Day 30: More Movies - Part 3

The weather has been so beautiful, so it's been a couple days since my last post. When nice weather comes around in September I like to take full advantage of it. I was able to get out to two different Frisbee golf courses, and didn't do too bad. Amazingly I couldn't find anyone who wanted to share in this adventure, but it helped me practice my skills a little bit. While I've been unpacking my last few boxes I've had a couple "background movies" on. Usually when I want background noise I go for the documentaries, and there were a couple that I've been meaning to check out. Most of these you don't have to actually watch the screen, you can just listen to the dialogue and get the full story. These two were about average, but were interesting nonetheless. I'll start with the one I watched first.

Hungry for Change
This is a documentary on how everything that you buy in the grocery store is unhealthy and should be avoided at all costs, or you will get fat, diabetic, or sick. I had to watch this one in twenty minute segments, mainly because after watching a little bit I would be disgusted with myself. It's hard to sit down to eat your frozen dinner and they are talking about how everything sold in stores is so unhealthy and there is nothing you can do about it. I could not eat while watching this show, it just made me depressed. If you have every seen "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," this is basically the hybrid mother of that film. The guy from that movie is in this one, promoting his juicing diet of course, as well as a handful of other weight loss celebrities. I think they made a good point that you should read labels and be careful of what you eat, especially avoiding high fructose corn syrup, but eating local is just not an option for some. I know I can't always afford it. I do eventually want to start juicing at least three meals a week, but the juicers are expensive as well. I try to get as much fruits and vegetables in my diet as possible, but it's hard. I bought two cantoloupes the other day, mainly because I had to buy two to get the sale price. Two days later my kitchen is full of fruit flies. I lift up the cantolope and there is a big mold spot on the bottom. Luckily I had cut one of them up right away, but this is what makes it hard to buy healthy. Unless you use it right away it doesn't keep for long, which makes it expensive. Overall it was a good documentary, especially if you are trying to go on a diet, but not if you are feeling down or just ordered Dominoes.


Craigslist Joe
My friends had recommended this movie to me awhile ago. I kept seeing it on Netflix, and the synopsis sounded interesting. A guy basically decides to go out in the world, a la "Into the Wild," with limited supplies to see if he can survive only on Craigslist postings. I didn't quite understand how he would find places to sleep, who would offer their house to a complete stranger, but he did it. Or at least what the camera captured looked like he did it. He got many free rides from complete strangers, which I didn't even know was possible. To me this seemed like advertising something that the wrong people could take advantage of. Some of these people were young, single women. I know I would never offer a ride to a complete stranger, even on Craigslist. It's basically the cyber version of hitchhiking. It was interesting to see his journey and all the people he met, but I can't imagine he would have had the same success had a camera man not been with him. In this day and age you can never be too cautious.

Day 26: The Best Movies You've Probably Never Heard Of: Part 2

The fall weather is so beautiful lately, so I've been spending a lot of time outdoors, at least until the sun sets. This means that by the time I get home from work, I don't really have much daylight, so I've been watching a lot of movies. This installment of my movie reviews will focus on coming of age movies, two that you may or may not have heard of. When I found them on Netflix I had never heard of them, so these reviews are based on nothing that anyone else said about them. They are also from the 90's, so they were both fairly cheesy. There was one very striking difference: one was great, the other I would avoid like dirty socks in a locker room. We'll start with the bad, since I just finished it about an hour ago.

I Love You, I Love You Not (1996)
I chose this movie because it had an all star cast: Claire Danes, Jude Law, Julia Styles, and James Van der Beek. I couldn't believe I had never heard of this movie, since it came out the same time as a lot of other teen dramas that I enjoyed. After watching it, I can see why it didn't go very far. The main character, Daisy, has a grandmother who was in a concentration camp during the holocaust. Other than her having brief two second flashbacks and talking about the numbers on her arm, her story never develops beyond that. Daisy is constantly switching moods, one minute loving her grandma, and then throwing books at her grandma's face in the next. There is supposed to be a romance between her and Ethan (Jude Law), but it doesn't develop very far because he thinks she's too intense after fainting in a school assembly, as well as getting upset with others for making fun of the characters in the current book she is reading. Clearly her maturity isn't well developed, so he decides to end things. Then she decides to end things by standing in front of a train (sorry if I'm giving too much away, but I'm trying to save you 88 minutes). Her grandmother, of course, saves her at the last minute, which is right after she was screaming in her face that she was tired of being made fun of for being a Jew. Yes, the granddaughter is screaming at the grandmother, who is an Aushwitz survivor, that she's tired of the anti-Semitic comments. In the next scene she is of course shouldered up to her grandmother and they are back to sharing stories. I was thoroughly disappointed...

