Everything's better and I'm better for it

Well, folks, if you're still here reading, then my vitriolic entry from the other day didn't scare you off. Thanks for enduring that! I'll try not to complain that badly, but that happened to be a very bad day for me....

Moving on, we spent Saturday afternoon in White Cloud at the viewing. That went as well as can be expected. My uncle was a very well-liked man, so the service was packed. Family, friends, and even patrons of my aunt & uncle's old diner were there (some even driving up from Grand Rapids, since they used to stop in at the restaurant while spending time at their cabin nearby). Afterwards, we had dinner at my aunt's house with my cousins and their families.

Chuck hadn't ever had a tour of their house, which is a shame b/c we don't think my aunt will be able to keep it for very long. So, if you happen to know anyone in the Newaygo County area who's in the market for a 4-garage, 7-bedroom, 4-bathroom, 2-kitchen (yes, full kitchens at that), 3-living room house with its own gun room (racks, 3-in steel doors with security alarm) and a shuffle board room in the basement, please leave me a message and I'll connect them to the right person. Our initial thoughts is that the market for a house like that in that part of the state will be a very hard sell. Chuck was thinking that they may have some luck if it's marketed to out-of-state hunters looking for a lodge (Chicago-folks, maybe?). It's on its own property (at least 20 acres, since some of the original property had been sold off, but that's on the other side of a creek that runs through the property and not near the actual house), plus there's access to the Manistee National Forest within walking distance...

Okay, enough of the shameless promotion...

So, last night, Chuck, Sylvain, and I sat down to a nice, quiet night of movies. First up: "The Scorpion King 2". I will say that that one was my pick, but it was me trying to guess what the guys would like to see, not that I actually wanted to watch it myself. Needless to say, I sat down at the corner of the couch with a comfy blanket and started making the first practice sock from Book 1 of "New pathways to sock knitting". Somehow, I was put right to sleep (combination of having a long, trying weekend, being too warm, or just plain bored?). Please take that as ample warning to leave the Scorpion King at the video store.

I woke up at 5:55 this morning, still sitting upright, but in the dark and all alone in the den. Apparently, the guys must've finished watching the movie and left me where I sat. Thanks for the neck cramp fellas!

Seeing how my chores of the day were to wash windows and scrape paint, I decided to hang out a little while longer in the den and watch the two movie gems that I had picked for myself: "Miss Pettigrew lives for a day" and the original "The day the Earth stood still". I recommend both movies, but concede that it's not likely that many people would care for both. "Miss Pettigrew" was a fast paced and cute movie with a happy ending. Amy Adams was good in "Enchanted", and in "Miss Pettigrew", she played a character just as naive. I also like Frances McDormand, and she did a good job playing a down-and-out governess. For you movie buff folks out there -- the actress who played Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films also had a small role in the film. As I watched the movie, it kept bugging me that her voice was so familiar, so I just had to look it up!

As for "the day the Earth stood still" -- yes, I call myself a sci-fi fan, but had never previously watch this film, even though it sits near the top of every reputable sci-fi movie list. I decided to check it out after hearing mention on NPR about the remake that is supposed to come out this winter with Keanu Reeves in the role of Klaatu. Besides, I just had to hear the line "Klaatu barada nikto!"

While watching these two films, I was able to make significant progress on my feather and fan shawl. I'll have to dig out the camera soon for photos, so stay tuned!