Sucker Punch. [movie review]

I really love movies, so I'm thinking about making this a regular thing on the blog. I watch way too many of these things and not sharing my favorites would be a crime!

Last night I watched Sucker Punch -- please, please, please don't let the poor reviews scare you away from this one... I've decided that the people who don't like this movie are in two categories: gross men who were disappointed in the lack of nudity and people who don't like thinking for themselves. The entire movie is up for interpretation, and that's one of the things that I love most about it... that and the fact that Emily Browning takes 'Girl Power' to a whole new level -- she is officially my hero of the week.

Two things that made the movie for me: Bjork (and the entire score of the movie in general... AWESOME!) and the creepy feel of the asylum... I was a psyc. major so anything having to do with creepy mental institutions and human experimentation really catches my attention!

The movie is about a young girl who has been sent away to an asylum by her abusive step father. She quickly learns to escape reality by retreating into her mind, and the line between reality and fantasy is definintly blurred from beginning to end. When she arrives at the asylum, she is told that she will undergo a lobotomy in 5 days. She meets several others girls and they all must work together to retrieve 5 items that are needed to break free from the facility -- something nobody has ever been able to do.

The really cool thing about this film is it's several imaginary worlds in one... meaning, it's hard to tell when historically the story is taking place, and the entire setting is very dream like. I hate to compare it to this, but it has a very 'video game' feel to it... but I was surprised that this drew me in even more rather than turning me off. I was literally on the edge of my seat throughout the film, unable to even leave to go to the bathroom (I don't usually like action movies like this, and my plan was to eat popcorn and sleep for 2 hours).

I was worried about how I would feel about this film, because I knew going in that the main character (and the other girls in the asylum) are raped -- the asylum turns into a brothel at the beginning of the film. I think many of you will be happy to know that you do not see any sex scenes and it's amazing how you don't really see these young girls as sex objects at all, but rather a group of really strong, powerful women (hence group 1 that I mentioned earlier not liking the movie). This allowed me to completely enjoy the movie, because watching young girls have sex with old men really isn't my thing...

The feminist undertones in this film really blew me away, and I left feeling like I could accomplish nearly anything. I found myself rooting for this group of girls, and emotionally relating to each of them in different ways. The ending totally caught me off guard, and for me this is what made the movie so incredible. I would compare the ending to movies such as Shutter Island or Inception (yes two Leo movies... sorry, he's hands down my favorite actor!) in the sense that you will undoubtedly leave this movie and continue to think about it long after you leave the theatre.

If you've seen this movie, I'd love to hear what you thought about it! If you haven't seen it yet, what's the best movie you've seen lately?

Weekend Recap

Monday morning always leaves me feeling extremely tired. I try to cram everything fun that I can think of into the two days that I'm home, and while I usually have a really awesome weekend.... when it's over I'm totally worn out!

By the way - what happened to the warm weather? Last Friday it was 80 degrees, and this weekend it was freezing outside!

Anyway, Friday was a pretty awesome day. I went to a meeting in the morning and then had planned on getting my hair (re)done on my lunch break and then coming back to work. Well, I know the owner of the salon and it really paid off because she blocked her whole afternoon off just for me! Needless to say....... I was there from 1 until 4:30 and so it was a day off and I didn't even plan it! Thank goodness my boss was cool about it...

My parent's picked Sean & I up around 6 o'clock and we had dinner together at Baja Bean Co. I ordered 'The Whole Enchilada' which had shredded chicken, corn salsa, cheese and rice and was sooooooo amazingly good! Then, we hopped in the car and drove to the Landmark Theatre to see The Wizard of Oz. I had forgotten how gorgeous this building is, and was amazed by the detail on the walls and ceiling. It was built in the 1920's and I kept hoping that a ghost would appear around each corner.... there is no way that a place this old and with this much history isn't haunted! We sat on the top balcony, and if you look up there's a gigantic dome in the center that looks like a faberge egg with tiny blue windows around it. I kept looking up at it during the show, it was b r e a t h t a k i n g!

