Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Movie Review – La La Land
My friend, Cathy, and I went to the movies, yesterday. We saw La La Land on the IMAX screen at Tinseltown in Gates. WE….LOVED….IT!!!! Period…..end of review!!! Just kidding…..you know I am NEVER that short on words! hehehe
So, La La Land is the story of Mia, an aspiring actress played by the adorable Emma Stone, and Sebastian, a die-hard jazz pianist played by the ever gorgeous “OMG, I’m melting” Ryan Gosling. Their story is set in Los Angeles and chronicles their struggles to fulfill their dreams amid the highly competitive and often depressingly disappointing world of Hollywood, music, and acting. Mia struggles through interview after interview with less than encouraging results in hopes of becoming a serious actress and finding that one big break. Sebastian struggles through gigs playing music he hates trying to save up enough money to open his own jazz bar to showcase the jazz greats of a bygone era. Mia and Sebastian meet and fall in love and sing and dance their way through their love story.
I love Emma Stone in anything I’ve ever seen her in and this movie is no exception. I described her as “adorable” in the last paragraph and I’d love to find a different word for her and her character, Mia, but adorable just plain says it all, so I’ll say it again…..Emma Stone is simply adorable in this role! Of course, Ryan Gosling is…..well, Ryan Gosling! How could Mia or anyone else, for that matter, NOT fall head over heels in love with him!!!??? I mean……look at him……and, then, he opens his mouth and gazes back at you with those amazing eyes and you’re DONE…..he has you in the palm of his hand for all eternity! <cough, cough> Excuse me while I get back on track, here! Both Stone and Gosling have won awards for their performances and the awards season isn’t over, yet……and, deservedly so! They reel you in and make you adore their characters……you want to know them……you want to BE them……you want them to have it all – their dreams, their love, their wonderful life together. AND……they do an amazing job with the song and dance routines……I knew Ryan Gosling was a beautiful ball of talent, but was pleasantly surprised to see that Emma Stone is, as well! The movie as a whole has won multiple awards in multiple categories……it is a real “feel good” movie where you can escape into a time long gone where musicals and the great song and dance teams warm your heart and lift your spirits!
The movie primarily focuses on Mia and Sebastian and the other characters are just supporting roles and cameos. But, it was a joy to see J. K. Simmons pop up as Bill, the dingy piano bar owner who fires Sebastian for going off the play list of Christmas songs he hates and breaking out into the jazz music he loves – after all, no one is listening, anyway…..except Bill, who was adamant that he stick to the song list or else! And I LOVED seeing John Legend as Keith, an old friend of Sebastian’s who asks him to join a new band he’s putting together to go out on tour with him…..I wish there was more of Keith, but that would have changed the focus of the story too much and I probably wouldn’t have liked that.
I also loved that it was a musical……in the old sense of the word – people breaking out in song and dance routines to demonstrate the mundane rituals of everyday life (i.e.: the opening scene is a wonderful depiction of a horrendous traffic jam on an LA freeway where all the “stuck” drivers get out of their cars and sing and dance in, around, and on top of the stalled cars) and to beautifully orchestrate the growing love affair between Mia and Sebastian (I particularly loved when they danced among the stars at the observatory). But, it is also enough dialog and regular scenes to keep the story “real”.
It is a story about true, enduring love……about dreams and the struggles to keep working through the mediocre to find the wonderful……about the trade offs and costs of achieving your dreams……..it is about love and loving what you do and being passionate enough about your dreams to do whatever it takes to reach for them……at whatever cost.
I really want to talk about the ending, but I have a firm rule against major spoilers in my reviews. So, I will just say that I was less than happy with the ending. I will also mention that there was a spot in the middle where it was starting to drag just a little – I found myself getting a tad bored and wishing it would just move on. But, the ending and the small slow section in the middle didn’t change my over all LOVE of this movie! I would pay to see it again, I loved it so much! So……all that said, I rate this movie a solid 4.5 out of 5 (it would have been a 5+, but I deducted just a smidgen for the ending)…….and, it met all my criteria for a great movie: I laughed, I cried (just a touch – not really a tear-jerker, but a couple scenes brought a few tears to my eyes), I fell in love with the characters, and I left feeling good……in fact, I left feeling like I should dance my way to the car!!! I highly recommend this movie…….all you hopeless romantics out there will be as enchanted as I was over it…….and all you lovers of musicals will find it refreshing and nostalgic for the old song and dance teams on the big screen!
