Mind Vs, Matter

Dieting sucks. Sitting on my rear praying for the weight to disappear is not working though. I will admit that I do not really diet in the traditional sense. I just try to keep an eye on what I eat and get the exercise I refuse to do without being forced. I have a whole plan yada yada yada but I am not going to bore you or me by reciting it here.

The dosage change for my meds seems to be working great. Having less of the one in my system has lifted the fog that I was unaware was floating around me. The addition of the new drugs has compensated for any backlash from the decreased dosage and balanced out some of the side effects I was having. I contemplated weather or not I was one of those people who could go off medication and rely on prayer and will power to see me through. There are people who argue with me that my issue is all a matter of mind over matter. I disagree. I know my limitations. Besides saying you have an arm after it has been amputated won't make it reappear. I think God gives us the tools we need and it is up to us to use them. I decided God would want me to be sane and not homicidal. We shall be sticking to the program.

Christmas Cards and presents are going out late this year. You might not get your gifts on Christmas day but hey at least I got you something. It is the thought that counts after all. I thought I had more money than I do. Now I know I have to wait until after payday before I will have more than moths in my wallet.

Day of the Dead (2008) (V)

*** SPOILER ALERT! ***

Plot: Residents of a small Colorado town are infected with a flu like virus that transform them into Zombies. Survivors band together to fight their way out.

Let us just get it out of the way. This is NOT a sequel to Dawn of the Dead. Ving Rhames was cast to screw with your head. He does not reprise his role from the previous Dead film. There was some commentary in the script that poked fun at the first film. That is about all they had to do with one another. This movie was not nearly as good as Dawn of the Dead.

Let us brush up on some zombie commandments. The director must have never heard of this because he failed to follow these rules.

1. Thou shalt not the Zombies smart.

We are talking about dead with reanimated cells. Zombies have basic needs. You, the living, on a platter. Therefore basic abilities are all they have to have to meet these needs. Run, jump, grab, groan. Nothing fancy. Problems solving is not allowed. The zombies have sheer numbers and the uncanny ability to smell you from far away. Problem solving is all the survivors get. Well besides fire, sharp objects, and guns. One the zombies start figuring things out, survivors can just throw in the towel. This movie was conflicting on the subject.

2. Thou shalt not humanize the zombie.

Mom, dad, sister, brother, Reverend Joe. It doesn't matter. Once zombified, you no longer classify as a person. We cry and mourn for you but quickly remove your head from your shoulders. Retaining any semblance of who you were before is a zombie movie taboo.

3. Thou shalt turn the zombies into gymnasts.

Back to that basic needs equals basic abilities thing. They might be stronger or run faster than you, but hurtle over five foot objects is out of the cards. A zombie that can jump onto the ceiling and run across it upside down like a ninja hamster is a big no no!

The only thing I can say for this movie is that they did try and give some explanation as to why the outbreak happened. A crappy, unoriginal explanation. If you cannot think of something better than "military bio weapon whoopsie" skip it and leave me wondering.

It felt very rushed. "oh no we all have the flu! No wait, not the flu we're zombies! Oh look, we're saved!" When a movie is over i do not want to be left thinking "Well that was quick. What are they whining for?"

***Trivia***

The alternate ending on the DVD has Salazar's character disappearing off screen after opening fire in the Nike missile silo. He screams, fires again, then the horde of zombies appears. The film continues exactly as it did in the theatrical release, until, as they escape in the SUV, they pass a building in the exterior of the missile base. Salazar emerges, screaming that he wasn't bitten, and muttering that everyone expects the black guy to die. He gets into the SUV, and they drive off. At that point, the screaming zombie pops into frame.

more reviews - Check!

So it seems that 99.9% of the people who find their way to me on the web is due to my horror movie reviews. Out of respect for my adoring (maybe?) public, I plan to review more flicks. I am always watching them so might as well blog my opinion. If you do not like the reviews just skip them and continue on to my normal blogging material.

The craizer I get the more it all makes sense...

This morning I had to haul myself out of bed to go to the Doctor. Nothing wrong with me (other than the obvious). Just a routine visit to follow how my antidepressant are working. A few unsavory side effects have cropped up so we played musical meds. Different dosage on one and added another. Now I am unstable enough for two medications. Spiffy!
Please note that I am just kidding. For those just joining me, my brain does not process the correct amount of the chemical serotonin. I have to have a little artificial help to stimulate production. I promise I am no danger to myself or those around me. Most of the time.

Since speed causes you to blow all your serotonin creating a "high" I have often wondered if I would just be immune. If it would have a null effect on me. One theory I am not going to test.

Christmas Carols for the Psychiatrically Challenged

1. Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?
2. Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Queens Disoriented Are
3. Amnesia --- I Don't Know if I'll be Home for Christmas
4. Narcissistic --- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me
5. Manic --- Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and Fire Hydrants and ...
6. Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Get Me
7. Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire
8. Full Personality Disorder-- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll tell You Why
9. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ---Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells ...
10. Agoraphobia --- I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day But Wouldn't Leave My House
11. Senile Dementia --- Walking in a Winter Wonderland Miles From My House in My Slippers and Robe
12. Oppositional Defiant Disorder --- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus So I Burned Down the House
13. Social Anxiety Disorder --- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas while I Sit Here and Hyperventilate.

