Travel Upcoming – Parts French and Swiss

Sunday, July 10th, 2011
Posted in Adventure, Travel by Vanessa | 0 Comments |

I realize it is pretty sad that the most recently tagged travel posted on our website, called adventured.net, is from 2009!

So finally, after almost 7 years of being together and equally as long talking about going to Paris together, Justin and I are finally making it a reality. And I hope, I REALLY hope, that I can completely change his mind about Paris. I know he was nonplussed with it when he went during college. Granted, he was really enjoying London and his time in Paris wasn’t even a FULL day, plus he didn’t get to go with me… So, yes, I am hoping he has a better time and enjoys it more this go-round.

One of his coworkers was awesome enough to give him a guidebook to Paris for his birthday, which I have been poring over. I had no idea, for instance, that Paris was founded in 250 BC by Celtic fishermen. I did know that the original settlement of Paris was on the Île de la Cité (thanks to Val!). I didn’t know that there was a ‘ring road’ (Boulevard Périphérique) which set the unofficial boundaries of the city… and on it goes. :)

Needless to say, I am enthusiastically anticipating our vacation. We’re going to be spending part of the trip in Paris and part of the trip with BigP in Zweissimen. I am so looking forward to seeing BigP and spending time in Switzerland in the summer which will be entirely new to me. :)

Here is a starter list for things to see:

Site Seeing

• La Defense – I’ve never been to this monument, just glimpsed it from atop the Arch Du Triomphe. Might be cool to take an elevator up and stroll around this completely different, business district.
• Sacre-Coeur/Montmartre
• Pompidou Center – because I oh-so-love modern art… :/
• Musee D’Orsay
• Louvre
• Eiffel Tour
• some haute cuisine establishment to dine (TBD)
• tour of champagne?
• Versailles?
• Pere Lachaise
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A8re_Lachaise_Cemetery
  • http://www.pere-lachaise.com/perelachaise.php?lang=en
• Catacombs

Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: france, history, paris, switzerland, vacation, zurich, zweissimen

Erika Berger and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Movies vs. Books

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
Posted in Thoughts by Vanessa | 0 Comments |

I guess there are a good number of things I could write about.  Several topical things can happen in the course of one day that occur to me – funny thoughts over something I’ve heard (“it’s an ever revolving beast”) or insights about something I’ve read; maybe even something as straightforward and simple as an opinion formed on a quotation or theme in a book I am reading, a dissenting viewpoint… and yet, I never seem to manifest those ideas into reality. Like so many other ideas, I abort them before they’re fully formed. I often tend to worry or think things to death. I over-analyze most things in an attempt to find meaning, as if there should always be so much more meaning than what is readily available. But there is just a denseness and nothing… Why is it that it seems so often the true meaning of something is so much more easily understood and superficial than it feels like it should be?

At any rate, I’ve read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books (including The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest) and have since seen the movies. The books were enjoyable enough. The movies were not objectionable, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say they were entertaining. I was surprised that the role of Salandar was played in a way so as not to be repulsive or out of character, where I am sure it would’ve been if it had been undertaken by an American studio. I was at first glance put-off by, then found I enjoyed the fact, that the majority of the characters were played by average and less-than-average looking people. We get so used to the crazy idealized Hollywood cookie cutter types that it’s strange to see anything different. As luck would have it, there will soon be a debacle of a Hollywood version of this movie coming out later this year or early next. I don’t think it’s even possible for Hollywood to attempt to make a movie about a female heroine without her being ridiculously sexy and, in the case of Salandar, out-of-character for the film’s protagonist.

Another thing that didn’t bother me about the movies vs. the books was the divergence from the storylines. Parts of the tales and the endings were changed or omitted. This usually really upsets me, but not this time. Probably because the writing in the book was straight forward and the characters weren’t full of depth or transformation.

One thing that struck me as absolutely dismally incorrect and reprehensible was the portrayal of Erika Berger in the movie as a sort of weak, helpless, pathetic character versus the tough female powerhouse generally full of self-confidence that I took her for in the book. Often after reading a book or seeing a movie I’ll go on a Google-spree to see if anyone shares my thoughts. On this point, my search turned up no results.  I was pretty surprised that other folks out there weren’t also vexed by the different characterizations of Berger in the books vs. the movies… Even if you haven’t read the books, you have to agree that the character in the movies is obnoxious and unlikeable.   Erika’s stance on publishing the issue of Millennium during the Salandar trial was repulsively unlike the position I think the woman took in the book – why was no one on IMDB or any article I could find making the same annoying conclusion I’d drawn? I don’t get it. So, I guess, since I cannot find anyone to collude with, I’ll just have to put my own opinion out there.  Was Erika even considered Editor-in-Chief in the first film? She seemed so minor a player.  If I had more time and motivation, I’d do a side-by-side comparison between the movies and the books.

One thing I find incredibly surprising is, knowing that people are generally ludicrously selfish, that they don’t mind reading about other sickeningly selfish people. For example, just to stay on topic with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the characters of Berger, Blomkvist, and Salandar seem to generally care primarily for themselves and their own well-being.  The most outstanding example of vapid selfishness in modern “literature” would have to go to Twilight, but that’s obvious and neither here nor there.

Comments: 0 Comments

Discard

Monday, January 17th, 2011
Posted in Negativity by Vanessa | 0 Comments |

I feel sad seeing this totally static, decaying site.  Wondering if it would be best to just sort of conclude the site and leave up a placeholder page or… something totally different.  Either way, it can’t be something that requires a tremendous amount of time and care, at this point. Maybe my days of blogging are over.  Hopefully something will occur to me soon.

Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: blog

(outdated)

Friday, November 12th, 2010
Posted in Family, Thoughts by Vanessa | 0 Comments |

Staring out the window of my parents’ house, the sky seems a richer, brighter blue than I ever can recall. One aspect of things that doesn’t seem familiar. It’s nice to move through this big house with its spacious, airy kitchen and make myself a cup of coffee. Feels normal. Throwing on a pair of shorts this morning, shorts that I found in the dresser in my room, I was tempted to go for a quick run, like all those mornings so long ago. It felt easy and possible, unlike the burden it is for me, for some reason, in NY. That being well and true, the temperature outside is almost 100 degrees already.

Being here, driving along 35 coming down from Austin and into San Antonio, I am reminded of the ease of life here. At least my life before I was concerned with having a ‘career’ and the type of meaning I was searching for was of a whole different ilk, something far less tangible yet rewarding to the self and… in an ironic way, hollowing at the same time.

Speaking of time, there used to be so much more of it. Working and planning an event was a real possibility. Val’s graduation party came to mind as I rode home last night. The ease of meeting people at boutiques to shop for dresses, taking responsibility of getting the cake, the flowers, of gathering photos and videos to display to the crowd the night of the grand event. So much more possible planning a graduation party then than even being involved with any wedding planning now. Sometimes I can see it’s taking a toll on Justin, but more often I have to be told. Last night he was in a foul mood over my lack of availablity, and on the train into Manhattan yesterday morning he described a conversation he’d had with someone about the wedding planning. They, asuming stereotypical gender roles and relationship dynamics, asked him how much if at all he was involved with the planning. He frankly told them he was doing almost everything himself. Things like that are heavy weights on my chest, yet I am stubborn and persistent, often in a single-minded way. Somehow, though, despite my work constraints I need to be around more for him, invovled more for him, for us.

How divergent these streams of consciousness can be. A bird bouncing playfully from tree limb to tree limb out front once more distracts me from my sinking thoughts. I’ve been awake for half an hour now with my cup of coffee and my note pad. With my father’s cowboy hat on my head and my clothes selected from the time capsule of my room. Green umbros and a black and silver spaghetti strap xs tank top from Express. Used to adore that store, but think this shirt may’ve been Val’s. As I rummaged through my chest of drawers this morning, I discovered 2 swimsuits I like. I’d been wondering about their fate for a while. Should’ve occurred to me they were in the time capsule. Though coming home has a slightly less bizarre and and eerie affect than it used to. For years, the calendar hanging in my bathroom displayed Oct. 2006, the month we packed up and left for New York. A few visits ago I decided it would be best to change it. Who needs a reminder anyway. Coming home causes one to reflect enough as it is, to remember, to compare – to see how different things are now , how different oneself is now – for better or worse. The floors need to be swept, need to be vaccuumed. My father’s office is a disaster of debris – a miserable thing to walk across. Not that he ever cleaned it. I suspect the culprit of its state lies in the fact that his doting mother, who lives no further than the length of two football fields from here, has distanced herself a bit lately. Family is an interesting game to play.

Anywho – Dad’s 60th birthday party is tonight. Today, my Aunt Sha Sha and cousin Sheila are throwing a bridal shower for me. It is very sweet of them, but there’s still a small, introverted creature inside me that’s not looking forward to the situation.
Ironic human that I am, craving attention while also despising the thought of being the center of it. Time to get ready to get.

Comments: 0 Comments
Tags: Dad, Family, random, Texas

“Where have you guys been?”

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010
Posted in Adventure, Family, Friends, Fun, News, Photography by Justin | 0 Comments |

Answer: Preparing for our wedding

CR:Sunny16Photos

Photobooth Photos

Comments: 0 Comments

Filling My Solitary Time

Sunday, June 13th, 2010
Posted in Positivity, Writing by Vanessa | 0 Comments |

I have to admit, I was none too happy about the idea of spending the weekend alone.  On Friday evening, Justin left for Texas to fetch his nephews who will be spending the next week with us.  On top of the fact that I’ve been sick with a sort of cold for the last week, I just didn’t know what I would do with myself.  I figured I’d be bored and hermetic.  In actuality, my solitary weekend has been a sort of lovely ‘vacation’ of sorts.

I’ve been able to do whatever I felt like without consulting a soul.  It’s been rather nice not to have to speak to someone – not to ask “what would you like for dinner?” or “can we watch a boring documentary tonight?” or “can we open a bottle of wine?”  I don’t have to ask myself a single thing.  Yes, we can do all of those things.  I didn’t feel guilty about spending hours at a salon having my hair done.  Granted, that’s one of my least favorite past-times, more so when I don’t feel well, but I didn’t feel like I was taking my time away from anyone else.  It was mine alone to squander.  I read a ton.  I watched two movies I doubt Justin would have much interest in. Granted, we called each other perpetually and I sent him lots of photos.  I definitely wouldn’t prefer this more isolated lifestyle long-term, but it actually was a fairly pleasant respite.  The puppies didn’t seem to mind too much either, as they had practically the entire bed to themselves.

I also had some time this weekend to add a small feature to our website, which I hope to build on.  I simply changed my “2010 Goals” page to a “Randomness” page and added sections for  readings +  quotes.  Hopefully this will allow me to share more literary findings with you, my loyal readers. ;)   Though there isn’t much there now, it’s sort of meant to send you off on an entertaining, time-squandering internet expedition.  I hope you enjoy!  Now I am off to the airport to pick up my weary travelers.  Adieu!

Comments: 0 Comments