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A place for random thoughts, ideas, and fun! |
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What really goes on in Amy's brain? I'll use this space to share more about myself and my interests, journal some of the more exciting goings-on in my life, and work through some of the writing ideas and dilemmas I'm wrestling with. Enjoy! Movie Review Mondays . . . if you watch a film after reading a review, please come back and let me know what you thought!    |
My daughter joined WDC this week! Dhoc-li Llama   Sarah has been writing stories for as long as she’s been able to hold a pencil. From a very early age, I knew that language was her forte. Even in her early school work, her personal style and character came through. She is as unique as a snowflake – there’s not another like her anywhere, and I love that about her. In her interests, her passions, and her dreams, she’s always followed her own path. Winding through the labyrinths of Sarah’s imagination is always an adventure. Not only with the written word is she creative. Her artwork is also quite unique, and is always expressive of her interests. Her work in Scupley clay – intricate, tiny, detailed and delicate – is a joy to her and to those around her. For a few years she made almost exclusively little otters. They’re darling little creatures - each unique - with large, expressive eyes and charming detail. Most recently she’s discovered the joys of Dragons (with a capital D). Colorful, detailed, some with wings unfurled and some tucked in snugly, her Scupley dragons look as though they could stand up, stretch, and fly away. And Sarah too . . . stretch and spread your wings, but please don’t fly away too soon! |
It’s spring! It’s spring at last! Now, just tell that to the weather, and we’ll be in great shape.  Spring is my favorite season. With the promise of new beginnings, the return of birds, flowers and greenery, I find spring to be the most joyous season. Warmth lures people out of their homes, windows open and curtains flutter with fragrant breezes, and the laughter of children playing outdoors makes the chill of winter disappear from grateful minds. What else do I love about spring? Early spring is glorious, with tiny buds and light greens taking over the harsh browns of winter. Insects have not yet had the chance to prosper in the first weeks. Something about the warm air, or change in atmosphere gives the far-off drone of airplanes an entirely different sound. This spring, my son will start playing soccer, and have a chance to practice riding his little bike. This spring he’s really old enough to appreciate the changes that come with spring and the warmer weather. What will I do to celebrate spring? Throw my windows open to the world, and dig out my light clothes! |
| 4,000,000 women in the . . . city, and the one you let get away, the one you had to get on the bad side of, is the one all the other 4,000,000 are listening to. Down With Love is a zany Pillow Talk type comedy, a farce in the vein of a ‘60s Rock Hudson/Doris Day film. Set in New York City in 1962, the campy film is terrific at making fun of itself. The dialogue is witty and quick-paced. The film is full of innuendos, references to the burgeoning space race, and other allusions to the time period. Renée Zellweger plays Barbara Novak, a writer who’s come to NY to promote her self-help book for women, Down with Love. She plays her character way over the top, but I think it works perfectly in this film. Hunky Ewan McGregor is playboy Catcher Block – “ladies’ man, man’s man, man about town” - star reporter for KNOW magazine. He agrees to interview Barbara for the magazine, but repeatedly stands her up. The relationship that ensues as a result is a wacky battle of the genders, with many twists and turns. I first went to see this film because (I’ll admit it!) I have a huge crush on my man, Ewan. He certainly did not disappoint. I've watched it countless times, since then. David Hyde Pierce is perfect as the neurotic owner of KNOW magazine, playing the Tony Randall type character. His facial expressions and comedic timing elevate his character beyond a supporting role. My only disappointment was that Ewan did not sing throughout the film. If you’ve never heard him sing, his voice is as smooth as melted butter. Be sure to hang on through the end credits, when he and Renée do a duet. The film is a gem that was looked over by film critics and viewers. Neither my husband nor I can figure out why. The duet at the end should have been nominated for best song. So grab a bar of chocolate sit down to watch Down With Love. ~~~~~ **Yes, Seisa, it does have a few songs in it. Sorry about that!** Amygdalia |
