lizziebelle

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Not a lot has been happening around here lately. The weather has been pretty dismal, with lots of rain and grey, broody skies. This does not help my feeling of being overwhelmed by the world. I do try to get out of the house every day, but some days I fail at even that.

I did make it to the wildlife sanctuary last week, where I found lots of lovely pink lady's slipper orchids (though not nearly as many as I should have; I suspect people are picking them, as I found a lot of flower-less plants).

It was cool and green in the woods, with lots of birdsong and ferns.

There's a red tailed hawk that's been hanging out atop the spire at the UU church downtown.

I've seen it there several times. Must be a good lookout place for it.

These lovely little flowers have been popping up in our yard. I'm told they're called Star of Bethlehem.

Speaking of hawks and backyards, my neighbors had to put a chicken run back in the trees because one hawk decided our backyard was an all-you-can-eat chicken buffet, and had killed several of the girls. No more chickens wandering around the yard, but I'm glad they're safe. And the guys bought a bunch of chicks, which are growing fast. They're so cute, and their little peeps make me smile. One of the hens is playing mother to them.

I went to see "Wonder Woman" the other day, and I liked it a lot. It's not perfect, but then what movie is? It was refreshing to see a strong female lead who was not just eye candy or assisting the men. I wouldn't bother to see it in 3D, though. It really didn't add anything to the experience. Save the four bucks for popcorn.

Beltane morning was cloudy and dreary, but it wasn't raining so I went to Cambridge to celebrate with the Morris dancers and friends. For some reason my phone didn't want to take pictures (I think it was too full of podcasts), and my camera doesn't take great pix in low light, so I didn't take too many photos. I did get a few of Justin and an anonymous fella, both dressed in cloaks and Green Man masks:

I had wanted to go to Mount Auburn, but since it was chilly and cloudy, I decided instead to just go back home and take a nap.

In the afternoon, I walked down to the library to pick up a book they had on hold for me (Elizabeth Kostova's new one, SHADOW LAND). There were a lot of people and trucks around, due to the movie that's filming on Main Street this week. All I really know about it is that it (supposedly) stars David Spade, who may or may not have been there. His stunt double certainly was; one of the scenes they were shooting was him being thrown through the barber shop window. I didn't see anything happening, just a lot of people and cops hanging around in front of Vic's barber shop. I saw the catering truck down the street, and all the equipment trucks in the Elks Club parking lot. Today, most of it was gone.

Exciting times in our little town. I'm more excited about the bagel shop that's opening soon.

As I knew it would, winter has returned. At least this time it didn't bring more snow with it, just bitter cold. After the very mild temperatures last week, it feels even colder. I never even left the house yesterday, I just stayed cocooned in my apartment.

Earlier this week, the daffodils in front of my office gave us a tease of spring blossoms.

We'll need a few more warm days before those buds bloom.

The most exciting thing from my week was the release of Doctor Strange on disc. It was my first Blu-Ray purchase. I have to say it was just as enjoyable the second time, and the extras were a lot of fun. Definitely my favorite Marvel flick so far.

*************

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of my dad's passing. It seems unbelievable that it's been that long. I often think about him, especially when I see a movie or TV show that I know he'd like. I wish he could've seen his granddaughter grow up. He'd be so proud of her. She was the light of his life. I wish she could've had more time with him, like I had with my grandfather. Life is so short, and it goes by so quickly.

There is still some color left, but more and more trees are bare now, ready for winter. I'm trying to get out every day to enjoy what's left of autumn before it's all gone.

I went to see "Doctor Strange" on Thursday night. They had a secret screening a day early, so I got to beat the weekend crowds. I absolutely loved it! I had high expectations, and they weren't let down. I even didn't mind (much) that Benedict had an American accent in it. He was fantastic, just perfect for that role. Everyone in it was great. I will probably see it again in the theatre, and buy it when it comes out on DVD. Such a treat, especially after being disappointed in the last couple of Marvel movies.

I start a new job on Monday, and I'm both nervous and excited. It's for a web services company, which is right up my alley (much more so than the last couple of gigs). I worked really hard to get it, too; in addition to the phone and in-person interviews, I had to do a couple of test calls so they could hear my phone manner and pitch style. I really hope this works out, because the company sounds awesome.

I am attempting to do NaNoWriMo again this year. I haven't had a lot of words yet, but I'm pretty happy with what's come out of me so far. I've had a couple of fun ideas about how to structure the story, partially inspired by a classic of horror literature that has come up repeatedly in the last month or so. Figuring out how to work it all in has been a fun challenge.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

I rarely go see major movies on opening weekend, but I just couldn't wait, so I went to see the new Star Wars this morning. I was happy to see a 9:00 a.m. showing, since the nearest theatre is at the mall down the street and it's the Saturday before Christmas, which my years of retail experience tells me is the actual busiest shopping day of the year, despite all the hype of Black Friday. There were plenty of parking spaces and the theatre was nicely uncrowded.

