Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Conversations with Strangers, People Watching & Movies

Today's blogs...

Welcome To My Reality - Week Eighty - Four

4. Tell us about the last conversation you had with a stranger while waiting in line.

I do this all the time... but can I remember what we talked about? It is not important. Just a conversation to bring happiness and light to others and to myself. My husband doesn’t understand my need to share a bit of myself, show a bit of vulnerability to link my humanity with another person. I think it is important to say ‘hi’ and connect, whether it is merely a smile or something more.

I did tell a pregnant lady, who was considering what rice to buy, that there was California rice sold in the organic aisle. I had just heard that rice from China and regions around there have high levels of arsenic in the ground. I wanted her to make a safe choice... without forcing the issue.

5. When you are out one day this week choose two people (together or separate) to observe. Come back and tell us what you remember most about them, what you think "their story is".

I love doing this... particularly at coffee shops. You'll see a guy working on a laptop in the middle of the afternoon - it's a weekday. So I wonder what is he doing? Is he working? What kind of job lets him work out of an office like that? Sales? His own business - online? Consulting? Will he conduct his meetings here - have this Starbucks, with it's free refills as his 'office'. Does he come everyday or only on the days he doesn't do his other job? Like me, does he come here to write? Much will depend on his outfit - casual dressy - which is Kacki pants and a collared golf shirt. No tie or suit coat; though it is warm out.

I would say he is working and that this Starbucks is one of hi 'offices' away from home. He will be met my others and they will converse about some kind of thing - maybe what the person is looking to buy. I checked out working from home and they have a position of websearch evaluator - the person does four hours a day Monday to Friday. They can do the hours at any time of the day.... so what if this part time work balances out his working as a supply teacher? That would be cool.

Over by the tables with tall stools to sit on is a younger guy with his laptop open and a large textbook open. Papers are also spread around, like he is working on a term paper or something for school.

I find it interesting how many single people hang around at Starbucks working on laptops. Most of the chatty couples are outside on the patio.

6. Write a review about the most recent movie you watched. What you would you have done differently if it was your movie. A recast maybe, different location or does the writer in you want to revise the script?

What was the last movie I saw? Can I even remember? I know a lot of movies I have seen of late have been from books made into movies - The Hobbit, Divergent, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter... I still have yet to see Mockingjay Part 1 and Insurgent. All of these come from amazing books so I don't see changing the story that much. I like the casting as well and the locations are well done.

The Hobbit comes from a place of fantasy yet the movie carves out these places within our own world... sure computer graphics and effects are huge, but the technology has made it so that so much can be done to make things seem so real. The actors who play the characters play their roles so well you cannot easily disipher character from the actor. Gandalf is Ian McKellen and Ian McKellen is Gandalf. You cannot change that. I hate it when some movies (The Mummy series) try to change an actor or actress in a follow up sequel. It just should not be done. The Hobbit, like The Lord of The Rings, has remained faithful to its characterizations in casting.

My only issue with The Hobbit movies is that it was stretched into 3 movies instead of only 2. I thought that was a bit much. I realize they did not want to cut anything out but.... it almost seemed done to excess. Like they wanted to get as much money out of the franchise as they possibly could.