Book Review

Summary: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's book by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka.

The story was originally inspired by Roald Dahl's experience of chocolate companies during his schooldays. Cadbury would often send test packages to the schoolchildren in exchange for their opinions on the new products. At that time (around the 1920s), Cadbury and Rowntree's were England's two largest chocolate makers and they each often tried to steal trade secrets by sending spies, posing as employees, into the other's factory. Because of this, both companies became highly protective of their chocolate making processes. It was a combination of this secrecy and the elaborate, often gigantic, machines in the factory that inspired Dahl to write the story.

I've read this book several times. I happened upon the movie and decided to read the book again. It is so good, it's one of my favorite Roald Dahl's books. His books are a must to any children's library!

Movie Night!

Summary: Vietnam, 1969. Burnt out Special Forces officer Captain Willard is sent into the jungle with top-secret orders to find and kill renegade Colonel Kurtz who has set up his own army within the jungle. As Willard descents into the jungle, he is slowly taken by the jungle's mesmerizing powers and battles the insanity which surrounds him. His boat crew succumbs to drugs and is slowly killed off one by one. As Willard continues his journey he becomes more and more like the man he was sent to kill.

This movie,  Apocalypse Now, stars Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Laurance Fishburne, Albert Hall, Harrison Ford, and Dennis Hooper. This movie was unlike any Vietnam war movie I have ever seen.  It had some very unexpected graphic parts and the ending had a crazy twist!! If you like war movies, I would definitely recommend this movie!

Book Review

Summary: Tally Youngblood is close to turning 16, the age when she can be turned into a pretty. Being a pretty is fun. You have certain privileged that uglies don't, but then Tally meets a girl named Shay who doesn't want to turn pretty. Shay has introduced Tally to things that she has never seen or heard of, like David. The day before Tally and Shay are able to turn pretty, they pull a huge prank on the new uglies, but afterwards, Shay explains to Tally that she doesn't want to turn pretty. She told Tally that she wanted to go to the Smoke with David. Before Shay runs away, she gives Tally a not with encrypted directions to the Smoke just in case Tally decides to leave. Shortly after Tally turns 16, she goes to get the operation but the doctor says there's a problem, then she is taken to Special Circumstances and is given 2 choices; get to the Smoke and activate a special tracker (one that has been disguised as a heart pendent) to help the authorities locate and bust the rebels living in the Smoke, or stay ugly forever.

After reading The Hunger Games Trilogy, I was looking for a new series of books to read. I was told that The Uglies books were good (Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras). So I acquired a copy of the first book. I thought this book was pretty good. It had the futuristic feel like The Hunger Games, but they are a little more girly.  This book started out really good, then got slow toward the middle, then picked back up in the end, hooking you into reading the next book. I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd book,  Pretties!

Movie Night!

Summary: Professional photographer L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries breaks his leg while getting an action shot at an auto race. Confined to his New York apartment, he spends his time looking out of the rear window observing the neighbors. He begins to suspect that a man across the courtyard may have murdered his wife. Jeff enlists the help of his high society fashion-consultant girlfriend Lisa Freemont and his visiting nurse Stella to investigate.

Tonight I watched Rear Window. An Alfred Hitchcock film starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. I thought this was one of the best Hitchcock movie I've ever seen. It was very good and kept your attention until the very end, when you found out for sure who the murderer was. If you enjoy murder mysteries, this is a movie for you to watch!!

Merry Christmas!!

Tree at Rockefeller Center!

The Lucky One

Some girls from work and I are all reading The Lucky One by Nicolas Sparks. It's his latest book to be made into a movie. The plan, read the book now, and go see the movie in April. I finished the book tonight.

Book Description: In his 14th book, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks tells the unforgettable story of a man whose brushed with death lead him to the love of his life.

After U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman buried in the dirt during his tour of duty in Iraq, he experiences a sudden steak of luck -- winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph -- his luck charm.

Back home in Colorado, Thibault can't seem to get the women in the photography out of his mind and he sets out on a journey across the country to find her. But Thibault is caught off guard by the strong attraction he feels for the women he encounters in North Carolina - Elizabeth, a divorced mother -- and he keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate love affair, his secret soon threatens to tear them apart -- destroying not only their love, but also their lives.

I thought this was a fun little read. It was probably the only Nicholas Sparks book I've read that didn't make me cry. Can't wait for the movie to come out. Here is the movie trailer! Enjoy!

Movie Night!

Summary: Through the eyes of "Scout," a feisty six-year-old tomboy, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD carries us on an odyssey through the fires of prejudice and injustice in 1932 Alabama. Presenting her tale first as a sweetly lulling reminiscence of events from her childhood, the narrator draws us near with stories of daring neighborhood exploits by she, her brother "Jem," and their friend "Dill." Peopled with a cast of eccentrics, Maycomb ("a tired and sleepy town") finds itself the venue of the trial of Tom Robinson, a young black man falsely accused of raping an ignorant white woman. Atticus Finch, Scout and Jem's widowed father and a deeply principled man, is appointed to defend Tom for whom a guilty verdict from an all-white jury is a foregone conclusion. Juxtaposed against the story of the trial is the children's hit and run relationship with Boo Radley, a shut-in who the children and Dill's Aunt Rachel suspect of insanity and who no one has seen in recent history. Cigar-box treasures, found in the knot hole of a tree near the ramshackle Radley house, temper the children's judgment of Boo. "You never know someone," Atticus tells Scout, "until you step inside their skin and walk around a little." But fear keeps them at a distance until one night, in streetlight and shadows, the children confront an evil born of ignorance and blind hatred and must somehow find their way home.

