Twinsters

There's nothing quite like a movie that makes you laugh and cry, provides inspiration and is predominantly a happy experience.

Twinsters, the documentary filmed and produced by Samantha Futerman, a Korean born actress adopted by American parents as a baby, about her experience finding out that she has a twin sister Anais Bordier, adopted around the same age but to a couple in France. They discovered each other through Youtube and Facebook.  The film covered how they met, bonded instantly, and made a discovery trip together to Korea, tracing their brief lives as babies in foster care, before being adopted outside of their land of birth.

Adorable but bittersweet at times ( the girls' birth mother is resistant to acknowledging and meeting them -no judging, it's the way it is) it was a nice way to spend a weekday evening within being a slave to my work computer.

Check it out on iTunes or Netflix.

Cholecystectomy and Bad Movie Reviews

Abdominal surgery equals couch potato. Despite my best intentions, there's no avoiding this really. Although I have been getting out every day for an errand or two (or three - there's always something to pick up) I'm rather exhausted when I get home, and I wonder what my problem is. It's annoying to no end.

But along with prime time catching up with old blogging friends, reading books (some book reviews to come), I've managed to watch some DVDs and have discovered that cholecystectomy has done something - at least temporarily- to my taste in films.

Case in point - Day 2 post surgery: I LOVED the movie "The Dilemma" starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James. I mean, it also starred Jennifer Connolly and Winona Ryder, who I've missed (she had such a great start before shopping dysfunction...). The premise of "what would you do if you found out your best friend's wife was having an affair" provided all sorts of comedic opportunity. And I laughed, to the point of having to clutch at my stomach in case of stitch-rupture.


Second case in point - Day 3 post surgery: I LOVED "How Do You Know" starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson EVEN MORE. It's a James L Brooks film with wonderful actors - of course I should have loved it! Reese Witherspoon - the tiny thing, yeah, she's believable as a Pro-softball player faced with forced upon retirement; Owen Wilson - the lovable cad, yes, he worked for me; Paul Rudd - what's not to love about lovable Paul Rudd? Yeah, he could be a duped CEO with a loving but dysfunctional relationship with his loud angry father (yes, that would be Jack.)
Rotten Tomatoes gave both those movies squashed green tomatoes.



Case #3 - One week post surgery: I DID NOT LIKE "Somewhere" by Sofia Coppola. I had been looking forward to seeing this film since I first found out about it at the end of last year - I read a write up about Stephen Dorff's return to the big screen while on a work trip in Europe, and some sexy photos of him in those European magazines added to my anticipation of course. I was looking forward to some touching father/daughter scenes between him and Elle Fanning (gorgeous girl - Dakota must be jealous!) and although I must admit they did have some great chemistry, overall the film was one big SNOREFEST for me. Maybe I'm still too out of it to catch the symbolism and the subtleties (yeah, I know the "movie star escaping the trappings of celebrity for something real like the love of their child" wasn't so subtle) and it is a quiet film. But just way too quiet.

Would I normally love movies #1 and #2 - uh, likely not LOVE. Would I normally love movies like "Somewhere" - well yes, I would say so. For example, I really enjoyed the movie "Control", the story of Ian Curtis/ Joy Division that I finally watched a couple of weeks ago. Another quiet type of movie, shot in black and white actually, but it was different and I loved it.


So along with my gallbladder, it looks like my taste in film has also gone by the wayside. Hopefully the effect isn't irreversible.

Let's test it - next up are Cairo Time, The Fighter, Creation, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.

Day 10 at 45

As I sit here watching my 5 year old surf Justin Bieber Youtube videos, I'll share with you some of my observations after 10 days of being a midlifer...

• I can still sport a flush as red as a Danish flag - especially while 190 people are singing "Happy Birthday" to me while waving it...

• I can still contemplate entering what looked like a bong cafe (but no, I didn't - I probably would have just ordered a coffee anyway.)
  

• My ass still inspires wolf-whistles - well, they originate from my husband but hey, I'll take them while I can get them...

• In the spirit of keeping said ass, I was still able to make an 8:30 AM BodyJam class after a longer than 9 hour flight home the afternoon before...

