If I ran a museum…

After my sons’ enthusiastic response to National Chocolate Chip Day on Tuesday, I decided to look for s0me more “days” to celebrate. But before I even got started, I opened an email from APTE (a provider of educational resources) and found out that today is International Museum Day.

I started thinking about what museum to visit this weekend. Then I realized that my son has a Boy Scout campout this weekend, so the museums will have to wait for another weekend. But in the meantime, I got thinking about the idea of museums.

The APTE email informed me that “the word museum literally means a seat or shrine to the muses. In Greek mythology the nine muses were brought to life to rid the world of evil and sorrow. Their job was to protect art and knowledge.”

Movies: The Avengers

I initially had no interest in seeing The Avengers. I only knew it was coming soon because it was advertised on the Diet Dr. Pepper bottles I buy for my husband. I’ve never been a big fan of superhero movies, and if I watched the movie at all, it could be on DVD.

Then I saw all the positive comments (and only positive comments) from various friends in cyberspace. Maybe it would be worth watching, I thought. So I read a review in the Wall Street Journal, which described “a slow start, a single star performance surrounded by indifferent acting and an onslaught of computer effects.” OK, back to waiting for the movie to come out on DVD.

Our older son is coming home from college today (just finished with his sophomore year), and I knew he’d want to see it. I could send my husband and the boys to the theater and have the house to myself for a while. Except that our son posted yesterday on facebook what an amazing movie it was. So when my husband suggested the three of us go see it yesterday evening, I agreed – it was something we could do as a family, and I had been working hard cleaning the basement most of the day.

Movies: The Adventures of Tintin

I don’t know when I first saw a Tintin cartoon or read a Tintin book, but when I first saw a Tintin book in Europe when I was a college student, I was sure that I had a previous acquaintance with the stories. I could almost – but not quite – hear Captain Haddock’s alliterative rantings in my mind.

I have since read all the Tintin books I could find, between those I purchased in Europe (in French), and those in the local library here (most in English, but also some in French). I don’t know how much it is for the pleasure of the books themselves, and how much some sense of nostalgia for an element of my childhood. But I do enjoy them.

When I first learned that a Tintin movie was being made, I was pleased. Then I read that it would use motion capture, and initial samples that had been released did not seem overly promising. I wasn’t planning to go see it in the theater.

Then I read a very positive review of the movie by Frederica Mathewes-Green. (I am on the emailing list for her newsletters.) Plus we still had money left on the movie theater gift card that Al had won for his Ent costume at Halloween (even after going to another movie – going to matinees saves a lot of money).

On the whole, I would say that I am “underwhelmed.” It certainly wasn’t a bad movie – on the whole it was reasonably entertaining. But I didn’t leave the theater with any particular eagerness to see a sequel (which is strongly hinted at in the ending), or any sense of wonder over what a remarkable movie I had seen. I certainly didn’t replay scenes in my mind as I do after movies that really impress me.

Breakfast of champions?

I almost never read the back page of the Friday Journal section of the Wall Street Journal. (I bring it home after work to do the crossword on the next to last page.) Sports news just doesn’t interest me – unless it’s about something other than sports.

The weird photoshopped image of a football player (Ray Rice) looking like an overgrown head of lettuce didn’t exactly draw me in either. But then I happened to notice the subhead, which mentions chia seeds.

I first heard of chia seeds from a co-worker a few months ago, when we were doing Dr. Ann’s Eat Right for Life program. I was surprised to learn that the tiny seeds used to grow chia pets were actually useful for something other than gag gifts.

Chia seeds weren’t mentioned in Dr. Ann’s book, but they seemed the sort of food she would recommend. They’re high in protein, soluble fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as antioxidants and minerals. Plus they absorb lots of water so they should help in reducing hunger cravings.

I bought a bag one day, along with a new jar of tahini to make hummus, from the health food section of the local supermarket. Then the bag just sat in my cupboard for several weeks. Even though I’ve been trying to eat more healthful foods, I’m just not into eating a lot of “weird” foods.

Then one morning recently I decided it was time to try adding some to my oatmeal. I had no idea what it would do to the consistency if I added it before cooking, so I added it after cooking, along with my blackstrap molasses. It had very little effect on consistency or taste, though I noticed a slight difference in texture and taste.

I added a tablespoonful of the seeds to my oatmeal again this morning. I don’t know if the chia seeds were responsible for my not feeling need of any midmorning snack, but they might have been. (Last Saturday, when I first tried them, I didn’t get hungry for lunch until later than usual, so they may be working in that regard.)

A bag of chia seeds seems quite expensive – I paid over nine dollars for 12 ounce bag. But then, when you consider that the bag holds about 28 servings (one tablespoon each), it’s quite inexpensive compared to what I pay for most forms of protein.

I don’t care much whether chia seeds help Ray Rice win football games. But if they help me get in better shape, I don’t mind having that in common with an NFL football player.

