Clouds of Sils Maria

I have wanted to see Clouds of Sils Maria for quite some time.  Kristen Stewart is one my favorite actresses and she has garnered quite a bit of buzz (not to mention a Cesar Award for Best Supporting Actress) so I was really excited to see her performance!  I was finally able to see it last night and I am still thinking about it (because of the ambiguous ending).  Juliette Binoche plays Maria Enders, a celebrated stage and screen actress who is approaching middle age and contemplating her legacy.  Stewart plays Valentine, Maria's personal assistant upon whom she depends for everything.  A young director approaches Maria about reviving the play which launched her career.  When she was eighteen, Maria portrayed Sigrid, a young woman who seduces and then ruthlessly abandons an older woman, driving her to suicide; now the director wants her to play Helena, the older woman.  She reluctantly agrees to the role and travels with Valentine to a remote mountain retreat in Switzerland to rehearse.  As Maria and Valentine read through the play (while hiking through the beautiful mountains of Switzerland), the lines spoken by the characters in the play also reflect the relationship between the two women.  During a particularly heated scene, which seemingly depicts the tension unfolding in their lives, Valentine reveals the script and reads the stage direction.  When the role of Sigrid is given to a young actress (Chloe Grace Moretz) known for her superhero movies and her bad behavior off camera, Maria becomes increasingly insecure.  It is an intense psychological drama exploring the themes of life imitating art, youth vs. experience, and talent vs. celebrity which reminded me a great deal of the movie Birdman.  Both Binoche and Stewart give incredible performances.  Stewart, especially, is captivating and I found it highly amusing when the two main characters do a Google search of the young actress and discover scandals which mirror Stewart's own personal life.  The expansive mountain scenery is incredibly beautiful (I love Switzerland) and forms the perfect backdrop for the almost claustrophobic tension.  I  also loved the juxtaposition of the music (Pachelbel and Handel for Maria and Primal Scream for Valentine) which reinforces the division between  Maria and Valentine.  While I loved the film, it is very slow moving and cerebral so I wouldn't recommend it for everyone.

Note:  My favorite scene is when Valentine defends superhero movies to a somewhat snobbish Maria by saying that the action is just a convention to communicate a deeper truth.  As someone who can appreciate both blockbusters and independent films, I really loved that!

District Champion

Yesterday I got to see my beautiful and talented niece compete at the Jr. High Track and Field District Championship.  She qualified in three events: discus (she had a new PR of 119' 1/2" in the qualifying tournament), shot put, and long jump.

Tashena's first event was discus.  In her preliminary flight she didn't throw very far.  At one point she threw 71' which was farther than most of the other girls but it was almost ridiculous for her.  I think she was just messing with all of the other girls because they all fell apart during the final when she got serious!  Tashena's final distance was 111'6" to easily win first place!  She was quite disappointed with that distance (they were all throwing into the wind) because she wanted to set a record but no one was even close to her.  I am so proud of her!

In the shot put she had a new PR of 29'6" but she was still really disappointed to place fifth overall.  Her coach was really pleased because she improved over two feet during the season which is very unusual.  Most of the girls who placed ahead of her were ninth graders.  I am glad that the winner of the shot put was the girl from Kaysville who has been Tashena's biggest competition at the preliminary meets.  I've gotten to know her a little bit and I like her.

Tashena struggled a little bit in the long jump.  In the middle of her flight she had to compete in the final of the shot put and she had to go to the discus medal ceremony.  I think she was a bit distracted.  She made it into the final but she ended up scratching on two of her jumps.  She was disappointed but I am so proud of her!  It has been so much fun to watch her this season and I can't wait to see what she does next year because I know that she will be very determined!

A Big Win!

Last night I watched another baseball game with Sean's team, the Hot Rods.  There was a huge rainstorm right before the game but I am really glad I stayed because Sean played so well!  Sean usually gets on base with a walk or he strikes out but tonight he got a huge hit which resulted in two RBIs!  He has been feeling a little bit discouraged so this was a great moment for him!  He had another run (with a walk) and he made a great play on first base which resulted in an out!  His entire team played really well and when one player got a home run the whole team ran out to home plate to congratulate him!  I loved that!  The Hot Rods won the game 13-4.

I got another "look" for cheering too loud!

He was all smiles after the game!

Camping Season Has Started (Sort Of)

Last weekend my family took the motor home and the trailer to our very favorite KOA in Fillmore for a quick little camping trip.  I love these camping trips so much and I hope that this is the first of many more during the summer.  It was cold and rainy the whole time we were there but it really didn't matter because Marilyn and I were very cozy inside her little trailer.  We joke that it is like the tent in the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One because it looks really small on the outside but it is surprisingly roomy on the inside.  I really enjoyed listening to the sound of the rain on the roof, especially at night.  We had lots of treats and spent most of our time watching movies.  Marilyn even brought her sewing machine and worked on one of her quilts.  We couldn't BBQ or make anything in the Dutch oven so we drove into Fillmore and got dinner from Costa Vida and ate it inside the motor home.  I guess it wasn't really camping (it was actually more like a big slumber party) but it was so relaxing!

Note:  This time we brought the dogs and they provided no end of amusement for us.  Marilyn and I went to the bathroom really early in the morning (this KOA has great bathrooms) and Marilyn decided to check to see if the dogs needed to go out.  When she opened the door to the motor home they just looked at her with disdain.  Apparently it was too early and too cold for them!

Tulip Festival 2015

One of my favorite things to do in the spring is to go to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point.  The flowers are always incredibly beautiful and it wan't very crowded yesterday because it was a bit overcast.  Walking along the pathways was so peaceful and relaxing!

This year my favorite garden was the Creek Garden.  I stayed in this area quite a while because the sound of the moving water was so soothing!

I also really love the Secret Garden.  It is usually really crowded but it was almost empty while I was there.  I loved sitting there and listening to the birds!

I really enjoyed myself wandering through the gardens!  The Tulip Festival continues at Thanksgiving Point until Saturday, May 9.  Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children.  Go here for more information.