Trying on My Sea Legs

I have always been a boat person. I remember my first sailing trip in New Hampshire when I was 8. I loved it and from that time on I wanted to sail in a regatta. Sail around the world is my answer to "what would you do if you won the lottery?" So I was ecstatic when my dad out of the blue bought a 27 foot Watkins sailboat in January. Joe gets two weeks off in June so I decided we would sail to Key West and back, stopping and snorkeling along the way. The one problem: I didn't know how to sail.

In March I went to Charleston to take the American Sailing Association's Sailing 101 class. I passed the test but the most important thing I learned is that I was in no way ready to sail to the Keys. So we decided that our summer vacation would be a week on the boat, sailing around the river and the waterways, getting used to the boat and teaching Joe what he needed to know to be my first mate.

We headed down to Stuart with absolutely no idea what to expect. We had never seen the boat, never lived on one and Joe really doesn't have any experience with sailing at all. Our motto: It will be an adventure. Well, it is Thursday now and we have successfully lived on the boat since Saturday night. I'll save you all the details of our comedy of errors week, but here are some highlights:

• We can't, nor really want to, figure out the toilet on board, so I have to walk a quarter mile each way to the bathroom. This is only a pain since I currently get up 2-3 times a night. The worst night was after a night of drinking so I had to get up every two hours. Total mileage for that night: 3.5 miles.
• Trip 1 was ended after an hour of floating instead of sailing. There was absolutely no wind. We still had a good time, saw a dolphin and spent a good Father's Day with the entire family. As we docked, Joe fell in (with a tiny assist from me screwing his balance), lost his glasses and scratched the hell out of his hand on the pillar.
• Trip 2 was the first time with me at the helm. We went out in low tide with the goal to teach Joe how to work the sails. We ended up accidentally jibbing (when the sail swings from one side to the other, my fault), almost throwing Mary Beth into the water and losing two of my mom's decorative pillows. We headed back on a time crunch, but we were heading against the current, directly into the wind and the engine spewed out black oil and smoke. I dropped the sails too quickly, we lost momentum and certainly had a moment of "hhhmpf. Now what?" Mike and I recovered and were able to slowly, but surely, make it back to the marina and Joe made it to his eye doc on time.

Things I've learned:

• I know close to nothing about sailing.
• Living on a boat at a marina is at the same time lonely and very social. Every night the people who are anchored come into the marina and hang out. They watch movies with each other, cook out and try to entertain themselves. One night "English John" brought out his guitar and sang songs while a group of 15 or so listened for over two hours.
• Two things that are now a necessity for marina living: AC and quarters.
• If you've heard the saying that BOAT stands for "Break Out Another Thousand", I'd believe it. We now need to get the hull scraped, the engine looked at, as well as a ton of other little things. Every encounter with a fellow boat owner is a conversation about what is currently wrong with his/her boat.
• Set Plans and Sailing do not go together. We planned to sail each day. We sailed twice and are now unable to, due to possible engine issues. English John had engine issues and was told it would take a week to fix. Four weeks later, he finally got his engine back and was underway to the BVI. I may be a planner, but I am flexible when things change and can go with the flow. Joe is bothered by any change in plans. He has been great so far "making the best of it" but I know it is wearing on him and not what he really wanted for his vacation.
• Despite using essentially a lawn chair cushion for a bed and a decorative pillow, I have never slept better or harder than I do while being gently rocked all night long.
• Even with all the issues and not being able to actually sail, I was genuinely very happy and content as we sat on the back of the boat, eating dinner, watching the sun set. It would have been perfect if we were in the ocean doing that, but even in the marina, it was exactly where I wanted to be at that moment.

I don't know if living on a boat will ever happen for us. Right now we can't even agree on what kind of boat we would want. I still love sailboats and Joe wants the speed and flexibility of a powerboat. This week has been a glimpse of what life would be like and even with all the hiccups, I honestly think I could do it. Until that day happens, I know I have my dad's boat that I can use any time I want to practice using my sea legs, and right now that is enough of an adventure for me.

