Julie's Journal: Small, Happy Things

Occassionally, I go through spells of being down in the dumps for no particular reason.  When that happens, I find it helpful to look at the positives in my life.  My mother would call it counting my blessings!  In that spirit, the following are a few very small things that have been making me happy recently:

1.  Adult Coloring - The coloring fad of a couple of years ago was right up my alley.  I love the peacefulness of coloring and the ability to be creative without having to have drawing skills.  I have discovered that there are all kinds of techniques to coloring and numerous ways to become better at it.

2.  Coloring Cart - In keeping with my coloring hobby, I recently bought a cart to organize all my supplies.  I love seeing everything all neat and organized and accessible!  Plus it's much easier to clean up my mess now!

 3.  Blueberries - Several years ago, as in 8+, I planted two blueberry bushes at my house.  Blueberries are my favorite fruit and I knew they could be grown around here since my parents had a couple of bushes when I was a child that produced more berries than we could eat.  However, I'm not the gardener my father is and my bushes have taken a long time to develop.  But finally, this year, my bushes have produced more than just a few berries.  I'm picking blueberries every evening and have enough to put some in the freezer for future muffins and pies. 

4.  Planning a vacation - My husband and I don't always take a vacation during the summer, but this year we are planning a pretty big trip.  We are planning to go west into New Mexico then north through Colorado and Wyoming.  We're going to stop at Yellowstone and then cut across Montana to the Dakotas and visit Mt. Rushmore.  We really enjoy scenic drives, and plan to see as many sights as we can along the way.  So far, the planning has been almost as much fun as actually taking the trip.  Do you have any suggestions for any "can't miss" attractions on our route?

5.  Back-list books - Summer seems to be a good time to catch up on series that I may have missed when they first came out.  This year I have dived into J.D. Robb's In Death Series.  I am on the 7th one now, Holiday in Death, and I have about 40 more to go, so they should keep me busy for awhile!

6.  Rediscovering Crochet - I used to enjoy handcrafts - particularly cross-stitch and crochet - but hadn't done a new project in a long time.  My mother gave me an afghan kit for my birthday this year and I have really enjoyed working on it.  It is worked in strips and I have finished 2 of the 9 strips.  It will be a pretty plaid pattern when it is finished!

 What small things make you happy? 

Full Disclosure:  The idea for this post came from Modern Mrs. Darcy - a bookish blog by Anne Bogel.

Chance's Corner: Hereditary Review

There was a lot of animosity radiating from my theater as Hereditary faded to black, most of it was verbalized through groaning and other grumblings. The staff quickly bumped up the lights (we didn't even get to see the credits), and as I collected my trash, I turned to the people behind me and kind of rolled my eyes. They rolled their eyes, too, and one of them said, "well, that was stupid and predictable." That's certainly the simple way of putting it, but... they're not wrong. I'd also add "dull" to that critique.

Marketing suggests that Hereditary is this generations The Exorcist - the scariest movie of the year! However, the majority of Hereditary is just straight-up draaaawn out drama, with unfocused meditations on loss and (postpartum) depression. The bits of horror that are sprinkled throughout the first two acts are just staples of the genre - birds flying into windows, supposed specters lurking in the shadows, etc. There's a few "unsettling" things in the lingering pauses, but nothing significant. The only genuine surprise it had up its sleeve, which involved a telephone pole, was met more with giggles than terror. It was so ridiculous, just about as ridiculous as actor Alex Wolff's attempts at sobbing.

Now, the third act does up the ante as it transitions into a full-fledged horror film, but yet again, most of it was met with giggles - except when a particular man smiles, which is pretty ironic. That was the only instant in which I truly felt unnerved - an instant. The rest of it just didn't come off the way writer/director Ari Aster obviously intended, and it ends up feeling like a knock off of Paranormal Activity 3 and Rosemary's Baby once you really think about it.

Toni giving her monologue

Toni Collette is just about the only saving grace of this film. That woman can act! Her yelling monologue at the dinner table is a true standout moment. Unfortunately, her touted Oscar chances were made null and void by the horrific (not in the good way) third act where her character merely becomes an oogie-boogie device - in other words, a creature not a character. I also enjoyed the overall aesthetic of the film, especially the way certain scenes felt like they were unfolding in one of the central character's dioramas. That's about the only nice things I have to say about Hereditary.