E.T. & The Sloppy Joes

Was anyone looking for a band name? Because... YOU'RE WELCOME. I know this might seem a tad strange and random, but what is a blog for if not letting people in on the things that make you you?

E.T. phone home! (x)

So something you may not know about me is that my whole life I have had an aversion to the following things:

1. E.T.
2. sloppy joes

The story goes a little something like this: My mom, bless her, wanted to have a fun girl's night in when we were elementary school kiddos. She was going to introduce is us to the magical world of these two things and be a super cool mom while doing it. I mean, I remember being really excited that we got to sit on the floor. As we ate dinner! In the family room! This may well have been my first taste of rebellion, even if it was my mom's idea. But the thing is, I was so terrified of E.T. that I've never been able to eat sloppy joes since. 

Well now that I'm in my mid-twenties and currently facing zero time to stir up well-crikey-I-should-have-my-own-cooking-show wonders, I found myself asking, "What can I make that will last me a whole week, but takes barely any preparation?" I almost cringed when I heard my cool mom say the dreaded words... "Sloppy joes." (enter slow-mo mode) No!!!!!!!!! 

Then I asked myself how a girl who has started watching the series Hannibal is letting herself be defeated by a little alien from the 80s. How ridiculous! So I broke down and made them. But I didn't stop there. Oh no! I couldn't stop there. I'd gone too far. I rented E.T. too... 

With this hardwood floor as my table and 2/10 on plate presentation, I have no current plans to go into food blogging.

At first, it seemed like elementary school me- in her infinite wisdom, bowl cut, and horse shirts- had a very good point. E.T.'s fingers are creepy and he waddle-runs in a way that still strikes fear in my heart and then there's the whole extendable neck business, which is the very definition of terrifying. I have the heebie jeebies just thinking about it! But then there was baby-faced Henry Thomas (you may have heard me coo over him before) with his bad pizza delivery skills and frog-saving heroism. There was also an epic score, a little girl named Gertie, and scenes that really tugged on my heart-strings. And I eventually warmed up to E.T., perhaps due to the weird purring noise he makes or maybe, quite honestly, having a sheet thrown over his head... So this qualifies me as 'not entirely heartless,' right? Anyway, having previously blocked everything about this film except Reese's Pieces from my mind, I now completely understand why this is a classic and am glad to have it under my belt. That being said... it's still a no on the extendable neck business. No. No. No. No. No.

E.T. Sloppy joes. Maybe not your typical recipe for fear. But it was certainly one of mine and I'm glad I gave it another go! 15+ years later and, it turns out, I have a taste for it after all! Do you have any "haunting" memories from your childhood that keep you from doing certain things? Try them again! They just might become a new go-to years and years and years later!

Mooning About Out Here

I'm long overdue for a bit of a fan flail around here, so... The period piece trailer. It's the most be-au-ti-ful traiiiiiiiiiiiler of allllllllll!!!!!!!!!! Can I get an 'amen'? Because hallelujah, we've got a newbie with stunning costumes, sweeping scenery, familiar British faces, and drama, drama, drama! I saw a picture from Summer in February months and months (and months) ago and the trailer is finally here! Grab your smelling salts!

Are you still breathing? *rapid-fire fanning*

mardi muse: Jack Frost

You know, I really ought to start going to the movies by myself more often. All too often I invite someone to the movies and they say, "But that's a kid's movie!" As if that's a bad thing! Please. Long story short, I've been waiting far too long to see Rise of the Guardians. The wait was finally over this past weekend when it hit Redbox and oh! Jiminy! Christmas!!!!!

