Book Review: Gangsterland by Tod Goldberg

Sal Cupertine is a legendary hit man for the Chicago Mafia, known for his ability to get in and out of a crime without a trace. Until now, that is. His first-ever mistake -Sal kills three "Donnie Brascos"-undercover FBI agents, and a CI. He fears for his own life after this, and calls his cousin Ronnie for help, ending up in a situation he'd never imagined.  After a few nights in the back of a refidgerated meat truck, Sal ends up in Las Vegas, where, a few surgeries and some intensive training later, and Sal Cupertine becomes Rabbi David Cohen. Leading a growing congregation in Las Vegas, overseeing the population and the temple and the new cemetery, Rabbi Cohen, surprises even himself as he spouts quotes from the Torah,  Old Testament, or Oldies Radio.  Yet, as it turns out, the Mafia isn't quite done with him yet. Soon the new cemetery is being used as both a money and body-laundering scheme for the Chicago family. And that rogue FBI agent on his trail, seeking vengeance for the murder of his three fellow agents, isn't going to let Sal fade so easily.
Gangsterland is a wickedly dark and funny novel. I'm not normally one for gangster stories (I've never seen the Godfather, or Scarface, or any of those iconic films, although I have watched a couple of seasons of The Sopranos, and I'm a fool for Law & Order), but I made an exception here. I am a big fan of the podcast Literary Disco, which Tod Goldberg is part of, and I'd read some of his short stories, and quite enjoyed them. So I had to read this, and I am glad I did. One night, that's all it took, and I laughed myself silly half the time! This is a great book, and I am saying now: read it!! The twisted idea of turning a hit man into a Rabbi is so brilliant, and works so well. Goldberg has a knack for language, and his characters are fully fleshed out, even the minor ones. I can't wait to read his other novels.

I Shuffle, Therefore I Am

The last week I've been nearly glued to my laptop, listening to music and constantly creating new playlists, or watching random stuff on YouTube. YouTube gets me every time. I always end up watching the same few favorite things: Craig Ferguson's cold openings from The Late Late Show, a Monkees episode or two, music videos, and eventually, finding something new. That's my favorite thing about YouTube, actually; discovering the strange, or wonderful, or wonderfully strange things that I would never have known about if I'd stayed off-line!  Makes me kinda sad that there weren't things like this around when I was a teen; my life would have been so much more fun if I'd had access to a wider variety of music!



 

I put my iPod on shuffle this morning and this is the selection I was given"

 

"1985" Bowling for Soup  (One of my favorite bands, and one of their best songs.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K38xNqZvBJI

 

"Simple Gifts" Yo-Yo Ma & Alison Krauss (I love both of them, and together on this, they are magical!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYi9Vr8bHJY

 

"All Around the Kitchen" Dan Zanes & Friends (a holdover from my days as a preschool teacher)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzm1_RK2XvE

 

"Scottish Temple Stomp"  by Craig Ferguson (One of the cold openings. I'm a little obsessed with Craig.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvAPov24d4Q

 

"Parents Just Don't Understand"   DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince  (Will Smith will always be fresh.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW3PFC86UNI

 

"Shenandoah" by Peter Hollens (This guy is amazing! And he's from Oregon!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NmKp5A8i3M

 

"The Diva Dance"  from the Fifth Element, two arias from Lucia d Lammmermoor, sung by Inva Mula

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syo6tLeZfHw

 

"Dream On" Neil Patrick Harris & Matthew Morrison--their duet from Glee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkoQLTO5gZY

 

"Bohemian Polka" Weird Al  (Exactly what is sounds like. It rocks.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkd_280xlvQ

 

"Coal Miner's Daughter"  Loretta Lynn (I'm proud to know all the words.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM84OekHtAQ

 

"Uptown Funk" Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars (Love this song. Makes me wanna dance!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPf0YbXqDm0

 

"Cuddly Toy" The Monkees (Yes, I like the Monkees. Do not get me started on misconceptions about this band.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3127ue93-0

 

"I Want Love" by Elton John (This is one of my favorite songs.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufbexgPyeJQ

 