After the movie, Cathy and I went to Rohrbach Brewing Company for a late lunch and had an incredible meal…..what a treat to top off a wonderful afternoon!
Here are two clips — the first is the movie trailer and the second is the main song from the movie performed by Gosling and Stone – it won “Best Song” at the Golden Globes! Enjoy!
Photos of the Day – January 19th
Yep, I missed yesterday’s photos! I had a routine procedure done in the morning and slept all the rest of the day to shake off the funk from the sedatives….up until choir practice in the evening and then went back to bed shortly after that and slept all night long!!! So……it was a “lost” day and, subsequently, no photos! But, I’m back in full force, today!
Here are the Photos of the Day for January 19, 2017:
# 19 Photo Prompt – Shape:
“Scalloped Circle”
This is my response to the “shape” photo prompt! I made this deviled egg plate and picked it up today after it was done being fired! I love how it turned out!!!
# 19 Caught By My Lens:
“Delicious!!!”
I went to the movies with a friend, today, and we stopped at Rohrbach’s Brewing Company for lunch and this was one of their specials for the day……Asian marinated beef topped with Asian slaw and a side of German Potato Salad……OMG – to die for!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2017’s Photo Prompts:
Photos of the Day – January 17th
Today was a very special day, indeed! My wonderful family – brother, sister-in-law, and niece – were here spreading their love and creativity all over the wall of my stairway! I mentioned some time ago that I would like to have a Family Tree mural painted there so that I could hang family photos on it. I found some examples on Pinterest and we talked about it a few times. Well, today, they came and made it a reality……and a MUCH better reality than the ones in the photos I found…..complete with birds on some of the branches (cause they know I do love my birds) and budding leaves…..all sketched out and painted by hand – no stencils or decals – all free-hand art in all its glory!!! And…….it is FABULOUS!!! Now, I just need to start picking out photos and frames to hang to make it complete!
Here are the Photos of the Day for January 17, 2017:
# 17 Photo Prompt – Bag:
“You’re Looking at a Bag.”
# 17 Caught By My Lens:
“Concentrating on Perfection”
I am so very blessed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2017’s Photo Prompts:
Photos of the Day – January 16th
I had a great day, today……meeting with some special ladies at church, lunch, and best of all – got to spend time with my great nephew and great niece – always pure joy! Mondays used to have such a negative connotation to them when I was working……now that I’m retired, they can be just as special as all the other days of the week are! 🙂
Here are the Photos of the Day for January 16, 2017:
# 16 Photo Prompt – Music:
“A Classic”
This song always reaches right down into my soul when I hear it……never fails to shut out the rest of the world and make the music the everything there is for the few minutes it plays!
# 16 Caught By My Lens:
“Dusk Over The Muck”
And, now……two amazing versions of the incredible song, “When A Man Loves A Woman”:
First — the original — the classic — Percy Sledge!!!
And……the incomparable Bette Midler’s version from the movie, “The Rose”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2017’s Photo Prompts:
Photos of the Day – January 15th
Happy Sunday……and a nice, quiet, peaceful day, it is……just as it should be!
Here are the Photos of the Day for this lovely Sunday – January 15, 2017:
# 15 Photo Prompt – Where I Sleep:
“Nap Time”
My nap spot of choice…..Mom’s couch! Click HERE to read the post where I wrote about the story behind this beautiful English floral sofa!
# 15 Caught By My Lens:
“Different”
Ever since they painted the brown doors white, I do a double take whenever I drive by the County Clerk Building! The new, bright white doors look sooooooo much better!
See? This is a shot from last July that shows the brown doors – nice, but new crisp white doors and trim add some real pizzazz, don’t you think?
And, now, on to my nappy……zzzzzzzzz………
January 2017’s Photo Prompts:
Photos of the Day – January 14th
Happy Saturday! WOW – sure doesn’t seem like January in Western NY! But, I’ll take it!
Here are the Photos of the Day for January 14, 2017:
# 14 Photo Prompt – Path:
“Canal Tow Path”
And……”Off the Beaten Path”
# 14 Caught By My Lens:
“Kitchen Sink Whimsy”
One of two items I painted at Brushstrokes Studios in Medina last week…..the deviled egg plate isn’t out of the kiln, yet!
