Stranger than Fiction....

" Like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method."

What do I even begin to say about this film? I was actually going to write up a little "review" about immediately after I saw in theatres, but probably at the time I had more exciting things in my life than six research papers. Now, a Friday night movie is the best thing I have got...

Considering the content, it isn't too surprising that this movie won me over in the first ten minutes. The basic plot is that Will Ferrell actually hears a writer narrating his life but “accurately and with a better vocabulary". Literary humor abounded at every turn. Dustin Hoffman is a literary theory professor - can it get better than this? His rant just killed me: "I have written papers on 'little did he know', I used to teach a class based on 'little did he know', I once gave an entire seminar on 'little did he know'". The first time I saw this I just about died laughing. This is my life. Entire papers are written about four words. Oh just thinking about it right now makes me laugh at how ridiculous we English people are.

Okay, at this point you are thinking “Sharelle is an English geek”. And you are right, but you still need to see this movie. The writing is so well done. It may be a comedy, but the characters actually are characters. You feel like you meet them and know them better once the movie is done. Hypothetically, if I had watched the featurettes (which of course I didn’t do…ummm right) I may have seen an interview in which the wonderful Emma Thompson said: “I would love to serve this writing”. I found that inspiring. Thinking that actors are actually looking for good writing and they are willing to give themselves up for it. Okay, sorry for the digression once again, but the point is, every single actor in this film fulfills their role, and that is rare my friends.

So, do a service to yourself and rent this movie. It may not be Oscar-worthy, but it is clever, and honestly sometimes I think that is a greater feat. I loved it more the second time I watched it, seeing how all the pieces come together. And if none of this persuades you, it has Will Ferrell, Mr. SNL comedy himself and it turns out he can act. Go watch it, you won’t regret it. How’s that for a passionate movie review?

What's going on?

I didn't want to do it. I really didn't. I wanted to leave the comments open to anyone. But this is ridicolous. My curiosity is too great, I need to know who the anon. people are.

That and its a little creepy. (refer to last post)

So, I changed the settings. From now on, no more anonymous posters. You have to have either a blogger account, or a google account. I assume most people have one or the other. If not, please get one and post. If I know you, I really want you to post! Even if I don't know you, but you are fine with being identified, then please post! I -like every other blogger- love comments, so please keep commenting!

This post is strange. Even as I write it, I am debating whether or not to post it. Its like policing, of my own blog. Something I normally don't approve of.

I suppose if the anon is reading this...I'm pretty sure you are someone I know, some white rocker just trying to get me. So you win. I'm fine with that...

This is getting out of hand....

I am changing my facebook profile
I am looking at my friend's facebook profiles
I am talking to two different people on msn about facebook.

I wish I was kidding, but I am not. I don't know about you, but it seems like in the last three days, everyone I know has joined facebook. Here is the thing. I don't even like facebook. There is that stupid "mini-feed" which tells you 8,000 things you didn't need to know about your friends. "Cheryl took the bible off of her favourite books"*. Then you are sitting there for a minute, pondering why Cheryl is no longer reading the bible. "Katie is no longer single"*. As if this one wasn't bad enough, if you break up, there is a cracked heart, telling the facebook world.

Granted, looking at the stupid pictures people post of you is fun. But why are we sitting around tagging photos anyway? I mean, how about I don't know CALLING the person we are tagging in the photo. I cannot talk, because I was inspired by Lavonne to create an album today, and tag people in it. So there you go, I am as guilty as the next guy. This rant is directed at myself.

If you don't have facebook, don't get it. I am telling you right now. If you do, oh boy, what have we gotten ourselves into. And hey - add me....

*The names have been changed to protect their facebook identities. You know who you are...hehe.

Keener Spirit #4

I am a Keener, yes I am
I say what? Oh! Yes Ma’am!
I ALWAYS do my poetry form
In fact I go way beyond the norm!
I love Keats, Byron, Wordsworth too
And in fact I am way smarter than you!

-by Katie Haworth

This poem is about me, and it was written on my computer by the girl that sits next to me in English class. I was calling her a keener, and she responded by saying that I was the biggest keener ever. Which...is pretty true. I went up (okay I volunteered) to read Byron's poem "Manfred", and while I was gone Katie wrote this poem.

Am I Keener? - As much as I would like to deny it, yes. Do I always do my poetry worksheet? - Again guilty as charged. Did I reformat the sheet and post it on ecourses for my class? - sadly yes. Do I love Keats, Wordsworth and Byron - yes. Am I smarter than you? - no!

There you go Katie - you are famous....

Surprises...

Hey! Bonnie Dowling! What the Heck!?!?

I get a call today in the afternoon from Miss Kristina Janzen. She asks if we can go for coffee. I tell her that today was Matt and Sharelle date day, so it wouldnt really work. And she was like "are you sure you can't meet just for a few minutes". I am wondering what the urgency is all about when she says "hold on..." and passes the phone off to none other than Bonnie...in freakin Abbotsford, surprise visiting from good ol' Winnipeg. Only Bonnie.

It is really true. Some things are just bettert as a suprise. We sat and drank coffee for a couple of hours at Ethical Addictions mid Saturday afternoon. Now, under normal circumstances, this little event would not have qualified as exciting times. In fact, if it was pre-planned it would have been borderline lame (I mean Ethical in Langley c'mon) But spur of the moment, friend showing up from out of town just for kicks - now THAT is a good coffee date. And as usual, with Bonnie and Kristina it was a pleasure. It was nice to be able to talk in person, without that pesky phone in the way. We all noticed how normal it seemed, to be sitting around and talking, as if we all lived in the same city. I liked that.

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If this wasn't enough for random events in the day! I went downtown for date day with Matt, and we are walking along in Gastown when I full on slip on the pavement. This in itself - not too shocking, I am sure all that know me have witnessed at least one good trip/fall of mine. But the crazy part was:

I slipped on a Banana Peel!

True Story. I am not lying. Matt looked down and was literally shocked - "It was a banana peel! I didn't think that actually happened!" Anyway - you may not be surprised by these events, but I sure was. Then we stumbled upon a wonderful restaurant called "Joe Forte's Seafood and Chop House" which is apparently a Vancouver legend. They sat us up on the rooftop, which may sound strange in the winter, but was truly delightful. There were tiny lights and heat lamps around the table. It was preettty nice I have to say. So how is that for a day huh? I wouldn't call myself a lover of surprises but today, they sure treated me good