Batman and Bond: A Review

This is a fantastic Tuesday!

***WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS***

Deshi basara! Deshi basara!

The Dark Knight Rises, the last in the brilliant Christopher Nolan Batman series, is available for my continued viewing.

Re-watching The Dark Knight Rises, I am reminded of the recent James Bond outing Skyfall. Both movies feature tortured heroes who are broken and must rebuild physically and mentally to return better than ever.

In the Dark Knight Rises, the film opens with Bruce Wayne as a shell of himself.  He chooses to stay a recluse after losing his love and his reputation to The Joker and Harvey "Two-Face" Dent respectively. He skulks about Wayne Manor crippled and angry. He refuses to take care of business, allowing his life to waste away.

Bond, in contrasts, hides behind his phony death.  After being shot in the line of duty, he allows himself to be listed as 'dead' and spends his time frolicking on a remote island.  When he does return to 'life', he is angry at the agent who shot him and also seethes with animosity to M, as evidenced by the answers he gives when he is tested by a company psychologist. 

Both men return to action when a threat to their existence happens: Wayne with the emergence of Bane, Bond when cyber-terrorist Raoul Silva threatens M's life.

Bond, James Bond

Bruce Wayne is literally broken when Bane breaks his back during a subway tussle.  Bond is mentally broken and not physically adept when he undergoes his physical test to prove he's prepared to return to duty.  Both men also SHOW their weariness in he form of gray flecked beards and weakened physical appearance.

When it is time to test their readiness, both men return to the past to prepare.  Wayne is taken to prison in the same country where he met Ra's Al Ghul during his training as Batman.  Bond returns to his Scotland childhood home for a showdown with Silva.

The Dark Knight Rises transitions the characters to endings while Skyfall transitions to new beginnings.  Both movies introduce known characters: Robin, Ms Moneypenny.  And both end with our heroes embarking on the next chapter of their lives.

The Buddha in the Attic

It was tough beginning Julie Otsuka's The Buddha in the Attic. Last year this time I was trying to complete a paper on Tim O' Brien's The Things They Carried, and the beginning of Buddha evoked memories of Ted Lavender and the paper I never finished.

The way The Buddha in the Attic is written, there is no set narrator, rather a collected group of voices who tell the story of a boat load of women leaving Japan for new lives in America.

An example:

On the boat we carried our husbands’ pictures in tiny oval lockets that hung on long chains from our necks. We carried them in silk purses and old tea tins and red lacquer boxes and in the thick brown envelopes from America in which they had originally been sent. We carried them in the sleeves of our kimonos, which we touched often, just to make sure they were still there.*

I plowed through the first few pages, waiting to get to the good part.  As my eyes devoured the words, I realized the whole book IS a good part.  The style it is written in allows the reader to feel the existence of all the characters, so that the experiences of the Japanese women as a whole can be felt.

This is a powerful story of women as they explain their fears of meeting stranger husbands, discuss their misguided ideals about life in America, try to fit in once they reach America, then the uncertainty of being detained during World War II.

This book has been chosen as Philadelphia's One Book choice.


* Taken from Follow The Thread

The Kommandant's Mistress

The Kommandant's Mistress by Alexandria Constantinova Szeman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deeply satisfied is how I describe my time spent reading The Kommandant's Mistress.

This isn't a book for casual reading.  Rather, the reader must pay attention because the story is written in a way that an image, a thought, a sound can transport the speaker to another scene.  It's engaging, and engrossing, deserving all the praise that it has received.

The story is about the life of a ranking Nazi officer and his mistress told in their voice with their thoughts and feelings.  It's not graphic although some parts are described so vivid, it's a challenge NOT to feel sympathy for each person despite how dastardly their actions appear.

The book begins with part one, The Kommandant, and immediately it's a challenge to find sympathy for this man given what history has taught us about the Holocaust.  As the story unfolds, we see his rise to power, his ambition, and a small portion of his heart.  The reader is offered a glimpse in his thoughts and although his crimes are heinous, we can see that this man is just doing his "job."

