fun

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

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When I heard about the new Jumanji movie, my 10-year-old inner child screamed in horror at the thought of a remake of one of my beloved childhood movies.

How dare “they” try to bring another movie from my early years to the big screen AGAIN. I was a little judgy about it, but my grandma, who has a major crush on Dwayne Johnson, wanted to see it. I sucked it up and took her to the theater.

To my surprise, I actually liked it (I had similar feelings/thoughts about the remake of IT). There are MAJOR differences from the original and I think that is a huge part of why I enjoyed it. (SPOILERS…sort of) The film goes from two kids/two adults to four kids who change to four adults and one Nick Jonas who later is Colin Hanks, from board game to video game, from the game coming out into the real world to the characters going into the game world. Definitely different.

Homage was paid to the original film with a shout out to “Alan Parrish,” which won some points from me. If they would’ve made the movie more like the original, I immediately thought Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler: Stranger Things) should be young Alan. Alas, they didn’t and I’m okay with the casting. Again, surprised like so many others.

Dwayne Johnson, who I still call “The Rock,” is mediocre, but seriously addicting to watch (he’s way better than his first role in The Mummy Returns). He’s also funny in his own way (see Bay Watch as another example – it’s like a car wreck, you can’t help but stare). Sprinkle in Kevin Hart, who has previous film chemistry with Johnson and is hilarious; Jack Black, who is perfect in his role as a teenage girl stuck in “an old white guy’s body;” and the beautiful and talented Karen Gillan, who is a total badass (might be a little biased because Amy Pond is my favorite Doctor Who companion).

I have to give props to the creators. I was either smirking or laughing through most of the movie, as was the rest of the theater (probably more so because I’m a tough audience). My advice is to go into the movie knowing it is an action comedy that isn’t like the 1995 Jumanji with Robin Williams, who can NEVER be replaced. It almost feels like the creators knew that and took the story into a more modern direction that would have the next generation loving it. I also like to think that the tribute to “Alan” was a tribute to Williams (hey I can dream). I find remakes often include a sentimental salute to the originals to help us cope with the changes to the film.

Go see it, and maybe you’ll join me and the many others who are bewildered by the fact that we actually liked this movie.

 

Disclaimer: I am not a film expert or critic. I leave that up to the professionals, but I hope you take my thoughts into consideration when trying to figure out what to see in theaters this weekend. The movie is a fun, light-hearted piece that is definitely more suited for ages 13 or up (there is some adult humor).

 

-AMS

Everything is Awesome…When You’re Part of a Team

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Getting together with friends and drinking a glass of wine is always fun. It is even better to get together and have a bottle of wine (maybe two) and create an awesome project. This is something I recently did with my friend, Mrs. Stewart.

Mrs. Stewart and I wanted to craft something easy, inexpensive and fun. After doing a quick online search for “Dollar Store” craft ideas, I packed my traveling craft trunk with what supplies I had on hand and made a trip to the local dollar store. I decided to make a tiered tray for either cup cakes or snacks (like veggies, fruits or cheeses). I love to entertain guests so this was the perfect fit for me.

When we arrived at the dollar store, we couldn’t find exactly what we were looking for to build the tray, but we made do with what we could find. It was a blast figuring out what was going to look best. I think we were both surprised by the end result.

Below are the steps to create your own tiered tray. Remember the key to a successful craft project is to relax and have fun. The project shouldn’t feel like a chore or something that you have to get done. Creating something from nothing can be a great stress reliever (especially if wine or beer is involved — for those 21 and up, of course).

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Supplies:

Spray Paint (on hand or $3)
Super Glue (on hand or $1) or hot glue gun (on hand or $3)
Clear acrylic platters or plates (on hand or $1 each)
Plastic Margarita cups (on hand or $1 each) Note: You can use whatever you want between each tier. Let the creativity flow!
Alcoholic beverage of your choice (optional)

Step One:
Fill a glass with wine and take two drinks (recommended, but optional).

