Life is rough. It doesn’t matter what age or stage you’re at, some weeks just suck. This week was one such week.
Instead of ranting or complaining, I though I’d share my favorite little things in life. These are things that make a day better or I wouldn’t survive without:
Note: I’m omitting foods, drinks, and people because this list would simply be too long 🙂
1. My couch – My couch is my spot for relaxation. At the end of the day when everything is done, you’ll find me on my couch. I work from it, nap on it, watch movies or TV, knit from it, and have even considered moving my easel into the living room.
My view: Taken last week after a storm
2. Nature – Flowers may be my favorite thing ever. I also love trees, grass, clouds, rain, animals, etc. I’m not one to go camping or hiking, but I love watching birds outside my window and seeing deer peek their head through the treeline. Nature can be calm or destructive, but it’s beauty you can’t buy and something that always brings me peace.
My little pup
3. My dog – My little dog is a pain sometimes, but he is one of the sweetest and smartest dogs I’ve ever owned. Every day when I come home, he gives me belly and has to be picked up. It’s the only time of day I have to hold him like a baby up on my shoulder.
4. Quiet time – I need quiet time. There are some days I won’t turn on the TV or stereo. There are nights I shut everything down and just enjoy silence. I even turn off my phone occasionally to get away from it all. Quiet time is essentially to my sanity, especially after a stressful week.
5. Watching whatever I want – I don’t hide my guilty TV/movie pleasures. I love to watch romcoms, teen movies, River Monsters, tattoo shows, Shark Tank, and several more people “don’t expect” me to enjoy. I grew up with three other people in the house, so it’s nice not to have to share lol.
6. Music – Medicine to my soul. Music has been a huge part of me since I was a toddler. It helps through tough times, cheers me up, and releases stress and nervous energy. This week it was all Rage Against the Machine, but I’m ending the weekend with U2’s Rattle and Hum.
7. Control of the thermostat – I realize a lot of people fight over this. Most people I’ve lived with like it at 72 or below. Well, I’m cold natured, so I like it warmer. I freeze at 72 or 73. Having the power to set it at 76 and be comfortable is awesome, and something I never take for granted.
Feel free to share your favorite little things, and here’s to a good week!
The final girl is an often disputed topic, especially since the film industry has evolved her into a hero of sorts instead of a woman solely fighting to survive. When I first studied the final girl, I was in a film class about 10 years ago. This was before The Hunger Games, Divergent, and the other movies that redefined the female’s role. This was before the final girl seeped into other genres, and there were few final girl-guy combos. According to today’s views of the final girl, even Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz could rank high on the list.
Let’s look at the horror genre, and who the final girl is in a horror movie. According to Carol J. Clover, author of Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film, the final girl simply possesses two qualities:
She undergoes agonizing trials
She virtually or actually destroys the antagonist and saves herself
With these rules in mind, here are my Top 3 Final Girls:
Four movies and 20 years later, Sidney Prescott may be the updated version of Laurie Strode, the final girl from Halloween. Because this movie spans several, the focus will be on the first.
Scream: Mostly a virgin in the first film, Sidney kicks and slams her way to survival. She’s the “more behaved” girl among her group, doesn’t party a lot, and it’s clear she begins as a virgin who’s fighting to keep her purity. Sidney is so smart she immediately suspects her boyfriend, who turns out to be one of the killers. As her friends start getting killed, her main goal is to survive but also protect others.
She kicks the killer down stairs, hits him, shoots him, cusses them, and ends up battered and bruised. Sidney beats the stuffing out of Ghostface over and over again. She runs a lot! Sidney finally submits to her boyfriend and loses her virginity. Afterward, he reveals himself as one of the killers. So in this case, the final girl is literally and figuratively devirginized, which instantly makes her stronger. She may cry, she may ask why, but she never stops fighting to survive.
Photo from: zuts.wordpress.com
2. Erin, You’re Next
The only nonfranchise and newest film on the list, Erin is well deserving of her No. 2 spot. She’s not pure, drinks whiskey, dates her ex-teacher, and hails from Australia. She’s almost the opposite of final girl 101, but that’s the beauty of her character and the evolution of the final girl. The definition has evolved to include a more realistic female, one who may be flawed, but it doesn’t stop her from kicking serious boo-tay.
