the silver linings playbook

I love Jennifer Lawrence. I want this girl to be my best friend. I mean, she tripped at the OSCARS and didn't even blink!! She's hilarious, and always seems so comfortable with herself. 

I really wanted to see The Silver Linings Playbook because of this. I honestly had no idea it was a book until I was browsing the Barnes and Noble website. Also, the trailer I saw gave absolute NO INDICATION this movie was about mental illness. 

I was looking for a rom-com, J-Law.

 Fail.

And boy, do I have opinions. Here we go.

Book: The Silver Linings Playbook

Author: Matthew Quick

Genre: Depressing (I made that up. But it's true.)

Series: None

Pages: 244

Where do I start?! I think to properly describe this book, I may have to go a little more in depth with the plot than I usually do. I don't really think it's possible to have a real "spoiler" in a book like this, but just a heads up.

We first meet our narrator, Pat Peoples, when he is a patient in a mental institution, which he calls "the bad place". He hates his doctors and the other patients, because they teach negativity, in his opinion. He's all about silver linings, and things working out happily in the end. He believes that his "silver lining" will be his wife Nikki ending their "apart time" and coming back to him.

His mother convinces the doctors to let him out of the mental institution, and he moves home with her and his father. He lives in the basement, where she has purchased him thousands of dollars in gym equipment, so he can work out SIXTEEN HOURS A DAY. Having a rockin' bod, among other things, is how he is convinced he will get his wife Nikki to come back to him.

Can we say enabler? Jeez, mom.

So we have his mother, a pretty timid woman who gets treated horribly by her husband and enables her mentally unstable 34 year old son.

We have his father, a football fanatic who allows the outcome of Eagle's games to determine his mood for the week, who refuses to say even one word to Pat. (Side note- there is A LOT of football in this book.)

And we have Pat, a 34 year old former history professor who has been locked in a mental facility for 4 years, but only has memory of the last few months. He doesn't realize how much time has gone by, and has trouble adjusting once he realizes he is missing 4 years of his life. He exercises excessively, because, as I mentioned before, he believes his wife will return to him if he really works on himself. He wants to be physically fit, well-read (she's an English teacher, so he reads all the books on her syllabus), and he wants to be "kind rather than right". 

His old best friend invites him over for dinner one evening, and that is where he meets Tiffany. She is coping with the death of her husband, and as many of the same issues as Pat. They develop a tenuous friendship, based on mutual understanding of the deep psychological issues each has.

Tiffany asks Pat to be her partner in an upcoming dance competition, and in exchange, she will contact his wife Nikki and be their liaison. Pat will be allowed to write Nikki letters, which Tiffany will read to her over the phone, and then dictate Nikki's responses and bring them back to Pat. It is through this correspondence that Pat learns that Nikki divorced him only a few months after his admission to the mental facility, and she took out a restraining order on him because of the violent crime that landed him there. Pat's parents, in turn, took out a restraining order on her, fearing that if she were to see Pat at all, it would set him back mentally. So by contacting each other, they are breaking several laws.  She tries to explain that she will never come back to him, and only wanted to afford him a sense of closure, but he just doesn't get it. He continually asks her to meet him, promises to be a better man, and refuses to believe that she is done with the relationship.

All the while he is having violent outbursts, struggling with his relationship with his father, and trying to understand where he fits in this new life.

The "climax" of the book (if you could even call it that) is when we find out what his "violent crime" was. I won't give it away here, but ugh. I was totally disappointed. 

I've heard red carpet interviews and such where the actors say that this movie is trying to shed light on mental illness, and remove the stigma. 

I am ALL FOR THAT.

Mental illnesses are just as real and complex as any other illness, and there shouldn't be hushed whispers and rude comments when someone is dealing with that. This book could have been such an inspiration, something to hold up and say, "Look! I suffer from an illness, like any other, but I am working towards getting better!".

That is soooo not what is happening here. Pat doesn't want to get better. He is delusional, and selfish, and I don't think mental illness should be an excuse for violence.

Also, the "violent crime" that sets off this four year bout with crazy is not something, in my opinion, that was a believable catalyst for the behavior that ensued. Sure, what he went through was awful. Traumatic, painful, and sad. But seriously? You went into a four year fugue state because of THAT?

I digress.

I'm sure by now you have caught on to the fact that I didn't like this book. I thought it could have been so much more, but in the end, I was depressed. DEPRESSED! A book about mental illness should be hopeful, don't you think? Something more along the lines of, "You too can fight this illness! You are not alone! Believe that you can get better!" At least, that's how I see it. This book was more of a "If I act a little crazier, my wife will come back." "If I don't stand up to my asshole of a father, maybe he will speak to me." "If I drink beers with the boys, no one will ever realize what I'm hiding.'"

Ugh. I'm pretty much disgusted with the whole thing.

Which is disappointing, because I do love a good Jennifer Lawrence movie. But I will not be seeing it. This book should not be praised, in my opinion. I feel like it was almost a guidebook, a sort of "how-to" on becoming psychotic.

I guess psychotic = silver linings?