Part two is in the voice of the Mistress.  Here we are seen how a person tries to survive in a world that she has no control over because of both her sex and her culture.  When she does things that will allow her to survive, she is shunned by others in a less 'appealing' captivity.  She is also hurt by those who are 'protecting' her.  She is tortured with her desire for survival while living in an artificial existence.

Part three serves as a wrap up to the book, offering readers an opportunity to have closure while still having some things to ponder long after the book is completed.

The version I read also included a guide for readers who want to follow the story in a linear way as well as the thoughts of Alexandria Szeman. This was another bonus because this type of story is one that BEGS to know what the author was thinking.

While difficult to read for those not accustomed to the scene shifts, I recommend that you stick with this story.  The ride is worth it.


Disclosure ***This post contains affiliate links. Alexandria Constantinova Szeman

View all my reviews

Review: The Book of Life Recovery

When one hears the word ‘recovery’ alcoholic is immediately brought to mind.  At least for me this was true.  I’m not an alcoholic, so I didn't think I would benefit from reading The Book of Life Recovery.  What could I possibly gain from reading a bunch of stories about substance abuse?  Once I dived into the book, I was able to expand my mind to welcome the wisdom and honesty of the people who opened themselves up for the world to examine.  The contributors to this tome offer an honest and insightful view of what it’s like to accept their disease.  Each voice is an exploration of how the writer came to their moment when they could no longer live life the way they were living and turned to God for a change.

The book is divided into twelve parts, one for each step, which is also helpful for working one step each month for a year.   The steps are then presented with one to three personal testimonials, insight into the step presented, and four Bible studies.  As one who struggles with my walk with the Lord, I was pleased to read that the writers each had moments when they too felt lost and confused.  I used the Bible studies to further my own relationship with God, and to review behaviors that seemed to hinder me from maturing in my walk.

I think this is a great resource for anyone struggling to break free from negative behavior and learn to trust God in all aspects of their lives.

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers

Wednesday Steals: On My Kindle

Amazon Kindle has...rekindled my love of reading. Rather than lug a book about, I now have the option to take multiple books with me. Currently I am devouring the Pretty Little Liars Series series:


I've also started Fifty Shades of Grey.
 

Which is really Fifty Shades of Crap.  Horrible writing.

Hor-Ri-Ble

I am balancing this crap with Gone Girl.
 

So far I like the book. Well, after 50 Shades, I would find Moo, Baa, La La La more educationally stimulating!

 


Some freebies to feed your reader:




Though free at time of posting, prices may change at anytime. Please verify that the “Kindle Price” is $0.00. If you see a price for “Prime Members” then the book is NO longer FREE.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or you can download a Free Kindle Reading App for your computer or mobile device!

 Happy Reading!

So Cold the River

So Cold the River by Michael Koryta
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Alyssa Bradford asks Eric Shaw to make a movie about her father in laws life, Eric is up for the tasks. Armed with a camera and a mysterious glass container, Eric finds more than he gambled when he begins to fall under the spell of the valley and the water.

This book weaves a narrative between the past, present, and the supernatural. It examines what we see and think we see, what is real and what isn't.

Not difficult to read, but it does drag a bit towards the end.
View all my reviews

Down The Memory Hole

Down the Memory Hole by Bonnie Turner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When my grandmother begin to do weird things, the family thought she was being deliberately difficult. She argued with the neighbor over a parking spot, when cleaning her house we found money squirreled around the house, and one Thanksgiving she put a damp towel in the oven to catch the turkey drippings.

Trying to explain this to the kids was difficult. There were some books about Alzheimer's disease, but nothing that captured the emotion that Bonnie Turner does in the book Down the Memory Hole.

When his grandfather can no longer care for himself, Buzz finds himself saddled with his grandfather as his new roommate. Buzz resists at first because when his grandfather slips into the "Alzheimer Car", he confuses Buzz for his dead brother Barkley. Buzz decides to use this to see if he can help his grandfather get better.