You’re Next: A family has arranged for almost everyone to be killed, so two brothers can inherit the family fortune. Erin is supposed to survive as “a witness,” but because she serves as a threat, all the antagonists try to kill her at some point. She does everything she can to protect this family she barely knows, but when the truth comes out, so do the knives and blender. She reaches her breaking point, and her only goal is to save herself. And she does. She kills everyone – even the cop at the end, accidentally.
Photo from: herocomplex.latimes.com
1. Laurie Strode, Halloween franchise
No one beats Laurie. This buttoned-up virgin babysitter beats the crap out of Michael Myers a few dozen times. Sure, she has some breakdowns, but overall, her character grows into a mature, confident woman. Because the Halloween franchise expands eight movies, and Laurie is in many sequels and the remakes, I’m focusing on the original Halloween and Halloween II.
Halloween: She’s smart, unsure, pure, studies instead of partying, and serves as a good role model to teen girls. She doesn’t succumb to peer pressure, and her character still serves as a role model some 30-plus years later. She’s stalked by Myers throughout the entire movie, and he kills nearly everyone in his way. She is responsible for herself but has to protect the kids as well, which she does. She immediately directs them out of harm’s way. Laurie stabs Myers with a knitting needle (win!), a coat hanger, and manages to run and hide until Loomis shoots him.
Halloween II: Laurie has to fight to survive later that night! This sequel takes place only hours after the first; it all happens in less than 24 hours. She’s injured and exhausted, broken, but still strong enough to escape Myers while he chases her throughout the hospital and its complex. Laurie’s endurance and need for survival remains rare in horror movies, and she stabs and limps her way to safety until Myers goes kaboom!
Photo from: mestadelsbilder.wordpress.com
BONUS: Ellen Ripley, Alien franchise (courtesy of James)
Ripley also goes against the horror movie stereotype. In the first two films, she shows some exceptional horror movie common sense. She’s typically composed and level-headed.
Alien: She’s the one who reminds everyone how unwise it is to bring the unknown alien creature on board the ship. She advises against leaving the planet before the ship is repaired. She’s the one who finally decides on a plan of action to escape the xenomorph. Plus, she went back to save the cat!
Aliens: She is stunned at the short-sighted foolishness of the Weyland-Yutani corporate suits, refuses to participate in the mission until it’s promised the goal is the annihilation of the aliens, and she has to take command of the mission when the leaders prove too senseless to be effective.
Ripley is unique because almost never in the first two films (and only in the third due to the circumstances of the environment) is her gender ever discussed. She’s a flight officer, a survivor, a fighter, and leader. The only reference to her gender is made by another woman – in Aliens when Vazquez (who Jim Sterling calls “one of the toughest bastards ever”) asks who “Snow White” is. Ripley is a final girl because she refuses to let events happen to her. She affects events, and she determines the plot. She can also melee fight an alien queen and WIN.
Villainy and villains. Often we find them more compelling than the heroes of the story, even when we crave their defeat. There are many kinds of villains and many great ones. They can be tragic heroes or pure chaotic evil, so classifying villainy can be difficult. James Rolfe did a great list of the “baddest bad guys” using the criteria of who was really the “baddest” not the best villain or most evil, just the one who was through and through…BAD. He made a great list and it’s hard to disagree with his findings.
