Green Book

The movie Green Book is one that I have been anticipating for quite awhile and I had the opportunity to see it last night.  Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) is a celebrated black pianist embarking on a concert tour in 1962.  Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a bouncer at the Copacabana who is out of work while the nightclub is renovated, is hired by Shirley's record company to be his chauffeur/bodyguard and help him navigate his way through the segregated south (with the help of the titular Green Book which lists the hotels and restaurants that blacks are allowed to frequent).  Don is refined and elegant while Tony is brash and crude and their interactions are fraught with tension at the beginning of their journey (and provide quite a bit of comedy).  As time goes by Don begins to soften some of Tony's rough edges, particularly in his letter writing endeavors, and Tony helps Don lighten up and enjoy himself, especially in a scene where Don plays the piano in a colored bar.  Both of them have inner demons, not to mention stereotypes about each other, but as they get to know each other they form an unlikely friendship which ultimately lasts for the rest of their lives (it is based on a true story).  This movie is a bit formulaic but it works on the strength of the lead performances.  Ali and Mortensen have great chemistry as their characters banter back and forth and it is a joy to watch them interact.  I also really enjoyed the message of overcoming prejudices by getting to know someone who is different.  However, there is one scene that is incredibly jarring about an issue that is not referenced again which I feel detracts a bit from the narrative.  Otherwise it is a feel-good movie that I really enjoyed and would highly recommend.

A Snowy Avalanche Trip

I have been watching hockey with my Dad for as long as I can remember and we are huge fans of the Colorado Avalanche.  We try to see at least one, sometimes two, games in Denver every season and last year we went over Thanksgiving weekend.  Since the weather was nice and the roads were clear then we decided to go once again over Thanksgiving break.  However, this year a huge winter storm decided to hit the mountain states!  It was snowing really hard when we started driving Saturday morning and it took us over two hours to get to Evanston.  Then I-80 was closed when we got there due to heavy winter conditions.  We had to sit there for over two hours before they opened the road again which was a lot of fun.  I usually drive from Little America to Cheyenne but the conditions were so bad that my Dad ended up driving the whole way to Denver which was a good thing because I don't like driving in the snow.  One section was so bad, it was foggy and the snow was blowing on the road, that I thought we wouldn't make it!  We finally made it to our hotel and I had just enough time to change into my jersey before we had to head to the Pepsi Center.  The Avalanche played the Dallas Stars, who are a division rival, and it was an awesome game.  Nathan MacKinnon scored the first goal for the Avalanche in the second period with assists by Gabriel Landeskog and Mikka Rantanen.  These three players are not only the Avalanche top line but they lead the NHL in points and they are so much fun to watch (my favorite player is Rantanen).  Then the Stars scored two goals with less than five minutes left in the third period and it kind of deflated the atmosphere in the Pepsi Center.  Quite a few people even left but you should never leave a game until its over, especially an Avalanche game.  J.T. Compher got a goal with an amazing wrist shot and less than a minute later Rantanen got a beautiful goal!  The energy was incredible!  The Stars pulled their goalie but it wasn't enough and the Avalanche ended up winning 3-2.  This game was so much fun it made all of the hassle of getting there worth it!  We drove home yesterday and the driving conditions were a little better but there were a few sketchy spots.  Even with all of the snow I'm so glad that my Dad and I were able to go on this road trip because we always have so much fun!

Note:  My Dad consented to listen to my Queen playlist on the drive and I think I’ve turned him into a fan!  He loves the song “Radio Ga Ga.”

Christmas is Coming!

I always like to put up my Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.  I don't like to do it before because I like to keep Thanksgiving somewhat separate from Christmas but I like to have my tree up as long as possible.  As soon as Thanksgiving is over it is go time.  I love Christmas time so much (it is the only holiday that this minimalist decorates for).

I enjoy decorating my Christmas tree because all of my ornaments have a special meaning.  Some of them were given to me, some of them are souvenirs from my trips around the world, and some of them commemorate something from a specific year.

This is my ornament for this year.  I thought it was appropriate after seeing Hamilton five times in 2018!

I have a lot of really fun activities in December that I am looking forward to but, honestly, one of my favorite things to do is stay home and watch Christmas movies with just the illumination from the tree.

I love this time of year!

Thanksgiving 2018

Yesterday my family was able to celebrate Thanksgiving and it was a lovely day.  We spent it much like other Thanksgiving holidays with a wonderful dinner, naps, and then pie while playing an epic game of Shanghai rummy (in which I got laughing so hard that I literally couldn't breathe!).  What I am most thankful for at this time of year is that I have such an amazing family that I get to spend so much time with.  However, they are not very cooperative when it comes to taking pictures so here are a few that I was able to get!

I hope you were able to have a lovely Thanksgiving, as well!

The Grinch

Sean and I have a long-standing tradition of seeing a movie the day before Thanksgiving.  I tried to convince him to see Bohemian Rhapsody but he chose The Grinch instead.  It tells the well-known story by Dr. Seuss of how the Grinch (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) tries to steal Christmas from Whoville by impersonating Santa Claus but with a few new updates.  Seeing everyone in Whoville so happy at Christmastime reminds him of when he was sad and lonely growing up in an orphanage and that makes him hate the day.  Meanwhile, Cindy Lou Who (voiced by Cameron Seely) contrives an elaborate plan to catch Santa Claus because she wants him to help her frazzled single mother (voiced by Rashida Jones).  The two of them inevitably meet on Christmas Eve and Cindy Lou's request helps the Grinch learn the true meaning of Christmas.  I thought it was so sweet (Sean didn't think the Grinch was mean enough).  There are quite a few really fun sequences to add to the original story such as an elaborate routine of getting ready for the day which involves a latte with a frowning face, searching for a reindeer to pull his sleigh, and a run-through of Cindy Lou's plan to trap Santa with all of her friends.  I especially liked all of the gadgets used by the Grinch to move from house to house and steal all of the Christmas presents.  The animation is very colorful and vibrant, the score by Danny Elfman is a lot of fun, and the version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" performed by a very persistent group of carolers (Pentatonix) is fabulous!  It was a really nice movie to start the holiday season!