The Man in the Moon (1991)

I chose this movie because it had Reese Witherspoon in it when she was only 14 years old! I also seem to recall someone bringing it up at some point as a good movie to watch. It was advertised in the Netflix summary as a coming of age movie, and boy was it ever! The characters were very real and I can now see that why Reese Witherspoon is such a big actor now. This was one of her first movies, and it comes natural for her. The story is of a family in the 1950's, the parents have three kids and one on the way, living on a farm. Then a family friend moves back home to their farm, which happens to be next door, and of course this family friend has a handsome son, a young Jason London. Dani, Witherspooon, falls for him, but he doesn't want to give her the wrong impression because he is older and afraid he would take her innocence. Then he meets the older sister and falls in love. There are a couple surprises in the movie that are tragic, but the surprise is what makes them very real. Both of them caught me totally off guard and one of them had me in tears. That's the way life is supposed to be, though, catching you off guard when you least expect it. Check this one out if you're looking for a feel-good coming of age film, or if you just want to see what Reese Witherspoon looked like twenty years ago. Just make sure to save a seat for that box of tissues.

Day 25: The Best Movies You've Probably Never Heard Of: Part 1

I have recently started watching a lot of movies on Netflix, mainly either ones that have been in my queue forever or ones that have been recommended. I've seen some good, some terrible, and some average ones. The three most recent movies were probably three of the better movies I have seen in a long time, all foreign. We will do this by genre...

 

Comedy: The Intouchables (French) 

My mom loves foreign movies, and is always recommending them to me. She had been recommending one for awhile that I kept putting off, telling myself I would watch it when I had time. Foreign movies require more attention, because not only are you watching what's happening in the movie, but you have to read the subtitles to figure out what they are saying. The one she recommended was a French movie, The Intouchables, which is about a guy that is a paraplegic and must have someone care for him. When he hires someone, he turn out to be more fun than all the rest. He helps him to get outside more, have his first cigarette, and even have his first real date since his accident. It was one of the better feel good movies that I've seen. The characters were believable, and the plot never seemed rushed or too slow. If you are looking for a good laugh, check it out.


Thriller: The Wave (German)
I had a movie in my queue for the last year or two called The Wave, which is about a teacher who tries to teach his class something about autocracy and why a dictatorship doesn't work. This one came from, where else, but Germany. The setting was very well put, the teacher asks if the students knows what an autocracy is. I'll be honest, I didn't fully know until after watching this movie. The students say that it's kind of like the Nazi party, where Hitler had full control. The students get upset, and start protesting asking about why people can't just drop it, that kind of society could never happen again. So, of course, the teacher sets out to prove them wrong by forming an autocratic society in his classroom, which of course by the end of the movie, turns into a fascist society. This was a very disturbing movie, don't watch if you are looking for something easy going. It will have you thinking and, at some points, cringing, such as when one of the students starts following the teacher around and saluting him.

Drama: Silenced (Korean)
I'm not sure why I pick the movies I do, sometimes it's just what sounds good, or what has a lot of stars. I usually have a twenty minute rule, if I don't like the movie within twenty minutes, I turn it off. This next movie I had to watch in twenty minute clips, but not because it was bad. I watched the
Korean language film, Silenced, which is about an elementary school for the deaf where a teacher is sent to head an art class. The kids act really strange, and he can't figure out why, until he sees one of them being beat mercilessly in the principal's office. He then walks in on another teacher who is running a child through the washing machine. Yes, the child is in the washing machine. And it's running. This was the first point at which I had to turn it off. I came back to it a couple days later, and made it all the way to the scene where one of the girls is being raped by the principal. It was a really good movie, another very disturbing one though, but I would recommend it if you're up for deep thought. Just make sure you have a box of tissues handy.