• I'm still young enough to appreciate Eclipse (wooden acting notwithstanding) but old enough to love The Kids are All Right (beautiful Annette and Julianne make it easy, and I'd take Mark Ruffalo over Jake anytime - rawr...)

• I was cynical while witnessing the banal banter between Amanda Seyfried and Christopher Egan in "Letters to Juliet" but tears welled as I saw the genuine love in the gazes between Franco Nero and Vanessa Redgrave. Both still gorgeous and still together after all these years. Pass me a tissue please. (And by the way, what a waste of the talented Gael Garcia Bernal - if he said "amazing" and "incredible" one more time during the movie, I would have tossed my earphones into the barf bag...)

• (and you are correct, you CAN squeeze a lot of movies into an overseas flight. It's the only chance I get to watch movies nowadays)

• I enjoy being a woman but not yet "one of the girls" (ie. I get to join the girls' club once I hit 50, apparently)

• I'm old enough that I actually own outfits that I can recycle as Lady Gaga for an upcoming Halloween party. Dare me to? I've done Depp, Gaga should be a breeze - just don't call me a hoarder, m'kay?

• I still love anthropologie, especially with their 15% off birthday card. Happy birthday to me!

Now if I could only stop waking up at 5:30 AM ... I know, it's a sign. Sigh.

My kind of playdate

The kids were off school yesterday, and I took a vacation day to spend time with them My daughter passed on the opportunity- she opted to spend the day with her best friend. But my boy, he wanted some quality time with his Mom.

We went for a sushi lunch, and then caught the matinee showing of "This is It".

If you haven't seen it yet, even if you're not an MJ fan... you should see it. This was just his rehearsal. His concert tour would have been out of this world.

My favourite part? Watching my son's eyes fixated on the screen, with excitement and awe as Michael Jackson danced, sang and slid across the huge stage in front of us. His most favourite MJ song now? "Smooth Criminal", because MJ played a mean gangster.

We've now got moonwalking practice as a regular after school activity in the hallway. Now if I could only perfect the move where my boy slides and balances on his toes. Who am I kidding - I can't even try!

This is it

This, this is a movie that I would love to see...



But chances are, as any parents of young children, I won't be able to see it until it comes out on DVD.

I think I could get the boy to come see it with me, no problem. He's actually become a huge MJ fan since he's heard some of the songs. The boy even scrounged through my closet and suggested that the class jack-o-lantern be carved in the likeness of MJ. Yes, I have a hat like MJ's - I never said I wasn't a packrat. But the girl, I don't think she'd sit through the whole movie.

As consolation, I brought home the commemorative CD that was released with the movie. When you listen to the music in the compilation, it really hits home how brilliant he was, an amazing entertainer and showman who was about to unveil an unforgettable show. The more the shame of his tragic death.

So for now at least I have my morning commute to work, as I drive through the suburban streets to the commercial parks, the music energizes me and gives me strength for the upcoming day ... the strength to be startin' somethin'. Ooooh!



(And tomorrow, my friends, my story around Billie Jean and life lessons.)

Friday Fragments - Back to Life, Back to Reality

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.

And a newer blog friend had a similar brilliant idea: Friday Freewrite at Ordinary and Awesome. Go!

First week of school, and it went off without a hitch...well, almost. Bear with me while I de-frag...

Last week, we went up north for Labour Day weekend, and the man had decided to spare me the burden of loading up his bike and that of the boy, into my minivan. He was going up first and we would join him a couple of days later. So he left me his car to drive around for a couple of days, and I didn't bother touching the van until it was time to drive up.

Mistake.

It seems that the bike had hit the interior light of the minivan. Yes, the bike hit it, not the man who was loading the bike. Amazing the power of inanimate objects when the stars align.

But I didn't get overly pissed off right away, as I was in a good frame of mind, and after all, he had loaded the van so that I wouldn't have to. Or more correctly, so that he wouldn't have to hear about it when I dropped it on my toe, which I would have done. Or do something ridiculous like hit the interior light and drain the battery. We still had the man's car, so I loaded that up and hit the road with the kids in tow. And we had an amazing holiday weekend.

We didn't get back until Labour Day, and it wasn't until the evening that we got the battery charged by CAA (I love CAA). Of course the tank was on empty (I was going to fill up before I headed north), so we couldn't drive it around much. So what happened the next morning was only natural.

