Thanksgiving... the post begins.
PART I : BETTENDORF
After I had the pleasure of driving Bryce's car around Iowa City to pick up the boys from Brazilian Jiujitsu Saturday morning, we ate at Hungry Hobo, and eventually Casey and I hit the road for Bettendorf.
Some things we did:
- Ate a Lot of Chop Suey. His mom made this delicious gigantic delicious pot of chop suey that we basically ate all week. Initially we ate a big meal with his parents, Riley, and his Grandma Rosie, who had unfortunately been in a car accident earlier that day.
- Played with those metal puzzle things. They're like twisted pieces of metal that come apart if you finagle them just the right way... and they're frustrating! Casey's dad had brought three of them back to the house, and I can not even begin to describe how much time we wasted figuring out to take them apart, figuring out how to put them back together, forgetting what we'd done, getting mad, jangling the metal around, and picking up a different puzzle. The one with the heart that had to come off the horse shoe shaped thing was the BEST. Totally easy once you were shown how to do it, but seemingly impossible otherwise.
- Played Scrabble. Bryce, Riley, Casey, and I all played a few games of Scrabble, and my GOD Casey's Mom is a master at Scrabble. It boggles my mind the points she can accrue! She came around and helped each of us a few times. I bet Bryce is still mad at Casey for messing up his million point opportunity with "queer." I personally learned that just having a big vocabulary and being a good speller unfortunately does not make you an amazing scrabble player. Oh well. I am obsessed with the game anyway. love playing it on facebook.
- Saw Beowulf... IN 3D! Man was Casey Boland so excited about the 3D part. I had a good time with it too! Since the movie's already computer animated, it might as well be 3D as well, just to really go all the way. It rocked. The movie was really fun, but it should have been advertised more like "you've heard the legend, now find out what really happened" or something, because they acknowledge in the movie that the poem that is being sung of Beowulf doesn't have the whole story. My problem with the whole thing was that the poem itself I think is more powerful and has a deeper meaning than the glamor-ized hollywood movie that tried to make the Beowulf story more exciting by infusing it with with sex and characters with daddy issues. Lame. There's good stuff in the original had they should let it stand on its own. I decided after the first scene where King Hrothgar is portrayed as drunken abrasive near-nudist that I had to accept that it was JUST GOING to be a different story, and I had to take it as one. Then I had a fun time. I'm curious what the other recent Beowulf movie was like.
SEXY 3D glasses huh?
Gettin Psyched!
Here Casey's really excited about this 3D thing, and I'm coming onto Beowulf with a really not-sexy face.
An "action shot" that Kevin took of us entering the theater to see BEOWULF IN 3D!
We snuck (sneaked) twizzlers and pop in with the help of my NEW bag!
Some Quotes from the Got Medieval guy's review that entertained me
I prefer adaptations that allow the characters the dignity that they had in the source material, so I was annoyed to see Hrothgar prancing around like a fool and Wiglaf sitting on his hands while Beowulf fights the dragon. And to reduce Beowulf's vaunted wordhoard to "I AM BEOWULF!!!!"... it boggles the mind.
So in the end, the lesson we learn from Beowulf is that sex has consequences--huge, negative, eat your friends and break all your furniture consequences. Sleeping with a gold-dipped centerfold may seem like a good idea at first, but all it will bring is a few moments of sexual bliss followed by fifty years of prosperity and power. Sooner or later, your golden son who can turn into a dragon will kill you in a really awesome fight scene.
It was also nice to see the cameo by the original text, recited by the scop while two midgets flailed around in a pantomime show during the "Beowulf Day" celebration.
- Movies in the basement! Casey and I saw a lot of movies over break, and in his basement with his family we watched The Fountain which I loved all over again, and got much better the second time. His family really liked it too, and I'm glad Casey was so impressed with Hugh Jackman's performance because I thought he would be. We also watched Spiderman 3 again, and I feel bad that initially we were both like, shmeh... we don't really want to watch it again. We did have a good time though. Wasn't as bad as I'd remembered.
- Shopping at the Mall in Bettendorf It was pretty damn successful. I got a new purse. I've been quite annoyed by my ugly purse I've had since Greece (it was a great bag FOR traveling in greece, but it understandably took a beating), and I searched the mall for a new one. Casey helped me look for one that was "me" and his first suggestion pointed me toward the only purse I ended up liking/could afford in the whole store. I was pleased, and I love my new bag. Casey got some new running shoes. They look good, were half off, and I made sure he didn't get a crappy shoe. I am my mother and father's daughter: I am a running shoe aficionado.