There is a common theme in all these movies. I don't just pick totally random movies, usually there is one line that always grabs my attention. That line is: based on true events. That's right, every single one of these movies that I watched is based on something that really happened. They are all equally hard to believe, and that makes them that much more captivating.

I will keep trying to find new movies, mainstream are usually nothing too special anyways. I find that the more obscure a movie is, the more it's easier to watch because then I have no preconceived notions of what the movie is supposed to be about. I'm able to judge blindly. So, if you've seen any of these, or watch any of them, post in the comments what you think. Also feel free to post any recommendations, I'm always looking for good ones.

One last thing. I do not own any of the pictures in the above blog. If you would like me to remove them please contact me through the comments below and I will take them down. Thanks for reading.

Day 22/ 23: Last Day of Summer/First Day of Fall

Hello internet readers! I've been on hiatus for a couple days trying to get more organized. I've also been finally getting my social life back together. Yesterday was the last day of summer and it was beautiful! I had to work, but after I got off work I headed over to the Chatterbox Pub for some Music Bingo. I had played it many times at the nursing home where I work, but it was always older songs and I was always the "caller." They had four rounds of four different genres, although it took forever because they played every song all the way through. The categories were Motown, 70's, 80's, and 90's.

I went as part of a meetup group that I had just joined, so it was fun meeting new people, and it wasn't too far to drive either. Our table won the first two prizes, and we were so excited! The prizes were nothing too special, free breakfast, bloody mary, or appetizer. We realized after the third round that maybe we might be the only ones playing. After coming back from the bathroom I confirmed that there was maybe eight other people actually playing. Our group was nine strong, so our chances were pretty good. By the fourth round, 90's music, two hours had passed and the place was almost empty. I remember at one point looking down at my card and said, "Oh look, I won again...so did you, you can take it. I already have two breakfast coupons." Overall it was fun though, fun group of girls in my opinion.

Today was even warmer than yesterday, and it was the first day of fall! I had another meetup, which I almost didn't get up for, luckily my brother called me about something and woke me up. I was so grateful I showed up because I was the only one that did. The organizer said that everyone else had pretty much cancelled, so we just sat by the lake talking and getting to know one another. This was good because I have a much easier time getting to know someone 1:1 than in a group.

After leaving I decided that, since there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was pushing 75 degrees outside, I would hit the Frisbee golf course. I couldn't find anyone to go with, so I stayed in the area where the meeetup was and tried out a new course. The site said 12 holes, and I think I found all of them, but it's hard when the baskets aren't numbered. I didn't do too bad, though, no lost discs. Once I found the route it was easier, but the first hole had me go across a bridge, so I played a couple out of turn before realizing this.

Meetups are very addictive, so I'm going to one tomorrow, the Twins vs. Tigers game. The problem is I have no Twins apparel, so I stopped at a thrift store to find a t-shirt, hoodie, or something to wear to the game. I found two Twins shirts that were moderately priced so, after trying them on, decided on one that was perfect. It was one size too big, which is good because with the outdoor stadium I figured I could always layer. At six dollars it was a deal! I got up to the register and gave her my card. She told me the number was invalid, tried it again, and said it was still invalid. I counted my quarters and pennies. $3.58. I asked if they took Discover card, and they said they didn't, so I handed her my bag and apologized, embarrassed and ashamed that I couldn't even buy a $6 t-shirt.

After leaving I called my bank, and, after giving them my SSN, phone number, full name, account number, maiden name, etc., they informed me that my card had been reported lost/stolen. I informed her that I had requested a new one be mailed to my new address because my old one was expiring at the end of them month and they had sent one to my old address, so that one had to be cancelled. Obviously they took this for meaning to go ahead and cancel the card completely. When I gave her my old card number she said it was deactivated and that I needed to activate my new one. She asked me to give her the security code I told her that I couldn't do that because I was at the store trying to buy something and didn't have the new one in my possession. She said, word for word, "well, then I guess we will be hearing from you soon then. Is there anything else I can help you with?" I wanted to scream into the phone that I had just pretty much rattled off every little bit of information pertinent to my life, and she couldn't reactivate my old card or activate my new one? What a joke...instead I just said no and hung up.

