Movie Review: Big Miracle

           Today I watched Big Miracle with my six-year-old daughter.  Based on a true story, this movie deals with the plight of a family of whales who become trapped under the ice during their migration and documents the surprising efforts of caring people to free them.  I must say, this movie does live up to its name, which is saying a lot considering how much I rolled my eyes seeing the title and sugary feel-good ads that swamped TV during its original theater run.  Still, it deals with whales and stars the lovely and talented Drew Barrymore, and it was rated a tame PG, so I felt like it would be a good choice.

I feel like this would be an appropriate time to mention that I have seen and did not enjoy March of the Penguins, which many would probably categorize this film with.  I enjoy Morgan Freeman and respect his body of work, but that film was a bit too sad for me.  Seeing the little egg touch the ice and immediately freeze, killing the chick inside was quite traumatic for me for some reason.  Seeing their pain made me feel for the birds and to respect them more, but the movie was not what I would deem feel-good family fare.  I had watched it alone and afterwards decided against letting my girls watch it.  When my older daughter did watch it with my mother, she said she enjoyed it, which did not smooth my hackles over the issue that so many younger children watch it, perhaps without parental guidance or to take the time to discuss the bigger issues portrayed.  I hate to go off on a tangent, but I do feel that grouping these two movies together may not be the best, most informed idea.

Watching this movie with my daughter was fun, mostly because we had so much to discuss.  I feel like there would be even more to discuss if I could watch it with my older daughter sometime.  There seemed to be an understanding about the different factions working together for a common cause, like the Greenpeace people, oil magnates, reporters who may be out for nothing more than the next big story, native peoples, and even home audiences who only saw what was transmitted through their televisions and newspapers.  This is very useful for dealing with issues such as point of view or cultural ideas, especially since there was a conscious effort not be too preachy on any front.  Since the story is mainly set in Alaska, there are economic issues, such as how expensive it can be to live in Alaska, where so much must be imported.  The little aside about the availability of avocados for the Mexican restaurant Amigos was really neat and trumped the supply and demand examples set by the preciousness of new music, batteries, and even hotel rooms or, comically, cardboard for the reporters to stand on.  Like many people, I do not really know much about Alaska, although several of my classmates and old summer camp chums have made their homes there.  Since I have suffered from arthritis since high school and am cold-natured, this was probably the closest I would like to get to actually visiting.

I also enjoyed how the filmmakers made time to work in other mini-lessons, such as differences between these grey whales and the typical bowfins that would normally be found there and why those whales would probably not have had such an issue.  Biology and science can be tough to teach, although they are literally all around us.  I think there could be many things that could come from this, such as making a whale puppet together or even playing together in the tub or a pool (when it gets warmer, of course!).  My daughter found it most interesting that whales breathe air because they are mammals.  This was a bit surprising, since I thought she already knew, which made this movie even more valuable to me.  After a quick primer from me about aquatic mammals, she decided to name a couple more, which made me happy.  I’m thinking of peppering in more mini-lessons in our daily life to see what comes from it.

Perhaps the saddest part was watching the deterioration of the baby calf.  I expected my daughter to be sad, but she seemed to deal with it quite well, highlighting a difference between my daughters.  I felt a twinge of tears threatening to trickle, but I have seen my older daughter cry during movies over less.  This made me even happier when, at the end of the movie, she clapped along with the actors as the whales made their triumphant escape.  It was great that the end credits showcased original footage from the original event to see how the events actually played out and who these people really were. 

Perhaps the biggest payoff from watching this movie with my daughter was when she curled up on me and told me to warm her up because I was her mommy polar bear.  Soooo sweet!

Overall, this was a really good family movie.  The acting was solid, and the pace was appropriate.  I hope that it continues to be popular for years to come.

Overall Rating:  5 of 5 Stars

New Year's Resolutions

As another year draws to a close, the time has come for New Year’s resolutions.  Usually this process takes on some great sense of archaic tradition, the sense of being chained to my cosmic promises, weighing the guilt potential should I fail.  This generally causes the decision process to stretch days into the new year, which I am sure can be considered cheating.  Other years, I try to follow the supposed “rules” and think something up at midnight.  I watched my husband start compiling his list last night.  It would be really interesting to know which is the original procedure for making these promises to myself, but I suppose I will never know.

This year I had intended to lose fifteen pounds.  I thought it was a nice goal, and a bit more ambitious than if I had set out to lose ten pounds.  Things seemed to be on track.  I lost ten pounds, some in chunks during allergy season or over the summer when I felt like it was too warm to eat much.  I used the website http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ to track calories by logging what I ate and how I exercised, watching the progress of my efforts pan out on a chart.  The problem was that I was unaware that the scale I was using was nine pounds lighter than it should have been.  After I confirmed this discrepancy, I was thrown off, to say the least.  I stopped looking at the site, disgusted by how inaccurate my little fish ticker was.  I purchased a digital scale at a church yard sale and confirmed that I had lost less than I thought, compounded by the disappointment that I had no way of knowing where I had even started.  I lost my focus and have probably gained some weight since then.

The bright spot in this story is that 2012 is at its close.  I want a do-over for my goal.  This year I want to look at my scale more often, rethink behaviors that I know are destructive, and take more of an interest in my health, both mental and physical.  I would like to lose fifteen pounds this year, but I would love to be better.  

