Movie Review - Harry Potter 7.2

On the weekend the kidlet and I went to see Harry Potter 7.2. We have read all of the books (I read books 1-6 aloud) and of course seen all the movies. Own most of them. So how was it? Great. :-)

It follows most of the story pretty closely (that I remember), lots of fight scenes and explosions and, oh my, little Neville Longbottom has grown up.



A little cosmetic dentistry and I think I'm in lust.

It was great to see most of the professors again, they were all there for the big battle, and Professor McGonigal got some good lines. Hermione and Ron were a cute couple and there were people who died which is always sad. However it was a fun entertaining movie and a great end to the series.

My only thought was, if you were magic, why would you need to clean up the castle with a broom? Couldn't professor McGonigal just wave her wand and have all the repairs done lickity-split? What's the point of being magic if you can't clean without work? LOL

Also on the way out of the theatre I heard this young man telling his date that the whole thing with the special elder wand and who it would obey was kind of lame and they shouldn't have written it that way. Umm, honey, it was in the book that way. They couldn't just CHANGE it. Sheesh. He'd obviously not read them.

Also at the end which was supposed to be about 19 years later, only Harry and Ron somewhat looked older. Ginny looked like a 16 year old with 40 year old woman hair. I thought they could have used some special effects or make-up to make them look like they could have 12 year old children. But minor detail.

So for Harry Potter fans a definite must see.

I'm sure it must be a bit weird for them to finish. Although as Daniel Radcliffe said last night, it's been a year since they finished shooting so they've all sort of gotten on with their lives. However I came across this little gem on Tumblr (no, not everything is nekkid boys there LOL) and it was very touching with sweet music and to see the bittersweet end for the actors.






All grown up.

Monday Melting

Yesterday was soooo hot here. It was 41C with the humidity. That's about 105F or something ridiculously stupid. I know that's average for places like Alabama and Mississippi, but for Canada it's not. LOL We stayed indoors except for a quick trip to the drug store and for take-out food. My house does not have central air, but it's pretty cool and we keep all the blinds closed to trap the cool air in and no turning on the stove. I do have a window a/c in my bedroom so that helps. Cooler today but Thursday they are saying 43C, 109F with the humidity. Lord help me now.

There was a huge storm last evening which helped cool it down, but it is our Blues Festival has outdoor stages, and the main stage collapsed in the wind while Cheap Trick was performing (I know, I know - Cheap Trick at the Blues Fest? - go figure). 3 people were hurt, a couple badly. I guess it was pretty scary. The band was unscathed. It's humid again today and rainy off and on, not quite 40 though. Whew. We don't do heat well. Why did I think India would be a great place for my next foreign posting? I got a fair bit of reading done because I was unmoving most of the weekend.
So some of what I read:

Out of the Woods by Syd McGinley (290 pages)
Torquere Press

So I didn't think this was really my kind of book, I'm not much on the fantasy grim-ish future worlds genre, but I read so many good reviews, I decided to give it a whirl. I'm glad I did because once I started reading I didn't want to stop. The alternate world is interesting if a tad confusing. Boys appear to live in the wild from about age 11-18 or 19, surviving by their wits, when they are captured by men and essentially become their mates/servants. Tarin is the main boy who is captured and he is hilarious. He's not about to give up his plan to escape, he doesn't believe all the bull about mothers/ladies (deities of a sort to the men/boys), he's not going to be civilized if it kills him, and he's not going to become attached to the man who has claimed him. Ooops. Maybe the last one. LOL Just seeing Tarin's reaction to civilization is hilarious and it just goes against the grain for him. Wearing socks, keeping chickens captive and not hunting them, clothing, all of it just rubs him the wrong way. However he's all about blow jobs. LOL There is political intrigue with a rather "by the book" highly ranked official and his mis-treatment of one of the boys, and then Tarin's man is injured and the bad guy who hates Tarin is trying to tear them apart and .... wait for the sequel. Sigh. My only "issue" was so little is given of how the boys get there (although you get some) because I'm thinking if you are raised normally for 11 years, you aren't going to forget how to speak (they speak a bit like cave-men until civilized) or the word for spoon or something. Part of that is explained but I still don't know where the breeding men are since all the men in this story are gay gay gay. However perhaps I must be patient, not one of my strong points, and more will be revealed in the next book. It's worth a read just to get in Tarin's head and I'm glad he wasn't a push-over for being "civilized" because that wouldn't have been half as much fun. Oh and his new shoes made me laugh but I won't tell you about them.

