Frenchie On Thanksgiving Night (Portrait Of A Pup).

This is the first year in many that I haven’t spent Thanksgiving with my Mother. She and my stepfather Charlie were both down with a cold and didn’t want to get anybody else sick. Mary and I ended up spending the night with my brother and his girlfriend Leslie, and Leslie’s daughter Matilda. There were also about half a dozen others there who had somehow been orphaned on Thanksgiving night. The dinner was amazing and the company was even better. Matilda’s dog Frenchie constantly ran around all night like a social butterfly, getting attention from everybody. I figured it would be impossible to get her to sit still enough for a photo, but once I took the camera out, she stopped and posed for me.

View It Larger Here.

Mr. O'brien

I’m in the mood for ambitious fiction. Earlier this year I was blessed with a run of incredible reads,  topped off by Yvegeny Zamiatin’s masterpiece, We.

Mr. Zamiatin

Since then I’ve taken on more projects that inevitably have eaten into my reading time, and I am becoming more zealous in my quest for inspired reads. Ambition is the only flavor my literary palate wants to taste right now. I’m hungry for books that make me break out the booksdarts and re-read for pure pleasure. I want prose and plots that cause reactions, page turners that remind me how lucky I am to know how to read.

I’m compiling a list (in no particular order) of ambitiously written books and additions are requested in the comments section! I’d love suggestions for a 2010 reading list…

Mr. Baldwin

The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

The Inferno by Dante

Morvagine by Blaise Cendrars

Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller

Candide by Voltaire

The Electric Koolaid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

Black Boy by Richard Wright

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf? by Edward Albee

Bowl of Cherries by Milliard Kauffman

The Whapshot Chronicle by John Cheever (as well as many of his shorter works)

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

The Iliad by Homer

If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino

Her by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

The Twits by Roald Dahl

Lolita by Vladamir Nabakov

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Monkeywrench Gang by Edward Abbey

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Stranger by Albert Camus

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Peanuts by Charles Schultz

Mr. Abbey

more:

Bluebeard/Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut

The Aeneid by Virgil

The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

His Dark Materials Series by Phillip Pullman

At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O’brien

White Noise by Don Delillo

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

The Watchmen by Alan Moore

More..?

Nu är hela familjen vaccinerad! Så här glad/arg/förvånad/knasig? blev Matilda när hon hörde att vi skulle till doktorn och få spruta i armen. Men hon förklarade att det var bra eftersom hon hade lite ont i magen.

Sådärja, då har vi klarat av årets första pepparkaksbak. Det är möjligt att det blir ett till, sånt vet man ju aldrig Lillan tyckte att det var jätteroligt (läs jättegott) och attackerade degen hej vilt! Till sist lyckades vi få ihop en burk med diverse figurer i alla fall (nej hon fick inte äta upp all deg, givetvis stoppade jag henne). Fattar bara inte hur man ska få ut 150 pepparkakor av en sats deg, det är för mig en fysisk omöjlighet att kavla degen så tunn! Här blev väl ca 70 st av det lite tjockare slaget Nästa bakprojekt är lussekatter, men inte ikväll.

Shoppat! Men som sagt, det är en stor hobby så det blir en del av den varan Vad har då handlats idag? Jo vi började på Ikea (igen) där följande inföskaffades: nya kärl till sopskåpet i köket, en tavellist som vi ska ha på vår fondvägg i “allrummet”, fler förvaringskorgar till hyllan i köket och till Emils nya bokhylla och bakset till lillan så hon kan hjälpa mamma i pepparkaksbaket

När vi slängt in allt detta i bilen begav vi oss faktiskt in (trots egentlig “bojkott” nu i influensatider) på Väla där det blev lite fler julstjärnor (så nu börjar vi få gott om julmys-belysning), kläder som lillan ska ha till sin julklänning jag sydde häromkvällen och två pyjamasar.  Det förbrukades lite presentkort och bonuscheckar till detta så totalt spenderade jag typ 500:-

Body, strumpbyxor och finskor från Lindex

Pyjamasar från PoP

Nu ligger lillan och snusar sött i sin säng och jag ska passa på att läsa lite bloggar i lugn och ro. Sen är det pipparkagebak som gäller!

Eller vad tror ni?