Following in his footsteps, and wrapping up the three-year anniversary month of threes, I thought I’d do my own criteria and give what I see as the most intimidating and imposing villains I can think of. The criteria here are a little more difficult to ascertain, but intimidation is rarely strictly physical. Once we leave the school yard the threat of “I’m big and gonna beat you up” doesn’t have the same weight as it once did. This immediately discounts the Jason Vorheeses and Godzillas of the medium. Similarly intimidation and having an imposing personality is usually just that, personality. The fact that these villains are human and show their humanity makes their villainy more imposing. It might seem a bit convoluted but hopefully the selections will help explain. So starting off with number three:
The Hunger Games – President Snow (Donald Sutherland)
“I like you…be careful…”
Before hipsters start to protest I ask everyone look the man himself. He is, in the world of Panam, supremely powerful. He has a family we see in his periphery and a public persona that is both calming and resolute. Then you see him interact other characters, Seneca and Katniss were frozen like the prey of a cobra. Plutarch, despite his confidence, maintained his composure by attempting to play Snow’s game his way to impress him with his own imposing declarations. In the books we see more of him, hear from him more, and get to know him more. His limited use in the films makes him even more intimidating. Sutherland plays him in a manner as cold as the character’s namesake. He speaks with a quiet voice, like thunder in the distance, so when he merely suggests it would be easier if parties agreed not to lie, explains it is not favorable to root for the underdog, or instructs you on the value of hope versus fear you listen. Wide-eyed and terrified at nothing more than the power of his…words. His intimidation is based entirely on his ability to tell you the truth in ice-cold realism with the absolute knowledge of what he can do. He can make you vanish in silence, make you obsolete in front of a roaring crowd, and send you into hysterics with a flower delivery. He’s that imposing.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)
“Rest assured, if you attempt to bring destruction down upon me, I shall do the same to you. My respect for you, Mr. Holmes, is the only reason you are still alive.”
How can you gone wrong with the Napoleon of crime? I’ve seen several versions of Dr. Moriarty and Jared Harris captured something that I found truly captivating. His Moriarty has an extreme patience and remarkable Zen-like nature that makes him even more frightening than Hannibal Lector. Moriarty’s intimidation is that, portrayed in the manner Harris played him, you feel he’s smarter than you. It’s not a physical intimidation, because as I said above what does that mean to grown people? It’s a feeling of helplessness that even Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock feels during parts of the movie. You feel at his mercy, as though he holds every card and you hold nothing…even if you’re holding everything. Anyone who has ever been in the presence of a real master knows this form of intimidation. And we’ve seen the result of someone far below their league when they attempt to compete. Moriarty is so wily he forces Holmes to chase a red herring at the opera just so he can watch him fail from a box seat. He attempts to start World War I and simply shrugs when he doesn’t pull it off. He can torture you singing opera in German…and just might be able to take you in a fist fight too. I’m not sure I’ve seen a more impressive supervillain…certainly not one who was this cold, this brilliant, and this realistic. Harris’ performance is wildly underrated and for me he’s the Moriarty to beat.
Apocalypto – Zero Wolf (Raoul Trujillo)
“When I catch him I will peel his skin and have him watch me wear it”
I don’t believe I’ve seen a character on film in recent years quite as intimidating as Zero Wolf. Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto received general indifference after its release. It was in Mayan. Directed by a man who had just gone through some serious personal issues. It had questionable historical veracity. But forgotten amidst all of that is what an incredible film it is. The film revolves around fear (The Nolan Batman films could have learned something about real fear in this movie…), specifically fear instilled into a small village by warlike, desperate neighbors who seek human sacrifices. The leader of these hunters: Zero Wolf. Decked out in jaguar jaws, wolf skulls, and human bones he is a massive, brutal, cunning leader. Since we spend most of the film in the captivity of these hunters or fleeing them, they had to represent a truly incredible threat and, though there are numerous hunters, they all fade into the jungle when in the presence of Wolf. He gives commands silently (watch his directive to his men to spread out and attack), can intimidate with few words (“Are we doing what you say now? Shall we try that?”), exudes power and menacing intent through extreme calm and stoicism, and is powerful enough to force that stone knife right through your sternum. More than just a vicious hunter you see he is a person. He has a son he cares about dearly and it’s both tragic and frightening when he is provided the motivation to relentlessly hunt Rudy Youngblood’s Jaguar Paw throughout the latter half of the film. It’s this humanity that makes him such a cold customer. He cares about his legacy and his offspring, but is simultaneously ruthless in the prosecution of his tasks. He is a man hunter, and he treats it like a passionless day job, until it’s made personal. Both his indifference and his cruel obsession cause tension in their own ways. Zero Wolf is possibly one of the most effective villains in years and he is used with remarkable skill to drive the plot, dramatically increase tension, and intimidate the audience. He’s intimidation personified and the most imposing villain I think I’ve ever seen.