I think the stress is what caused the events of tonight to be so bad...I got a severe headache, almost as bad as the one when I was moving. It started off as just a little pain, so I took some Excedrin. Then it got more intense. Two hours later I was laying on my bed with my head under a pillow. Not on, but under. I felt so sick to my stomach and wanted to sleep away the pain. I turned on a movie and had to shield my eyes every time there was a day shot of the sun or lots of fast movement.

Once I felt better I decided to be a little productive, so I took some pictures of my apartment where there was damages, for security deposit reasons. I sent them via internet to target, then drove over and picked them up. When I got over there I decided that since I wasn't able to purchase a Twins shirt at the thrift store I would try Target. They had no Twins apparel. It was all gone and replaced by Vikings and Gopher apparel. I also noticed something strange, they already have a full aisle of Christmas stuff. This is the earliest I have ever seen it up.

When I got back home I was hungry, but didn't feel like cooking. Luckily I had some ramen noodles, because I don't think I could handle anything too exotic in my stomach. I also did a little reading, since movies are giving me a headache today. I started a book called Thirteen Reasons Why, which is about a girl who commits suicide then leaves a bunch of tapes detailing the thirteen reasons why she committed suicide. So far her reasons seem kind of stupid, but hopefully it gets better. It's just so good to be reading again.

Day 17: I Don't Want to Play Anymore

I love having my Mondays off! It really helps me to get stuff done that can never get done during the week. It amazes me how many cars are on the road, though. I left my apartment around two, I had a lot of errands to do, and it was like rush hour all around town. I ended up going to urgent care for my arm, woke up with it feeling much worse than yesterday, and found out I have a strained rotator cuff. They recommended physical therapy to help with it, but last time I went to physical therapy I got charged hundreds of dollars. I think this is the most ridiculous thing in America, the way health care works.

The first urgent care I went to was closed, said the lady behind the desk marked "urgent care," so I went to another urgent care up the street. They told me that I shouldn't waste my money because I might need x-rays, which they didn't have. FYI this was in one of the most wealthy suburbs. They referred me to a place that specializes in sports medicine, as it was a sports related injury. This one was also up the block, so I journeyed up there and started filling out forms. I was still nervous about insurance, I can't afford another couple hundred dollars for medical bills, so I called my insurance company while I was waiting. After going through the usual "micky mouse" routine (press 1 for English, 2 for medical claims, 3 if you've already lost your mind...), I got on the phone with someone that could help me. I told her where I was, but she said she couldn't say for sure if I was covered unless I had a doctor's name. I was confused and asked her if I needed to see somebody before I knew if I had coverage, which doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, she took this for me being sarcastic (I honestly wasn't) and her tone got very rude from that point on. Just then, they called my name to go in, so I asked if she would stay on the phone with me while I asked who I would be seeing. I spelled out the name for her, and she proceeded to tell me he was covered...then they wrote a different name! I apologized and asked if I could give her a different name, and she said that person was covered. She told me about something else insurance related, which I totally didn't understand, so I told her thanks and said goodbye.

If I could offer advice to American educators it would be this: offer a life course where you learn how to deal with insurance, or at least insurance definitions. Offer a course in learning how to finance your budget and balance a checkbook. I never really learned these things in school and here I am, 30 years old, and I still don't know a deductible from a claim. I always tell people to tell me in layman's terms what to expect for insurance. This was one case where I was in a pinch, and needed to just know right away if I was at least covered. If anything this should be part of a job orientation, or continuing education course. It's very confusing, and expensive sometimes. I had multiple doctor visits last year with an office I was told accepted my insurance. A month later I received a bill for almost four hundred dollars. I immediately called up my doctor, and told him I no longer wanted to be a patient there. He actually called my insurance to check on it, and it was true. I was not covered at all.

