Movie Night: Spiderman; Homecoming

IMBd Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2250912/

Rating: PG-13

Tagline: Homework can wait. The city can’t.

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-fi

Synopsis:  Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May, under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark, Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened. – Written by Benett Sullivan

***

Review:  I was worried about this one. The last two Spiderman movies were origin movies and I thought “Oh no, here we go again”. I was pleasantly surprised to see that instead of starting at the beginning, they picked up the story after the airport incident from the Avengers; Civil War. Just like the synopsis states.

This is a good movie for so many reasons. One of which is portraying Peter Parker as an actual teenager who does dumb teenage stuff. I get the nerdy version with Tobey Mcguire and the brainy one with Andrew Garfield, but these actors felt a little too ‘mature’ for the role. Tom Holland pulls off the gushing teenager with all the stupid teenage ideas. Another reason I liked this movie, the young supporting actors, especially Ned; Peter’s best friend and confidant. This teenage reboot works so much better than the dreaded FF teenage reboot, and I can’t wait to see this new Spidey in both Infinity Wars and Spiderman Homecoming 2.

 

5 out of 5

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From The Garden: Summer Garden 2017

Our garden exploded in the summer months. The beautiful spring bulbs gave way to a wave of green, purple yellow and white.

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I found this little guy hiding behind some weeds along the side of the house.

And these are our peonies from our house in the country. They always do well. Not bad for a fifty-year-old plant. My lavender is doing well too. I want to see just how big it can get.

 

Mother decided she likes the cedar mulch to keep the weeds down so we’ve been putting it on the garden, and then put some under the evergreens that run along the property line.

 

 

We don’t have much in the way of fall flowers. Maybe I’ll take some pictures of trees turning. I’ve seen a few already. The usually start about the beginning of August.

Of Writers and Prose: The 3 F’s of Writing.

We’ve all seen those writers who claim their story idea is ‘a million dollar idea’, and we quietly snicker behind their back in haughty derision at their inflated egos, but I think we could all stand to take note of their self-confidence. These are people who, for better or for worse, ignore that negative voice that tells them their story isn’t as good as everyone else’s; they ignore the possibility that their novel won’t be read or that their writing is crap. Now I’m not saying get all egotistical about our work, but learning to love our writing is a hard thing to do, especially when we read other people’s books and we see such a perfect story.

F #1 – Frustration: Frustration comes when we constantly compare our work to other writers. I’ve talked about this before (as have others) how we must NOT compare our writing career with other authors. Whether it’s style, ability or even financial, they’re not us and we’re not them. I dislike hearing new writers say they want to write like Stephen King, or Anne Rice or whomever they idolize. They set lofty goals, and when it’s not achieved, they fall into depression. That’s when those nagging voices take over. You know the ones. The voice that says we’re not good enough.

F #2 – Fear: Fear comes when we’ve convinced ourselves that our work will never be as good as the author we’re trying to mimic. I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t worry about my writing. I worry no one will read it or that my stories aren’t good enough. Notice the present tense? That’s because this is something that’s with me all the time, but I don’t give into that fear. I accept all the fear and the worst case scenarios. Unlike frustration, fear can be an easy thing to dispel. If you’re afraid your writing isn’t good, then do what you need to improve it. Read more or take a class on creative writing. Talk to other writers, and you’ll see you’re not alone. If you’re afraid no-one will like your book, understand that no one can write a book that relates to everyone. If you’re afraid no one will read your book, join the club. That is a fear that we all have but if you write what you would like to read and I can guarantee someone will read it.

F #3 –Fulfillment: Fulfillment is like a breath of fresh air to a writer. It can start out as a small thing, like writing for an hour a day, and slowly increasing to encompass a lofty goal like getting an agent or publishing a book. Fulfillment’s grow and change over time and we have to make sure we grow and change with them. We must push ourselves to the next level once a fulfillment is complete. We grow each time we succeed, and even if we fall back into an old pattern, we can’t let that keep us from achieving our goals. We can’t let ourselves go backward and give into our fear or frustration, otherwise we’re f*****.

50 Shades of Red Nail Polish #17

Name: Sookie – Zoya

Description:

Keeping with my brand experiment, this time I tried Sookie, by Zoya from their 2011 Zoya Summertime Collection. This was a little costlier than the other polishes, over $10, but look at that colour! This is a nice, crisp summer red. A nice shade too. Not too orange, not too deep. It’s not a fire truck red, more like a tomato red; that nice red shade of a ripe beefsteak tomato. Okay, now I want a BLT.

 

Application Process:

The formula for this is nice. Unlike the OPI products, this does tend to run a little watery, and the first time I used it, it got away on me. This isn’t really a problem. I just have to adjust my application method a bit. It applies evenly across the nailbed but it takes two coats to get an opaque finish. That doesn’t bother me either as you need two coats for most polishes. It’s shiny with or without a topcoat, but I use one for extra protection.

