Wordless Wednesday #25

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Zooplus.nl

This blog is not only about random things that anyone in the world might find appealing, it's also for people here in The Netherlands (expats & Dutch).  So when I find something interesting that might help out a fellow resident of The Netherlands, I like to spread the word.  If I haven't mentioned it enough, I am an avid online shopper I despise actually going to the store.  I can conveniently sit behind my computer in my pajamas, sipping on coffee, and shop.  And whether you want to believe it or not, shopping online can often work out to be cheaper than physically going to a store. 

My latest find, you ask... an online pet supply shop, called Zooplus.nl!  I was in need of dog food, but then I remembered the last time I went to the store and had to lug the 15kg (33 lb) bag out to the car while keeping close tabs on my toddler.  I figured there had to be an easier way, plus my toddler had just come down with chicken pox and my husband was in Finland on business.  Then it clicked, there must be a store online.  Knowing the amount I would have paid at the store for the food and the trimming scissors I wanted, I went in search of a comparable deal.  Not only did I find something comparable, I found something cheaper!!!  The dog food was about the same price, but delivery was free (if you spend more then €20), that meant someone else would carry the bag to my front door.  The scissors were €10 cheaper, and on you first order you get 10% off, so I tagged a few other things on to my order.  Like doggy diapers, which were also cheaper.  And the shampoo was about the same price but hey why not buy it while getting a 10% discount and free delivery.  In the end I spent about €5 more than I would have if I had gone to Jumper, and received twice as much without the hassle.  And besides the 1st time customer discount you can also sign up for a savings plan, you pay a few euros and then with every order you 3% off, it'll pay for itself quickly!  So again, thank you online stores!  For anyone who finds this beneficial, you might also be interested in one of my older posts about groceries online.

Music Moments #3

My life is full of music moments, certain activities almost require that there is music involved.  For me those main moments are while driving, exercising, and writing.  But throughout the day music also fills our house, especially when my husbands home, his iPhone is always bolting out the latest tunes.  And when he's not home, well, there's a lot of kids music... Barney is a favorite with my tot!

 

What's the number one album blasting through our house at the moment :
 

It's Mumford & Sons latest album, Babel.  They can do no wrong!  I thought their last album couldn't be topped, but now there's Babel.  I'm sure you've all heard I Will Wait playing on the radio.  The banjo and mandolin keep your head bobbing and the songs are catchy and hard to get out of your head.  There's a great mixture between upbeat songs and slow ballads, all of which worth listening to.  And what's even better, it's music I can listen to with my toddler around and not worry about her repeating vulgar words or hearing adult only content.

 

What's playing in my car (o.k., my husbands car that I borrow occasionally) :
 

I have to admit, I still haven't taken Fun or Lana Del Rey off the USB stick.  But I also added Green Day's newest album, Uno.  When I added this album it reminded of how much I enjoyed their 1994 album Dookie.  It was one of those albums that accompanied my early teenage years.  As soon as I added it to my car playlist I realized I still remember all of the words.  The mind is a funny thing, I can't tell you what I did last weekend but I know all the words to Basket Case and When I Come Around 10 yrs later!

 

What's playing while I exercise :
 

Somehow I missed out on a genre of music called Dubstep.  When I finally realized I was interested in it, I coined my own term, techno-hip-hop.  My husband was embarrassed for me and after I said it to friends for the umpteenth time, he told me it was actually called Dubstep.  Immediately I hopped on the computer and looked around for a popular artist in this genre, and I found Datsik.  I wouldn't say this music is for everyone, but wow does it get you pumped up.  Something you need while working off the fat on the elliptical machine.  And on one of the rare occasions I ended up in a bar after 2AM, they were blasting this music and the crowd couldn't get enough.  I could have danced the rest of the night away (except I'm 31 yrs old and I knew the next day my toddler would come home from grandma's!)  I'm sure there are other great Dubstep artists out there, so if you know any, please let me know.

 

What's playing while I write :
 

Well, right now Mumford & Sons, but lately the Queen of the Damned soundtrack.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with Queen of the Damned, it was a great vampire movie from 2002.  It also had a worthy rock music soundtrack.  Not just any rock, great music created with the help of Jonathan Davis from Korn!  I was working on a mythological story and the music was perfect to play in the background.  Once I played the album a couple times it dawned on me that I could also use it while exercising.  You can't compare it to Dubstep, except it does get your blood flowing... and... you really have to enjoy this type of music to get into it (I imagine a lot of people my age and over cringe at the sound of either!)