More Fun with Dick and Shane by Gillibran Brown (244 pages)
Lulu

This is the sequel to Fun with Dick and Shane which I adored. Gillibran is the houseboy for Dick and Shane, his Daddies. However there is a hierarchy, Shane at the top, Dick in the middle and Gilly definitely at the bottom. In all ways. Gilli is only 25 to Shane's 44 and Dick somewhere in the middle. He's very immature in some ways. He can't help being jealous of other people and situation (and even Dick or Shane on occassion), he acts out, is impulsive and spontaneous and ends up getting his ass warmed on an almost daily basis it feels like. He's also shriekingly hysterically funny. My only issue was by the end of the book it seemed to be more the same old same old. Gilly does something stupid, Shane gets pissed off and spanks him and they start over. There were things I wanted to know more about. Like Shane and Dick's civil union and how Gilly reacts (he says not well), but I have to remember, this is the diary of a real(?) person and he goes days between posts so I miss all the boring non-spanking days, he only reports in when he has something interesting to talk about, usually him getting in trouble. While he could be a brat to be sure, his men were sometimes freaking clueless and I didn't blame him for getting in a snit, as especially Shane could come across as a stick-in-the-mud grump, but on the whole it's a very entertaining read;and I hope there is more because I'd like to know more about his mother's illness and the Christmas visit of Shane's sister (the bitch from hell - according to Gilly).

Prove It by Chris Owen (178 pages)
Torquere Press

Warren and Silas have been friends since pre-school. They are opposites, Warren likes calm and order, Silas is a charmed whirlwind of activity, a few years later Tal moves in and they become a tight threesome all through Jr. High and high school, even all going off to college together. Silas came out as gay in high school, and although Warren is gay he never really says it,except to his mother. Finally when he turns 21, his friends demand to know and if he's seeing someone. Warren is all about school though, he has friends with benefits but has no intention of starting a relationship with anyone. Finally it comes out that Silas wants him and vice-versa, but he refuses as he's finishing up university a semester early and heading off to California for grad school and doesn't want a relationship until after he's done his Ph.D. He want Silas to prove he loves him, which means no pressure. The story is interesting as you follow them for a large part of the story through their childhood, and you get to know them all. Warren is the main lead, but you find out about Silas and Tal and their boyfriends/girlfriends. I found Warren a bit annoying. Millions of people graduate college and have relationships. It's not like they are mutually exclusive. Also "prove it" but he didn't say "how" exactly. It's a no-win situation when you are vague like that. Although it all worked out in the end. There wasn't much conflict per se, everyone accepted them as gay, their families were fine, Tal didn't care, friends didn't shun them, it wasn't until near the end when Silas and Warren finally admitted feelings, that things go a bit more angsty. A fun read though when you're in the mood for something lighter and with a lot of emphasis on the main characters' histories together.

In a slump ... so lets check out the man-flesh

I haven't been reading much at all this week. Not sure why. I could blame it on the heat I suppose, but that's a cop-out. Just my natural cycle of read like a demon, then take a break, then read again I guess. Anyway, for my darlin' friend Adam at Cocky & Rude, whose fave colour is plaid (Doesn't he look cute in plaid?), here are some plaid-clad boys for y'all today and a Scottish band, although they aren't wearing kilts. Pity.

Nary a crack in that old bell after he got up close and personal with the cock caulk gun. 

On with the show, and a little more skin than Adam could be convinced to show us. (I think Mr. Sombrero put the kaibosh on my plans for an Adam centrefold type post - jealous bastard. It was going to be "artistic".) So you'll have to deal with these fellows.

 

These are The Proclaimers from Scotland, most of us probably know them from the Shrek soundtrack On My Way, but when I heard this song Then I Met You, I thought it was perfect for a blog that reviews "romance" books. I put a couple of the lyrics after. Could fit any number of books we've all read. I also ADORE the fact that you can hear their accents. *swoon*

Thought that I'd be happy

Going to be so happy

Living life alone and never sharing anything

Thought that I was finished

Thought that I was complete

Thought that I was whole instead of being half of something

Thought that I was growing
Growing older, wiser
Understanding why this world held nothing for my spirit

Thought that I was destined
Destined to be nothing
Destined to be nothing in this world and then I met you.