May Music Favorites

I cannot believe it is June already! Here are my favorite songs in May:

Song Title - Artist
Hannah - Freelance Whales
Ramblin Man - Laura Marling
3 Words - Cheryl Cole/Will I. Am.
Rill Rill - Sleigh Bells (This was also in April - so if you haven't checked them out yet, do it now!)
Sleepy Head - Passion Pit
Colorful Day - Alan Pownall
Pencil Full of Lead - Paolo Nutini
Sticks and Stones - Jamie T.
Counterpoint - Delphic
After Hours - We Are Scientists
Turn It Up - Pixie Lott

Movie Review- SATC2

Sex and the City 2 - Sarah Jessica Parker - All The Other Girls - Max Ryan- **
I used to love SATC and watched it from day one. In the beginning it was groundbreaking and inspiring and I saw each of my friends in one of the girls. (I was always Miranda). Towards the end I fell out of love with the show, though still watched. I liked Aidan. I wanted her to choose Aleksandr. But I still watched. The first movie came out and even though I was anti Mr. Big, I still went on opening night, with 10 other girls, laughed and got a little teary eyed.

So SATC 2 was released last Thursday and even though the reviews were horrible, I still wanted to go. I just felt like after watching so religiously for so many years, I had to keep up with these girls, so I lowered my expectations and went with Erin on Friday afternoon.

The movie starts off at the wedding of the two main gay guy friends of Carrie and Charlotte. The wedding is over the top, the outfits are over-over the top. Carrie's hair looks like a bad 80s crimper went crazy. So yeah, basic Sex and the City. It's been 2 years since Carrie and Big got married. Miranda is stressed at work and still trying to be a mom. Charlotte is having a rough time being a mom and having a harder time dealing with how hard it is for her. Samantha is still having sex with anything. Carrie is at that point where she is realizing since she and Big will not have kids, this is her life. At the wedding another couple asks if they are going to have kids. She says no and the couple says "But what are you going to do? It's just going to be YOU?" and then immediately turns around and stops the conversation. Then Big buys her a TV for their anniversary (so they could snuggle in bed and watch old movies) and this throws Carrie into marriage crisis mode.

Samantha ends up being hired as the publicist for a swanky new place in Abu Dhabi and takes the girls on a trip where of course, madness ensues. Samantha oozes sex in a place where that is illegal, Charlotte freaks out because she can't talk to her husband and Carrie runs into Aidan and drama ensues. Ahh the drama. Some of the scenes with Samantha are actually hard to watch. We get it - you are 55 and like having sex, but you don't have to be rude and inconsiderate (In fact, the movie was filmed in Morocco since shooting in Dubai or Abu Dhabi was denied based on moral objections) . Erin actually covered her eyes at times. The guys in it are so one dimensional it is an insult to the actors. Carrie is upset because Big is sweet and romantic? And yet, I have to admit, I did laugh out loud.

There are parts of this movie that seem real, but mostly it just seems like it is a set up for bad jokes and puns, mostly involving Samantha. It is more than anything a chick flick and I would actually say on its own it is kinda cute. But knowing what the show used to be made me a little sad. These four girls were perfectly flawed, strong yet insecure. Their friendship got them through the ups and downs and the stories that played out were relatable to any girl. The closest thing to that is a great moment between Miranda and Charlotte where Charlotte finally breaks down and admits that being a mom is hard and she isn't handling it well. That scene reminded me of the honest conversations that used to happen on the show. In this movie the girls are caricatures of the characters they usually played and that made the whole movie seem a little pathetic. Maybe I've just grown up and the SATC girls haven't. They make fun of Miranda for planning excursions and learning the speak the language. The thing that Carrie fears most in the world is becoming an "old married couple." I actually asked Erin "what's wrong with being an old married couple?"