Eftersom natten till idag lämnar mycket att önska har lillan och jag tagit det ganska lugnt och hållt oss i hemmets lugna vrå. Det verkar dessutom som att lillan har en liten förkylning i kroppen då hon varit allmänt slö och snorig idag. Därmed håller vi oss hemma imorgon också och hoppas att det är snabbt övergående.

Vi passade på att pyssla ihop inbjudningskort till lillans barnkalas när vi bara gick här hemma idag. Det blev två olika varianter till sist efter att en uppsättning ratats helt och hållet… Kom på att jag skulle nog behöva en stans av något slag till alfabet och siffror. Får vi kolla in och önska oss av tomten Så här blev korten i alla fall.

En enkel variant, men jag är inte så bevandrad inom scrapbookingens alla möjligheter.

Under tiden som jag tillverkade korten passade Matilda på att röja runt i sina leksaker som nu ligger utspridda i halva huset. Nåja, det spelar ju mindre roll eftersom hon haft kul.

Sötfian i sin egen lilla värld

Efter att vi sovit middag (japp, jag tog en lur jag med) kände vi oss lite småsega här, så därför tog vi oss i kragen och masade oss utanför dörren. Vädret har ju inte varit jätteinspirerande idag, men det regnade åtminstone inte när vi gick ut. Vi begav oss ner till affären för att skicka iväg korten, där lille vovvis vackert fick vänta (under våldsamma protester) utanför.

När vi ändå var där passade vi även på att köpa mjöl och kryddor till pepparkaksbak. Japp, i år blir det hemmagjorda pepparkakor från början till slut. Jag brukar annars köpa färdig deg, men i år hittade jag ett recept i Mama som verkade himmelens enkelt och bestämde mig för att prova. Ikväll har därmed degen satts och imorgon blir det baka, baka, liten kaka Ska bli spännande detta. Återkommer med pepparkaksrapport imorgon

Love you guys, don’t eat too much

I’m off to cook a feast and then write a 10 page APA research paper on PTSD and War Veterans Vietnam to the present. Wish me luck…

Decemberlägret 08 <3

Jag har pluggat till mitt hemkunskapsprov imorgon. En halvtimme igår och fyrtiofem minuter idag. Jag känner mig rätt stolt. Känns som om jag kommer somna när som helst nu. Trots det har dagen inte varit speciellt ansträngande. Men, ja - vi hade ju öppet hus också. Amanda och jag försökte prata engelska hela kvällen, resultatet blev väl sisådär. Lite svengelska och okorrekta meningar.

jag känner fjärilsvingar kittla mig inifrån

1. “Bună. Numele meu este Matilda!”

Atenţie: Persoana din spatele acestor rânduri se dă drept Matilda; în esenţă, însă, nu ştie prea multe despre aceasta. Pentru ea, Matilda e ultimul bastion, ultimul refugiu; un petec de pământ în mijlocul oceanului.

Matilda poate să zâmbească. Şi face asta destul de des. Matilda vorbeşte calm, aşezat;  ea ştie întotdeauna ceea ce vrea şi cum să obţină asta.

De ceva timp încoace, Matilda bifează victorie după victorie, mai mici sau mai mari. Fie că a renunţat la fumat, fie că a renunţat la mâncarea nesănătoasă, la gândurile „nesănătoase”, la sacii cu plumb care o trăgeau undeva sub suprafaţa pământului, fie că a reuşit, profesional, interpersonal, social să ajungă acolo unde şi-a propus, Matilda nu e… împlinită.

2. „Why am I sad? Don’t I have more than I ever had? ”

Uneori Matilda simte că are prea mult. Şi, într-adevăr, are destul de multe. Dar tot ceea ce are ea e ca un accesoriu: ceva ce se poate ataşa, ceva opţional, ceva ce o poate face mai drăguţă, mai atrăgătoare, mai specială; nimic din toate astea însă nu rămâne.

Iar aceste accesorii nu sunt doar obiecte. Aceste accesorii sunt şi oameni, sunt şi principii, sunt şi activităţi. Cel puţin virtual, simt că tot ceea ce am mă poate şi mă va părăsi la un moment dat. Ceea ce am nu îmi aparţine mie. E ca şi cum ai încerca să capturezi căldura soarelui de iulie – e ceva irealizabil, oricât de mult ţi-ai dori. E ceva ce se simte. Apoi, you just have to let go.

