Sixty Septembers: 03/23/10

The Book versus the Movie

Since offering my opinion on this topic not too many posts ago, usually liking the movie over the book, I learned some exciting news at the theater last night (in the preview trailers before seeing both Alice in Wonderland in 3D and Bounty Hunter...the former very entertaining and fun in 3D, the latter fairly lame, but sometimes ya just gotta go for the light stuff.)

The exciting news is that one of my favorite books, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert will be out as a film this summer! Julia Roberts plays her ("her" being Elizabeth Gilbert, as the book is really autobiographical.) Not my first choice. I think I might have preferred Gwyneth Paltrow. It will be good to see Javier Bardem in a role that might help fade from my memory his sinister No Country for Old Men role. Scared the bejesus outta me.

But I am looking forward to comparing it to the book. We might have a winner in the book this time, but that remains to be seen.....

And the movie trailer:

Sailing to the Mediterranean

And by that, I mean I'm slowly experimenting with more Mediterranean dishes, as I posted what seems like a year ago.....

So I'm "sailing" there rather than "flying"....it will take some time. But I am cooking more. And I'm so proud of my little creation that I thought I'd share it with you.

I now make my own version of guacamole (stop snickering over there...anything not ordered in or cooked from frozen is a step up for me.) I'll even tell you what I put in it, although I can only estimate amounts (hey, I think that's what a real cook would say! Wow!)

Two ripe Hass (or is it Haas?) avocados
Two packages of prechopped tomatoes (sold at the Publix, so I can't tell you how many ounces)
Maybe a sixth of a package of prechopped red onion (ditto)
A whole lotta fresh cilantro chopped
Half a small lime's juice
Maybe a T. of cumin (might be a bit less....I just shake it in)

Mash it all together and it is so fresh and yummy! But don't eat it with chips....just toast some pumpernickle bread and spread it on. And you have a major healthy, what, open-face sandwich? Snack? Or dip some Triscuits in it. By adding all of the chopped tomatoes, you really add volume, so the calorie count isn't bad, either. And hey, it's the good kind of fat....monosaturated!

And it is that healthy fat that links it to my Mediterranean venture. (What a segue!)

My Favorite TV Commercials

I have many faults, but one of them is not doing the "Oh, I'm soooo not into television....I don't do the couch potato thing" thing. As if people who enjoy television don't also enjoy being active. Or using their minds.

Now, some people truly aren't television watchers. But you know the ones I'm talking about: The "Oh, I am so above the rest of you who waste your precious earth moments sitting staring at a rectangle" people. As if anyone who likes television only watches reality shows, The Bachelor, and inane sit coms. (Oh oh, now I'm sounding judgmental, aren't I? And not all sit coms are created equal, let me admit right now.)

Anyway, I love film and for all of its aspects, not for merely a good story or escapism. So I will watch movies on TV all the time (not Lifetime stuff....real movies....judgmental again.) I also like smart sit coms like the unfortunately now-defunct Sex and the City on HBO. And let me add that My So-Called Life of long ago was the only show to date (sorry, Room 222) that depicted high school true to life (and I should know, since I spent my entire pre-retirement years teaching there.) It presented timely issues and made the audience think. In addition, I sometimes watch the Weather Channel as if it were a movie, some fascinating recounts of disasters and important information for viewers regarding safety in "what if" situations.

I depend upon CNN to keep me up to date (sorry, conservative Fox viewers....) and am glued to the educational programs that have been created either in specials (HBO is excellent at this) or on channels such as A&E or the History Channel. And hey, I never would've become interested in cooking, which I just didn't do in my married life or while raising my poor little ravioli-out-of-the-can son, had it not been for the Food Network. Thanks to Rachel Ray, Paula Dean and The Barefoot Contessa (plus retired, unstressed days and rested body), I now have started a like affair with the activity.

That said, let's get back to the real subject of this post, which is television commercials. Most stink and are annoyingly too loud. (Isn't some congressman/woman sponsoring some bill to outlaw that devious automatic volume-raising?)

I have to admit, I do sometimes get my daily quota of laughter from television commercials. Others I think are either so touching (they really know how to manipulate us, don't they?) or clever, that I am impressed! ( A college sorority sister of mine wrote commercials for a living and ascended through the ranks way back when to head up Leo Burnett in Chicago. She was always so creative and I really admired that. Digression, digression....)

So here are a couple of my favorite commercials. Have you seen them?

The Betty White Snickers Commercial

The Geico Pothole Commercial

and as acted out by a five year old:

I can just see my little granddaughter and grandson acting like these kids do....he watches and copies her and laughs at her "stuff." :) And sorry, they didn't offer a screen size small enough to entirely fit onto my blog with this commercial.....

Great Views of Sandestin

I've posted my own shots of this Panhandle area previously, including lots of photos of the resort area I'm located in this winter, Sandestin.

But I've just recently come across some aerial and other views, so thought I'd include them, too. I'm staying Bayside at Sandestin this year in the little enclave called Bayou Village. Next year, I'm staying on the beach.