Avatar vs. Jurassic Park

One of the schools I was subbing at last week was on a really strange schedule due to testing. The day ended with a two hour study center, so the teachers chose to show a movie. The options were Jurassic Park or October Sky, so naturally (like anyone didn't see this coming) the kids picked Jurassic Park. Though I tend to have a poor memory, I do remember the first time I saw this film. It was the summer after sixth grade (1993), and my best friend, her mom, her sister, and I went to the drive-in. Even though the drive-in is probably not the ideal location for viewing intense, graphic, action films, I was still impressed by how real everything seemed in the movie. It was like John Hammond really did discover a way to bring dinosaurs out of extinction with DNA found in fossilized amber, and someone was there to film it.

Yesterday, Michael and I went to see Avatar in 3D. It just blows Jurassic Park out of the water. I know filmmakers have come a long way (technologically and graphically) since the days of T-rex and velociraptors chasing Dr. Alan Grant through the jungle, but seeing these two movies in the same week really hit home how advanced the tech is becoming. I wonder what movies will be like in another 17 years. I really enjoyed the movie and am glad I finally saw something in 3D, but I don't think it's worth the extra money to see future films in 3D. I felt a little like I was watching a Magic Eye movie and had to keep unfocusing my eyes to see it right. The action sequences were especially difficult for me to follow in focus. It was amazing though.

Mozart can make you smarter

I read a very brief, but very fascinating article, while subbing today: "Does Music Make You Smarter?" adapted by Adrienne Hathoway. I feel I just have to share this new knowledge. After reading the article, I naturally Googled to find out more. I discovered that David Merrell, a teenager, won the Virginia State Fair with an experiment where he subjected mice to either heavy metal or classical music to see how it would affect their ability to run a maze. With 72 mice divided into three groups, Merrell ran each group through the maze and timed their progress. Their final time averaged about ten minutes. Then, he played heavy metal music for one group, classical music for another, and no music for the control group. After four weeks, the control group's average time to finish the maze was down to five minutes, and the classical group finished in just over a minute and a half. Shockingly, the heavy metal group increased their time. It took them half an hour to finish! Not only that, the first time Merrell performed the experiment, he had to cut it short because after three weeks the heavy metal group only had one mouse left. They had become so aggressive that they attacked and killed one another. Though I don't know what research has been done to see what the implications are for humans, I know what music I will and won't be playing for my kids.

Playing with Christmas presents

On Christmas morning in Arizona, there was a present under the tree for Polo from my mom. It has become one of his favorite toys to bring us for playtime. It's great for a little tug-of-war and for retrieving.

Date Night and Robin Hood

How about this? Ridley Scott is making another Robin Hood movie. This one has Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett in it.



I mentioned back in October that I saw this preview for Date Night. The trailer is now available online. Looks good!

White Christmas (a little late)

As much as Michael and I loved the warm weather in Arizona, we missed out on the white Christmas experience. However, we returned to a light snow storm in Columbus that was off and on from Saturday evening through Monday morning. It left everything covered in a beautiful blanket of white. Since most of our neighbors still have their lights up, and we still have our decorations up, it still feels a bit like a white Christmas. What a blessing!

Polo explores the snow in our backyard

Climbing Camelback

It's hard to believe I ever thought it was really cold in Arizona. Having spent the last two winters in New York, and now living in Ohio, I've changed my mind about what equates cold. Whereas 60 degrees used to be cold to me, now the 40's are cold. I realize that I was never "freezing" in the low 50's in Phoenix. Silly me. Granted, Phoenix does get chilly at night, but I still spent most of our Christmas vacation joyously reveling in t-shirts and light sweaters. The weather proved perfect for a short hike up Camelback and then some rock climbing led by my very experienced brother.

Camelback Mountain

Austin explains the basics of belaying

getting ready to belay Austin as he leads the climb

repelling back down after making it to the top of Rain of Terror (5.7)

Beau starts his climb

Mike belays Beau

view of Phoenix from the mountain

End of the 2009 Book Challenge

As 2009 comes to a close, I find that I did not accomplish my goal of reading nine books from each of nine different genres by the end of this year. I read 59 books, so I was 22 short. It seems I have a strong preference for young adult and an aversion to history. I read more fiction and young adult than the required nine, and I only read one (half of one, really) history book. Honestly, I was surprised because I like to think that I enjoy history, but perhaps I want to enjoy it more than I realistically do. The experience was good for me though. I'm sure I read more than I would have if I hadn't set a goal. I also read a greater variety of books. I'm not sure who said it first, by the following quote aptly fits this experience: "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." Below is a list of the books I read this year. Feel free to ask about any of them if you're interested.

Young Adult
1. Crash by Jerry Spinelli
2. Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle
3. Defiance by Valerie Hobbs
4. Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse
5. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer
6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
7. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
8. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
9. Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
10. The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
11. White House Autumn by Ellen Emerson White

General Fiction
12. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
13. The Shack by William P. Young
14. Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer
15. Girl with a Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
16. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
17. Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery
18. American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
19. Falling Man by Dom DeLillo
20. Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
21. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Short Story/Essay
22. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
23. Sleepy Hallow by Washington Irving
24. The Most Beautiful Woman in Town by Charles Bukowski
25. Birds of America by Lorrie Moore
26. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Biography/Memoir
27. Thin is the New Happy by Valerie Frankel
28. Crossbearer by Joe Eszterhas
29. Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton and Erin Torneo
30. Miracles Happen by Mary Kay Ash
31. Julie Andrews: An Intimate Biography by Richard Stirling

Science-fiction/Fantasy
32. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
33. Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
34. The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
35. Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer
36. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
37. The Midnight Charter by David Whitley
38. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
39. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
40. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Chick Lit
41. Wedding Belles by Haywood Smith
42. The Agency by Ally O'Brien
43. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
44. Literacy and Longing in L.A. by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack
45. An Eligible Bachelor by Veronica Henry
46. Wedding Season by Darcy Cosper

History
47. 740 Park by Michael Gross (in progress)

Non-fiction
48. Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts by Les and Leslie Parrott
49. The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield
50. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
51. Puppy Preschool by John Ross and Barbara McKinney
52. Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan
53. How to Raise the Perfect Dog by Cesar Millan
54. Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

Mystery/Horror
55. The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom
56. Darling Jim by Christian Moerk
57. Misery by Stephen King
58. Days and Hours by Susan Meissner
59. House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo

Again, the challenge was to read 9 books from 9 genres before the end of 2009. I started in the fall of 2008, so it's a little over a year that I have to finish. As you can see, there is plenty of space, particulary in certain genres, so feel free to recommend a favorite or something you think I will like. I don't think I can take on anything epic like Crime & Punishment. I'll save that for 2010.