Last year I shared a picture of the huge snow elephant some people built. The same people, about 1.5 blocks from my parent’s home, built a snow dog and bone this year. Wow!
Snow Dog with his Bone
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I continued to enjoy the latest adaptation of Emma; thank goodness for low expectations! I’d like to watch the un-cut version of the show before really passing judgment, but this adaptation was better than what we were subjected to two years ago. It’s not perfect, but they did add some touching scenes between Emma and her father, which helped us emotionally attach to the characters. I liked the actress playing Jane; she is reserved, pretty and delicate as Jane should be. Michael Gambon does a nice job as Mr. Woodhouse, but the script never shows us what a generous, kind man he was. However, I thought Miss Taylor/Mrs. Weston was too dowdy and Frank Churchill was over the top. I’m undecided about Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller; it’s hard to decide when some of their scenes have been cut out of the PBS airing. The settings, both the homes and the exteriors, are wonderful. The DVD appears to have an extra about the locations, which I frequently enjoy learning about. (Ode to travel to the U.K. again!) I also like the costumes and color pallets they used. I’m not sure that all of Emma’s bonnets were the correct period, but I liked them anyway. I noticed that Knightley’s waistcoats sometimes hinted at the color of Emma’s dresses; a subtle touch. But speaking of Knightley…what was with his jackets? Not once did Miller, who played Knightley, have his jacket buttoned. His waistcoat was always buttoned, but never his jacket. Did they save money on his jackets and use leftovers from other productions? Was Miller too big for these outfits? The only time his jackets were “closed” was when he wore a button extender. What’s up with that? Oh, and that green jacket with the velvet collar…awful, awful! (Chats, waiting for your opinions on this!) I didn’t like how this adaptation split the Box Hill scene into two separate scenarios. I’m sure this was done to get tension into the third hour, but there was so much animosity before the Box Hill trip that I wonder they went at all. (And was it really Emma’s first trip to Box Hill? I can’t remember.) The conversation where Frank slips about who wrote to him about Mr. Perry and the playing with the alphabet blocks are separated from the Box Hill scenes and moved forward in the story. The actor playing Frank gets himself so worked up in these scenes and the Donwell Abbey scenes, that he’s completely unlikable and his, and Emma’s, behavior at Box Hill is too uncouth. And why is it that so many of the Emma adaptations subject us to scenes portraying Emma’s flights of imagination? Can’t they create a script conveying these themes without the “dream” sequences? And Harriet Smith sort of disappears in the last two hours and that diminishes the mystery of who her secret attachment. There were other quibbles, but I’ll stop. There were several nice touches too, such as the hand holding behind Emma’s back when she and Knightley tell Mr. Woodhouse their secret…in a brief, totally silent scene. Again, overall a decent production and I’ll enjoy watching what I hope is an un-cut DVD version. (Part 1 of my review is here.) I would love to have a Jane Austen book and movie club. Unfortunately, the friends that would enjoy it are too scattered to meet in one location. Maybe a Facebook group? Help…I want to do it. Oh, but wait, I haven’t mentioned the donkey and Mrs. Elton…well, I’ll save that for another day, or for the club. Last Sunday my computer was invaded by the Vundo Trojan Horse. This is a nasty, nasty thing and it burrows into your computer. I have been running scans all week to make sure it was killed off. I employed MalwareBytes, Kaspersky, and the tools available at www.BleepingComputer.com. According to all these programs, Vundo is finally gone. I was using Trend Micro as my primary Internet security program…never again. It was up to date and running as it was supposed to be. However, it let the nasty Vundo infiltrate and then the next morning told me me my computer was infected. How stupid and poorly designed is that! Vundo had already disabled the manual/free version of MalwareBytes I run frequently and was entrenching itself in my computer. I uninstalled both Trend Micro and what was left of MalwareBytes, then installed a trial version of Kaspersky and a new copy of MalwareBytes. But they weren’t able to completely kill off Vundo without additional help. All the software I’ve run now says my computer is malware-free, but I’m suspicious. All last week the computer would occasionally make a “puh donk” sound, but give no explanation. I haven’t heard that since Friday, so that is a good sign. Luckily my laptop was never infected…however, I still ran multiple scans on it also. And none of my files on the desktop were damaged or deleted that I can tell. I think the virus either came from the New York Times or my library…those are the only two things I remember doing Sunday evening and the computer had been completely scanned less than 12 hours before that. I am strongly leaning toward getting a Mac desktop when I buy another computer. The risk is much lower. I wrote this post three weeks ago, but never got it posted. It’s about the night the sewage backed up into my house. It’s also about a picture of Reggie backing up. Since this happened a few weeks ago, I don’t know why I’m posting it other than posterity for me and Reggie’s picture is semi-cute. I’ve put most of the post behind the cut since it is so boring!
