No. 1 Adopt A Cat - 101 Things in 1001 Days

Goal well and truly achieved.

Meet Nudge.

One very snuggley and affectionate ginger kitten who has pretty much taken over our lives and we love it.  The Mad Cat lady has nothing on me and my Other Half.

Then again with something as cute as this how could we not spoil him. 

Of course he's no longer the tiny ball of fur that we took home with us 4 months ago and is now starting to look like a cat.  At least size wise.  

As for the rest he has a fondness for hiding my socks, playing with cotton balls, watching the birds and sleeping on his favourite perch.

The Viewing Files: 365 Movies in 365 Days - Week Thirteen

I know, I know.; this post is way late.  Still I think a bump on the head is a totally justified reason for being a bit behind.  Concussion, even a very mild form is no fun.  I can't wait for the throbbing to finally go away.  In the meantime I am resting up heaps and taking it easy.

I managed to see quite a few movies before the bump which at least is a good thing.  This time round I got pulled into an 'oldies' theme and have become seriously hooked on old classics.  Some of these I may have seen before but couldn't remember much about them so a second viewing was a must.

First up...

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Starring: Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell
Original release: 1953
Synopsis:  Showgirls Lorelei and Dorothy travel to Paris, pursued by a private detective, as well as a rich, enamored old man and many other doting admirers.

Loved it.

Great songs, great costumes and a lot of fun.  One I would definitely watch again.

How To Marry A Millionaire

Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable
Original release: 1953
Synopsis:  Three women set out to find eligible millionaires to marry...

Marilyn again.

Nowhere near as good as the previous film, though the clothes were still lovely and Marilyn was just as good.

Calamity Jane
Starring: Doris Day and Howard Keel
Original release: 1953
Synopsis:  Will rough and wild Calamity Jane ever find love?

I actually didn't think I would like this much as generally I'm not a big musical fan but instead I totally loved it.

So much fun and catchy songs as well.

Laura
Starring: Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews
Original release: 1944
Synopsis:  A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating. 

Weirdly the opposite happened with this one.  Went in thinking I would love it and came thinking it was all a bit meh.

Didn't help that I guessed the killer in the first 5 minutes or that the lead actress was as wooden as a wooden stake.  Like seriously.  Beautiful to look at but nothing behind the face.

Still the clothes were once again lovely.

Leave Her To Heaven
Starring: Gene Tierney and Cornel Wilde
Original release: 1945
Synopsis:  A writer falls in love with a young socialite and they are married soon after, but her love for him threatens to be the undoing of both them.

This time round the wooden actress was so much better.  Mostly because she played a psychotic, unfeeling monster.  

Glorious over the top stuff and the the part where she watches someone drown sends chills down your spine.

Lover Come Back 
Starring: Doris Day and Rock Hudson
Original release: 1961
Synopsis:  A series of misunderstandings leaves an advertising executive with a campaign for a product which doesn't exist, while he romances his rival while pretending to be someone else.

Doris being all frosty virginal and Rock being all manly sexiness.  Totally silly but still enjoyable.

Only annoying thing was the hazy look they kept doing every time they did a close up of her face.

The Viewing Files: 365 Movies in 365 Days - Week Twelve

Twelve weeks and 76 odd movies down.  I'm almost on target which is pretty good.

This weeks viewing was filled with sappy romance (mostly bad) docos (mostly good), a thriller and a surprise.

The Girl On The Train
Starring: Emily Blunt
Original release: 2016
Synopsis:  Rachel Watson spends her daily commute fantasizing about the perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something happen... 

A movie about unpleasant people doing unpleasant things and I guessed the whodunnit about half way through.

Pretty average really.  

Valentine Ever After
Starring: People I've never heard of
Original release: 2016
Synopsis:  Big city girls Julia and her best friend Sydney take a trip to a dude ranch in Wyoming for a fun weekend getaway, but after a brawl at the local bar, the girls are sentenced to stay in town and perform community service. 

More romantic fluff but not as sappy as some of Hallmark's others.   The mountain scenery was also pretty nice plus I'm a sucker for Christmas romance movies so I kinda liked this.  Not perfect but not terrible either.

The Big Fat Fix
Starring: n/a
Original release: 2016
Synopsis: Investigates and uncovers the forgotten secrets of health and longevity from the tiny Italian village of Pioppi, where the people forget to die.

Interesting AND educational.  A food documentary that I actually enjoyed and that wasn't  preachy.

Fed Up
Starring: n/a
Original release: 2014
Synopsis: Fed Up blows the lid off everything we thought we knew about food and weight loss, revealing a 30-year campaign by the food industry, aided by the U.S. government, to mislead and confuse the American public, resulting in one of the largest health epidemics in history.

A shocking look at how corporations and various organisations have and do control what we eat.   Kind of mind blowing really.