Never bored with this board game

 

Scrabble!

When I first saw the question about a board game I would never get tired of, I had trouble thinking of one. When my son asks to play a game, I usually try to think of one we haven’t played in a while. Most of them are moderately entertaining, but not something I want to play frequently.

I thought of LIFE, Clue, Trouble, and the various other board games in our “gaming room” in the basement (including a few Al and I made up together). I looked at answers other people had given – checkers, chess, Monopoly. (How could someone not get tired of Monopoly?)

Then as I was walking out the door on my way to work I suddenly thought of Scrabble. Oh yes, Scrabble is a board game, isn’t it? I can’t remember the last time I played Scrabble on an actual gameboard instead of a computer screen.

I log on to Facebook at least once a day, usually more, to see if it’s my turn in Scrabble or Words with Friends (similar to Scrabble though not quite as good in my opinion). And sometimes my husband and I play Scrabble (which is also a standalone application) on his computer.

I would probably play it more often if it were loaded on my computer, though I don’t find it as fun to play against the computer as against another person. There’s no one to exclaim to over lousy letter choices or the fact that the built-in dictionary doesn’t allow a perfectly good word, or to suggest good words to (my husband and I regularly offer each other suggestions).

Back when I lived in the Philadelphia area, I had a friend who would occasionally invite me over for dinner and Scrabble (and sometimes to help her with her computer). Those were fun evenings. Playing on a computer is just not the same, though online Scrabble is better than a lot of the other games out there.

Scrabble was the one board game that my mother was willing to play, as I remember. She had no use for activities that were purely for entertainment, but Scrabble was educational. She didn’t care if she won, she just wanted to learn new words.

All in all I prefer to win than to lose, but the main thing I like about Scrabble is the game itself. I love word puzzles of any kind. (I amazed myself by finally managing to finish the acrostic from Saturday’s Wall Street Journal last night, after four days of struggling with it.) And Scrabble is a great word puzzle.

If you like Scrabble and you’re on Facebook, let’s play!

Movies: The Time Traveler’s Wife

A couple of years ago, when we were considering movies to watch, I mentioned The Time Traveler’s Wife as one I would be interested in. Whenever it came time to pick a movie to rent, however, I always bypassed this one. I knew I would end up fighting back tears at the end, as I had with the book. It’s hard to pick an evening’s “entertainment” that you know will make you cry.

My husband has tried in the past to find it available to watch online, but until yesterday had not succeeded. It being my birthday, he wanted to find something I would like. We ended up watching a couple of episodes of “Bones” (my choice), but he also made a note where to find this movie, and this afternoon we watched it.

I was very impressed by how well the essence of the story was translated to the screen from the novel. It’s been a few years since I listened to the audiobook, so I didn’t remember a lot of details. The one thing that I noticed that the movie lacked was more detail about Claire’s artwork (something that I had found very interesting in the novel because I had never imagined one could be such an artist just by making paper).

Movies: Veggie Tales: The Little Drummer Boy

I’m always eager to check out a new Veggie Tales DVD, but I sometimes wait until I can borrow it from the library rather than purchase it. When I saw their version of The Little Drummer Boy, I wondered how it would compare to the original. The Rankin/Bass stop-action movie released in 1968 has always been one of my favorite Christmas specials.  

Usually when Veggie Tales retells a story, they change it considerably, not only in the details but in the “big idea” behind it. When I looked at Veggie Tales’ The Little Drummer Boy in the store, somehow I got the impression that it was less about bitterness and forgiveness, and more about what a small boy (or any of us) could give as a gift to the Christ child.

So I was surprised, when Al and I watched it, to find that the story of Aaron follows so closely the one I remember from my childhood. The characters are nearly all the same (the camel Joshua even looks the same), and the major events are pretty much the same. There are some details that are different, both changes that have to do with Veggie Tales style and others that apparently are to make the story less upsetting in certain ways.

One change that I don’t understand is that it is implied that the Romans are responsible for the destruction of Aaron’s home and the loss of his parents. In the original, it was bandits. Either is plausible, certainly, but I don’t see the purpose of the change. I read in some reviews of the original that its portrayal of Arabs is unacceptable by today’s standards, so perhaps it was felt that it was necessary to avoid showing them as bad guys. But those who destroy the farm are not even shown – why would it be wrong to simply say they were bandits?

[Spoiler alert]

Games: Quelf

I found Quelf on clearance at Walmart and decided it was worth buying based on one thing I read on the box. Among the contents listed (game board, game pieces, cards, etc.) is “1 giant invisible harpoon (it’s invisible for a reason, use it wisely).” I decided that any game maker with that kind of sense of humor was bound to have made a fun game.