I have read the book and seen the movie several times, and it does not disappoint. It is a great movie for all ages, and offers great lessons from times past, but is still relevant today. If you haven't seen the movie or read the book, I would recommend them both!

Rock Of Ages Official Trailer!!

The Rock of Ages movie trailer is finally out! This movie is based on me and John's favorite Broadway musical. We saw it in New York with the original cast and then again in Houston. I can't wait to see the movie to see how it measures up. Here is the trailer. Enjoy!

Book Review!

Summary: The Alchemist details the journey of an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago. Santiago, believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, decides to travel to the pyramids Egypt to find treasure. He then tells a lone gypsy about this treasure. As he leaves, the gypsy mentions one thing: If he does find the treasure, she wants 10 percent of it. On the way, he encounters love, danger, opportunity, disaster and learns a lot about himself and the ways of the world. One of the significant characters that he meets is an old king named Melchizedek who tell him about discovering his personal legend: what he always wanted to accomplish in his life. And that "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." This is the core philosophy and motto of the book. During his travels, he meets a beautiful Arabian woman named Fatima who explains to him that if he follows his heart, he shall find what it is he seeks. Santiago then encounters a lone alchemist who tells about personal legends. He says that people only want to find the treasure of their personals but not the personal legend itself. He feels unsure about himself as he listens to the alchemist's teachings. The alchemist states "Those who don't understand their personal legends will fail to comprehend its teachings." It also states that treasure is more precious then gold. 

I thought this book was a simple and delightful little book. It only took me a few days to read through it. But it's a great little adventure story full of life's little lessons. I would recommend this book to people of all ages!

Movie Night!

Tonight I watched Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. This movie starred Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, and Sterling Hayden. This was also James Earl Jones movie debut. 

Summary: U.S. President Merkin Muffley is on the hot line to Moscow with some rather embarrassing news for the Soviet premier: "Hello, Dimitri....I'm fine....Now then, you know how we've always talked about the possibility of something going wrong with the bomb....The bomb, Dimitri. The hydrogen bomb....Well, now, what happened is that, uh, one of our base commanders...he went a little funny in the head....and he went and did a silly thing....He ordered his planes to attack your country." A comedy about an accidental nuclear attack? One that ends with total annihilation, thermonuclear apocalypse? Preposterous! Stanley Kubrick thought otherwise. In the end his thinking prevailed. The mad saga revolves around a psychotic Strategic Air Command officer, Gen. Jack D. Ripper, who lets loose his B-52 bomber squadron on the Soviet Union. Ripper takes this unilateral action because of his paranoid belief that Communists are sapping and contaminating "all our precious bodily fluids" as part of their plan to take over the world." Unbeknownst to Ripper, his attack will trigger the Russian's ultimate weapon, the Doomsday Machine, a diabolical retaliatory device set to blow up the planet.

This movie was a little crazy. In that they had a warning at the beginning stating that this movie is totally fiction and that our US Government would never plan an attack like this on on the Soviet Union. It was an entertaining movie though. Here is a famous scene from the movie. I had seen this clip before, probably in an Oscar montage. Here ya go!

Product Review!

After going to the zoo, John and I stay in and cooked dinner. John really wanted a waffle maker, so we went to Target, got a waffle maker, and we spotted this Red Velvet waffle mix. It was fun making them, but they look tastier on the box then they actually were. Their saving grace was the vanilla bean & cream cheese frosting. It was delicious!

Houston Zoo!

This weekend Me, John, and Lacey went to the Houston Zoo. It was a perfect day for it. The weather was nice and it wasn't to crowded. My favorite part of the zoo, besides seeing some turtles, was getting to feed the giraffes! Here are a few pictures of the day.

 

Feeding the giraffes

 

Rhinos

 

This one made me think of Can

 

This giraffe wanted nothing to do with us,

he just wanted to gnaw on the rope.

 Baby Elephant

Turtle!

Turtle!

Book Review

Book Description: Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more then character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tried to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment - and redemption.

I have seen bits and pieces of the movie version of this book, but had never read the book until now. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this little book. It was very captivating and had small interesting chapters that made you not want to put the book down. This is a perfect book for any child's library. 

The Hunger Games Official Trailer

Greatest Song Ever Written

I saw this video the other day and thought it was kind of fun. Can you pick out all the songs?

Book Review

Today I finished reading The Secret Garden. I grew up watching the movie, but had never read the book before. I love that it's about these soiled children who become less selfish by being outside and being in each others company. It was such a sweet children's book!