I'm a fairly healthy person, work out two to three times a week, eat out only once a week, get plenty of sleep, but I do not have a doctor. I don't even have a dentist anymore. I can't afford it. If anybody knows any way around this let me know. I've been trying to play this insurance game, and I lose every time. I know that, even today, I will probably get a bill for that visit in the amount of a hundred dollars, which will break my bank. I just have to remain hopeful that one day I will figure it all out and not have to worry about whether or not insurance will be covered. I'm actually going to look into Minnesota Care, any opinions? I've heard they are cheaper, right now I get so much money taken out of my paycheck for medical insurance that doesn't even cover  half of the bills when I see someone.

I've heard they have really good health insurance in Canada...

Day 16: A Very Active Day

At the beginning of the year I got really tired of the online dating scene, mainly because a lot of people didn't seem very serious on there. A couple people suggested Events and Adventures, but it was so expensive, I really didn't want to pay hundreds on dues for a social group that I might not even like. After some internet searching I discovered this site called meetup.com. For those of you that have never heard of it, they have a group for everything. It's not just for single people, or even young people. I decided to give it a shot, what did I have to lose, but kept chickening out, making every excuse in the book for why I wasn't going to go. I have a disorder that causes extreme social anxiety, so I knew that this was a big step for me, to go to an event with 30+ people and not knowing any of them.

I had been a member of a fitness meetup group for a about a month, going off and on, but I finally went to my first social meetup group on April 19, 2013, and never regretted a minute. It was so low-key and everyone was so friendly. We met up at Park Tavern in the party room, which was reserved for us, and then did $10 unlimited cosmic bowling. I didn't talk to very many people very much at that first meetup, but I could definitely feel myself making a huge leap in my social life. I went to my second one about a week later at a rock climbing gym. I'm not very good at rock climbing, but everyone was high fiving and offering encouragement, no matter the skill level. I was hooked! I started going to more meetups and getting more active in my social life.

As I mentioned in past blogs on here, my summer was very busy, so I stopped going for awhile. At first it was because I was helping my brother with his wedding. I was signed up for two meetups the following weekend, I figured by then I would be fully recovered from the previous weekend of wedding festivities. Unfortunately, all that week I was visiting my grandma and coping with her in the dying process, so had to miss out on a couple. That weekend she died and I went into a deep grieving process, that still comes around from time to time. A few weeks after that I decided to throw a big bash for my 30th, which took all my time and money to plan and execute. Luckily I used disposable plates and forks, that would have been a lot of dishes. A couple weeks after that I was in the process of moving. It has been two months since my last meetup.

Today I made up for it by going to two meetups. A couple people in one of the meetups asked where I had been, and I told them that the last couple months had been crazy. One person said that he hoped it was good crazy, to which I replied, "a little of both. I had a wedding, funeral, birthday party, and moved." He said, "well, that's the whole spectrum of emotion right there!" Oh, how I missed these groups. I played a pickup game of softball, had my first juicy lucy while relaxing after two hours of playing, played a round of Frisbee golf, played "cricket" darts (and lost), and relaxed while meeting new, and old, friends.

After getting home I decided to join a bunch more, mainly because I just get on a social "high" after going to these meetups. I started searching for book clubs, scrapbooking clubs, any way to get out of my apartment that won't break my bank too much. I feel like I spend too much time cooped up inside, especially lately, and today was a very refreshing break. I even went out this morning for breakfast with some friends and family that I haven't seen in almost a month. It ended up being a little expensive as far as food for the day, but worth it to have the opportunity to socialize with friends, old and new. It's also the first time in awhile that my feet hurt more than if I would have been at work all day. I might actually need to get painkillers tomorrow, pulled a muscle in my left shoulder while hitting a softball and then I had another softball hit me right on the inside of my elbow.

I'm hoping that as the winter months come I don't stop going. I know that I have a hard time going sometimes, due to social anxiety, but even if I just go to one a month it will at least get me out there. I also am planning on having a housewarming party soon, which will help because it will help get the old "gang" back together. Everybody is so busy these days that we need to schedule time in advance to hang out. That's life I guess...