Well, that's it for this time... who knows what I'll be listening to next!  Do you have any suggestions?

Potting and Repotting

During the spring I planted a lot of different seeds & bulbs and waited for results... I've never been the handiest when it comes to plants.  Amazingly enough, nature worked its wonders and voila, I had flowers, veggies, & herbs!  I've written a couple posts about my progress, so I thought I'd give you another update.  The bulbs of gladioli didn't exactly work out, the leaves popped up but the flowers never did... apparently they needed a lot more sunlight than they were receiving.  The mismatched pots full of seeds did the same, lots of leaves (still pretty) but no flowers... maybe it was already too late in the season.  The basil my daughter and I planted took off, I was really impressed, they looked & smelled wonderful.  And the starter sets for tomatoes & carrots also sprouted.  But then the summer came as well as the puppy and needless to say the plants weren't getting the attention they needed.  Realizing the weather was changing and the cold was on the way I knew I should try and salvage what plants I did still have.  My toddler and I headed out to a large plant shop, Coppelmans in Valkenswaard (despite the buckets of rain that day).  I had a general idea of what plants I wanted to replace and which ones I wanted to repot and before I knew it I had racked up a decent bill!  The weather was too bad when we arrived home so we didn't actually get busy potting & repotting until the next morning, but boy did we have fun.  It always gets messy when dirt & a 3yr old are involved in a project.  It had been ages since I repotted a plant, so I took a big risk moving the basil.  But from what I've read they have to come inside for the winter and the container they were in was too large.  I lost one or two plants since the move, but the other 4-5 are doing great.  Since I had left the tomatoes & carrots in the starter pots there was little hope for them, but the tomato plants have seemed to shape up since their move... still not sure about the carrots though.  I filled the gaping hole where the basil had been with some kind of silver grayish plant, the sign said they'd hold up through the winter (and they matched my new grey, brown, & black wooden pots).  I yanked up the remnants of the gladioli, dumped out the other flowers from the mismatched pots, and then went to work on some type of pepper plant I purchased.  They add color, tying in the red & yellow from other decorations on the terrace, and they were pretty easy to put in their new pots.  As of now, I'm quite happy with the results, and hope everything holds up through the winter.  And also hoping I can find space for the ones the will not survive the cold somewhere in our already full apartment! 
(When I snapped the pictures the plants were still waiting for a good watering, since then they have found their places on shelves & tables around our terrace.)

Absentee Ballot

As you all know, it's election season again.  Whether you live in The US or abroad, like myself, it's still in your face.  I am not a fan of election season, the empty promises, the trash talking, the fake facts, etc., etc.  I'm also not a fan of the tension it creates between people.  But the tension comes from passion, so I should be happy people care so much about what happens to their country.  In my mind, unless you vote you don't have a right to complain.  Therefore, I have the right to complain because my husband and I mailed off our absentee ballots this week!  I don't vote for the smaller elections, I find it unfair because I don't follow all of the issues pertaining to Florida.  But I do vote in the general elections, for the larger issues.  As much as I would love to stand on my soap box and tell you what issues I find important and which direction I voted, I shall refrain.  As I've said before, this blog is supposed to be on the light hearted side and nothing can stir emotion quicker than talking politics (and religion).  Oh how I wish I could give you my opinion, on both subjects!  Luckily I can express my opinion in my life outside of this blog.  All I can say is my life as an expat wasn't easy when I first moved here and it wasn't always the transition of moving to another country, it was dealing with the backlash of how people other than Americans felt about American politics.  I filed my vote and now all I can do is wait.  Wait and see what the future holds in store for all of us, Americans, expats, and people across the globe.

