Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle exceeded my expectations

I walked into the theater expecting to have a decent time watching this movie, to cringe a great deal, and to emerge having enjoyed some fluffy entertainment.

Instead, I genuinely enjoyed the movie, I never cringed, and at the end I found it rather touching.  A lot of my positive feelings came from the fact that the lead actors turned in strong performances, with Dwayne Johnson doing a surprisingly good job of playing the teen nerd trapped in his body.  In addition, though the action scenes were fine and about what I had thought they would be, across the board the character-building scenes were better than I had expected. 

Both a fun ride and a movie with heart, this Jumanji is worth your time. 

Changes coming to this blog

In about a week, I'm going to announce the culmination of a project I consider significant.  (No, it's not the next Jon and Lobo book.)  I'll write several blog entries about it. 

Starting tomorrow, however, I'm going to stop blogging daily and blog only when I have something I want to share, feel is important, or motivates me for whatever reason to write.  I don't know how often I will blog, but it definitely wont be every day.

What I will be doing is focusing a lot more energy on finishing the sixth Jon and Lobo book.  That novel, All the Worlds Against Us, is still a long way--definitely months--away, but I've gone entirely too long without finishing it.  It's past time I do that.

Oh, yes, I'm ready for this movie

The first trailer just dropped, and I'm already psyched to see it.



How could I not be?  We're talking an Ocean's movie, a great cast, and Cate Blanchett in another action role. 

Did I mention Cate Blanchett?

I am so in the theater when this one hits.

What type of dinner should you eat while watching Love Actually?

1. Kebabs

2. Canapes, strictly canapes

3. Indian

4. Portuguese

5. Guacamole


Opinions?

Latkes FTW

Tonight featured this year's installment of the annual latke/Channukah party, aka The Big Fry.  I enjoy latkes but eat them only at this party.  The problem is, I am a latke wimp.  I can eat two, but no more--and the second typically has to be on the small side.

Each bite of latke that hits my stomach immediately begins growing.  I'm not sure how this process works, but in seconds the swelling commences.  By the time I've eaten my second, the latkes have grown into baby demons determined to emerge from me and kill those around me.

Fortunately, the latkes have never escaped--but then, neither have I.  Cheesecake and carrot cake help a little bit, perhaps by distracting the alien latke-beasts in my tum, but in the end, the only cure is time.

Maybe that's why I eat them only once a year.