If you were a SATC fan, lower your expectations and go see it. You will think it is cute and you might even want to hug your friends. Just don't think too much about what it used to be or what it could have been if the writers had stayed true to what the show was great at: showing women struggling with everyday life and getting by with the help of their friends.

April Music Favorites

Four months into keeping track of my favorite new hits and I am so glad I am doing this. If you are a music junkie, I'd recommend doing something similar.

Song Title ............................... Artist
Heartbeat Song.............................. Futureheads
I Saw You Blink ............................. Stornoway
She Said ............................ ..............Plan B
Chasing June ...................................Alan Pownall
Symphonies ............................ ........Dan Black
Bubbles ............................................ Biffy Clyro
Drunk Girls ...................................... LCD Soundsystem
Felicia ............................................... Constellations
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah ............................ New Politics
Mountains ........................................ Biffy Clyro
Grown on the Ground ..................... Sleigh Bells
Rill Rill... ........................................... Sleigh Bells
Lay Me Down ................................... Dirty Heads
Zorbing .............................................. Stornoway
You Will Leave A Mark .................. A Silent Film
Tighten Up ....................................... Black Keys

Movie Review- Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 - Robert Downey Jr., Gwenyth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke - *****
I loved the first Iron Man so was more than excited to see Iron Man 2 and luckily was not disappointed. Iron Man 2 is going to be a huge success and will stand up as one of the best summer action flicks. When you see it, you will agree with me.

Robert Downey Jr. reprises his famed role of Iron Man with the perfect balance of snark, sex appeal and self centered asshole-ness. Despite his flaws, he is a likable character and it is easy to see Downey in this role, or rather that Downey might actually be this person. Mickey Rourke is OK but not really given much to work with other than "Be a menacing Russian Physicist with dirty nails". I'm not going to go into too much detail because it is Iron Man 2 and there really doesn't need to be a lot said about it. There is a bad guy, a smarmy bad guy, a good guy turned bad guy, secret agents, hot women, government trying to take the "weapon" from him and a WHOLE lotta action.

But overall this movie is fun to see. The dialogue is witty, the technology (and Downey himself) is cool, the women are smart, strong and gorgeous and the effects are incredibly good. It is hard to make a good sequel but Jon Favreau has done just that. Sure, it's predictable and a bit corny, but you should go see this movie expecting an action packed, good time.

Movie Reviews - Chicks Flick, Social Commentary and Polanksi Oh My!

I love going to movies and I REALLY love when there are less than 10 people in the theater. So I was pretty happy about my birthday weekend movie pics - all less than 10 people!

The Back-Up Plan - Jennifer Lopez, Alex McLaughlin - **
I have to say a HUGE thank you to Sarah Waterrose for going to see this movie with me. Sarah's not a huge chick flick viewer and the thought of seeing a movie with J-Lo, all about having babies, probably made her skin crawl. But she hung in there in honor of my birthday week. She wins Friend of the Month!! I wanted to see this movie because of Alex McLaughlin, who I loved in Moonlight a few years ago. That show was not bad, but got cancelled. Then he starred in Three Rivers, which quickly got cancelled. I think he needs to fire his agent as his work choices are steadily going down hill. The Back Up Plan is a cute premise, and J-Lo's nose is equally adorable, but overall this movie is not great. J-Lo is a thirty something single woman who knows she wants a family but doesn't have a man in her life. She decides to be a single mom and be artificially inseminated. She leaves the fertility clinic, jumps in a cab and meets McLoughlin's character, who has jumped in the same cab from the other side. Through a series of coincidences, they run into each other a few more times and eventually start to date, just as J-Lo realizes she is pregnant. McLoughlin decides to stick around and hilarity and drama ensue. This could be a really cute movie, but J-Lo's character is just annoying and McLoughlin is too perfect. Not to be old-fashioned, but I couldn't help but walk away from this movie thinking that it is bad for society and young women to see this. It's easy it is to have a baby, even twins! Who worries about money? You'll be happy, well rested and perfect if you have a baby or babies, even if you do it alone! UGH. If movies have a responsibility to not show characters smoking to limit teenage smoking, I think the same should be said for glamorizing parenthood. As for The Back Up Plan, skip it. Wait and check out McLaughlin in the upcoming Hawaii Five-0. He'll be just as cute and you won't want to vomit, or impetuously procreate.

