Blog Break!

So...I have blogged every day since January 16, 2011 (not too shabby, right?!) and have decided to give myself a break because I have several HUGE deadlines looming plus a few small deadlines all due in early September...which is crazy considering that is when we have two sets of out-of-town guests coming in (can you say perfect timing?).

To ensure I cross all my t's and dot all my i's before then, I have decided I need to put the blog on the back burner. But, I will be back soon with plenty of fun creative stuff and to celebrate lots more other creatives!

As always, thanks for reading, and keep creating!

Shawndra

Movie Mondays: If You Yell, Does Anyone Hear You? Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Last week I had an amazing night alone. I don't know if you all do this or not, but night's alone should not be cast aside. They give you time to enjoy yourself, do you want you want to do, and watch or read what you want to watch or read. My husband plays darts on Tuesdays, so I have a night to myself each Tuesday, and it is glorious (no offense honey!).

Last Tuesday I watched Something Borrowed, the movie adaptation of Emily Giffin's bestselling novel of the same name. Although I don't think it broke any box office records, this movie made me go through the range of emotions any human being can feel: rage, happiness, excitement, jealousy, lust, longing, heartbreak, joy, betrayal, loyalty, bitterness, helplessness, ineptitude, bewilderment...you get the idea.

This movie make you relive that period post-college and pre-babies, right when you are making some of the biggest decisions of your life but nobody bothers to tell you that you are in fact making the biggest decisions of your life.

You follow the prescription for a happy life: college, job, friends, love, engagement...but where do YOU fit into all of that? Where are YOUR dreams? How about you say screw what I am supposed to do or want and do what you actually want?

But I digress.

This movie does not dive all the way in to these issues, but it does touch on them by showing people who seemingly have it all still not be happy enough because they are being untrue to themselves. They are being true to their parents, bosses, society, friends....but not to themselves. That is what is poignant about this movie. That is what resonates.

But to be girly for a second....this movie made me BAWL. Maybe because I see myself in Darcy and in Rachel. Maybe because it breaks my heart that we can't just love who is good for us. Maybe because it makes you just ache, absoletely ache, for anyone that has ever loved you or anyone you have ever loved.

Well done, well cast, well executed. Buy, rent, borrow, rent on amazon for only 3.99...but WATCH THIS MOVIE!

Sightseeing Sundays: Lakeridge Winery--Is There Anything More Beautiful than a Row of Grapes Waiting to be Made into Wine?

Photo courtesy of: http://www.ocalastyle.com/styleadmin/newsadmin/anmviewer.asp?a=1746

I think wineries are absolutely beautiful, with Lakeridge Winery outside of Orlando, Florida ranking high on that list. With its rows of tempting grapes overlooking the beautiful countryside and lakes of Lake County.

Perhaps I am always in awe of these wineries because I connected the rows of vegetation with their end product--glorious, glorious wine.

But I also think that its something about seeing out in the open nature and man's connection. The relationship required to grow wine is a labor of love, and I appreciate that labor and think its amazing that they both work together to create a product that makes so many people happy. (Always makes me think of that line in Eat, Pray, Love where she is teaching her Italian speaking partner and points to a carafe of wine, labeling it "therapist." So true!).

I also admire winery owners following their dreams and opening a winery. So many people say that they would like to open a winery "one day," and then there are those that actually do it. Movies romanticize the profession, but the truth is, retiring and opening a winery sounds pretty darn good to a lot of wine lovers.

P.S. If you would like to watch a great winery "labor of love" story, watch A Walk in the Clouds. It got some flack, but I think it's a great movie and gives beautiful insight into this world.

Soul Saturdays: Wisdom from The Fray

"Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same"

--The Fray, "All at Once"

These lyrics woke up on my mind yesterday and have been haunting me since. I am struggling between knowing that this quote is right--anything worth having is going to take a lot of work to get, like a dream job, being financially secure, and being on the same page as my husband--but another part of me believes in synchronicity, or as one of my friend's use to say, "God whispers." You know, those signs that you are on the right path when things are going well, you feel happy and optimistic, and a ton of roadblocks aren't in your way.