Even though it was late, I needed to run two washes, but when I went into the utility room to put the second wash into the dryer there was water and some sewage all over the floor. It was also in the downstairs shower and on a corner of the bathroom rug. (The following is a sad, boring, detailed, well semi-detailed, account of the sewage backup into the house. A couple of people have asked, so it’s here, but if I were you I’d stop now and find something better to do with your time. Tonight I finally got around to watching part one of the new adaptation of the Emma that is airing on PBS. After the disastrous Austen adaptations we were subjected to in early 2008, my expectations for this adaptation were very low. But one of the advantages of low expectations, is that it’s easier to enjoy something.  Emma and Knightley I was pleasantly surprised and liked much of the show. That’s not to say it’s perfect, for starters somebody should have told Romola Garai to stand up straight…Emma’s genteel, not a heffalump (I borrow from an AustenBlog comment) and Miss Bates should be such fun…but is rather flat. But mostly, there are too many modern expressions, both verbal and vocal. I think I actually heard a “no way.” I just can’t picture Jane Austen saying or writing “no way.” And as always, there are odd little changes…why does Frank Churchill show up in Highgrove, but not go see his father? Then he lies to Emma about it; what has that added? However, the costumes and sets are wonderful and enhance the overall ennui of the show. But somehow I never felt emotionally attached…I’m not sure yet if that’s because I was interrupted a lot while watching or truly the fault of the show. I think more of the show. For example, there should have been great shock in Mr. Elton’s behavior in the carriage ride, but Emma’s brother-in-law blows this because they’ve given him a bigger roll and he spills the beans. Why lose the drama and humor of his proposal by having a minor character warn Emma? In general, it’s a pleasant showing, but is bland and a bit flat. This adaptation is the longest Emma adaptation at four hours, so here’s hoping it doesn’t implode during part two. In March of 2008 I liked the first half of the BBC’s new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, but part two went downhill. For more information about the BBC’s Emma adaptation, visit this PBS website. Currently, part one of Emma is available on the PBS website to view online. *Oh, and PBS’s previews show a new adaptation of The 39 Steps. I wonder if it will follow the book or the screenplay for Hitchcock’s movie. I prefer the movie. This will air Feb. 28 and I think it’s going to star Rupert Penry-Jones, who was decent in Spooks/MI-5, but monotonous in Persuasion. No, I’m not really afraid of sushi. Thanks for checking!
A few updates.
Just about 24 hours ago I discovered that I had water and sewage all over the floor of my utility room and part of the downstairs bathroom. I was up cleaning for hours and couldn’t even attempt sanitizing. I had so little sleep last night that even though I accidentally napped for about two hours late this afternoon, I am wiped out. Completely zonkered! More about the plumbing problem another time. I’m still working on sanitizing everything, but at least I can run water again! Last Sunday I went to the family memorial and visitation for S.S. I’ll share about that soon too, but can’t do it justice now. The temperature has been well below freezing for a week and is forecast to get worse this weekend. A temperature above freezing is not soon to come…they predict. Today the snow fell and fell and fell. Tonight the snow is falling faster. My car has been in and out of the shop the past 10 days. It occasionally makes loud pops and grinding noises during turns. Since it was only occasionally happening, it was hard to pinpoint the problem. The shop eventually discovered that the right front brake plate was bent and was rubbing against the brake pad. They’ve pounded the brake plate back to flat, but I haven’t driven enough to know if that’s corrected the issue. Reggie is limping really badly and might have a soft tissue injury around the right shoulder, but it could be a neck or spinal problem. He’s doing better, but if the issue is in the neck or spine it will continue to be a problem. Some evenings he’s barely been able to walk and all I can give him is extra prednisone to reduce swelling. The vet wanted to keep Reg off pain medication because he’s on prednisone and has a liver problem. A family member is having a pain-related health problem that hasn’t been diagnosed. We’re talking crippling pain, sobbing in pain…and having to wait the results of blood tests before much else can be done. Fortunately, she can take pain medications. And then today, a long-time family friend died. S.S. had been suffering and we knew the end was coming, but we will miss him. He was a Christ-loving, teaching, dear, kind, gracious man. Today he is in Heaven and we’re so thankful that we knew him. S.S. had six seven children; four five older than me, two younger. I went to the same college as