Trailer Park Boys

I am absolutely loving Trailer Park Boys. It's my new favorite show; I didn't think anything could come close to Six Feet Under for me...but alas, I've found a new love.

Don't get me wrong, Trailer Park Boys isn't anything like Six Feet Under; TPB rather, it is so hilariously funny--pretty consistently--that I find myself lawl-ing during every episode.

I found out about it when my husband suggested that we watch the movie. When he mentioned it, I wasn't too thrilled (I mean, a whole movie about a trailer park? What the hell?), but the funny stuff started coming and I was hooked.

Basically, (and I'm not going to be able to give it justice) the show is about these three friends in their 30s who have lived in a trailer park in Canada (Nova Scotia?) their whole lives. Everyone who lives in this trailer park seem to live off of government assistance, so they all have low, limited incomes and don't do anything. They seem pretty content with their lives and all of the stereotypes that one might think of when thinking of a trailer park--bleach-blonde hair with the roots showing, lots of drinking, smoking weed, etc.--are all present.

The three friends named Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles are always trying to find ways to get rich--these ways usually include dealing/growing weed. It never works; Ricky lives out of his car, Bubbles lives in a modded-out shed...Ricky is the only one to have his own trailer. The adventures these guys have is just funny! And, not to be forgotten, every season ends with at least one of the guys going to jail, while the first show in every season begins with them getting out of jail. Funny stuff!

So far, out the the seven total seasons, we've gone through four of them and started number five. I'm going to be so sad when it's over!

For anyone who is looking for something funny, give these guys a try!

Movie: Iron Man 2

Last night, after having this movie on hold for forever it seems, it finally came in from the library. It felt like ages since I'd seen the first one (which I really liked) so I hoped I could jump right into this one--and I did. It was good, but not as good as the first one.

We again see Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper, but we also get Scarlett Johansson as an undercover lawyer-type--who looks like a cartoon version of herself (perhaps on purpose?)--who is Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as Colonel Nick Fury the leader of The Avengersin cahoots with Black Widow, and Mickey Rourke as an evil Russian terrorist sort/Whiplash.

Tony has to find a replacement element for the device in his chest that's keeping him alive--he works with the Avengers group on this and to fight Whiplash. It ends with a hint at another movie involving more Marvel characters.

I think RDJ does a really good job; I even found myself crushing on him a little bit, which happened in the first movie too, actually. I'm definitely looking forward to the next movie in this installment. I'm glad I watched it.

Movie: Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows

After my husband and I watched Big Show, a Giant's World, I was in a wrestling mood and searched for something else WWE-related on Netflix. Then I came across this movie. I wasn't ever a huge Bret Hart fan; I thought he was cool when I was little and my younger brothers watched WWF.

Well, this movie takes us behind the scenes in Bret's life, showing us a bit of what it was like to grow up in the Hart family, and then onto how he debuted in the WWF. We really get an inside look into what happened during what's called The Montreal Screwjob--where Vince McMahon goes back on his word and makes Bret lose his last match ever in the WWF before leaving for WCW.

I had heard about this whole big thing, and how Bret and Shawn Michaels hated each other, but I didn't know the whole story. Shawn was really a dick to Bret back then! And Vince went back on his promise that Bret wouldn't lose to Shawn in Canada for his last show--Vince called for the staff to ring the bell, saying that Bret tapped out of the Sharpshooter Shawn did to him, even though it wasn't true!

Of course, Bret, Shawn, and Vince all get along better now that over a decade has passed since that incident. It was actually very fascinating, and I learned that Bret is a really cool, down-to-earth guy who was unhappy about where the WWF was heading with all of the sexual and rude elements being added to the WWF product. I actually like him more now--except that he recently remarried a lady younger than me when he's older than my parents! Ugh.

Well, anyway, I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in Bret Hart/The Hart Dynasty/the Montreal Screwjob

Movie: WWE: The Big Show: a Giant's World

When my husband and I were trying to find something good to watch on Netflix, we came across this movie. I was surprised to see it listed as something we could watch, as I thought that it was released just recently. Happily, I began to watch it (even my husband tuned in!).

I think that we only saw a portion of the whole thing, as there are three discs in the set. What we saw was just under an hour long, and it gives us a bit of history about the man who is Big Show, real name Paul Wight. We learn about his childhood, what makes him so big, how he started his career in wrestling, and what he's doing now in the WWE.

I found it to be very interesting and enjoyable. I learned more about Paul Wight as a person, not just a wrestler, and it was nice to do so. I've seen him on television countless times and in person at events a handful of times, so learning more about him was cool. I'd recommend it to any WWE fan!

Movie: A Fire in the Sky

Something made my husband think of this movie, so we watched it last night. I wasn't sure what to expect, not having heard about it before, but I ended up enjoying it very much!

A Fire in the Sky takes place in 1975 in Arizona. A group of men work as loggers as part of a crew led by Mike Rogers. On the way home one evening, they see something strange in the distance: it's described by Allan Dallis as being like fire. As they get closer to it, they realize that what they're looking at is something they've never seen before: it's some sort of spaceship--a UFO.