Step Two:
Lay out your acrylic platters or plates on a surface or area you don’t mind getting paint on. You don’t have to use spray paint. You can use any acrylic-based paint and brush it on.

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Step Three:
Paint the platters/plates your desired color. I went with white. If you choose to brush paint, be aware you might be able to see brush lines. Some people don’t like that, so I recommend using a sponge or something to blot the paint onto the platters/plates. Don’t forget to drink your wine.

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Step Four:
While your platters/plates are drying, drink more wine (or beer or whatever) and engage in conversation.

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Step Five:
After the paint has dried, you can glue the tiers together. (Sorry [not sorry] there is no photo. At this point the wine was doing its job and I was having too much fun to photograph the gluing process, which wasn’t that interesting). You can either use super glue or a hot glue gun. I went with the hot glue gun because I’m notorious for getting super glue all over my hands.

Step Six:
Look upon your masterpiece with pride (and tell the inner perfectionist to ignore the fact that the second tier is crooked…hey nobody is perfect and it could be the wine). To hide the glue and the top edge of the margarita cups you can either glue ribbon or beads to give it a seamless finish (I chose not to do this that night, but I may add beads at a later date).

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Step Seven:
Finish the wine. I’ll admit, at one point I wanted to give up and just enjoy the wine, but I resisted and am pleased with my craft project. If you do try this particular craft, I hope you have as much fun as I did.

My wonderfully awesome friend actually finished two projects in the time that I completed mine. She created bookends and a chalkboard plate for her grocery list. Look for her project how-tos on her blog at becomingmrsstewart.com. She has some great tips and ideas for home improvement, weddings, travel, and more.

Until next time.

-AM

Nerdy Girl gets Physical

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When someone says the words, “Water Aerobics,” you probably picture someone wearing a floral, one-piece bathing suit with silver hair peaking out from under a swim cap bobbing along in the shallow end of the pool.

With promises of cardiovascular benefits and low impact on joints, what senior citizen wouldn’t want to be part of that type of exercise? But honestly even for a 20-something like myself, it is a lot harder than you think. With the water taking on half your body weight, you can exercise longer and you have resistance that you don’t have above water. There also are all kinds of special workout tools that you get to use to exercise (like wade boards, foam weights, exercise bands, etc.) as well as routines that create more resistance.

I’ve been attending a water aerobics class twice a week for the past month at the local YMCA and can attest to its benefits and difficulty. Not only have I lost weight, but I physically feel better and more fit (aka I feel less like a beached whale and more like an active whale). The instructor, Kathy, is a bubble of happy energy, but don’t let that fool you. She tries to kill me on a regular basis. She doesn’t care if you’re young, old, in shape, or a popsicle, she just wants you to keep moving. In fact, in one class she said it at least thirteen times.

When Kathy brings her small, blue radio along with her favorite dance tunes, the only thing you can do is hope that you don’t die. Last week, I actually asked the lifeguards if they could save me if I started drowning. I thought I was going to croak after Kathy’s routine. My face was as red as a tomato, my lungs were on fire and let’s not forget the jello-like feeling of my overused muscles. She tends to work the class the hardest when she has music. I’ve started hoping for music because it makes for an amusing class.

My fellow water bobblers (Kathy is always telling us she wants us to be bobble heads, which means we are really working out hence the nickname bobblers) are very interesting group. There are a few regulars and some occasional bobblers who make me laugh as much as I sweat in that class. Kathy alone is a hoot. Each class, someone always asks me what exercise we’re supposed to be doing because they couldn’t hear Kathy or everyone’s giggling profusely because we’ve created such hectic waves we can’t stand to even do the routine. Overall, the class is fun and a great way for me to exercise.

I’m going to sign off with the motto of the class, “What happens under the water, stays under the water.”

-AM

Read more about water aerobics here.