Day 14: Friday the 13th!

I have officially been living in my new apartment for two weeks and I'm almost completely unpacked. It really is amazing how fast time flies, doesn't seem like more than a week ago I was packing and trying to get out of my old apartment. I have enjoyed the silence a little bit, kind of have been keeping to myself, which has helped me reflect on my life and where I want it to go. This blog is meant to talk about life experiences, mostly new, but this one will be about something that happened earlier this summer. It probably is the highlight of my summer...

I was supposed to have a gig on June 1st. An out of town gig for the jug band that I participate in. I asked off work to make sure I could make it to this gig. Instead something happened that prevented us from fulfilling the gig, so we all decided to gather at someone's house and have a little jam session. It was all going well, being with old friends and jamming out to new tunes. I'm usually the type of person who never gets phone calls during the day, but this day I got a call from my grandma. My first thought was that something was wrong, because she never called that early, but instead she sounded lonely, looking to get together. She asked if I wanted to grab lunch in like an hour. I told her that I was at a band practice, but would call her as soon as I left.

After the jam session I called her and asked where she wanted to go. She said she didn't care, that I could pick, but then she thought of the Lakeshore Grill in Macy's. It was the one place that we always ended up going to, mainly for their steaming, hot popovers and quiet atmosphere. We pulled up to Southdale, handicap parking of course so we didn't have to walk too far, and went to the basement, which is where the restaurant is. We both ordered the same thing, which for the life of me I can't remember what it is. I just remember it was some sort of chicken with Asian noodles. It was really good, but also really filling.

Anyone that knew my grandma knew that she had no problem speaking her mind and saying whatever popped into her head, especially the last few years. We had been sitting there for about ten minutes enjoying our food when two ladies, who were clearly in love, walked in and sat down next to us. My grandma stared so hard that I think she forgot how quiet it was in the restaurant, because then she said, in a voice above a whisper, "Do you think they are gay?" My face went lower towards my plate, and I had to smile. Here is an 89-year-old lady, she has earned the right to say whatever she wants, she doesn't care about offending anyone anymore. On the way to the elevator she repeated, "Do you think they were gay?" I said, "Grandma, you know you can't ask people that in public," to which she said, "I think they were."

After filling our bellies with good food I asked her if she had any errands to run, and she told me she could use some milk. So we stopped off at Rainbow and walked the aisles looking for Toaster Strudels and milk. Toaster Strudels were always her favorites, she had one every morning. For as long as I can remember, whenever I eat one I think of her, that and Spaghettios, which she fed me whenever she babysat for my mom. I drove her back to the assisted living where she was staying, and said goodbye.

A month and a half later, on July 20, 2013 at about 7:30pm, my grandma died after complications from a broken hip and a long battle with cancer. That dinner was the last time that we got together just the two of us. I saw her a couple times after that, the very last time I actually saw her before the fall was on July 4th, and when I got her on the phone I had to convince her to come along, that it would be fun. She didn't like to go out much the last few months, which was probably due to being afraid of falling or being tired, I can only imagine, she never told me the exact reason. That last dinner really was one of my best memories of her, though, because she never said no or even hesitated to get together last minute for lunch or dinner with me.

I have done a lot of healing over the last couple months, but I still cry when I think about her. She was very special to me, and she was the one person that seemed like she always understood me and never judged me for being different. Now when I have Mondays off I don't know what to do because I would always call her up for a late brunch at her apartment. I know she was in more pain than she let on, and I'm glad that she isn't suffering. It takes a strong person to live through as much as she did. I have no regrets though, I have a lot of happy memories, even just this last summer. We got to go to a couple brunches, she got to see my accordion band play, and we enjoyed the fireworks over the skyline of France Ave.

When I think back to that day of our last lunch, all I can think is I shouldn't have been free for lunch.  I was supposed to be at work, or out of town. By some divine intervention, as if God knew something special would happen that day, I was able to get together with her. It was hard to get together those last few months because she was always sick. This was one of the few days that she wasn't. I'm glad that everything worked out so that we could have one more lunch at the Lakeshore Grill.