My guess was confirmed when we started reading the rules. The objective of the game? “To have fun. Duh!” Unfortunately it is made for at least three players, and my husband is not into board games. So Al and I had to wait for Zach to get home from college. (Having played it now, I don’t recall anything that actually required three players, so Al and I may try playing it by ourselves.)

As a number of reviews at amazon.com indicate, it is similar to Cranium, “but edgier.” I haven’t played the game Cranium, but we have some of the other games made by Cranium, Inc. Al and I both enjoy the wackiness of the games, and the variety of mixing stunts, trivia questions, word puzzles, and more. Quelf takes the wackiness even further.

Movie: The Muppets

Our 12-year-old son treated us to a trip to the movies this weekend. (He won first place for his Ent costume at a Halloween program at a local church, the prize being a gift certificate to the local movie theater.) I checked out what was available, read some reviews, and suggested The Muppets. He has enjoyed all the Muppets movies we have watched on DVD, as well as the episodes of the original Muppets show that we watched on DVD. So we went to see the new Muppets movie.

A lot of long-time fans of the Muppets were concerned about whether this new movie, made without the creative genius (and voice) of Jim Henson, would bring the Muppets magic to life or be a big disappointment. Both from the reviews I have read and our own impressions, this new movie is far from a disappointment. As I saw very little of the Muppets when they were actually on TV, however, I can’t claim to speak with much authority on the subject.

I do have nostalgic memories of watching The Muppet Show a few times with the other residents of on-campus housing at the private high school where I taught in West Simsbury for one year. I really don’t remember much about the show at all, or whether I appreciated its unique brand of humor at the time. My nostalgia is more for the friends I watched it with, and for a particular period of my life when I was still trying to figure out where my life was headed.

My favorite Muppets movie, by far, is The Muppet Christmas Carol. It is also my favorite Christmas movie, and my favorite book-to-movie adaptation. (When I read A Christmas Carol now, I am constantly noticing how surprisingly faithful a movie filled with funny, furry creatures is to Dickens’ story.) Watching it has become a Christmas tradition for me. I couldn’t tell you, though, how much of my pleasure in watching it is for the Muppets and how much for Dickens’ own story.

When it comes to the rest of the Muppets movies and shows I have seen, I enjoy them mostly but there are parts I enjoy more than others. The ones I don’t enjoy as well, I think, are those based on aspects of popular culture that I am not familiar with. There were celebrities who appeared on the show that I had never heard of before. (My husband points out that I grew up “culturally deprived” – my friends in college were amazed at how ignorant I was of popular entertainment and the celebrities who figured prominently in it.)

At least in the case of this newest Muppets movie, that particular issue is less of a problem for me. While I hardly ever watch TV anymore (and then only what is available through the internet), and never listen to the radio (unless someone else has it on), I have been exposed to a lot more of popular culture in the last 23 years (since meeting Jon) than in the previous 26. So while I didn’t recognize all the celebrity cameos in this movie, and no doubt missed a number of cultural allusions, I could appreciate it for the most part – and enjoy it.

The movie asks – very directly – whether the Muppets are still relevant today. I found myself wondering about that as we left the theater. This blog post says they are, and I hope that this blogger is correct. There’s a very interesting article, at Christianity Today, on what made the Muppets so great, suggesting that the truths about the human condition embodied in their shows will make them as relevant now as a generation ago.

Movies: X-Men: First Class

I have never been a big fan of superhero movies, but I generally watch them with my husband and sons. (Except for the Batman movies – I watched Batman with him when it came out in 1989, and found it much too dark for me.) And I generally like them, even if I miss all sorts of allusions to the comic books and other movies.

I don’t remember much about the previous X-Men movies, but I’m pretty sure X-Men: First Class is now my favorite among them. It has plenty of superhero special effects and action, but mostly it’s about young men and women trying to come to terms with the strange abilities that make them powerful, dangerous (including to themselves, at least until they learn to control the powers), as well as feared and hated by the rest of the world.

I also enjoyed the historical fiction aspects. It was interesting to see how the movie was able to intersperse real scenes from history with the film’s version of how someone manipulated the U.S. and the USSR to bring about the nuclear missile crisis. It’s a period of history that they never covered in our history classes in school, it having taken place too recently, during our own lifetime (just barely).

Not surprisingly, considering that the events are from nearly fifty years ago, the movie makers allowed quite a number of anachronisms to creep in. Not that I noticed a single one – I wonder whether the people who do catch them are history buffs who just notice such things, or people who delight in examining a movie frame by frame to find mistakes. Somehow I don’t think of fans of superhero movies as being the sort who are likely to have a particularly thorough knowledge of history or concern about careful adherence to historical fact.

Mostly, though, I was interested in the interactions between the various mutants. Most of us know what it’s like to be an outsider in some context or other, but it’s hard to imagine being such an outsider that there are only a handful of people in the whole world who understand and accept you. And even among the mutants, there are sharp disagreements on how to deal with the rejection by the rest of the world.