The Secret Garden, written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is a charming book about a girl named Mary Lennox. She is a spoiled and sickly child who lives in India. When her parents die because of a cholera epidemic, she moves to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her rich uncle in England. Things are a definite change for her. Slowly she becomes stronger and starts to take an interest in the outdoors. She meets all sorts of people like Martha, Dickon, and Colin. Martha is a maid on the grounds who has taken a fancy to Mary, and Dickon is her brother. Dickon is quite an unusual fellow. He possesses the ability to talk to animals and is able to grow anything with a little bit of soil. Colin, who you will meet later in the story, is a child who has basically given up the will to live, believing he is doomed to be a hunchback like his father. Strong-willed Mary reprimands him and takes matters into her own hands. Mary has all kinds of adventures with strange sounds at night, funny accents, and a locked garden. The Secret Garden is a wonderful book about friendship, determination, and perseverence.

Movie Night!!

Tonight I watched The Treasure of Sierra Madre starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt. 

Summary: Fred C. Dobbs and Bob Curtin, both down on their luck in Tampico, Mexico in 1925, meet up with a grizzled prospector named Howard and decide to join with him in search of gold in the wilds of central Mexico. Through enormous difficulties, they eventually succeed in finding gold, but bandits, the elements, and most especially greed threaten to turn their success into disaster. 

This movie was pretty good. Definitely a gum movie. It was different from any Humphrey Bogart movie in that he played the bad guy. Here is a clip from the movie. There is a famous line said in this clip that has been used in lots of movies since. Enjoy!

New Office!!

Today was my first full day at my new office. We moved from being right off Fortification in downtown Jackson to being off County Line Rd behind the Hilton. This was a definite upgrade for me. I went from being in a small cubical to sharing a rather larger corner office. I was a little upset about the sharing part at first. Me and another girl are the only two having to share an office and there are 4 empty offices available. But after seeing everyone in their small offices, I'm more than happy sharing! Here are a few picture... I need to decorate a little but this is good enough for now.

Movie Night

Tonight I watched The Sixth Sense starring Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, and Toni Collette. This movie is about a boy who communicates with spirits that don't know they're dead seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist.

I haven't seen this movie in forever and it still scares the crap out of me! It probably didn't help things that I watched it at night. This was one of M. Night Shyamalan best movies. I love how this movie leaves you guess right until the very end, and then everything comes together. A must watch thriller!

Movie Night!

Tonight I watch The Shawshank Redemption, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. This movie is about Andy Dufresne, a young and successful banker whose life changes drastically when he is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover. Set in the 1940's, the film shows how Andy, with the help of his friend Red, the prison entrepreneur, turns out to be a most unconventional prisoner. 

I've seen this movie many times before, but it's on the movie list that I'm trying to finish, so today I watched it again.  It's such a great movie, it was fun watching it again!!

Movie Night!

 

Tonight I watched The Best Years of Our Lives. The story concentrates on the social re-adjustment of three World War II servicemen, each from a different station of society. Al Stephenson returns to an influential banking position, but finds it hard to reconcile his loyalties to ex-servicemen with new commercial realities. Fred Derry is an ordinary working man who finds it difficult to hold down a job or pick up the threads of his marriage. Having had both hands burnt off during the war, Homer Parrish is unsure that his fiancée's feelings are still those of love and not those of pity. Each of the veterans faces a crisis upon his arrival, and each crisis is a microcosm of the experiences of many American warriors who found an alien world awaiting them when they came marching home. 

I thought this movie was very good! I've seen several movies about WWII, but I've never seen one about the solders after the war. The movie even featured a real WWII veteran, a man who lost both of his hands during the war. This movie was a tab bit long, almost 3 hours, but still a great movie. I highly recommend it!

Calligraphy Class!

Tonight I finished a 5 week calligraphy class at Millsaps College. I had so much fun! We spent the first 4 weeks learning Copperplate Calligraphy and one week on the Chancery Cursive Italic. I really enjoyed the Copperplate Calligraphy. It much prettier then the other we learned. It's going to take lots and lots of practice to get any good. I'm not very good yet, but I'm hoping with time, I will get better. My goal it to try and do my Christmas cards using my new talent. We'll see how it goes!! Anyways, here are a few pictures from my practicing.

 

 Calligraphy Pen and Ink

Practice

 More Practice

Calligraphy Pen

 

 Chancery Cursive Italic

 

Attempt at my name

Aquarium!

This weekend John took me to the Houston Aquarium! It was pretty small, but we still had some fun. Here are a few pictures from our day.

  

Aquarium: An Underwater Adventure

 

Turtles!

 

Pretty Fish

 

This fish was Huge!

 

Spotted Stingrays

 

  

 

Python

 

Seahorses

 

My favorite part of the Aquarium was getting to touch the sharks and stingrays! There were shallow tanks set up with the sharks and stingrays that you could touch. It was so interesting, the stingrays almost acted like puppies wanting attention, they really wanted to be petted! It was so neat!

 

 Shark Egg

 

White Tigers

The last thing we did was take a train ride around the aquarium. The main part of the tour was through the shark tank tunnel.