Had a rare interlude of TV available without kids and not needing/wanting to do laundry, dishes, etc., which led me to discover Atlas Shrugged Part 1 was on Netflix. So I watched it again. Went to great lengths to see it when it was in theaters originally. I was surprised at how well it held up for me. The most jarring part remains Hugh Akston , and I found that even more so this time. The current times and economy conspire to make it all the more fascinating to watch.
Category: Movies
Except it still seems a little weird having Atlas Shrugged updated to be set in modern times, and the characters don’t look much like my mental images. Reardon, to whom I most relate, comes closest.
I’m overdue for a reread, but with the film pending, I considered it recently and decided to put it off.
Sadie insisted, supported by the others, on letting the Tinkerbell movie DVD play over and over and over for more than two days. I noticed it went all through the “making of” parts in the process, and turns out Sadie was studying the art aspects of it. She was intrigued with how they created the characters.
Then this morning she demanded to paint.
They haven’t painted in months.
She draws amazingly, with a distinctive yet evolving style. She has never painted anything that was clearly something or shown the same talent as she has for basic pen drawing.
Using it as a bribe to get them to help pick up things, I set them up with their watercolors and off they went. I have a tiny rainbow and a princess in a multicolored dress she painted as well, but this was the first and most dramatic of the three things Sadie painted today. In keeping with the inspiration, it’s a fairy. Click for larger:
Deb had suggested recently that it was time sooner rather than later for Sadie to go to her first movie in a theater, which I’d been thinking of, but in terms of later this year or sometime next year. Sadie heard us talking about it and latched on, so just as well I’d realized Up might be a good one for the purpose.
Ended up going yesterday, to the theater in the mall in Kingston. It was the close one with non-3D version. Didn’t want to have to deal with that, given the circumstances, not to mention the added cost. Luckily she didn’t get excited about not going to Wareham, where I’d driven through the parking lot Sunday on the way home from their first trip to the beach – it’s a week of firsts, apparently – to show her where I planned to take her. They only had 3D. Kingston had the benefit of being near Walmart and having the food court right there.
Anyway, she was more than ready. And I felt bad, seeing kids much younger – and well behaved! – at the 12:45 showing. We got M&M’s, which took most of the movie to eat. During some of the “dull” parts she’d grab more of them. She sat still, was quiet, was entranced, like she’d always gone to movies.
What a great one! I loved it. Cried and cried. Would have anyway, but it was worse because I was emotional about it being an experience for Sadie, and then the fact she seemed so happy.
The short beforehand was exceptional, too, and I loved how that tied in with a scene in the feature. Even having read a description in a review couldn’t prepare me for the silent sequence showing their entire adult relationship.
Anyway, highly recommended.
Afterward, we had pizza at the food court and went shopping, which was also cool. Usually it’s either just me, or it’s everyone, Sadie seldom gets to do stuff like that alone.
Two adult and two babysitting memberships to Arisia, the big New England SF convention I used to help run.
I bought them in 2007 for 2008, then rolled them over to 2009. You’re not supposed to be able to roll memberships over more than once, and I have no idea whether we’d be willing or able to go in 2010 and would rather have the money than ask to have them forwarded again, so I am offering them for sale.
I paid $30 each. I am asking $80 for the entire set, or $25 each for less than the whole set.
E-mail jay at this domain if interested, or leave a comment.