The world buzzes around us. Traffic, chatting, digital media, and there’s always something that has to be done RIGHT NOW. If you’re single, you probably have a full-time job and an active social life. If you have a family, you’re usually busy working and dealing with family things. There’s very little downtime, and if you are lucky enough to have two hours to yourself, you either catch up on something or are too exhausted to enjoy it.
So, what can we do? How do we balance a busy lifestyle with inner peace and happiness?
3. Stay Organized. Have you misplaced your phone or keys lately? What about left home without something important. Don’t worry, we’ve all done it. The trick is to stay organized and have a place for everything. If you have a purse or bag, place it in the same spot every day when you get home. Use hooks or baskets for keys, phones, wallets, etc. to ensure they are always where you left them. To help with memory and to-do lists, set calendar reminders, and send yourself emails and texts (my favorite).
Keeping things clean also helps more than you realize. I use chores as a way to stay active while working at the computer. For example, write for 45 minutes, then get up and vacuum. Proofread for 30 minutes, then do some laundry. I always straighten things up as part of my nightly routine, too. Waking up to chaos can ruin a potentially good day. Tip: If you have kids, encourage them to do the same. This helps them learn good habits and reduces your to-do list.
2. Find ways to relax. Not everyone has time to regularly soak in a bubble bath or attend an hour-long yoga class. But you have to take a break. Hobbies are a great way to relax and do something you enjoy. However, they should not be stressful or feel like work. They should serve as a reprieve from the daily grind and make you happy. If you’re hobby starts to cause you stress, it may be time to try something else.
And to those who enjoy a drink or beer at the end of the week; there’s no shame in that (wink). Sometimes that’s the only thing you have the energy to do. Tip: Some things I do are: painting, reading, watching my favorite shows and movies, turning everything off and enjoying silence, and listening to music.
1. Have fun. The most important tip I have, and I cannot stress it enough. We all need fun, and little things can give us great pleasure. It’s easy to say, “I don’t have time for fun.” Bull stuffings. You have an hour to not work or stroll through social media feeds for personal fun.
Some things I do include going to concerts and movies, taking little trips, visiting my favorite places around town, chatting with friends, running out in the rain, and trying new things. It’s a proven fact laughter reduces stress, releases endorphins, and works the abdominal muscles. Some doctors even say it’s equivalent to a mild workout!
Honorable mention (and often the hardest thing to do): Don’t be afraid to say No. If someone asks you to hang out, and you’re tired, take a rain check. If you want to spend an afternoon on the couch instead of visiting family, do it. We often worry too much what people will think, when at the end of the day, we have to answer to ourselves. They may be disappointed or irritated, but they’ll get over it. And if not, you’re probably better off without them.
Let us know how you stay sane in the comments section! We love to try new things too!
Please keep in mind what works for me may not work for you, but if you think about it, I’m sure you can find your own ways to stay sane.
Last week I shared my three greatest fighters of all time. This week I thought I’d share my three favorite fights of all time.
3.) Mike Tyson vs. James “Buster” Douglas (1990): While many might not see this as a “great” fight I can barely think of a fight that deserves to be recognized more. Mike Tyson was viewed as an unstoppable force in the heavyweight division. Some revisionists state that he had never “truly been tested” however looking at his fights with Frank Bruno and Razor Ruddock he had been tested he had just come back to pass the tests. Iron Mike was starting to show signs of distraction and outside-the-ring drama that would mar his later career; however his victory over Douglas, a perennial underachiever, was never in doubt (42 to 1 if the legend is to be believed). Douglas took the fight and during the lead up to the clash his mother tragically died, and rather than cancel the fight Douglas used it as inspiration. For one night, ten rounds, Douglas was the greatest fighter who ever lived. He controlled the space in the ring like a master, knew his range, controlled and bullied Mike, showed courage when he got knocked down, and came back to dominate the so-called “Baddest Man on the Planet.” All “long count” nonsense aside, Douglas fought the perfect fight. The uppercut he slammed into Mike’s jaw in the tenth round is still amazing to behold, and watching the biggest underdog in history fight his way to victory under the most dramatic circumstances is still one of the best stories in sports history. Mike, who I have come to respect and appreciate for his self-awareness and honesty, finally retired in 2006. When asked how he felt with his career ending he responded that his career ended in 1990, citing the first time his aura of invincibility dissipated and he was handed his first loss in a great, great fight.