The 'dreamer' of the group, Travis Walton, exits the truck to approach the ship--even as the rest of the crew shouts at him to get back. Suddenly, a ray of light hits Travis, knocking him to the ground. The crew thinks that he's dead and flees the scene. Realizing what they've done by leaving Travis behind--dead or not, Mike soon returns to the spot Travis fell but doesn't find him...it appears that he disappeared. Was he abducted?

The rest of the crew tries to work with the authorities to find their fellow crew member/friend, but no one believes their story. Eventually, they agree to take a lie-detector test to prove that they're telling the truth. Will they ever see Travis again?

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book was just okay; I'm not planning on reading the rest of the series. I don't really understand why it's so popular, to be honest--unless because it's one of those murder/mysteries?



I feel as though the whole mystery was wrapped up too fast; combine this with a lot of financial lingo and weird sex violence and there you have the story!



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Library Laments

Some white trash lady called me a bitch because she didn't know how to copy a single page on a copier in another department, and when I suggested what I'd do--but that's all I know about them, she was pissed.



She's probably just mad because she's unemployed, single, broke, and has herpes. (did I really just type that?!)

Library Laments

Overly made-up/fried-hair older lady patron: Where is there an internet computer. [a statement, not a question]

Me: *gestures at stand-up use computer* Right over here; it's a ten-minute-limit one that doesn't print, but you're free to use it; otherwise there are many computers for adults upstairs.

OMU/FHOLP: I've used the computer here before to check my email and print. Today I'm in a hurry.

Me: Okay.

(computer is occupied by a mom and son, OMU/FHOLP walks up behind them)

OMU/FHOLP: *sighs loudly, then points to a kids' game computer and calls across the open space* What about that one?

Me: *looks up from work* Umm, no, that's a children's computer for games. The stand-up one is the only internet computer on this floor.

OMU/FHOLP: *fidgets for a moment behind mom and son* There aren't any other computers?

Me: *looks up from work again* Uhh, no, not on this floor. There are computers for adults upstairs. *sighs*

OMU/FHOLP: *fidgets a bit more, then wanders off upstairs*

(mom and son almost immediately vacate the stand-up computer)


Yup.

Book: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is a really good book! Yeah, it's for kids, but I totally recommend it. I just got the audio book version of book two, called Catching Fire. Book three is released on August 24. I hope Collins can keep up the good writing for the entire trilogy, as sometimes does NOT happen with these types of books.

Well anyway, here's my review:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this future society, there is no more United States; instead, Panem is divided into twelve districts, each of which must hold a drawing once a year to see which boy and girl will compete in that year’s Hunger Games. The Hunger Games were designed to remind the people of Panem that the Capitol has complete say over what goes on everywhere and that fighting back is futile. So this is why, every year, 24 adolescent participants kill each other off in a Capitol-made arena until there is one participant left—the winner.

Katniss’s name is drawn as that year’s female participant, while a boy she hardly knows named Peeta is drawn as that year’s male participant. Before she can truly grasp what has happened, she is saying goodbye to her mother, sister, and best friend, then being whisked away on train headed to the Capitol, where they provide her and Peeta with all the luxuries one could ask for before being left to fight for her life in the arena.

This is an excellent book that had me hooked from the beginning. The Hunger Games is the first book in The Hunger Games Trilogy. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Katniss and Peeta as they move forward from the terrifying experience of the Hunger Games. For those who enjoyed reading about the fight for survival in a futuristic society, give the Exodus trilogy (Bertagna) a try.

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House Rules by Jodi Picoult

House Rules by Jodi Picoult


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was okay; I liked it better than her previous book Handle with Care. I'm a bit disappointed that her novels seem to be becoming formulaic; a handful of them seem to share:

-main issue--something to do with a kid
-marital strife/divorce/affair
-parent falls in love with detective/lawyer/opposing party
-non-main issue kid has some sort of issue of his/her own that gets ignored
-turn of events at the end for a 'surprising' ending

Based on these observations, it might seem like I don't like her as an author, but that's not right; I do like her, but I think I may need to stick to her older books. Of hers, I have read:

-House Rules
-Handle with Care
-Change of Heart
-Nineteen Minutes
-The Tenth Circle
-My Sister's Keeper
-Keeping Faith
-The Pact


The first book of these that I read was My Sister's Keeper, which I picked up on a whim soon after it came out. My favorite one, however, was The Pact, followed by Change of Heart and The Tenth Circle (although that one had parts that irritated me).

I think it's kind of interesting how she takes a societal issue and makes a story around it; it gives a voice to the 'other side' I suppose.

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Blindness by Jose Saramago

Blindness by José Saramago


My rating: 1 of 5 stars
While driving in his car, a man suddenly goes blind. This blindness isn't the "normal" kind; rather, he "sees" white instead of darkness. As more and more cases like his pop up, the government decides that a quarantine in an old mental institution is the answer. However, the quarantine doesn't work...everyone (in the entire world?) loses their site and society falls apart.

This might have been a good book, but it is a grammatical nightmare. Saramago must have felt that neglecting to use any sort of structure in this book would provide the reader with the feeling of chaos--the same sort of feeling the characters are feeling. All I felt was frustration. None of the characters even had names.

If someone were to rewrite it using even some rules of grammar, this book would have been much more enjoyable.

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