Chicago plans

So I'm finalizing our vacation plans. My daughter is heading out in a couple of weeks, she'll spend some time with her uncle and aunt and grandmother on her Dad's side, then my parents will pick her up and a few days later I'll fly out. Then on Aug. 5 we are heading down to Chicago for a week. Oh what to do, what to do? :-)

When I was there in December I went to the Willis Tower and that's about it. I was only there 48 hours and had to work too. Oh and I got to see the giant stainless steel jelly bean or whatever it's supposed to be. My old boss was in Chicago last month, so he gave me his guide book. We'll definitely hit some of the major museums and my friend who recently lost her son in that tragic car surfing incident, works at the Brookfield Zoo, and she's going to give us a behind the scenes tour. I'm really excited about that.

Oh and what else did I shell out big bucks on? Tickets for a concert. Sigh. It's Lollapalooza while we are there, and on Saturday the headliner is Eminem. Ugh. I don't care for Eminem as a rule, but my daughter thinks he's the greatest thing since sliced bread sooooo ... for $90 each there better be some other good bands too. LOL And it better not rain, or be 200 degrees in the shade. This is the line-up. I don't really know any of them, but some people have said there are some decent ones, so that will be our Saturday.

I hadn't booked a hotel yet, I was trying to stave off using Hotwire because you have to pay when you book, today my other friend offered to let us stay at her place. She lives outside of downtown a bit, but she said she's close to the train station and lives near my zoo friend too, who invited us over for dinner, so there is a nice saving of $1500 which is great since that will almost pay for our NYC trip in October. Well, close. I'm so glad I didn't pay for that hotel because Hotwire room is non-refundable.  I don't feel so bad about the $180 for concert tickets now.

With my family we aren't going to do much. We are having a family BBQ for my Grandmother's 88th birthday which is a few days before I arrive. It's also the local rodeo and my daughter will attend some of that I suppose and may hook up with a friend with horses who rides at the rodeo. Otherwise, just visit some family and hang out I suppose. The week will fly by I'm sure.

So. Any vacation plans out there? Have you finished already? Anticipating? Going without a summer vacation this year? Share your plans.

Weird little meme thingy

Garlic Dip

I found this  meme while searching for the book that used garlic dip as lube, (Laura Baumbach's A Bit of Rough if you care - better than chocolate pudding damn it!) that I did way back in the day. It amused me so I thought I'd do it again, but I'll use the last seven books I read for this site in reverse order:

The Wisdom at 21

1. Find the nearest bookshelf of your favorite reads and grab the first seven books you see.
2. Book #1: Turn to page 21. Read the 21st sentence (you may have to turn the page). Write it down.
3. Do the same with all seven books. The sentences will make a paragraph. You must write them down in the order you found them.
4. When you are finished, read over your "story" and title it.
5. Show your bibliography at the end of this meme.

Alone in a Crowd

Dan led Robin around the corner and found a large pillar in the shadows outside a closed shop to push him up against. “Of course,” he said. Unlike Rebel, Jochen didn’t seem to be having any problems concentrating on the lecture, his attention focused entirely on Robby. “It wasn’t the place that did this,” his father finally said, “or this.” “I love the pic of you.” Niall forced himself to go around the other side of the island. Johnny hadn't actually thought about being all alone out here until that very moment.


But Johnny's not alone is he? He's got Dan and Robin and Jochen and Rebel and Robby and someone's Dad and Niall. Holy crap, how can he stand being around so many people? Those sentences make no sense whatsoever. Sigh. Oh well, maybe next time. 

Bibliography

Barging In by Josephine Myles (review in the quasi-distant future)
Goldilocks and His Three Bears by AM Riley (review in the quasi-distant future)
Blind Pass by Stephani Hecht
Wait Until Dawn by Bailey Bradford
Dressed to Thrill by Kimberly Gardner
Simply Perfection by Trina Lane
A Change of Tune by JM Cartwright

Saturday Saturday ...

