Movie review: Ernest and Celestine

Ernest and Celestine
Directed by: Stéphane Aubler, Vincent Patar
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Lambert Wilson, Pauline Brunner

Rating: B

This is a nice, whimsical animated film for a rainy day. The artwork is storybook-like, as is the tale. The plot line is fun and imaginative. There are some surprises along the way. Fires in the separate courtrooms that Ernest and Celestine are being tried in is an original means to an end. The end is both bear and mouse showing courage and compassion; they do the right thing when no other will. As a reward they are granted what they most want, to be with each other.

The artwork is beautiful at times and it is interesting that the water color brush strokes are highlighted by the art of the mouse. Celestine is an artist and her drawings and paintings help tell the story. Emotions are drawn out and displayed impressively through voice-over.

Allergies: No sticks

While doing research and talking to my doctor about starting allergy injections I learned I would not have to administer my own shots at any point in the process. This was a relief to me because I know someone who was instructed to do this at a certain phase in his treatment. His doctor tasked him with sticking himself once every other week with a vial of his allergy mixture and he would sometimes do it wrong and stick the needle in the wrong part of his arm.  The doctor told me this is not a good practice, ever. It is not as hygienic as doing it in an office and it poses risk of reactions to the concoction. For my immunotherapy, I am to go to the clinic, get the injection and then wait, while being monitored for a reaction. Whatever the case, I am just glad I do not have to worry about sticking myself! I am not afraid of shots, but I don’t know how I’d feel about jamming a needle in my arm on a regular basis.

My Earth Day resolutions

Every year I make Earth Day resolutions. These are promises I make to myself and Mother Nature to show I care about the sustainability of our planet. Yes, I am an environmentalist in a non intense, no cult-like way. I encourage and celebrate acts of conservation, but I try not to judge people who do not meet my standard of responsible living.

I've been making these resolutions for years, and each year I try to find something new. This is getting a little hard, since I already implement many earth saving habits. However, this year the idea wasn't too hard to come by. I had been wanting to compost for a while, but since I'm an apartment dweller this is not very feasible. I have stashed that idea off to the side. But what if I didn't have to? I started researching community compost and found that there are a couple services in the Indianapolis area, including Earth Mama,  that will drop bins at your home and then pick them up in a couple weeks time. They deliver the scraps and trimmings to a local organic farm. Sounds like a great idea.

There is a fee for this service, but there's always a fee of some kind isn't there? I guess I would rather pay to have my compost items taken away to be put to use than to pay down the road for throwing all of my refuge in the trash. Living clean, healthy, and green is more expensive than not, but there are payoffs. Number one, and most important, you get to feel like you are helping out. This idea extends in many ways. You feel like you are helping reduce landfill waste. You are helping protect the environment for your children. You are helping organisms grow by putting back into the earth when you taken out. You are helping support organic farms. You are sending a message that clean living is important to you. You are showing that you stand for something that is bigger than the plot line of your favorite t.v. show. Need I go on?

Book review: Insurgent

Some time has passed since I read the first book in the Divergent trilogy. It has been months, and since then the movie based on the first book has come out. I saw this movie and enjoyed it and I thought beginning the second book in the wake of watching the first would be a great idea.

This book is exciting and paints a very visual picture for the reader. It is easy to get lost in the book and because it is an easy read, one does not tire of turning the pages. There are many double-crosses in this book and thoughts of conspiracy. There is danger lurking around every corner, and like the first book we think we know what the danger is until more is revealed. In the first book, it appeared that the danger was the other Dauntless recruits and making it through the initiation phase, however at the end we learn that there is much more to be worried about. The Dauntless are being used as blind soldiers and those who do not fall under the serum used to control them are being hunted down. In the second book we know the danger lies in stopping the Erudite from trying to take control of all others by using people and controlling them with serums. The Divergent are still being hunted and at the end we learn that what might be the real danger is what lies beyond the walls of the city.

While I enjoyed the build up and all of the plot twists and turns I was not crazy about the ending. It was a very soft way to end the story. Certainly a movie can be more dramatic than delivering a message about how the future is intended to be, especially after all of the violence and uncertainty. I also found it hard to believe Tris' romantic intentions and feelings in the latter half of the book, actually in any part of the book. Tobias went from being a love interest to someone that was estranged and cold. Beatrice brought this on herself with her uncaring and reckless actions. I had a hard time believing that she cared for him or wanted the relationship to become strong again. It seems as though it was a phase she went through and something she had to decide how to work to get past. Notice I did not say she had to work to get over him.