Usually when I hit shuffle, I get  selections from Barry Manilow, Bette Midler & Chris Isaak, simply because I have nearly their entire catalogs. Same with Bowling For Soup, James Taylor, The Monkees, and Elvis Costello. (This list could go on and on...)  I hate to limit myself to one or two styles of music, and there is so much out there to enjoy. There are only a few things I really dislike. I cannot stand the sound of Stevie Nicks' voice, same for Mariah Carey. I don't care much for electronic or serious metal. And really, I am way too much of a suburban white girl to have ever gotten into rap or hip-hop much, other than a few very mainstream things. I've always preferred music I can sing along with. Probably always will.  The genre's listed on my little iPod range from Children's Music (that's mostly Disney stuff, really), to Classical, to Classic Country (I grew up listening to Dolly, Johnny, and all those folks), to Disco (life is not complete without a little bit of the Bee Gees). There's Folk/Rock (Simon & Garfunkel, who are the reason I can sing harmony to this day.), and Hard Rock (Bon Jovi ); Jazz (Ella & Louis), and New-Wave (Adam Ant, among others); R&B, and Soul, as well as one lonely little listing under Ska. Lots of Soundtrack stuff--from Broadway shows, as well as movies, and a little bit of Opera. We have Gospel and Bluegrass, Adult Contemporary and Alternative, as well as general Pop & Rock. These are the categories assigned by the iPod, not me. I wouldn't really classify Bon Jovi as Hard Rock; I don't have any real Hard Rock.

Anyway. Music is keeping me sane right now. I'm having a difficult time focusing long enough to read more than a few pages of anything, but I can concentrate on a song.

How Stupid Do I Look?

Wait, don't answer that.



I have faith in the basic goodness of humanity, and usually see the glass as half-full. That's getting difficult, as I keep running into people who seem determined to show me how wrong I am.

Last month I posted an ad on Craigslist to sell my wedding gown (I've been trying to sell it off & on since 2010, and have had no luck). It's a lovely gown, and I could use the extra money, as well as the space. Right away I got a response, asking to buy it. I was thrilled, but a bit puzzled. The email asked all sorts of questions about me that someone making a simple purchase shouldn't need to know -- personal information, and I was hesitant to answer. So I didn't. I did receive a cashiers check the next day; it was for over $1500. I am asking $250 for my dress, so this was a bit shocking.  Included with the check were instructions to cash the check, keep my cut, and give the rest, along with the dress, to a courier, who would ship it to the buyer. Yeah, right. Again, I'll ask, how dumb do I look? (Shut up, Jolene.) Needless to say, I did not cash that check, or send my dress anywhere that month. I reposted it this week, and got another, similar scam, this one involving PayPal  & Western Union.  Seems swindling is the flavor of the month online. This glass is still half-full--of bullshit.

There's A Word for That?

Migraineur:

mi·grain·eur

mēgrəˈnər,ˌmīgrā-/

noun

 someone who suffers from migraine headaches.

Earlier this week, I was doing some research online, trying to see if there was a connection between the two glasses of pseudo-Crystal Light I'd been having now that the weather is warming up and the massive migraines I'd been having, when I learned some nifty things. Such as the word migraineur. Makes sense that there's a word for people like me, but it had never occurred to me.

Reading about triggers was rather enlightening as well. I wasn't all that surprised to learn that artificial sweeteners are a big migraine trigger, since they cause all sorts of problems. I try to avoid them, preferring natural sugar, really I do. But for some reason, every summer, I go through this diet drink frenzy where I consume Crystal Light, or the fake store brand equivalent, in all it's many flavors. No more of that for me. I'd rather be fat than in pain. Sugar is a trigger for many people, but I have to consume a huge amount before it gives me a headache; same with caffeine. Alcohol, on the other hand, give me pain within an hour or two of my first cocktail. No big deal, since I've never been a big drinker. Some of the other common food triggers are chocolate, cheese (hard or fermented), processed meats, and gluten. To the best of my knowledge, none of these are triggers for me. Good thing, too, because I don't want to give up chocolate. Life is hard enough. Other triggers include weather changes, bright lights or loud noises, perfumes, lack of sleep, stress, missing meals, dehydration, hormonal changes, and crying. Yep, one reason I avoid the cosmetics counter at department stores. Those perfume samples are killers. Same as the laundry detergent aisle in the grocery store. First I sneeze, then I get a headache. No fun.

