The Others or Nicole Kidman at her icy best

I saw this movie ages ago, I think when it first came out (2001) and remembered it having quite a few genuinely creepy moments.

I wanted to revisit it and introduce it to my boyfriend mostly because he's always trying to subject me to 'boy' movies or wants me to watch random animated stuff which is actually awesome  but I resist watching initially (How to Train Your Dragon and Astroboy).

Nicole Kidman plays a mother, Grace, in 1947 in England with her two photosensitive children who live in a huge mansion. The war is over but her husband hasn't returned and the servants up and left one day and never returned. Enter 3 wanderers who require work and previously worked in the mansion, 2 women (1 mute) and one older man. Even though they never saw her advertisement in the paper (the postman didn't pick up the ad) Grace allows them to stay and work.
Strange noises begin to appear to Grace and the children, Nicholas and Anne. Especially Anne who says she can see a young boy named Victor. They begin to refer to the people as the intruders and we are not sure if Anne is making it up to scare her brother, whether the new servants have something to do with it all or if there is something else living in the house.

I am an awful horror movie viewer as I've said before, so while this time around I still found some moments scary I'm not sure if the general population would agree with me.
In particular there is a scene where Grace is in the attic investigating strange noises but she finds nothing amongst all the furniture covered with cloth for storage.
Also not long afterwards she finds in a trunk portraits of dead people, including babies and children. Apparently it was once tradition to do this as they believed their spirit would live on through the picture. Gah. I just did not like that at all and hope it is not a real tradition. Gave me the heebie jeebies.
Another scene I found tense was where Anne is trying on her first communion dress and playing with the marionette (has also been spoofed in one of the Scary Movies so perhaps has lost some of it's initial impact!).

The final ten minutes I also found suspenseful and I did not pick the ending when I watched it originally and my boyfriend didn't on his first viewing. Think of that what you will.

The whole movie has an atmospheric spooky vibe due to the children not being allowed access to direct sunlight and only use low level gas lamps throughout the film.
I thought the child actors did a pretty good job, Anne was decidedly sinister in some scenes, awful to her brother and then just a normal scared child in others.
She hasn't gone on to do a lot more acting apart from a role in Girl with a Pearl Earring which is a shame because she was a good actor in The Others.

The score at times really helped the storyline during some of the creepy scenes and then sometimes it seemed a bit dramatic and over the top. Some of the camera angles used were cool too, particularly when they are searching the house and do a panoramic view of each view as it is revealed to be empty of 'intruders'.

Kidman was at her rigid, icy and slightly religious best I think. Her accent was a bit muddled, it didn't seem as English as the childrens was and I have read past criticism of her accent in The Hours too so maybe it's not her preferred dialect.
Overall I still enjoyed it, although maybe I had built up in my head how creepy it was. 3 stars.

Mylo and Herbie

I know, I know I just resort to writing about dogs when I can't think of anything else. Sue me.

Most of the other dogs I've fostered have been mostly normal, apart from maybe Jasper.

Mylo and Herbie were picked up by me at the vet along with a few other carers who were picking up random other animals which had been rescued from a puppy/kitten mill/hoarder.

It was crazy. The woman brought down about 5 dogs in various states of mood and physical deterioration in a dog trailer and in her Ute she had a several cat cages.

There was a very hyper (and on heat) King Charles cavalier, a west highland terrier who couldn't really see through the hair in his eyes, a spotty dog that the woman was adopting and then there were my two Labrador boys. They were almost comatose.
Mylo has severe mite mange but was wagging his tail but didn't want much to do with us. Herbie would not move. They both had pee and feces on them from the trip and also from soiling themselves anytime there was human contact. I had to carry Herbie into the vet for his vaccination, and got another carer to try and pull Mylo in on his lead. They'd never been socialised and presumably just stayed in the one spot at the back of the shed for their whole lives. They just didn't know what a lead was.

Every time the vet came back into the room, both dogs cowered, the breeder was a man and I'm not entirely sure what he did to them in their 4 months, but their reaction was heartbreaking.

Once we got home, they tried to get under the water bowl (which is connected to the water source and stuck to the wall) and didn't seem to move all day. They eventually found a jasmine bush growing along the wall and managed to wedge themselves amongst its roots.

Luckily they are both quite food orientated so I think this helped to get them out of their shell. They now come into the house by themselves and lay on the rug quite contently, though Mylo is still so skittish. While he initially seemed like the more outgoing one as he walked a little bit around on the first day and is always wagging his tail, he is actually the one that is going to take more time. They just don't trust us enough, and don't understand the things dogs who have grown up in a normal household would. Noises such as the washing machine, the TV are all new, as well as not sleeping in waste and that raising a hand doesn't mean something bad.

They are also now learning how to be puppies which is so sweet. My dog loves having other dogs chase her, and Herbie has resorted into the very puppy like behaviour of stealing things out of rooms and then hoarding them on the lawn.

I know some people get really angry about the people that cause these reactions and behaviours, but I've barely thought of him. It really killed me to see their sad little faces those first couple of days, but now I'm also seeing improvement so I'm glad they were brought out in time. I really can't believe they're the same dogs I met six days ago.