Ghost Writer - Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Timothy Hutton and Olivia Williams - ****
Obviously Roman Polanksi is well known as a director but I was not familiar with his work, only his legal woes (vast understatement). A quick search of imdb.com revealed that I had not seen a single movie he wrote or directed, until Ghost Writer, and now I want to see more. Ghost Writer is a mystery, spy thriller intelligently done. McGregor is hired to finish the memoirs of the former British Prime Minister after the previous ghost writer suddenly turns up dead. The pace is slow, characters are developed well as the intrigue builds and McGregor finds more details that put his life in jeopardy. The cast (with the exception of Cattrall who bugged me) is supreme and Olivia Williams (most recently in Dollhouse) steals the show. Check out this movie for a nod to how movies used to be; well thought out pieces of art.

The Joneses - David Duchovny, Demi Moore, Gary Cole- ****
I tweet, I facebook. I am usually an early adopter, if not, definitely in the early majority. I also work in sales and have a marketing and public relations background. So I really appreciated The Joneses, a movie about self marketing. Duchovny and Moore along with their two children move into an upscale neighborhood, sporting all the coolest clothing, toys and food. Their life looks perfect, except it is all a fake. They are not a family, they are a team of sales people whose job is to introduce specific products into the marketplace. They seem cool and trendy and others want to buy the showcased items in order to "keep up with the Joneses". I won't say any more because I think this movie is better if you know nothing about it. Go see it. You will leave thinking about what you buy, why you buy it and the state of consumerism in America. Plus, Demi Moore looks gorgeous, David Duchovny solidly remains in my top 3 and you will be thinking about Gary Cole for hours afterwards.

TV Picks- Summer Lovin!

Last year Erin got rid of cable during the summer because she thought there was "nothing on." GASP! Even though summer gets its share of crap stuff, there is plenty to check out to keep you from being active, reading or having a life.

Here are my picks for Summer 2010 TV Season as well as commentary. (Please note CBS had not released its lineup as of 4/26)

Monday
8pm
Lie to Me, FOX: This show is based on the real life research of Cal Lightman (played by Tim Roth). The story lines sometime mirror actual events and have a good mix of drama, humor and intelligent dialogue. Lightman studies lies and can tell who is lying and who is telling the truth. One of the neatest features is the collection of real world, famous"liars" demonstrating the small facial ticks that the episode has highlighted. It is neat to watch and I guarantee you will study people more after watching. Returns June 7th

9pm
The Good Guys, FOX: The previews for this look really, really stupid and not in a funny way. BUT, J'adore Bradley Whitford so will probably give it a shot. Begins June 7th

Last Comic Standing, NBC: The first years of this were great. Then it became less reality and more a showcase for the less than funny comedians the network wanted to promote. So if The Good Guys sucks, I might check this out just to see if by any chance in hell the "talent scouts" actually put the really funny people through. Returns June 7th

10pm
Persons Unknown, NBC: I don't know much about this other than the creator is the same guy that did The Usual Suspects, which I loved. Alan Ruck stars and those two facts are enough for me to give it our usual three tries. Begins June 7th

Tuesday
9pm
Warehouse 13, SyFy: So this is probably the summer programming of which most think; light, fluffy, low production budget, but to me it is also fun and a little cheesy. Returns July 13

Wednesday
8pm
So You Think You Can Dance, FOX: I have watched this religiously since day 1. Judge all you want, but this show makes me happy. Returns June 2nd

10pm
Happy Town, ABC: This is a new drama which I will give my standard 3 episode try. A sleepy town begins to have unexplined kidnappings. The cast is noteworthy, starring Steven Weber, Sam Neill, Frances Conroy and Dean Winters. It begins April 28, so I'd check it out and go from there. Begins April 28th

Thursday
9pm
SYTYCD Results Show, FOX: meh. Sometimes I skip this. I just want to know who got kicked off.