You guessed it. Tuesday morning, the first day of school, and the minivan wouldn't start.

But hey, we still had the man's car. So off we went, got the kids into their classes (yay, kids are happy with their placements, all is good.) CAA to the rescue again, and charged the van. I had to take the car for about a one hour drive. But there was still a chance that the battery was shot. All day Tuesday, the van sputtered, but ran. And then again on Wednesday, it sputtered better, but ran better.

Thursday morning I got cocky. I offered to drive the kids to school, and didn't try the van until after the bus came and went.

Mistake.

Damn battery was dead!

It was 8:45 AM. The bell rings at 8:50 AM.

Oh my God! I grabbed the kids' backpacks, yelled at the boy for taking so long to get ready, and we ran all the way to school. RAN.

Me in my flip flop sandals, almost planting my face on the sidewalk twice... the girl yelling, "This is great exercise Mommy, maybe I'll be skinny like my brother."... the boy saying, "Hope you're enjoying your workout Mom!"

We got there in 10 minutes. Don't ask me how, I think we had wings on our heels. But they weren't late.

I called CAA again. And bought a new battery.

Of course, the man is away on business all week. How'd you guess?

*****

Well, summer is pretty much over, but guess what? I actually did get some summertime reading in! I read a book called Mortal Friends, a sizzler that takes place in Washington DC, and it was pretty good. You can read my review here. And yes, I did manage to read a couple more, so I'll post about them there soon as well.

*****

Speaking about books, have you heard about , The Superior Wife Syndrome? I read a review in the Globe and Mail and it looks like an interesting read. Mainly because I think I have a superiority complex and can be a nag hag from time to time. Although apparently I'm not oh so bad. Not all of the time, anyway.

*****

So while the man is away, I try to take advantage and watch chickflicks. I've got Two Lovers (apparently Joaquin Phoenix' best work before he became the newest member of ZZ Top) , Nights in Rodanthe and Last Chance Harvey. I'll be lucky if I get through two, but I'll let you know what I think.

****
And a quickie: don't tell the husband this, but I got all sexy while he was away. I actually cleaned the oven! Hah!

*****
Do you remember Soul II Soul? Great song, perfect for the weekend..

Picking up sticks

I had a physiotherapy appointment this morning, to strengthen the knee that collapsed during the biggest nightmare of my life. There's nothing quite like having your body fail you while watching your father slip away.

I finally got organized, and let's face it, woke myself out of this slumpy fog that I've plopped myself into the last three months. Wishing and hoping that it would get better on its own was not exactly working.

The good news is that the ligaments are intact and there's no permanent damage. Bodyjam is NOT forever out of my grasp - whew! And the ladies at the clinic didn't think I looked like I was in my 40s (although I think it's fairly easy to look young when you're in the company of 60-70 year olds.) It's better to look good than to feel good, right? I wish, as I don't think I'm doing so hot in either department these days.

The bad news is that I have lost muscle in that leg. And apparently I also have flat feet (a friend told me this wasn't uncommon after pregnancy. Who knew, I thought my shoe size grew because my feet were getting fatter). After this morning's session, it's also apparent that I've lost a lot of respiratory strength. Five minutes on bike, five minutes of lunges, five minutes of balance board and five minutes of jumping on a mini trampoline (albeit, on one leg) equals a whole lot of huffing and puffing that just about KILLED me.

So I've made up my mind. Pre-the period of drama known as winter 2008, my regular routine included exercise. I went to the gym at least three times a week. I didn't realize how much I needed the normalcy of this routine to keep me going and to keep me emotionally stable. To keep it going for my kids, for my family, for my husband, but most importantly for me.

It was easy for me to slip into the cloud of self-pity. Whenever people ask me how I've been (at appointments, with people I hadn't run into in a while), my standard issue, "Oh, actually everything has sucked, I've had two gall bladder attacks, I wrecked my knee, my Dad was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer and died 10 weeks ago"... was making people feel decidedly uncomfortable and wondering why they had asked me in the first place. I must stop doing that.

I'm tired of being tired. After spending an evening with a difficult to watch, but infinitely inspirational DVD last night, I have no excuses for NOT getting back into life. Really getting back into life.