Get Him to the Greek

I finally watched this film with Russell Brand and Jonah Hill. It uses the character of drug addicted rocker Aldous Snow from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and pairs him again with Hill but he is playing a different role. Here he is Aaron Green a record executive or something who needs to get Snow to the Greek Theatre in LA from London for a 10 year reunion concert in 72 hours.

I really liked FSM and I think this was due to the likability of leads Jason Segal, Brand and Mila Kunis. I thought Brand was hilarious and his interactions with Segal great. Never mind that he is essentially playing himself in some ways (I enjoy his stand up as well so this makes me biased) - he does it well.
I liked FSM better than GHTTG, maybe it was the preference of Segal to Hill or maybe the storyline just made a little more sense (I did enjoy the scene in the hotel room with Snow, Aaron, Snow's dad and Sean Combs though. Mind fuck indeed).

Rose Byrne plays Snow's ex girlfriend though and her scenes were too far and few in between. I couldn't believe it was the same actress from the serious films and TV shows she normally does.
With her cockney English accent she really pulled off the skanky girlfriend with more aplomb I would have thought possible. She always comes across as so ladylike and proper in interviews and other roles she takes, so it was interesting to see her play against type.

Seeing as Brand is an addict himself I often wondered how close to home filming some of the scenes hit.

Overall I think the film got a little muddled in the end and it seems like a quick personality turnaround for Snow and the attempted threesome scene was just odd.

But you know twas an enjoyable film to wile away some time. 3 stars.

Roseanne vs Blossom

Not a bizzaro dream I had (I think we all know who'd win that fight though) but merely something I was pondering as I was drifting off to sleep last night.
Would I rather have starred in Roseanne or Blossom?
Well technically I couldn't have starred in Roseanne as I wouldn't be playing Roseanne but rather Darlene, her middle daughter (which was one of my favourite names to use when drawing pictures of my 'characters' in my books in primary school).
Both were family sitcoms but couldn't be more different. Roseanne was a family of 5 with sister Jackie frequently involved as well, while Blossom lived with her dad and 2 brothers and Six, her best friend was always over. Both were comedies but Roseanne was sarcastic, not always the best mother and they were usually struggling for money. Blossom showed the more traditional struggles on a teen orientated show and how her dad struggled with being a single father.
Really I shouldn't even be comparing these shows, but whatev.

And let's just ignore the other technical aspects of why it couldn't have happened (wrong age, nationality, disposition etc) and just look at the pros and cons.

Darlene

I think more people remember the show Roseanne than Blossom
Sulky, sarcastic teenager (more my style than the perky Blossom)
Got to hang out with Johnny Galecki
Due to early appearances also worked with Leo DiCaprio and now IMBD tells me they are 'close friends'
Likes the plaid, as do I
Pushed the boundaries at times with issues of abortion, homosexuality, was the first 'blue collar' family to be shown as a popular series
Would have been working with John Goodman, who surely is as similar to a big teddy bear as I imagine
But would also have to work with Roseanne
Lasted 9 seasons

Blossom
Had her own show, main character
Got to rock some awesome outfits (including a ton of hats)
Got to dance in the opening credits
Was a bit too family friendly although not as bad as other 'family' sitcoms at the time
Lasted 5 seasons

Looking at the careers of both Sara Gilbert and Mayim Bialik I wouldn't say either are particularly well known. They've both recently had recurring roles on The Big Bang Theory, Bialik to a slightly greater effect I think.

Bialik in The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon's 'girl friend'

Purely for nostalgia's sake I will have to go with Blossom. Hearing the theme song again on YouTube was a joy to be treasured and I still remember watching around the TV set with my family and laughing at the inevitable 'whoa' from Blossom's brother Joey.

Mad Max

I've decided to revert all ownership of Mel Gibson back to the United States as he was born in New York. Apart from the period where he made Mad Max and it's sequel (more well known as The Road Warrior). Thunderdome can stick it. Watching that monster 20 times for an english class has ruined any (if any) enjoyment it once gave me.

Mad Max shows a bleak future in Australia, it's a raw story featuring some crazy car and bike stunt work for the time (1979). Max (Mel Gibson) is a policeman trying to maintain society's last shreds of order and decency against the highway road gangs. The fight gets personal against these gangs when his best friend and family are hurt and Max is out for revenge.

Made on a shoestring budget, director George Miller (Babe, Happy Feet) was a former ER doctor who saw many injuries people sustained who had been in road traumas. Apparently the van smashed in the opening chase scene was Miller's own as money was running out.
This movie is not without it's faults. Characterisation could have been explored more, maybe a bit more of a back story. But the real reason anyone is going to watch this is for the car chase scenes.

I am not into cars at all. Living in a somewhat bogan culture though I have seen this film several times, more because I consider it a classic (and also to see a young good looking Gibson). My boyfriend is a mechanic also, so I hear a lot about cars. Unfortunately.

