Life in a Pressure Cooker

English: The pressure cooker (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have you ever had that moment where you wished you weren’t a rational adult? You wished instead you just said what was really on your mind, no matter what the consequences! Some of us live our lives minding our p’s and q’s to the point of where we wouldn’t know who we were if we did let loose and really feel and say what we truly felt. Sometimes I feel like a pressure cooker with that little thingamabob on top steaming and moving and getting so agitated. Then someone turns the heat down and loosens the lid and the pressure releases and I can breathe again. And then at other times that pressure builds until it can’t stop! And when it blows up….well…

And then sometimes it does…and when they say that one thing that triggers you, it is like someone fired a gun! And before you know it, your mouth has a mind of its own and it says the things that your mind has rattled around for long periods of time. And it comes out in that rapid, loud speech that you have absolutely no control over and you’re just shocked that you can think this fast, much less speak this fast. And there it is. It is said. People look at you as if you have kicked a puppy when it was really you standing up to the class bully that no one else had the nerve to say anything to until now. They’re too shocked and scared to move. You’re kind of  feeling the same way. And finally you realize you really need to pee. So you walk away. You kind of expect that slow clap thing from the movies but instead there is this buzzing of whispers frantically wondering if you have suddenly lost leave of all your faculties. You want to turn around and tell them, “No, not really. I realized I need to pee. But thank you for being concerned! Have a nice day!”

Hope Floats

Hope Floats: Music from the Motion Picture (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have you got that one go-to movie that you always watch when you just want something to watch but aren’t sure what? I do. It’s kind of poignant, sappy, sweet and very hopeful. Actually, it is “Hope Floats.” There are a couple of scenes that just make me cry like a baby. But there are a few scenes that make me smile and wish and wonder if some things are actually true. I know life isn’t exactly like the movies, but sometimes I sure wish it was. Then again, sometimes I am grateful it isn’t.

There is something about this movie, though, that catches my heart each and every time. The main male character reminds me of someone from my past who had a piece of my heart so big that I didn’t know what to do with it when he was no longer a part of my life.  Harry Connick, Jr. has a way of looking up and giving a sweet smile that makes me catch my breath and think. It takes me back to a moment in time every time I see that look.

I also love the vulnerable insecurity of Birdee, the main character played by Sandra Bullock. I love Sandra Bullock anyway. But she pulled off sweet, vulnerable, and insecure so beautifully and realistically. She said so many wonderful lines during the movie that made me really think.

Here’s some of my favorite lines:

Birdee: “Childhood is what you spend the rest of your life trying to overcome. That’s what momma always says. She says that beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s the middle that counts the most. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up. And it will, too… “

Conversation between Birdee and her soon-to-be-ex-husband:

Birdee Pruitt: I would have stayed with you forever. I would have turned myself inside out for you.
Bill Pruitt: Birdee, I wouldn’t have let you! People grow. They change. They have to!
Birdee Pruitt: You think that I don’t know that? I know that I’m not what I once was. I know that! But I haven’t changed so much, that I would go and lie to someone that I love. God, I would walk through fire before I’d let them feel like they were nothing! And I would never break up anybody’s home. Because I am not a quitter. I care about my family! I may not be the same person, but then again, neither are you. You’re sad, you’re weak, and you’re… shorter. If you want to know the truth.

Justin Matisse: “Dancing’s just a conversation between two people. Talk to me.”

Birdie and her Mama talking about her soon-to-be-ex-husband:

Birdee Pruitt: You just never liked Bill.
Ramona Calvert: Oh, I like all of God’s creatures; I just like some of them better stuffed. And he’s one of them.

 

I know life isn’t always like the movies. But there are times when it is. I miss the times when I had a Justin Matisse. Sometimes this movie does give me hope. I suppose hope really does float.

So what is your go-to favorite movie?

 

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I Like Kid Movies

Beezus and Ramona (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yeah, I’m an adult. I don’t care! I like kid movies! So there!

What prompts this outburst? I just finished watching the movie “Ramona and Beezus” and I loved it. I grew up reading Beverly Cleary books and to see this lovable character come to life was great. I always loved Ramona’s antics. I will admit there didn’t seem to be too many repercussions for some of her behavior but in general she was a fun character that I loved reading about.