Mulţi gânditori spun că aici s-ar afla sursa înţelepciunii: în observarea şi conştientizarea buclei perisabilităţii, un fenomen căruia nimic nu îi poate scăpa. Iată că fiinţa umană ar fi, astfel, forţată să accepte existenţa conturată în termenii hazardului şi ai lipsei de liber arbitru. Sigur, poţi să îţi exerciţi această funcţie în jurul căreia se face atât de multă zarvă, dar asta doar într-un cadran de condiţii predeterminate şi sub patronajul tezei perisabilităţii. Şi atunci, cui foloseşte?

Nu ştiu cum stau lucrurile pentru voi, dar eu momentan cunosc doar ceea ce nu sunt. Cunosc ceea ce nu ştiu. Sunt lipsită, însă, de un răspuns în ceea ce priveşte formularea în termeni pozitivi ai identităţii.

1. 2. Existenţa mea, simulacru de logică

E lesne de observat, même din structura acestui articol, ce pasiune are Matilda pentru structurare logică. Ideea că există nişte cifre, o ierarhie, un orar a ajuns să fie un punct de sprijin pentru mine.

Aşa cum la 18 ani, Matilda a întors vehement cârma dinspre artă spre ştiinţă, renunţând sau – să practicăm optimismul – punând în aşteptare îndeletnicirile de până atunci pentru a se imersa înăuntrul black-box-ului[1]. Astfel, expediţiei de cunoaştere a fiinţei umane sub aspectul său raţional şi spiritual i se imprima acum un caracter sistematic, ştiinţific, îndrăznesc să spun.

Sigur, nu pot nega şi nici nu aş vrea să neg revelaţiile însumate pe care această turnură le-a provocat. În foarte multe privinţe, ştiu mai multe despre mine, după expresia non multa, sed multum. Cu toate acestea, exceptând anumite paradigme, simt că psihologia s-a pierdut în denominaţii, în statistică şi discuţii chiţibuşare. Fără a ofensa şi fără a ne îmbrăca în pretenţii false, oare finalitatea psihologiei ca ştiinţă nu este aceea de  a oferi fiinţei umane armele pentru autocunoaştere şi, mai ales, pentru vindecare? Cum putem acorda fiinţei umane un sentiment de belonging, un sentiment clar al rolului şi al misiunii ei pe Pământ? Căci eu – deşi, vorba cântecului, pentru mulţi dintre voi I may seem to be strange archeology – încă mai cred că avem fiecare ceva de spus şi rolul nostru de jucat.

Aşa că, iată, sub aparenţa clarităţii logice, se ascunde faptul că cele mai profunde simţiri şi gânduri voalate din mine sunt tributare încă Necunoscutului. Şi dacă tot am afirmat că ştiu ceea ce nu sunt, iată că:

Nu sunt o persoană „realistă” în termenii pragmatismului. Pentru mine, ceea ce e subtil, ceea ce e mistic, tot ceea ce palpită în subteran, la unison în toate fiinţele umane, acel ceva care e de nedefinit şi intangibil gândirii e cel mai real.

Nu am ancore în această realitate. Pentru mine, ea e… un accesoriu, unul pe care nici măcar nu l-am ales, ci s-a nimerit să îl port. Îmi asum această misiune cu toată priceperea şi seriozitatea de care sunt în stare la 20 de ani. Dar ştiu că e doar un rol. Matilda cea pe care o arăt celorlalţi e contribuţia mea de combustibil la alimentarea imensului Mecanism al „realităţii” noastre.

Atunci, cine poate acorda răspuns întrebărilor cărora le căutăm răspuns de milenii întregi? Întrebărilor cărora le oferim de fiecare dată alte răspunsuri, toate corecte, şi toate greşite? Religia? Filosofia? Ştiinţa?

Cine se mai preocupă de aceste chestiuni? După umila şi nepriceputa mea gândire, toate pot fi pierdute, de toate ne putem debarasa, dar de acest gest colosal ca importanţă – confruntarea cu cele mai importante gândiri ale individului şi, în acelaşi timp, ale umanităţii nu ne putem debarasa fără să provocăm o gaură neagră a lipsei de sens, de speranţă, de voinţă  de viaţă şi voinţă de putere.