The book accurately shows the frustration caretakers have when dealing with a person who is slipping away before your eyes. The grandfather rebels by throwing his teeth away and refusing to wear a diaper. Reading this book was like spending a day with my own grandmother.

This short story is a great way to introduce middle school readers to this complex disease.

View all my reviews

To Travel Hopelessly

To Travel Hopelessly by English Teacher X
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In the vein of  Dishwasher  and Waiter Rant, To Travel Hopelessly is a story about a young man who bucks convention and takes his BA in English to Thailand to teach English class.

What follows is a humorous story about a guy who is a TEFL (Teacher of English as a Foreign Language) around the world. Armed with some cash and a desire to have fun while he explores the world, "X" finds fun and adventure while he travels the globe.

It's part travelogue, part memoir, and full of drugs and women.

Not as fresh as reading Dishwasher, but an easy read nonetheless.



View all my reviews

Around the Web: About One

Every other week, I find myself puzzled that the calendar proclaims it's Wednesday or Thursday.  Like sand, my time slips by so quickly.

I lose track of my days in a mass of schedule juggling, attempting to fit so much into a little bit of time.  It can be rough trying to make my life fit into bearable pieces.  In the past, I religiously followed the Flylady system to make keeping the house bearable.  Fifteen minutes can make a difference, but fifteen minutes cleaning doesn't help me when I realize I've missed an appointment or I'm late sending a form back.

Ay yi yi!

This summer has seen me my busiest yet.  With The Teen looking at colleges, The Boy attempting to flex his independence, and The Mister in training, I have a purse full of notes that I can't keep track of, but I still seem confuddled.


I've tried various apps and systems in the past, and most have been decent, but not encompassing everything I need.  About One fits this bill.

In an age that has found my pen and pad replaced by my Notes app on my device, it's nice to have an online organizer.  Unfortunately, there isn't an app for the iPhone.  Currently, the only app available is for the Windows Phone.

The most helpful part of this system is the medical form.  As July barrels towards August, the back to school paperwork is beginning to make it's appearance in the mail.  Some of the forms have been delegated to The Teen and it's easy to give her this task now that I can give her a neatly typed list of information about their pediatrician, rather than a hastily scrawled message I jotted on an envelope.  I feel more organized already, and I am teaching my children a lesson in family organization as well!

About One is an easy to use site, the interface streamlined and clear to navigate through.  Keeping in mind that people don't want to have a whole bunch of things to wade through, the site is designed with that in mind.  Unlike to following video, the site doesn't try to be cutesy.  It's straight and to the point.






*****************************DISCLOSURE***********************************


 "I was compensated by AboutOne to review their online organizer. All opinions and text are my own."

Abe Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imagine if Abraham Lincoln, writer of the Emancipation Proclamation, was not the man you studied all those years ago in history class. Now imagine that by day Lincoln was a sharp newcomer who harbored a double life as a vampire hunter.

This is the story of that very thing.

What made me so annoyed with Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter the movie was that it failed to follow the story that hooked so many readers. The movie as a solo was entertaining, but I has a feeling it got dumbed down to play to a wider audience.

But I digress...

The story was a fresh idea. When he is ya child, Abe sees his mother pay the price for his father's bad business dealings. He then begins to hunt the creature who took her life, and sees that there are many more than he thought existed. One night, an attack goes awry and Abe is saved by Henry, who teaches Abe that not all vampires are alike. Henry helps Abe hone his skills and sends Abe back out armed with a list of vampires and the skills to handle these creatures.

What made the book such a fun read was that the reader was given the option of what conclusions to draw.

The book compared to the movie, was definitely a better bite.




View all my reviews

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting book about the human psyche. What makes one person a psychopath and one an extreme go getter? Jon Ronson answers this question is this easy to read book. Jon is originally given the assignment to find out the meaning behind a mysterious manuscript received by academics over the world. He then begins to explore the motive behind the manuscript and his search leads him across the world as he tries to narrow down the exact definition of a psychopath. Highly entertaining.