Here's what really came as a surprise to me, however. In an article called 'What's Your Strangest Migraine Symptom?' I learned that several things that have been happening to me for years are likely migraine-related. And here, I thought I was just crazy. Or had a brain tumor.

One of these symptoms, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, is a disorder that causes a person to believe that body parts (and in some cases their environment), are changing shape or size. For me, it usually means that I feel as if one hand is growing larger and larger, as if it's a huge clown glove, filled with air. It never lasted very long, but felt as if it did. Once, when a migraine was so bad I had to go to the ER for treatment, this happened after they gave me the fun shot; that time, I felt as if my ears were getting bigger and bigger.

The first time I remember this happening I was eleven-years-old. I had been reading in the afternoon during summer break, and suddenly, my right thumb began to grow. It didn't last long, or get very big, and I don't remember if a headache followed it, but I do remember being totally freaked out. Until recently, I never told anyone about it.

When I was in junior high, I read Stephen King's 'The Dead Zone' for the first time, and one thing from that book has stuck with me ever since. The neurologist asks Johnny if he ever smells anything unusual, like rotting oranges, or feces, when there is nothing there; apparently this  a sign of a brain tumor. Well, it turns out these types of sensory hallucinations are also a migraine symptom, one I've had often. I was pretty sure I didn't have a brain tumor, because I've had my fair share of MRI's & CT scans, thanks to the epilepsy, but thanks to Mr. King, I was always scared. Now, I don't need to.

I do wish that one of the neurologists I've seen over the years had pointed some of this stuff out. I'm especially cheesed that the migraine specialist I've been seeing for the last year never mentioned any of this. I appreciate that there are all these online communities, but shouldn't a doctor have said something?!

I'm sure there's a word for how I feel.

It's Not Hoarding if They're eBooks, Right?

If Hoarders ever decides to do a show on people who have too many books, they'd over look me, because, really, my library of "real" books isn't that big. Comparatively speaking, that is. Not nearly big enough to land me a spot on a show like that. My ebook library, on the other hand, is getting out of control.

I'm fairly sure that I have at least 150 unread books on my Kindle app. Then there are the ones on Aldiko, Google Books, Moon+Reader, and  OverDrive. We won't even mention the dozens of fanfiction books/stories lurking about my tablet, or the audiobook waiting to be listened to. And I'm not counting the things I HAVE read. 
Except for those things I've read before in a paper version, all of these are new to me. I'm addicted to free book sites, and some days, spend more time searching out free things to download than I do reading. It's distressing. 

 

Now, this is not to say I don't read at all, because we all know that isn't true. I'm halfway through an odd book called Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher.



 

It's a YA novel about a teen girl writing to a man on death row, and confessing all her dark secrets to him. Twisted. Just my style.

 

 

 

A Few Reccomendations

I promised some fanfiction recommendations, and here they are. I've read so many, but these are just a few that I truly liked. I'll add more later. All of these are in the Harry Potter universe, and are mostly Drarry stories. I confess, I do like those slash stories!



 

Jonna's HP FanFic Recs, Part One

 

The Bound Prince series by slash perv and sayingsorry_hh                                       (7 volumes, Harry/Draco, ADULT)

This seven volume series is extremely well written, and is available on slash perv’s website as a free pdf download. Beginning with that pivotal moment in Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince where Harry finds Draco crying in the bathroom; in this version, instead of hexing each other, they kiss, and from there, things escalate. Serious m/m slash, with lots of explicit sex: really, in nearly every chapter after the first couple, Harry & Draco are shagging, sometimes on a life-or-death basis. Some of the best long reads out there.

 

A British Summer by Omi_Ohmy                                                                                (One Shot, Harry/Draco, Explicit, Smut)

Ice cream.  After the war, and a very public breakup with Ginny, Harry has become a recluse. Draco is surprised when he runs into him scooping ice cream in a Muggle town on a summer afternoon.  I love ice cream (and sorbet, and gelato, and frozen yogurt...) and this story called out to me. It is yummy--but be warned, it’ll have you craving a frozen treat!