Max Max: Fury Road is supposedly currently in production, due for release in 2012. Although I would see another sequel to see what they do with it, I mostly wish they weren't making it. Some films are just better left in the past.
This was a unique film and I can just imagine the latest will be too flashy and not gritty enough. Although Miller is directing again so who knows. Has he mellowed too much from Happy Feet though?

A year (nearly) of fostering - Part 4. The last one. I promise.

My awesome profile picture of Jaspy

Jasper. Well where do I begin? He was abused by some boys who lived next door to him and he ended up going into the kennels for about 6 months after he bit or nipped one of the boys when they let him out and the court case was going ahead.

So ya know he had some issues. My boyfriend likes border collies and another carer friend needed to move him on for some reason. He had been on a trial previously but it hadn't worked out which I probably should have thought about more seriously!

Whenever I think a foster will get adopted in a flash is when the opposite happens.

He went on trial with an English couple who shouldn't really have been looking as they were heading back to England over the Christmas break. They seemed like such a good fit though so I offered to look after him while they were away as long as the trial was okay. The husband seemed to get along well with Jasper but the wife was having doubts as he was lunging as some people (later recognised by the vet as probably an anxiety issue). Anyway the day came around and they decided to keep him and I got him back while they went on their holiday for about 3 weeks.

When they returned, he went back with them for 1 night, promptly starting 'marking' all over the place again (he had been away) including on their Dyson (which then blew up when the wife turned it on) so back to us it was. Sigh.
So after a couple more greets, one where he barked furiously at a mother and daughter and another where the man thought it was a shame he had been desexed as he knows a bitch (seriously why rescue then, just keep contributing to the problem!) Jasper was back at square 1.
Not making any friends but being very loving and protective of me, I got a phone call. A lady was very interested in him and she was willing to make the 45 minute drive even though he might just lunge at her like he did the other people.
Luckily this woman was prepared. She brought treats, she got down to his level and he ended up laying by her side, happy as a clam. Two week trial later and she tells me to bank the adoption fee. He still has the issues but she's happy to work with him. Sometimes third time is the charm.



Splinter. Yes named after the rat in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles



Splinter and Frankie were only with us for 1 night but they were so cute and crazy I just had to share a picture. Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of Frankie that didn't reveal my boyfriends super secret identity.

They were from up north yet again and arrived on the same flight. As usual the big ears and small bodies and sparky personalities won us over! We would have fostered long term but we were literally just holding them for the night for their permanent carer to get back from a work trip.

Splinter was adopted by a gay couple near the beach I think, and Frankie by a suburban family.

Luna and Norbit are the kittens I still have so no success story as yet. We are going to an adoption drive this weekend so fingers crossed. Norbit is getting to be a huge tubber but Luna is as dainty as ever. I've had them since about December which isn't exceptionally long for cats, I am getting a bit tired of their toileting habits (i.e. missing the litter tray) but they're lovely and smoochy most of the time.

I honestly don't know who is who in this picture

Wally has had no blog love so I'd like to introduce you to the latest wonder pup. He's about 2 months old, full of beans especially for his breakfast and loves to play with Ebony. He has a habit of chasing Luna, Norbit has learned the art of a good swipe and hiss but they are getting better. We should have him for at least another month as I wait until I think he's big enough to get his vet work done, and we initially had a cousin interested in him but now with baby number 2 on the way, they're not so sure. Either way I'm sure he'll get snapped up - but I should really stop jinxing myself like that.

The cuteness is unbearable

So some reflections. Simply, fostering is hard. Sometimes I think know my life would be a lot easier without doing it (plus I'd definitely have more money...and maybe less fights with the boyfriend) but I hope I'm still fostering in 2012.

A year (nearly) of fostering - Part 3

This entry begins with Spock.

I agreed to pick Spock up from the country ranger under the thought process that he was a small fluffy dog, he wouldn't take long to get adopted. He was originally living with a family in the country and then when they had children, they passed him onto another family who then also had children. Good lord, and he was only 18 months old, so unfortunately he ended up in the pound.

When we picked him up, he was pretty dirty and very shaggy. A bath helped and we soon found out he had a penchant for any items left on the floor. To my boyfriend's horror he chewed through a laptop cord. He got along well with Ebony except for the occasional humping, and he was fine with Sabrina. They would sometimes play with each other, Spock being not that much bigger than her.

You can find my original entry about him here.


So he got booked in for all his vet work and got a lovely new haircut. He went on trial with a young couple who were just engaged. Unfortunately about a week into it, they called wanting to send him back as he had displayed food aggression towards her dad and with them looking to having babies not long after getting married it was a concern. I appreciate their decision but I was also frustrated. He's been in a pound and passed between at least 2 families - of course he's going to have some issues! Anyway his next trial was successful and he went to a older couple who are retired and give him plenty of walks. They changed his name to Jack.
I got quite attached to him, as we did end up having him for at least two months but I got a lovely update the other day:



Spoilt, courtesy of new owners

Hi Amiee,
 We are fine thank you. Jack has settled very well but can still be a
bit disobedient at times. He will still chew socks and undies if the
occasion arises ie me leaving a bedroom door open so I reckon its my
fault for not closing the door. He is a little character and has
brought so much pleasure into our lives. He gets a reasonably long
walk every morning a shorter walk in the afternoon and then another
shorty just before bed.