I think this movie really lived up to the books. I know people are thinking, “They’re books for kids!” Yes, they are. But if you think about it, it really could have gone in the opposite direction. They could have totally ruined a childhood favorite. Not this movie! If you ever read the books, you’ll love it. With Selena Gomez as Beezus, John Corbett as Dad, Bridget Moynahan as Mom, Ginnifer Goodwin as Aunt Bea, and Josh Duhamel as Hobart Kemp you had a great cast. Then add Joey King as Ramona. Well, what can I say? She was the perfect person for this lovable little girl.

So in case you wanted a walk down memory lane that is pretty easy to sit back and smile at, check it out. The time watching it was like a time machine and I was instantly a kid again.

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Why Do I Watch Things That Make Me Cry?

Image via Wikipedia

Certain movies or tv shows are just gonna make me cry. I have “my” movies that I watch from time to time that just cut me to the core. “Hope Floats,” “P.S. I Love You,” “The Notebook.” These are the heart wrenching movies that get me each and every time. I know I am going to cry when I watch them. The tv series “Friday Night Lights” nearly killed me. I don’t cry as intensely with the tv show as with the movies, but the different episodes would pull my heart-strings so hard that tears would emerge at times that I would be stunned. I knew it was a great show, but wow! It was really a great show!

So why do I do this? I KNOW  I am going to cry when I watch. I prepare myself with tissues and lots of water so I can rehydrate. Maybe I watch them when I need to just release some emotional tension that I can’t otherwise let go. But why do I need to cry? Why do I need something that is so emotionally charged? I love to watch them but I can’t watch them too often. I’d be an emotional mess all the time if I watched them more often than I do!

I ask why I do it, but I do think I have an idea. I think I like watching someone overcome struggles and find happiness. I know these are scripted. Maybe it would be better if life was. Hmmm…now there’s a thought. I want to believe there are people who overcome hardship and find happiness. I always root for the underdog. I guess most people do.

So does anyone else do this? Surely they do! Right?

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Southern Movies and TV Shows

Do you ever watch movies and tv shows specifically about the South? When I do I can’t help but listen closely to the accents and see how real they sound. Some of them make me roll my eyes so far back in my head that I wonder if they’ll get stuck. And it is like I am drawn to those shows and movies. I can’t help it. I think it is because I would love for something to finally accurately portray life in the South.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta do NOT represent real life in the South. So please don’t ever think that. Southern women can be mean as snakes but they typically aren’t as brash and loud about it. We don’t wear 50s style clothing and smile like a Stepford wife, but we sure can get our point across. Bless your heart for thinking otherwise!

I think some examples of movies that I think of as Southern movies are Steel Magnolias, Hope Floats, and Sweet Home Alabama. Now the women of Steel Magnolias are true Southern women! The accents may not have been great, but they had the attitude of real Southern women. I was actually kinda surprised that Julia Roberts’ accent was worse than some of the other actresses, especially considering she was raised in Georgia.

Sandra Bullock in Hope Floats was the epitome of a Southern woman. She had a real accent that wasn’t over the top and was just right. I think she lived in Virginia for a while. That might have been quite helpful. I loved her character.

I think Reese Witherspoon is adorable but she got a little twangy in Sweet Home Alabama. But I will say that the scene where she punched Candice Bergen and said, “Nobody talks to my Mama like that!” was perfect! Just about any Southern girl who was raised right would do that. I also liked the references to the state of Alabama in the movie. People who aren’t from Alabama wouldn’t get them, but Alabamians (yes, I’m from there) got them. The dog’s name, Bryant, was after Paul “Bear” Bryant. There is really a motel down in South Alabama called the Golden Cherry Motel. (My ex-husband had a friend whose uncle owned it.)

I’ve just started watching Hart of Dixie and some of the accents make me gag. I also don’t like how they portray the majority of Southern women as simpering twits. We’re not. We may speak slower but we aren’t stupid. I do like that they show Southern hospitality but we aren’t all up each other’s butts. (well, most of the time anyway.)

I guess the my point is, when you watch the shows with Southern characters take it with a grain of salt. Some of those accents might not be real and most likely the characters don’t represent true Southerners. Laugh at the art but not at the real people.