Really?! Name change services?

There are a lot of companies that market unnecessary services to people. Some of them work to make you feel like you are a bad person if you are not taking part in a certain activity, for instance you are a bad mother if you do not have your child’s photo taken professionally every month. Conversely, there are companies that offer to take care of tedious and sometimes time consuming tasks. Enter marriage name change services.

Really?!! Is this necessary? Sure, we’re all busy and who wants to take care of that. And this sounds like a corner I would like to cut if in this situation, but is this an expense that needs to be incurred? Especially after a wedding that likely cost more than $25K. I was appalled by the idea at first, but then I did some research.

I thought changing your name would be as simple as taking a trip to the BMV. Silly me! It seems this is not a one stop shop process. Name change services change and notify US Passport, driver’s license, USPS, and state voter registration. They’ll also send letters to creditors letting them know of the change. Now, this seems like a process that you’d want to get right. This is not something that you’d want to come back to bite you in the butt years down the road.

Perhaps though, this is a step that should be taken by the individual upon making the life time commitment. After all, is changing your name any worse than changing your address? You make a list of everyone that needs to know of the change. By doing your research you can make sure you don’t forget anyone. I’m sure it seems as daunting as doing your taxes, but if you taken an afternoon to do it you’ll be done and won’t have to worry about it. Plus, you can take the $30 you would have spent on the service and buy yourself, or your new hubby, something nice.

Movie review: The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Directed by: Stefan Zweig
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Adrien Brody, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton

Rating: B+

This is a delightfully funny movie with a cast roll of top comedians. The plot is an outrageous story, which makes the high jinx even more laughable. The best part of this movie is the amusing characters who directed us through twists, turns, and surprises. Without the cast this movie could have fallen flat.

How soon is too soon for shorts?

There are some mixed views on the point in which it is warm enough to wear shorts. It is pretty straight forward to me for many reasons, and if you are confused you probably have raised a few eye brows with your fashion choices. I'll come right out and say it. You probably frequently look like a moron. Yes sir, I am talking to you. Mr. Macho who thinks wearing shorts when it is not warm enough is manly. So, as a public service I will enumerate the signs you should pay attention to when deciding if shorts are a good option.

• First, do you feel the need to wear a coat, jacket, or sweatshirt along with the shorts? In this case, it is more than likely that it is too cold for shorts. If you leave the house in shorts you will look like an idiot and if I see you on the street I will not feel bad about giving you the stink eye. 

• Is the person walking down the street next to you wearing a winter coat? See above. 

• Is there still snow on the ground? I know, some times the temperature hits 40 degrees in the winter time. This "heat wave" does not give you permission to break out the shorts. It is not okay. 

• Think about where you are going. Are shorts appropriate? In most cases the answer is no. Especially when the weather is questionable.

• Are your shorts made of jean material? Tread lightly. This is often a recipe for fashion disaster by itself. There is no need to pair poorly timed apparel options with blue jeans. 

• Is your excuse for wearing shorts that you do not have anything else clean? You should stop being a lazy slob. Period.

• Are you at the gym or about to participate in an activity that will raise your heart rate? If not, shorts are not appropriate.

For some reason the people who break out their shorts too early in the season are the same ones who refuse to wear coats and jackets or at least refuse to zip them up. You are not fooling anyone. No, I do not think your body is warm. No, I do not think you can't tell that it is cold outside. Instead, I think you are an idiot with no fashion sense with no desire to present yourself in a self respecting manner. Take some care in how you dress!

If I had the inclination I would design a gauge, kind of like a thermometer, telling people when certain clothing is appropriate. It would illustrate the temperature range when shorts are appropriate, as well as Ugg boots, knitted hats, and other seasonal clothes that people tend to extend past periodic wear. Maybe color coding would be in order. Anything to make it easier for people to understand. Help is obviously needed.

Movie review: Divergent

Divergent
Directed by: Neil Burger
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet

Rating: C

I must start out by admitting that I read the book, and I liked it better. That's not to say that this movie was poorly done because it wasn't. I always like the book better. There's always something that's left out in the movie version of a book. You cannot possibly include every event from a book into a two hour movie. Important scenes from the book were condensed and butted against each other. It was a logical and effective way to tell the story. I found the movie to be slow moving, but that may be because I already knew where the story would take me. At that, there were surprises when the movie didn't go exactly as I expected it to.

There was one big difference, and this is maybe something I interpreted differently/wrong from reading the book. The leading Erudite woman makes a comment in the book questioning why there are so many Divergent from Abnigation. However, in the movie she comes out and states that Abnigation are guilty of hiding Divergents.

I feel like the casting was very believable. Better yet, the characters didn't annoy me as they did in the Twilight saga. They all played their role and that made the story easier to follow. After all, not all book adaptations get casting right for the movie.