Burn Notice, USA: If you have not seen this show, you MUST. It is smart, funny, sexy and just a good time. If that recommendation doesn't sell you, I have one name for you: Bruce Campbell. I KNOW! This show is a must watch in my household. Returns June 3rd

10pm
Royal Pains, USA: If Burn Notice is a scoring home run, USA gets a double with Royal Pains....maybe a single. It is great Sunday afternoon couch TV. If you fall asleep while watching, no biggie. Returns June 3rd

Friday
9pm
Eureka, SyFy: My inner geek squealed when Shelia told me about this show starring hottie Colin Ferguson in a show about a town full of geniuses. Smart, hot boys? I'm in. Ferguson's character isn't a genius, but he is adorable and the show is a fun way to kill some time. If you haven't seen it, check out the Eureka marathon on SyFy on May 9th. Season 4 returns July 9th

10pm
Haven, SyFy: This is a new show starring Eric Balfour. I first remember Balfour from Six Feet Under but turns out he was in Kids Incorporated! and has worked steadily since 1991. I like him even though he oozes smarm, and I generally like SyFy's programming so will give this a 3 episode go. Begins July 9th.

Sunday
(yep, I skipped Saturday. Saturdays are for catching up on all the TV I TiVo'd that week, movies and UFC fights) Sunday is a big day and I have to think HBO is to blame for this, since Sunday was the day for cool new programs. Luckily most of these shows air multiple times a week so TiVo will help me catch them all.

9pm
Weeds, Showtime: Last year was good. Last year's cliff hanger was great. Hopefully this season will be fantastic. Returns August 16th.

The Gates, ABC: Not a lot of details on this one other than it is a drama about a sleepy mountain town (or is it?!) and a family that moves into a gated community there. Drama and crimes ensue. Begins June 20th

Rubicon, AMC: I like James Badge Dale (The Black Donnellys and The Pacific) and think the shows he picks are smart and edgy. So I will give this one a go: (from AMC's press release, April 2010) "Rubicon" is a conspiracy thriller set in a NYC-based government intelligence agency, API, where nothing is what it seems. The series focuses on a beleaguered analyst, Will Travers, who, faced with a shocking tragedy, begins to uncover clues that point to a complex and
sinister conspiracy. Begins August 1st

Ocho Cinco, VH1: This might be trash or it might be great TV. Either way I am sure it is going to office water cooler worthy, at least in the beginning. Begins July 11th

Next Food Network Star, Food Network: I have watched this off and on for a number of years. Sometimes I care, sometimes I don't. I'll check it out and see if I care this year. Returns June 6th

10pm
Big C, Showtime: This is a new show about a woman who has cancer. I loved Oliver Platt in Huff and am a recent fan of Gabourey Sidibe after SNL 4/24/10 so I will check this out. Begins August 16

Top Shot, History Channel: This is a new reality game show that highlights those crazy shots that have been told throughout the years; William Tell shooting an apple off his son's head, Annie Oakley using a mirror to shoot a rifle over her shoulder. I am by no means a gun girl (they make me cry) but I am amazed with creative marksmanship so I will check this out. Begins June 6th.

Leverage, TNT: I like Timothy Hutton and the rest of this cast is watchable enough. The stories are OK and I put this in our summer TiVo rotation just in case there isn't anything on. Sometimes we watch it, sometimes we don't. So if you are bored, check it out. If not, you aren't missing anything amazing. Returns June 20th

So there are my Summer 2010 television picks. As soon as the Fall Schedules are released I will do a Fall Picks (usually in May). Happy TV Watching!