S.S., and he was thrilled about that. We had a good laugh that one of my teachers had also been one of his teachers…she taught for something like 50 years. I’ll miss his knowledge and kindness, but celebrate that he is with his Lord. I’m afraid poor Reggie has had to put up with me being in a less than stellar mood. Not too bad I think, just tiredness leading to irritability. He’s come and sat in my lap several times, which is actually an indication of how poorly he’s felt because he hates sitting in anyone’s lap or snuggling. But he’s doing better, and my mood didn’t damage our relationship. And I don’t think anyone else has been exposed to my irritability, because I controlled it…I hope…and tonight was more mellow sadness. The year has hardly started…I need to focus on the good. I’m thankful my car is running and is hopefully ok now. I’m thankful the shop didn’t charge me anything (I think they felt guilty it took so long and I’d previously suggested the brakes were seizing). I’m thankful Reggie is improving. I’m thankful the pain medications are helping M. I thankful that S.S. improved the lives of everyone around him. I’m thankful S.S. is in Heaven. I’m thankful I know his family and they have each other and their faith. I’m thankful that I have a roof over my head and a working furnace during this ugly cold and heavy snow. The temperatures are supposed to get dangerously low this weekend and I’m praying for safety for all. I saw a cat outside during a cold spell before Christmas, but it ran away. Another night I heard it crying, but I couldn’t find it. Neighbor’s and I have seen its footprints in the snow…so I’m worried about the little thing. I’m thankful Reggie has a home with me. I’m thankful none of my friends make their pets stay out at night. (I’m assuming the cat is a stray, or I might have to harm the owner if located.) I’m thankful for my family and friends. What would life be without them? I’m thankful that one day I’ll see S.S. again…but he’ll forgive me if I say not too soon, I hope. I bet your thankful I’m quitting now to go to bed. It’s only 2:00 A.M., but this will probably be timestamped when I started the post around 11:30. And I’m sorry I’m behind in replying to emails. Good riddance 2009 and here’s lookin’ at you 2010!!!!!! Update: Life has interfered and I haven’t even transferred the pictures to a computer yet. Both Reggie and the car are sick, and I don’t know how I’m going to get help for both. Even getting them to the right locations won’t solve their problems…I might be carless for days and days because of the holiday. (Then, I guess, I’d have time for the pictures.) I don’t want to even think about the expenses. I’ve taken a few pictures of our nasty, strange weather, but I haven’t had time to upload them. I’ll try to later today or tomorrow morning. Merry Christmas!!! Merry Christmas and many blessings to each of you in 2010!
Wishing you the very best! Kazza inspired me for today’s post. My camera is focused on the lights on my Christmas tree.
The above image was created by wrapping the camera in it’s cord. When I let go of the camera it spun to the end of the cord and then bounced. (It’s a short, wrist-cord so not long enough that the drop could damage the camera.)
I had the camera on a hand-held tripod and then spun the camera to tighten it to the tripod. I must have jerked my hand a bit creating the “boxes.”
Here I simply flipped and spun the camera through the air. I caught it before it got anywhere near the ground. No cameras were hurt in the productions of these images.
(Sadly I recently dropped my camera on the garage floor and jarred the eye-view finder loose. This was not done while attempting a picture, it just fell out of my hand and splat. Bother!!!! It probably costs as much to fix it as to get a new camera. Right now the camera is “repaired” with tape.)
It snowed last Thursday, but just flurries. It snowed yesterday, way more than flurries! Today, well here’s today weather:
I didn’t let this stop me! No sir! I managed to rescue the newspaper from the curb!
That’s the same costume I wore to salvage the paper on this bitter day. I should have taken a picture of the snow the high winds have blown onto my driveway, but that would have entailed staying outside a few seconds longer. I opted out…I mean, I opted to hurry back in the warm house. Thank goodness for working furnaces! And so happy to work at home! Tomorrow’s forecast:
Wishing I hadn’t looked! Christmas shopping can wait a month or two, right? Amazon is giving away a free Christmas song each day until Christmas! I love Christmas music…not all of it, but a lot of it so I hope I remember to see what Amazon is offering each day. And don’t forget that iTunes offers a song or two or three each Tuesday for a week, but not one song a day. You do NOT have to download Amazon’s MP3 Downloader application, but can simply download the individual MP3 file. (Has any one used that app? Any good?)
Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends and a happy day with blessing to those who are not Americans…giving thanks really doesn’t need a special day!