As in, The Silver Linings Playbook?

Your Handy-Dandy Guide to Becoming Psycho.

Ew.

High Five for Friday!

As I've mentioned before, Fridays really have no meaning for me. My husband rarely has an actual weekend off, so maybe I should celebrate a High-Five-For-Whatever-Random-Day-Hubby-Has-Off-That-Makes-Our-Weekend post? 

That doesn't have quite the same ring to it though, does it?

1. While cleaning out the garage, I came across my cheerleading uniform from 8th grade. I don't know what possessed me to try the thing on.

This happened.

                    2000 - 13 years old                                                                                                                      2013 - 26 years old

It fits. I died. Am I seriously still the same size as I was at 13 years old?? Can I get a couple inches of height, please!!!! Jeez.

                              

 2. I joined a Mom's Club, and so far have been thrilled with it. I've met a few moms, and joined a weekly Mommy and Me Music class, which is awesome. D loved it, until the end, when he decided sleeping was more fun. Also, we attended a celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday with story time at Books-A-Million. 

I die. The cuteness!!

3. Two words for you. Size. Four.

Yeah baby!!! I'm back to my pre-pregnancy pants size. And I don't want to hear anything about me posting this picture to do a little bragging. I have worked out like a crazy person and had nothing but oatmeal every single day for 3 months (I exaggerate. But close.)

I earned this!!

Booyah!!!

4. I had the absolute best day yesterday. Hubby was off, it was beautiful weather, and we decided to drive down to the beach to take D to the aquarium. We stopped at a surf shop on the way, and Hubby got a wet-suit. He bought a second-hand surfboard a few days ago, and his first attempt at surfing is on Sunday. 

Don't worry.

It will be documented. He will be awesome. I will be scared to death.

I'll try to keep this image in mind while he's out there. No sharp teeth.

As it turns out, the aquarium is a 3 month old's idea of the perfect nap location. The sounds of running water, low light.. he lasted all of 10 minutes. But he did enjoy watching the seahorses, before he passed out!

Those tired eyes.

5. This. The cuteness literally burns my eyes.

How was your week??

Linking up with Lauren @ From My Grey Desk

5 things you don't know about me

Lately I've seen lots of bloggers doing a "5 Things You Don't Know About Me" post, and I thought it looked like fun, so here goes!

1. I still have four baby teeth. There were no adult teeth underneath them, so they never fell out. If they ever do, I'm screwed. And toothless.

Take it in. Take it alllll in. The hair. The outfit. The tiny, tiny little teeth that still occupy my mouth.

2. I am obsessed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If I could be her, I totally would. I would live in the 90's and wear platform shoes and spaghetti strap tops and say things like, "OMG, that is like, totally passe!"

 I practiced staking stuffed animals when I was a child.

 (Now that I think about it, that's mildly psychotic. What were my parents thinking?!)

Who wants to be in my Scooby gang? Anyone?

3. I collect masks from places I've visited. Some say they are a bit creepy, but I love them. They tell a story.

4. My husband bought me a necklace with my son's initial on it as a "push present", and I think it's the most sentimental thing I own (besides maybe my wedding rings. Maybe ;-) I wear it every single day, and every time I look at it I think of how we started our little family, and am so happy. It's like wearing my happiest memory around my neck.

5. The power went out at my wedding. Seriously. The worst thing that could possibly happen at a wedding, happened. Luckily we were outside and it was daylight, so we just didn't have any music for a bit while everyone ate dinner. We finally got it back on (we were just too awesome for the breakers to handle) and had the best night ever!

He was excited to be married. Duh.

the great debate

You should know I am doing this post from my iPhone because the wind knocked our Internet out. #firstworldproblems

Yeah, I hash tagged.

I meant for this post to be up yesterday, but I had to take D to the doctor unexpectedly. Poor baby has thrush, and cried for hooouuurrrssssss yesterday. A ride in the car and some baby Tylenol fixed that right up, and he's feeling much better today.

So! The great debate for those of us who are avid readers.

E-Reader or actual book?!

I am torn on this particular subject. I love the feel of a good book, and I'm pretty crazy about the book smell (weird, I know). Also, if I want to read outside or near water/children/messy things, and I get splashed or something, I won't have to replace my expensive iPad, I can just buy a new $20 book.

However, for convenience, the iPad (or Kindle or Nook) is the way to go. I can carry around hundreds of books with me in a slim little case, and if I get the urge to buy a book, say, on the interstate ( don't judge, it happens ) then I can do so.

But, I do hate that a huge Internet store like Amazon is putting actual bookstores like Books-a-Million and Barnes and Noble out of business. If we lose our bookstores, where will we take our children for story time? Where can we sit in a coffee shop for hours and read books we just purchased with our own hands?

So, while I think e-readers are definitely awesome, I would encourage you to visit your local bookstores occasionally as well. I'm sure they'd appreciate it!

Where do you stand on the great debate of e-reader versus book?

easiest DIY ever

Occasionally, I will get a little crafting bug. I generally take to Pinterest with a vengeance to find a project that I can completely botch put my own spin on. Usually it ends up being a hot mess, but sometimes it turns into something really exciting!!

