movies 2014

For posterity and personal reference, here is my movie list from 2014. My favorites are in bold; avoid-at-all-costs are in italics.

• Goon (The boys picked it. Gut-wrenchingly dumb.
• My Idiot Brother (Paul Rudd plays a goofy idealist brother. Not off to a good start with movies this year.)
• The Way Way Back (Funny and poignant coming of age)
• Closed Circuit (British thriller with no recognizable actors; surprisingly good)
• Bridesmaids (Second viewing; still pee-your-pants funny)
• This Is 40 (More Paul Rudd; funny and sad movie about reaching middle age, parenting, and marriage)
• Ender’s Game (The book was really powerful, the movie less so)
• Sherman and Peabody (Charming animated adaption of a favorite childhood cartoon)
• The LEGO Movie (Creative with a good message and delightful twist. Plus, Will Ferrell.)
• Pitch Perfect (Funny, whip-smart; exceeded my expectations. Cannot wait for a second installment)
• Divergent (Oh, I don’t know. I think I wasn’t supposed to like this but I did for the compelling action.)
• Frozen (Impossible to get the theme music out of my head)
• Spider Man 2 (Still grooving on Andrew Garfield)
• Godzilla (Summer blockbuster kick-off did not disappoint)
• X-Men: Days of Future Past (Accompanied Simon on his first date to see this)
• Monuments Men (Quirky cinematography and storytelling made for a delightful movie)
• Spirit of the Marathon (Inspiring enough that I almost think I could train for and run a marathon)
• September Issue (In-flight movie; comfort watch while we were grounded)
• Grand Budapest Hotel (In-flight movie; my least favorite Wes Anderson movie)
• American Hustle (In-flight movie; wish I had seen this on the big screen)
• World’s End (In-flight movie; for the boys; clever)
• Miss Potter (Extending the vacation; Lake District)
• Napoleon Dynamite (Finally; so funny. The boys loved it and now quote lines. Good thing I purchased a copy)
• Expendables (Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stratham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li. Yup. First of a series)
• Vampire Academy (Watched with a representative of the target audience; enjoyed)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (Twice. Favorite movie of the year. Inspired to make a better “awesome mix” for the boys)
• In a World (A favorite. Indie. Lake Bell wowed.)
• A Most Wanted Man (Date night. Genius interpretation of a Le Carre novel. Shame about Philip Seymour Hoffman)
• Braveheart (Extending the vacation; Scotland)
• The Lunchbox (Sad and uplifting foreign movie; a case of mistaken tiffin identity)
• Top of the Lake (Loved this often disturbing SundanceTV series with Elisabeth Moss, Holly Hunter, and [apparently] Lucy Lawless.)
• Muscle Shoals (Fantastic music documentary about the legendary recording studio; will watch again)
• This Is Where I Leave You (Date night. I wish my family’s dysfunction was this funny; Tina Fey’s and Jason Bateman’s characters were played annoyingly and predictably, but Jane Fonda rocked)
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Whole family saw at Riverview and we were not disappointed)
• Veronica Mars (Like a drawn-out TV episode but not disagreeable)
• Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's (Stumbled upon this documentary while browsing the library. Deserves a second viewing)
• The Judge (Date night. Predictable, painful because it touched a little close to home, but not horrible.)
• Bad Word (Funny. Jason Bateman)
• Homeland, season 3 (Never disappoints. Thinking about subscribing to Showtime so I can catch season 4)
• Horrible Bosses (Very funny)
• Tammy (Even though it wasn’t my favorite Melissa McCarthy, it was still funny. She’s genius)
• 22 Jump Street (Watched in solidarity with the target audience)
• Tropic Thunder (Fell asleep)
• November Man (Meh, occasionally confusing thriller with Pierce Brosnan)
• Big Hero 6 (Characters, animation, solid story = this movie has it all)
• Austenland (Disappointing. Then again, I’ve never been much of an Austen fan)
• Chef (Charming movie about a chef who reconnects with his son on a cross-country journey in a food truck)
• Running the Sahara (loved this documentary about three guys who run 4300 miles across the Sahara, from Senegal, through Mali, Niger, Libya, and Egypt. 111 days. Crazy awesome.
• Shut Up and Play the Hits (Documentary about the end of LCD Soundsystem and gootage of their last concert)
• Tiny Furniture (This is Lena Dunham’s true genius, and I wish I has seen it before Girls or Not That Kind of Girl. I am now officially tired of her story)
• Wild (Caroline and I saw at the Garden [Princeton] as a kick off to the holiday movie marathon)
• Into the Woods (not a fan of Sondheim nor of musicals; even though impeccably edited, this movie was nearly unbearable, especially with the dark extra ending)
• The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (Battle scene was only 45 minutes, not the dreaded 1-1/2 hours)
• Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part One (Draggy set up; why, why, why split this movie?)
• The Equalizer (Fantastic movie interpretation of the 80s TV series; Denzel Washington was fantastic as ex-CIA/current vigilante)