Wordless Wednesday #24

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Aphrodite Workshop

Back in May I attended a women's workshop hosted by Maaike ter Haar.  She helps connect women from all nationalities by creating an open environment for discussions and finding your inner strength.  She uses the Greek goddesses as themes for the workshops, last time it was Artemis and this time the theme was Aphrodite.  During the workshop she asked a pretty general question... what is beauty?  At first it seems like an easy question, then you start to realize how complex beauty is.  Is it a person, inside or out?  Relationships?  Is it art?  Words?  Experiences?  All of the women attending the workshop (Dutch, Mexican, Peruvian, Irish, American, & Ukrainian) are mothers, so naturally we find beauty in our families.  But what was beyond that?  We're from all over the world, what is considered beautiful in my country can be quite different in theirs.  Age also plays a huge factor in what you find beautiful, obviously your vision of the world changes and matures.  It didn't take me long to realize I had generalized beauty into nature.  Nature that creates people, plants, animals, landscapes... to me there is nothing more beautiful than something created naturally.  Then I narrowed it down a little further, what is something I have found consistently beautiful throughout my 31 yrs.  It hit me, water, in all forms.  As a kid I had posters strewn across my room with the rainforest and the ocean, as a teen I had photos of beaches taped inside my armoire.  As an adult we have a large canvas picture of rocks and water hanging above our bed.  Then when Maaike asked the question about what is my dream or passion for the future, one of my answers was... I'd love to own a home on the water.  I can picture it, a large wooden porch overlooking a dark blue lake, trees lining the entire landscape.  I wouldn't say I'm in to horoscopes (well as a kid/teen I was), but I am a Cancer, and we do love water.  In this busy life we lead juggling work, relationships, and hobbies, I wonder how often we actually take the time to admire something beautiful.  What's beauty to you?  A well decorated home?  The happiness in your child's eyes?  A sparkling diamond ring?  Architecture?  Life?  Love?  All of the above, ha-ha? 

DDW

Just a quick note... from October 20th-28th Eindhoven is hosting Dutch Design Week!  Since it's an annual event and a couple of our friends participate I also wrote a post last October about the event.  It's a great way for students and businesses to promote themselves.  There are many venues ranging from furniture to film.  The exhibitions are open to everyone, so if you're in the Eindhoven area I recommend you stop into a few!

Be sure to check out these exhibits :

Willemijn de Wit

Kacper Holenderski

1 Year Award

During a quiet moment while walking my dog in the park today, it dawned on me that I started blogging 1 year ago!  So, I decided to award myself!  (I'm patting myself on the back right now!)  When I wrote my first post about my favorite brand of shoes I had no idea what would transpire.  Here I am 112 posts, 7290 pageviews, & 27 followers later.  As an amateur blogger I am always learning, and after seeing my first few posts I know I have picked up a lot along the way.  I regularly participate in Wordless Wednesday, I follow-up on posts, I have a few themes (not weekly but reoccurring), and I make sure to add links (to older posts, websites, & other blogs).  Next step is to create a badge/button but I need a little more spare time.  At first the only readers I had were friends & family and that was because I harassed them weekly to pull-up my blog or follow me by email.  Nowadays people from around the world read my blog, willingly I might add, ha-ha!  It's a nice feeling of accomplishment, even though I didn't really have any blogging goals or expectations in the beginning.  Maybe it's time to set a few goals, I could definitely use a few more followers.  I also have to be realistic, I am a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) so blogging takes place in my spare time.  But who's to say it couldn't lead to more... for now I am content with my progress, and I am happy to accept the 1 Year Award (even if I am giving it to myself)!
 

Since I borrowed this image/award from another blogger, I might as well give them credit.  Thanks to M&G at The Holmes Home

According to the rules of the blog award, it is to be passed on to 3 other new bloggers for encouragement, here's to you ladies! :
Girl in Geilenkirchen
Nine and Ninety Nine
Theresa's Mixed Nuts

Free Fun

This past week was fall vacation for the kids attending Dutch schools.  Besides school being cancelled so were all other activities, like swimming lessons.  It didn't take long for our schedule to fill, leaving us with no free days to relax, but what toddler wants to relax.  As I have mentioned, again and again, I'm frugal, so 2 of the 5 days I managed to fill with free fun kid activities.  At the indoor sports center the city built an indoor play paradise for kids.  There were at least 10 bouncy houses, plenty of toys, and lots of kids for my toddler to play with.  We happen to own a small bouncy house but it's just not the same as a gymnasium full.  Adults & kids under 3 yrs old were allowed in free, we walked there (with the stroller of course - 80 min round-trip), and I brought lunch from home... in the end I only paid for a cup of coffee.  My kind of day, happy kid, fit mom, and little to no costs!  The city offers this indoor play paradise during most school vacations, so for those of you in the area it's worth checking into. 

The other activity was swimming at the large city pool inclusive fun slides, wave pools, and a small lazy river.  My daughter loves swimming, all parents like to brag but we might have an Olympic swimmer in the making!  Because we attend the public pool (one of the smaller ones in the complex) for toddler swimming lessons, during the school vacations we are allowed free entry to the big pool (as long as we go on the day class would have been).  So again... entry was free, the walk there free (1hr round trip), and we were home in time for lunch.  I spent a total of 50 cents and that was for the locker.  I'm always pleased to find free entertainment, especially in a world that has grown to be way too expensive!