 

Vale Sanare by RurouniHime                                                                             (Draco/Harry, one shot, angst)

This is not a happy little fic, but it speaks to me.  Draco suffers seizures as an after-effect of something that happened during the war (we never find out what), and Harry helps him to find ways to cope. Turns out the war left Harry with some physical issues of his own. I am epileptic, and I seldom read anything that talks about seizures, simply because most writers cannot get the way seizure disorders affect a person right. This author does a spot-on job of describing both Draco’s seizures themselves (from his POV), and the way he feels after; I especially like the way the author describes his aura:

“Everything is the colour of plums, so dark and so opaque that Draco doesn't know what happens next. He could be falling. He could be standing. He could be breaking his nose on the floor right this instant, this eternity, and bleeding over Harry's floorboards—”

 

Not Only Fine Feathersby fantasyfruitbat                                                                 (Harry/Draco NC-17, one-shot, veela!)

I confess to a liking for veela fics, and this is a bit different from most. After the war, a mistreated, caged and feral veela is discovered in a Death Eater safe house, and will only respond to Harry. Of course, this veela turns out to Draco. The Ministry wants to put him down, but Harry fights to save him.

 

Checkmate by Naadi                                                                                           (Harry/Draco, romance/angst)

Set during their seventh year at Hogwarts, this is a multi-chapter fiction that is canon through Goblet of Fire. Draco challenges Harry to a game of dare chess, and throughout the fiction, an actual game of chess is played. But is his ultimate goal love or betrayal?

This is a very popular fic, and even won some awards. The fan art for it is numerous, and includes a Lego version of one chapter, linked here.

 

Sex, Lies and Veritaserum  by lettered                                                            (Harry/Draco, one-shot, explicit)

The warning on this story states “This entire fic is one long conversation about sex.” And it’s the truth. When Draco spikes the wine with veritaserum, he and his husband Harry begin a conversation about their sexual fantasies and desires. This gets rather explicit, and hot. Hey, they aren’t all love stories, folks.

 

And An Owl Named Romeo by Rickey                                                                   (Draco/Harry, romance)

Draco breeds owls, Harry is an Auror, and an owl brings them together. The characterization in this love story is wonderful, and so is the romance!

 

Nothing Like The Sun by Lomonaaeren                                                            (Harry/Draco, angst/romance, NC-17)

Don’t go into this one expecting happy happy joy joy. In this story, Harry has been convinced by his past lovers that not only is he too ugly and lousy at sex to keep a wizard lover. He tries to get better, and compromises by wearing glamours, and finally, deciding to be content with one-night-stands with Muggles. Then along comes Draco, who messes everything up by wanting a relationship. This was a difficult story to read--Harry’s pain is palpable. But stick with it. It’s worth it.

 

It’s My Life by Fyreheart                                                                                                   (Harry, AU)

This is an alternate universe fiction, and one of the best I’ve read. After his second year at Hogwarts, Harry realizes that things aren’t quite what they should be, and he decides to change them. He does this by becoming pro-active in his life, and making huge changes--including leaving Hogwarts, and England. It’s an interesting idea, exploring “what if?”

Save Your Fanfiction!

I'm working on a list of some of my favorite fan-fics to share with you. There is so much out there... But first, I wanted to share these links with you. I read both on my laptop and on my tablet (a nifty Samsung Galaxy, which I love!) using various e-reader apps. Scrolling on the laptop just gets to be a bit much, ya know? Plus, it's much easier to read from the tablet in bed! So I went looking for ways to download various fics so I can read them elsewhere.  Archive Of Our Own, has a built in download feature on stories, allowing you to choose between formats (mobi, which is for Kindle; epbub, pdf or html); most of the other sites don't offer this feature, which is a shame, since it's very efficient. Hence, the search for ways to save.

Since a large portion of fan-fiction is archived/posted on Fanfiction.net, finding a way to download those stories was tantamount. (FFN does have a mobile version, but it tends to be too small for me to read.) The site I found, which works most of the time, is Ficsave. It's dedicated only to FFN, but has issues. When it works, it's great. As with many of these sites, you simply enter the link of the work you want to download, choose your format, and save.