But...

Are obstacles a sign that you are on the WRONG or RIGHT path? Or is it just silly to worry about these things anyway? Life will be hard at times, easy(ier) at others, and trying to constantly find signs that I am on the right path or not will just drive me crazy, right?

I have never had this much self-doubt because in the past, I have always known exactly where I am heading. From high school to college to graduate school to my first job to my second job, all of my "next steps" overlapped with the previous step so I really didn't have any periods of limbo. Now, I feel like all I am in a perpetual state of limbo, waiting for either a catastrophe or a miracle to happen.

Have you ever been in limbo? If yes, how did you embrace it?

Fiction Fridays: Coffee Table Love for Bradley Trevor Greive's The Meaning of Life

The Meaning of Life by Bradley Trevor Greive is a book parents should read to their kids and adults should read periodically for a little self-reflection to make sure you are heading on the right path. It's a 121 page picture book filled with vivid photographs of animals in various poses that perfectly reflect the meaning of the phrases and short sentences situated on each age.

Greive urges these things:
1) Be true to yourself.
2) Go after your OWN dreams, not your parents' or society's.
3) Do not conform.
4) Have faith in yourself and your abilities.
5) Don't waste the precious little time we have on Earth stuck in a miserable job, relationship, location, etc.
6) BE HAPPY.

It sits on display in my house, and I pick it up from time to time to check in with myself that I AM happy and am following my dreams. Also, you can't help but chuckle seeing a laughing hyena, tiny dog in a measuring cup, and a cat that appears to be drunk on vodka.

Happy reading!

Tune Thursdays: A Savannah Favorite, High Energy Band with a Cool Name: Liquid Ginger

"Music Matters for August 18, 2011: Liquid Ginger

Writer Wednesdays: Lori Gottlieb Warns Parents to Quit Babying Your Kids (And She's Right!)

This Lisa Gottileb article has the descriptor "Why the obsession with our kids' happiness may be dooming them to unhappy adults." As a teacher for four years, I saw this phenomenon first hand. I called it "helplessness," but the ideas are similar. Some students had everything they could ever want--cars, money, vacations, parents that rent beach houses, paid tuition to a prestigous private school, friends, etc.--and still seemed melancholy.

Now, I understand that teenagers are going to be moody and melancholy at times. Duh. But what bothred me is that some of these kids seemed ill-equiped to deal with the future. They were so used to mommy and dadddy taking care of everything that they didn't have organization skills, or a sense of self, or any direction.

Couple this with the dependency on technology, and it seems some members of future generations may be doomed for disaster.

Read the engaging, controversial, and brillant article about stopping the babying of our youth here.

Taste Tuesdays: Southern Belle Simple: Simply a Must Follow

Southern Belle Simple is written by Kate Spears and includes tons of yummy recipes served up with a heavy side of Southern hospitality and traditions. Proud of her roots, Kate is still a modern-day girl that recognizes how busy everyone is, so she shares what she calls "Anti-Recipes": easy, low-tech, and delicious. You'll also find other commentary about life, the South, and living. Enjoy!

http://www.southernbellesimple.com/p/anti-recipes-featured-on-sbs.html

Movie Mondays: The Company Men, An Underrated Gem About the State of our Economy and World

This movie completely flew under the radar, and the only reason I can think why is because it hits too close to home. The subject is job loss, and no one is above it from the Vice President of a mega company fired my his best friend to a guy that has put in over 30 years with the same company.

The movie touches on the American obsession with reaching the outdated American Dream of a big house, cars, nice clothes, and focusing more on materials and activities that make someone look good than actually enjoying life and spending quality time with loved ones.

It also highlights the blatant greed of our CEOs and the extreme rich that scream "socialism" and "communism" when asked to pay more in taxes. A quick rundown of the richest CEOS for 2010: at #1 with 102 million is UnitedHealth Group's, 66 million for Qwest's, and #10 is Verizon's at 37 million.