2.) Marvelous Marvin Hagler vs. Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns (1985): For years this was THE greatest single fight of all time. Hagler and Hearns both lived in the shadow of media darling Sugar Ray Leonard. When they met in 1985 everyone knew it would be a short, vicious battle but no one knew how short and how vicious. In three rounds Hagler and Hearns gave the world some of the greatest combat ever. Hagler, known to be a tough but smart bully boxer charged Hearns immediately. Hearns slammed his vaunted right hand into Hagler, briefly stemming Marvin’s charge and breaking the hand in the first round. Looking at this fight now you get the feeling when Hearns landed his right and Hagler barely wobbled back…the fight was over. Hagler continued to pummel into Hearns toward the end of the first and into the second round. During the second Hagler was cut and in the third, fearing a stoppage due to the gash, Hagler again bulled his way to Hearns and battered him to the canvas. Less than nine minutes of action, but it showed the heart and desire of both fighters and, unlike the fights we have often today, showed two warriors willing to leave everything in the ring to win.
1.) Arturo “Thunder” Gatti vs. “Irish” Micky Ward I-III (2002-2003): I’m calling this one fight as it really is 30 rounds of beautiful combat that took place over 13 months. The first fight is a true legend. Gatti showing his heart, with the best single round ever, the famous ninth, that saw Gatti go down from a Micky Ward left hook to the liver only to rise (itself a herculean feat) and win the tenth. In the second fight Ward was knocked down in the second round, a rare occurrence, and then dominated for the remaining eight rounds. The third fight saw Gatti dominate early, only to break his right hand and fight Ward off one-handed. The two most honest, honorable, tough fighters you could ever see in a single fight, as we got three fights. They became so close from the experience that Ward trained Gatti at the end of Arturo’s career. Sporting events are entertainment, pure and simple, but when Gatti and Ward were in the ring you couldn’t help but feel elevated by the range of humanity they displayed during their 30 legendary rounds.
Of course depending on what might happen in the next few years something may show up to unseat one of the above great fights…but it’s doubtful. Boxing isn’t dead. It goes through phases of ups and downs, but always comes back, usually on the shoulders of a new, exciting, successful fighter. There’s still a lot to get excited about under the hot lights of the boxing ring. We shouldn’t let the disappointment of a superfight of the two so-called “best” fighters weaken our interest in the sport. The above fights show it to be one of the most exciting and humanly dramatic forms of entertainment.
It’s time for a reality check. Over the weekend “the two best fighters of their generation” fought in what was a very disappointing showing. Of course anyone who followed the sport knew it would be (as “superfights” almost always are). Mayweather is too skilled defensively and too protective of his undefeated record to pull a Sugar Ray Leonard circa Montreal in 1980 to make it interesting, and Pacquiao is too small and has slipped a bit into one-dimensionality to force Floyd to do so. But there has been a lot of talk as both of these fighters being “all-time greats” as though there is generational forgetfulness on what a real greatness looks like.
Of course “who is the greatest fighter ever” is entirely based on opinion. There is NO answer and rather than say this is a “definitive list” of the greatest fighters of all time I thought I’d say these are the 3 greatest fighters in MY opinion, meaning the ones I like to watch the most and whose abilities have made us stand in awe. And neither Pacquiao, and I love Manny and think he has accomplished a lot, nor Mayweather, who has made a career avoiding the hardest fights, have come close to these legends.
3.) Marco Antonio Barrera: Probably an strange choice for many, but Barrera was without a doubt a pound-for-pound all-time great who could both box, counter, or brawl. In legendary performances against Erik Morales (who many fans appreciate more for his all-guns blazing style), a beautiful chess match with Prince Naseem Hamed (who he battered essentially into retirement), and an all guts battle with Kennedy McKinney Barrera showed ring intelligence, heart, power, and adaptability that is almost never shown nowadays. He could jab southpaws, blast you with right hands, and crush you with left hooks to the body. An aging Barrera looked helpless against the young hungry Pacquiao in their first fight, but lured him into a slower pace in their second. Barrera has faded from collective memory in modern boxing, but people wanting to learn how to be an effective boxer-puncher-brawler need to sit down and watch Marco’s 75 fights.