-basecoat

-two applications of polish

-top coat

Wear and Tear: This polish didn’t chip or split for the week I wore it. Even with me tapping on the cash at work and my keyboard at home. Even with the high-end price tag, this is definitely a brand I would wear again.

#50ShadesofRedNailPolish

It’s a WIP!: Excerpt from DOWN FINNEGAN’S HOLLOW.

If you follow my writing posts, you know my struggle with this story. I work on it, and then leave it for months at a time, and then work on it again. I had submitted it to a small press and I think they wanted it, and I did start revisions on their suggestions, but then I had my little accident and it’s taken me a while to get back into this novel. I think I know why too. I’ve decided to change a major element in the plot, which had me killing off characters. I’ve done two complete revisions to this novel, but it seems I’m due for one more to phase in this new plot bunny.

Anyhoo . . . I thought you might like a little taste of what I wrote. It’s a scene between the MC (Marina) her ex-husband (Adam), and their two children (Trina and Jared.) I like it because the dialogue flows and I could see this scene playing out in any household.

~~~~

A flash of reflected light shone through the front window and the sound of an expensive car engine followed. Marina got up and took a quick look outside as a Jaguar pulled into the driveway.

She snorted under her breath. “I can’t believe you bought that.” She walked to the bottom of the stairs, pulling her light sweater tight around her body. Why was a fancy new car the first thing men bought when they had a mid-life crisis? How did Sissy let him buy something that with the wedding in a few months? She peeked through the small bevelled glass window next to the front door. “You better not have used the kid’s college money.” She turned to the stairs. “Kids. Your dad’s here.”

The doorbell rang and Marina shuffled over to a hanging mirror next to the door. She took a quick glance and tucked in a few wayward strands of hair. Adam’s silhouette cut a dark shadow on the frosted glass of the front door. They’d been divorced for just over a year and yet her heart raced each time he came over to pick up the kids. She inhaled slowly as she grabbed the doorknob.

Adam Hart looked good for his age. Almost too good. He took off his sunglasses and opened the screen door. “Hey, Marina. Are the kids ready?”

“As ready as they’ll ever be,” she said, and stepped back.

Adam was foot taller than her with an athletic build. She was pretty sure he was working out at the gym now, and she noticed a touch of grey in his goatee. “When did you start growing that?”

Adam frowned. “Start growing what?”

“Your beard?”

He stroked the side of his chin. “Last month. Sissy says I look better with some facial hair.”

Marina crossed her arms. “I said that too. Ten years ago.”

He shrugged. “Well I didn’t think I did then.”

“And now you do?”

“Yeah.”

Marina rolled her eyes. “But you said they were too much work to keep them looking good.”

He shrugged. “Sissy bought me some beard grooming tools. I couldn’t exactly say no, right?”

She glanced out at the car and at the cute brunette in the passenger seat. She wanted to hate Sissy, but it was hard. The woman was genuinely nice, cared about the kids and about having a good relationship with them. How could she hate someone like that? She was accommodating to Adam too. As far as she knew, Sissy never complained about the kids wanting to be with just him. Even Viola liked her, when she was in her more lucid moments. So why did Marina feel like she had to hate the woman? Jealously? Bitter ex-wife syndrome? Displaced aggression? She un-crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. She needed to follow her own advice. Sissy was a part of her life now too and she’d have to do the adult thing and deal with it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Trina’s energetic dance down the stairs dressed in yet another miss-matched outfit. Marina shook her head as she looked over her daughter. The rain boots were still in play but the tutu and wings had been replaced with rainbow leggings, one of Jaden’s old rock tee shirts and a belt she was pretty sure came from an old Halloween costume. Marina covered her mouth to hide her grin. She had to admit, the kid knew how to rebel.

There was a look of horror on Adam’s face. “What are you wearing?”

“Do you like it?” Trina turned so he could get a good look at the ensemble. “I think the belt compliments my style.”

Adam frowned. “Your style? You’re seven. You don’t have a style.”

She pranced past him. “Sure I do. And this is it.”

Jaden stomped toward them a few moments later. His hair completely covering his face and wearing enough black clothing to resemble a moving shadow.

Adam smiled. “Hey kid. How’s the new high school?”

“All right, I guess.”

“Make any friends yet?”

“A couple.” A lone eye peered out from between a small part in his hair. “Where are we going for dinner?”

“There’s this really nice restaurant downtown that Sissy wants to try.”

A scowl came to his lips. “Seriously? I thought we were going to a burger place.”

“This is a special night.”

Jaden rolled his eyes. “Why does everyone keep telling me that?” He grabbed his coat and headed out the door. “They better have hamburgers.”

Adam shook his head. “Doesn’t he eat anything else?”

Marina tried to hide her smile. “Nope.”

He glanced down the hall toward the back of the house. “How’s your mother doing?”

She inhaled slowly. “Not good. She eats like a bird when she does eat, and I have home care people coming in twice a day.” She looked past him and out the screen door. “The doctor says it could be any day now.”

