52. Watch a foreign film

I've never gotten through a foreign film before. I could never get past reading the subtitles while still watching what's going on in the movie. I'm now a convert. And I HIGHLY recommend this film.

This 2008 Norwegian film ("DeUsynlige" is the original title) is about a man's release from prison after his involvement with the disappearance of a little boy. For those of you who liked the movie Dead Man Walking, you'll like this movie, too. There are 1-2 scenes I skipped. Apparently, films from Norway are completely fine with showing graphic sex. I, however, am not fine with viewing it. That's private people....keep it to yourself. 


Anyway, one of the main characters is a priestess. Although her character turns out to not be as pure as I'd expect a priest to be (great conversations to be had about that in and of itself), she brings up some very interesting topics to discuss after the film with whomever happens to be sitting beside you. Things like forgiveness versus atonement. Heavy stuff.

Besides the great plot, the acting was phenomenal. And the cinematography was brilliant. Flash backs, flash sidewards, present day, etc. But, it's all very easy to follow and intertwines the lives of the two main people involved in the boy's disappearance - the man who took him and the mother of the boy.

Here's what I learned from having this on my list: I like foreign films. At least this one. What I'm beginning to see is that Hollywood really has lost a lot of the art behind films. I'll give them great special effects, some good story lines, some good actors. But, overall - I'm disappointed in Hollywood. I like the independent films better. I mean - just look at the cover of this film. Amazingly complex. Just the cover itself is cooler than Hollywood movie covers.

6. Weekend away by mself, 72. Eat at Chiptole, 14. List of books in the bible I haven't read, then read, 99. Perfect pair of pjs

This is where I spend my weekend away...which actually was a Sunday - Tuesday. Same difference. Wow...haven't used that phrase since I was in middle school.

Anyway, my dad and step-mom live in Jamestown and this beautiful view is their backyard. I had a great time resting, reading, getting Guava Gulp from The Juice Shop, and watching junk on cable since I don't have it at home. And really, how can someone go 9 months without knowing they are pregnant?!?! And how in the world can people be so creative making cakes?!?!

I also spent the opportunity to go to Chipotle (my #72). Now, I think I may upset some people here. I didn't like it. I asked the mild everything...and it was spicy. I had a hard time telling if the spice was in the tomatoes, chicken, or beans. Yes, it tasted fresh and yada yada about the way the meat's raised. I get all that. But, it's all for naught for me since I can't do spice. So, I don't think I'll be back. Sorry if I offended anyone.

I also bought the bottoms to the perfect pair of pjs. Now if I could just find a great top. I'm checking this one off anyway. Just because I can.

Lastly, I've made a list of all the books of the bible I haven't read yet and have started reading them. I never knew, for example, that Nahum is prophesying against Ninevah, just like Jonah did. And that he had some really good questions about God's sovereignty. It's a great book. I have 4 more minor prophets to read, then on to tackle the major prophets. So, I can partially check this one off since I made the list.

Overall, this has been a very productive week for me!

86. Eat at authentic Mexican restaurant

Linares on Central Ave. in Charlotte. For those who don't know anything about Charlotte, the Hispanic population is growing. Central Ave. is one of the pockets in Charlotte that is becoming increasingly Latino. Ever since I've lived here (since 2001) I have seen many Mexican restaurants up and down Central. I've always wanted to go, but also always got the feeling that I'd be the only Gringo (and non-Spanish speaker) there. As much as I like Mexican food, there's no way it will ever entice me to make a fool of myself.

 
Enter Trish Jackson, a sweet friend of mine. She speaks Spanish fluently. She teaches a bunch of high schoolers Spanish (crazy!). We walked in and were greeted in Spanish. The server didn't even attempt to talk English to us...she just assumed that one of us knew what she was saying. Thank heaven for Trish. She ordered my drink for me (still can't remember the annunciation of the name. But, I do know you spell it with an H even though you pronounce it with a O). I thought she'd need to order food for me, but thankfully, they had English subtitles.

So Trish - this post is dedicated to you. Thanks for making it happen and I had a great time!

92. Go to a museum by myself

Tonight I went to the Charlotte Mint Museum of Art. By myself. Everyone should do this. There's just something about being alone in a museum. It really is lovely. I was disappointed in the fine art though. They had a few small rooms of paintings. Not that this is saying much, but I didn't recognize any of the artists. I think it was mostly Neoclassicism...not my thing. I didn't expect to see a Monet or Mary Cassatt. But I did expect to see a more widely array of "ism"s...Cubism, Romanticism, Impressionism. I guess I'll have to go to the Art Museum in Raleigh. I didn't even take any pictures of the paintings.