Rotti on the left, Girly on the right

Unfortunately I lied last week and I have another sad story. We took in three puppies only for a week as they were surrendered (accidental pregnancy). They were only about 4/5 weeks old and pretty small but they were staffy cross mixes so not too small. They were all very cute and we only took them because it coincided with my boyfriend being off for 3 of the days and me for 2. They were still sleeping together in a crate for a lot of the day as they were so small, but it was the most work I'd ever had to do. All they seemed to do was eat, sleep, play and excrete. A lot. The cuteness factor was right up there but then there was the never ending use of so many newspapers for messes and the 4 hourly feeds (and then the mess that came after). It reminded me of that episode of the Simpsons where Santa's Little Helper's girlfriend has puppies and as soon as Bart pulls on socks, they're ripped to shreds. Anything they could get their teeth on would be chewed with those tiny sharp little puppy teeth, clothes, feet etc. But, they were darling. We gave them very unoriginal temporary names of Girly (the only girl), Rotti (the one with rottweiler like face markings) and Tubsy (the chubby one who always ate the most and got the hugest stomach afterwards).

RIP Tubsy



They moved onto a new carer after the week, someone who was home more often and I was sad to see them go.
When they were about 3 months old they went in to get their vet work done and unfortunately Tubsy (who was actually a girl, how did we miss that?) died on the operating table.
It still hurts, thinking of the little pup. It does happen sometimes with the anaesthesia used when desexing the animals young. But they don't believe in re homing animals unsterilised as we are trying to decrease the problem not add to it. I still get upset thinking about her.

Such a sweetie

Buddy was a 'labrador' I was asked to go pick up. He was meant to be a short term foster but we just kept him until he found a home. i cannot recall the amount of times I have suckered my boyfriend into letting me get '1 more foster' under the pretense of it being a Labrador or a puppy. Although in this instance it was a honest mistake, but he obviously looks more dingo or collie than Labrador. He was being fostered with a view to adoption with a family but he somehow got out during a storm and someone handed him in to a local vet. The people fostering him didn't even tell the organisation he'd gone missing and didn't want him back. Words. Fail. Me.

Buddy was a sweet dog but Obsessed with Sabrina. He would just stalk her, but I think if she actually turned around and showed him any attention he would just run away. He loved chasing balls at the park, other dogs and he even would bring the ball back every time. My dad loved him.
He got maybe 1 call from someone interested but they had a couple of cats and he would be an outside dog for a while, so that didn't seem like the best option. I thought he was really cute, but no one ever knows why some dogs get heaps of interest and others none I guess.

He ended up finding a home with a lovely family (the second call for him), who had previously rescued a dog. They had great kids who were interested in saving a rescued dog. I'm not sure if I want kids, seeing some of what goes on in our neighbourhood but these kids gave me hope.
He was such a sweet dog, the first time I visited him to drop off his vet records after the 2 week trial, he made a sooky noise and jumped up on me. I couldn't believe his previous owners didn't care to keep him.
After the news about Gizmo, I emailed the new owners for an update on Buddy just to be safe:

Hi Amiee,

Thanks for your email - nice to hear from you.
Buddy is going really well. After much effort (as you know, he's not a big eater) we finally managed to put some weight on him - he's now about 23kg.
He and Sophie are still getting on well. They enjoy a good play together and sleep together in the laundry at night. However, Sophie is more an indoor dog and Buddy an outdoor dog. They both seem happy with this.
He copes well when we go out. He only appear at the gate when we get home if we have been away for several hours, and is always very glad to see us then. He doesn't bother if it's only been for a couple of hours. Sophie, on the other hand, is a complete sook! She whines the minute I walk out the door. I'm so glad that she has Buddy for company now. (When we leave the house, she is put outside with Buddy).
He has shown no aggression whatsoever with any of our visitors. I find him a very calm dog (except when he first meets people, which is pretty normal behaviour. Even then, he soon calms down once he's said hello).

I still find him a bit of a handful on the lead, but my husband and older daughter manage ok, so I leave the walks to them!

We are very grateful that you gave us Buddy.

I remember that you were going to have a break from fostering dogs. Have you gone back to it at all?

I have attached a couple of photos. Hope you like them.

Okay I swear part 4 will be the last!

umm

Happy birthday to me! For yesterday actually.
I spent the afternoon off work and went to the beach with my boy and my dog. Bliss.
Me and Dad circa 1984...

I love the 80s

A year (nearly) of fostering in review - Part 2



Aww I just want to hug him!



I only had Macca (or Mclure was his real name) for 2 nights. A woman dropped him round after organising with a committee member to surrender him to us. She signed some papers, gave a donation and left him with me. Apparently she had 2 dogs and could only keep 1 in her new house so she had to make a hard decision. I hope I never have to make a decision like that. Macca was a gentle giant in our house, never heard him bark, he wouldn't sleep on the carpet he stayed on the hard floor in the kitchen even though our dog was sleeping on the couch and looked just like a big cuddly bear. We had no trouble with him, and would have happily fostered him until he found a new home but another carer had a more hyperactive dog who she wanted to have some company with during the day when she went back to work so he was moved to her place. She ended up adopting him so it was nice that he didn't get moved around too much.