A better choice for FFN, as well as several other sites is StoryMaster, which works quite well for FFN, Adult Fan Fiction, and a few other sites, is a bit different, in that your result is emailed to you, and then you can download it. The results here are always well done; I've not been disappointed yet. I only wish it worked for more sites,

FanFiction Downlaoder has an extensive list of supported sites, including AOO, The Hex Files, FFN, Literotica, Fiction Press, and Trek Universe. As with many others, it will not work on stories from LiveJournal.

Squee!book is a site which supposedly turns a website into something more along the lines of an actual book. You have to load each chapters link of multi-part stories (from some sites) one by one, which is a huge pain in the ass.  And there are still some large bugs, not least of which is the fact that even after loading all of those, they don't always transfer, and your work is for naught. However, on some sites, it works perfectly well; user be warned.

Online-Convert is a multi-use site, which offers file conversion of all types. Audio, video, image, document, and ebook. I use the ebook converter all the time. It is especially handy for those Live Journal stories, when my only option is to cut and paste. A pdf document is quickly converted into a mobi or epub file, or vice versa.

I've also used an app called dotEpub, a software that allows you to convert any webpage to an epub with one click. Unfortunately, it does not work with LiveJournal.

All of these are free sites, although a few offer upgrades. Good luck!

Dancing Fools

 

No reason for this post, really, other than these make giggle. I've come across several gifs lately that I quite enjoy, and decided to share.



There are dozens of these "single ladies" out there, and I wanted to share a couple with you all.   

Everybody dance now!

 

Okay, this image of dancing Harry Potter is one of my favorites. I wished there was also a Draco to go with it, and then discovered there is an entire video, called Dance Dance Potter Revolution! Makes me happy in such a stupid way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc5M3HlihSg

Because I'm obsessive, I spent several hours (read: DAYS) looking at gifs, and even found websites where I could make my own, so of course I did.  (I have nothing but time on my hands, people.)

Twist like Travolta, baby.



Some Like It Hot is my all-time favorite movie, and this tango is awesome.


 

I hope these guys are dancing together in heaven!

 

Carlton rocks. 

As does Cap'n Tightpants. 

He's The Doctor. Of course he can dance!



 

Still one of the best movies ever. 

Johnny Bravo and PeeWee have more in common than we knew. 

Go, Farmer Ted. He blows my mind. 

 

There's an entire Tumblr dedicated to Chandler dancing on things, but this is better. 

 

Mr Noodle, and his brother, Mr Noodle, from Sesame Street. They groove, man. 

And because I am obsessive, and because I found a way to make my own gifs, I give you  Dance Dance Draco!



 

Enjoy my silliness.

 

Fan-fiction Has Stolen My Brain

I am not sure exactly when, but sometime before Christmas, I began reading Harry Potter fan-fiction online. Primarily, Drarry  and other slash fictions. And I've not stopped since. My brain, my life, my time, has been taken over... 

I hear some of you asking "WTH is she talking about? Slash? Drarry?" In fandom terms, Slash is "a type of fic, often written by women, involving romantic or sexual involvement between two characters of the same gender. The term originates from early Star Trek fandom, namely "Kirk/Spock" stories -- the term "slash" comes from the slash (/) placed between the names of the characters involved".  Drarry is the pairing of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, combining their names.

What, exactly is the point of all of this? I have no idea. As I said, my brain has been invaded, stolen, by fan-fics. I'm alternately deeply enthralled by wonderful writing and great stories, some with truly excellent sex scenes, and highly annoyed by poor grammar, atrocious spelling and the worst romances I've seen. And I have read some bad romance novels in my time, people.

What amazes me each time I go onto FanFiction.net or Archive Of Our Own to look for new stories is how many are out there. How many people are writing about the things they love, creating worlds where the characters they love do all sorts of things. Where Sherlock and The Doctor have tea, or The Monkees hang out with Mozart. Worlds where the cast of Harry Potter interacts with the Twilight gang, or Sookie & Eric are running away from Buffy. True, some of the stories are awful, but that's a risk you take when reading anything new. And I'm having fun. Isn't that what matters?