Holiday Season

O.k., I know there are not many of us out there, but I don't like holidays.  Why you say?

1) extra costs.. food, decorations, presents, costumes, cards

2) storing the decorations the other 11 months of the year

3) the endless preparations and discussions

At first holidays seem like a fun and pleasurable experience; especially when someone else is doing all of the work.  Then I remember the above 3 reasons and I cringe.  Moving abroad helped to eliminate some holidays, at least for a few years.  My in-laws rarely bothered to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Dutch didn't really understand Valentine's & Halloween, and Christmas, well my husband & I never bothered to decorate.  But times are changing, unwillingly I might add.  Mostly adding a child to the family changed things.  People expect you to decorate and make a big deal about holidays, kids love it. 

Sure as a kid it's great, you do no work and you don't foot the bill either, ideal!  You just enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, but becoming an adult ripped the fun right out of it.  I hear some adults actually still get pleasure from the holidays, for example, my in-laws love Christmas.  Which makes it even harder to be the Scrooge of the family.  Maybe I'd enjoy holidays if they were simple.  One present per person on Christmas, everyone bring one dish of food to Thanksgiving, and instead of buying a costume for Halloween the kids just wear something they already own.  Oh yeah, and no more cards!  No more celebrating because some commercial holiday was created, how about celebrating your love because you love someone, not just because the store tells you it's the 14th do something romantic!  Again, did I mention the costs.  Between divorce and marriage in the family, at Christmas time alone we have to buy presents for around 14 people, that's a lot of money.  And the kids (I'm not talking about our family alone) don't appreciate Christmas (or birthdays), because it's become present overload. 

And now that we're a part of an international play group, holidays like Easter & 4th of July are being reintroduced, c'mon, I can't do it all.  You're probably asking normal questions right now, like... don't you enjoy seeing the city decorated for the holidays, don't you like receiving presents, don't you love the honey glazed holiday ham, don't you get pleasure from the glimmer in your child's eye during the excitement?  Yes, yes, yes, and yes.  So I guess there's a little bit of humanity left in me after all, ha-ha.  (Sorry for the rant, but it's mid-October, and Halloween, Thanksgiving, & Christmas are quickly nearing!)

Wordless Wednesday #23

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Marathon Eindhoven

Every year in October the city I live in hosts a large marathon.  There are 6 events during the marathon... some people run 42.195km (around 26 miles) while others run half, and there is even an event for kids (2.5km/1.5m).  Well, I am proud to say yesterday a good friend of mine joined the marathon!  (Hope you didn't think I'd say I ran a marathon... I walked about 6.4km/4miles today & jumped on bouncy castles in between and I am aching and in need of rest!)  My friend (Linda Roos) joined the Estafettemarathon; during this event 4 runners split the gruelling 42.2km.  She had the last leg of the event which put her finishing the marathon near my house.  Since my husband had to work on Sunday - bummer - me, my daughter, & Linda's husband set out to a not so crowded spot near the park and finish line.  Luckily I know my way around the center of town and we didn't have to fight any crowds.  Linda estimated she'd cross the finish line around 1:20PM.  I knew better, you have to factor in the other runners plus she has never ran the 11km portion of the marathon before (to be fair, she did finish during her estimated time).  We arrived around 1:30PM and I gave her 30 minutes because I needed to put my toddler to bed.  But when 2PM rolled around I couldn't leave.  We've been friends for round 8 years, and to be honest she's participated in everything from dance shows to parades and I often let her down and didn't turn up.  So this time I was determined to cheer her on as she neared the finish line.  Being a typical male her husband had little information to help, he at least knew what she was wearing, so that would help us keep an eye out for her.  But quickly I realized all team runners were wearing team shirts, so she wasn't dressed in all black.  He did know the team she was running for, so we were on the lookout for a neon green shirt.  Turns out she wasn't wearing the black hat he mentioned either, but I still managed to spot her.  Immediately we started jumping up and down, calling her name, waving balloons, but she was so focused (and wearing earphones) she almost missed us.  Luckily just as she passed she saw our charades and sent us a smile letting us know she'd survive.  My husband walked up with our dog just after that, he passed Linda and didn't even know it (again, men)!  We all met her after the finish line and she was proud to show off her medal but was obviously exhausted.  We lent her husband our bike so he could charter her around the center to drop off the team medals and bring her back to their car at our apartment.  There was no way she was doing any unneeded walking after the marathon and the center of town was closed off to cars, so the bike worked out perfect.  I was happy to support a friend and happy to take my daughter to the marathon again (it's become a tradition since her birth).  Just a side thought, have you ever been to a marathon?  I love watching all of the different running styles, some make you chuckle, some make you wonder how they even managed the event, and some are just obviously life time runners, but no matter what, they all did it.  Congrats to everyone who participated in the Eindhoven Marathon yesterday!