We were cleaning out our garage the other day, and I found these ancient photos of my cheer-leading and swim teams circa 1999 (aw. ful.) Since those suckers were immediately hidden away where no one could ever find them, I decided to steal the frames for a little DIY with some printables!

People, if you are a terrible crafter, printables are the way to go. There's a gazillion to choose from; just Google "free home decor printables". (I found that if you don't specify 'home decor' you end up with a lot of gift tag and schedule printables).

So, here we go. Easiest DIY ever.

1. First, choose your prints. I found these beauties here.

2. Download the files and print! Since this was a little spur of the moment, I just printed them on printer paper. If I had planned ahead, I would have preferred to use card stock, or have them printed up on photo paper, because they weren't as vibrant as I would have liked. But patience is not my virtue. I wanted a craft, and I wanted it now.

3. Spray paint the frames. I used Rust-oleum spray paint in the Gloss Protective Enamel finish, in red. 

 Now, no craft that I attempt is complete without a "blonde moment". Since it was freezing outside, and the baby was napping and I didn't want to go very far, I decided to do the painting in the garage. I did not, however, remember that you should always have proper ventilation when spray painting indoors. The fumes slowly seeped into the house, and we spent the rest of the day in the back bedroom with the door shut so I wouldn't kill everyone's brain cells. 

Oops.

3. Let the frames dry overnight. You reaaallly don't want them to be sticky when you put them on the wall. Obvi.

4. Slap in your printables, and hang those bad boys!! DIY mission complete!

I promise my walls are not this yellow. They're cream, but always show up this awful color in pictures. Ew.

I hung them in my bedroom, and they match so well!! 

A lovely daily reminder.

There you have it! DIY for the craft-impaired!

review - the art of racing in the rain

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Book: The Art of Racing in the Rain

Author: Garth Stein

Genre: Fiction

Series: None

Pages: 321

Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking? You all know the looks they give you, where it seems like they are on the precipice of speaking. Any dog lover knows that there is a million thoughts going on behind those big beautiful eyes.

This book is told from a dog's perspective.

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Totally awesome, right? 

This book was gifted to my husband (who isn't much of a reader) so obviously I thieved it away. I had not heard of it, and had no preconceived notions, and so was pleasantly surprised when I realized it was the dog, Enzo, telling the story.

Enzo's owner is Denny Swift, a race-car driver. Enzo takes us through his entire life with Denny, from the moment he is brought home, to Denny's marriage and the birth of his child, the ups and downs and tragedies of life, to the very end. Enzo is a particularly intelligent dog, and believes in a Mongolian legend that says if a dog is truly prepared, he will be reincarnated as a human in his next life. It is Enzo's mission to become prepared.

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This dog has a mantra. A freaking awesome mantra. That I should probably have tattooed on my forehead.

"That which you manifest is before you"

I knew dogs were the smartest out of all of us. Enzo plans, and prepares, and lives his life in such a way that he would do anything for his owner, and wants nothing more than to be reincarnated to be Denny's human companion, as well. 

Get ready for the tissues, people. The last three pages of this book will have you sobbing. But not in a "Marley and Me" way. In an incredibly joyous, disbelieving sort of way. 

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Go read it right this second. I am not joking.

Get it here.

High Five for Friday!

Today I am linking up with Lauren @ From My Grey Desk for High Five for Friday!

Overall, this was a pretty awesome week. It had some ups and downs, but on this wonderful Friday I am looking at life with new eyes, and a lot of gratitude and appreciation for the beautiful life I have been blessed with.

*I apologize in advance for the blurry photos. I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with my iPhone camera*

1. My surprise mystery guest!! My best friend in the whole wide world surprised me by coming down for the weekend! She is the absolute best and I don't know what I would do without her. I was hoarse by the time she left because we did not stop talking the entire weekend :)

2. The geese at our nearby pond finally decided to grace our front yard! I love to watch them and the ducks at the pond, and they are always hanging out in the road and stopping traffic and its hilarious. Then, I learned that geese are actually really mean, nasty creatures, evidenced by the way they chase my dog while hissing at him, and left a ridiculous amount of geese poop in my yard.

So maybe not quite a high five.

3. Spent some quality time with my yoga mat and Jillian Michaels this week, and it's finally starting to pay off! I'm only 6 pounds away from my weight when I found out I was pregnant! I'd like to be a bit more fit than I was then though, so my goal is about 15 more pounds. Hide the snickers!!! I'm on a mission.

4. Spent some time at the sound on Wednesday. It was a beautiful 60 degrees and so peaceful, since we were the only ones on the beach.

5. My crazy husband decided 60 degrees was totally warm enough to go paddle-boarding. I'm all for a little SUP (stand up paddleboarding) but I need it to be a little warmer. I'm looking forward to it once the weather warms up!! Think they make carseats for these things?

Just kidding.

Again with the blurriness. He was soooo far away and this is the max zoom on the iphone. Maybe I should start bringing my actual camera on these outings.

How was your week?!