The Secret World of Arrietty

Good morning my dears! It is only ten o'clock in the morning, and I have already ventured out into the world and come back to the roost. It is cold, and I am already pondering making some popcorn to accompany me whilst I watch my latest new find: The Secret World of Arrietty. It is based off the children's book "The Borrowers" about little people that live in our houses. You ever wonder where something is that you have misplaced? Well, it probably wasn't misplaced, a Borrower probably "borrowed" it. ....

I still remember watching the 90's movie with John Goodman "The Borrowers." I loved the books as a kid and the movie, and it's a pleasure to be watching this studio Ghibli jewel.

Arrietty is almost 14 and going on her first expedition to "borrow" and along the way is seen by a human boy.

There is a scene where the mother is worrying about Arrietty going on her first outing, and the father says, "she needs to learn to survive once we aren't around anymore." ...

And upon venturing into the big open house, Arrietty wonders out loud, "What is this place?... It's so big?.."  I don't even have to be a two inch tall girl to have asked that question myself looking at the big world around me sometimes. Sometimes it is so easy to feel like just a small speck in this great big world we live in. I like to feel that way sometimes; it can put a lot of things in perspective and simplify things. It makes me feel like a little kid again.

That is one of the things I like most about being a kid, is I can look at things for how they are, not for all the complications I sometimes needlessly add on being an adult.

Have a simply beautiful day all,
Read Riding Hood

Ted

So, let me start this off by saying Ted, is my "Eat, Pray, Love" for this point in my life. ....  And maybe that sounds like a weird thing to say, but let me explain.....

Up till now I have put off seeing this movie Ted, because I knew the summary was, "can a guy grow up past his childhood teddy bear and become a man?..." and .. I wasn't ready to confront that question. Movies really affect me and oddly enough I almost feel superstitious about them... like the ones I end up watching are trying to tell me something and having confessed that, I didn't want to watch this movie and have it warp me. I didn't want to watch it and it have some wimpy "feel good" ending that was out of touch with the harsh reality of life I am familiar with.. But on the other hand, I didn't want it to have some jaded "pessimistic" ending either...... Seriously.... I need .. I needed and I need something in the middle.... Yes, there is harsh reality in life, but there are feel good moments too.. and up to this point in my life, it has only been either one far end of the spectrum or the other, either too "happy go lucky" or just "horrible."... But there has been one moment in my life that wasn't extreme polar opposites and it was something that just snuck up on me and ..ever since  then I've been trying to find my balance again;  I fell in love. Not infatuation. Not obsession. Not a love affair, that "i love you" was unspoken and realized until too late..... No, I fell in real love... The kind of love,  you tell them every chance you get; the kind of love you show up just to surprise them; the kind of love you let them go; the kind of love where you don't have to explain yourself.... The kind of love that it doesn't matter what you could possibly say or do, you will still love that other person.
How does one recover some such wonder? There is no recovering. And afterwards I have been struggling between the old me, the girl used to only highs and lows, and becoming the woman that is confident and not teetering on the edge constantly. I have just felt like a pin ball bouncing back and forth from pessimism back to optimism.... and talking with a counselor, she told me I'm not the only one who goes through this. Lots of people think if life doesn't hand them exactly "this and this and this" well, then they bounce back to the opposite end of the spectrum... I
don't know..

So, I finally watched this movie. Ted. By myself. and it was exactly what I needed. a happy medium in-between.
Ted is a teddy bear given as a gift to a friendless little boy. The little boy makes a wish that they would be friends forever, and the bear comes to life and remains his best friend as he grows up into adulthood.
The whole movie is everyone trying to find that "somewhere in-between place."
The boy/man played by Mark Walberg is trying to find balance between still being a little kid and being the man who loves his girlfriend.
The girlfriend is trying to find what makes her happy despite everyone else's opinion of her life and at the same time figuring out what she isn't willing to live with.
And Ted, is trying to figure out where he belongs in the picture and even wonders if he belongs in the picture at all anymore.

 Every single one of them does the pin ball action.

The boy/man decides it's either Ted or his girlfriend...
The girlfriend decides it's either her or Ted,
 and Ted decides, it's either himself or the girlfriend...