Dental Floss

Just throwing this one out there... how often do you floss your teeth?  I admit I wasn't flossing as often as I should, until recently.  I used to be the dentists' star patient until after the birth of my daughter.  I wouldn't say I had problems with my teeth during pregnancy but since the arrival of our daughter my priorities have definitely been elsewhere.  But now 3 yrs on I don't really have an excuse.  It was actually a fellow blogger that brought it to my attention; Jen is always so honest in her blog and admitted she needed to get back in the routine.  And the final push I needed was to hear the correlation between gum disease and Alzheimer's.  Whether it's true or not, I don't need to raise my chances because sadly enough Alzheimer's is on both sides of my family.  It's been around a week now and I must say my teeth and gums are looking great.  I'm curious what the dentist has to say during our check-up in a couple weeks???  If I get the all clear I think I might take the dental work up a notch and consider getting my teeth whitened.  I smoked cigarettes for around 9yrs (I quit in 2004) and I am an avid coffee drinker, so needless to say the color of my teeth could use a little help.  Let's hope my slacking off didn't cause too much damage, fingers crossed!

Wordless Wednesday #22

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Sand Sculptures

In 2008 we did a lot of travelling, since then life has picked up and there have been a lot less journeys throughout Europe.  One of our destinations in 2008 was Sitges, Spain.  Our apartment was located where the beach and golf course met, so it catered to both of our wishes.  Besides the beauty of the city itself, there were also great shops and restaurants.  But I have to admit, we're on a completely different time schedule than the Spanish and we missed a lot of things because they were closed.  During our vacation we noticed a few men building sand sculptures, they were huge and detailed, and very time consuming.  After passing them a few times, we ended up joining them for an evening.  Apparently during the night they sit and guard their creations.  No wonder, because these sculptures earn them a lot of money in the weekends.  The small change from tourists adds up quickly, according to them above €1000.  We laughed, we drank, we listened to them strum the guitar and sing, it was a little surreal.   And then at some point in the night, I realized we were part of the tourist attraction.  During the day it had been us standing there taking pictures of the sculptures from a distance.  Now we were joking and running around the sculptures, even climbing inside the sand boat to take pictures.  Sitting there staring off at the promenade, I couldn't help but capture the moment, the tourists were taking pictures of us (and the sculptures of course).  It was a night & vacation that we will not easily forget!  We met so many friendly people, Spanish & foreign.  At the golf course we teamed up with two locals, who after a round of golf invited us to join them at the clubhouse.  At the apartment/hotel we met an American staff member who gave us tips on places to check out in the city.  And on the beach we met the travelling artists, who came from all over Europe.  We ate some of the best tapas ever at a small restaurant on a side street.  And funnily enough even found Duff beer (we're big Simpsons fans) at a bar.  I'd definitely recommend this vacation spot to anyone (well anyone that's open-minded).  As for us, I doubt we'll go back, only because we try to find new spots and new adventures each vacation! 

Vocabulary Challenge #2

I promised you a follow-up post to the Vocabulary Challenge, so here are the following 10 from the list :

(Quick reminder, these are words that apparently every high school graduate should know!)

11) Chromosome
12) Churlish
13) Circumlocution
14) Circumnavigate
15) Deciduous
16) Deleterious
17) Diffident
18) Enervate
19) Enfranchise
20) Epiphany

How familiar are you with the above words?  I am proud to say this round went much better for me!!!

Reminds Me Of...