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Starring: n/a
Original release: 2005
Synopsis: A look at the impact of the retail giant on local communities. 

An older documentary but one that I had been wanting to see.  Another corporation doing not so good things.

Tulips In Spring
Starring: The guy from Haven
Original release: 2016
Synopsis: An interior designer returns home to assist her injured father at her family's tulip farm in rural Washington state. 

Well the tulips were lovely if nothing else.

Zero chemistry between the two leads which is kind of important in a romance movie don't you think?

A Christmas Prince
Starring: Rose McIvor
Original release: 2017
Synopsis: When a reporter goes undercover as a nanny to get the inside scoop on a playboy prince, she gets tangled in some royal intrigue and ends up finding love – but will she be able to keep up her lie?

I know right?  Three sappy romance movies in one week.  I obvisously needed a romance fix.

This one surprisingly isn't by Hallmark but Netflix.  Who knew they were doing movies like this.

Our Souls At Night
Starring: Robert Redford and Jane Fonda
Original release: 2017
Synopsis: Addie and Louis are a widow and widower who have lived next to each for years. The pair have almost no relationship, but that all changes when Addie tries to make a connection with her neighbor. 

One of those movies you accidentally find out about and which turns out to be a pleasant surprise,  Gentle and slow moving and yet it says so much.  

Just lovely.

June's Buyer's Archive

A new year of doing Buyer's Archive and so far I managed to spend nothing in May and nearly everything that I brought in June was second hand, so go me.  Even better as it was my birthday in June I asked everyone to give me either money or vouchers so all my spending was courtesy of those gifts.  How cool is that.

So what did I buy?

Black pleated skirt - $1 from the Salvation Army Shop

I made a spur of the moment visit to a local Salvation Army store and ended up coming away with a ton of goodies as they were having a massive clear out of stuff due to being overfull.

This skirt was on a under $5 rack and it seems virtually brand new.  It's a little light weight for the winter but I can wear tights underneath so it's totally versatile which I"ll be able to wear it year round.

Green floral midi skirt - $3 from the Salvation Army Shop

Another awesome bargain and this one really was brand new never-been-worn as it still had it's original pricing tag on it.

I love the buttons up the front.  Pockets would have made it even better. 

One I will probably wear once the weather is warmer. 

Snow Fairy shower gel - $1 from the Salvation Army Shop

I love this so was utterly thrilled to find an almost full bottle sitting on the shelf.  Normally this retails for around $22 so doubly thrilled.   Pink and smells like candyfloss.

5 bottles of nail polish - $1 from the Salvation Army Shop

I know right?  I couldn't believe my luck either.  These are all nearly full and in like new condition i.e. no clumpy bits or hardening so I'm super pleased. 

3 books - $1 from the Salvation Army Shop

Another awesome buy.  I don't normally buy books but these were in excellent condition and all are something that I will definitely use.

3 pack of socks - $5 from Cotton On

You wouldn't think I would need more socks.  Seriously.  I'm starting to think I might have a problem.  Still how cute are these.  And they were on sale so totally justified, right?

2 packs of shoelaces - $5 from Cotton On

Another sale item and in pink so there was no way I was going to resist them.  Definitely a way to bright up my winter black sneakers.

Total spend for the month  - $17.00 (wow I can't believe I got all the above for just that- best birthday shopping ever)

As for previous years buys...

May 2016 - I still have the bangles, the green cardigan, the camisole top and the beige top, all of which I still wear.  But I had to throw out the nightie (got too loose) and the orange jumper (developed a hole right on the front so that was the end of that).

May 2017 - The purple t-shirt is still in my wardrobe but I never did end up wearing the stripe one so it's currently sitting in my To Be Sold pile.

The Viewing Files : 365 Movies in 365 Days - Week Eleven

You know the story.  More movies and more oldies in the mix.  

I definitely feel that I need to mix it up a little bit more and add some foreign language films.  I also need to get back into watching some more documentaries.  On the whole though I feel I'm doing pretty well.

Out of the Past
Starring: Robert Mitchum
Original release: 1947
Synopsis:  Jeff Bailey is an average guy living in an average small town leading an average life.  But when a stranger arrives in town, Jeff is forced to return to the dark world he had tried to escape.

A nice guy who needs to be bad to get away from the bad girl who pretends to be nice pretty much sums up this movie and it was so good.

The kind of movie where men smoke cigarettes and call sexy girls dame and where bad girls give smoldering looks and generally have every guy falling at their feet.

Totally loved it.

I now need to add more film noir movies from this era to my To Be Watched List.

The Man Who Knew Too Much
Starring: James Stewart and Doris Day
Original release: 1956
Synopsis:  A couple vacationing in Morocco with their young son accidentally stumble upon an assassination plot. 

Annoying kid, way too much singing and zero sex appeal makes for yet another Hitchcock dud.  I'm beginning to think that the 3 films of his I love are the only films of his I'm gonna like.

Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri
Starring: Sam Rockwell and Frances McDormand
Original release: 2017
Synopsis:  A mother challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.  

This is not an easy movie to like.  The subject matter is unpleasant and so are the main characters.  So I can see why it gets a lot of criticism from viewers.  

And yet the anger and  prejudice shown is, I think, kind of the point.  Not all grieving mothers are sad, crying figures some are filled with a righteous anger that blinds them to everything else, a prejudice cop can still love his mother or his wife and kids.  

It's a glimpse of small town American life in all it's  unpleasantness and it's all the more real for it.

Kiss At Pine Lake
Starring: People I've never heard of
Original release: 2012
Synopsis:  A boy and a girl fall in love during summer camp and promise to stay in touch, but they don’t. Fifteen years later they meet again in the same camp under very different circumstances.

A Hallmark movie.

To be honest I kind of have a soft spot for these.  Sappy and cheesy where happy endings are a must.

This one was pretty average for me.

3 Days of the Condor
Starring: Robert Redford
Original release: 1975
Synopsis:  A bookish CIA researcher finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.

Loved it.

Exactly my kind of movie plus Robert Redford's hair was totally on point.  He also does geeky glasses look pretty well.

The Viewing Files: 365 Movies In 365 Days - Week Ten

Can you believe I've been doing this for 10 weeks?  I know I'm pretty amazed that I've lasted this long.

Another mixed bag this week. 

Crazy About Tiffany's
Starring: n/a
Original release: 2016
Synopsis: A rare glimpse at the most iconic luxury jeweler in the world.

I'm never going to be able to afford to shop there but this was still an interesting look at a life far beyond me.  The blue boxes are also pretty cute.

Breakfast at Tiffanys 
Starring: Audrey Hepburn
Original release: 1961
Synopsis: A hooker and a writer fall in love

It seemed only fitting to watch this after watching the above.

Personally I don't get the fuss.  

Endless gauzy closeups which got real annoying really fast.  It was also kind of boring.

Spellbound
Starring: Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman
Original release: 1945
Synopsis: A doctor who is not really a doctor and may just be a murderer

And yet more gauzy closeups and lots of orchestra music.  All of which made this movie so not me.

I skipped to the end just to see whodunnit. 

Hitchcock
Starring: Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren
Original release: 2012
Synopsis: The making of Psycho

Surprisingly quite good which I was so not suspecting.  An interesting look into a famous marriage and a famous movie.

Rampage
Starring: Dwayne Johnson
Original release: 2018
Synopsis: Gorillas gone wild and supersized

Yeah I know.  I'll admit it.  This movie is totally silly.  But hey it had The Rock aka Dwayne in it and he always brings a nice kind of charm to whatever role he plays.

As for the story you really don't want to know...

Incredibles 2
Starring: n/a
Original release: 2018
Synopsis: Elastigirl springs into action to save the day, while Mr. Incredible faces his greatest challenge yet – taking care of the problems of his three children.

Now this is my kind of movie.  Just great fun all round.

July's Plans

Somehow June disappeared.  And I'm not really sure how except that I blame it all on the haze of movie watching that I have been doing for the past couple of months.

With all of that going on it's no surprise that this month's list of plans is fairly short.  A short list is a manageable list... or at least I hope so.

Crime features highly in my first 3 choices.  What can I say except that I love a good thriller, the twistier the better if possible.

Lonely Girl by Lynne McCarthy
This one sounds suitably twisty AND dark which is just how I like it.
Murder Season by Robert Ellis
I've been really enjoying this series so naturally I'm looking forward to this.
Cover Your Eyes by Mary Burton
I'm not sure if this is an old book with a new cover or a new release but either way it sounds like my sort of thing.

I've already read twice as many as last year so I'm trying to keep up the good work hence there are 3 nonfiction titles in this month's list and none of them are knitting books.

Pancakes in Paris by Craig Carlson
Paris.  Pancakes.  What's not to love.
The Pink Steering Wheel Chronicles by Laura Fahrenthold
A travel book with a difference
Victorian Secrets by Sarah Crisman 
This sounds so odd that I just have to read it.  A story of a woman who decides to wear a corset and the effect it had on her life.

Get Healthier, Eat Well and Get Fit
I'm doing pretty well on this one.  I'm walking for 45 minutes about 4 or 5 times a week, eating healthier and generally feeling pretty good.  I'm hoping to add in a few different forms of exercise such as Tai Chi and yoga so we'll see how that turns out.
Write More
Always on the list, always a plan.  I should probably actually do this... one day.
365 Movies in 365 Days
A plan that I'm managing to do.  In fact I may even be a little bit ahead.  Still I have a long way to go and I definitely need to mix up my movie viewing more and add in some foreign language films to watch.  Suggestions as always are gratefully appreciated.