Ponyo

So this week is spring break for William and Aaron. We don't have the money to spend on a vacation or even a day trip, so I was trying to think of fun "special" things to do with the kids. Since it has been raining for the entire break thus far, we have to stick to indoor activities. I thought, if we had the money, we would probably go somewhere and stay overnight. So I thought a "sleepover" in the living room would be fun. We pulled out pillows and blankets for the kids and popped popcorn and sat back with them to watch the new animated film "Ponyo."

Ponyo is a variation of the story of the Little Mermaid. She is a magical little fish/girl who is found by a human boy. The two of them form a fast friendship. They are separated when Ponyo's father comes to take her back to the ocean. Ponyo is such a funny little creature! She uses her magic to change into a little girl and find her friend. She is so silly and cute! If Leonora met Ponyo, I think they would be best friends. We were all giggling outloud at her excitement. The director, Hayao Miyazaki has a special gift for portraying children in true form. It was certainly a fun movie for Aaron and I and the kids. I was also pleasantly surprised that there is a reference to breastfeeding when Ponyo wants to feed soup to a baby. The mother says the baby is too young, but she will eat the soup and it will help her make milk for the baby. It's so rare to see breastfeeding portrayed in such an honest and simple way. It seems that most movies and tv shows like to turn it into a joke. Ponyo then insists on giving the mother more food "for milk." In spite of all her silly antics, she does want to be helpful. The themes are about being in balance with nature and loving each other in all our forms. The characters are lovable and realistic. The animation (as with all Ghibli films) is truly art.

After watching Ponyo, the two older kids camped out in the living room. Aaron and I were a little bit of party poopers and decided to sleep in our own beds! I think it's safe to say that Ponyo will be a new favorite for our kids.

Here's a trailer that shows some of Ponyo's personality:

Movie Review

My Neighbor Totoro

When I've talked about this movie and other's by the same Japanese studio, I've sometimes gotten the response, "Oh, I didn't know you liked anime." This response has always been a bit puzzling to me. I don't consider myself a fan of anime. My first exposure to this style of animation did nothing for me. I was extremely uninterested. I never cared to see anymore of it after that. (Sorry, Natalie!) Even though I've enjoyed most of the films I've seen from this particular studio, I still don't like "anime." What I do like is a good story and beautiful art in any genre.
My Neighbor Totoro is a magical story. When I was much younger, my brother and I walked to school. But we didn't just walk. We had adventures to school! One of my personal favorites was when we rode triceratop dinosaurs to school. It always took us forever to get there. We lived about a mile from the school, left about an hour before school started, and rarely made it with any time to spare. This movie reminds me of those imaginative years of my childhood. Anything was possible. Any shadey corner was a secret place. Magic was everywhere. The same is true for the two sisters in the movie. When they move to a new house, there are all kinds of possibilities. The shadey path becomes a tunnel of trees, and the idea that their house might be haunted is not frightening, but exciting! This story to me epitomizes the immagination and excitement of childhood. Anything is possible.
The art is beautiful as well. It is set in the Japanese countryside. Everything is green and beautiful. I find it difficult to describe what makes it different from mosst animated movies... I think what makes it different might be how easy it is to watch. It's almost like the trees and bushes are quiet characters in the movie. They are important-not just background. I have now typed and deleted a few different descriptions. Perhaps, you will just have to watch it yourself to see what I mean!

Here's a clip:

Who I'd like to see in the top 2

Aaron and I have been watching American Idol. Last night, the top 4 performed. We don't have cable/satalite, so we watch on Youtube. No commercials! :) All over youtube, people are saying they want to see "the two Davids" in the top 2. While I have enjoyed many of David Cook's performances, I think we've seen the best that he has to offer. And I'm not a big Jason Castro fan. He has a pleasant voice, and he's certainly knows his strengths, I'm just not really into what he does. So, here are two of my favorite performances from Syesha and David A. These are the two I'd like to see belting it out in the final show. Last night, I thought there were three truly noteworthy performances-two belonging to David A. and this one from Syesha.



Here's one of Davids. I had a hard time deciding which one I liked better. They both were excellent! Anyway, here you go.



After this performance, Aaron commented that he "sure has a lot of 'soul' for a white boy from Utah!"

Pride and Prejudice

I am a relatively new fan of Jane Austen. I had never read any of her books or seen any of the movies until December of 2005 when I went with some friends to see the Kiera Knightly version. That was the beginning of my love for Jane's novels. I think I have now read and/or listened to all of her completed novels. This movie is the reason why. Since reading the book, I've watched the movie over and over. I've seen other versions as well. Long time fans of Pride and Prejudice will probably argue that the BBC version is better and more complete. Well, it is more complete, but that means longer. Much longer. Since I know the story, I don't feel like I'm missing anything when I watch the newer, shorter version. And actually, I think that as a film, the 2005 version is far better. It has more life. The cinamatography is absolutely amazing. It's not instantly stunning, but the more I watch it, the more I appriciate the complexity of each shot. I also love the music. It's so perfect for the film. The acting is faultless as well. It was a wonderful cast who excelled at breathing life into their characters. I don't think anyone could have done a better job on a theatrical release of Pride and Prejudice-at least, not one of the same length. It has become my favorite movie. If you haven't seen it, I recomend it. If you have, I still recomend it!

Bigdog, worlds most advanced quadroped robot

Aaron was watching this video earlier. I can't get over how strange this is! I mean, okay, it's a robot that walks on four legs. Not too weird right? But you have to watch the video. This thing looks man made, but moves like an animal. The combination is what makes it strange. Anyway, watch this clip, I think you'll see what I mean.

William's favorite video

Leonora dances

Leonora has always loved music. She has to move if there's music playing, and the more dramatic the music the better! She loves all kinds of music. She'll rock out to heavy rock and twirl to pretty classical. Here are a couple of videos. The first one she's a couple of months old, and the second is from yesterday at breakfast.

Just so you can see how cute she really is...

This Video is for You, Leonora

Swimming

In an effort to be more consistant with my blog, I'm going to post today. I don't like to post on days like today. But since I am lousy at journaling, and this is pretty much my only form of record keeping, I think I should give an acurate picture of my life, not just the pretty days. So... here goes.
Today is one of those days that I just don't want to do anything. I've been feeling really overwhelmed and just down lately. There's no one particular event that has caused me to feel this way now, it's just a build up of things. I keep thinking I'll have a relief from some of the stress, but it never seems to happen. So today, I feel like I've had enough. I just don't want to do anything... unfortunately, I have too much to do. I can't lay around in bed. Of course, laying around in bed probably wouldn't help anyway. Too bad I don't have a fairy godmother to come bibbity-bobbity-boo everything into perfection.
But then again, if everything was magically done for me, would it make me happy?
...
No, but I'd be able to stay in bed!