What a poser!



Sasha was a heart breaker. She looked almost exactly like our dog that my boyfriend took an instant shine to her and wanted to adopt her. She was a surrender, I believe someone had been given the dog as a present but didn't really want her. Bad idea! Live animal does not = gift. She is apparently the cross of a bull mastiff and rottweiler!



I'd always had this thing that I didn't want 2 dogs. I have a hard enough time walking our dog that if we got another biggish dog, they'd never get walked and I'd feel guilty. And I knew the onus would be on me as my boyfriend is a shift worker/on call and only has every second weekend off.



So from the start I'd said no, but we did resist putting her up on the adoption web page for a bit longer while we made up our minds. Then when she finally was put online, we were lulled into a false sense of security as there wasn't much interest in her. But then I got a call from a couple who were interested and I was going to take Sasha along to a pet adoption drive for them to meet. And then my boyfriend dropped the emotional card on me and said he really really wanted to keep her. So I thought I would compromise (or give in, you can't really own half a dog), and had to make a really hard call and tell the  potential adopter that she was no longer available. Luckily I thought, she hasn't met the dog yet.



Hell breaks loose. The enquirer rings up the organisation and bleats on about how they really wanted to meet her and even show up at the pet adoption drive in case we were there (what the?). I hear all this from a fellow carer. So basically I gave into this pushy whiny girl and said she could adopt Sasha. It's been a bone of contention ever since at home. I feel so bad as she was a lovely dog and would have made my boyfriend so happy. I'm also annoyed at myself for how I just folded to this girl. I mean, they hadn't even met Sasha yet, surely they weren't more attached than we were?



Ultimately I felt bad, like I was giving the volunteer organisation a bad name for advertising a dog under their name and then backing out on the meeting, so I think that's why I gave in. Well you live and learn huh? I have since found out Sasha is doing well through Facebook. The girl who complained has since broken up with her fiance but he still has Sasha. Heh.

I got an update in October last year, about 3 months after adoption from the guy. So a slightly newer pic, I still miss her.



Courtesy of new owner. And still cute.



Tully came to us as a bit of a mix up. My boyfriend does not like staffies (stafordshire bull terriers). I'll admit to not thinking they're the most beautiful dogs but every dog has their own unique personality. And they're actually very popular, hence why so many rescue dogs are crosses of this breed. But we thought we were getting a Labrador as you may have worked out by now, he does love.



Hotel for dogs is my life



Anyway we tried to move her on to a new carer as she was a bit stalkerish with my Sabrina. Fortunately we had interest in her within about a week and I handed her over to her (hopefully) new family. Unfortunately she came back from her trial after about a week. I'm not entirely sure what happened, they said that she chewed something out the back, but most dogs are apt to do that if they are bored. She was also a bit of an escape artist, she never got out of our backyard but she did bolt down the street once when I opened the front door. Eventually she went to a new carer I signed up who was a super mum. Her kids were really interested in helping and she took it in her stride when Tully decided to bolt out her front door too when I was leaving. I was glad to hear she had found a new home about a month later.



She was actually quite a sweet girl, and I never found out where she had come from exactly or why she was in our care.

Okay no sad stories in part 3 I promise!





A year (nearly) of fostering in review - Part 1

Like a lot of people I'd always loved animals. We'd always grown up with at least 1 dog and a cat. We've also had chickens (which invariably led to mice and rats in their feed), a pink and grey galah, finches and quails.

So a few years ago I tried volunteering at the local RSPCA. And it was so sad. All those faces in the cages looking sadly at you, plus then the actual cleaning out of the cages. I remember having to clean out a cage which had about 5 small puppies in it. Oh my god, the smell. I nearly passed out. Unfortunately I didn't make it to the exercising the dogs part of my volunteering experience as I just couldn't handle it. It's sad but I guess it just wasn't for me. I have a lot of respect for those volunteers and those who volunteer at the pounds as that is much more heartbreaking and seeing dogs become institutionalised would just break my heart.

Anyway so flash forward a few years and one unfinished university degree later and I'm in an office job I'm not exactly umm passionate about. So I look into other animal volunteering options. And I enter into the world of fostering which happened to nicely coincide with moving out of home and having only 1 dog at our new abode.

I started off with some simple transport help, got my own backyard check completed and started browsing the volunteer forum. Let's just say it didn't go well from there. At the time I joined there were less than 100 volunteers registered on this forum so there were a lot of posts going up for dogs stuck in the pounds, surrendered pets and animals needing to move carers. I saw a dog listed in the pound that was due to be put to sleep that afternoon. Looking at the pound picture I couldn't resist and rang up and spoke to a ranger. The rest of the story can be found here.
Needless to say my fostering started off very traumatically and maybe I should have took that as a sign and not continued. There were many tears that night but ultimately I wanted to go on.
It was an early harsh lesson that you can't save them all.