I'm not going to spoil it, but I'll put it ( behind a cut anyway. )

So, yeah. I loved it. If you are in any way a fan of the original movie, go see it. Don't sit there counting how many lens flares J.J. added, just enjoy the show. And it's definitely worth seeing in 3D.

Nice, if a bit windy, day today. It was nice to not have to bundle up to go outside. I went over to Gates Pond for a walk, but the batteries in my camera died just as I got there. Oh, well! I did take another walk along the rail trail after stopping at CVS for more batteries, but there wasn't a whole lot worth taking pictures of there, except for the chickens in someone's back yard bordering the trail. I did hear lots of frogs in both places, and even a few peepers! I'll take that as a sign that winter really is over.

I went with some friends to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier last night. I enjoyed it a lot, it was very good. I liked what they had to say about trading freedom for security, very topical, and one of the things that SF is so good at. Chris Evans was perfect casting, you really believe he is a displaced WWII soldier. Plus, he's a local boy (from Sudbury), and used to go to my hairdresser, Tina. Is that one degree of separation? Or two? I can never remember how that works.

If you're a fan of corvids (and who isn't, really?), there's a livecam of a pair of ravens who built a nest on a fire escape at Wellesley College. You can see it here. Should be fun once the youngsters hatch!

Now that the snow has melted, my daffodils are making an appearance. Yay!

tracks in the snow, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

It's been a mostly interesting few days. Interesting in a mostly good way. I had a good week at work, making five sales for the first time in a while. Made it through two snowstorms with little trouble. It got warm at the end of the week and much of the snow melted. Friday was our company holiday luncheon; they took us to a Japanese steakhouse, which was fun. I'd never been to one before. Unfortunately, we got the one chef who decided to cook on just the one grill (there were two for each table) and of course it was the one on the other side from me. My boss, who was sitting next to me, was not happy about that. But our CEO gave us each a card with two movie tickets in it, so I wasn't too upset.

My Solstice day was quiet and nice. I took a walk along the rail trail, pictured above. It was nice to see the sun. I'm looking forward to the lengthening days ahead.

I went to see the Hobbit movie with friends this afternoon, and then we went to Bertucci's for some lovely mushroom & asiago pizza. Yum. I liked this film better than the first one, and even though it diverges quite wildly from the book, it was entertaining. The dragon is incredible, and of course has the voice of one of my favorite actors (Benedict Cumberbatch). It could have used more Martin Freeman/Bilbo, though. It is his story, after all.

It's going to be a mixed-up week, with Christmas falling smack in the middle, but somehow I'll muddle through. Right now, I must bake shortbread and wrap up my boss' gift. Happy Solstice, Festivus, Christmas, holiday-of-your-choice!

you can't see me, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day, I just had to get outside. I took a walk along the river path, where this chipmunk thought I couldn't see him. Hee hee!

We are definitely past peak color, but it's still pretty out there.

My boss was giving movie passes last week as an end-of-the-month incentive, and I ended up with four of them, so I invited some friends to come with me to see 'Gravity" this afternoon. Wow, what an amazing movie! It really felt like we were in space. So intense. This was definitely worth seeing in the theatre, and in 3D. The fact that it co-stars my future husband was just icing on the cake. Sandra Bullock is so good in this film. Highly recommended!

in bloom, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

Ended what was probably the most bizarre week ever over at L's yesterday evening, with friends, food, and cocktails on a warm spring night, celebrating the end of the saga in Boston and Watertown with great tunes and dancing on the porch. Gosh, I love my friends. What a relief. I am so glad they took him alive; I was afraid it would end with suicide-by-cop. I hope we find out why this happened, and that they don't mess it up.

After waking up far too early this morning, I actually took a nap. I really needed that. Acted like a slug for a bit more, then walked up to the library to get a couple DVDs (season 1 of The Wild Wild West (!) and The Avengers) and marveled at the leaves and flowers bursting out all over. I talked gardening with my next-door neighbor, and have the windows open. It is finally, gloriously spring. And tomorrow I'm going plant shopping at Seven Arrows Herb Farm with sea_dark_wine.

Aaaaahhhhhhhhh.

Current Mood: relieved
Current Location: the aerie
Current Music: birdsong through the open window

I didn't have much in the way of plans for the weekend, and that is a good thing. I needed to just relax, catch up on sleep, and not feel obligated for much. Yesterday, I didn't get a whole lot accomplished, and that's just fine.

I went down to mum's this afternoon to hang out with the family and consume corned beef & cabbage. Yum.

I started re-reading The Princess Bride last night. There's a lot I'd forgotten, especially after seeing the movie so many times. It's a fun book, and one of the few movie adaptations I've really loved.

When I got home, I went to put out the trash barrels for pickup tomorrow morning. One of them looked like ( this: )

Tee hee!

Current Mood: amused
Current Location: the aerie

The overwhelming majority of votes were cast for "Iris," so Iris it is! I think it fits well with her pretty purple cover. Yay!