Besides, I kinda like the idea of Sherlock & The Doctor being friends. Makes perfect sense to me...

 

This Song Says It.

A few days ago my friend Tara K. posted a link to a video of Robert Downey Jr singing with Sting, and since I adore RDJ, and quite like Sting, I watched the video, and then viewed several more. I had already been aware that RDJ could sing, having seen him in movies like 'The Singing Detective,' and in that episode of Ally McBeal (ick) where he sang with (oh, yeah) Sting! What I didn't know is that he'd recorded an album, which is pretty good. But this isn't really about that.

It's about this.



This video is the first thing Rob did after he got himself out of trouble, back on the straight and narrow, clean & sober, etc. The song, by Elton John, was never very popular, but, it speaks to me. Says everything I've been feeling. I hate when that happens.

"A man like me is dead in places other men feel liberated...but I want love." Yeah. That's it, all over. There are parts of me I cannot feel anymore, things I'm not sure I'll ever be able to feel again. My heart seems to be so hard that I'm not sure that anything can get through, or if I want it to. Too much pain. Too many scars, and why would I want more, yeah? Yet, I am craving something that will actually make me feel something, anything. I'd take pain over this nothing all the time.

 

Questions Worth Asking -- And Some Answers

A while ago, someone sent me a link to a page entitled '25 Beautifully Illustrated Thought-Provoking Questions.' I glanced at it, thinking "Hey, that's nifty," bookmarked it, and went on with my life. Today I stumbled upon it again, and a few of these questions hit me right between the eyes.
The last few weeks have been rough, and I've spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself. Complaining, whining, bitching, whatever you want to call it, I've done them all-in spades. (There is a reason I called this site "Read Between the WHINES!") Not enough money, bad health, bad weather, too many stupid commercials, nothing good to eat, blah blah blah. The worst thing was, after two-and-a-half years without a seizure, I had a whopper of a fit. Ended up with a huge headache, sore muscles and a nasty bitten tongue. Poor Jonna.
Then, as I was scrolling through these photos today, this question struck me.

Of course, I am aware that others have things much worse than I do. I've always been aware of that, but sometimes I forget. When I began having seizures at age 15, I took it in stride, and never made a big deal out of it, partly because my friends didn't. If my friends had flipped out, I might have, but not one of them did. I'm sure there were people in our small town high school who thought I was a weirdo, but I was not aware of them. My mom always took it the hardest. And when I began seeing specialists at the OHSU Epilepsy Center, and met young people who had never been able to have any kind of normal life because of their seizures, that was reaffirmed. I was able to do almost everything that so-called normal people did: I worked, I had a home, a life. I never had to wear a helmet, or be confined to a wheelchair. For a long time, I even drove! (Looking back at that, I am amazed at how careless I was with others lives!) Many people who have the type of seizures I do (tonic-clonic, formerly referred to as grand mal) often lose control of their bladder and/or bowels during a seizure. I have always been extremely thankful that this has never once happened to me!
So yes, I am aware that others have things much worse, in many areas. I am struggling financially, but what that really means is that I don't have spending money, and cannot afford to move. I am not homeless, nor will I be; nor am I going hungry. My family is always here for me, and I for them; so many don't have that. So, I cannot buy a new book, or get a manicure. I have a perfectly good library card, and a drawer full of nail polish. So, I can't afford that gym membership. I'd probably never go, anyway! I have perfectly good walking shoes, and the neighborhood behind us has sidewalks.


This month I turn forty-five years old, and shortly after that, the anniversary of Michele's death arrives. I miss her every day. If Shel was anything, she was positive, and she would want me to celebrate what I have, not what I am missing. Somehow, I think finding these pictures was her way of reminding me of that.

 

Movies That Move Me

As I travel around the world on the internet, reading various blogs every day as I do, I often think "hey! That is a great idea for a post! I should do that!" Then I forget about it, and go on with my life...
Not this time. After reading several terrific list-based posts yesterday, I decided that the time had come to follow through. Heaven knows I love to make lists, and can blather on about why something is amazing, or sucky, with the best of them!