| It never even occurred to me that my son could have food allergies. After all, my daughters, picky though they were, never had any trouble. Oh, naïve fool. I’ve since learned that all types of allergic reactions are related, and that having one type in the family predisposes children to having any type. With my father’s asthma, my eczema and MSG allergy (duh – it’s a FOOD!) and multiple environmental allergies on both sides of the family, it’s a wonder that neither of the girls have a food allergy. I’d started suspecting something when he would finish a meal and have red all around his mouth. But I never worried too much. I just gave him a bit of Benadryl and he was fine. It wasn’t until a string of reactions landed us in the emergency room that I really knew we had a problem. I’d given him some yogurt for lunch, and he ended up with the red around his mouth. I gave him some Benadryl, and then made the incredibly stupid mistake of offering him his first peanut butter cracker. Within half an hour, he was shaking his head and wheezing. Naïve me still thought it must be a reaction to something in the yogurt. I was putting my money on nutmeg, since he’d had all of the other ingredients without having a reaction. Fast forward a month, to our follow-up visit with the allergist. You could have knocked me over with a feather when the allergist told me he tested positive to dairy, egg, peanut, wheat, and soy! The wheat and soy were mild, and he didn’t recommend we remove them from his diet. The rest we needed to eliminate completely. He then proceeded to #1 – make me lose any faith or trust in him that I might have had, and #2 – alienate me completely. First, he told me something that I knew to be untrue – “egg allergy is never fatal.” Then he told me that it was his opinion that the increased push for women to breastfeed was the cause for the dramatic increase in food allergies over the past decade. Don’t even try to go there, with me! It was at that point that I decided I was never going to see this man again. So, my son and I both had to learn a new way of eating. (Here’s the part where you either gasp *gross!* or give me kudos – your choice!) At 17 months, we were still nursing several times a day, and that wasn’t about to change. Particularly since I now had to eliminate most of his favorite foods from his diet. How could I take away his nummy-num, as well? And he was going to need the nutrition and fats he wasn’t able to get from dairy. I went home feeling like I’d been ambushed. I was totally lost. I had no idea where to begin. It took several weeks, but eventually I discovered many foods that were safe for us to eat. Reading labels was already second nature to me. I have to avoid all MSG, and since I was a vegetarian for many years I have always read labels for meat products. I am so thankful for all the support I got during that time. I started experimenting and having a great time doing it! This past holiday season, all of my baking was dairy, egg, and nut free. And tasty! I’ve learned so much about food allergies, nursing with food allergies, nursing to avoid food allergies. By age 2, my son would point to things in the pantry and say “I can’t have that. It has dairy milk in it that I can’t have.” Or “I can’t touch that because it might have peanut butter on it that I’m allergic to.” The most difficult thing about living with food allergies is leaving the home. It’s become quite simple to ensure his safety while we’re at home, but going out to restaurants, or even to others’ homes, can be a nightmare. Trying to ensure that there were safe foods for him; trying to make sure no one else fed him or left something laying around. The awkwardness that I felt increased over time. I couldn’t go out with friends, without calling the restaurant in advance, asking the waiters a dozen questions. When other extended nursing moms would probably have stopped advertising the fact, I could not. My daughters were totally lost as well. I decided that the best way to keep my son safe was to remove all peanut products from the house. Peanut butter was a staple of both their diets. Suddenly, it was gone. Buying a sandwich at school wasn’t an option, because they’d come home with it smeared on their clothing. Nice, tidy children. My younger daughter happily switched to sunflower seed butter, but the older wouldn’t have anything to do with it. The best thing about nursing a child with food allergies is . . . weight loss! What I had not been able to do for myself, I found I was very easily able to do for him. Not being able to eat cakes, or cookies, or ice cream, or most chocolates did wonders for my waistline. We nursed through food allergies for 17 months, finally weaning on December 22, 2006. I was incredibly nervous about weaning, for many reasons. But my biggest concern was about starting to eat those foods again. I decided I was going to continue to eat basically as I had been, but treat myself on occasion. What I’ve discovered is that when I do treat myself, I regret it shortly thereafter! After nearly a year and a half of not eating dairy and egg (peanuts and tree nuts aren’t as much of an issue) my body cannot tolerate them anymore. It certainly makes sticking with the diet much simpler! |