soup (again)

We rang in the New Year with a lunch stop at Hoa Bien. I believe firmly that pho and related soups, such as ramen, have healing properties. Although I have no scientific evidence to support my belief, I can attest to anecdotes of warm, rich, spice-laden broth enriching and lifting one's spirit and soothing a sore throat. The soup above is bun bo hue, a thicker, richer broth with a fattier cut of beef and egg noodles. It was a first but definitely not a last for me. Delicious.

soup

Soup is pretty much a perfect meal for me. I could eat it daily for lunch, year round, but in the winter eating soup is a sure way to stay warm. Pictured above is Melissa Clark's Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, which I wrote about here a few years ago. Still a favorite, I put it back into a seasonal rotation; this time with extra carrots.

now it is december

Although many consider the solstice to be the beginning of winter, my less conventional but absolutely regional marker is the first snow. By that token, winter is here. We've had several snow falls and an abundance of cold, which has enabled the snow to "stick." The only way I'm going to make it through winter is to get a good attitude, even though my handsome husband says it is okay to be cold. So, I am attempting to make the most of nicer days (i.e., no windchill, sunshine) with longer dog walks. And, since oldest son has joined the Nordic team at school, I'm contemplating taking up cross-country skiing again.

Winter, welcome?

please be awesome, october

Here it is. My favorite month of the year: October. A major month of transition as we shift between seasons. A shift that often carries a reminder of warm summer days but also the promise of cold winter days. A month of transition in diet as we close down the grill and fire up the slow cooker. A month of transition in wardrobe as we pack away the sandals and unearth socks and boots.

I love all of it: the earthy smell of decaying leaves, the unreal beauty in fall foliage, pumpkins, warming spices, wellies, an extra blanket on the bed, a new start.

A more personal transition occurs for me this month as I celebrate my birthday. Never dreaded, always welcomed as an opportunity for change. My New Year. And, this October, I hope to experience a professional transition. While I have had plenty of professional transitions in the past six years, I remain hopeful that a job offer is imminent. So, please be awesome, October.

Glasgow, Day Two

Having been much deprived of sleep the previous 24-plus hours, everyone slept soundly the first night, except for me. The XL beds at CitizenM were plenty comfortable, and I was definitely tired, but messed up by time zones. That, and the sun rises at 4 a.m. My ipad was a constant companion through the wee hours of the morning. I took advantage of the hotel’s free wi-fi to keep up with friends on Facebook, and I read The Accident, Chris Pavone’s new thriller set in the publishing world.

Leave it to a hot breakfast to feel revived! Ever a fan of the traditional English/Irish/Scottish hot breakfast—bacon, sausages, blood pudding, eggs, broiled tomatoes and mushrooms, beans, fry bread, and copious amounts of toast—I was pleasantly surprised by the not-so-traditional buffet presentation at fancy-pants CitizenM. Even the boys have made a study of black pudding and had the best intentions to eat as much as they could on this trip.

After breakfast, we trekked to the West End to meet Dorothy and David for a day of sightseeing. The West End had been described as a bohemian neighborhood with hip restaurants, hotels, art galleries, and bars. Glasgow's major greenspace, Kelvingrove Park, is located here as well as Glasgow University and several significant museums.

