Monday Update 1/7/08

What do I have to say on this first official Monday of the year?

Crisis of the Day
The safety pin that's holding my slacks up is getting on my nerves. For the umpteenth time this morning, it has popped open and I spend a minute or so re-fastening it so that my pants stay up where they belong. The weight I lost over the summer has made a lot of my pants hang down where they don't belong. I suppose if I wanted to be a member of the 'hood, that'd be OK, but I prefer the crotch of my pants to be up where it belongs. LOL I guess I should invest in larger safety pins.... or new slacks.


Movie Monday
I saw "P.S. I Love You" over the weekend. Film critics don't give it high ratings, but I really liked the movie. Before seeing it, I thought it would be a tear-jerker movie. It's actually very funny, with a couple of heart-tugging moments. More about the movie:

A sweet, smart Manhattanite (Hilary Swank) loses her husband (Gerard Butler) to cancer. The movie starts out with a long couples argument about everything: apartments, careers, money, starting a family... between a spirited Irishman Gerry (who rarely "plans" anything) and his real-estate wife Holly (who is all about working a "plan")... and afterwards they have great make-up sex, with Butler doing an hilarious striptease in boxers and suspenders.

From there, the movie jumps ahead to Gerry's funeral, where we find out he died from a brain tumor. Holly goes into mourning, holing up in her messy apartment, watching old movies. Before his death, Gerry wrote Holly a series of letters that she received over several months (almost a year) to help her cope and move forward. He even planned a vacation for her to Ireland.

Holly's new life includes potential romance with Irish singer William (Jeffrey Dean Morgan – Who is VERY HOT, HOT, HOT!). Then there’s bartender Daniel (Harry Connick Jr.), a semi-love interest who claims not to have a filter, blurting out anything that pops in his head -- no matter how insensitive or rude. The film focuses on Holly's immediate loss, but it also introduces Holly's emotional damage from her father's abandonment, as well as her friend Denise's (Lisa Kudrow) pursuit for the perfect man.

If you want a moving story about love and grief, this movie didn't go down that road. It's a romantic comedy featuring hard-bodied leads in their skivvies and naked butt shots, as well as humorous one-liners.


Getting into a Routine
It's that time of year again... Time for the GET FIT CHALLENGE sponsored by the local hospital and health clubs. For the past three years, my firm has sponsored a team and this year is no exception. I go into for initial health screening this week. To get into the groove, I started using my exercise tapes (The Firm series) last week. Yesterday morning I walked 3.5 miles. Anyone ever use Carmen Electra Striptease Aerobic DVD's?


Wacky Weather
Who'da thunk that during the first week of January, we would hit record high temps? Yesterday and today, temps got up to 60. I think the last record high was back in 1949 @ 49F. There is a tornado watch in effect for all of northern Illinois until 9pm. Tornado in January?!?