My C ranking isn't necessarily a bad thing. If I would have seen that grade on my report card I would know there was a problem. This isn't the case. A C is an average ranking for an average movie. There was nothing spectacularly good or bad about this film.

Inventing a holiday

One of the options on my bucket list is to invent a holiday and celebrate it. This is a very fun idea, but it takes some commitment. After all, you can't just say you're celebrating some made up commemoration and then do nothing. I celebrate the Winter Solstice. I wish people Happy Win-Sol. It is a nice way to celebrate a non religious holiday during "the holidays." Plus, in my past life I often worked on Christmas and missed out on the joy many people feel over that holiday. So this was one of my own. However, Win-Sol does not qualify as inventing a holiday since the winter solstice is actually a thing. So, I've had my thinking pants on.

I have an opportunity to come up with a solution this month. March 26th is "make up your holiday day." It's like the universe is telling me to accomplish this item on my bucket list this year!

March 26th is a Wednesday, and I'll have to work so any sort of made up holiday has to fit within the confines of proper business conduct. Not too much of a bummer since I am wearing the thinking pants. I'm sure I can come up with a creative idea. So, here are some ideas I came up with:

• Rainbow and Unicorns day (Shamrocks and leprechauns get their day, so why not?)
• Strangle the ground hog day (Go in search of that dastard liar)
• Cheese appreciation day
• Random dance party day
• Speak in an accent day
• Compliment Day

Whatever and however I end up celebrating I plan to have proof of my holiday invention in the form of a selfie. This will be a nice addition to the bucket items I hope to accomplish this year.

Looking forward to spring

Now that St. Patrick’s Day, aka green Halloween, is over I am looking forward to the first day of spring. Thank goodness I do not have too long to wait. Now, sustaining spring-like weather is another story.

I think we have all paid our winter dues this year, whether you live in Minnesota, New York, or Arizona. We’ve all had weird weather. It’s the story of the year, and you’re wrong if you think your location is unique because you went through three seasons in one day. As Americans, we need to unite in bidding a less than fond farewell to the dark, cold days of the calendar. It is time for renewal, growth, and cleansing.

I will celebrate by going to the dentist. I guess that’s better than nothing, right? Afterall, I’ve had to reschedule and reschedule, so I’d better get it in when I can. I think I had better add a different kind of commemoration to March 20th, for good luck measure. I’ve waited a long time for this, so I’ll make it count.

Don’t jinx things though. Cold weather will surely follow. It always has a way of sneaking back up when we least expect it, when we think the bleary days are over. Accept the days for what they’re worth and know that by the calendar definition, spring is on the way.

Movie Review: 3 Days to Kill

3 Days to Kill
Directed by: McG
Starring: Kevin Costner, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Neilsen|

Rating: C+

This time of year there aren't many movies released that are in my taste. So when faced with trying to select a movie for my visiting family and I, I went with a compromise of sorts. I tried to pick somewhat that we all might find a little enjoyment in. Enter 3 Days to Kill.

This is an interesting movie that marries suspenseful action with what attempts to be heart warming family moments. The movie oddly moves between the two with the main actor leading a secret life of killing. I say odd because that is exactly how it felt. The more lighthearted moments were hokey and the the action moments were laughable and not well developed. As I've told others who asked for my opinion on this movie, it was not a waste of time, but I do not recommend it to anyone. The movie was entertaining enough and not offensive, but very forgettable.

The hunt for a new board game

I like playing board games. They are fun during get-togethers and they have a sort of nostalgic feel. It isn't that often that people throw game parties, or perhaps I just don't hang with the right crowds. It reminds me of another party pastime gone by the wayside, singing and playing the piano at parties. These activities bring guests together and it gives them something to do, and something to talk about long after the event is over.

I have a couple of board games, Catch Phrase (which I adore) and Scrabble (which admittedly has only been played once). Even though I don't get to play these that often, I am looking for a new addition to my collection. Cards Against Humanity is on my mind right now. This game is similar to Apples to Apples except with more off beat options on the cards. The first time I played Apples to Apples I did not have a great time. No one picked my choices to win. Apparently, people just didn't get my humor and instead opted to pick pairings that made more real world sense. This is why I think Cards Against Humanity might be a good pick for me. It seems odd card pairings are celebrated in this game.


I've been told Cards Against Humanity can only be purchased online. So, I'm not sure I'm going to take the plunge just yet. I'll probably meander over to Half Priced Books and peruse their game section. That is where I purchased Scrabble. You can find some quality used games (no pieces missing) for reasonable prices.

Terrible ghastly movie ending

Ever see a movie that is progressing well and you're getting into it until… wham... crazy, silliness at the end? Sure, we all have. It's how I felt watching "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." It is always greatly disappointing.

