes me laugh most of all because of his overzealous helmet and his obvious love for the sport.

Earlier this week, I sent an email to Versus TV asking them to do a feature story on this guy. During the tour, Versus will do mini-documentaries on various cyclists and show the piece during the race. So, why not do a story on this guy? I’m sure I’m not the only person in the world who wants to know more about him. How did he get into cycling? Does he cycle? I find this man to be absolutely fascinating! Here’s the email:

Versus – Love your cycling coverage and am super stoked that you are back on DirecTV! I have an idea for a feature story for this year’s Tour de France. There is a guy who is at almost every mountain stage of all the big cycling events – I know you know who this guy is because your cycling coverage often shows shots of him running alongside the cyclists. He is the guy that wears jerseys and a helmet and the helmet always has some kind of horns – antler horns, dear horns, longhorn horns. You name it. This guy fascinates me. Where is he from? What does he do? How does he afford to go to all the major cycling events? How does he get those horns on an airplane? I beg of you? If you do 100 stories on Lance Armstrong, surely you can do one story on this mystery man! Inquiring viewers want to know. Thanks for you help!!

Do you think they will heed my advice and do a story on him? I sure hope so. In the meantime, I did a little research of my own and found this blog post from George the cyclist who ran into this mystery man while in France at the Tour last year. Apparently the man’s name is Dore Holte and he works at Boeing in Seattle. Dore Holte – if you are reading this, I would love to hear your story! Leave a comment and let me know how to contact you. Tony and I are tentatively planning a trip to the Tour in 2011 so we need some pointers.

(Snagged this photo from somewhere off the intenet)