| I’m discovering so much about the complexities of writing a mystery. I’ve started reading a great little book called The Elements of Mystery Fiction – Writing the Modern Whodunit by William G. Tapply. I haven’t gotten very far into the book yet, but already I’ve gotten some terrific ideas. His recommendation to write the crime from the antagonist’s perspective has spurred quite a few possibilities for me. He suggests putting the writing aside for a week. Any holes in the story that can lead to clues for the mystery should become more apparent upon rereading. I’ll probably end up writing more BEFORE I begin chapter two, than I will IN chapter two! And three. And four . . . In any case, I’ve decided to take my list of suspects, and write an antagonist’s tale from each of their perspectives. Then I’ll put them aside, and take another look at them in a week, as he suggested. With a fresh eye, I’ll then make a decision about whodunit. In the meantime, while letting those tales stew for a week, I’ll take the time to write bios for each of my characters. I’ve already started, mostly in my mind, on a few of the main characters. All this writing, which no one will ever see! At least I don’t need to worry about my grammar.  I thought I was doing myself a favor, by leaving out any future plot elements from chapter one, with the exception of the discovery of a body. I knew from fairly early on in the planning that the body was going to show up in the backyard (see "Digging for Clues - Chapter One"  ). But then I discovered the complexities of working with that particular plot element. How did the body get there, without the killer being discovered? How did the body remain undiscovered? How was the body not dug up by an animal? I spent an entire afternoon looking at snowfall data, trying to find a year with an early snowfall and continued cold temperatures, to keep the body buried. I finally decided that I was being totally ridiculous, and gave up on that. Are my readers really going to go checking snowfall data to make sure my timing is accurate? Will they really care? Chalk one up for Amy’s anal retentive attention to detail. Bag it, girlfriend. Just WRITE! After all, I’m in a race against my 12 year old. She’s determined to write a book, get it published, and make a ton of money . . . by September! I’ve no doubt in my mind that she’ll get there some day. She’s far more creative and talented than I am. But her pie in the sky dreams aren’t exactly realistic. So, there’s a lot of work to be done. I wish it would go ahead and write itself already! |
| Yeh world hai na world... Bunty Aur Babli (Bunty And Babli) are the Bollywood equivalent of Bonnie and Clyde. Both misunderstood by their families, and longing for more from life, Rakesh and Vimmi each leave home to follow their dreams. Fate or circumstance brings them together. Closed doors and corrupt dealings keep them together. Frustrated after a bank manager steals his get rich scheme, Rakesh devises a plan to con the con man. On the run, Rakesh and Vimmi become Bunty and Babli. Thus begins an adventure that leads them from Lucknow to Delhi with many stops in between. The evolving relationship between the two main characters is enchanting, despite the nefarious nature of their partnership. Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee have a wonderful chemistry as the engaging criminal couple. Their characters are well developed, allowing the viewer to see beyond their unlawful behavior, to the warm-hearted souls that they truly are. Bunty and Babli charm everyone they meet, including Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dashrath Singh (played by Amitabh Bachchan). The film has elements of Catch Me if You Can, as DCP Singh tries to track them. Bunty repeats the aphorism “Yeh world hai na world... Isme do tarah ke log hotey hai... (This world has two kinds of people . . . ) several times throughout the film. It seems to have become almost a philosophy for him, in an effort, perhaps to make sense of a world that doesn’t seem to understand him. I was drawn to this film after watching one of the musical numbers on You Tube. Kajra Re is pure Bollywood song and dance, and the special appearance by the stunning Aishwarya Rai is the icing on the cake. The songs in the film are captivating and memorable, and the incongruous sight of Amitabh Bachchan rapping during the end credits was a delightful end to the experience. One of the most delightful and characteristic aspects of Bollywood films is the way in which the musical numbers can transport the characters into totally different settings, as a means to portray a particular emotion or event. As with most Bollywood films, it is quite long, at 170 minutes. With non-stop action and song-and-dance numbers, I hardly noticed the time passing. If you’ve never seen a Bollywood film, this one would be a great introduction. The one issue I had was the tendency of the subtitles to flash by too quickly, near the beginning of the film. As the action began, this was much less of an issue, and did not detract from the enjoyability of the film. |
