Monthly Archives: January 2009

I read the book first!  And I LOVED it.  I’m an avid reader, and was a while catching on to this one, because usually I don’t enjoy books about vampires.   So I was a little late picking it up.  But when people at work starting talking about, when I came across it in the book store, I grabbed it. 

This is a beautifully written love story.   A fascinating tale in that only Stephanie Meyer could have made all the vampire characters so real!  Mysterious but at the same time warm.  ( I know, strange words to use about ‘cold ones’)  But they were warm and likeable, and I cheered when these two misfits fell in love.

Then I went to see the movie!  And I LOVED it.  Nothing excites me more than when a great book is made into a great movie.  (well there may be one or two other things that excite me more, but that’s another Post)

The first thing I noticed is that the movie is well cast.  As Stehanie Meyer describes the characters in the book, that’s how they came alive on the big screen.  (Again, pardon the pun please).  And this relative unknown cast impressed me so much with great acting.  These are not easy characters to play but each actor and actress did a fantastic job.  This book was a best-seller and they had big shoes to fill.  And they were wonderful.

Go see it,,, fall in love.  It’s full of suspense, mystery, some comedy and a great love story. 

I can’t wait to get to the book store to buy the next book in the series, New Moon.   Enjoy!

Darlene

Have you found Joy?

Have you brought Joy to others?

I loved this movie.  I love Jack Nicolson and Morgan Freeman.  And they were splendid.  Nicolson was his best sarcastic witty self,,, and Morgan Freeman was the warm insightful character we have come to love.

The questions at the top were two things that stood out for me in the movie.  Morgan Freeman believed when he got to the “Pearly Gates”, these were the two questions that were going to get him admitted.  And he lived his life accordingly.   I always like to think it was “What have you done for others?”.. But this works for me.  Find joy for yourself, bring joy to others!  Simplistic but profound.

What would you do if you were given less than a year to live.  And why would it take a death sentence for you to make out a ‘Bucket List’?  Make one out while you are healthy and vibrant,,, and set out to achieve as much on that list as you can.

Good Living!

Dar

ps… I just finished reading Stephanie Meyer’s book “Twilight” and I am going to see the movie this week.  The book was awesome.  It and the movie will be my next post.  I know, I know, I’m late jumping on that bandwagon, but I always sucked at following fads.  The book was great.  Will let you know about the movie.  Have fun, tomorrow is Friday!

    From “I Have A Dream” to ‘Yes We Can’

What an exciting day!  Today the United States swore in its 44th President, and  Barack Hussein Obama started his 4 years in office with a speech filled with hope.   I loved the part of the speech that said ‘a man who’s father 60 years ago would probably not get served in a restaurant can now stand before you to take the most sacred oath’.

Nancy Gibbs from Time Magazine summed it up eloquently and talks about the humility, gratitude and sacrifice much better than I can.  The link is attached.

You see, this is not just a great day for Americans.  This is a great day for everyone with dreams, hope and aspirations.  Victory cheered throughout the world today from Kenya to Canada.    I’ve mentioned it before, when the United States sneezes, Canada catches a cold.  Well today we grabbed the Kleenex and cried tears of joy with everyone else.  Barack Obama represents hope not just for the United States of America but to the rest of the world that there are better days ahead.

It’s a great day to celebrate around the world.

Enjoy and share it with your family and friends.

Darlene

On Tuesday, January 20th, Barack Obama will be sworn  in as the 44th President of the United States.  If anyone has read any of my previous posts, you all know I am a big fan of Barack Obama!

I think its historical that tomorrow, the day before the Inauguration, is Martin Luther King day.  In a historic evening in August, U.S. Senator Barack Obama  accepted the nomination of the Democratic party for President of the United States. He became the first African-American to achieve this political milestone and it was on the 45th Anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream Speech”.  

I believe there is a reason for everything, and I don’t think its ‘coincidental’ that the dates are so close.  I think it is very important in this age to keep the ‘I Have A Dream’ Speech alive.  As long as there is prejiduce, and persecution, it is imperative we keep the fundamentals of the speech alive.  We should be teaching our children ‘not to judge others by the color of their skin, but rather by the content of their character’.

Like Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama is a great orator.  But I think he has his own set of challenges facing him, as he gets sworn in as President on Tuesday.   I think Barack Obama too had a dream, and that dream involved hope… and on November 4th Hope Won!

It’s a great week for all of mankind.  Let’s take a moment and be grateful.

Darlene

 

Had a chance to see the movie ‘Defiance’ over the weekend with Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber.  I thought it was very well done.  It is the true story of three Jewish brothers who escape from Nazi-occupied Poland into the Belarussian forest.  They join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and others in danger.

Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber were fantastic as the Bielski brothers and how they came to help over 1200 Jews escape the Nazis.  It was wonderful to see Daniel Craig in a real gritty role that didn’t have all the special effects of a Bond movie.  He is a fantastic actor, as is Liev Schreiber, who first came to my attention in the movie The Manchurian Candidate with Denzel Washington.  This true story truly is a great epic.

Also had a chance to see ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ over the weekend with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson.  I really enjoyed that one as well.  Scarlett Johansson captures the film and shines throughout the entire movie.  I usually am not a huge fan of history pieces, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Hope you all had a great weekend as well.

Darlene