2.) Roy Jones Jr: This is going to be unpopular, I know, but I have my reasons. In his prime Roy was supernatural. He was the fastest, wiliest, most elusive fighter to ever live. Robbed at the Seoul Olympics, he turned pro in 1989 and essentially didn’t lose a fight (one controversial DQ) until 2004. He had power in both hands and made other all-time greats look like absolute amateurs. Bernard Hopkins, James Toney, Virgil Hill, all great champions made to look slow, awkward, and helpless again Roy Jones. Light Heavyweights, who in any other era would have battled it out for light heavyweight supremacy, skilled fighters, all called uncompetitive and weak challenges. Montel Griffin, Reggie Johnson, Clinton Woods, and Julio Gonzalez, all shelved with contemptuous ease. Even mandatory and lesser defenses against David Talesco (who followed Roy calling him out for months only to lose 12 out of 12 rounds against a one-handed Jones) and Richard Hall (one of the greatest of Roy’s performances) showed what an artist he was. He started at junior middleweight, became middle weight champion, super middleweight champion, light heavyweight champion, and cherry-picked a heavy weight title, easily beating John Ruiz. As with most fighters who rely on athleticism over well-schooled boxing ability, he faded badly and from 2004 onward has had a career that has been a shame to see (though he can still turn on some preternatural abilities even at the age of 40+) but if you look at his career from his heavy weight performance backward to his pro-debut you will see possibly the greatest-skilled pound-for-pound fighter ever to live.
1.) Roberto Duran: What needs to be said? Duran turned pro in 1968 (a year after Ali was forced into exile). Was lightweight champion, possibly the greatest lightweight of all time, from 1972-1979, handed Ray Leonard his first defeat to become welterweight champion in 1980, defeated young champion Davey Moore to become junior middleweight champ and took the greatest middleweight champion in the modern era, Marvin Hagler, to his only 15 round defense in 1983. He won the middleweight title from tough, younger, stronger champion Iran Barkley (scoring the fight’s only knockdown) in 1989. And even won a minor Super Middleweight title from journeyman Pat Lawlor in 2000 (19 years after Ali retired!).Fighting in FIVE decades, winning titles in FOUR. Duran was a brutal warrior with a fighting IQ above anyone who has ever stepped into the ring. He didn’t always look brilliant and lived an entire life in the ring, showing excitement, depression, indifference, joy, rage, and pride under the hot lights. Known for his aggression, Duran was also one of the greatest defensive fighters to ever fight, very hard to hit with clean shots and able to stand in front of you and still be elusive while crushing you with either his left or right hand. There’s never been a more effectively aggressive and brilliant street fighter to ever step into the ring. One Hundred and Thirteen fights. In the modern era that is epic and they are some of the greatest ring performances in history.
Just for fun three honorable mentions:
Marvin Hagler: Essentially unbeatable. He was another guy who could fight, box, brawl, or counter punch. His last fight, a shame, where he was out-PR’d by Sugar Ray Leonard in the ring. Even as a Ray Leonard fan I think Hagler won it on aggressive, effective punching, but beat himself by starting too slowly and giving away the first 3 rounds. Marvin was involved in the greatest single fight ever. Out-willing, out-fighting, and out-slugging dangerous puncher and brilliant boxer Tommy Hearns in under three rounds.
Arturo Gatti: Not the most skilled fighter, but good god what a heart and what a warrior. He could lose every second of every round and you’d still cheer for him because he never stopped trying. He could be battered into a swollen pulp and with one left hook change your life. His ring life is linked forever to his wars with Mickey Ward; probably the three greatest fights of all time. You were always on the edge of your seat when Arturo fought.
Vitali Klitschko: Yeah. I said that. Vitali is one tough mo-fo. Though not showing his brother’s pure athletic skill, this is a guy who never was a afraid to fight anyone. Anywhere. Any time. He NEVER lost from being out-fought, losing only twice and only through injury; once from cuts and once from having an injured shoulder. Never knocked down, never knocked out, never visually in trouble in a fight. Vitali was one hell of a smart, strong, SOB who would have been a threat to just about any heavyweight. Ever. Even Mike Tyson says so!
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