- FESTIVAL OF TREES! Casey's mom was volunteering there so we got some complimentary tickets and headed over, which was a blast because I love holiday sparkley stuff and festival of trees is like an overdose of holiday spirit. Christmas on crack. I love it! There was also a children's choir. Middle schoolers are bad singers and I love that too.
THIS is what greets you as you enter the festival, a huge stuffed animal tree!
This was my absolute favorite of all the different decorated trees. They have so many unique ones. It was like a woodland themed tree. I think it's really pretty, and I made Casey go back with me after we'd seen all of them so I could get a photo of my favorite one.
Aren't these gingerbread houses amazing? Casey and I were blown away by the Victorian mansion one. It definitely got the blue ribbon in the amateur contest. And I really just loved the Bikini bottom ones. Haha. clever.
Upstairs with the global santas, I of course posed with the "medieval" santa. While the artist's rendering was amusing, the blurb about him was surprisingly historical! I was delightfully surprised at the good information presented.
Casey on the other hand, decided to engage the Russian St. Nick to a manly staring contest. To be fair, that Santa was definitely leaning and leering at us.
There was also a Chicago Bears tree, (cleverly named "Da' Tree") but you'll have to check out my web album for that.
After eating pulled pork sandwiches, staring at many trees, decorated rooms, wreathes, gingerbread houses, Casey and I left the magical Festival of Trees. I am still so delighted and amused that he had such a good time looking at twinkly lights with me. He's a good boyfriend for me.
- Dog park! One afternoon we took big Kip to the Dog Park in Bettendorf. Kip is Casey's newfoundland; he's huge! The dog park was such a good time and we were surprised that so many people were out in the shitty weather. Pretty greyhound. AND an adorably small Jack Russell!!!! I miss my dogs so much. Joey would have loved that place so much. Idk about squeaks, but joey would have been on cloud nine.
Anyway, that's Part One. Bettendorf was a good time, even if I got miserably allergic yet again!!!
After I had the pleasure of driving Bryce's car around Iowa City to pick up the boys from Brazilian Jiujitsu Saturday morning, we ate at Hungry Hobo, and eventually Casey and I hit the road for Bettendorf.
Some things we did:
- Ate a Lot of Chop Suey. His mom made this delicious gigantic delicious pot of chop suey that we basically ate all week. Initially we ate a big meal with his parents, Riley, and his Grandma Rosie, who had unfortunately been in a car accident earlier that day.
- Played with those metal puzzle things. They're like twisted pieces of metal that come apart if you finagle them just the right way... and they're frustrating! Casey's dad had brought three of them back to the house, and I can not even begin to describe how much time we wasted figuring out to take them apart, figuring out how to put them back together, forgetting what we'd done, getting mad, jangling the metal around, and picking up a different puzzle. The one with the heart that had to come off the horse shoe shaped thing was the BEST. Totally easy once you were shown how to do it, but seemingly impossible otherwise.
- Played Scrabble. Bryce, Riley, Casey, and I all played a few games of Scrabble, and my GOD Casey's Mom is a master at Scrabble. It boggles my mind the points she can accrue! She came around and helped each of us a few times. I bet Bryce is still mad at Casey for messing up his million point opportunity with "queer." I personally learned that just having a big vocabulary and being a good speller unfortunately does not make you an amazing scrabble player. Oh well. I am obsessed with the game anyway. love playing it on facebook.
- Saw Beowulf... IN 3D! Man was Casey Boland so excited about the 3D part. I had a good time with it too! Since the movie's already computer animated, it might as well be 3D as well, just to really go all the way. It rocked. The movie was really fun, but it should have been advertised more like "you've heard the legend, now find out what really happened" or something, because they acknowledge in the movie that the poem that is being sung of Beowulf doesn't have the whole story. My problem with the whole thing was that the poem itself I think is more powerful and has a deeper meaning than the glamor-ized hollywood movie that tried to make the Beowulf story more exciting by infusing it with with sex and characters with daddy issues. Lame. There's good stuff in the original had they should let it stand on its own. I decided after the first scene where King Hrothgar is portrayed as drunken abrasive near-nudist that I had to accept that it was JUST GOING to be a different story, and I had to take it as one. Then I had a fun time. I'm curious what the other recent Beowulf movie was like.