These are few movies that, no matter how often I see them, touch some part of me, move me, or just make me think.
In no particular order:

Sophie's Choice (1982)
Starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Peter MacNicol.
"Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live in Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust. They befriend Stingo, the movie's narrator, a young American writer new to New York City. But the happiness of Sophie and Nathan is endangered by her ghosts and his obsessions." (Summary from IMDb.com)
Yes, I fell in love with the novel by William Styron, first. But Sophie will forever be Meryl Streep for me. She is simply luminous in this film. Her beauty is so pure in such a complicated tragedy, that it is nearly impossible to take my eyes from her face. Each time I see the film, my heart breaks again. For Sophie, for Nathan, but mostly for Stingo, who we know will triumph, but will never be the same. The blend of poetry, music, tragedy friendship and love keep me coming back over and over. 

The Color Purple (1985)

Another favorite book, Alice Walker's 'The Color Purple' was translated stunningly by Steven Spielberg. The story remains as powerful and moving as it should be (often a failing in book-to-film ventures), and is also visually perfect. Simply seeing the beauty of this on the big screen shows how Spielberg understood the title line, shown in this clip:


"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it."

This film--and book too--helped me see that all kinds of women are beautiful, powerful, and strong. Watching Celie learn to own her smile, to grin without hiding, makes me believe in myself. And when I am feeling down, I sing this song in my head, and feel better.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Yes, another book-to-film has made my list. Big surprise.
Based on a short novel by Stephen King, this movie has everything to get me crying. Even though I know what will happen, I still cheer at the end. My favorite scene (likely everyone's) is this one:

                                 

Locking himself in the Warden's office, Andy plays Mozart over the prison sound system, just because it is so beautiful. He earns himself a stretch in solitary, but it sure seems worth it.

"For the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free."

Doesn't get much better than that.



The Fisher King (1991)

This movie breaks my heart, makes me laugh, cry, sing, and leaves me wanting more every single time. Probably my favorite of all Robin Williams' work, his complex portrayal of a man so broken by grief that he vanishes into a fantasy land of medieval knights and chivalry is stunning, and at times comic. The blend of fantasy and reality in this movie just takes my breath away.

For example, Grand Central Station, is suddenly a ballroom:
                               

Directed by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame, this movie should be seen by everyone, as far as I am concerned. You won't be disappointed. Bring a hankie, though!


Next time, my rock-star boyfriends...

Hey, Girl! Internet Addiction and Me!

Yes, I am an addict. There, I said it. I am a junkie. I loooove my internet connection. I love reading ebooks. I love Pinterest. I love Tumblr --especially the wide variety of "hey girl's" that exist  My favorite is Nathan Fillion. Although if a Bruce Willis exists, that may beat him out, because Bruce always wins. '

I love Facebook, and email, and Twitter, and all the other millions of things. I love reading random blogs about somebody's kids, cats or DIY projects, or sex life. These seems to be the main themes for blogs, along with celebrity love/hate, politics, fitness/weight loss, and religion-- all of which I avoid as much as possible, except for the aforementioned tumblr's.

Recently I came across this Forbes article about the newly listed Internet Use Disorder listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-V). Turns out I may actually have a problem. Of course, not like those parents who let their kids starve while they play online games...of course, I do consistently "forget" things when deep in the Pinterest wonderland! Yikes...

My only solution is to turn this bloody machine off and walk away.

Now.

Do it!

Maybe later. Gotta see if there is a Bruce Willis "Hey Girl" out there...

Then I'll go outside...

Oh, Captain!

Internet Junkie

Posted on June 20, 2010

by jonnadee

Yes, I am an Internet junkie. I confess, I check my Facebook status at least once an hour. For someone with no life, coming up with clever things to say is a challenge! And Twitter, well that is a whole other world!

Recently I discovered I can follow the characters of my favorite television show on Twitter, and have little tweets with them (or at least people pretending to be them)! Well, I was hooked. I have spent hours tweeting with the cast of True Blood, talking vampire stuff, and loving every minute! I feel ridiculous admitting that, but I can’t be the only one. Can I?

Does it matter if I’m addicted to stupid things? No, I tell you! My name is Jonna, I am an Internet junkie, and I do not need an intervention. What I need is a faster wireless server!

The cast of True Blood: I wanna do bad Tweets with you!