The Plane, the Plane!

I went to see "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" today. As a person who has read the books three times each and seen the Swedish version...I liked it...like a lot. I thought they did a great job with the whole movie. I never once got mad at things that the filmmakers changed. Even the fairly big one with regards to Harriet which may be a problem for some people but I got it. I got that if they would have explored it like it was written the movie would have been 3 ½ hours instead of 2 ½. It still worked. This is unusual for me because normally I hate what filmmakers do to movies, especially when they change dumb shit. Actually, I didn’t even mind how the pressie was changed from the Elvis sign to a leather jacket. However, I do think they should have had Lisbeth clean her apartment at the end like in the book. To me that may have been such a small thing by some standards but I thought it was a huge moment.

Just like the books you absolutely fall in love with Lisbeth Salander or at least I did. Lisbeth is the ultimate antihero or so you think. Her life had been completely sucktastic but holy hell how amazing is she and how she deals with problems that arise in her life. I have a big HELLS YEAH for how she “takes care” of the social worker who rapes her. Women everywhere stand and rejoice. She is the hacker queen.

This may also surprise people but I have a total crush on her. I am a lover of boys, yep, I like the penis but there is something about the character Lisbeth. She lives on the outskirts of society and really makes no apologies for it. I don’t think she gives a shit what people think of her, not really. She knows she is perceived as strange and embraces it. Exploits it really. I know she sure as hell doesn’t trust anyone or at least not easily. Lisbeth doesn’t like people but who can blame her. People suck. I love how she wants to defend the weak and only investigates people who interest her. She is awkward and I love it. I thought Rooney Mara nailed it…maybe even more than Noomi Rapace. Ack!!! I can’t believe I said that but I think it might be true. I thought the look they gave Rooney came closer to what I envisioned in my head.

Another surprise for me is how much I liked Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist. I am not a huge Daniel Craig fan. I don’t hate him but I don’t get all gooey over him, well, until this movie. I was like “hellllooo”. I thought he did the fallen from grace snotty entitled well off journalist who turns into a “hunter of the killer of women” brilliantly. I believed it.

I also have a thing for Trent Reznor and thought the music was brilliant and laughed out loud when Lisbeth goes to visit her hacker friend and the dude is wearing a NIN t-shirt. I also laughed out loud when Martin played STYX’s “Come Sail Away” when he is going kill Mikael. Laws that was funny, however, I was the only one who laughed. Oh well. I also fell in love with the remake of the Bryan Ferry song during the credits. It was “Is Your Love Strong Enough?” and was in one of my most favorite movies the 1985 movie called “Legend”.

Sooooo...I recommend this movie. Oh and Martin's house is like Ikea porn.

2011 in Review

Another year comes to a close and I can’t say that I’ll be sorry to see this one go. I know for many people it was one they would love to turn from and never look back on. Kind of like Lots wife looking back on Sodom and Gomorrah then turning into a pillar of salt but for me I’m thinking about it more in terms of Medusa. Maybe if I don’t look it straight in the eye I won’t turn to stone.  It had its ups and downs much like any other year but this one apparently had a lesson for me to learn. I got the message but I think it is in Greek and I am still unsure of the lesson. I may never know what the lesson was and I think I might be ok with that or at the very least come to terms with it.

This is the year that joblessness came for me. It didn’t just come for me it bitched slapped me upside of the head. Bastard. This has been a first for me. My first job was as a babysitter at the age of 11. My brother and I were also entrepreneurs growing up. We used to go crickin’ and catch crawfish so sell to our neighbor to give to his coon dogs during training. We also had a couple of rabbits and would sell their poop to people for their gardens. Oh yeah, we were slick. I baby sat all through high school then went to work at a camp during the summers. Once I got to college I worked two jobs while in school and worked at the camp in the summers. Then I became a nanny…well, you get the idea. I have always worked. Always.

I have now been out of work for 9 months. Which I have to tell you is totally sucktastic. It isn’t for the lack of trying to find another job. I have now sent out 33 resumes (give or take one or two). The continued lack of response from prospective employers is totally disheartening. This hard to explain but it is really hard on your self esteem. I have tried to explain it a couple of times and haven’t really done a good job. Losing your job (having it taken from you) and not being able to find another job right away just does something to you. I mean, do I smell? Did I offend? Do I have a booger hanging out of my nose? I have also tried to explain how I feel like I am just on vacation from my job. It is like I will be going back to work at anytime and I have been just playing. I know this feeling will go away once I have another job. I just kind of feel like I am in my own never ending Groundhog’s Day and am waiting to wake up to a different day.

My family also lost my cousin Eddie John this past month. It has been super hard on my Mom who is the youngest of 9 children and because of this has had to see a lot of her family go before her. My cousin, Nettie, (one of Eddie John’s girls) is getting “married” in a couple of weeks but when Eddie John was in the hospital and they knew it wouldn’t be much longer Nettie and her fiancée brought their priest to the hospital and got married in front of her dad. The doctors cut back a bit on his morphine so that he would be aware of the ceremony. He passed away a couple of days later.

Good parts of 2011 have been Virginia and this house. Being in a different place while I recover from the last 5 years (well, 3 really) has been unbelievably great. Getting to reconnect with old friends has been amazing. Angus and Ophelia have been pretty happy having me around all the time. Sitting on a porch swing reading a book and drinking lemonade is my kind of happy.

Maybe I should have gone to the store and gotten some good luck foods. Black Eyed Peas, Lentils, Cabbage, Doughnuts…I could use all the help I can get.

So, 2011, I wish you farewell. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.