Sky Over Richmond

I took in the new Star Trek movie tonight. It was an IMAX 3D experience with prices to match. But it was worth it to see the newest movie in the Star Trek franchise and to experience it in 3D. I was surprised that the seats were not as big and comfortable as I'd expected though. I've had better seats in a less expensive theatre in town.

The movie itself was great. If you like space movies or Star Trek movies I'd recommend it. Let me know what you think after you've seen it.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday
and
Friday Foto Friends.
 Have a wonderful weekend.

A Brief Update

It's been pretty chilly in  my apartment this past week. I'm wearing socks every day now and sometimes two pair of ankle socks  (one thin and one thick). I'm also wearing a sweater or track jacket indoors each day.

I've been cocooned up indoors a lot this week as I continue to make slow progress on my major decluttering and reorganizing project. I feel good about what I've been able to accomplish so far and will continue with it over the next little while.

Due to my frugal nature and the season's chill I've been doing a number of things to try and keep overall heating costs down, I keep my heating pad on whenever I'm relaxing. I put on my portable heater if there is too much chill coming through the row of windows in the front room and I have my mattress heating pad on when I go to sleep at night. The past two nights I have been very cosy in my bed and slept with only half of the covers.  After being up far too late the last few nights I was asleep surprisingly early and had a good sleep last night.

I continue with my acupuncture therapy and herbal therapy. I only went to one appointment for each of two weeks and am now back on the regular schedule. I haven't been able to start physiotherapy or  massage therapy because for some reason I haven't received my referral papers yet.  I've also been busy this week with concerns over mom's health. She is losing a fair bit of blood and circulatory issues seem to be arising. I pray that everything settles soon. Other than that I'm swirling around some holiday plans in my head. Christmas is just around the corner and the chilly air has me thinking about where to put the tree. The antique blanket chest I told you about last week now occupies the area where my tree used to go.

Yesterday I went to a movie after talking with mom by phone. I wanted to get out and enjoy the sunshine as we are now in the season where we get a lot of rain.  The movie was a disappointment. To be honest I didn't know what kind of movie I was going to see. Only that it was about a journalist who gets a job in Puerto Rico. I just thought that it would be nice to see some scenery of a warm and sunny tropical place and to get a break from my tediousness of decluttering and going through seemingly endless paper.  The movie did have some tropical scene and I also enjoyed the faded beauty of the Spanish style buildings on the island.  I also enjoyed the excuse to get out while the sun was shining and a stop at the pharmacy and coffee shop on my return. A nice way to end a quiet Saturday.

Oh by the way, if you missed it, don't forget to enter the giveaway.  

Have a wonderful week!

Update: Tuesday, November 8, 2011
I wasn't able to reach mom for a few days but when I called her residence today I learned she was on an outing. That told me that she id doing better. I spoke to her later and it seems her circulation issue is holding steady and her bleeding has ceased for now. I am giving praise to God and thank my readers who prayed for us. God bless you all. xx

First Signs of Spring

While we await news of little Kigen and how he is doing at the hospital, I thought I would tell you about my little outing on Sunday.  I end this post with a short blurb on how to donate to Kigen's medical care.

I went out on the spur of the moment on Sunday past to enjoy a walk and take in a movie. The weather here has been alternately cold, windy or rainy and we've had very few sunny days. Sunday was an exception so I took advantage of the break in the weather.

As I went about I snapped a few photos of some of the early blossoms I passed.

I thought this wall of bamboo looked lovely.

Having experienced bamboo plants in my own garden I think it is better to plant bamboo in containers or they'll overtake the surroundings spaces.  I feel sorry for the neighbours.

This evergreen tree has obviously been here a long while too but I thought it looked so majestic.

I took several shots of this tree so you could see just how large it is...

... It positively dwarfs the vehicles.

This was the movie I went to see.  I know I left it a  little late to go and see it. It is probably out on DVD shortly!  I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and it was very touching when the King made his speech.

This was the weather on the walk home. It had turned chilly. I had a brisk walk.

I thoroughly enjoyed my little outing.

If you are wondering whether you can still donate to assist in little Kigen's medical mission, the answer is "yes". We not know yet how long the hospital stay will be and the medications that will be needed.  All of which in turn affects the food and lodgings required for everyone on the mission.

Whatever donation you can make will surely help.

You can donate to assist in little Kigen's medical mission. 

Donations can be made via Pay Pal here. 
Just click the donate button.
Blessings.

My Indulgent Weekend

What do you do when you feel tired all the time? How do you keep your spirits up day after day?

I get tired of feeling tired and I don't want to give in to feelings of uselessness or self-pity. That was actually one of the reasons I started this blog last Spring; to help me remember the simple pleasures of life. The big pleasures are more elusive these days and so it helps to focus on small things of joy and to remember that there really is joy in such moments.

This weekend with all the rain and my seeming inability to get out to do an important errand, I ended up staying close to home. An internet friend in a far off land told me I should get out to the movies but the rain hindered that. Instead, I rented two movies from a video place a block away and stayed cuddled up with a soft blanket and pillows to eat popcorn, drink soda and watch:

He's Just Not Into You with Jennifer Aniston & Ben Affleck; and Revolutionary Road with Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio.

I watched the Jennifer Aniston, chick flick first and found it quite engaging. I have not read the book by the same name but I did watch an interview on Oprah Winfrey with the author and found him to be very enlightening. The movie was fictional however and it captured my attention more so than I expected.

Perhaps I was tired by the time the second movie played (the first movie was rather long). But I did not enjoy this "blah-ish" movie nearly as much as I expected since I love both Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio. Anyway, the two movies more than took up my Saturday evening.

Today, I finished a book I've taken a long while to start (it's been sitting in my collection for a long while) Mme. Proust and the Kosher Kitchen by Kate Taylor. This was a satisfying book overall but it was weakened in the telling of the story through the eyes of three protagonists. I think it was one too many, but that is my humble opinion. I won't give the story line away but I did very much enjoy the diary entries of Mme. Proust who spent much of her life (at least in this novel) attending to the needs of her asthmatic writer son, Marcel Proust. If anyone reads the book's description on Amazon.com and would like to read it, I would be interested in a book exchange.

Still feeling indulgent, we had chicken with ginger ale sauce for Sunday dinner from Lynda in Tanzania; one of the bloggers I love to read. She has a lot of wonderful recipes. Some of you might be wondering what I am doing eating chicken when I said I was going vegan. Sadly, I have not been able to continue with my vegan diet. It simply takes much more energy and planning than I can muster at this time. Whenever I am a little more "up", I hope to incorporate vegan eating as often as I can.
The chicken dish was delicious accompanied by brown rice and a mixture of steamed gai lan (chinese broccoli), crimini mushrooms and green beans.

In my first making of this dish, I learned that next time I need to somehow get the more fast out of the chicken first. Perhaps this means boiling it or partially cooking it and straining off the fast. I also need to measure the ginger ale more carefully or use more chicken to have a thicker sauce than what I ended up with. Nonetheless, it was a delicious dish which I will try again some time. My roommate pronounced the sauce "really, really good" and asked what was in it.