Just to be clear I'm doing this summary as some other bloggers seem to enjoy the foster posts I do, this is not in anyway an attempt to give myself a pat on the back.
I think it's also good to look back on the ones we've helped when you can sometimes get bogged down with what is wrong in the world with some people's attitudes to animals.

My first foster ended up therefore being a cat named Gizmo which I devoted two blog entries, here and here.
In a nutshell, Gizmo was a slightly older kitten we believe a pet shop couldn't sell (oh how I loathe pet shops that sell live animals). He was a big boy with sharp claws who was very playful and I nearly adopted him (something that would be a monthly occurrence). I got this update from his new owner in October last year:

Courtesy of new owners: looks like he's doing OK



"He's settled in really well now. Him and I have a close bond, he puts up with other people - but always seeks me out to cuddle up next to, either at night in bed, or on the couch when watching TV. He loves the dogs, and especially attacking them outside. They're a bit scared of him, 'cause he sometimes bites them and doesn't let go until they yelp. He goes for walks with us in the reserve out the back and then doesn't come home for a day or two, starving hungry. He's always happy, never comes home dejected after having a fight or anything like that - even though he lost a claw recently in a big fight with another cat. The only bad thing is that it seems my wife has become allergic to his fur, she reacts pretty badly if he's been sleeping on the bed, or couch where she sits - so we've gotta vacuum it all the time. He loves his freedom out the back, but rarely ventures out the front where the traffic is - which is good. He's made friends with the neighbours, who have two female cats and two young boys. Their cats tolerate him, but he walks into their house as if he owns the place apparently. They feed him too, which probably explains why he never seems to eat any meat products we put out for him - he only seems to like biscuits. So all is well apart from the wife's allergy. How's it going for you - have you had any more adoptee's? "



What a cool looking cat

A lot can be said about the scum of society who are cruel to animals, but the great thing about fostering is that you also meet a lot of genuine people who really care about their animals, and Gizmo's new owner is one of these. Gizmo is now 1 year old and funnily enough he came to us as Mikey but we just didn't like it and nicknamed him Gizmo and his new owners kept that name. He could have also been called Batman I think.

You will love my dopey stare

Next up was Sabrina and I was very excited as I got to name her. I wanted to name her Salem as she resembled a certain cat from a certain show I never watched, but thought that was a bit manly, so settled for another character on the same TV show.

Sabrina came from a house one suburb over. Details were a bit sketchy but I think this woman was also a foster carer for dogs, she adopted a cat, didn't know it was pregnant and Sabrina was the last kitten she couldn't find a home for.

Talk about tiny! I got her at around 6 weeks old and I couldn't believe how small she was, compared to Gizmo she was so small and a lot more timid. She hid behind the couch for many hours but I soon had her sleeping next to my pillow. And I guess I was done for by that point. She become my first foster fail, eg failing as a foster but succeeding as my pet!



The kitten spirit is strong in this one

 She'll be a year old next month and she has gotten a lot bigger than I thought she would. She has an amazing bushy big tail and little frilly bits of fur on her chest which aren't quite jet black like the rest of her.

She is now allowed outside but not at night and has made friends acquaintances with the other nearly identical black cat 2 doors down and the completely white cat across the road (see cats don't see colour, only friends).

Trixie I don't believe ever got written about on the blog. Trixie was a needy little skinny kelpie cross dog which was rescued from a pound up north, no one came to collect her. She was originally with a mother and her son, but a fellow volunteer thought this wasn't the best place for her to be fostered so I volunteered to take her. She was a bit too skinny and had this annoying habit of jumping on you for attention whether you'd just walked through the door or you were trying to watch a movie. She did it very gently but it got on my nerves. She was also stalking Sabrina and would not leave her alone, not in a nasty oh-no-she's-going-to-eat-her way, but it just made training her hard and it was very distracting.

Anyway so I tried to find a new carer for Trixie. There was a woman who did agility stuff with working dogs so she was going to take her. Unbeknowest to me, my parents had grown a little attached to Miss Trixie as they would sometimes stop by our house and pick up the 2 dogs and walk them together. Our beloved family dog Buster had died in March 2010 so I think they missed having a dog to walk. Particularly as towards the end with the cancer he could only manage to walk across the road to the park.

So a two week trial was begun at my parents house. It caused the remark from my boyfriend's dad: "What happens when she runs out of people she knows to adopt her fosters?"

And of course they adopted her. And now her nickname is Barrel as she has ahem put on a little weight. She is now very attached to mum and dad and they've changed her name to Missy Moo. She's still likes to jump on you, but I understand she's doing it as she's probaly never had unlimited affection before.

This has gotten a bit long winded so congratulations if you got all the way through. This may be a 3 parter. Stay tuned.

Edited to add: I asked Gizmo's new owner for an update and I got the sad news that he'd been hit by a car over Christmas time. I feel shattered.

He's just not that into you

So it was another hot Saturday night but we've actually had some stormy weather so it was humid as well and my boyfriend was playing the x-box with his friend so I settled in for this chic flick with a little apprehension. The last ensemble American film like this I'd seen was Valentine's Day last year and that was very disappointing. An American Love Actually it was not. But this one wasn't so bad.