Beautiful day here, I'm not motivated to go out into it. Kind of blah even though hopefully by mid-week next week my work situation will be settled. But until it happens and I have the proof in writing I'm not going to get carried away. Feels good though and hopefully it will work out and I'm looking forward to joining a new team and trying something very different than I've been doing for the last few years. Change can be good, even if sometimes getting there sucks.

I basically have the day to myself since my kid is off to a birthday party and will be home sometimes later tonight. Lots of reading and blobbling.

 Blind Pass by Stephani Hecht (103 pages)
eXtasy Books

Jochen is forced to spend the summer working at a goalie camp for kids to make some money, even though he'd not a goalie. He's upset at first to find out his roommate is one of the Cougars, the evil team, no matter how cute he is. However once he gets to know Rebel he realizes he's not like the others and before long they have agreed to a sex-only relationship on the down-low. However Rebel breaks the rules and falls for Jochen. Just as they are planning to come out, some website gets pictures of them making out in a car and blows the story wide-open, leaving Rebel rejected by his family and losing his job on his team. There's a D/s bent to their relationship in the bedroom and I did like both guys. It's a cute story about two players, who in this case, other than Rebel's family have a lot of support for their relationship.

Wait Until Dawn by Bailey Bradford (95 pages)
Total-e-Bound

This is book 4 in a series, but you don't need to read the others to read this one, you get enough back story. Rich is a former cop who was tortured and nearly killed by a serial killer. His whole body was scarred and he's managed to push everyone away and try to bury his pain in a bottle of pills and booze. There is a paranormal aspect to this, where it seems that the evil soul of the killer invaded Rich and he has images of torture and rape and death. Just as he's about to kill himself, another ice-cold entity invades him and chases off the evil. His Dad shows up and helps him clean up, and as he's on his way back to where the attack happened, his car breaks down and he's rescued by huge tattooed, pierced trucker, Chris. There is an instant connection and Chris is the only one to make him feel safe, although the battling entities cause issues. His friend in the other town is with a man who speaks to ghosts and they struggle to find out how to get the "ghosts" out of Rich before he dies, including Chris' Wiccan high priestess mother. It's a sweet story and I did like how Chris was very protective of Rich and knew what he needed and wouldn't let him push him away like he had his friends. It's a bit gruesome at times with memories of the attack and Rich's detox isn't glossed over much, but if you like a bit of paranormal possession it's okay.

Dressed to Thrill by Kimberly Gardner (93 pages)
Loose Id

Ollie has broken up with his boyfriend but decides to go on their Key West post-graduation trip anyway. One night he ends up in a drag bar and is fascinated by Faith which he finds odd since he's never gotten into guys who dress as girls. He meets Drew, the local hottie who rents bike and they make plans to go out. Little does he know, Drew is Faith and Drew is afraid to reveal the truth, and to top it off, Ollie's ex shows up thinking everything is fine. Imagine a great many misunderstandings ensue, however Ollie decides he finally wants to have sex with Drew (why his ex and him broke up) and I did love it when Ollie went off on his ex and tossed his stuff out into the hallway because the guy refused to move out of their room. I was cheering for him. Just when Drew gets his big chance to actually sing and not lip synch at one of his bosses clubs in Vegas, Ollie reveals he got a job working at a hotel in the Keys. Ooops. Now what. Drew is a drag queen, not a cross-dresser. He doesn't dress like a woman outside of work, so it's a bit different than some other stories and it was interesting to watch Ollie's confusion of how he could be attracted to a "girl" and be gay. A cute story with a feel for the Keys.

