tomorrow is the birthday of the best person that i know, my mum.
even though our family is larger than most, she spoils each and every one in it. she has given all of us money, vehicles, down payments for homes, clothes, pets, food, and more than is imaginable. not only that, she moved her own mother into her house after my grandfather passed away. she rescues animals of all shapes and sizes, and employs any working soul who is in need of a job. most importantly, she is always there and always available when anyone needs her. the lessons that i have learned about being a good person and a strong woman from my mother are innumerable, and i feel so lucky to have been one of her three children.
happy birthday, mamasita! thanks for being you. :-)
for the majority of my life, i thought that horror movies were my genre of choice. not so much anymore. if i had to choose my most watched and most loved (and invented) genre, it would be disturbing movies. straw dogs definitely fits that bill.
straw dogs is a remake of the 1971 film which was originally based on gordon william’s novel the siege of trencher’s farm. this particular version was made in 2011 and stars james marsden, kate bosworth, james woods, dominic purcell, and my favorite, alexander skarsgård. while all performances were generally good, marsden, woods, and skarsgård did most of the work in regards to moving the story along and captivating in the audience. in all honesty though, skarsgård could just stand there and i would sit through a silent film and still enjoy it. sorry *g*.
the first time that i watched this film, i came away thinking that it was an excellent blend of great storytelling with just enough action and gore. the second time around, i caught on to the double meanings and the distinctive looks that were delivered by the characters, and loved it even more. also, the connection between marsden writing a script on stalingrad and the plot of straw dogs itself was somehow lost on me during the first viewing. it took me seeing the film twice to understand the significance. overall, the build up of the suspense is addicting, and the ending is one of the best that i have seen in awhile. most of all, i felt a deep connection to the setting of the film, as it and the people reminded me of where i live (though grossly exaggerated).
both the original film and the book are on my list of what to read and watch next, and i could not be more excited. if you are looking for a great movie this weekend, you should consider straw dogs. :-)
every summer when i was younger, my family and i would vacation at jan lake lodge. i always looked forward to making that long trip into northern saskatchewan, because even though it would always rain and there was always some fight between my siblings and i, being there felt like we had just found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. it was an isolated little piece of heaven.
as we grew older, we eventually stopped to j.l.l. for years, i did not even give the spot a second thought when it would come to mind. then suddenly, over 10 years later and now married, i found myself wondering what it would be like to go back there for a few days. this time, i would have my own family to take with me, and i would have new memories of the lake with them. so husband and dogs in tow, i once again made the long trip northward.
when we did reach our destination, i realized that while people grow and change, some places will always stay the same. what a bittersweet feeling it was to be back there.
this is our video of that week at jan lake lodge. i hope that you enjoy it.
first and foremost let me just say i have always loathed the thick-split-pancake sole design. it looks hideous!
so why buy these, right? well, new kicks were desperately needed for the gym so *e* and i went pursuing for some. a local running shop was having a sidewalk sale and suckers we are for small tents and rickety clothes racks. i came across these nike free run shoes and after some deep internal struggling i tried them on. my feet were instantly transported to a marshmallow cloud where my aches were massaged and caressed and suddenly i realized what all the fuss was about.
i bought them, took them home, and then came across this. pretty cool.
while this blog is such a fantastic way to reach out to my followers, discover new friends and faces, be inspired by other wonderful bloggers and their own creations, i would like to dedicate more time towards the hello scarlett store so that i can make it as successful as possible. beginning in september, i will only be posting three days a week rather than five. however, this change will only be a temporary one. i will be back to blogging more regularly when i feel as if the store is well on its merry little way. :-)
because this will be the last music post for awhile, i am choosing a song by a band that has literally altered my life. in 2008 i graduated from university with a three year bachelour of arts honours degree. with no career in mind but with a longing for some change and some traveling, i moved to switzerland to become a nanny for four small children. while i was there, i discovered the killers. now they were already quite popular, but because i try to avoid popular music, i had not heard any of their songs up until that point. i was hooked. i would have their music playing on my ipod as i rode my bike among the alps, walked to and from work, took the rail around the country, and, as it went nearly every night, laying in bed while trying not to feel homesick. in the end, my homesickness won and i went home a short time later.
i returned to university for one more year in order to complete a four year degree. on the first day of my last semester, in walked *g*. being a cold january morning in canada, he, of course, was wearing a big winter coat. his face was the first thing that i focused on. i swore that he was the twin brother of the frontman for the killers, brandon flowers. *g* also noticed me that day, and for both of us, it was love at first sight. we became friends that month, and shortly after were married.
now obviously it was his personality that won me over in the end, but if it were not for me moving overseas, stumbling upon this band, feeling perpetually homesick, and returning home and to university, my life would have turned out to be completely different. maybe that wouldn’t have been so bad, but for where i am now, i feel so blessed and so lucky to be where i am in this very moment.
every decision a person makes effects their future in one way or another. so while brandon flowers climbs and sings on top of the piano, while the audience roars, and while sparks fly about the stage, i hope that you also can reflect on your life choices and feel fulfilled. i certainly know that i feel that way about “all the things that i’ve done.”
i took these photos in february 2009 at the o2 center in london, england one month after i met *g*.
Hello! My name is Emory. I am a wife, mother of four (three on earth in heaven). This is our life on the Canadian prairies.
email: helloscarlettblog@outlook.com
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