View all my reviews

Bodies in Winter

Bodies in Winter by Robert Knightly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Typical meandering book about rogue cops.

View all my reviews

Foodler

The shift to summer has me off.

I come home from work, do the "How was school?" routine, change clothes, flip through the mail.  I may take a call from my sister, do a bit of door to door (the next election is closer than you think), or just relax by watching my DVR'd Judge Judy all the while warning the kids about the foolishness we witness.

I look up and dang it - It's almost eight and I haven't even looked to see what's for dinner.

TGFF Thank Goodness for Foodler.

Foodler is a new service that allows busy people to place an order online to their specifications, pay by credit card (always a plus) or cash, while choosing between delivery or pick up. Upper Darby is limited to the amount of places that deliver.  Couple that with the torrential rain and it was easy to decide on the only place that delivered, South Style Pizza & Deli.

Foodler is super easy to use.  When placing an order on line you have the choice to customize your order, making it the way *YOU* want.  I can avoid trying to yell over the bustle of the kitchen on the other end, no misunderstandings because I put the order in (translation - if I get the wrong thing, it's likely because I screwed up), and I was able to use the web browser on my Kindle to place an order.

Order placed, I waited for dinner to arrive at my door. And wait I did. My order didn't arrive until an hour and twenty six minutes after I had placed it.  I did miss a call from the restaurant to confirm the order, but once I connected, the young lady on the other end was very cordial.  After we made the connection,  I was told the order would arrive in thirty minutes.  Here I have to add that it seemed to be a bit of a delay in the time I hit send on Foodler to the time I was contacted.  I placed my order at 7:42 PM and didn't get a call for confirmation until 8:01 PM. The food arrived and there was confusion on the driver's part.  I split my payment.  I used a $20.00 Foodler credit (known as Food Bucks) and made up the difference with cash.  South Style Pizza & Deli didn't recognize that I had paid a portion with the credit.  I showed the driver my confirmation receipt and offered to print a copy if necessary.  He took my word for it, and left with a sincere 'thank you" and told me to "have a great night." Acknowledgement of my patronage is always a plus. I really do like Foodler.

Playing around with the Take Out option, my choices opened up:  there are Asian, Mexican, Indian, and Japanese to name a few. I recommend Foodler for those busy people who want to grab a bite to eat without the wait.  If you're like me, you know weekends are busy.  This upcoming Saturday will be another weekend of driving all over, attending activities for the kids and the community, and trying to find a few minutes.  Foodler offers an option to place an order for future pick up.  So if I get a taste for sushi in the morning, I can order dinner between errands an pick it up at a time that fits my schedule.

I can eat around the world without the travelling around the world.  Sweet.

******Disclosure*****

I was compensated to review this business

Friends With Kids Sneak Peek

Disclaimer: In exchange for this post, I will attend a sneak preview of this film.

I'm looking forward to seeing Maya Rudolph crack me up and get a Don Draper fix before Mad Men returns to AMC this spring.

Friends With Kids is a daring and poignant ensemble comedy about a close-knit circle of friends at that moment in life when children arrive and everything changes. The last two singles in the group observe the effect that kids have had on their friends' relationships and wonder if there’s a better way. They decide to have a kid together - and date other people.

Jennifer Westfeldt wrote, directed, and stars in the romantic comedy Friends with Kids. She plays Julie, a Manhattanite whose biological clock is about to run out, so she convinces her longtime platonic best friend, Jason (Adam Scott) to father a child with her. They seem to have a much easier time juggling the responsibilities of new parenthood without the complication of being in a relationship with each other, which is in contrast to the two couples they are closest to. As their friends' marriages implode, Julie and Jason's happy equilibrium topples over as well when he falls for a hot young artist (Megan Fox) and she begins dating a successful businessman (Edward Burns).