Speedy week

I can't believe the week is flying by. Before I know it summer will be over. Boohoo. :-) I am finally getting caught up on some things I read about 10 days when I crawled into a cave to avoid real life, and hid in the fictional world. It worked well for a couple of days. *shrug*

Simply Perfection by Trina Lane (253 pages)
Total-E-Bound

So Niall has always known he'll be in a menage relationship, especially given he was raised by his TWO grandpas and grandma. He is aboriginal (part) and prayed to get a vision of his mates. It finally happens, and at a health fair he sees psychiatrist Matt, and knows he's one of the men. At first he's a bit freaked to tell Matt that he expects to live in a threesome and this is all soul-mates destiny, but lo and behold, Matt was afraid to tell him he wants a threesome. Happy happy, now they just have to find the little blue-eyed blond from the dream. When Matt goes to the hospital to help one of his patients, he sees Trevor, a little blue-eyed blond. Trevor instantly feels the connection and even when introduced to Niall and the concept, goes along with it, but is very independent and refuses to admit it's more than just sex, however when a stalker shows up (sorry Chris), he finally admits he loves them, and then of course all their friends have to band together to find him when the stalker kidnaps him. This seemed a bit new agey to me. These guys talk and talk and talk, and most of the time, are completely in tune with their feelings and emotions and destiny. It's totally easy, they find each other within a week, they all think it's the greatest thing ever, and except for the stalker, life is perfect, Matt and Niall are rich and successful, Trevor is cute and feisty.  It was hot and sexy, but I really didn't think most guys (or women for that matter) are that self-aware. It's also part of a series which would explain all the friend pairings in the story, but you can read it without. If insta-love, fated soul-mates and talky guys don't make you nuts, it's a sexy menage read which was what I was looking for when I picked it up.

A Change of Tune by JM Cartwright (373 pages)
Torquere Press

Look at me reading long books. :-) Johnny, to his band, manager, and fans dismay, quits his rock-star job and moves to a small town to start a new life with plans to adopt a child. He's never even admitted he's gay, but is finally starting to accept it. When Sheriff Virgil shows up to check out the new resident, he comes on so strong Johnny is almost overwhelmed and I felt a bit pushed into a relationship without knowing whether he was coming or going. Virgil is definitely the alpha here, and most of the time Johnny just goes along, not that he doesn't find it a turn on. Things settle down for them, when suddenly the Sheriff shows up with two little kids whose parents both died and before long they are one happy family with 3 dogs and a passel of cats. I found the Sheriff to be VERY pushy, I was kind of torn between believing he'd back off as he seemed to say, but then he never really seemed to. Johnny seemed younger than 36 and if he's been in Hollywood for 10 years I thought he'd be more jaded, but he's just such a nice guy EVERYONE loves him. Maybe everything was a bit too perfect and easy, but if you're in the mood for a sweet romance between two very opposite guys with a dose of cute kids and dogs, a good choice.

AJ's Angel by LA Witt (135 pages)

Samhain

When Luke walks into Sebastian's tattoo shop, he'd rather drive a tattoo needle through his eye than speak to him, but he needs the money and Luke needs a tattoo. They were first loves, but Luke cheated on him repeatedly and Sebastian finally had enough but has never gotten over it. However Luke flirts away and despite his better judgement, Sebastian ends up in bed with him, but then backs off. Okay, I get that Sebastian's Dad said people can change, and I don't prescribe to the once a cheater always a cheater theory, especially if it was when you were young and stupid, however I got a bit annoyed by Luke being offended that Sebastian would even question his sincerity. Kind of a "how dare you assume I might cheat, I said I wouldn't" attitude when, ummm, I believe that is a familiar tune. I'm of the mind, that if cheaters want you to trust again, they do whatever the hell you say to prove it, not be offended because you don't believe them. Granted, we didn't get in Luke's head, but his attitude that Sebastian should just get over it and believe him irked me. On the upside, I liked that the author did an epilogue a year later which said it wasn't all sweetness and light, and there were issues over the trust. I think if I'd been expected to believe that they just strolled off into the sunset to HEA I would have bet money they'd never make it to another anniversary. So that made up quite a bit for the attitude issues I had. Very sexy though.

Alphabet Challenge Update

 *listens to everyone fall down in a dead faint*

That's right people, most of you, like Jenre probably thought I finished it just because I didn't post about it. HAHAHAHHA Out of sight out of mind as they say. I'm not finished, not yet and I decided to half way cheat by including books I reviewed at BER.

Look how close I'm getting, Only 4 more to go. I have a Q and V and kind of a Z. I'm sure I can find a Y, somewhere.

