Rambling.
I participated in the Over the River Run in Vicksburg over the weekend. Wow. Five gorgeous miles over the old Mississippi River bridge. The weather was clear and sunny, not too hot. The course was beautiful and (thank heaven) flat. There were ample water stops and course monitors, and it wasn't too crowded. And after running literally over the river and through the woods this year, this race is deifinitely on my calendar for next fall. After the run, there was a huge lunch (barbecued chicken, burgers, chips, potato salad, fruit, the works) and a live band. The goody bags were great, too (performance-fabric T-shirts! Yay!). The whole event was just really well planned, and the staffers were so helpful and friendly. Thank you, Ameristar!! I'll be bringing all my friends next year!
I finally finished reading Heart of Darkness. Now I know what I should have read in high school instead of Red Badge of Courage. Conrad has an amazing capacity for descriptive writing. I loved his passages about the environments that his characters lived in and traveled through, and his characters were so well delineated that it felt like they were standing in front of me. Even though I read this book very fitfully (I stopped and started alot; it was a very busy time for me.), I really enjoyed it.
I also saw Cinderella Man, and it was great. Synopsis: scrappy New Jersey heavyweight James J. Braddock begins a promising career, but due to injury and bad luck, his boxing star burns out rather quickly. During the Great Depression years later, thanks to his former manager, he has an opportunity to make an amazing comeback. Paul Giamatti was wonderful in this. He has a knack for embodying varied characters that continues to impress me. I never feel like he's putting me on. I remember reading a Stephen King article (he writes the back page in Entertainment Weekly) that remarked that Russell Crowe almost seemed able to change his face and the shape of his head according to what role he was playing. As odd as that sounds, it is very true of his performance in this film. While his personal behavior sometimes appalls me, there is no denying that Corwe is a very talented actor. Renee Zellweger is good in this, too, making the three primary performers all really strong. The fight scenes weren't too gory, and the ultimately uplifting message of the film made it a feel-good flick for me.
I finally finished reading Heart of Darkness. Now I know what I should have read in high school instead of Red Badge of Courage. Conrad has an amazing capacity for descriptive writing. I loved his passages about the environments that his characters lived in and traveled through, and his characters were so well delineated that it felt like they were standing in front of me. Even though I read this book very fitfully (I stopped and started alot; it was a very busy time for me.), I really enjoyed it.
I also saw Cinderella Man, and it was great. Synopsis: scrappy New Jersey heavyweight James J. Braddock begins a promising career, but due to injury and bad luck, his boxing star burns out rather quickly. During the Great Depression years later, thanks to his former manager, he has an opportunity to make an amazing comeback. Paul Giamatti was wonderful in this. He has a knack for embodying varied characters that continues to impress me. I never feel like he's putting me on. I remember reading a Stephen King article (he writes the back page in Entertainment Weekly) that remarked that Russell Crowe almost seemed able to change his face and the shape of his head according to what role he was playing. As odd as that sounds, it is very true of his performance in this film. While his personal behavior sometimes appalls me, there is no denying that Corwe is a very talented actor. Renee Zellweger is good in this, too, making the three primary performers all really strong. The fight scenes weren't too gory, and the ultimately uplifting message of the film made it a feel-good flick for me.
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