I'm not sure I am excited to read the third book. I'm sure I'll get to it when I get to it. I am not curious as to what happens or how the story progresses. To me, there are no questions left unanswered. I have no motivation to continue to read. I certainly did not feel that way when reading other novel series. After reading the Hunger Games I was compelled to keep buying the next book until there was nothing left. This trilogy gets a big 'meh,'

Chocolate spread everywhere

Chocolate chocoloate everywhere. But do we really need it everywhere? Recently, Nutella has risen in popularity and it seems many other chocolate spreads are following. There are commercials showing busy mothers offering to their children for breakfast (yuck) and stories of people putting it on everything from fruit to ice cream. This is not a healthy idea.

First of all, chocolate spreads do not constitute a wholesome breakfast. The commercials showing the seemingly caring mother spreading it on toast for her children are misleading. That mother is feeding her children dessert for breakfast. Why not instead chomp on a chocolate bar? Just because it is a spread does not make it truly peanut butter like. Peanut butter has its ups and downs nutrition-wise, but it is a great source of protein and healthy fats. The chocolate spread provides sugar and more sugar.

I was introduced to nutella in high school in French club. We had crêpe parties and we would put it on our desserts along with bananas or strawberries. This was an after school snack on a special occasion. Chocolate spreads should not be eaten frequently, other than by those wishing for diabetes and other health ailments.

America needs to get over its affection for this type of product. Misinformation and misunderstandings about foods are just a couple reasons we have an obesity issue. We’re allowed to believe certain products are not bad for us. Many may call that ignorance, but maybe naive is a better nomer. We trust others to have our best interest in heart, when the bottom line is actually more important. Marketers are out to sell a product and make money for big industry. Selling units is the goal.

There are other options if you are looking for other high sugar, low nutritional value breakfast alternatives. I can suggest a few. There are many unhealthy peanut butter and jelly mixtures that are high in preservatives. There are even spreads with marshmellow fluff so you can have a campfire favorite whenever you choose. You can also venture down the cereal aisle and find many items made with bleached flour and high fructose corn syrup.  

Bottom line, understand what you are eating. Know what you are bringing into your home and feeding your family. If you purchase unhealthy sweets for them because you care show your love even more by feeding them healthy options. Chocolate is not bad, but one does not need to have it on everything at all times. Dessert has its time and place. Moderation is key.

Allergies: Things I am looking forward to

While I know I will never be cured by getting injections for my allergies. I am hoping my immunotherapy lessens my symptoms and my struggles. Here's a list of things I am looking forward to:

• Sleep
• Eating an apple
• Not Carrying an epi-pen and a fast acting nasal steroid
• Discontinuing burning a hole through my septum
• Feeling like I can breathe again
• Not pulling my eyelashes out in the summer time
• Lying in the grass without fear
• Not fearing flower buds
• Being able to hang outside without a tissue box
• Playing with puppies
• Not scrutinizing the food on restaurant menus 

Here's hoping I am successful and some of these wishes come true. 

Movie review: Muppets Most Wanted

Muppets Most Wanted

Directed by: James Bobin

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey

Rating: A-

This movie is fun and clever, and all around a great time. There are many hilarious situations that are paired well with great voice acting. There are a great many cameos in this movie, and while I probably only noticed/realized half of them, it was great to see so many great names in one movie, all wanting to be a part of a great project. The most notable performances were by Ty Burrell and Tina Fey. The two made the movie. Their performances were side splitting and very memorable. Ricky Gervais is also in this movie, and I only mention as a side note because I typically do not like his humor but I was pleased to see him toe the line of decency in this children’s movie. I thought he was a great fit for the Badguy character and his performance was well done.

Displeasure over the HIMYM reaction

Some time has passed since the How I Met Your Mother finale and much of the fuss over the ending has quelled. Still, I was bothered and am still a little perturbed with the reason many fans did not like the last episode. If you ask those people, Ted finds love, has children, and then mourns her life before deciding he wants to be with Robin. They basically called the mother a uterus that served no purpose other to gratify Ted in helping him get everything he wanted out of life since Robin is not able to have children.