*pinching his cheeks*

I-AM-SO-IN-LOVE-WITH-JACK-FROST-IT-IS-NOT-EVEN-FUNNY-ZOMG-WHAT-IS-HAPPENING-TO-MEEEEEEEEEEE?!?!?! Ok... so... there were a lot of things I loved about this movie. The flawless plot, the flawless villain, the flawless voice casting, the flawless score, the flawless character development, but mostly... the flawless Jack Frost. I can't remember the last time I rooted so hard for a character. Likeable and mischievous from the moment you meet him, you'll be a goner. If I had a penny for every time I heart-clutched, I'd have a lot of pennies! Obviously any character voiced by Chris Pine is going to have an unfair advantage when it comes to winning me over. Newsflash: my jeep's not named Captain Kirk for nothin'! But aside from the voice and my bizarre magnetism to them in general (please, no questions, let me melt between the cushions of my couch in gooey-hearted peace), that Peter Pan like air, and the unfairly cute smirks that leave you questioning your sanity as you pine for an animated character (whatever, I know you have *cough* Flynn! Dimitri! Howl! *cough*), he was just a great character! Because of reasons!

1. I love a character whose struggle is laid out within the first five minutes. And bonus! We all know the name Jack Frost and that he nips at our noses, but not really the story behind it. So when presented on a silver platter, or drowning in an icy river, rather... *grabby hands*
2. He has an affinity for the moon and it's integral to his story. I love this. Because in case you haven't noticed, I happen to have a thing about the moon too!
3. This kid's got some complex relationships going on. Not all acquaintances are created equal. Despite being on the same side as both of them, one minute he's acting chummy with the Sandman and the next he's calling Bunny the Easter Kangaroo. On top of everything he's always looking out for Baby Tooth, which is just plain adorable.
4. The fact that his struggle lines up so much with the villain's makes his plight that much more interesting.
5. That casual carefree way about him juxtaposed against being deliberate about his actions, his personality permeated everything.
6. His back story! His back story! His frigglidy-gigglidden back story!
7. Alright, I've held it off as long as humanly possible... WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT PERFECT SNOW ANGEL?!

And he has really cool toys!

Jack's story was magical and fresh and I absolutely lah-ha-oved every minute of it. I'm locking him up in my heart and throwing away the key! Not in a questionable there's-a-mad-woman-in-my-attic Victorian way, but... Obsession makes me inarticulate! You know what I'm saying. Forever inspired now that I see you, Jack Frost. I believe! I believe! Here's hoping one not-so-faraway day I'll be able to fashion a character as wonderful as he!

The Mayhem That Followed

After finishing Wine & War last month, my ever-present WWII obsession had gained a lot of momentum. So I finally picked up a copy of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, which I'd been meaning to read since this past fall when it came highly recommended by someone in my writing for children class.

The perfect cover, no? (x)

This one was definitely worth the wait. I knew very little going into it and I'm glad for it, because it made quite the impact. I finished it a few days ago, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't still weighing heavily on my heart. I don't think it was until the final two chapters that I saw where things were going and when I did, I shouted, "No!" at the pages to little effect. It snowballed very quickly and I just sat there paralyzed with shock at the end.

What John Boyne managed to do was incredible. Seeing the war from the perspective of a nine year-old boy whose father is promoted by the Fury (Führer) himself? Brilliant. Little details like these painted the picture of Bruno's heart and mind perfectly. For example, at one point he salutes his father when turning to leave the room: “Heil Hitler," he said, which, he presumed, was another way of saying, "Well, goodbye for now, have a pleasant afternoon.” From start to finish, Bruno thinks they've relocated to a place called Out-With. But watching what's happening in the changing world around him, conversations and events that he can't begin to understand, it doesn't take long for you to realize where he really is. His naivety throughout the story is utterly heartbreaking in contrast to the Nazis sifting in and out of his new home and their influence on his older sister Gretel. 

Somehow he manages to stay true to himself, because in his childlike innocence, he is living entirely in his own world. The world around him changes, but his doesn't. Perhaps that's why it's so easy for him to form an unlikely friendship with a boy in striped pajamas on the other side of the fence. 

In the afterword, the author details his belief that you can't really grasp the horrors of the camps unless you look at it through the eyes of a child. This story really couldn't be told from any other view point. Striking and poignant, it's a quick read that will leave you thinking for days afterward.