Film Festival Fun

Yesterday, from 1pm to 1am, Matt and I spent the rainy day at the CenFlo film festival. While I'm sure it doesn't compare to Cannes or Sundance, we had a great time and wanted to share a few of our favorite films with you. So, if you see these in a theatre (or on Netflix) one day, check them out!

The whole reason we went to CenFlo was because my cousin, Michael McCord, starred in the film Surviving Guthrie. The film was produced by Georgetown College and is about an unruly professor who is black-mailed into walking the straight and narrow to ensure that his daughter doesn't get expelled and that the University gets some much needed funding. It's got some nice one-liner's and if you've ever eaten at Bianke's restaurant in Cynthiana, it's pretty awesome to see it on the big-screen as one of the locations.

Full Length Trailer

Pretty Ugly People was our favorite feature film. The acting was amazing (I love Melissa McCarthy), the script was hilarious, and it's really beautiful. I definitely see it winning several indie awards! Be warned that the trailer doesn't quite do it justice. You must see this movie!

Pretty Ugly People _Trailer_short

We also saw several great short films:

Rabia

Patience

By the numbers

Paper Angels

Reticence

Yay Indie films!

Two sense

Let me begin by saying, I am glad to see that so many fellow twenty-somethings are passionate about the upcoming election. Facebook-ers and Bloggers alike have been busy commenting on every new twist and turn since the heated primaries were held. And, while I think that this election will result in some of the often touted “change” we all hope for, I still can’t find a candidate that stands for what I, as a registered Independent, want. To give you a brief glimpse at the dilemma I’m faced with, here is my stance (as a citizen, not an expert) on a few issues: 

Economic Policy: Yay free trade, Cut Spending, Cut taxes

Foreign Policy: Make love, not war

Energy Policy: INVEST IN NEW SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY

Health Care Policy: I am not a socialist.

Abortion: Pro-choice

Illegal Immigration: America depends on the work force of illegal immigrants. I’m probably in favor of a temporary worker program.

Gay Marriage: Legalize it already! 

And so, you see my predicament. Socially, I’m a liberal and fiscally I’m a republican. Will our ridiculously partisan political system ever be able to bridge this gap? Are there more people like me out there?!!!

Going Greener

Inspired by Abbey's recent post on the Well Fed Network, I thought we'd do a post on all of the "go green" habits we've started since we moved to Florida. Back in PA, we'd started taking baby steps, like switching one room to CFL light bulbs and using a Britta pitcher as opposed to buying bottled water. But we decided we could do more, and that the process would be easier to start in a new place. So, here's what we're doing so far:

• Switched to all "green" cleaning products... some by Clorox and others by Method.
• Purchased re-useable grocery bags. Although, I admit that we forgot to take them with us on our last grocery run. Next time.
• Switched all of our light bulbs to CFL bulbs. Energy efficient and cost effective (in the long run). Engineers love that combo!
• Recycling, at least we hope so. We've been saving our plastic and glass bottles and want to recycle them, but we haven't found the recycling bins in our community yet.
• We're still using the awesome Britta pitcher for ice-y cold water. And we fill up Matt's nalgene bottles when we're on the go.
• Katie inspired the next green purchase: cloth napkins. Oh so cute and eco-friendly.
• My final, and probably favorite, green habit came from the book It's easy being green. To conserve water, we always keep our watering can next to the sink. Then, if I don't drink my entire glass of water with dinner, I empty it into the can instead of sending it down the drain! So simple, so smart.

Here are some pictures, as proof of our progress. Let us know if you have any simple, green-living tips for us!

You have arrived.

I know Matt's been in charge of relaying the events of our move (see new post below), but can I just say that ever since we got here, I keep thinking: "You have arrived" (as said by the Garmin GPS lady when you reach your programmed destination). Yay! For those of you who have requested pictures of the new pad, here ya go ;-)

Floridians Rule! continued

Back by popular demand...for all you who obviously suffer from schadenfreude! Our pain amuses you, huh? Well, guess what? We live in Flor-da, we live in Flor-da and you all dow-nt! But seriously, the trip started to improve immediately. That night, after washing the kitty litter out of the things we wished to salvage, my lovely wife took me out for THE GREATEST MEAL OF MY LIFE--IFE--IFE--IFE!!! My mood was understandably foul and I wasn't looking forward to searching all over hell's half acre for reasonable dining. So, we hopped into our sporty little rental car and headed for the closest restaurant we could find. Never have such low standards yielded such amazing returns. We found Charley's.