Our first stop of the day was the Hunterian Museum (above and below), housed on the campus of Glasgow University. The Hunterian, named after William Hunter and comprised of several smaller museums or collections, was a revelation.

We started in the main museum, which includes displays of Hunter’s medical discoveries, scientific instruments, such as those used by James Watt (he of the steam engine) and Lord Kelvin (of the unit measuring temperature) and

the university’s anthropological research,

zoological research,

and the Antonine Wall--the boundary of the northernmost point the Romans reached in Britain. It took 12 years to build the wall and its 16 small forts, which reached across the central belt of Scotland (from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde). Eight years after completion, the Romans were unable to contain the Caledonians north of the wall and retreated to Hadrian's Wall, 99 miles to the south. Since our time didn't allow for a visit to the Antonine Wall site, I was thrilled to see such major remains at the Hunterian.

Then, we crossed the street to visit the Hunterian Art Gallery, featuring the world’s largest public display of American artist James McNeill Whistler's work. I loved his full-length oil paintings of society women and females relatives, including the sketch of Miss Ethel Phillip and Red and Black: The Fan, a portrait of his sister-in-law, for their exquisite detail and non-sentimentality. But, I especially loved the Cartoon of Rich and Poor Peacocks, which was a study for the Peacock Room mural, which was one of sixteen motifs I included in a Furnishings assignment while in design school. (Note to self: add Washington DC's the Freer to list so as to visit the Peacock Room.)

And, although we missed seeing Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s sketchbooks and paintings, which were housed in the gallery, we did get a wonderful tour of the Mackintosh House (below).

The original house had been torn down when the University expanded in the 1960s and was rebuilt of modern materials 100 meters away. Interior photography was not allowed for obvious conservation efforts. Suffice to say, the reproduction was faithfully executed with many of the original doors, windows, furnishings, and other fittings. Walking through the house was like stepping into one of my History of Furnishings textbooks:  white everywhere and the organic form of Glasgow roses galore.

After a mediocre Italian lunch, where Simon ordered the best imaginable mashup--pizza with French fries--we all piled into cabs again to visit the Burrell Collection, another private art and artifact collection. The following photos give an idea of the breadth and depth of the collection as well as a glimpse into the beautiful space.

Later, back of CitizenM, John took a nap, but the boys and I walked a mile to the Geek Retreat. We thought we were going to a comic book store, but instead, the shop was a hangout for gaming. A cool idea but not what we were after. Disappointed, we walked back to CitizenM and stretched out a bit before dinner at Stravaigin, one of those hip West End restaurants. This one featured weird and wild food, but also had an off-menu burger for fussy, jetlagged American lads.

The highlight of my dinner was camel meatballs. Yes, camel, which tasted gamey, like antelope or venison. When spiced and sauced, you might not have guessed they weren’t beef or lamb. So good.

Up next: the Lake District

Glasgow, Day One

The goal for Glasgow was to adjust to the new time zone, and the goal would be accomplished by sleeping, eating well, and walking. Our flight landed at 7:00 a.m., and even though it took some time to get through passport control, collect our luggage, and travel by cab to our hotel, we weren’t able to check in until 11 a.m. 

Sauchiehall and Renfrew scenes

With time to kill, we explored Sauchiehall, one of Glasgow's several major pedestrian mall that was steps from our hotel and featured sporting goods stores, a large W.H. Smith, several grocery stores, bagel shops, noodle bars, Boots pharmacies, and more. The walking and window shopping rendered us tired and cranky so we stopped into the bagel shop for coffee and wake-up tea (breakfast tea, white), then eventually made our way back to the hotel where we waited for two rooms next to each other. 

Fortunately CitizenM had made a priority of ample, well-designed public spaces with comfortable sofas for napping lounging and crazy seating on which to climb. CitizenM (“m” for mobile) was possibly the coolest hotel in which we have stayed. 

The hotel offers small but super stylish rooms at an affordable price. At best our room was 250 square feet but very efficient with an enclosed shower/toilet and an XL bed built into the far end of the room. The bed is crowned by a picture window that keeps the room from becoming claustrophobic. 

Most of the room’s features, such as LED lights that change color in the shower, climate, and entertainment system (TV, music, projected artwork), are controlled by an electronic tablet. 