Short summary:

Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) is the central character who is crap at interpreting signals from guys in the dating world. After another mediocre date, she meets Alex (Justin Long) who runs a bar and gives her insider tips e.g. he's just not that into you if he's not sleeping with you, calling you, asking you out on a date, marrying you etc. Ludicrousness aside, Gigi takes the gospel to heart and it releases her into not wasting time on the wrong guy. But then she believes she's read the right signals from Alex and thinks he's interested in her...
There's all the other side characters connected to Gigi in some way. Jennifer Connelly and Jennifer Aniston work with her. Connelley is in a marriage with Bradley Cooper where she gave him an ultimatum to get married, Aniston is in a happy long term relationship with Ben Affleck but he doesn't believe in marriage.
Then there's Scarlett Johanssen who meets Cooper and thinks they may be destined to be together thanks to her friend Drew Barrymore even though he's married.
Hook ups and break ups ensue.

If I had read this book (released in 2005) in which the movie is sorta based on in high school (which would have been impossible of course) I could have saved myself a hell of a lot of time with trying to decipher guys signals (or lack of). I was a hopeless crusher in high school and never had a date. I should never have bothered even thinking about those guys who had no interest in me and just concentrated on fun stuff like 80's movie marathons with friends (check out Electric Dreams). Sad stuff over.

Some likes

Ginnifer Goodwin: just loved her twee outfits, her hair, her cute little cherubic cheeks you just want to pinch, her interactions with Justin Long. She's really charming in this movie. I also liked Long's character as he wasn't a nerd, he's stuck as his Dodgeball character in my mind unfortunately.

Bradley Cooper is excellent at playing another douche bag.
Some dislikes
The ending between Jennifer Aniston's character and Ben Affleck.

Scarlett Johanssen's character. I know she's not meant to be the most likable but I just did not buy her in this role.

Drew Barrymore was a producer of this film and I felt her role was a little tacked on and trying too hard to be alterna-hippy. Which is weird because years ago Drew pulled off hippy really well.
And they tried to give her character the job of being lost in all this new technology of the dating world (My Space, texting, calling etc) which was good in theory but not executed well. For a start shouldn't they have tacked this complaint onto a younger character? Not that Drew is old, it is just more of an issue for 20 somethings.

This is my 100th post which makes me think I should have posted about something I felt more strongly about! It's also been nearly a year since I started fostering, which has had it's share of ups and downs. I hope to do a post sharing some stories about the fur children I've looked after the past year soon.
And also my birthday is coming up (and all this entails in becoming a late 20 something...eek) and I'm still trying to work out what I want to do career wise! Fun!

Do you come from the land down under?

Yesterday was Australia Day and we celebrate on the 26th January every year (hang on while I google it) to commemorate the landing of the first fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788.

So what does Joe Public do to celebrate this momentous day (some people claim it 'invasion day')?

Well we blow up a whole lot of fireworks over the river that runs through the city. I guess it's like the fourth of July for Americans, except without all that hand over your heart stuff (excuse me, I'm using all knowledge of fourth of July celebrations from how it was depicted in My Girl).

What did I do to celebrate this occasion? Well I met some friends at the pub for lunch and a drink where there was the traditional beer and sausage in a roll for lunch but I chose to have a cider and tomato tart with greens as I'm just that fancy. Also I am sick of sausages. And lamb. Why do we feel the need to eat copious amounts of lamb on Australia day?
Then I went home and had a long nap. Woke up, went to my parents house for the dinner I'd invited myself to, since I couldn't be bothered cooking.

Later I attended a late night screening of Black Swan. Holy crap, I wasn't sure what to expect with that movie, but I think Natalie Portman deserved her awards for that movie.
So you know Happy Australia Day! or something, at least we got a public holiday out of it. Oh and I hung my washing out to dry on our hills hoist. You can't get more Aussie than that.

*Please go to this link for a more thoughtful post about Australia Day.

Queensland floods

While over on my side of the country we're battling heat and bush fires, over on the east coast in Queensland there has been major destruction caused by flooding. The area affected is bigger than Germany and France combined to put it in any kind of perspective.
Nine people are confirmed dead with many more missing. Please send your good thoughts and a donation if you can.

Strictly Ballroom

Another Australian 'classic' with a good dose of cultural cringe thrown in.

Scott Hastings is the young son of ballroom champion dancers Bill and Shirley. He is on the verge of winning a huge competition with his partner Liz when he decides he is sick of the traditional way of ballroom dancing and throws in his own unique steps.
His mum, Liz and the ballroom officials are horrified and try to get him to dance traditionally. When he refuses, Liz decides to dance with a new partner and Scott's mum and officials continually try and change his mind and get him a new partner, so he can still win in the traditional style for the upcoming pan pacific championship.

Secretly though he begins dancing with Fran, an amateur in their spare time. She wants to dance his new steps at the competition. But will the federation accept their dancing style at the competition?