Să concluzionăm împreună că am găsit ceva ce e constant? Incertitudinea, vagabondarea prin experienţa vieţii pe Pământ cu simţurile anesteziate şi, mai ales, cu o conştiinţă anesteziată? Să concluzionăm că suntem o întrebare? Sau: Suntem căutarea unui Răspuns?

Jag och lillan knoppade in på soffan i eftermiddags efter att jag i mitt Ipren-rus tvättat ett par fönster. 1,5 timme sov vi i och skönt var det. Nu känns det lite bättre igen och jag hoppas det håller i sig!

Småpyntat i tv-hörnan gillar mina små ljuskoner skarpt

Matilda har fått smaka clementin för första gången idag. Vi satt i soffan och mös och lillan smaskade clementin som bara den. Snart ska vi ta tag i pepparkaks- och lussekattsbak med (typ nästa vecka tror jag) det ska bli spännande att se vad lillskrutt tycker om det

Nyvaken liten söt sitter i soffan och smaskar clementin

Amanda tror att hon äger på att smyga. Men det gör hon inte. Jag vet det. För min dörr och mina golvplankor knarrar. Det är inte hon medveten om. Så hon tror att hon är bäst på att smyga, men det är hon verkligen inte.

Ohja min morgon startade toppen. Stryk det där med hur mycket jag älskar min familj på morgonen.
Öppet hus på skolan idag, det känns ju verkligen … bra. Nej jag vill bara kasta något hårt på det.

Kan man kalla det lycka? Ja det kan man. Filmnatt på fredag alla KFF:are. Best, best, best.

“Jag svalde ett stjärna’”. Min syster är clever.

Mamma på morgonen – synar mig upp och ner: Vad fin du är!

Men man tackar. Oavsett om min dag suger kommer jag i alla fall vara glad över det där lilla. Tänk på det hörrni.

Deprimerande nog har jag suttit och iakttagit vädret stora delar av dagen, med Bandit på hög volym eftersom mobilbatteriet tog slut efter två omgångar av spellistan – med tankarna åt helt olika håll. Tankspridd kan man verkligen säga.

Skalat potatis och studsat på rummet var de två stora aktiviteterna. Men vad ska man göra en dag som denna? Då man varken har ork eller lust att prata med någon, man bara är. Existerar.

En tjej jag har skrivit med ett tag nu på en sida ställde en frågesport som jag gärna vill dela med mig av.

Så här har ni frågor och svar:

1. Fanta eller Cola? Cola!
2. Hund eller katt? Katt
3. Antarktis eller Sahara-öknen? Jag vet inte, jag hatar när det är kallt – men jag är sjukt rädd för öknen. Så det får nog bli Antarktis :/
4. Se eller höra? (tänk dig, aldrig mer kunna se vackra saker
eller någon person du verkligen tycker om, ELLER aldrig mer kunna
lyssna på musik?) OMG. Jag skulle nog välja att inte se. För personen jag tycker är vacker skulle jag i alla fall hellre vilja höra.
5. Dator eller TV? Dator, faktiskt.
6. Mjukisbyxor eller jeans? Mjukisbyxor <3
7. Ont i magen eller ont i huvudet? Ont i huvudet.
8. Äpple eller päron? Äpple <3
9. Morgontrött eller kvällstrött? Morgontrött
10. Bitchig men rolig ELLER snäll men tråkig? Bitchig men rolig, vet inte varför.

Stardust. Se den om ni vill börja tro på kärleken igen. Riktig cliché film, men den är bra. Handlar typ om en stjärna, en film om kärlek helt enkelt.

Tummen upp.

I’ll admit it.  I would never, in a month of Sundays, put Sadie on my daughter’s birth certificate.  It would be Sarah, thanks very much, just in case she grows up to run for office or take up brain surgery or otherwise wants to sound like a mature, serious adult.

I’m not necessarily in the majority.  And I’m not necessarily right, either.  Plenty of women named Julie and Jodie have turned out just fine.  And plenty of Sarah/Sadies are irritated at having to constantly explain that yes, Sadie is a nickname for Sarah.