The most disturbing and unfair point that this list and the movie both make is the gross overpayment to these CEOs and the outrageous percentage more they make than the lowest paid worker that is part of their company. It makes me think of that show "Undercover Boss" but instead of just doing the jobs of the "grunts" how about if they had to try to live on their salaries for a month?

But John Wells' script doesn't just put the blame on the greedy rich; instead, he blames the middle class for spending beyond their means, having no savings, and not nurturing their lives outside of work enough. Some of the older men that got laid off should have known better and been more concerned with saving than spending and built a better life that they want to come home to and retire early for instead of giant homes void of love and strong relationships.

Definitely a poignant film worth watching, but beware: if you are spending above your means and are too concerned with keeping up with the Joneses', then you are in for a movie that will make you question where you are and where you are heading.  

Sightseeing Sundays: Marveling at a Stunning Alaska Resort, the Alyeska Prince Hotel

Alyeska Ski Lodge, 35 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska

Photo Courtesy of: http:www.weddingmapper.com/
plan/alaska/girdwood

This is the view looking down onto this gorgeous resort in the summer. It turns into a top-notch ski resort in the snowy months but is beautiful year-round. They also have an aerial tram to take you to the top of the mountain to a great restaurant that I got to ride up to a few years ago. Stunning!

A setting for a love story, a reunion of old friends, or even a horror story perhaps? Maybe a son living in Bahamas that hates skiing inherits this property? What does this setting inspire for your creativity?

Soul Saturdays: Become Who You Want to Be

"First say to yourself what you would be;
and then do what you have to do"

Epictetus, a Greek philosopher

This quote inspires me because this is how we should all shape our lives. Sometimes people just go through the motions--high school, college or training, taking a job, any job to start making money, and then buying lots of stuff that we have to pay for and therefore have to keep working a job that isn't even close to our dream job.

What if from a young age, we discovered our gifts, strengths, and passions and nurtured those? What if teachers, parents, and other authority figures all made their focus to helping young adults imagine what kind of life they want to live instead of how much money they want to earn?

That would be a beautiful world.

Fiction Fridays: The Emperor of Ocean Park: An Intellectual Must-Read Mystery

I will be upfront and say that I do not gravitate towards mysteries or thrillers. However, I couldn't put this book down. I think the academia aspect kept me intrigued since one of the main characters is a law professor named Talcott Garland. I have always been fascinated by learning, education, and the university world, so getting a peek into the politics and pressures of this world really interested me.

The writing itself was also superb, and obviously Stephen L. Carter's background earning his BA at Stanford and a JD from Yale where he still teaches. This real world experiences serves this book well and truly shows the intricacies of this profession.

Besides the academic aspect, the whodunit revolves around Talcott's father's death which me believes was a murder. Even more bizarre, Talcott starts unraveling clues that his father seemed to leave just for him. The mystery keeps you going until pretty much the very last pages, and the culmination is a son accepting that he has to live up to his own expectations, not his father's.

A wonderful blend of life lessons, loss, and coming to terms with yourself all come together to create a story that will stimulate your mind and your heart. Engaging, intricate, and informative, this book has it all and is worth a read even if you are like me and don't normally read the mystery/thriller genre.

Tune Thursdays: Clouds and Satelites "Indie Rawk"

August 11, 2011 "Music Matters" by Shawndra Russell for Savannah Morning News

"Clouds and Satellites"

Writer Wednesdays: Redbook's Aaron Traister Digs Deep to Give the Husband Perspective to a Female Audience

Aaron Traister is a brave man. His audience is primarily women which means that based on our divorce statistics, half of his audience may hate him at any given moment just because he is a man, a husband, or both. Tough crowd.

However, he is tough to hate when he lays out the truth about the weaknesses of his gender and himself month after month. He recently took on a self-made challenge: "30 Days to a Better Husband" for July 2011's issue.

