Events
We had Michelle’s official birthday dinner at Elephant Bar.
Later that week we went to the Spectrum where they had these really cool playhouse. They were all custom built. They had all kinds of different ones. About a dozen in all. They had sound systems, lofts, fireplaces, flatscreens, pretty much anything you can think of they had.
Of course we did our usual shopping and errands around Irvine. Here is some video of Samantha at Trader Joes shopping. I finished playing Uncharted 2 for the PS3, great game!
My time capsule died on me this month, so I had to buy a new one since it was past its manufacturer’s warranty. Good news was that I was able to save the hard drive out of the old one so now I have an extra 1TB external drive.
We survived a very hot two weeks without air conditioning and our hunt for a new house is still dependent on us selling the condo we are in now. No news on that front.
Michelle’s friends Tony and Jen got married at the Skirball Center. They had a wonderful ceremony and reception. They even had a photo booth at the reception. Out scanner is packed so I can’t share those photos just yet.
We went to Disneyland and had a great time. Samantha got her picture taken with Mickey mouse and Tigger. She seemed to have a really good time. All the adults had a blast too. It was pretty crowded as it was the summer and a weekend. But at least the weather was pleasant.
Movies
Leatherheads – 3.5 out of 5 stars. One of Michelle’s picks. Pretty funny and all around a good story.
Timetravler’s Wife – 4.5 stars. Another one of Michelle’s choices. I wanted to watch this but not until I read the book. We watched it anyway and it was really great. Can’t wait to read the book, two of my Facebook friends have already commented that the books is really good.
Life or Something Like It – 2 stars. This was a flop.
Lost City Raiders – 2 stars. B movie. Don’t waste your time.
Post Grad – 1.5 stars. Really bad!
Outlander – 2.5 stars. Another bad movie. We’re really on a roll now!
Legion – 0.5 star. Lower scores not possible! Terrible! Didn’t finish this mess.
War of the Worlds – 3 stars. Finally an acceptable movie. Not great, definitely not as good as the book. It doesn’t follow it very closely either.
Valentine’s Day – Didn’t watch all of this. Went to Samantha’s room and colored with her. 0.5 star. Total chick flick from what I saw.
Death at a Funeral – 4 stars. Really funny British comedy.
Bangkok Dangerous – 3 stars. Meh. Nothing much hear, semi-ok assassin flick.
Robinson Crusoe – 2 stars. Not very good. Nothing like the book.
Celebrations
Michelle’s Birthday 8/2
Barbara Black Maxey’s Birthday 8/30
Books
This months books gets me to 27 books for the year. Only three more to reach my goal of 30. I’m hoping to get to 40 now, but we will see as hopefully, we will be moving soon!
War of the Worlds – 3 stars. I think I had this built up in my head so much that when I actually read it I was disappointed.
Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 – 4 stars. Cool alternative look at the first three books. I will be reading volume 2 when it comes out. Anyone know when its coming?
Nano Comes to Clifford Falls: And Other Stories – 3 stars. A collection of science fiction stories. Some better than others.
Of Mice and Men – This one is one of the classics that I wanted to read. I didn’t remember reading this in high school, until I had already finished it. No loss though as this was a GREAT read! 5 out of 5 stars!
Robinson Crusoe – 2 out of 5 stars. Disappointed again. I think I had built this one up in my head again. I had looked forward to reading this for so long that when I did, I was bummed. It wasn’t enough for me.
Four Quartets – 5 stars. Excellent! Loved it. Can’t wait to read more of T.S. Elliot’s works.
The Call of the Wild – I had never read any of Jack London’s books. This is the first one I chose to read, and I was not disappointed. I loved it! 5 stars!