Movie Review: The Hunger Games

This weekend, Nathan and I (and the rest of the country, apparently) went to see "The Hunger Games." Now, normally we avoid going to movies on opening weekend if we can, but we'll be so busy the next few weeks and I didn't want to wait. Luckily, it was OK, aside from the semi-loud woman who was, of course, sitting right behind us.

Now, if you haven't seen the movie or read the books, STOP reading. Consider this a spoiler alert, because I'm going to talk about what I liked and didn't like about the movie. It will also contain some book spoilers. So stop. Now.

What I Liked:
*I actually liked all of the casting decisions. I didn't think I would like Katniss, but as the movie went on, she seemed like the right choice.
*I liked the music and sound effects they had throughout the movie (except for the ringing after the explosion, because I have actual ringing in my ears!). I thought it added a lot to the plot.
*Overall, I liked the adaptation--it's an already disturbing plot, and seeing it made it even more so. Nathan and I agreed that the scene at the cornucopia was very hard to watch.
*The costumes. Gorgeous.

What I Didn't LIke:
This section is more of a "what I wished they included" that I think made the movie less effective than the book.
*The girl from district 12 who works in the capitol.
*More on how she knew the berries were poisonous (or her mother)
*Her relationship with Rue.
*My sister pointed this out, but definitley more on her relationship with Gael. They hardly looked at this and it becomes pretty important. (Also, I always said Guy-al, thanks to that episode of How I Met Your Mother!)

So, those are my thoughts. What did everyone else think?

Library Love: Checked Out

Here are some books I've checked out lately, in case anyone is looking for new reading material.

Read:
Pretty in plaid : Lancaster, Jen 
Silver girl : Hilderbrand, Elin
Savannah breeze. Andrews, Mary Kay
Stories from Candyland. Spelling, Candy

To Read:
With a little luck : Crane, Caprice.
My fair lazy : Lancaster, Jen,
The bride will keep her name.Goldstein, Jan,
Girl in translation. Kwok, Jean.
All we ever wanted was everything. Brown, Janelle.
This is where we live. Brown, Janelle.

Loving Lately

*SPRING! Today is the official first day of spring, but we've been lucky to have some nice weather already. Shelby has totally become an outside dog and just sits out there in the grass with her eyes half-closed, sniffing the air. That is, when she's not getting in trouble in the mud like she did today. Nathan has worked on building her some agility equipment, a tunnel and two jumps, so she's been practicing for class. Nathan also put down the grass seed, and lucky for me, the rain has been watering it this week. Our landscaping is coming back, too, and I'm hoping my lilac blooms this year. The magnolia bush already started!

*SMASH. I am probably weird and fast forward through most of the singing, but I love the premise, I love the characters, and I love Marilyn. One of my favorite new shows. (Oh, and GCB, but I love Leslie Bibb.)

*RedBox. Saturday I finally got to see "Young Adult," and it was definitely something that did not live up to my expectations because I had set them so high. But I did love "My Week With Marilyn." Also different than I thought it would be, but in a good way.

*The library. I have an unbelievable (and maybe unreadable in three weeks) number of books checked out. Come back tomorrow to see what I've been reading lately.

*Cucumber water. Never thought I'd like such a thing, but had it this weekend and now want to make it everyday. It will be a perfet summer drink.

*Pinterest cleaning tips. My particular favorites are using a grapefruit and salt to scrub the tub and putting a cup of vinegar in a bowl in the dishwasher to clean it. 

*Road Trips. OK, I don't love the actual driving part, but I loved seeing my family two weekends ago. It was a super fun weekend and I came home with lots of treasures from my childhood.

A Confession

This weekend, Nathan and I went bowling together for the first time. Which also means I have not been bowling in three and a half years, at least. I actually don't even remember the last time I went bowling. There is a reason, of course: I am probably the worst bowler ever. Now, Nathan thought he was the worst bowler ever, and so we decided that whoever lost would make breakfast the next morning, and he was so confident that he was going to lose. Also, yes, we were being competitive about who was the worst bowler, not the best. Guess who made breakfast yesterday? Me. Nathan had at least four strikes in two games, and I had at least four times I actually knocked pins over in two games. The small children next to us were kicking my butt. And the bowling alley we went to doesn't let grownups put the bumpers on, bummer.

And that's the end of my bowling story. I dare someone to challenge me for worst bowler ever.