All their similar decisions all add up to, choosing one over the other...

But that's so extreme. ....
Working through all the issues, the guy realizes he does love his girlfriend and wants to take responsibility and marry her,
Ted realizes he still needs to be in the guys life, but as a better supportive friend, and
the girlfriend realizes she loves the guy for who he is, and while she doesn't just want to be friends, she realizes the friendship her boyfriend has with Ted is a part of who the man she loves is, and she doesn't want that part of the man she loves to go away... if Ted went away, her boyfriend wouldn't be the same person she loved in the first place........  

So, they all find a realistic happy, but not perfect, medium that works for them
(notice I said works for them... not everyone else... they found the solution that works for them..)


And that is me, right now... I know what I want, and everything else is just a part of it that will work itself all into place as long as I do what's right for me, because when I do what's right for me, the people that matter around me will do what's right for themselves and it will all fall into place.... And it will just work in it's happy-medium/but-not-perfect sort of way...

I heard this thing once that at the time I didn't quite understand, but now makes perfect sense.

"We are all just one small adjustment away from who we are meant to be."

At the time, I didn't understand... but now I do.
When one path reaches a "dead-end" I used to think my whole life had to go down an entirely different road; I thought I would have to go either right or left... I had to go either up or down.... But in reality, it isn't about finding "up" or "down..." It's about me finding what works, finding hidden passages, making stairs that change to where I need them to go, forging dirt roads and repaving old turn arounds and just taking mindful steps to where is right for myself and letting everything else fall into place.. ...It's about finding a comfortable balance between up and down, not Exact middle either, just a grey place in-between the black and white of this world; it's finding that grey area that if I hit it just right, I will find that silver lining that will shine through when I need it to.
I know now that silver linings are like butterflies.... I don't always see them, and trying to pin them down only kills them. But when I let them be free, the ones that are meant to be come back to alight on my shoulder when I least expect it. Silver linings are like rainbows, they're pointless to chase, I just have to have faith that if I pay attention, they'll be there after the rain has stopped.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Hello my dear fellow bloggers and readers and instagramers and anyone else who meanders through here; it is officially the new year of 2014, the Chinese year of the horse. I always like this feeling at the beginning of the new year, like a fresh new breeze is blowing through, almost like I can sense the new possibilities awaiting me in the coming year. I lived for so long in a rut, just staying the same.. But now I have a taste for change; it may not always be what I was expecting or be something I would ever ask for, but sometimes it ends up being better and more satisfying than anything I could have imagined or asked for in the first place.

I am back to taking myself to the movies alone. Of course it isn't as satisfying as it would be to go with someone else, but there are times in life I will be by myself and it is always a comfort to know I can be "alright" alone; I am not dependent on the presence of someone else for me to be "alright." *sigh* So, I took myself to see Frozen and despite there being much more singing than I anticipated, I enjoyed it. I don't know if I mentioned going and seeing it by myself, but I  guess I'll tell you again anyway.

I also went with my little cousin to go see the Secret Life of Walter Mitty with Ben Stiller, and I absolutely Adored it. Ben Stiller is the man as he merges into actually living an adventurous life rather than just day dreaming about it. In the midst of the movie you realize he was adventurous as a kid, but after the death of his father, he had to step up as the man of the family and take on the responsibility of earning a reliable income to take care of all the bills….. And finally as a grown man, he is learning when it's ok. to venture out of the guidelines and actually live life and not just hold back worrying "what if."
I am hoping to get to that point one day. I want to get to where I am established enough that when I want to go out and travel somewhere I can and not be worried that I am jeopardizing my other necessities.