We took naps and showers and, feeling only marginally less tired, met Dorothy and David for a late lunch at the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed Willow Tea Room. Charles Rennie Mackintosh (heretofore CRM) was the biggest draw for me in Glasgow. Like Frank Lloyd Wright, Mackintosh was an artist, an architect, and a designer. Although his style, which came to be known as Glasgow Style, had elements of Art Deco and Art Nouveau, it was so unique as to not fit into either, especially with figures and objects abstracted from recognition. Sadly we would not be able to see the Glasgow School of Art, where CRM was a student and then the architect of the building that houses the current GSA. Just a few weeks before our departure, GSA had a fire that did considerable damage and disrupted end-of-term exhibits. Tours wouldn’t resume until after our return home. Ah, we’ll just have to visit Glasgow again one day. 

The Willow Tea Room was named after the street name, Sauchiehall, which means “alley of willows” in Scottish Gaelic. CRM’s hand is everywhere—in the abstract Glasgow rose and other botanical lines, and in the rectangle, which formed a repeating pattern in the fireplace surround, chairs and settles, and the façade. He designed the exterior, interior, cutlery, and server uniforms. 

Winston and I shared a traditional afternoon tea: a three-tiered tower of finger sandwiches, cakes, scones with clotted cream and jam, biscuits, and a pot of the house blend tea. Welcome to Scotland, indeed. 

Now that we were fortified, we could do some sightseeing. Our first stop was the Glasgow Cathedral, which was built by King David I in the 12th century on the sight where St. Mungo was said to be buried. 

According the Historic Scotland, this is the only medieval cathedral on mainland Scotland to survive the Reformation virtually intact. 

Afterward, Dorothy and David headed back to their hotel, while John and I took the lads on a long walk.

We climbed up to the Necropolis. This “city of the dead” boasts enormous monuments and sweeping views of the city. 

Rather than trying to figure out how the bus worked, we walked back to our hotel. The walk probably took only 20 minutes. Thirty minutes tops. First, though, we found an Indian restaurant for dinner because when in Glasgow, one eats curry. Then early bed to beat the jetlag.

Summer Vacation ’14: The Set Up

You could drive this route in 8.5 hours. We drove it over 10 days.

The boys are at sleepaway camp for two weeks. I have finally recovered from reverse jetlag, in which I fall asleep at 9:00 each evening and wake up at 4:30 each morning. July 4 has been properly celebrated with my parents on beautiful Lake Kampeska. The photos have been uploaded from the various devices and the suitcases unpacked. Now I am ready to write about our trip.

We decided to take our vacation as soon as we possibly could this summer. Planning started back in January to help fulfill my mother-in-law’s dream of a Beatrix Potter pilgrimage in the Lake District. To be honest, I had been looking forward to a return to the Lake District ever since I visited back in 1987. Back then, on each gray, drizzly October day, I vowed to come back and see summer sun one day. And, I remembered that promise whenever I sat down to plan this trip, even though I knew full well that British weather is rather changeable 365 days a year.

The boys were mostly excited about a return trip to England. In 2010, we focused on London, Oxford, the West Country, and Devon/Dartmoor. This time we would stay north. Our itinerary would begin with a few days acclimating in Glasgow after which we would move our base of operation to a vacation home in the Lake District. When our week was over, we would make our way across England by way of Hadrian’s Wall, spend a day in the Borders, then arrive in Edinburgh for a few days of touring before driving back to Glasgow for our return flight.The only overlapping element from 2010 would be stone circles.

Me and Simon (14) waiting to board at MSP

Modern travelers: Winston, Simon (permanently plugged into his music), John (listening to music and reading a book on the same device)

Watching a favorite movie, The September Issue, while grounded waiting for a mechanic to fix the plane.

We left Minneapolis/St. Paul on June 11, though there was a moment when it looked unlikely. The plane had a broken part, and the backup part was broken. For my anxiety, the less I knew, the better. After a short layover in Amsterdam, we landed in the early morning at Glasgow; met up with John's mother, Dorothy, and her husband, David; and wasted no time getting on with our adventure.

Up next: exploring Glasgow