Graceland: Fun and Exhausting Day

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Fun and Exhausting Day

I love a good Saturday. I got up early and was on my bike by 7:15. I met Allison at Liberty Park and we rode the 45 mile round-trip ride to Saltair. I was bummed I had to turn around early last week on this ride so we decided to do it again this morning. It was fun, but I was tired and hungry by the time we got back. I also did something wacky to my hand. My pinky finger down into my arm are completely numb. It makes typing this quite interesting. I've been a spaz all day with my "bum hand" (nod to GB). The guys at the bike shop said I'd inflamed a nerve and suggested getting some special pads for my handlebars which I ordered. But I'm wondering how long this lasts. I think I'll scour my essential oil collection tonight and see if anything will help. It's really weird. I picked up my face soap in the shower and it just fell. Then I couldn't get my pants buttoned because only half my fingers work. It's like I got a huge shot of Novocaine in my hand.

After biking, I got some errands done. Bought a new mattress and TV. I thought I'd found a mattress last week, so I told Steph to come get my old one. Then I decided that I just couldn't buy anything from RC Willey. (I've had bad experiences there before) So I've been in the guest room (a.k.a. Princess Room) the last few nights. Anyway, I'm excited for the new stuff. New stuff is always fun.

I picked up a bunch of pizza from The Pie and headed down to mom & dad's. We had a family yard work evening. (steph will you send me the pics) We got a lot done, but oh my, that is a huge job. I don't know how mom & dad do that! By 9, I was ready to fall over. I feel like an old lady, achy back, legs, bum hand, really tired. I stopped to see Aunt Janet for a minute on the way home. We had a nice chat on the porch. I miss having a porch in the summer evenings!

Kasey

Krista, Maddie (Krista's friend) and Katie.

Kane, Will and Maya. Will has a snake painted on his face from the community parade.

Asher bringing garbage bags to everyone.

Even, baby Lukie had a shovel and wanted to help!

Now I'm home and I'm not sure why I'm not in bed. Duh.

8 comments:

Mindy said...: That was a huge day! I was exhausted just from emptying out the last few boxes from the garage and hanging pictures all day. I can imagine doing that bike ride and yard work on the same day! I do feel a little guilty knowing that I contributed to your pain...I am sure you were getting the yard ready for the fourth. Thanks. Are we suppose to RSVP to anyone? I think quite a few from my family will be there. What are we suppose to bring....I think I will call my mom cause she probably knows all that.; June 29, 2008 at 9:07 AM
plainoldsarah said...: that sounds like craziness! here's hoping the nerve gets released. i just bought "miracle balls" at costco and they may help. something about helping your whole body to relax.; June 29, 2008 at 11:02 AM
Afton said...: What kind of mattress did you get? We bought one a few months back and I love it... It's latex and kind of not so much like a traditional spring mattress and not so much like the memory foam, but somewhere in the middle. It's super heavy and hypo allergenic. Best of all, it's really comfy.; June 29, 2008 at 12:43 PM
Heidi P said...: Just finished some left over pizza..mmmm. We did get a lot done, I am glad. Thanks for your help- even when you were already tired!
Hows your hand today?; June 29, 2008 at 5:13 PM
Stephanie F. said...: Pics look good :) My hamstrings are sore. I'm an old lady too I guess.; June 29, 2008 at 7:06 PM
Chardell said...: You guys are so awesome to do all that yard work together.; June 30, 2008 at 11:30 AM
kat said...: carpel tunnel, anyone? . . . . ;); June 30, 2008 at 2:48 PM
K said...: I was wondering if those bike shop guys were using a new sales pitch... "You've injured a nerve! We've got just the right handles for that!" :-) J

I thought it was funny the way you worded that. I hope your hand feels better! (Judging by your tennis win post, I'd say hopefully yes!); July 2, 2008 at 6:40 PM