Saturday, Sean and I slept in and spent the entire day watching television. This wasn't planned, but it was very much needed... and trust me, nothing feels better than a midday nap! We had some friends over around dinner time and had a few drinks before heading over to Legends. It's been a while since I've been out, and honestly I had forgotten how much fun it can be! I need to make more of an effort to do this once a week... because once we have kids, the days of staying up until 2 am (Sean was up until 4!) are pretty much over. Unless you count getting up for crying babies.

Sunday was probably my favorite day. Sean and I went to the mall to get our rings resized (I can't believe I won't have my wedding bands for almost 3 weeks!) and had lunch in the food court. Afterwards, we drove to my friend's house and watched the VCU game... let me just say, I am not one to enjoy watching sports. At superbowl parties, I socialize the entire time and usually don't even pay attention to the commercials. But this game was soooo good, and it was so awesome hearing about Richmond, Va! I felt so much pride for my city... and the guys are really amazing! Go VCU! Go VCU! Go VCU!

Here's a before/after picture of my hair... I'm still getting used to it!

Before:

After:

P.S. --  Friday was exactly one week since Imogen's been gone. I've been thinking of something special to do to memorialize her (since I experienced so much with her and she was such a big part of my life) and I think I've come up with a pretty cool tattoo design. Ferret's are pretty strange animals anyway, so it's going to be a conversation piece for sure! More on that later...



somebody has to say it - v.02 [special anniversary addition!]

Somebody has to say it........ teenage love is awesome, especially your first love. I might even go as far to say that *nothing* beats it, or ever compares to it. You know the feeling, sweaty hands... heart racing... big, stupid grin on your face at all hours of the day and night. Do you remember your first love?

Ten years ago today, I met my soul mate. And it is so crazy to think that time has gone by so quickly. I had just broken up with some jerk (you know, the way older scumbag that I was only dating because my parents hated him) and I was feeling pretty down. Actually, I was feeling like I wanted to get him back because I distinctly remember him breaking up with me over instant message and then finding out later that he was trying to get with one of my friends. Awesome. Anyway, I was babysitting at my church and we were out on the playground when I see this HOT guy walk by. I was very, very shy... but somehow I managed to spit out a hello and the rest is history.

I remember talking to him that night and feeling like I was going to throw up because my stomach had so many butterflies in it. I had dated a few guys, but none of them were very nice to me and it felt really great to be asked about my opinions and to talk to some one who seemed so genuine. I remember going to bed that night with a gigantic grin on my face, and then the utter shock and excitement when the phone rang and it was actually him! (I had always been told that guys play little games and wait at least 3 days to call a girl, and was over the moon excited that he called me THAT night!)

So, he asked me out on a double date (April 1st - we saw The Mexican and part of Chocolate, and had our first kiss!) and from that point on we have been inseparable. I quickly forgot about that moron I was trying to make jealous, because I was lucky enough to find a guy that didn't play games.

Sometimes I reminisce about 'the old days' when we were so young, so inexperienced, and so free of baggage. Everything was new, and I was so lucky to meet some one who made me feel so good about myself... he really pulled me out of my shell. Seriously, who finds something like this when they're 14?

What was your first love like?

making lemonaide...

As many of you know, I applied to grad school several months ago (read more about it here). If I'm being honest.... I was somewhat over-confident that I'd get in. I have a psychology undergrad, 5 years experience in the field, amazing references, a killer essay........... what more could they want? I'm sure you can imagine my anger/frustration/disbelief/saddness when I got the letter in the mail yesterday telling me that I did not get in.

I kind of felt like the dorky kid who didn't get invited to the popular table at lunch, and who sits alone in the bathroom to avoid the embarrassment that they're not cool enough to fit in. I cried, complained, screamed. Now what? I really hate it when you have a specific plan for you life, and it suddenly takes a sharp left turn when you were supposed to turn right. THIS IS NOT IN THE PLAN!!!!