The Scene: Simple, common facade (neon sign and all). You enter and immediately before you is a brick fire pit, easily 10'x10', and the most wonderful smells. A waiter, dressed to the nines--full tux, shows you to your table. Their bourbon selection consisted of 8 top shelfers, including Woodford Reserve. Your steak choice would be difficult, were it not for the a la carte presentation. I opted for the 20 oz. (quick little conversion and you will find that is 1.25 lbs) Fillet Mignon, served rare. No sides, just a salad and the steak. The salad was really just to taunt the meat. Whitney had a 12 oz. Fillet Mignon with the house Cabernet sauce and rosemary mashed potatoes. It is our new favorite restaurant and once I go for 1 year without smoking I will return. Who knows, maybe I'll try the 50 oz. Porter House. Did I mention that all of their meat is aged for 4 months at the restaurant in an O2 free environment. It was like eating cotton candy, if they made cotton candy out of cow. And, I should also mention that neither Whitney nor I could finish our entrees.

The next few days were spent shopping and acclimating ourselves to the new surroundings as we waited for our stuff to arrive. We slept on the floor and invented ways to pass the evenings. The most entertaining creation was Noodle Golf. It requires a pool noodle, a ping pong ball, and a willingness to look like complete idiots when neighbors walk by your patio. I took home "The Noodle" and Whitney came in a respectable second.

Our furniture and cars happened to arrive the same day, Monday, at the same exact time. Two different companies having zero affiliation, it was weird. Whitney dealt with the car guy while I dealt with the movers and, much to our delight, they were awesome. In the Florida heat and humidity they still managed to have everything unloaded and in our apartment in about a third of the time it took the other guys to load it, and with one less helper. So we spent the next 3 days, working 12 hour days, unloading boxes, shifting boxes from one room to another so we could arrange things, only to move them back again--repeat 4-5 times and you see the level of hell Dante loaned us-- and, my personal favorite, dumpster shopping. Dumpster shopping is where you drive around the community dividing your ungodly quantity of packing paper and boxes between several dumpsters so your neighbors don't hate you. Oh, it turns out they have a cardboard recycling dumpster behind the clubhouse. Oops! The things you learn on day 3.

Well, that about sums it up. Whitney and I are unpacked and official Floridians, with driver's licenses and all. For those of you who might be sticklers for grammar, please ignore any solecisms you might find in this blog for it is written late at night (by my standards). Oh!  One last thing.  We can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from our bedroom.  Well, that is where Whitney maintains they are coming from. ;-)

Floridians Rule! (now that we are here)

So this fat guy walks into our house.  You expect laughs with a line like that, and you will find them all throughout this story. But bare in mind that each laugh contributes a pang more anguish to mine and Whitney's fragile souls after our moving experience.  This fat guy was one of our movers.  He produced more sweat than an entire high school football team and he decided to plant his rotund backside on our couch with arms akimbo across the back. We've already called Stanley Steamer.  When he wasn't busy defiling our furniture, he talked.  He talked with the endless prattle of a little old person cooped up in the nursing home, overdue for a visit from his relatives... but the mover failed to inspire sympathy. He talked about country singers he had seen in concert, places he had visited (Vegas twice with two different wives), his coworkers, any thought that might have glossed his mind for a scintilla of a second set his tongue a quiver.  Oh, and the packers left all the lids to our pots and all our Tupperware dishes; we had to have them sent UPS.

Once all our belongings were safely on the way to Florida, it was time for Whitney, Isabelle, and I to make the same journey via US Airways.  We should have just stowed away on the moving truck.  We make it to the airport terminal without incident, though I must admit I was worried about having to get Izzy out of the carrier at the security check point.  I had no idea how she would respond with so many people around.  She did great.  Shout out to my kitty!  Anyway, we loaded the plane and everything was going smoothly.  The flight attendant had very calmly (I have not seen such serenity in anesthetized animals) explained our seat belts, cushions as a floatation device, oxygen masks, amazingly loud crash from the left side of the plane.  Yeah, that turns out to be us (the plane) crashing into the jetway as they are pushing us away from the terminal. No big deal, we'll just get maintenance to come and take a look-see, said the Wizard of OZ flying our plane.  An hour later and the wizard comes back on to say we all need to unload.  Your telling me!  They put us on another plane and we finally take off three hours late.  Who wants some Airline stock?!  

By the time we land Izzy has been in her carrier for 8.5 hrs, not counting the 2 minute security check, and instead of sleeping on the plane she opted for the more exciting drool-like-a-rabid-beast approach to air travel.  As soon as we are in the rental car, she is snoozing and it kind of freaks me out.  Tap, tap on the carrier.  Kitty?  Are you dead?  We rush to our hotel room, not the vet because she is obviously not dead or I would not be joking, and get our room.  Reason for rushing?  So we can set a litter box up for Izzy.  Amazing that the plane and/or rental car did not wind up smelling like cat urine!  Into the room we run, pull back the zipper of my duffle bag and...dramatic pause...cat litter all throughout the bag.  That is not enough.  Sticky shampoo too. I despise airport baggage people with the fury of a religious conflict.  I worship respecting other people's valuables.  They worship Satan.  We war.  Seriously, they had thrown about my bag with such force that it broke a hard plastic Tupperware container filled with litter and a shampoo bottle.  How?!  

I am tired. The saga will be continued tomorrow.