MOVIE REVIEW: Larry Crowne

The first mistake I made before going to see this movie was reading the reviews. I didn't mean to, they just pop up when you're looking for movie times. My fiance picked this movie which caught me off-guard actually. Anyway, we headed to see Larry Crowne and from the reviews I had pretty low expectations, which probably helps this review.

If I had to choose one word to describe Larry Crowne: Delightful.

It was a really pleasant movie about a guy that gets laid off because he didn't go to college, a reality in times of recession, like we just had. He was going through a divorce that cost a lot of money and had to change to accomodate his new life. It wasn't a sappy love story, love was really just a side note in the whole thing. I can't say much more without giving away the movie, but it was pleasant. It's a feel good movie with a quality cast. Could I have waited to see it as a rental? Probably, but it was better in the theater.

My recommendation is to go check out Larry Crowne on a lazy weekend or weekday night if you are looking for a casual outing. It's not intensely thought provoking, but just a nice movie to watch.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I'm going green...well more like baby blue!

I'm so excited, I have finally become totally fuel efficient. The same fuel that keeps my body running will be fueling my....wait for it....my new Schwinn Clairmont beach cruiser. LOL.

And yes, there is a basket on my bike for quick trips to Trader Joe's or Ralphs and afternoons at Starbucks or downtown. Not to mention my bike riding that will commence in Santa Monica on the weekends.

If you're in Long Beach, you may just see me riding down the street in my neato Schwinn with Chaka in a basket on the back. I look forward to riding the bike to the YMCA in the mornings for my new swim class. YAY!

Sometimes the stars align.

If you're curious to know what that picture is, it's of Scorpio of course. That's what I am, a Scorpio and last night the stars must have aligned perfectly. This morning, I woke up refreshed and everything seems to be coordinating perfectly for this upcoming trip.

I rose at 6:30 a.m. to find out that the summer camp that I will be at in Spain, does in fact have Wi-Fi...sadly that was my biggest concern. My love went to collect some drycleaning and coffee was ready when I finally got out of bed.

Part of my morning happiness could very possibly be because after about a month of being stressed and having no time to workout; last night I took a 6 mile run that left me, surprisingly refreshed. I miss being fit. I woke up with no soreness and ready to workout again. No..I'm not crazy, I didn't work out at 6:00 a.m. this morning, but I will again tonight. Apparently, this past month has not been so kind, there's a lot of toning to do.

The tide feels like it's turning towards a summer of wonderfulness. I'm incrementally more and more excited to go on this excursion and I am proud to say that I feel like I'm finally getting some progress at work. PR is not the easiest road to go down and validation comes few and far between. Even when people say you're doing well, you need that real affirmation that what you're doing is working for the company. This morning I got the validation I needed to know that we are moving in the right direction and are 'taking the bull by the horns'.

I hope that everyone has a fabulous and special weekend and finds their own renewed spirit. It is very likely the next time I post it will be sitting at the airport waiting to lift off..or it may be about beer tomorrow. Whichever comes first :).

Ciao!

p.s.: Congrats to you know who you are!

TGJIO (thank god June is over), summer here I come!

The irony here is that it is drizzling and overcast today in Sunny California. Perhaps the Vitamin D deprivation has forced me to write a sunny blog to get me through the day. June is finally over, what a hellish month! The turmoil that we have to go through to transition from Spring to Summer is unnecessary, but this year I may recover.

So, henceforthwithtofro, I am fleeing the country in pursuit of a once in a lifetime opportunity. I will be traveling out of the country for 42 days this summer with my partner in crime (not real crime), transitioning between exploration of the world and....well....working of course (a girl's gotta have new shoes!). By day I will be explorer of foreign lands, by night mistress of PR. I'm pretty sure I'll need a vacation after I get back from this adventure.

Next week my darling and I are off to foreign lands to see what this summer has in store for us.

First stop...Spain (check the map for location)! I'm lucky enough to say I've been there already, but I wasn't there nearly enough to experience and enjoy it enough to where I don't want to go back. I left so many great memories in Spain in my last trip that I am even more excited to go back and make new ones.

Next....Paris; I say Paris instead of France, because it just sounds that much more romantic. This will be my very first time in the city of amor. A friend suggested Fat Tire Bike Tours while we are there, so we will likely go on an evening and day time tour of the city by bike and boat. I cannot wait to sit at a roadside cafe and sip my cafe, while nibbling on an authentic Croissant (said in my best french accent).

The one thing I'm worried about (only second to allergies) is the ripe summer heat in any of these places but I'm sure I'll manage (not sure about Beno though). I do hate extreme hot weather, that's what those Spanish fans were made for. These are the pitfalls of economy travel, what can you do? :)

And thennnnnnnn? Well off to Turkey of course. Our Turkish office is located in Istanbul where I will be open-air purchasing my butt off. I'm so excited to go to the open market. I have also heard great things about Turkish foods and so eager to see all the other beautiful things there, like the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. It's too bad we won't have time to go to the Turkish islands, next time perhaps. After we get our fill of the Turkish life (an entire 7 days and mostly working), we'll be heading off to Germany.

Another gaming tradeshow, but at least I'm in Europe. We'll be in Cologne for GDC Europe and Gamescom. I'm sure we'll make plenty of time to appreciate Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, Weinershnitzel and Hoegaarden. Actually, I plan on going to an Irish bar in Barcelona that has Hoegaarden as well (how weird is that?), so I guess location has nothing to do with beer.

(Spain circa summer 2008)

Our adventure ends in Frankfurt, where I'm sure we'll have some lovely food and of course locate some German Chocolate cake. I guess we'll learn all the secrets of getting the most with least by being away so long, at least the Euro is down a bit right now.

I'm ready to get on the metro and find all the coolest spots everywhere we go (literally, there's an ICE bar in Spain I can't wait to go to). The best part, I will be traveling and sharing this experience with my best friend and although he won't admit how excited he is, I got a glimpse of it this weekend, when we started preparing by making some key item purchases for the trip. Hopefully that long plane ride won't break us in the very beginning and then there's spending 2 full weeks with a bunch of teenagers that know how to cuss in a foreign language. LOL. Ahhh summer!

I'll be reporting so stay tuned for European adventures, coming soon.

Endless Summer 2010? - So it begins.

It was a beautiful Memorial Day weekend and no doubt the beginning of another summer. I was outside most of the weekend, which is what I expected anyway. It was beautiful. The commencement of summer 2010 included; beach workout, beach walk, cuban food, Sex and The City 2, lunch with a friend, tasty dinners at home, playing tennis, a round of golf, a closet clean out, cleaning the house, laundry and desperately wanting a patio to relax on and enjoy the weather and work simultaneously.

It's time for me to check in with those resolutions before I wander off for the remainder of the summer to Europe. E3 is in 14 days, so 14 more days of that madness and 43 days until I'm off to Europe for 42 days.

There's a lot of excitement and a lot of things to get ready for my trip and for the next 14 days. Plus I can't forget that Deven's pirate party will be the weekend immediately after E3.

sigh..............

Here I go as I jump into the madness that is Summer 2010, how exciting and tiring all in one. :)

If anyone has some great tips for Spain, France, Turkey or Germany, please feel free to comment. Our time in Spain will be mostly working but I'm always open into squeezing something worthwhile in there. Although, last time I went to Spain, I didn't feel like I got enough time at the beach. And...I think we're going to get a chance to go to Portugal with the summer camp. Should be fun!

Ahhhh summer! SATC 2 review will be posted soon, stay tuned!