What hurt most was my pride. I knew I'd get in... I thought for sure that they would all sit around praising my application and writing abilities and dedication to the field. Like I was a peace offering from the social work gods or something. But, alas... reality slapped me in the face and boy did that hurt.

But, honestly, I'm tired of being sad. So many things have happened this year already that I just cannot take sulking and crying and being overly dramatic about this. I didn't get in. The sooner I face this fact, the sooner I can figure out why and either apply again next semester or figure out what the heck else I'm going to do. It's a big wide world out there, and I truly believe that when some doors close... others open.

So rather than sulking last night, I took Sean out for dinner at a local brewery down the street called Legends. I ate 2 hot dogs and he had a bowl of chili... we split a basket of onion rings and ordered a few beers and just talked about life. I left feeling really good about myself, and really good about our marriage and the direction our relationship has taken over these past few years. I'm really lucky to have a supportive and loving husband, friends and family. I'm also lucky to have an incredible job and the fact that we are finally in the position to start talking about buying a house in the Summer. Even though I didn't get into grad school, I know deep deep down that everything will be ok. I know where my passions lie, and now I just have to see where they lead me.

Lesson of the week: Don't get cought up in plans that you have made for your life. Enjoy the ride, and let things work out naturally.

Camping Season!

[image found on google]

Today has been pretty un-eventful... work wise... so my minds naturally been wandering to other things, specifically my excitement that it's once again camping season! Last year I didn't get to go as much as I would like, but we did manage to squeeze one great trip in with another couple that I can't seem to get enough of :)

I've already started planning a few trips, because I really want to make camping a regular part of my life - and I was pleasantly surprised to see that some of my friends are feeling the same! There really is nothing better than the freedom that comes with sleeping outside, cuddled up to a warm campfire with comfort foods such as s'mores, hot dogs (lol @ Denise), doritos of every flavor, and an ice cold beer. Laughing with friends only makes these experiences fonder.

Our first camping trip of the season is going to be the weekend of Earth Day (how perfect is that?) Our house isn't very religious, so I didn't realize that this is actually Easter weekend... but to me, Easter is symbolic of renewal and the one holiday that seems to celebrate Spring and everything that is in bloom - so a camping trip makes sense to us (plus, we'll be home Sunday morning anyway)! I hope that this can become a tradition, because I would love for my children to one day look forward to spending Earth Day in a sleeping bag underneath the stars. The thought of my future family huddled around a campfire makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :)

Anyway, I invited some of our closest friends on a 3 night adventure at Northlanding Beach and I'm so excited because our campsite will be right on the water! I've never gone camping on the beach before, so I have a feeling this weekend will be pretty memorable. And for now, the only 'babies' I'll be cuddled up with will be our two pups Pete and Samson... which is fine with me!

Do you like to go camping? I'd love to hear some of your favorite camping spots!



taking the good with the bad.

Although this weekend was pretty emotional, there were also good parts that are worth mentioning. My mom lives about an hour away, so it was nice to spend some time with her. She came in on Thursday, I took her out for dinner at Bottoms Up Pizza , and then she was pretty awesome and took me to the grocery and let me pick out all of the food I wanted (really really cool, especially since my fridge consisted of cheese and beer. period.)!

On Friday we had to be up bright and early (I got up around 5:45 a.m.) and she drove me to Williamsburg, Va for a training. She shopped while I learned about Yoga, Nutrition, and Music Therapy. As far as trainings go, this one was pretty rad! It made me really miss my daily meditation, and also made me want to experiment with this.

Friday was kind of a tough day, and after leaving the emergency vet we decided to pick up dinner at La Bamba... which was perfect because this place is a little whole in the wall, meaning there weren't many people around. I gulped down a 32 oz. margarita and we cried a little together. It felt good to get that emotion out in a safe place.

Saturday morning I woke up to cinnamon rolls (ugh... so g o o d!) and we hurried to get dressed so that we could go out and shop a little before Sean returned from his work conference. We went to Target (where I picked up 4 awesome cardigans, starbucks, and dog food... retail therapy is THE best!), Pet Smart (where I got a travel crate for Pete -- we're going to D.C. together in a few weeks... more on that later!), and then ended the day at Applebee's for a big salad. Oh, we also got pedicures... so relaxing and much needed!