I live far from sunny Florida where I grew up but occasionally I come across things that remind me of my childhood, like plants funnily enough.  The other day walking home from an international play group with my daughter I saw fruit growing on a tree and it immediately reminded me of the neighborhood I spent the most time in as a child.  Maybe you can tell me what the fruit is, because I couldn't decide if it was a loquat, a kumquat, or just an orangish berry???  Anyway, I remember eating these fresh off a neighbors tree as a kid.  (Thinking back I wonder how I even ended up at this neighbors house, they lived a couple streets over and I don't remember them having kids, ahh, kind of scary!)  Oh yeah back to the point, they had a huge tree full of a fruit similar to this one.  They would wash it there on the spot or send home a plastic bag full.  It was one of the nice things about Florida, the amazing fruit you could grow in your own yard.  At my Mom's house we had a grapefruit tree, which if you didn't deal with it in time would end up being quite messy.  No one likes to clean up rotten fruit from the yard.  Near one of my Dad's old apartments there was a banana tree, that's pretty amazing to see in person.  And I also remember endless amounts of berries lining a friends road, something I pay a lot of money for here in The Netherlands.  I never really appreciated fresh fruit when I lived in Florida, maybe it was my age, maybe it was the fact it was cheap (if not free) but living across the ocean in a fairly cold climate I realize certain fruits aren't always in season (logical) and that if you want them you have to buy the imports.  I don't miss the Florida heat, but I do miss the tropical fruits.  Any of you ever see a plant or fruit and your mind immediately takes you back 10 to 20 years?

Wordless Wednesday #21

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Movie Time

Well, it's that time again, to tell you what I think about some of the movies I have watched recently.  It's been a few months since I wrote the Chick Flick post... this time around the movies are bit more action packed. 

I'll get right to it and start with my favorite movie of the past few months, The Bourne Legacy.  Usually I don't jump into a series part of the way through, I prefer to watch the movies in sequence so I have a clue as to what is going on.  But since they changed the lead in the Bourne series, I thought I'd give it a shot (plus Jeremy Renner usually does well in movies except for his lame role in The Avengers).  Never once did I feel lost while watching the movie, sure I might have understood the back story better if I had seen the first 3 but from beginning to end it held my attention.  I highly recommend you also give it a chance, if you like butt-kicking, high speed action, save the girl, kind of movies.  I also felt Rachel Weisz did a great job, and I look forward to the next Bourne movie.  Because the way it ended, there's bound to be a 5th movie.  Will I watch it?  Of course and at the theater!

Then of course there's The Hunger Games.  Don't hate me but I don't get all of the hype.  Sure it was good, interesting concept, I especially liked the costumes.  But great, no... this series is being compared to Harry Potter & Twilight, I'm just not seeing it.  Maybe it's because the male lead, Josh Hutcherson, just didn't cut it for me.  To be honest, I actually paused the movie halfway through and watched the rest a couple days later (not a good sign).  I guess if I had read the book I might understand why he was cast but for me he didn't add anything extra to the movie.  Now, Jennifer Lawrence, she has a bright future ahead of her (which reminds me, I should probably get around to watching X-Men: First Class, considering I've seen the rest of the series).  Do I plan on watching Catching Fire when it comes out next year?  Sure, but I might wait until it comes out on DVD.

Then there was the surprise, Disney's John Carter.  I didn't get the 3D IMAX experience, but it was still captivating.  You definitely have to like sci-fi and be able to handle monstrous beasts to get into the movie; luckily it played into many things I enjoy in a movie, even romance.  I was bit shocked it was a Disney movie, when I think of Disney I immediately envision the movies I watch with my toddler (mostly animated) so for them to put this out, I was happy (I'm a big Disney fan, from the theme parks to the cartoons).  I had never heard of the actor and actress playing lead, Taylor Kitsch & Lynn Collins but they did well.  It's not easy playing a martian princess or a civil war captain on Mars and also be taken seriously!  Sure the end is left open (like every other movie these days), but I don't really see a follow up movie happening.  Would I watch this movie again?  Probably!

Besides the above featured movie's I've seen my fair share over the summer.  Like ted, which was hilarious but you have to appreciate Seth MacFarlane's humor to enjoy it.  Often I found myself questioning things Ted was doing, then I had to remind myself, it's a talking bear anything goes.  And the must see movie for women this past summer, Magic Mike!  Did it have a great story line, will it win awards, no, was it worth seeing, yes.  There either needed to be more stripping & dancing and less story or vice-versa, but that didn't stop me from hooting & hollering in the theater!  Let's see what else, oh yeah, The 5 Year Engagement, boring, turned it off!  And last, Lockout.  Like so often most of the movie is shown in the trailer, what a shame.  And then there was the unexpected romance brewing in the movie, but it almost didn't seem appropriate, I wanted crazy inmates locked away in a prison suspended in space in 2079, not flirtatious banter.  Well, that's it for now, in a few more months I'll give you another movie update!