The Lost City

This was certainly a cut above some of the movies we've seen recently. It was paced well with something always going on, and I was totally able to follow and understand everything that happened. The cast was good, and I even learned some things I didn't know before about the Cuban revolution and how Castro came into power. I'd put this one in the 'pretty good' category.

Shining Star, Part 8

Except for the puckering center, it's starting to really come together now. The first round of the border is done, but I'm seriously considering using a different border than the 2-round border included in the pattern.

The diameter measurement is still not big enough, so I'm thinking about a larger border to make up for that. I'm trying to decide if I should include some rounds in lilac or if I should continue doing the entire border in white.

It seems like an all-white border would be the best match to go with the Tulip Time dress and booties. The plan is for all of these to go together as a layette set.

Tulip Time is still lacking the dress sash, bootie ties and still-to-be-sewn-on roses and lace embellishments. Hopefully I'll get to that after I finish this Shining Star blanket and the headband I also want to crochet to complete this layette set.

Whiskers On Wednesday

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This is George, lounging on the veranda behind the glider, one of his favorite places to relax.

He's a real sweetheart and loves to be cuddled and petted.

Mrs. Palfrey At The Claremont

Some parts of this movie were silly. Some parts were uncomfortable. But there were some funny parts and some tender touching parts. Overall I think it was more good than bad and okay for watching while you're multitasking since you don't have to pay a whole lot of attention to every single little thing.

It's about an elderly widow who still converses with her dead husband and lives in a boarding hotel. She meets a young man who comes to her aid after a fall, and they end up spending a lot of time together.

Shining Star, Part 7

It's now gotten to the point where you can see better how the finished blanket is going to look, and that's been motivating me to keep crocheting more instead of setting it down as much as I was before.

The puckering problem in the center seems to be getting worse instead of better. I was really tempted to quit because of that alone, but I'm thinking I'll see it through to the end and then see if anything can be done to make it lay flatter.

Last Night's TV

The Bachelorette: I wasn't sure what to wish for in the finale. I thought both Jesse and Jason were sweethearts and great picks, but as I've said before, I am not a DeAnna fan, and that goes back to when she was on The Bachelor with Brad Womack. I thought what he did to both her and Jenni was disgusting, and I felt for both of them because of that. But I thought DeAnna was cold and negative during that season, and during her own show she was controlling and demanding, so I wasn't sure it would be a good thing for any of the guys to end up with her. I didn't want to see either Jesse or Jason hurt, but then maybe that might be better than a long-term relationship with DeAnna. I know she's not all bad and that she has good qualities, too, but she appears to be self-focused and to have some unrealistic expectations. She and Jesse seem really happy right now, but I'm having a hard time seeing their relationship as one that will last.

I enjoyed seeing Matt and Shayne on the show. That's a rare case where the person picked the one I was rooting for. I loved Shayne from the beginning. Happy to see they're still together and enjoying each other.

The Next Food Network Star: I initially liked Kelsey and still do, but Lisa, oddly enough, was growing on me until she just shut down on the set with Rachael Ray. She seems really knowledgeable, but she tends to make poor choices at the worst times. Kelsey did better than Lisa, but not as good as Adam, who was great on the set in this episode. I hope Aaron does better next time. I am sooooo glad Nipa and Jennifer were finally eliminated in previous episodes. They were kept around far too long.

Ten On Tuesday--Favorite Movie Characters

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1. Doc Holliday in Tombstone (played by Val Kilmer).

"I'm your huckleberry."

2. Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind (played by Vivien Leigh).
"Fiddle-dee-dee."

3. Sir Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus of Tev'Meck in Galaxy Quest (played by Alan Rickman).

"By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Warvan, you shall be avenged!"

4. David Levinson in Independence Day (played by Jeff Goldblum). "Forget the fat lady! You're obsessed with the fat lady! Drive us out of here!"

5. William Bligh in The Bounty (played by Anthony Hopkins). "He was insubordinate, cowardly and insubordinate.....Are you frightened to go around the Horn, Mr. Christian? Are you a coward too, sir?"

6. Fletcher Christian in The Bounty (played by Mel Gibson).

"I am in hell, sir! I am in hell!"

7. Aurora Greenway in Terms Of Endearment (played by Shirley MacLaine).

"Why should I be happy about being a GRANDMOTHER?"

8. Hawkeye in The Last Of The Mohicans (played by Daniel Day-Lewis).

"No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you."

9. Han Solo in Star Wars (played by Harrison Ford).

"Look, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person: me."

10. David Howard in Lost In America (played by Albert Brooks).

"Say it! Say it! Say 'I lost the nest-egg.' Go on, say it!"

A Little Trip To Heaven

This was one of those movies where I didn't completely understand everything that was going on. Part of the problem could just be me not following along well enough because of knitting or crocheting while I'm watching. I don't want to give away what happens, but for me, the ending didn't seem consistent with the rest of the movie--at least the main character's behavior at the end of the movie didn't make any sense to me in comparison with his behavior throughout the movie prior to that.

What I mostly got from the movie was that insurance companies will apparently work pretty hard to pay out as little as possible and some people will do anything to get a big insurance pay-off. The movie was about the intersection of these two things.

It was somewhat interesting and was okay for watching to pass the time, but nothing to write home about.

Shining Star, Part 6

This filling in between the star points part is going rather slowly. I usually don't work this many days in a row on the same project without switching off to something else for a while, so that's probably why it's going slowly for me. I've actually just put it down and watched TV without crocheting for long periods of time!

Hopefully when I get closer to the end of this part, I'll get more motivated and enthusiastic about being close to finishing the project.

It doesn't help that for several days my design for the next My Reading Afghan square has been in my head just itching to get knitted, but I'm trying really hard to stay with Shining Star until it's finished.