There are big laughs and unexpected emotional truths as this unconventional 'experiment' leads everyone in the group to question the nature of friendship, family and, finally, true love. Friends With Kids stars Adam Scott ("Parks and Recreation"), Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O'Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns.

 Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein).

 Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions will release Friends With Kids on March 9, 2012. Friends with Kids

Fitbit Ultra aka Getting Fit a Bit at a Time

Today I am pleased to have my first guest post!

My friend, Knittylawyer, Government Name Janeane D, has written about a new device to help her track healthier habits.  I don't want to say weight loss, because that seems so overwhelming.  Healthier habits imply that a change internal and external is underway.

I Present:

Fitbit Ultra aka Getting Fit a Bit at a Time

Ok, it’s time to lay the cards on the table. In addition to being a black Christian wife and mother of four, I am overweight. According to my doctor and my children, I need to get in shape fast. My husband of twenty-two years has had fights with me before so his response is always, “Baby, you look good to me. Do what you want to do.” However, it is time to be honest with the woman in the mirror and get moving to a better aka slimmer and healthier me. Recently my husband bought my son an Xbox Kinect 360 for a birthday present and it came with something called fitbit ultra for free. My husband did not know what it was but since it was free, he said order it and it was on.

Photo from Fitbit

The fitbit ultra machine looks like a thumb drive for the computer. The box tells you it is a wireless activity and sleep tracker. It boasts, “Track your day. Be more fit.” The machine keeps track of your steps and distance walked, calories burned, stairs climbed, sleep quality and wirelessly uploads to your computer if you get within 15 feet of the computer.  I put the fitbit on my waistband and got moving. It immediately began tracking my steps and information as it promised.  You may be saying, “Ok, so you have a pedometer on steroids. So?” But it is so much more! 


Once you set up your fitbit ultra to communicate with your computer, you log into the website at www.fitbit.com and start logging in information to create a customized program.  Every day you have areas to log food intake, physical activity, changes in weight, sleep, your mood, heart rate, blood pressure and glucose levels. You can keep this information private as I have, or make it public. I typed in my current and ideal weight information, which I shall not share here except to say I need to lose 90 pounds.

The fact that I have to log in holds me accountable like nothing else. Most foods are already in the data base, like my Thomas’ cinnamon raisin bagels and Jiff peanut butter. The site keeps a running total of my calories, fat, protein, fiber carbs, sodium and water. If a food I eat is not in the database, I can add it very easily. I love the ease of use and friendliness of the website. I am learning portion control and good food combinations. These are good habits that will carry me through the rest of my life. I am excited about losing weight. I look forward to exercising so I can log it into the system. According to the plan the fitbit website helped me create, it will take me until December to reach my goal weight. I am excited because by December I will have developed life long habits of eating better and exercising on a regular basis. 


It has only been four days, but I am excited and enthused about losing weight and getting in shape like never before. I am working out every other day at the gym. I am faithfully logging my food intake and physical activity into the website. I am working hard, because eating 1600 calories a day looks good on the computer screen. The thought of seeing I have eaten 3500 calories on the screen does not feel good. I like that I can access the log in from my computer, telephone or Kindle Fire. I am working towards getting fit a bit at a time. I’ll follow up with you in 30 days to let you know how things are going. 




Janeane can be found caring for her four children, loving her husband, knitting in Starbucks, or blogging at Janeane's World.

Toot, Toot Tootsie...Goodbye!

The black lines are a customer who didn't want to be photographed

After such a sucktasic, horrific, awful, effed up day The Mister decided that what we needed was time out of the township.

Sometime over the summer, he took advantage of an offer from Living Social and snagged a coupon that gave $40.00 off of a meal at Ms. Tootsie's Restaurant.  The coupon was due to expire soon, so we gathered the kids, explained to The Teen that she would not be the driver, and headed out for dinner.

If you have hunkering for soul food and like me haven't quite mastered that art, this may not be your best bet if you're hungry, in a hurry, or like hot food.