I recently had this experience with a movie I was reluctant to watch in the first place. I sat down to watch Safe Haven because, well, I had nothing else to do. I recently re-upped my Netflix and the movie was just sitting there, staring me in the eye. It seems like one of those sappy, too much cooing for me stories, but I thought I would give it a try. I was into the movie, even enjoying it. There was a mix of a little bit of everything, mystery, romance, violence, hope, etc. Then at the end there was a ghost. Really?!!! Come on! Way to ruin a perfectly fine, albeit mindless movie. The dead mother actually being the best friend added nothing to the movie other than an element of craziness. I didn't think that it was sweet (which was probably the intended emotion). I thought it was weird. There were other ways the ending could have gone and it would have maintained the movie's integrity. Nope, blew it!

SPOILER ALERT (for anyone still planning to see this movie: The letters to the children written by their mother who was dying of cancer is a nice touch. She wanted to feel like she was there for the important moments in their lives, graduation, marriage, etc. The note to her husband's future love is poetic. It is a great way to show dead mother accepts new woman into her family's life. However, revealing that dead mother is actually Jo, the friend who comforted and kept Katie company is ridiculous. So, are we to think that Katie is hallucinating and a bit off kilter because she sees people? Perhaps she sadly has a brain tumor like the one that killed the mother, causing her to see Jo and think she is interacting with her instead of just talking to herself. The movie would have been better and perhaps a few minutes shorter if it just ended with Katie reading the letter and hugging her new family on the docks. Nothing else needed to be resolved!

Now, I need to watch a good movie to restore my faith in the film industry!

Do we really need waffle tacos?

Fast food chains everywhere have marketing teams tasked with trying to figure out how to get you in their doors at all times of the day. This includes getting you to make a purchase from a place that is more suited to dinner or late night snacking. Taco Bell has made many changes to the menu with in the past year or so. They are changes that I am not a fan of. Due to my restricted diet, there was already not much I could order from the menu and now there is next to nothing. A trip to Taco Bell is not worth the effort for me anymore. While the chain is dabbling with offering more, they're actually offering less for me.

Taco Bell has some new breakfast options. The chain has dabbled in morning food items in the past, but perhaps someone from their marketing team thought that the breakfast items should more
resemble the other items on the menu. So now we have things like the waffle taco. This invention boasts of a waffle holding a sausage patty and eggs. No worse than any other fast food morning option, right? I guess I find it noteworthy due to the fact that Taco Bell felt it needed more signature food on the A.M. menu than the typical breakfast burrito. So, it has also added an A.M. Crunchwrap with eggs, sausage, and a hash brown patty, an A.M. Grilled Taco that resembles a quesadilla, and Cinnamon Delights which look to be cinnamon flavored donut holes filled with cream.

Kudos on the variety, but still nothing on this menu that I would order. Where are the lighter options? I know that when people go to fast food restaurants they want fast and fatty foods, but I think these offerings take breakfast to the extreme, in the wrong direction. Maybe there's hope that if these options work some lighter selections will be offered. I would like to see a crunch wrap that has scrambled eggs and peppers.


I guess I am not the demographic for any fast food. What about you? Would you try anything on this new menu? Have you tried any?

My Oscar predictions

I have made a new sort of movie tradition for myself. For years I have gone to some sort of marathon of Academy Award nominated movies. Four years ago I went to a marathon of best picture nominees. This was perfect because I hadn’t seen a majority of the nominated films. However, this year I managed to see all of the Best Picture nominees (an great feat!), so no need to binge watch those nominees.

So this year, for the third year in a row, I took  in the Oscar nominated shorts. This is an incredibly fun experience because these are films you can’t otherwise see unless you have magic powers.

Drum roll please… my predictions!

• Best Picture - Gravity
• Actor - Chiwetel Ejofor
• Actress - Sandra Bullock
• Supporting Actor - Jared Leto
• Supporting Actress - June Squibb
• Animated Feature - Frozen
• Cinematography - Nebraska
• Costume Design - The Great Gatsby
• Directing - 12 Years a Slave
• Documentary Feature - Dirty Wars
• Documentary Short - Prison Terminal
• Film Editing - Captain Phillips
• Foreign Language Film - Omar
• Makeup and Hairstyling - Dallas Buyers Club
• Music, Original Score - Saving Mr. Banks
• Music, Original Song - Happy from Despicable Me 2
• Production Design - The Great Gatsby
• Short Animated - Mr. Hubolt
• Short Action - Aquel No Era Yo
• Sound Editing - Captain Phillips
• Sound Mixing - The Hobbit
• Visual Effects - Gravity
• Writing, Adapted Screenplay - 12 Years a Slave
• Writing, Original Screenplay - Dallas Buyers Club

Side note, the Academy Awards website now makes intelligent guessing easier for the films in the more obscure categories. You can watch the trailers right on the website for things like foreign language film, documentar, and documentary short.