So for your consideration, I’ve pulled together a list of ends-in-ie-names just might stand on their own.

I’m excluding choices like Katie and Maggie -  names easily connected to formal versions, as well as feminizations like Billie and Charlie.  And if it more commonly ends in -y, you won’t find it here – so no Mollie, Lillie or Lucie.

That still leaves bunches of names:

• Arlie – Arline started out as a well-born child kidnapped by gypsies in a nineteenth century opera, but today she’s the outdated Arlene.  Arlie might be a short form, or she may related to a surname.  Either way, she sounds fresher than the -een ending original.
• Birdie – Lady Bird was worn in the White House.  Actress Busy Phillips bestowed this avian appellation on her daughter.  While there are more subtle ways to evoke the finely feathered, Birdie isn’t quite unthinkable.
• Bonnie – Worn by the ill-fated daughter of Rhett and Scarlett in Gone With the Wind – who was actually named Eugenie Victoria.  She means pretty – and she is just that.
• Callie – If Kelly and Kaylee are independent given names for girls, why not Callie?  She’s also a possible nickname for classics like Caroline and Charlotte, as well as the less-expected Calla, Calista or Calliope.
• Dessie – In Ireland, Dessie is a nickname for Desmond – and thus, exclusively masculine.  In the US, it sounds more like a riff on Bessie.
• Dulcie – She’s sweet – literally, from the Latin dulcis.  Longer form Dulcinea conjures up the Judybats, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Don Quixote – though the literary Dulcinea was actually named Aldonza.
• Erie – Eir was a Norse goddess; Éire, a Celtic one – she lent her name to Ireland.  Eiry is a Welsh girl’s name – related names abound, all meaning snow.  Erie may be linked to any or none of the above, and could rhyme with fairy, or have a totally other pronunciation.
• Hattie – You might put Harriet or Henrietta on the birth certificate, but millinery references aside, Hattie has some style.
• Hettie – Another possibility for Henrietta,  as well as Hester or Hestia.
• Lettie – Formal name options include the salad-esque Lettice, or the lacy Letitia.  If Victorian valentine isn’t your style, Lettie might appeal.
• Lindie – Lucky Lindy was aviator Charles Lindbergh’s nickname.  The Lindy Hop was a swing-era dance craze named in his honor.  Linda is a Baby Boomer – as are elaborations like Melinda and Belinda.  But today, Lindie might work as a nickname for hippie chic tree name Linden – or on her own.
• Lottie – Charlotte is in the US Top 100 and rising, but it seems as very few Charlottes are answering to this nickname – so far.
• Maisie – Like Maggie, she could be a diminutive form of Margaret, via the Scottish Mairead.  But if Daisy stands on her own, maybe Maisie does, too.
• Millie – Mildred might be too dowdy to ever make a comeback, but Millie is Thoroughly Modern.  She’s also a spunky nickname for the super-sweet Millicent.
• Minnie – Yes, there’s the mouse.  But there’s also the actress – who was actually born Amelia Fiona Driver.
• Tillie – Matilda is ever so fashion forward.  Short form Tilda brings to mind the actress.  Then there’s Tillie – perhaps a bit too cute, but possibly wearable on her own.
• Trudie – It’s hard to imagine naming a daughter Gertrude.  But Trudie seems like a logical sister for Sadie – spunky, retro and not too flimsy to stand on her own.
• Zadie – If Sadie stands along, why not her zippy cousin?  The z-to-s switch has worked out just fine for novelist Zadie Smith.
• Zelie – There have definitely been women named Zelie, but her exact origins are unclear, though some link her to the French Zéline and she brings to mind the Yiddish Zelig.

I could go on – there’s Winnie and Elsie, Flossie and Roxie.  But I’ll stop here and just ask: would you consider a short, ends-in-ie name for a daughter?  And if so, would you put it on her birth certificate or opt for a more formal version?

Det känns som att det går undan nu. Lillan har precis rest sig själv från sittande till stående för första gången. Jag blev helpaff när tösabiten helt plötsligt stod och klappade mig på benet! De här framstegen leder dock till många fall med… Jag vet inte hur många gånger hon ramlat och slagit lilla huvudknoppen idag men det hör ju till. Det går dessutom över ganska fort, bara hon får komma upp och bli tröstad en halv minut så ska hon ner på golvet och röja igen. Lilla busfian, vilka möjligheter som öppnar sig för henne efterhand som hon lär sig mer och mer. Samtidigt försvinner mammas bebis mer och mer… Sorgligt, fast det är ju så det ska vara.