SEXY 3D glasses huh?
Gettin Psyched!
Here Casey's really excited about this 3D thing, and I'm coming onto Beowulf with a really not-sexy face.
An "action shot" that Kevin took of us entering the theater to see BEOWULF IN 3D!
We snuck (sneaked) twizzlers and pop in with the help of my NEW bag!
Some Quotes from the Got Medieval guy's review that entertained me
I prefer adaptations that allow the characters the dignity that they had in the source material, so I was annoyed to see Hrothgar prancing around like a fool and Wiglaf sitting on his hands while Beowulf fights the dragon. And to reduce Beowulf's vaunted wordhoard to "I AM BEOWULF!!!!"... it boggles the mind.
So in the end, the lesson we learn from Beowulf is that sex has consequences--huge, negative, eat your friends and break all your furniture consequences. Sleeping with a gold-dipped centerfold may seem like a good idea at first, but all it will bring is a few moments of sexual bliss followed by fifty years of prosperity and power. Sooner or later, your golden son who can turn into a dragon will kill you in a really awesome fight scene.
It was also nice to see the cameo by the original text, recited by the scop while two midgets flailed around in a pantomime show during the "Beowulf Day" celebration.
- Movies in the basement! Casey and I saw a lot of movies over break, and in his basement with his family we watched The Fountain which I loved all over again, and got much better the second time. His family really liked it too, and I'm glad Casey was so impressed with Hugh Jackman's performance because I thought he would be. We also watched Spiderman 3 again, and I feel bad that initially we were both like, shmeh... we don't really want to watch it again. We did have a good time though. Wasn't as bad as I'd remembered.
- Shopping at the Mall in Bettendorf It was pretty damn successful. I got a new purse. I've been quite annoyed by my ugly purse I've had since Greece (it was a great bag FOR traveling in greece, but it understandably took a beating), and I searched the mall for a new one. Casey helped me look for one that was "me" and his first suggestion pointed me toward the only purse I ended up liking/could afford in the whole store. I was pleased, and I love my new bag. Casey got some new running shoes. They look good, were half off, and I made sure he didn't get a crappy shoe. I am my mother and father's daughter: I am a running shoe aficionado.
- FESTIVAL OF TREES! Casey's mom was volunteering there so we got some complimentary tickets and headed over, which was a blast because I love holiday sparkley stuff and festival of trees is like an overdose of holiday spirit. Christmas on crack. I love it! There was also a children's choir. Middle schoolers are bad singers and I love that too.
THIS is what greets you as you enter the festival, a huge stuffed animal tree!
This was my absolute favorite of all the different decorated trees. They have so many unique ones. It was like a woodland themed tree. I think it's really pretty, and I made Casey go back with me after we'd seen all of them so I could get a photo of my favorite one.
Aren't these gingerbread houses amazing? Casey and I were blown away by the Victorian mansion one. It definitely got the blue ribbon in the amateur contest. And I really just loved the Bikini bottom ones. Haha. clever.
Upstairs with the global santas, I of course posed with the "medieval" santa. While the artist's rendering was amusing, the blurb about him was surprisingly historical! I was delightfully surprised at the good information presented.
Casey on the other hand, decided to engage the Russian St. Nick to a manly staring contest. To be fair, that Santa was definitely leaning and leering at us.
There was also a Chicago Bears tree, (cleverly named "Da' Tree") but you'll have to check out my web album for that.
After eating pulled pork sandwiches, staring at many trees, decorated rooms, wreathes, gingerbread houses, Casey and I left the magical Festival of Trees. I am still so delighted and amused that he had such a good time looking at twinkly lights with me. He's a good boyfriend for me.
- Dog park! One afternoon we took big Kip to the Dog Park in Bettendorf. Kip is Casey's newfoundland; he's huge! The dog park was such a good time and we were surprised that so many people were out in the shitty weather. Pretty greyhound. AND an adorably small Jack Russell!!!! I miss my dogs so much. Joey would have loved that place so much. Idk about squeaks, but joey would have been on cloud nine.
Anyway, that's Part One. Bettendorf was a good time, even if I got miserably allergic yet again!!!