There's also a back story about his parents dancing and how his dad went against the ballroom community and his mum doesn't want Scott to make the same mistakes.

Like the so called sport itself, the film is over the top, cheesy with hilarious costumes. Released in 1992, and directed by Baz Luhrmann it features a lot of well known Australian actors like Bill Hunter and Barry Otto. The lead character Scott is played by a professional dancer named Paul Mecurio who is now more well known for being a judge on Dancing with the Stars, hosting a cooking show and releasing a cookbook.

I never released how similar it is in parts to Dirty Dancing. The teaching of the young inexperienced female to dance, the opposition from those older/in more power, the refusal to change from traditional steps and obviously the love story that develops between the two.

It's not all drama though: the scenes with Fran's foreign family, in particular her father and grandmother, who teach Scott their own traditional dancing and to dance from the heart are interesting and give Fran's character more scope. It show how her and Scott are both dealing with different traditional expectations on them.

If you like the style of Baz Lurhmanns films you will enjoy this in all its over the topness that is typical of his films. As much as I do like to mock ballroom dancing (in the same vein as synchronised swimming) I do appreciate their skill and wish I had one tenth of their co-ordination and grace.



I always crack up with these lines, the actress, Pat Thomson who played Scott's mum Shirley, sadly died before the film was released, but she just delivers it so well:

Shirley Hastings: And what about Les? He's taught you everything you know, and you're just throwing it back in his face!

Scott: I'm bored with it!
Shirley Hastings: I don't believe I'm hearing this! I've been with your father for twenty-five years! Do you think I get bored? Of course I do!





Scott's dad, played by Barry Otto: also more my style of dancing

 

Two useless lists & Tomorrow, when the war began

Firstly merry Christmas and happy new year! I hope you all had a more exciting time than me.

A list of things I should have done during my 9 day break:
Sand back the bathroom walls

Take the dogs to the beach

Cook those meals I always say I never have enough time to cook

Things I did:
Catch a super awesome summer cold (still counting the days until it leaves me)

Bought and installed an air conditioner in the bedroom - we are in the middle of an awful heatwave...bliss! Although I will see a white Christmas once in my lifetime. If you want to experience menopause early, call round!

Finally watched some movies -The Runaways, Julie and Julia, Running with Scissors, Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Finished reading The Tommyknockers

Watched the neighbours let off some (illegal) fireworks and set their palm tree on fire on new years eve

On to my review:
Tomorrow, when the war began is an Australian film released in 2010 based on John Marsden's book of the same title.
It is the first of a series of 7 young adult books released from 1993 to 1999.
Needless to say I was the key demographic when they were released and loved the books.
A group of 7 teenagers in a country town decide to skip the country show one year and instead camp in 'hell.' All their families attend the annual show where they display livestock, jams etc. Hell is a piece of hidden, natural bushland only accessible by hiking where they can camp and has a natural water source.
Ellie and Corrie are the organisers, they also invite Kevin, Corrie's boyfriend and Homer, Ellie's neighbour. Ellie decides to ask Lee, a Vietnamese student at their school she has always found interesting. The last 2 are Fi, a girly 'townie' and Robyn, daughter of the minister.
They embark off on a weekend of teenage hi jinks, and when they return to Ellie's house they realise something is desperately wrong. Ellie's dog is dead and no one is home, similar situations are found at all their houses. There is no Internet or mobile phone access and the group gets worried. The gang splits up to check and Ellie, Corrie and Kevin go into town to view the showgrounds where they can see something is happening. There, they get the confirmation that they have been invaded by a foreign force and the soldiers are holding everyone prisoner at the grounds.
I won't reveal much more, but I did enjoy this film and it is unusual for an Australian film to have a big budget and to be primarily an action film (and young adult centred at that), and I think they did it well.
Not to say it didn't have it's faults. As it sometimes the case with book to film translations some of the dialogue was a little stilted or awkward when I recognised chunks of it came from the book.
I thought it was also great that the main focus was on Ellie, and that she is actually a strong character with flaws but also great features: she's always honest, unsure about her decisions but the complete opposite of Bella Swan which is a relief.

The characters all appear age appropriate too, which helps the realism. When I read the books, I always fantasized about playing Robyn and now I'm almost 10 years old than the actress playing her! Is it depressing that I didn't picture myself in the leading role, that even in my fantasies I wanted to play a supporting character? I did find that she was played quite holy in the film and that didn't come across so much in the books, but it is good to have a religious character that wasn't a crazy zealot.

Anyway one interesting casting choice was the part belonging to Corrie played by an English actress named Rachel Hurd-Wood who played Wendy in 2003's underrated Peter Pan. She mostly got the accent right, but just a bit of poshness crept in to the dialect every now and again.
The race of the invading nation was never given, a deliberate move in the books that the filmmakers continued. I think it is the right choice, all we know from seeing them is that they are Asian and neighbours to Australia. Even their language spoken is fabricated and false.

Overall a good film if you can track it down, I'm not sure what its overseas release is like.
And now I must peel myself off the couch, step over the panting animals in various places on the floor and go get more ice blocks.

Please ignore the dust on my floor