We arrived at the restaurant about 6:45, 6:50 PM and were seated immediately.  The place describes itself online as casual and it is.  If I was on the dating scene and 17, this would impress the heck out of me!  It's dark, adding to the ambiance of being a chill spot.  But try reading a menu to a tea light candle.  That's a challenge.  The Mister and I, both connesuier of Bar Rescue and Kitchen Nightmares, both felt that Ramsay would have had a conniption if he saw the decor.  It's not ugly, but, as my Teen says, it's EXTRA.  .

Our waitress greeted us before we could shrug out of our coats, and asked if we were ready to order.
She began to rattle off specials, including a Grown and Sexy iced tea that wasn't quite as grown or sexy as I'd have liked.  Since we hadn't really had an opportunity to look at the menu, we ordered drinks and The Mister ordered wings and fries as a starter.

The waitress came back with a plate of muffins that crumbled when it was buttered, and The Teen said her muffin was soggy.  The Mister found his muffin just right and ordered another round.  It was explained that the first set was complimentary and $.50 for additional muffins.  He grumbled, but ordered another anyway.

After deciding, we placed out orders, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

The children noticed that two tables who came in AFTER us were eating their meals.  The Mister ran out to put money in the meter, and the busboy came by.  I asked if he could get our waitress and he finished my sentence by saying "for the check?"  And began to clear our table of our silverware and napkins.  I explained that we hadn't even eaten yet and just wanted water.  He laughed and said that we had been there so long he assumed we had eaten.

Forty seven minutes after being seated, I flagged down the waitress and asked I asked when we could expect our meal.  She said that there was a delay because of my Tilapia was being fried, and that everyone else's food was ready.  "So you plan to serve us cold food?" I asked her.  She blanched and said she would bring everyone else's meal out.  She then went on to tell us that the smothered pork chops The Mister ordered were mistakenly given to another table.  She did seem genuine when she apologized for the delay.

Apology aside, I watch too much TV to know I could have possibly gotten my meal for free.  I only asked for a percentage to be taken off of my meal.

When we eventually received our food, The Teen tested a portion and said it tasted like it was reheated.  The food was lukewarm.  The Boy and I ordered Mac and Cheese and you could see the cheese congealing because the food had cooled.

My meal.  The greens were tasty and my food was hot due the last minute frying.  The Mac & Cheese was lukewarm and congealed:

The Mister's meal. The pork chops were tough and The Mister said he could taste that the yams were from a can.

The Boy's meal.  He said his salmon was rubbery. Note the congealed cheese on his Mac and Cheese.

Salmon Caesar Salad

The Teen's meal.  She said her turkey wings were cold and the rice was crunchy.

Baked Smoked Turkey Wings

As our meals were brought out, the busser explained that all three floors were opened and the kitchen was backed up.

This made me thoroughly annoyed.  We watched the staff standing around chit chatting, talking on the telephone, and the music on repeat made me lose my appetite.  Whatever happened to customer service?  As one who spent 13 years in customer service I know how a customer is supposed to be treated.  My money comes by hard work.  I don't like people fooling with my money!

We did get free dessert and a percentage off of the bill, however Ms Tootsie will never have to worry about me spending another dime in that place.




On a scale of 1 to 5 stars Ms Tootsie gets a ** (two star) rating.

And Reviewing as Herself...Hello!

The other two blogs I run are memoir and about Upper Darby business.

My personal blog is a catch all for everything.  From me Tebowing in the subway to The Cat discovering the toilet (sigh) and the Upper Darby blog is all about Upper Darby.

You can't always fit a square peg into a round hole, and all of the reviews I want to write don't work on And Starring As Herself...MRSRKFJ (I'm thinking specifically of the second review I plan to write!).

So here is where I plan to review.  Paid and unpaid (preferably paid - hey, a gal's gotta eat!).  And as I decide on the direction I want to take my personal blog, I still have to have a place to express my thoughts and opinions on places I shop, visit, and items I use.

To my readers, enjoy!