This scenario bothers me because it assumes that Robin is the victim. It postulates that Ted is the only one who fulfilled his dreams before settling for the other. It assumes that all women must want children and if you can’t have them you are damaged goods. In reality, Robin did not want to have babies. She wanted to follow her career to exotic places. Ted wanted children and wanted to settle down. So, why is everyone assuming that Ted is the only one who got what he wanted? The final HIMYM episode made it clear that both got what they wanted before they decided they wanted to be together. We see Robin’s face on a bus and find out that she has gone on assignment in many foreign lands. She is definitely not a victim.

In the episode the children accuse their father of telling the story of how he met their mother when in fact he was telling his love story with Robin. I thought it was a very fitting end to the series to see Ted show up on Robin’s stoop with the blue french horn. Sometimes we find what we need right when we need it. Both Ted and Robin were able to accomplish the aspects of life that each other viewed as barriers. Career and children. When you think back, the story really was a love story. It was about the evolving relationship of Ted and Robin.

There were other parts of this finale that bothered viewers, not me. For instance, people did not like how the relationship between all of the characters fell to a very loose semblance of friendship. I felt that those critiques were unrealistic in light of the major life changes the characters went through and the varied directions they took in life. I will not continue to elaborate my view on this issue, because I feel the far greater issue is how America has victimized Robin and villainized Ted. As a career woman, I find this to be anti-feminist and old fashioned. I was surprised by the outrage and petition of the show’s ending. I thought our country had advanced beyond a point where we typecast all women to fit in the molds that traditional men and mothers decide they should fit in. I applaud the writers for effectively tying up a long and complicated series, and doing it well through bringing everything full circle.

Book review: The Book Thief

When I started reading this book I had no clue that it was tied so closely with the holocaust, well Nazi Germany at least. I should have. After all, I had heard descriptions of the movie that was released late last year. Still, the description didn't stick with me. I was pleased to learn where the story was heading. I have an odd affinity for stories (movies and books) on the holocaust. Some of my favorite movies are on the subject.

This book follows a little girl through several years of her life. She is "the book thief." She steals books and they help her get through some rough patches in her life. Books are written for her by a young Jewish man her family is hiding in their basement. Those pages mean the world to her. She eventually writes her own book, one that is not read by any human.

The story carries some raw emotion and some very difficult events for a child. This was a very trying time in history for a great many people. All of the characters in the book are affected by the events on the battlefield and even more how those events cause a ripple throughout the country. The characters are desperate and all act out in their own ways. The characters possess so many layers.

This was a very enjoyable read.

Looking for Allergy Relief: My big decision

I am taking control of my allergies. They have gotten a bit out of hand lately. I can no longer eat apples, bananas, avocados, cherries, grapes, strawberries, or carrots without a reaction. What’s next? Lettuce? No more salads? I carry around an epi-pen because of the concern that my allergic reactions are growing stronger and are popping up in an increasing number of foods that I normally eat. Someone recently commented to me that “at least you’re not a vegetarian.” Um not true, I can’t eat meat either.

My oral allergies are the result of severe pollen allergies. Basically, the fruits and vegetables I am allergic to (in their raw forms only) are related to the plants that I am most allergic to. For almost my entire adult life I have had a pretty bad time with allergies. It is getting worse and as my doctor explained, my reactions are off the charts. So, I decided it is time to do something before the allergies take total control of my life.

I am beginning immunotherapy. Four shots, two in each arm, once a week. I’m told the injection sites will likely swell to the size of quarters and that I will have to hang out in the doctors office for 30 minutes afterward to make sure I do not have an adverse reaction (as if swollen lumps on my arms aren’t adverse!). This is a very long process. It will take many weeks (around six months) to get past the first stage of therapy. It will take years before I can be removed from therapy, if ever. 

The hope is that these frequent shots will build up my immunity and I will no longer be held hostage by trees and grass. The bigger hope is that I will be able to resume eating raw fruits and vegetables without worry. It may take a while for the symptoms to start lessening, but I welcome any positive change in my health.

Going on immunotherapy may seem like a no brainer to many people, but for me it wasn’t. There was a great deal of denial on my part as I tried to convince myself that my allergies woes were no worse than what others experience. I didn’t want to admit that my affliction needed a treatment that I wouldn’t be able to administer myself (see pollen experiment). When it comes down to it, my allergies are too strong and too varied for me to continue to ignore.