My Movie Reviews

Quiet Earth. B-. Another SciFi recommended by Netflix, although this one was actually interesting and enjoyable. A guy wakes up and everyone is gone. Made in New Zealand, it claims to be one of the top ten movies in the US in the year it came out (sometime in the 1970s). After it was over, we agreed that it was good, but the ending was a little confusing, so we watched the ending again with the directors comments. Lame. Apparently the whole movie was supposed to have an anti-nuclear message and the director takes credit for his movie making New Zealand nuclear free. So.... pretend you don't know that and enjoy the movie.
Sunshine. C-. Netflix. That's it. We are not trusting Netflix's rating of sci-fi movies again. The sun is dying so a crew is going with a nuclear missle to "re-start" it. I kept hoping aliens would show up or at least something would happen to draw me in. A lot of things almost happened, but when they did, it did not make much sense.
Warm Bodies. B. Red Box. I was surprised by this movie. I'm a fan of a good zombie flick, but when I heard about the plot, it seemed a bit too much. It turned out to be very entertaining. I'd rate it pretty high on the must see zombie film list and very high on the cheesy teenage romance film list.
Wolverine. B. I'm a fan of the X-Men movies. I'm also a fan of Hugh Jackman. It was hard to go wrong going in with those two biases. The fighting sequences were too long, but that was expected. If you've like the X-Men movies, you should like this one too.
The East. B. I forget how much I love the indie flicks at the Broadway. This also had an environmentalist-based plot, but was written well and I liked how it ended. A women goes under cover in an environmental terrorist group. It goes with the obvious plot of her having sympathies for members of the group and trying to balance that with her personal beliefs. Worth seeing.
World War Z. B. I was in the middle of the book and didn't want to see the movie until I finish, but I couldn't help it and saw it opening weekend. Not a big deal as they are very different. This is a different kind of zombie movie. While most are horror flicks, this was more of a suspense movie. They cut out the gratutious gore associated with most zombie movies and gave it more of a plot. Fun for zombie fans and non-zombie fans.
Silent Running. D. Netflix. I have no idea why this is rated so well on Netflix. Sci-fi movie made in the sixties with blatant environmental message. Forests have died on the earth so they are growing them in a space station orbiting Saturn. Earth decides to abandon the project and for some reason that means they have to blow up the forests. One man understands the impact of losing all our forests so he kills everyone. My description made it seem way better than it is. At one point, he programs his robot helpers to play cards and you watch them play cards for about 10 minutes. Skip this one!

My Book Reviews

The Rent Collector. B. I loved this book while I was reading it. Then the author's comments on the back disappointed me. It was fiction! I was so inspired by the "true" story of this woman living at the dump in Cambodia and learning to read. The whole way through I thought it was true. I was mad when it wasn't. Although toward the end, it started getitng a little unbelievable. It was based on real people which bothers me wondering how much is true and how much is fiction. I still recommend the book, but know what you're getting into.
Divergent. B+. Fun, quick read. YA fiction. Your basic strong female in post-apocolypic world fighting to make change. Even though the story's been told over and over, this one was very engaging. I can't wait to read the next in the series!
World War Z. B+. For staters, this is very different from the movie. It's 10 years after we won the zombie war. The book is a series of interviews with survivors. I was hesitant about the way it was written and that I wouldn't stay involved without a central character. However, the book created a very real world. So much so that when I was getting off the freeway one morning and saw some homeless people waking up under a bridge, for just second, I thought they were zombies. I also wanted to bring it up in conversation. Like when someone was talking about North Korea, I wanted to say, "Did you hear how they handled the Zombie Apocalypse?' It was a fun book. I've never read a zombie book before and I may never again, but I'm glad I read this one. It also was welcome to read a book that isn't a strong female character overcoming incredible odds. I'm seriously weary of that plot line.
Waiting to be Heard. B+. I've followed the Amanda Knox case for several years. I thought, since I knew most details of the case, this might be boring. I was surprised at how engaging and well written it was. She is a quirky girl and, while the complete lack of physical evidence makes me sure she is innocent, I can see why people think she is hiding something. The book was haunting to think the someone who doesn't understand a culture coupled with a corrupt prosecutor could put an innocent person in jail for years.
Girl Gone. C-. Maybe it was called Gone Girl. I don't remember. Book club book. I've never gotten into mysteries. This one took a while to get into, then I couldn't put it down, then it ended and I wished I never picked it up. Ridiculous ending.
The Kitchen House. B-. I have no idea how to rate this book. It was slow to start. Once things started to happen (murder), I found myself sucked in and not wanting to put it down; however, once I did put it down, I didn't look forward to picking it up again. I'm not sure why. Maybe because it's similar to a bunch of other books I've read. I'm just getting weary of the genre and need to mix it up a little. Overall, an interesting read. The story of a young white girl who is indentured when her family dies on the boat from Ireland to America. Her relationship with her new family (the slaves whom she is sent to live and work with) and how her life is different from them because of the color of her skin.
The Happiness Project. D. I'm reviewing the book, but I'm not going to finish it. I knew this wasn't my favorite genre, but it was the book club pick this month so I thought I'd give it a chance. I didn't see the point of reading someone's goals. I sometimes feel like these "self-help" books are an excuse for people to feel like they are doing something to be happier, when really they are an excuse to avoid working on yourself by living through someone else's experience. Instead of reading the book, how about spend that time working on your own "happiness project". As I read, I kept thinking it should have been a workbook for readers to complete their own project while reading hers. I'll be interested to hear how others in book club liked it.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Fun and Exhausting Day

8 comments:

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