The Adventures of Gina: March 2008

Monday, March 24, 2008

Easter Weekend

I actually had a bit of a social life this past weekend! On Friday night, Dan came over for a little visit to cheer my spirits (although, I ended up trying to cheer his!) Saturday and Sunday morning, I spent with the Brenne's and at Sammamish Presbyterian Church. Campbelle sang her little heart out in a children's choir; she did warn me that part of her song goes pretty fast and it might be hard to keep up! She did great! On Sunday, I went out for sushi and saw the movie "In Bruges." I loved this movie and highly recommend to anyone who loves those witty English comedies.

Here is a synopsis:

Bruges was filmed on location; Bruges (pronounced "broozh"), the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travelers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists. Ray, still haunted by the bloodshed in London, hates the place, while Ken, even as he keeps a fatherly eye on Ray's often profanely funny exploits, finds his mind and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity of the city. But the longer they stay waiting for Harry's call, the more surreal their experience becomes, as they find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloë, who may have some dark secrets of her own. And when the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Ray's vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Punctuation Quiz

My sister, Jill, had recently posted this puncutation quiz.

I am a dash:

Your life is fast paced and varied.

You are realistic, down to earth, and very honest.

You're often busy doing something interesting, and what you do changes quickly.

You have many facets to your personality, and you connect them together well.

You have a ton of interests. While some of them are a bit offbeat, they all tie together well.

You friends rely on you to bring novelty and excitement to their lives.(And while you're the most interesting person they know, they can't help feeling like they don't know you well.)

You excel in: Anything to do with money (that is a joke!)

You get along best with: the Exclamation Point

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Sorry Saps

I was in Covington for construction meetings today and it was quite a sight to see; the contractor, George, who broke his fibula while playing soccer last week, and I, both hobbling around the job site on our crutches!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Saturday Night Movie

I was feeling pretty confident on Thursday when Doug asked if I wanted to go to a movie on Saturday night. However, about an hour before he picked me up, I had a little anxiety attack about tripping and falling on my crutches or worse, someone stepping on my toes! After a little "you will be fine” talk, I reluctantly proceeded with the evening. The only two movies that even sort-of appealed to me during this post Oscar season, were In Burges and The Band’s Visit, both of which were playing at the historic Harvard Exit Theater (historic meaning not required to have an elevator!) Since only one of it’s theaters is accessible (I was not going to do 2 flights stairs) we left it up to fate to determine which movie we saw…and The Band’s Visit it was!

It was one of those “stop and smell the roses” type of movie. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to be added to your rental queue. Here is the synopsis:

Israeli filmmaker Eran Kolirin’s debut feature, THE BAND’S VISIT, is a subtle, heartfelt, and humane work that goes a long way toward dissolving the incredibly complex cultural divide that continues to plague the Middle East. When the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra flies from Egypt to Israel to perform at the opening of an Arab culture center, they are left stranded at the airport. Their leader, Tewfiq, orders the handsome violinist, Khaled, to solve their predicament, but it turns out that he’s gotten the wrong information. By that time, it’s too late. All eight members are left standing alone in a quiet desert town far from their intended destination with no way to get where they need to go. Tired,hungry, and confused, they find shelter at a restaurant run by the pretty but brash Dina. It’s clear that Dina is bored with her lonely life, so she talks Tewfiq into letting the band stay over for the night: he and Khaled will stay with her, and the others will be put up at the home of Itzik. Over the course of the night, Tewfiq and Dina bond, Khaled helps a hapless local discover his inner Romeo, and the other band members find themselves caught up in a domestic situation that is less than perfect. Kolirin perfectly navigates his film’s slice-of-life tone, blending comedy and drama and poignancy without ever succumbing to one completely. In the wrong hands, this material could turn into a quirk-fest that parodies everyday life. Yet under Kolirin’s assured command, it becomes something that feels like life itself. THE BAND’S VISIT is funny, lonely, inspiring, sad, and beautiful all at once.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Scooter Girl

As some of you know, I have had some foot problems probably since 7th grade when I fractured the bones on the side of each foot while hiking, in keds, at Placerville Church Camp. My podiatrist back then, said they would eventually turn into bunions and would start to cause some significant pain. I started feeling more pain a couple years ago. I am not sure if the hundreds of miles I have been walking over the past 4 summers for the Breast Cancer 3-Day or my attempt to play soccer caused it, but whatever it was, I needed to do something to relieve the pain. So, after a couple nonsurgical attempts to remedy the pain, I opted for surgery. At 7:15am last week Thursday, I checked into the hospital to fix my left foot. The surgery entailed removing my bunions on both the outside and inside of my foot, taking bone out of my 2nd and 3rd toe and lengthen the tendon that extents to the bottom of my foot. The surgery took about 2 ½ hours and luckily, I slept through the entire thing!

The typical recovery for this type of surgery is 8 to 10 weeks non-weight bearing on my foot. With that in mind, I will finally get to the title of this blog “scooter girl.” After much thought, I decided to get a knee scooter to move around in both my apartment and office, and wow, that was the right decision; I am not sure if I would have lasted 2 months on crutches!

Vegas, Baby

So…you all know the saying “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Having said that, here are some ‘sharable’ highlights of my recent trip with long time friends, Natalie and Julie.
We stayed at a fairly new spa hotel one block off the strip, The Platinum Hotel . It was perfect setting for a relaxing girl’s get-a-way weekend.

On Saturday, we took a leisurely stroll up and down the strip. Did some shopping. Stopped at an oxygen bar for a little rejuvenation.

Met Nicolas Cage (who knew he was such a nice guy!!)

Were serenaded in a bar.

Went to a show, Ice.
Sunday was our spa day. WOW, is all I can say about this spa. It was complete with robes and slippers, lounge chairs and a steam room in the women’s lounge, and a quite area, if you just want to get away. Very chic!
We finished our weekend retreat with a fabulous dinner at Emeril’s restaurant at the MGM.
I had a great time, girls…I can’t wait to make this an annual trip…and next year it will be somewhere warmer, I promise!!