This past year, I purged a lot of my old dvd's and sold them to clean out my old cluttered energy. Some of the movies that were still special to me I went and repurchased as blu-rays, but after looking at my repurchases, I realize how few I truly valued enough to re-buy…. And now that I am more choosy about what new things I buy, I see how I have changed…. I realize a lot of my old movies I owned were due to other people's suggestions and likes. I had a lot of films popular and liked by a lot of the people around me; pop culture faves, popular hits, etc.  Almost all of them now are no longer occupying space on my shelves…. I cleared them all out and they are gone. Looking at the ones that remain and now take up the space really create a clear picture of myself… None of these movies are movies that were influenced by other people, the movies on my shelf now are movies that I was curious about and went and looked for watched because I, Myself, wanted to see them, not because someone else told me they were good or great… The movies I own now are all my taste. Some of the old titles I owned resurfaced in the repurchase pile, but there are not very many. Looking at my new found personal taste, I realize none of the movies I watch are necessarily the movies with great box office reviews or backed by popular vote. I also realize I watch A Lot of kids movies. I have to wonder if I'm learning to be a kid I never really got to be, and if I am, I really believe it's helping me to be a better adult. At least I hope it is, I'd like to believe it's helping me be more compassionate and understanding and not as pessimistic of others around me, because I'm allowing myself to be that way towards my own self.
The newest addition to my shelf was the 80's pop culture hit of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It is a cheesy 80's film and simple and I love it.



That's another trait I have realized I love about anything, that doesn't even necessarily apply to movies, but to life in general as well; I love simple things, I don't need anything big or flashy or the hottest name brand, I just like what I like and it's usually simple and plain and with that I am content. How lucky am I to be able to know what I like and to be content with that?… I wish all the same for you, my dear reader. Have a beautiful day, look up and appreciate the blue sky or the clouds you see today when you do.

with much affection,
Read Riding Hood

Despicable Me 2

Good early afternoon, my dears, it felt like a bright, crisp spring day today, even though christmas is a week and a few days away. I suddenly realized how much I love the feeling of spring, of freshness, of new beginnings. I love it so dearly. And this last month, I have had to go to doctor and "airrosti" appointments (they are sort of like a form of chiropractic therapy….) and I've been sore and cranky and depressed, and I got out today after my doctor appointment, and I went to my beautiful river and just relaxed and enjoyed nature in peace. I love soaking in the hot sun with a chilly breeze.



Last night I couldn't sleep so I put on my computer the second installment of Despicable Me… and fell asleep within the first twenty minutes. LoL Not because it isn't cute, funny, and sweet… but because the first twenty minutes  made me laugh so hard, I just drifted off to sleep smiling from happiness.



I remember when the first D.M. was out in theaters, I was pregnant and I took my growing self alone atleast three times to the movie theater to watch it. You'd think it would give me nightmares that someone like Gru is capable of adopting, but instead that never crossed my mind. What was on my mind, was my growing baby, and how I suddenly decided that before my pregnancy I hadn't really enjoyed going to see children's movies in seemingly forever, and it wasn't too late to start then… So, what did I do? I went see Despicable Me three times.

I never went to see this Despicable Me 2 in the theaters, but I did buy it, and I'm glad I did. I love the crazy imagination of this story, I love Steve Carrel, and I love the softy Gru is and how much he loves those little girls.  If you like children's movies, you should give this one a try, it is pretty cute. I hope you all have a light and fresh afternoon.

Sincerely,
Read Riding Hood

The Grinch

I am tired of talking right now, especially about myself.. So, if you actually have read any of my blog, I would like to hear from you all, and tell me one of your favorite movies to watch during the holidays. Have a safe evening all, and if you don't hear from me before Thanksgiving, Have a safe Thanksgiving, I hope you have a day for relaxation, a day to do whatever you need or want to do, but haven't been able to find the time to do lately….