My mom went home Saturday afternoon and that night Sean and I sat around watching movies. We usually go out, but I was totally drained and he was kind enough to keep me company - even though I passed out around 11 o'clock (whoops)! We finished the weekend off at my in-law's house on Sunday... where we had dinner and just hung out. The perfect ending to any weekend!

Most of all, this weekend was full of people checking in on me and sharing memories they had of little Imogen. It was really cool to see how many people she made an impact on, and made me happy that she had a life full of so much love! To everyone out there who wrote on my facebook, commented on this blog, called me, texted me, emailed me, and hugged me -- THANK YOU! It's so much easier getting through a hard time when so many people are there showing support. I love you guys :)

So... before I wrap up the sad Imogen posts completely, I thought I'd share a few pictures I found from Imogen's glory days in college! My friend Nicky said it best... how many ferrets really get to experience COLLEGE?!?! And trust me, she lived it up like the rest of us...

Imogen, Rest in Peace



I don't know what to say other than this weekend was extremely, unexpectedly, emotionally exhausting. I had a work conference in Williamsburg, Va on Friday, so I got up extra early and hand fed Imogen like I had been for the past several days. She ate, but she didn't look any better. Watching her try to climb into her blankets was heartbreaking, because she just didn't have the strength to do it.

I thought about her the entire day at the conference. I remembered the first day I brought her home, how she bounced around my room and how I invited my friends over to see her and how funny she was. I thought about how every year, she would come with me to college. When it snowed, she would put on turtle-necks that I made out of tube socks and tunnel around in the snow. She was a good friend.

I also thought about the reality that she was an old ferret. I hoped that maybe something was wrong with her spine, or maybe she had something wrong with her tooth... something fixable.

But I got home that night and I knew that it was time to take her to the vet. I had been afraid, because I didn't want them placing the blame on me or telling me that it was going to be thousands of dollars to treat her... because I knew I would pay anything if it came down to it. So I gathered her up in a towel and my mom drove us the the emergency vet. Thank goodness she was there to comfort me. In the car, Imogen layed in my arms looking up at me, and I told her how she was a good girl and that I loved her more than anything.

We got there, and I instantly broke down. I told the receptionist that I had been calling different vets in the area, and nobody could see her until next week. I told her that I didn't think she would make it through the night, and I needed someone to look at her. They didn't specialize in ferrets, but  were able to get some one to look at her. What I remember most about the staff, is there compassion. Nobody blamed me for it, and I think that maybe that fear came out of me somewhat blaming myself.

They took us into an empty room and I told Imogen that everthing was going to be ok. But, one look at her and it was clear that the doctor wasn't optomistic. She had bruises inside of her mouth, which apparently are a sign of kidney failure. I had prepared myself for some kind of an injury, not something as big as this. They took Imogen into another room for bloodwork, and I sat there in silence... I knew she wouldn't be coming home with me that night.

When they brought her back, I felt sick. Emotionally and physically. They tried to get a blood sample, but she was so dehyrdated that they couldn't get more than a drop. What's worse, there was a huge bruise on her neck where they had tried to hold her while drawing blood. I told the vet that at this point I knew she was suffering, and she agreed that the best thing for Imogen would be to put her down.

She passed in my hands, and the last thing she heard was me whispering how good she was and how much I loved her. I'm glad she wasn't alone when she died.

I left thinking about death and how much I believe that her energy was released from her body and out into the atmosphere. As she passed, I closed my eyes and tried to breathe it in. Tried to catch some of that energy on my eyelashes and fingers. And then when I left, released it outside into the sunshine that she loved so much. Her ashes will be scattered over a field in Goochland County, and every time I feel the wind on my cheeks or warmth on my shoulder, I will know that it's Imogen telling me she's happy.

I think that Imogen was at peace and was ready. I will never forget the memories that only her and I share, and I will never ever stop loving her.