Not being able to get in the car or go up the stairs without fear of an uncomfortable twinge in my knee? Try waking up three weeks after a massive stroke and only being able to move ONE EYELID!! And then having the tenacity to use an ingenious method of communication developed by your therapist, to communicate and then dictate your memoirs, one letter at a time, and live to see it published only days before your death.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon). See it.

My sticks scattered this past winter. I need to pick them up. Be grateful for what I have, for what I am capable of, for the NOW.

And with the help of my daughter and the rest of the family, we might even build a better picture for tomorrow.

Thursday Thirteen: Trying to feel a lot like Christmas

I don't know about you, but with all the stresses with the Christmas preparations, the icy wet weather, and the fact that both pairs of winter boots I bought last year have holes in them and are leaking (BOTH!!!) ... I've been having a tough time getting into the Christmas Cheer.

So I thought about what might help, and if there's something that I love it's a good Christmas movie.

Here are 13 movies that I love to watch around Christmas, none of which I have seen as yet this year. I think I need to.

1. Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer. As a kid, no other TV show got me more excited about Christmas than this TV special. It seemed so high-tech with the special effects way back when. When we watched this last year with the kids, the boy was bored; but the girlie still loved the cute puppetlike animation.

2. It's a Wonderful Life. This classic is on this list because that's what it is, a classic. I only wish they wouldn't show it so late at night at Christmas time, as usually I'm too tired to watch the whole thing. Maybe I should consider a DVD, you think?

3. Gigi. This one is not a regular holiday favourite, I know, but it brings me right back to Christmas time when I was a teen. You know how during the holidays they bring out many of the old Hollywood classics, late at night? I remember helping my mother get ready for her big Christmas Eve bash, rolling the egg rolls that I would be deep-frying the next day, and tidying up the house and cleaning up all the dinnerware and cutlery. It was one of those rare moments as a teen when I actually got along with my mother rather than resent her for not letting me go out as frequently as I wanted. One such evening, they were playing Gigi around midnight. My mother shared some of her own memories of when the movie originally came out in theatres, and what her life was like at that time. Precious moments between mother and daughter.

4. The Sound of Music. I don't know why they always seem to play this movie on TV during the Christmas holidays. I still think that Julie Andrews was the most gorgeous actress, and Christopher Plummer, wasn't he just wonderfully dashing? Actually, the stage musical is playing as we speak, maybe I should try to get tickets to the theatre version in the new year ... hmmmm.

5. The Family Man. This was the first movie that Hubs and I went to see in the cinema after baby number 1 was born. Yup, we were new parents - how ironic!!! It took us almost 8 months to get out! I thought Nic Cage and Tea Leoni were just wonderful in this film about the "what if's" in life. Just a great film.

6. Christmas Vacation What would Christmas be without the Griswolds, and those lights, those lights! Just hilarious!

7. Elf. I just fell in love with Will Ferrell in this role. No one else could capture the innocence, naivete and hilarity as this big goof could in green tights. I couldn't think of any better casting than James Caan either, as the bad boy grown up who really has a heart.

8. Polar Express. I took the boy to this movie while I was waaaaay pregnant with the girl. It was a little more intense for a 4 year old than I thought it would be (especially in a dark theatre), but ultimately we both absolutely loved it.

9. Love Actually. Who could NOT love this movie? So many different love stories, all about different types of love, with the backdrop of Christmas.

10. Home Alone. Macauley was cute, cute, cute!!! And I just loved Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the villains.

11. White Christmas. Oh, another classic in here. But the music was just phenomenal ("Sisters, sisters...; White Christmas...) Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney, just flawless. And honestly, they just don't make movies like that anymore.

12. Die Hard. Bruce Willis, as an action star? That was a strange concept at first, but look how far he's come? That movie was just stellar, and what talent it had for their villain (Alan Rickman) and the slimy office guy (the still-gorgeous Hart Bochner).

13. A Christmas Story. This is my all time favourite Christmas movie. And I know I am not alone. Apparently that leg lamp is a hot seller even to this day. And look, they've got the original house set up as a tourist attraction now! So, a Christmas dinner of Chinese cuisine -- what's so unusual about that? Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra...ra-ra-ra-ra!!!