So, I've been back at work for a week now ... John started classes on Monday ... and we're picking up our normal lives again after a perfectly wonderful break!
Seriously, I think this was the best vacation I've ever had. We all (John, Honey, and I) went to John's parents house for Christmas. We visited family, ate amazing food, visited Ikea, opened presents, played games, and watched the birth of a baby cow. John's parents keep cows - and most of them were expecting babies while we were there. One of them came right up near the house, and we were able to watch her give birth from the window - it was amazing! Since then, they've had 12 baby cows born, and 8 more coming any day now.
We came back home the day after Christmas, and perhaps 2-3 hours after we got home a couple from church dropped their dog off at our house for us to take care of for the week. "Ice" was a small little white terrier dog (I don't know the actual breed), and she and Honey did not immediately care for each other. John and I spent the week just relaxing and doing things around the house, while the dogs kept each other occupied.
Honey was so stressed out - she hated having to share John and I. She didn't mind if Ice played with her toys or went in her bed, or anything. But if Ice got in our laps to be petted, Honey got upset and paced and whined and barked. Thankfully though, by the time it came for Ice to go home, the two of them were getting along much better. Of course, Honey was still over-the-moon happy when Ice went home. She was bouncing and happy and playful and on her very best behavior!
John got a lot of really good work done on the house over the break. He completely re-did my pantry! and it is totally amazing! I am so loving my pantry now. I'll have to get some pictures off my phone to put on here. He also painted most of the garage - with a stinky acylic paint that permeated the entire house with that awful paint smell. Still, the garage looks much better.
We also went to see both "The Hobbit" and "Les Miserables" in theaters. They were brilliant. Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins was spot-on. My favorite parts of "The Hobbit"? When Smaug destroyed the city at the beginning, and when the dwarves were showing up at Bilbo's house. I also loved that they added scenes that were not necessarily from the book, but explained the back story. John did some research, and apparently Peter Jackson, the director, was given access to Tolkien's writings that were never published. My personal feeling is that Jackson and his crew have immersed themselves in Tolkien's world for almost 10 years now - I have every faith in them that if they do add something, it will be an enhancement, not a detractor from the world.
Unfortunately, "Les Miserables" did not live up to my expectations. I've seen the stage musical twice before on stage, and have been in love with the musical since high school. Anne Hathaway as Fantine was perfect. She was by far the best part of that movie. Overall, it was a good movie. I just had two problems with it: Hugh Jackman as Valjean, and the music.
Now, it was clear that Hugh Jackman put all he had into this role - he worked at it, and his acting was stellar. My only complaint with his is that he doesn't have the voice to carry that role. Valjean is the backbone of the entire musical - he has multiple solos and dramatic pieces to sing. Honestly, I probably would have been happy if they had dubbed over Jackman's voice. He's not a bad singer - not at all. But he didn't have the authority in his voice to carry that particular role. (Side note - I've heard very similar arguments about Russell Crowe, who played Javert. Yes, you can say exactly the same thing about him - stellar acting, not as good singing voice - but this didn't bother me so much, because Javert does not sing as much as Valjean.)
My next criticism is with whoever did the soundtrack for the film. Because that's what it is - a soundtrack. When you see the play in person, the music is a powerful, driving force that envelopes you. In the movie, the music is toned down to background music - an aside. By doing they, they lost the impact that the music gave.
Anyway, it was a wonderful break, and John and I enjoyed it so very much. We're (maybe) ready for this next semester? We certainly jumped into it feet-first!
No comments:
Post a Comment