| It occurred to me that I've talked about 3 different films so far, in my blog. So, I thought . . . why not make it a regular thing? Hey, all right! This could be fun. Announcing . . . Movie Review Mondays! Check back each week to see what I've reviewed. It may be old, it may be new. It may be red, it may be blue . . . oh, wait. Sorry. No Dr. Seuss films, I promise! Although, The Lorax was pretty cool. I love films. I don't get out to the theater very often, these days. But we've just joined netflix (woohooo!) and I have a whole queue of movies listed. My latest craze is Bollywood. Assuming I get a chance to watch it between now and Monday, my first Monday review will be Bunty Aur Babli. Otherwise, who knows! It could be anything. I'm no Roger Ebert (though I do agree with him about Aishwarya Rai . . . see blog entry #2) but I hope to have a lot of fun with this! |
Really . . . I was. About a week ago. Go back and check!  The other evening, my husband and I watched The Science of Sleep. I was so excited when I heard about this film. I've had incredibly bizarre dreams for as long as I can recall, so seeing a film with someone else's vision of what dreams look like sounded fascinating. The film really stretched the boundaries of reality. The main character is often unaware of whether he's awake or asleep. His mother maintains that he's always inverted his dreams and his reality. But when the two worlds begin to blend together, and his dream world and reality become intertwined, he finds himself struggling to cope. How do you interact with someone, if you're unsure of whether your last dramatic encounter was real or dreamed? How do you function in the world if you think you ARE, only to wake up and find that you're NOT? I don't think the film is for everyone, but if your dream life is as vivid as your waking life, and you carry your dreams with you as you go about your day, you might enjoy this glimpse into The Science of Sleep. |
| It's fascinating . . . frustrating but fascinating . . . to see just how many questions arise with each element of plot. It seems as though I discover 3 new questions for each one I answer. Plotting a murder from this side of the pen (or keyboard) is proving to be quite challenging. If my victim is A, and A's relationship to B is X, then how do we discover that? And, is it feasable to discover this information in the way I've determined? Will my timing and setting allow for the story I'm plotting? Will (or DID) the weather cooperate? Will anyone really care if I make up a weather element that happened x# of years ago? Please! Don't answer that . . . I've just spent an hour and a half looking through weather records, trying to find a time that will work.  I think I'll be ready to sit down and write chapter two in . . . oh, I don't know . . . three or four years!?  Gee, I hope there weren't any phone calls I was planning to make, this afternoon! |
| The sense of euphoria I felt after finishing the first chapter of Digging for Clues is slowly ebbing. It felt so wonderful to have gotten that far. I have an idea, I'm getting it down in writing, and I'm getting very positive feedback. Next . . . ?? Well, first of all, I know I have a lot of work to do, if I'm going to create a really solid plot and also an enjoyable story. So, there's research . . . police procedures, etc etc . . . And then, I realized that I've been thoroughly neglecting everything else, while focusing on my writing. My house is a disaster, my children need Dr. appointments . . . And gulp I was suddenly smacked right in the head with the realization that I have only four and a half months until my daughter's Bat Mitzvah! I have so much left to do. It really snuck up on me. I started planning at least 9 months ago, and thought to myself "oh, you have plenty of time. It's too early to start thinking about that . . . or that . . . " HAH! So, the bottom line here is that I think chapter two is going to take a lot longer to write than chapter one did! And, on that note . . . with Jakie napping this would probably be a great time to start making some of those phone calls. |
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Oliver.
Both of the kids were SUPER charming this morning. I'm thinking of going on strike.