Not in Kansas by RC Alexander (68 pages)
Samhain

This is kind of a whimsical take on the Wizard of Oz. Kansas has been living on his families isolated farm for several years when a storm approaches suddenly, he gets caught up, and wakes up in a strange land. He's rescued by a bird-woman and a cat-man, who take him to see the king and when he runs into the wizard, he tells him the only way to get home is to string the king along. Meanwhile Kansas' hormones are on high alert the whole time, and there is sex with a shape-shifting robot, a sentient waterfall, observing the bird and cat, the wizard, you name it. :-) Oh and the king eventually. It's not meant to be taken too seriously, it's just a lark in an unusual fantasy setting. It wasn't a direct translation of the Wizard of Oz, but enough to kind of give a nudge. I kind of thought maybe the king and the wizard would hook up, since it seemed as if the wizard kind of had a thing, but it was a more traditional HEA.

Off the Page by Ryan Loveless (25 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Here's where I cheat and go "Oh, I reviewed this at Brief Encounters". I loved it though. Cute fun read with lots of humour.

Rodeo Night by Kate Roman (27 pages)
Torquere Press

Did I mention I reviewed this at Brief Encounters? :-D A little story about a young Hispanic rancher and his older secret cowboy lover. Both in the closet, like nearing Narnia.






Maybe it will be 2 months before my next update. LOL Before Christmas I will finish. This is my vow. :-)

Katy Perry - Concert Review

Sunday night my daughter and I went to see Katy Perry here in town. My daughter is a big fan, I am a fan. Not big, but I like her music alright, so it was no great hardship to attend. We went to a restaurant in the arena first which was a great idea, get their early so no drama with parking (and park where it is easy to exit), no lines at the t-shirt selling booths. The food? Eh.
Then there a bazillion girls/women at the concert. Of course my kid managed to find people she knew in the mass of 25,000 people. And wow, some of the outfits. Girls in 4 inch heels, mothers in skin-tight white mini dresses teetering after their tweens in 5 inch leopard platforms. Uh. Who do you think you will impress? 85% of the audience was female. Male between the ages of 18 and 40 who where NOT accompanying a girlfriend or their kids, was probably 1/4%. LOL

Anyway, the opening act is a British performer called Marina and the Diamonds. I'd never heard of her but apparently my kid knows her quite well. This is my daughter's fave song.




Then a DJ came out and got us all pumped up then ... intermission. So finally at 9:00 the show started. And whether you are a fan of Katy Perry or not, she puts on a hell of a show. Apparently if you follow stuff on YouTube or Facebook, the whole back story made sense, but it was kind of an Alice in Wonderland meets candy-store theme. There were little videos which told the story, and then she'd do a few songs and then more story and change of clothes, and more songs. The stage wasn't hugely done but there sexy dancers of both persuasions, lots of fun costumes and energy. There was a circus feel with acrobats as well, along with giant beach balls and bubbles floating around the audience and confetti/glitter, oh hundreds of pounds of it at the end. LOL

I have to say, I don't know if stage persona translates into the real thing, but she came off as very sweet and personable. She talked a lot about Ottawa and Canada, and knew it was Canada Day Friday, just lots of chatting with the crowd. At one point she said she was looking for an Ottawa boyfriend, so she pulled some young guy up on stage who had taken his shirt off, and when she found out he was 17 she was laughing and blushing, but she gave him a big kiss on the cheek, and got him to give her one. I heard him on the radio this morning, I think he was still floating.

Then later she called a bunch of people (mostly young girls) up on the stage to dance with her. I was worried they were going to push her off the stage they were crowding her, and hugging her, and as they were trying to heard them off the stage, one little girls was trying to get a picture, so Katy grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the centre of the stage, and they took a picture together. Very sweet.

She also took a bit of a break and did what she calls Katy's karaoke where she sings more acoustic versions of popular songs like "Friday, Friday" and "Whip My Hair". LOL I guess it gives her a chance to catch her breath.

So there was lots of candy themed stuff, and fun costume changes, and fireworks on the stage. I think everyone had a great show and it was a fun time, TONS of energy, screaming fans and as I said, she came across as a sweet person. So if you get the chance to go, it's definitely worth it, even if you're not her biggest fan.

This was not from our show, but it gives you an idea of what the show was like. Not great sound as it's a fan recording, but to give you the flavour.

Red, White and Blue

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends today.