July 3, 2014

Today at the theater I figured out my problem with Scarlett Johansson. At least I think I did. It is pretty much the same problem I have with Cameron Diaz. Both are billed as leading ladies and sex symbols. I don't see them as either. Johansson is better looking that Diaz but she is still kind of goofy looking. And neither of them are that great at acting, Diaz probably wins in that category but it doesn't really matter. I think both would be better suited as co-stars to the lead in a film, like a quirky best friend. But somehow they got lucky, sold their soul or were just in the right place at the right time, and they became leading ladies. It bugs me. I have known about it with Cameron Diaz for years but I could never quite figure out what it was about Scarlett Johansson until today. It is a bit of a relief.

I figured that out while watching a bit of Chef. I didn't intend to watch any of that movie but we had complaints about the sounds so I was in and out a few times checking on it. Other than briefly seeing Scarlett Johansson, I enjoyed the movie. I like Jon Favreau and I caught a Robert Downey Jr. scene that made me want to watch the rest of the movie. The movie also made me want to make and eat delicious food. I should start doing that.

I also watched a good chunk of Tammy. It is very much a Melissa McCarthy movie, but much like Will Ferrell (and others), she does what she does really well. This is a bonus because if you're a fan of one of her movies, you're a fan of all of her movies. My only problem with her is her weight. Not for aesthetic reasons, though. For health reasons. I like her and I want her to be around for a long time making movies. And I'm not saying that because she's a she, I feel the same way about men. Horatio Sanz is an example. He was hilarious on SNL but I was always worried about his weight. I was a huge fan of Chris Farley, who had drug issues but his weight didn't help. There is also Jonah Hill. He lost a whole bunch of weight, to the point of being a little scary, but now he's back up, not to his original weight but I worry. People can be funny without being overweight and unhealthy. I'll admit to laughing at self-deprecating weight jokes but I would be perfectly fine if that wasn't an option. And now I'll step down from my soapbox.

I watched parts of those movies because today was dragging on so freaking slowly. I read from my books and also worked on my Snitch cross stitch for awhile, completing the outline on one of the wings. Still far from completing it. I would like to finish it up so I can start working on other patterns. Ones that do not involve metallic string.

Tiny randomness. I want to see a movie car chase where the person being chased calls a timeout because they have gotten lost after all of the random turns. I think it would be funny.

I had a very truncated visit with the new volunteer kid tonight. We texted earlier in the day and confirmed a visit but I didn't double-check before leaving, so that was my bad. He didn't get back to me either, so that is his bad. I drove over there and when I spoke with his grandfather, he told me the kid was playing basketball and then had plans to go to a Fourth of July thing. The grandfather eventually managed to get ahold of the kid and I went and picked him up at his old foster house. We agreed to just go get a drink and then I brought him back so he could still go with his friends to the Fourth of July thing. Nothing like spending an hour driving for a ten-minute visit. It was a productive visit, however, because I learned that he is still sleeping on a couch and he has missed a few appointments, including therapy, since he moved in with his grandparents. He thinks the appointments are due to confusion with his case workers, which is a good guess because I believe he recently got a new one because of agency changes in the state. Hopefully that will get sorted out soon.

I had a lot more time than I was expecting tonight so when I got home I watched YouTube videos and then The Recruit. I imagine the last time I saw that movie was during a preview night eleven years ago. I like Colin Farrell and Al Pacino is just fun to watch. I like the movie but I feel like they tried to make it super complicated, like an “I know that you know that I know that you know” kind of thing, and I didn't find it very believable. But it wasn't bad.