I eftermiddags fick vi besök av A & A. Tanken var att vi skulle promenera och dricka kaffe ute, men eftersom lilla fröken snusade sött när de kom, skippade vi promenaden och drack kaffe inne istället. Funkade det med Vi fick en mysig eftermiddag helt enkelt.

Just nu är mannen och handlar lite god mat till Ugglehuset och sen blir det mys i lugn och ro när han kommit hem.

Ha en härlig kväll allihop!

So hipsters apparently hate Wes Anderson for his brand

Fantastic

of corduroy shellacked, indie coopting and twee spewing. Perhaps this was justified as the decline in quality of his movies (and American Express commercial) in recent years has been noticeable.

But right now, don’t hate. Appreciate. Because The Fantastic Mr. Fox is a triumph, and Inverted Soapbox Heartily Endorses you going to see it.

Part of the reason it succeeds so well is that it uses the stylized talents of Anderson as a vehicle to let the speculative forces of Roald Dahl’s imagination push through. The film is funny and sweet, intelligent and creative in ways we haven’t seen in any films by Anderson (or any other director). Sitting in the theater last weekend, the first indication that everything with this movie is going to be all right is the opening shot and title card: a stop motion but realistic-looking hardcover version of the Dahl book looking like it was pulled directly from the shelves of my elementary school library, its Dewey Decimal System code visible on its spine. 

I owe a special debt to Dahl for being the linchpin author who first — an enduringly — tethered me to a love of reading, and, by extension, the world of words and writing which has landed me where I am today (wherever that might be). I couldn’t count the times I spent sitting in the elementary school library reading and re-reading Matilda or The Twits. And my ardent advocacy on behalf of reading Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator was probably my first sliver of inclination toward hipster snobbishness (“Sure, Chocolate Factory is OK, if you like overly commercial products. But have you read the sequel? I didn’t think so. Now give me back my Lion-O sword and put your Mumm-Ra hood back on.”)

Roald Dahl’s appeal was in his portrayal of childhood subversiveness, the fighters of youth gathered against the conspiratorial brooding of parents, adults, farmers, giants, whathaveyou. It wasn’t all broad brush — he used sniveling children and kindly adults to demarcate shifting boundaries and identities in a world where hope remains that betting on the good in the world is still rewarding.

It’s part of the reason I got hooked on Harry Potter so instantly — JK Rowling merges imagination and plot at points of familial lineage to the ones Dahl created years ago. We should take this moment to appreciate the delicacy of crafting smart, enjoyable, richly-bodied children’s literature, as we watch less-skilled writers rake in the allowance money.

Scouring for Roald Dahl clips today, I found this, an excerpt from a most certainly bizarre and … quirky … British  programme, The South Bank Show from 1986. What he’s describing here to is essentially the set up for the plot of The Witches (also made into a movie starring Angelica Houston). It’s worth it just to see the random guest appearance (in witch drag!) at the very end of the clip.

Also, he was in the Royal Air Force and was an MI-6 agent.

I’m not sure exactly how many films I’ve seen in my lifetime.

It is probably over a thousand, the list below barely scratches the surface of all the films I’ve seen and it was surprisingly easy to come up with. Rather than systematically list films by era or genre I got my brother’s girlfriend Dawn to call out any films she could think of.

I thought of this idea about five minutes before I began typing and Dawn rattled off films as they came to her while I typed out brief verdicts for each one. I initially intended to create a system for rating but found it too restrictive so I just wrote a brief instinctual verdict for each one.