Since my post the other day about the movie, Sunshine Cleaning, a few people have vocalized their shock at my opinion of the movie. Now that a little time has passed and I’m not as tired as I was that night, I decided to revisit the topic. I still say the movie is depressing. The lives of the three main characters are depressing, the decisions they make are poor, to put it mildly, and the job the sisters take on: bio-hazard removal/crime-scene cleaning is depressingly disgusting. I think this pushed me out of the movie at the beginning, so the movie had to re-capture me. I find it hard to believe that anyone today would be stupid enough to clean up maggot-infested, blood-permeated, filth-flooded, bodily-fluid drenched items and rooms without protection…lots of protection! But these two girls do, until they overhear somebody else discussing the dangers. Really? They didn’t strike me as stupid, but at first they weren’t even wearing everyday, household rubber gloves! This pushed me further out of the movie, leaving the it with a greater trash mound to climb to re-capture me. What kept me involved was the acting and wondering what was going to happen to the characters. Amy Adams’ character did eventually start to make smart decisions and crawl above the squalor of her life. As she often does, Adams has a sparkle and sincerity in her acting that always makes her characters interesting and believable. So when this character starts to turn her life around we can believe it. And when disaster strikes (it’s a movie, so disaster must strike!), we’re crushed with her, cheer her on when she puts her head down and plows ahead, and hope that a miracle occurs for her. That kept me involved. The father, played by Alan Arkin, is…is…hmm…ok, odd. He loves his daughters and grandson, but his frequent exaggerations, misguided and broken promises, white lies, and shady sales adventures probably contributed to his daughters’ issues. (On top of the late mother’s issues.) Again, wonderfully acted and you do want to hug him in the end. Emily Blunt plays the other daughter. This character is more lost than her older sister, and yet less depressing somehow until the very end. That’s odd to me, because she doesn’t turn herself around during the movie. Her scene at the train tracks is both hopeful and disparaging. And, I didn’t find her last scene satisfying, or as encouraging as I did the last scene for Adams and Arkin. Blunt is a chameleon of an actress; her performance is so different from The Devil Wears Prada and from The Jane Austen Book Club and from Charlie Wilson’s War, but they’re all wow. Also in the movie is Clifton Collins, Jr. This is only the second time I’ve seen Collins, the first being in Capote, but he is mesmerizing. I don’t know what it is, but in both movies you watch him, you wait for him to be on screen…and he doesn’t even seem to be trying! Help, please! Tell me why he’s so captivating! The performances make this movie worth seeing. I’d love to see these actors together again! I just wish the topic and characters hadn’t been so depressing…but maybe that was just me the night I watched it. Tonight I gave in and watched the movie Sunshine Cleaning…I needed a little detoxing afterwards. I have avoided watching the movie because it’s about two sisters who start a bio-hazard removal/crime scene cleaning business. You don’t need an imagination to know that this is one gross job! Accordingly, I avoided the movie, but it was those sisters…or the actors that played the sisters…that kept tempting me to pull on some goggles and watch the movie. I wish I hadn’t. While Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are both great actresses, not only was the topic of the movie gross, but the three main characters are all depressing and they make bad decisions. Eventually some of the characters make some good decisions and start to turn around their lives, but this is a movie and a disaster with a partial recovery is required before The End scrolls across the screen. It’s not an awful movie and the performances are good, but watching such a downer is difficult. UPDATE: Based on in-person feedback I received about this short review, I posted a more detailed review here. I went to Homecoming at my “old” college today. It’s the first time I’ve gone when it wasn’t a reunion year for my class and it’s the first Homecoming football game I’ve attended. I managed to sort of catch the winning play on video…only somebody bumped me as we all jumped up screaming and the stands were vibrating from people jumping around. Here’s the sad footage: It was a cold, dreary day and the wind was tearing through the stadium. I had on two coats, as did many around me, but I noticed that most of the players didn’t even have on long-sleeved shirts under their uniforms. They looked so cold! As I was walking to my car after the game, one of the players ran by us saying, “Excuse me, excuse me! I’m sorry, but I’m so cold!” (The stadium is not by the gym with the locker rooms.) Poor guys! But come on…bundle up! But the good guys won. |
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Copyright © 2010 Missyisms - All Rights Reserved M Lyda |
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Come join me!! (Oh dear, is this akin to Mrs. Elton suggesting a music club?!?! I hope not!)
Internet Explorer 8 Issues
I’ve been given a heads up that my blog is not accepting comments if visitors are using Internet Explorer 8. I know it happened to one person and it might have happened to another. Once Christmas and year-end settle down, I’ll try to solve this…until then please try another browser. For example, I like Firefox.