He kept his agenda a secret from his wife to see if she would notice and so as not to taint the experiment. His goals? "Among other things, I changed up my clothes and returned to my teenage wrestling workouts--because nothing says maturity like playing dress-up and trying desperately to relieve high school." Ha! His self-deprecating sarcasm and wit always make me chuckle.

He is quick to showcase his flaws, yet he is also a realist and views his own marriage from an arm's length at times (a necessary evil for his writing I suppose). I also like that he focuses on how he is as a HUSBAND a majority of the time, instead of how he behaves and thinks as a "husbandandfather." Sometimes, it's nice to separate the two, and I appreciate (as I'm sure his wife does!) that he really consciously ponders how he is measuring up as a husband.

The result of his experiment? While changing his wardrobe didn't happen, he did become more thoughtful and sexually patient (aka letting her initiate). After reading his column, I always wonder how I can get my husband to write about his role as a husband for a national magazine so that he can be more self-aware. A gal can dream, right?

Definitely worth reading to get the male point of view (and cutting out and leaving somewhere for your husband to learn from too!).

Taste Tuesday: Sauerkraut and Mashed Potatoes?! (It's Good, I Promise)

My husband whipped up something surprising the other day--mashed potatoes topped with sauerkraut. He paired it with a hot italian sausage covered with tri-colored peppers and served on a bun. The hot sausage was delicious, but I was a little leery of the side.

Yet, it was quite tasty--the creamy potatoes (he leaves the skin on and just adds a little milk, salt, and pepper) combined with the tangy sauerkrat made for a new take on standard old potatoes. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but in my opinion, it would only go well with sausage or hamburger meals.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Movie Mondays: Sex and the City 2: Marriage and Baby Woes Examined

Alright, I might get some backlash for this one, but I really enjoyed the second installment. In fact, I hated the first movie and refused to watch the second one for quite a while. But I caved recently and was pleasantly surprised.

I liked that Carrie is no longer chasing Big, doubting Big, and basically acting like a fool about him. Instead, now she is doubting her own feelings about Big, which makes her more likable and real to me. The pining and insecurity in the last one got old. I thought this showed good growth for her character.

 Michael Patrick King's characters are of course predictable because they have been around for quite a while. Yet, he still manages to make Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda grow a little (Carrie the most). Charlotte is never going to change and that's not poor writing--it's just refreshingly honest and true to her type.

Charlotte shows weakness which is welcomed after always being reserved and uptight. She is a little too whiny here, but being a new mom will do that to anyone so she nails that. Miranda becomes her crutch since they share mommyhood.

My only beef with their mommyhood is that I wish King would have thrown in a couple of jabs to Carrie and Samantha about not being mothers because many mothers with childless friends seem completely perplexed by others that don't want kids anytime soon (or not at all) in my experience.

I also like that King owned the ridiculously lavish setting of Abu Dhabi in the face of our failing economy in America. He and the characters didn't apologize for it or skirt around the issue; instead, Samantha exclaims she "wants to go somewhere rich" and since it's on someone else's dime, why the hell not?! We would all jump on a trip of a lifetime like that too.

I also respected the flirtation between Aidan and Carrie (Aidan is the one I thought she should have ended up with anyway) because it shows the temptations that are always testing marriage or any relationship. I was surprised they kept the flirtation PG, but I also liked that King respected the institution of marriage by not going for the obvious tryst.

Fun yet touching on important issues such as motherhood, marriage, temptation, and of course, friendship, Sex and the City 2 redeemed the franchise after the terrible Sex and the City 1.

Sightseeing Sundays: San Marino

I want to start marveling at vacation destinations around the world, including those that I have personally visited and those that I plan to venture to one day. San Marino falls in the first category, and I love this picture because it shows the sheer height of the mountain and the tiny town of San Marino at the top.

Just imagine living there, surrounded by so much beauty and in some ways, terror. It is slightly terrifying to drive around and around to reach the top. Scary to be in a somewhat remote location. And definitely scary thinking about falling off the cliff.