Gratitudes Journal

As I was flipping through the November 2012 issue of better Homes and Gardens, I came across a really sweet Thanksgiving gift idea:  gratitude journals.  The idea is to give each guest a blank journal with the word “Gratitudes” written on an illustrated card and affixed to the cover using photo corners.  There is even a template for the cards, which can be downloaded at BHG.com/FreshFlavor and printed off, although you could easily create your own.  The gift can be dressed up or down by your choice of journals, which can be high-end, Dollar Tree finds, or even something you create yourself if you are truly ambitious.  If I were to give these as gifts, I would possibly stamp some of the pages or include some scrapbooking goodies.  I found the following link provides a lovely, ambitious idea of how far you can run with one of these journals:

http://teresacollins.typepad.com/teresa_collins/2010/09/post-for-monday-cheri-piles.html

            This is more than some hokey little party favor.  Thankfulness is an idea that should stretch beyond the holiday season.  Also, just taking the time to record little things that we are grateful for can be a therapeutic exercise.  Personally speaking, I suffer from bipolar disorder.  Sometimes it can be difficult to see the silver lining and recall things to be happy about.  I think that by creating and filling in something like this gratitude journal, I would have something to look back on during a rough patch.  Keeping the journal can also be a nice family activity.  A little time can be set aside each evening in which everyone can sit together or off on their own and record what they are grateful for, making sure to date each entry.  As time goes by, it would be nice to see what they have written, thus turning a simply blank book into a keepsake.

            I challenge you to think today about what makes you happy.  What makes life worthwhile?  What makes you fortunate?  Record it—or not—and try to make someone else feel these things in some small way.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Every Zombie Eats Somebody Sometime: A Book of Zombie Love Songs

Author: Michael P. Spradlin
Illustrator: Jeff Weigel

This book was an astonishing quick read, although I suppose one could get extra enjoyment out of the slim volume by pulling up karaoke versions of each song on YouTube to see how the altered versions would sound. The words could have been better, less repetitive, or further from the original at times, but it was still a fun read. I liked the illustrations quite a bit, especially since the likenesses were clever and spot-on. This is a nice book to use to get yourself ready for Halloween or a Zombie Walk. It would be a nice conversation piece or gift for the zombie/horror fan with a protruding funny bone.

Overall Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Making Furnace Filters Last Longer

Furnace filters clean the air but need replaced so soon!

Fridays at work are opportunities for improvement.  When we don’t have meetings and trainings to become better educators, we clean and plan in the classroom.  Today was definitely a day to work on the classroom.  I sanitized all of the toys, passed out old art projects, painted the walls where they were nicked, and did a dozen other things.  I somehow finished my to-do list and was looking for a task that would keep me busy, so I decided to dust the heating and air system intake.  When I finished dusting, I opened the panel to find the filter was completely filthy and splattered with dust bunnies.  When I reported this to my boss, she told me she would tell the landlord so he can replace it.  In the meantime, she gave me a neat trick that can help furnace filters last longer and stay cleaner, which is both economical and better for the lungs.

To clean the filter, I removed it and plugged in the vacuum cleaner.  This seems like an unlikely combination, and I was skeptical if it would work or if I would just end up destroying the filter.  I plugged up the vacuum cleaner and used the crevice tool to vacuum the filter.  Immediately dust and clumps of fuzz were sucked away, leaving a dramatically cleaner filter.  This is not a permanent fix to the problem of dirty filters, as it did not make the filter pristine, but I was able to remove approximately two cups of filth from the filter, a feat that was both remarkable and disgusting.  Even my boss was surprised to see the sheer volume of debris.  This was an unexpected but genius hint.  I’ll have to mine my boss’s mind for more little tricks, which shouldn’t be too hard—she has tons!

The Snowy Day

Author: Ezra Jack Keats

This is a really great winter read for teachers and parents alike. Keats is masterful in creating a fun day in the snow, full of events and choices that children can relate to. The fact that this book won the Caldecott Award also goes a long way in vouching for credibility.

There are also many opportunities for discussion based on the text, particularly those dealing with science through explaining cause and effect relationships within the text or hypothesizing what may happen next after a certain event. As a teacher, I see this story as a good primer for actually going outside and trying some of the activities Peter enjoys in the book. An excellent follow-up would be a winter craft, such as shaving cream art.

All in all, I would highly recommend this story for your personal collection, as it is one that can be enjoyed again and again. As children age beyond the discovery phase, I'm sure they will reach a nostalgic position as they remember when they were small and enjoyed the simple magic of a snowy day.

Overall Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Girls On Top: Explicit Erotica For Women

Editor:  Violet Blue

I truly enjoyed this collection, mostly because it was all about taking chances. There were stories involving gender roles, cross-dressing, gay issues, subcultures and cultures, BDSM, and so much more. Each story found a way to go beyond the rudimentary motions of sex to find a way to say something more about society as well as the individual. There were opportunities to see a character get into something he or she had not experienced before, and it was refreshing to see some doubt, some trial and error; in that way, the characters were much more human than mere manifestations of animal instinct. There were roads to travel, narrow little perilous bridges to cross, relationships at stake. To me, that is more exciting than just reading the "hot" parts and not having more than a sham of a story to drape them.

I liked being able to see these stories play out and have to think about how I would feel or what I would do in the situation if I had the guts, which I usually don't in my mild-mannered reality. Maybe after reading this, I will reconsider some of my boundaries that I keep and how firm they really should be.

What I did not like so much was the story about the robbers. I cannot see her just going for a tryst with the criminals like that. Also, if the cops find her with them like that, she's in trouble as well because she's going to look like an accomplice. A bit of the writing in the rest of the book was a bit flimsy. There were a few typos, including one character being called by another character's name, but overall, the editing was fairly well-done. This was an exciting collection with a bit of something for everyone who wants to see evidence of more exciting sex lives.

Overall rating:  4 of 5 Stars