Now for some Erie Canal music and a reminder of what the canal tow path was used for back in the day:
January 2017’s Photo Prompts:
Photos of the Day – January 13th
Well, it is a double whammy day……Friday the 13th and a full moon! And, yesterday’s near 60 start to the day is a vague memory – today hung out in the 20s!
But…..I think I made it unscathed…..so far…..of course, the day isn’t over, yet! 🙂
Here are today’s Photos of the Day for January 13th:
# 13 Photo Prompt – People:
“Fun in the Park”
I must say I struggled with this one…..not sure if it was because of the Friday the 13th thing or the cold weather, but I couldn’t find any cool photo ops of people anywhere! I went to Mount Albion hoping to find some walkers off in the distance to capture, but nothing…..I went to the Point hoping to find some chilly fishermen, but nothing…….I kept my eyes peeled all over as I drove around and very little caught my eye that would fit the “people” prompt and the few opportunities I did see didn’t seem appropriate to take advantage of. So…..I got a bright idea and went to Walmart to see if I could find some Lego people and here we have my “people” photo! hehehe Hey — it even says “people” on the box – give me a break!!! 🙂
# 13 Caught By My Lens:
“Abandoned Nest”
I did find THIS in Mount Albion, today……maybe that’s why i didn’t see any walkers – I was too busy looking up! hehehe
And…..in honor of the Fun in the Park Lego People:
January 2017’s Photo Prompts:
Photos of the Day – January 12th
WOW – we had a major heatwave, this morning! It was 57 degrees when I got up at 7:30 this morning…..of course, that didn’t last long – it is winter in Western NY, after all! Over the next couple of hours, the rains came and the temperature dropped into the low 40s and that 57 early in the morning was the highest of the day. Oh well……I had fun getting all excited about seeing it almost 60, anyway!
Let’s move on to our Photos of the Day for January 12, 2017:
# 12 Photo Prompt – Leaf:
“Hanging On”
# 12 Caught By My Lens:
“Just a Swingin’……and Eatin’!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2017’s Photo Prompts:
My 2017 Adventure Bucket List
Each year, about this time – like most people, I think about my goals for the coming year. I don’t do “resolutions”, cause, like most people, I don’t tend to keep them.
Yep……this is how most of my “resolutions” go! So, I avoid using that word……oh, sure, I do always think about how I plan to try and be healthier and add more joy to my life, but those can take on a lot of different meanings and are a constant, not really something I resolve to do in a particular calendar year. Instead, I focus on my adventure bucket list and my big bucket list…..which tend to intermingle most years! These are huge lists that can not possibly be achieved in totality in any given year. They are also ever changing and ever growing. Throughout the years I check some things off, add some things, only set targets that I’d like to try to do sooner rather than later…..unless it is something that HAS to be completed in a given time frame or it has to drop off the list. I am under no delusion that either of these lists will EVER be completely achieved and go away……someday I will die and the lists will still be floating out there in LaLa Land somewhere, but my only REAL goal – resolution, if you will – is to ensure there are no regrets about the things that DON’T get done because I will know I did everything I possibly could get done!
Most years I do manage to put a significant dent in the few I actually list here to try to prioritize for that year. Last year, almost nothing on my target list got done! Life got in the way……but, I did have several really cool opportunities come up that checked a bunch of stuff off the main lists and allowed me to do things I didn’t even know I wanted to do, so weren’t even on any lists! Woo Hoo!
So, this year, I have already evaluated and refocused how I spend my charitable time, which will help me get back on track to have time to do local volunteering in areas that make me happy and bring satisfaction in some key areas of interest for me. That was a great start and felt really good! I also have two trips planned – one fully booked and one still in the planning stages. So, I am well on my way to have a great Adventure year in 2017! And….I never minimize the importance and significant impact the wonderful little adventures – near or far – that pop up throughout the year!
So……here are the things I am targeting from my Adventure Bucket List for 2017-ish – my “sooner rather than later” items – some have been on there a while and are being prioritized, some are newly added:
- Color in at least FOUR more states on my “states I have visited” map
- Two will be colored in on my already booked trip
- Trip to Washington, DC
- This is in the planning stages, so chances are good it will get done
- Visit Niagara on the Lake
- Visit Lily Dale, NY
- Visit Chittenango, NY
- Visit NYC in December
- Visit Skaneateles, NY during their Dickens Christmas
- Drive the Seaway Trail and see as many Lake Ontario lighthouses as possible
And, here are some things I’m prioritizing on my Big Bucket List – bigger items that I hope to complete within the next 5 years-ish:
- Transatlantic Cruise with ports in Ireland, England, or other parts of Europe
- Color in ALL the states I have not yet visited – currently 13 (14 if you count DC) and soon to be 11 (after my booked trip and the trip to DC)
- Mediterranean Cruise
- Trip to Graceland
Let’s see how far I get this year…….and what other grand adventures I may get an opportunity to knock off (or add to) my lists!