Yet, I think that the scary aspects make this place all the more beautiful. Just look at those views! It makes me want to go back and look out, writing poetry all day (and I am not a poetry writer).

It also makes me feel tiny in a way, perhaps because San Marino is so tiny yet still holds so much. Just like each of us.

Picture: Courtesy of http://www.rsm-site.it/San%20Marino.gif

Soul Saturdays: Henry David Thoreau's Life Philosophy

"My life is like a stroll on the beach;

as near to the edge as I can go"--

Henry David Thoreau

This quote knocks the breath out of me when I read it. Perhaps because it's so life-affirming for me because I, too, try to live my life like this and sometimes get flack (or what I perceive as flack) for doing so.

Of course, this ties in with the mantra that "life is short" and "carpe diem," two more thoughts that constantly swim around in my mind. These thoughts push me to say yes more often than I should, but the reality is that many of those "yeses" led to wonderful experiences and memories I can cherish forever.

Sometimes, I think that people are leery of people who live their lives this way. We are told to do the safe things, excrutiatingly plan for the future, avoid risks, and measure ourselves against a societal standard. So, people who are at times reckless, adventurous, and passionate are off-putting.

Try not to judge those on the edge, and I'll try not to judge those staying on safer ground.







Fiction Fridays:Review of The Last Summer (Of You and Me) by Ann Brashares (Warning: You WILL Get Angry Reading It--in a Good Way!)

I am trying an experiment with my book reviews. I am writing a reaction to the first half of the book now, then I will write the rest when I finish. Let me know if you like this style or would rather me wait and review the whole book at the end.

PART ONE
I am about halfway done and mad as hell. The love story build up between two of the main characters, Alice and Paul, finally came to fruition only to implode because of lack of communication.

GRRR...

Maybe this bothers me so much because my husband and I struggle with communication (what couple doesn't, right?). Maybe because these twentysomethings were acting like teenagers instead of adults. Or maybe for the plain, simple truth that Ann Brashares got me INVESTED in these characters from the get go (yep, that's it).

This has become one of those books that I honestly am having trouble concentrating on anything else. I want to read the entire book RIGHT NOW, but alas, that ain't gonna pay the bills. So, instead I have to keep myself busy because I will make excuses to steal minutes (which turn into 1/2 hours) for reading "just one chapter" (yeah right!).

I have a soft spot for books about summers spent on the same beach with the same group of people, yet of course those people grow and change throughout the non-summer months. Books like The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Beach House by Jane Green (which I wrote a blog post about), or Forever by Judy Blume.

I am fascinated by these beach town tales. The small-townness, the scrutiny of everyone towards everyone else, the first loves and family dynamics. The beach house setting becomes a petri dish for self-examination because time is marked so poignantly and regularly. And the characters seem wistful of their childhoods even as they try to escape them. The ties made in these settings are so strong they both suffocate and support, allow one to grow independent yet creates unbreakable invisible ties.

PART TWO

Wow. This book took me through the entire spectrum of emotions, leaving off with anger in the middle and then total and utter heartbreak at the end (I'm talking sloppy, giant sobs and a desperate need for kleenexes). Now, I know some people might not enjoy crying when reading a book, and if that's the case, then you should NOT read this book.

For me, one measure of a good book is if it DOES make me cry. The arc of a story should mimic the range of emotions, thoughts, and experiences that happen in real life, and there are plenty of tears (and laughs!) in real life.

I read one negative review about this book when the critic claimed that Brashares told "too much" about the thoughts and feelings of the characters? Say what?! How can you know the characters too well?

Perhaps if they are boring, evil, or shallow, then yeah, why would you want to learn everything about them? But if the characters are both strong and fragile, hopeless and hopeful, stuck in the past yet surging towards the future, how can you not want to dive inside their minds and hearts and feel like you become the character?

This ability is a strength of Brashares in this novel. Your heart aches for these characters and perhaps a little for who you were as a child, teenager, and young adult. Sure, these characters are slightly

narcissistic, but if we are honest with ourselves, so are we. And yes, they are scared as hell of the future, but again, so are we.