I have included a link to Rotten Tomatoes and the score of each film, I haven’t seen some of these movies in a very long time…

NOTE: The percentages at the end are not my scores but the percentage of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

1. Men in Black (1997) – meh (91% – seriously?!)
2. Fight Club (1999) – brilliant (80%)
3. Unforgiven (1992) – immense (96%)
4. Shaun of the Dead (2004) – decent (gets worse every time I watch it)
5. Memento (2001) – pretty good (93%)
6. The Departed (2006) – good (92%)
7. Aliens (1986) – the best sequel ever made (100%)
8. Reservoir Dogs (1992) – great characters and dialogue (95%)
9. American Beauty (1999) – uplifting, brilliant (the stupid bag scene apart) (89%)
10. Goodfellas (1990) – excellent (96%)
11. Predator (1987) – one of Arnie’s best (76%)
12. 12 Angry Men (1957) – captivating (100%)
13. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) – meh (78%)
14. Shawshank Redemption (1994) – really, really good (88%)
15. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) – better than I expected (90%)
16. Sin City (2005) – flashy trash (78%)
17. Toy Story 2 (1999) – yep, it’s good (100%)
18. Bambi (1942) – I remember it being good (much to the amusement of Dawn and Sean, many gay jokes followed) (89%)
19. Final Destination (2000) -guff (30%)
20. Edward Scissorhands (1990) – pretentious crap (90%)
21. Stranger than Fiction (2006) – Surprisingly good (72%)
22. Shallow Grave (1995) – okay (71%)
23. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1996) – facepalm (49%)
24. Man on Fire (2004) – underwhelming (39%)
25. Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – meh (81%)
26. 28 Days Later (2003) – meh (88%)
27. Casino Royale (2006) – surprisingly really good (94%)
28. Psycho (1960) – I was expecting it to be better (98%)
29. The Flintstones (1994) – Jesus wept (18%)
30. Aladdin (1992) – good (92%)
31. Jackass: The Movie (2002) – hard to class as a film really, hit and miss(48%)
32. E.T (1982) – good (98%)
33. Independence Day (1996) – a glorified B movie (61%)
34. Titanic (1997)  – Good (81%)
35. Ring (2002) – fairly decent (71%)
36. Pulp Fiction (1994) – Tarantino’s best film by a long way (97%)
37. Hot Fuzz (2007) – fun (90%)
38. Monty Python: Holy Grail (1975) – classic (94%)
39. Good Will Hunting (1997) – good (97%)
40. Heat (1995) – pretty good, not great (89%)
41. Zodiac (2007) – boring (87%)
42. Little Mermaid (1989) – decent (90%)
43. Ghost (1987) – crap (80%)
44. Dirty Dancing (1987) – utter shit – that women like this film makes me wonder if they actually deserve equal rights (67%)
45. The Terminator (1984) – the best Terminator (100%)
46. Bean (1998) – a test of mental endurance, awful (41%)
47. The Mask (1994) – rubbish (76%)
48. Frailty (2002) – ridiculous (74%)
49. The Day After Tomorrow (2004) – shite
50. Donnie Darko (2001) – overrated pish (84%)
51. Apollo 13 (1995)– crap (96%)
52. Deep Impact (1998)– more crap (46%)
53. Volcano (1997) – even more crap (40%)
54. I know what you did last summer (1997)– yet more crap (36%)
55. The Matrix (1999) – first half decent rest shite (86%)
56. Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (2002)– boring (96%)
57. Addams Family Values (1994) – some good moments (74%)
58. Nightmare before Christmas (1993) – overrated, largely guff (97%)
59. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) – (see earlier blog) (75%)
60. Three Men and a Baby (1987) – sickening  (78%)
61. Transformers: The Movie (1986) – decent (haven’t seen it in 10 years) (50%)
62. Cruel Intentions (1999) – trash (47%)
63. Lock Stock and Two Smoking barrels (1998) – good if a little overrated (71%)
64. Clerks II (2006) – absolutely fucking diabolical (62%, seriously what the fuck?)
65. Baby’s Day Out (1994) – horrific (23%)
66. Home Alone 2 (1992) – decent (17% – that seems harsh!)
67. Liar Liar (1997) – pretty bad (84%)
68. Babe (1995) – Jesus wept (98%)
69. The Simpsons Movie (2007) – unfunny crap from a show that is a pale shadow of what it used to be (90%)
70. Mr Nanny (1993) – a holocaust of a film (7%)
71. The Thing (1980) – really tense, really good (80%)
72. Blair Witch Project (1999) – doing something different doesn’t make it good (85%)
73. Run Lola Run (1999) – see above (92%)
74. The Santa Clause (1994) – crap (Dawn: “What’s the film with Tim Allen dressed as Santa Claus?”) (79%)
75. Silence of the Lambs (1990) – they really should have just stopped at this one, a fine film (96%)
76. Matilda (1996) – another crap Dahl adaptation (89%)
77. A Bridge too Far (1977) – the quintessential war movie (67%)
78. Rocky V (1990) – laughable (21%)
79. The Sting (1973) – really good (91%)
80. The Sword in the Stone (1963) – good (73%)
81. The Witches (1990) – crap (100%, what the fuck?)
82. Starship Troopers (1997) – entertaining trash (60%)
83. Love Actually(2003)  – hated it (63%)
84. White men can’t jump (1992) – I liked it despite itself (78%)
85. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1999)– a pointless sequel (48%)
86. A Bug’s Life (1998) – meh (91%)
87. Hollow man (2000)– hollow is an appropriate adjective (but I like Bacon’s character) (27%)
88. Jaws (1975) – good but overrated (100%)
89. Jerry Maguire (1996)– oh Christ (84%)
90. Dawn of the Dead (1978)– awesome (95%)
91. Drop Dead Fred (1991)– mindless crap (still haunted by my little sister’s repeat viewing of this monstrosity) (9%)
92. Braveheart (1995) – good (it’s a movie, not a history lesson) (76%)
93. Saw II (2005) – crap (35%)
94. Mouse Hunt (1997)– hated it (really wanted the mouse to die) (44%)
95. The Mummy (1999)– didn’t like it (54%)
96. George of the Jungle (1997)– crap (53%)
97. Leon (1994) – ludicrous garbage (74%)
98. Death becomes her (1993)– had its moments (56%)
99. Meet Joe Black (1998) – meh (49%)
100. Dog Soldiers (2002) – entertaining (79%)
101. Cool Hand Luke (1967) – the best film ever (100%)