Happy Adventuring……
Photos of the Day and a New Pub Review – January 11th
I feel like Spring has sprung, today…..I know – it hasn’t – but it sure felt like it! We’re experiencing a bit of a heat wave with temps in the low 40s, a bright sun, and a gorgeous blue sky. My friend, Cathy, and I took advantage of the beautiful day and went to Medina to check out a new restaurant….a Celtic Pub, to be more specific. They had a “soft” opening last week and it was so successful, they ran out of a lot of the key items on their menu and had to close on Sunday and Monday to restock! Well, they are open, now and we went for lunch this afternoon. I’ll leave my comments for the review that will come a little later in this post, but, suffice it to say that I highly recommend it! 🙂
But, first……here are the Photos of the Day for January 11, 2017:
# 11 Photo Prompt – Inside My Fridge:
“Funky Roll Out Drawer Hack”
When I saw today’s photo prompt, I panicked! While I love to cook and am actually a pretty good cook, I hate to cook for one person, so I eat out a lot or pop stuff in the microwave. So, my fridge is usually pretty bare – rarely is there ever anything interesting enough for a photo in there! But, I grabbed my camera and opened the door to see what might be worthy of a photo that wouldn’t be too embarrassing! This weird little slide out tray caught my eye! I never knew exactly what it is supposed to be used for — seemed fairly useless to me — but, I got the idea not long after I bought it to use it to chill wine bottles! It is the perfect depth and is slightly slanted, so the wine bottles are stored on their side in a way to keep the corks from drying out……just like it was made for the task! So, that’s my photo to fit the prompt “Inside My Fridge”! LOL Oh…..and, I know this makes me look like a wino, but I actually rarely open a bottle of wine unless I have guests, but like to have a nice selection available and chilled for when someone may stop by or so I don’t have to remember to do so when I have dinner guests! 🙂
# 11 Caught By My Lens:
“Celtic Pub Staircase”
This is an incredibly beautiful staircase that goes up to a loft that will be used for small parties in the new Medina eatery – Fitzgibbons Public House!
Pub Review:
Fitzgibbons Public House is a new Celtic-style Pub on Main Street in Medina, NY. It opened last week and, like I said above, the soft opening weekend was a huge success! My friend, Cathy and I had planned to go Sunday afternoon, but by the time they closed Saturday night, they were sold out of several key menu items, so they decided to close Sunday and Monday to take time to reevaluate their needs and restock! They are planning for Tuesdays to be their typical “closed” day, which means that today was their first day to be open since the opening weekend. We decided to go for lunch, today……and boy are we glad we did! They currently have a limited menu – just burgers, a few deli sandwiches, a couple appetizers, shepherd’s pie, and a steak and banger pie. They also fresh cut their own steak fries. I was leaning towards the corned beef sandwich, but we both decided to have the steak burger! OMG — it was the best burger I’ve had in a VERY long time! It was ample size, tender, juicy, well seasoned, cooked to perfection, and had the best char-broiled flavor!!! It was served on a delicious roll with lettuce and tomato (cheese, if you want it) and a side of chips. We were happy campers, for sure! And, the prices are reasonable for the pub-like setting and amazing food! Inside the pub is GORGEOUS – the ambiance and decor is amazing. It was a perfect lunch…..well, might have been a tad more perfect if we could have tried the fresh cut steak fries, but they were having an issue with their fryer…..that’s OK, though – I had PLENTY to eat and now can look forward to definitely trying them next time! I can not wait to see what they put on their expanded menu! Along with the food, there is a stunning bar and an impressive list of specialty brews to choose from, as well as other adult beverages. I plan to return…..again and again and again! This is sure to become a very popular regular eatery in the area – great food, good prices, excellent atmosphere (they were pretty busy on this Wednesday lunch period)…….check it out!!! I give Fitzgibbons Public House a solid 5 out of 5 stars and TWO thumbs up!!!
Here are some more photos from inside the pub:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2017’s Photo Prompts:
Kim's Thoughts 
Recent Comments