Brace yourself for an emotional rollercoaster, and indulge in reminiscing about your first love. Vow to strengthen your own family ties and believing in yourself enough to go after what you really want, like Alice finally does.

Tune Thursdays: The Kenneth Brian Band: "The Past, Present and Future of Country"

My "Music Matters" column for August 4, 2011:
The Kenneth Brian Band

Writer Wednesdays: Matthew Inman aka "The Oatmeal": Funny, Witty Must-Read for Breaktime

If you have never visited www.theoatmeal.com, do so today. This guy is flat-out hilarious and witty to boot. He is a comic who writes, draws, and provides social commentary about everything from the sad state of some people's grammar to the woes of airplane travel. I added him to my "Blogs I follow" list so I can stay up with his latest musings because I don't want to miss a single one.


My favorites probably deal with the stupidity of people like "How to Suck at Facebook" or his comics about relationships, like "The 8 Stages of Dating." If you don't laugh at these, check your pulse.

You will even learn something sometimes, and if he mentions bad behavior you are guilty of, don't sweat it--just try to do better in the future!!!  Oh, and his comic book (above) is sitting on our coffee table--GREAT conversation starter. Enjoy!

Taste Tuesdays: Funny Food Blogger to Watch--Half-Buzzed Hostess

I have been following "Half-Buzzed Hostess," a food blog written by Nicole Yorio, a former editor at Redbook. I love her philosophy that "parties are always more fun when everyone downs one or two drinks more than they should." Amen sister!

She provides recipes and commentary about all things food with the goal of providing quick, easy-to-make items. Lots of these are inspired by hangover cures or easy party dishes that "won't keep you slaving over the stove while your guests bathe in bubbly."

She wants you to enjoy your party, brunch, girls' night in, etc. just as much as your guests. If you're having fun, they will too!

Oh, and it's a family affair: Her sister, a culinary school graduate, also contributes to the blog. Cheers!

http://halfbuzzedhostess.com/

Movie Monday: The Fighter Will Help You Get Over Your Fear of Writing About Controversial Stuff

I have been wanting to see this film for a while, but my husband had already seen it, and I just hadn't gotten around to renting it on a "me night." I was unnecessarily worried that the anticipation would make the film a little disappointing, but man, was I wrong. Scott Silver and company's screenplay was original and captured perfectly what the director described as "a love story between two brothers."

The originality stemmed from the fact that this script was based on a true story about Micky and Dicky, two brothers from Lowell, Massachusetts that were both boxers. I always say the only stories left to tell are those based in true life experiences because all the epic storylines have already been done (not that they can't be done in new settings, with new characters, but you get my premise).

This screenplay does so many things, and does them all well--showcases superb acting, most notably by Christian Bale in his most brilliant role to date as Dicky, the older brother trying to relive his glory days by disappearing from reality through heavy crack use and drinking. Bale is devastatingly real, damaged, and selfish, yet at the end redeems himself by being his little brother's biggest supporter.

The film also dissects family dynmaics and the powerful destruction and blindness of motherly guilt. It also analyzes small-town living and how getting away from your hometown roots, even if it's just a few miles, is absoletely necessary to become a better version of yourself. Little brother Micky finally puts himself before his family, leading to him winning the Welterweight Championship at 31 years old.

The classic storyline of overcoming adversity and beating the odds comes into play as well, since Dickey is able to kick his crack addiciton with the help of jailtime and finally putting his brother and his brother's dreams before his own. His mother, always catering to Dicky and ignoring his drug problems, also finally lets the dream of Dicky making a comeback die and puts faith into her younger son.

If you aren't into sports movies, especially boxing movies, don't let that turn you off of experiencing this wonderful examination of the pain and pleasure that humans put each other and themselves through. The boxing is more of a metaphor for Micky's will and determination to succeed and Dicky's struggle to stay sober. Yes, there are fight scenes, but they are short, well done, and are about showing triumph for each of the characters connected to the story.