Alice, Arabella, Bedelia, Clementine, Clover, Cordelia, Daisy, Esme, Eleanor, Flora, Fern, Hazel, Hannah, Imogen, Ida, Iris, Josephine, Jemima, Juniper, Lucinda, Madeleine, Margaret, Nola, Olive, Poppy, Pippa, Polly, Penelope, Primrose, Rose, Sally, Stella, Shiloh, Matilda, Tallulah, Theodora, Thomasina, Violet, Zipporah, Amelia, Annora, Maude, Clara.

Arthur, Bertram, Bartholomew, Baxter, Bruno, Bramwell, Chester, Cassius, Cato, Dexter, Dominic, Emerson, Emmett, Elliot, Fergus, Felix, Gregor, Gulliver, Isidore, Jasper, Ned, Orlando, Quentin, Rupert, Rafferty, Samson, Toby, Thomas, Theodore.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Matilda gives Elvis kisses.  ”See, I really do love my brother!”

Det är hiskeligt väder ute och jag hoppas att min lilla Emma kommer hem snart också så att jag har koll på alla. Har inte alls lust att ha mina barn utspridda i detta väder och blåser bort! Just nu känns det som att det eskalerar med varför jag vill ha hem tösen a.s.a.p!

Det blev inget Ikea idag utan enbart kusinbesök. Som sagt, vädret känns inte helt lämpligt att vara ute och fara i och därför fick det räcka med tur och retur utan avstickare! Det var i alla fall mysigt som vanligt att träffa syster och Milo och en extra bonus var ju att barnen var vakna idag, fast rätt trötta och smågnälliga av och till. Barnen åt lunch och vi fikade på bär med vispgrädde och kaffe. Mycket mumsigt. Milo gav sig även på att smaka mjölkskummet på kaffet…

Nja, inte jättegott med mjölkskum…

Syster hade köpt ett litet sidobord på Ikea häromdagen och det var perfekt storlek för barnen att ha och greja på så vi får nog investera i ett sådant i Ugglehuset med, hela 49:-! Men som sagt inget Ikea-besök idag inte…

Söta småkusiner

Nu har Emma också kommit hem så nu kan jag slappna av helt här hemma. Snart ska jag göra spagetti och köttfärssås till middag och sen ska jag bara njuta av alla goa ungar och när de gått och lagt sig är det inte många timmar kvar tills min älskade man är hemma igen.