But, here are some pictures I did take:

And what's more classy:

Dresses from 2006

                

1960s dress

It's sad to me that we've gone away from the magical conservatism of the 1960s. Clothes and shoes from that era are really so cute.



There was a ton of pottery...which is one of my favorite forms of art. It was amazing how many different pieces there were. Everything from the strange:

Pair of Poodles, 1849-1858

And this:

English tobacco jar, 1740

To the down right scary:

Don Craig of Rutherford County, 1996

Also by Don Craig:

This is just creepy. Would anyone really want this in their house?!

To the delicate:

Doccia, Italian, 18th century

And my personal favorite:

Wedgwood Jasper, c. 1775-1880

Also another favorite:

Kyle Carpenter, Asheville, 2008

It's interesting to me that you can find beautiful and intricately detailed pieces like this:

Japanese, 1920

Up close - which doesn't do the detail justice at all

And then find pieces that look like they came from Ikea:

Northern Song Dynasty, Chinese, 960-1127

And this:

Jacon Cole, North Carolina, c. 1938-1943

Here are some other pieces that caught my eye:

Daniel O'Connell pitcher, late 1800s

                              Really? Someone would really want to pour their drink from this? Ew.

Wheildon, 18th century

    I wish this came out better...it really was stunning. I think I stood there for about 5 minutes looking at it.

Tang Dynasty, Chinese, 618-907

       This was really amazing. And it was very small. It looked like wood and is one of my favorites.

Goodbye Mint Museum. I will see you again in September when I take my daughter.

10. Write at least 2 letters to each child, per year - UPDATE

New: Well, I'm still in the running to being able to check this one off. I just finished my 2nd letter to all my girls tonight. It brings tears to my eyes to be able to tell them what they are like at this age, what kind of a mom I am, but wish I was. To let them know how I pray for them. It's a sweet time and I encourage all my mom (and dad) friends to write at least one letter to your kids!

Old:
Okay, so I didn't use pen and paper. I typed out a letter to each of my girls. It's only the 1st one this year, so I can't check it off. But, I can tell you that this one was good for my soul.

I live such an every day life (all you stay at home moms out there know what I mean). Just about the only thing I do for myself on a daily basis is check Facebook. It's easy for me to complain about the difficult task of  raising children. These letters that I just finished have brought me back. Once again, I realize how blessed I am.

51. Watch a Sundance Film Fesival Film once a year

2012 Film: Slavery By Another Name. Slavery wasn't abolished in the US until the 1940s and 1950s. Did you know that? I didn't...because that's not what we're taught in the history books. The US education system and what it chooses to teach is a joke. It's just not real education. Our history books today contain the nice stuff. Or the sad and shameful stuff that's too known to leave out. But, if there's something that the masses don't know about...well, leave that out of the textbook for heaven's sake. I was not aware that slavery didn't really end in the south until the 40s and 50s. What a tragic, shameful piece of history. And it's no wonder why there is still such a racial divide...there are people living today that were enslaved or had family members enslaved and remember first hand what that was injustice was like. What a shameful and tragic thing that happened after slavery was "abolished". 

I highly recommend Slavery By Another Name to everyone - it was educational and well done.

2011 Film - The Cove. What a well done documentary. The cameras used in it were AMAZING. And I don't mean the cameras used to film the actual movie. I mean the ones they used to expose Japan's dolphin industry. It reminded me of something right out of a really cool military movie. Although it wasn't my favorite movie, I'd recommend it. And like almost any film, it's really good to debrief with someone after the film. Documentaries in general strive to hit emotions, so I think it's good to talk through it to see what other view points (typically that are more logical rather than emotional) there are. But, I can see why it won the award. Extremely well made.

My Sundance Film for 2010 - Dark Days. I also counted this towards my number 33. So you can read what I have to say about it there. As it relates to Sundance: I don't know much about the prestigious award. So, watching this film was good insight to what they look for. Dark Days was the Sundance Film Festival award winner in 2000. I like the authenticity of independent films versus the big production ones. And I look forward to my next Sundance movie: The Cove. Now if only I can wait until 2011 to watch it so it can count.

58. Organize a quarterly game night

This is Virginia. She and her husband are our bridge partners. Although I have also organized game nights with other friends, I'm using bridge to check this one off my list since we play every week. I know, I'm an overachiever. I couldn't stop at once a quarter...had to do a once a week.