Verizon sent me an email today telling me I could rent a movie for just $2.99, so I went to their website to see if anything looked good. I got a pop-up message telling me my first rental is free, so I think that's what I'll do tonight. Maybe I'll finally watch Dark Shadows now that I don't have to pay for it.

I'm hoping a friend will be able to take me car shopping this weekend. This being carless really stinks. Somehow I have to get laundry done, too. That can't wait another week. Well, it can, but by then it will be more than two loads, and I only have two laundry baskets. Friends I was hoping could help me out are out of town this weekend. Phooey. We don't have public transportation this far out of Boston and Worcester, and I don't fancy paying for a cab to do laundry.

I'm really glad it's finally the weekend, and a long one to boot. Since I can't really go anywhere, I'll have plenty of time to get to know Iris better. I'm so happy to have her! It's nice when things go right for a change.

porch décor, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I really like this house. It's one of the houses I included in my Picture Westfield portfolio. It looks quite festive in its holiday decorations.

It was very cold here in New England this weekend. I walked down to the library yesterday and took out a couple of movies: The Time Traveler's Wife and The Lovely Bones. Both based on books I had read, and both, I imagine, difficult to make the transition to film. I think both did a pretty good job of it, 'though I liked TTTW better of the two. The girl who played Susie in TLB is remarkable; I can see a long career ahead for her if she chooses to stay with acting.

I went for a somewhat shorter walk today, because it was just too durned cold. It never made it past the upper twenties. :::brr::: I'm not ready for winter! We're in the stretch of darkest days now: although the Solstice is Thursday, the days don't start actually getting longer until the 26th. At least we've passed the earliest sunset already.

I'm looking forward to the return of the light.

climbing, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

No matter what the calendar says; as is usual in New England, the seasons arrive when they get here. It's cold, therefore it is winter.

At least we had a nice, sunny weekend. I took a walk down to Grandmothers' Garden today, where everything is crispy and dormant. You can see more on my photo blog.

They finally had the movie "Hereafter" at the library, which I watched last night. It was not quite what I was expecting, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I liked that it was about the characters and their journeys, and not about the special effects or even the subject matter. Its pacing was a bit strange, and it was difficult to see how the various storylines would intersect, but overall I think it worked. I had forgotten that it was directed by Clint Eastwood; I liked that he said (in the extras) that decisions about the film were made to serve the story. He's a storyteller. That's what films should be about: story, and characters. :)

pleasant garden, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

It's been too hot to go walking at lunch or after work all week, so I got up at five this morning (oh yes, I did!) and walked down to the park and woods. It was nice and cool, and quiet (if a bit buggy). It was also cloudy; not great conditions for pictures, but I took some anyway. Because I'm me. *g*

Of course, it's back to being sunny and hot, so I'm hiding out in the batcave for the afternoon. And of course I took a nap.

I went to see the new (and last) Harry Potter after work yesterday. I'd planned to see the 5:30 show, but since it was slow I left early, and made it in time for the 5:00 3D showing. Spoilers below!

( thoughts about the movie )

If you've seen the other seven, and enjoyed them, it's worth seeing. The 3D is mostly gimmicky; it feels like they did it because they felt they had to, rather than to enhance the story.

If you've seen it, what did you think? Beware, possible spoilers in the comments!

pleasant garden, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

lovely, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

It finally got warm, even hot today. As usual; it was in the fifties yesterday, and about eighty today. A couple of weeks in the seventies would be nice, but that almost never happens in spring. It goes straight from cool to hot.

At least the irises are finally starting to bloom. So many pretty flowers!

They had "Red" at the library, which I've wanted to see since I saw the trailer for it last year. *Love* Helen Mirren. I want to be her when I grow up.

lovely, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

Spring in November, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

This has been the weirdest year ever. All sorts of things blooming out of season. Today, it was the cherry trees at Amelia Park.

I went to a late matinée of the new Harry Potter. Yeah, I couldn't wait until Tuesday. I liked it a lot. It follows the book much more closely than the previous films. You really get a sense of the despair and desperation of Harry, Hermione and Ron. I cannot wait to see what they do with Part 2. I think we may have to leave camp to go see it next July.

Spring in November, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

peek through, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

Since my tax refund made it into my bank account, I decided to splurge a whole six bucks and go see Ironman 2 today. It was a fun movie; if you enjoyed the first one, you'll probably enjoy this one too. Robert Downey, Jr. was born to play Tony Stark.

The guy sitting behind me didn't find it so captivating, though; I heard snoring several times. Expensive nap, that. *g*

On the way home, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to stop at Mittineague Park, the place I went with Flickr friend Rusty a while back. I took one of the trails, and it was very pleasant.

( in the woods )

After an early supper, I walked down to the library to pick up a book I'd ordered, and was appalled to see this:

The reason this is appalling is because there should be trees between me and the church, but they've cut them down. All of them. Every single tree on the green. It was sickening.

I assume they cut them down because of the construction on that street, but I will be sad every time I pass by there now. :(

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