I was going to do another ‘what’s on our televisions‘ post but I realized that I’d have to confess that I’ve only been watching American Idol, Battlestar Galactica, and Survivor for WEEKS now. How . . . lame.

So, how about we dish movie-talk instead? We rarely get out to the theater any more (although I did see Iron Man, which had a Fun Factor of at least eleven) but we rent DVDs on a fairly frequent basis. Here’s what we’ve checked out recently:

Cloverfield. I enjoyed this movie enough to see it in the theater AND rent it, and if you avoided the theater experience because you heard all the camera movement was making people hurl, watching it on your TV is much less disorienting. Totally fun monster movie, with nail-biting moments galore and some truly spectacular special effects. I rarely say this, but the DVD extras are actually worth watching afterwards, just to see what all went into the production.

Juno. You saw this, right? I think everyone saw this. Well, if you somehow missed it, I recommend you go ahead and slap it in your Netflix queue because it’s just as funny, quirky, and heartwarming as everyone says it is.

American Gangster. I knew in the first three minutes of this movie that the pacing was going to be all wrong for me: I found it slow, dull, un-engaging, and way the hell too long. I didn’t care about the characters, I didn’t believe any of the characters, and not even Denzel’s fine-ass self could save this for me.

Gone Baby Gone. Another dud as far as I’m concerned. Maybe it’s that I’ve never liked Casey Affleck, maybe it’s that the storyline was ridiculous, maybe it was the laughable dialogue, either way: BOO.

Michael Clayton. Now, as you may have heard this was supposed to be a good movie, and I was glad to discover that for me it lived up to its reputation. It wasn’t exactly action-packed, but it’s interesting, unfolds nicely, and features a pitch-perfect performance by Mr. Clooney. Two thumbs up!

Lars and the Real Girl. Here’s the little-known title of the bunch, and my absolute favorite. I am not even going to try and describe what this is about, and if you go read the synopsis you will think it sounds downright crazy and maybe pornographic, but I will say that it’s the sweetest, most charming, entirely feel-goodish movie I think I’ve about ever seen. There!

What movies have you been renting lately? Got any must-sees or must-avoids to share?

I worry EVERY SINGLE YEAR about teacher gifts. I worry about it twice: once before December vacation, and once at the end of the school year. We’re heading for the end of the school year now, so I’m about a month into worrying about it already.

One of my favorite ideas is Read the rest of this entry »

For those of you who like tangible organization tools (as opposed to software), and you’re tired of the same old Day Runners, Day-Timers, Franklin Coveys, etc, this post’s for you. I’ve been looking at day planners recently, both because of a request to cover them here and the growing realization that the combination of two small children, a part-time office job, ongoing freelance assignments, and a swirling maelstrom of doctor’s appointments/errands/grocery lists/home and garden projects/ET-BLEEPING-CETERA is resulting in what you might call a need for improved personal productivity on my end.

Ahem. So, planners! Preferably interesting and/or unique ones! Let’s check them out: Read the rest of this entry »

There were some questions on my first post. Let’s chat!

1. Are you and Linda S. the same person? No. Linda and I also work together on her site SundryBuzz.

2. Where are the cute Target earrings?? Hidden by my hair.

3. Are these your kids’ real names now, or still the pseudonyms you use on your Swistle blog? Read the rest of this entry »

Until today, I’ve done all my Internet writing as Swistle, She Who Must Not Be Photographed. And today I am writing as Kristen, and my picture is up there in the banner. I feel a little exposed. Naked. Well, not naked. Bikini’d.

Kristen (not actually in bikini)

So, hi! There I am, with Read the rest of this entry »