Adam put his hand on her back. “I’m sorry. Are you sure you don’t want her in palliative care? I’d pay for it. It’d be a lot easier on you.”

Marina blinked back her tears. “Thanks, but this is what she wanted, and with her memory loss and confusion, it would be too stressful on both of us if she were any place else.”

Adam stayed quiet for a few moments and watched her. “If you need anything, you have my cell number, right?”

Marina nodded.

“I mean it. Day or night. She’s always been good to me. Even after the divorce.”

Marina turned away to him. “She always liked you.”

She gazed into his eyes. The deep blue was still prominent, but there was something missing. That hint of mischief she fell in love with wasn’t as prominent anymore; dimmed with the onset of middle age and maturity. Maybe that’s why he decided to turn their lives upside down. Trying to recapture the spark of youth before it was gone for good.

The horn sounded on his car and briskly turned away and looked out the screen door. “I was wondering if I could keep the kids overnight tonight.”

“Really?”

“Well, this place we’re going to, it’s pretty fancy and we might not get out until late. My place is a few blocks away and it would save me the trouble of driving all the way out here.”

Marina waved her hand. “Sure. I guess.”

“Great.” He opened the screen door without looking back. “I’ll drop them off in the morning.”

Marina nodded as he walked off. She wondered how much of an argument Trina would give him on staying overnight. She wasn’t even sure if Adam’s new place had any of the kids’ stuff. She watched them drive off and shut the door. Reaching for her purse she pulled out her cell phone and checked the battery. She better keep in on all night. Just in case.

 

50 Shades of Red Nail Polish: #16

Name: Sun-Set the Mood – China Glaze

Description:

Continuing with my experiment, the next brand I tried was China Glaze. They’re well-known for their ‘true’ neon polishes (true neon simply means you don’t need a white basecoat), and they have a fun variety of colours. This is also the first matt nail polish I’ve owned. I’m so used to seeing a shine on my polish, that the matt finish kind of threw me.

This is a nice tropical punch shade that looks more orange undertone inside and pink undertone outside. I woke up the other day and was surprised at the orange tone this colour had. I actually lay there and stared at my fingers, in awe of such a drastic colour change. Because of that I feel this colour would really pop with a tan or with darker skin tones.

Application Process:

The formula was a little goopy and it either streaked or went patchy. Considering all the wonderful things I hear about China Glaze, I was more than a little disappointed. It took more than one coat to get a final colour. I had to apply two just to get an even coverage and I should have put on one more. That being said, I think it’s worth it just for the vibrancy of the colour.

-basecoat

-two applications of polish

-top coat

Wear and Tear:

Another reason I will use this brand again is durability. Sealing in the polish with a topcoat gives an extra layer of protection against chips. I put my nails under a lot of stress with typing and work, so the fact that my manicure stays chip-free for a full seven days makes it worth it for me.

 

 

#50ShadesofRedNailPolish

The Crystal Realm: The Three Categories of Crystal Energy.

For some time now, while studying crystals for friends and for blog posts, I’ve begun to notice that the metaphysical properties of crystals all fall into three very distinct categories. Now I’m not an expert on crystals, but I do know a thing or two about them so I found it very interesting that while there are pages upon pages of how their energy works on our bodies, no one has really categorised that energy. When people discuss categorising crystals, they mean their physical or lattice construct, maybe by colour or by attribute, but I’m looking more at how they perform and what their energy vibrations does or could do for our well-being.

I’ve created three simple categories; physical, emotional, and spiritual. Every crystal could be considered one of these three. For example, a Rose Quarts is well known for healing and attracting all forms of love, therefore it could be categorised as an emotional crystal, while Blue Kyanite, known as a high-vibration stone, would be considered a spiritual crystal. Black Tourmaline, a well-known protection stone, wards off physical danger and negative energy and that could be considered physical.

We are more than just a physical form; we have emotions and a spiritual side. The same can be said for the energy that vibrates from crystals. While the majority of these stones overlap properties, generally all crystals have one main function (for lack of a better word). We attach Chakra and Astrological symbols to crystals to better utilize their healing energy, why not focus that just a bit more?

I’m not saying this idea is ground-breaking and probably someone with a better understanding of crystals and how they work has already seen this, I just thought it was interesting that in all the books I’ve read, all the pages I’ve researched online I haven’t come across this idea. Maybe it’s a given; people who work with crystals understand this or maybe because stone properties overlap no-one cares. I just thought it was an interesting connection and it will make me look more closely into the metaphysical properties of all crystals a little deeper from now on.