Boo Hoo to You Too!

Leftovers stink. Literally. I despise opening my fridge or a piece of Tupperware and smelling cooked food that has gone icy. One of my many quirks. That is the reason we rarely have leftovers hanging around unless they are immediately frozen for a later date. I don't have a lot of freezer space so only dishes like stew and chili get the freezer treatment. J is a starch lover. He loves bread, potatoes, pasta, etc. Last night I made one of his favorite meals. It is a cheater lasagna made with spaghetti sauce, macaroni and cheese, ground beef, and shredded cheese. Here is the Recipe.

Easy peasy, my favorite kind of meal. J's favorite meal I make is beef enchiladas but he does not get those often. They are more labor intensive than I like. With me that means I have to do more than preheat the oven.

Tonight is grocery shopping at the local Walmart. *cringe* As we get closer to Christmas I feel the need to hibernate away from the general public more and more. Shocking but I did venture out this year on Black Friday. I waited until after 2PM so all the really great sales were gone but so were the people. I am not going to fight with anybody over merchandise. I will jut buy it online if it that important. Aunt T works at a Walmart Competitor that will remain nameless. She had to be at work at 6AM on Black Friday. According to her people actually ran to the electronics section when the doors opened. Stunts like that are how people get hurt or even killed like the man in New York who was trampled. Aunt T was putting items back and had a shopping cart with her to hold said items. She was almost done with only two left when she left her basket to put one away. She came back to find both things sitting on the ground and her cart nowhere in sight. Basket thievery was high on black Friday.

Rory is in a foul mood today. We are out of kool aid so I gave him water. It is like he thinks I laced it with strychnine. Doesn't help that he no longer takes naps. He stays in his room for the required amount of time but you can hear him playing. Right now all I can hear is the boo hoo in my ear. I never realized fruit punch kool aid meant so much to him. The only thing keeping me in a decent mood right now is Lorelei. She thinks her brother's crying is an invitation to vocalize. She has been singing to me all afternoon.

Celebrity Stalkers and a Friend Remembered.

"You are not really famous until you are being harassed or stalked."

That was in a newsletter i received from one of my favorite authors. It was her response to fans questioning the sudden appearance of bodyguards at book signing and events. She said that someone had told her that "famous" quote long ago and it saddened her to have to use it. I think it stinks that she cannot enjoy being with her fans for fear of who might be a little to enthusiastic. Stalking takes time and energy. I am too lazy to get that involved. However it does remind me of a time when I was obsessed with celebrities along with my girlfriends.

I remember in 5th grade that all the girls were in love with Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Remember the middle son on Home Improvement? He was however the personal property of my friend Holly. In her mind at least. There were three girls in my group. Holly, Lauren, and Meghan. Lauren, Meghan, and I were not allowed to have posters or any other JTT merchandise. (don't tell but I did have one poster.) I vaguely remember Lauren had a crush on the kid from Rookie of the Year. Meghan was more level headed. She had too many of the real live boys chasing after her to waste time on out of reach conquests. There was one day that she got fed up with Lauren who was major bossy and pretended to like her crush just to get under her skin. Meghan is one of the least vindictive people I know so it was unexpected of her and rather funny. Meghan and I were BFF's through high school until extra curricular actvities and boyfriends pulled us in different direction. We still had the occasional sleepovers and remain friends even though we both moved to different states. Writing this makes me remember how much I miss her. I think my next stop needs to be Facebook to write her a letter. She remains on of maybe three friends I had growing up that I would drive cross country for. You hear that Meghan? When you get married I better get an invite!

In case you were wondering who my celebrity crush was the answer is Johnathon Brandis. He starred on SeaQuest DSV every Saturday night. The show was good but I was really only there for the eye candy.
Sadly he died a few years ago from complications after an attempted suicide. I was sad that one of the biggest crushs from my youth had passed. It was like a small chapter of my life was finished that day. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.

Cats in the Christmas Tree

The tree and other misc. Christmas decorations went up yesterday. That means that today there are six broken candy canes and various ornaments scattered across my living room floor. The cats play a game I call "eviction" every night after the people go to sleep. Any object that is deemed unfit is launched from the tree. Sometimes they break, thankfully, I learned long ago that glass ornaments were a no no. A small bell must have come off one off last night because Inigo helped himself to it this morning after breakfast. My tree is quite small by today's standards. Not even six foot tall. I do not think it can support the level of abuse it receives from the feline population. This reminds me of a family story.

My Aunt B had a cat named Misty from the time I could remember until I was in junior high. Misty was a bossy, mischievous (so normal) cat. Aunt B put up her tree one year and added silver tinsel. I hate the stuff. It never stays on the tree but rather becomes a festive decoration for the floor. God forbid you have carpet. You can vacuum all day and never get it all. Anyways, Misty must have been feeling the Christmas spirit because she ate the tinsel on the tree. Later when nature tried to *ahem* pass the shiny string along it did not quite make it to the litter pan. Instead Misty walks by Aunt B with pretty silver strands of tinsel hanging below her tail. You know somewhere out there is a mom who shares the same story but with her toddler. Misty the Christmas cat is a source of hilarity in our family to this day. We miss Tinsel Butt. May she rest in peace.