Sincerest wishes,
Read Riding Hood

Silver Linings Playbook

Well, my dear readers, I feel like an inspired breathing machine blogging away (almost) every day about something I've watched or been watching. I have had a busy work weekend and today I got off work and instead of just going home to fall into my unmade up bed and snooze my life away, I decided to get cleaned up, grab my computer and journal, and shtuff and go sit at Barnes and Nobles bookstore like I used to all the time and just chill with my headphones on and watch a movie, write some if I wanted, maybe read if something caught my eye. I got Starbucks and a lemon bar, plugged my computer in, plugged the headphones in and zoned out. For some reason I had the urge lately to watch the movie Silver Linings Playbook. I don't know why, I loved the book and really didn't want to watch the movie that I knew would be altered in some way from the book and have it ruin my perfect imagination of how I imagined the story to have been. But this past week I had the urge none the less, and so I just rolled with the feeling, got the movie, downloaded the digital copy yesterday, and so today as I scrolled through my iTunes movies, I saw it there and rolled right into it ……. and loved every minute of it.
The dude, I don't know if I remember it right, (Gary Cooper?…) well anyway, the main guy… he is perfect in this. I am so used to seeing him as the "cool/put together" guy that to see him as this guy that was formally undiagnosed bipolar trying to deal with his issues and failed marriage and family issues all at the same time, made him instantly endearing to me. Oh. my God. Freaking endearing. And Jennifer Lawrence, she is amazing as well. I know some people didn't like the movie, they felt there were too many holes in the plot, and that is very possible, because since my brain could have just been filling in the holes automatically with all the story plot from the book, I was able to just focus on the deliverance and presentation of the feeling behind this story and it touched me. It's about being honest and wanting to be a good person, and finding silver linings in life. Being honest is a huge part about this movie, and I loved it. Loved it loved it  loved it. Ya know, I usually have a good sense of whether I will like a movie or not, and lately I have started to analyze why I take forever to watch certain movies that I end up loving… And I think I have this complex that, since I know I will love it, I want to hold onto that anticipation as long as possible, because as soon as I watch it, I will be sad it is over and I will already be worried if I will find stories in my future that will make me feel as emotionally content as that, and I am afraid of not finding any more fulfillment.  Summarized, I am afraid of loving and letting go. Because once the movie ends, I have to get up, continue on with my day, go through all the motions, and still have the hope that I will find another movie in the future that will make me feel complete again. I love feeling the reassurance that movies give me, that can be a mirror to things I feel, so I am reassured that I'm not alone. But then there is always the fear, that I won't find that reassurance again.
It's like being in a relationship, actions keep love alive. And there is always that fear, that one day, there won't be any actions to keep that love alive.

And I'm not sure where I'm going with this, I'm already lost. But whatever. I loved this movie. Because in the end, of the book and the movie, they figure out that accepting yourself and forgiving yourself lets you accept and forgive others…. that taking care of yourself teaches you how to take care of others…. that loving yourself, you learn how to love someone else and that doing what's right for you let's everything else around you just fall into place where it should be.

with that, goodnight all, I am done rambling. I am going to sleep well and wish you all the same.

Love,
Read Riding Hood

Elf

Well, my dears, it is the same day, only later. It feels like just a minute ago I was getting up early, watching Warm Bodies and heading off to work. And now I am getting myself tucked into bed, getting ready to get to bed and wake up early again. (oooo and fun fact about Warm Bodies: I didn't know that Jonathan Levine is dating Jennifer Lawrence… that's kinda cool=)  And what am I doing?… Watching a movie..=)

We are having a cold front here in Texas, and going outside tonight, the air smells like "snow…" It won't snow (at least I don't think it will) however, it smells like what it smells like in Colorado right before it snows. I'm sure there is a scientific reason for it, but I only know it as, "smells like snow."

I used to watch so many newer and recent movies, and/or just more variety of movies. I was all over the board, trying everything it seemed. But anymore, I am much more picky and I stick to favorites. I venture out of my comfort zone when I start to feel the stagnant waters of boredom pooling too close for comfort, but that isn't too often. I ventured out to try Elf a few days ago, a Christmas movie with Will Ferrell. It is gloriously cheesy, stupid, and gooberish and full of christmas tinsel, What is Not to Love? I mean Will Ferrell smiles cheesy/creepy smiles and says, "smiling is his favorite…" AND he makes spaghetti and pours maple syrup on it… and then m&m's… then chocolate pop tarts… and then mashes it all up and stuffs it in his mouth because elves focus on the four main food groups, "candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup…" That's ridiculous. The whole thing is ridiculous, but it's great ridiculous. And it's about finding what's important in your life, and singing out loud (not just lip syncing…) And that's all I have to say. I also have been working on not giving plots of movies away, because I probably am ruining them for people, but *sigh* we'll see… 

Anyhoo…. I hope you all have a beautiful and safe evening, stay warm if you are dealing with a cold front like me, and I will talk to you soon as the holidays roll in. Sweet dreams all

sincerely,
Read Riding Hood