#amazonrental

Wow! So good. What a captivating film! The story, the acting, the visuals - all impeccable.

I don’t want to give too much away, do I won’t say too much. I really hope this one nabs some of its categories.

Starting the Semester Off Strong

Hi, Y'all! If the semester already started for you, I hope it’s off to a good start, and if it hasn’t yet I hope it’ll be the best one yet. In this post, I want to talk about the ways I’m attempting to start the semester off on the right foot, and I hope they’ll help inspire you as well.

-Write all deadlines from the syllabus in your agenda. The first thing I do when I get the syllabus from the class is write down every date so I can’t forget anything. This goes all the way from what readings are due when to the day of the final exam. I write this in pencil on the monthly spreads in my agenda, so if anything changes I can do so easily throughout the semester before transferring this in pen to my weekly or daily spreads.

-Look for cheaper books/materials. Textbooks are EXPENSIVE so before each semester begins I look online for cheaper rentals or ebooks instead of buying from my school's bookstore. Last semester, I rented several books off Amazon and sent them back over winter break to save some money.

-Label and organize supplies. For me, I do everything on paper, so I like to color code my school supplies by subject and label them before the semester begins. This just helps me to remember what I need when packing my bag and keeps things organized to find papers or notes later on.

-Get ahead on reading if you can. This semester, I have a few classes that require a lot of reading, so I divided the first assignments up so that starting yesterday, I could read and outline a little each night instead of cramming and getting overwhelmed later on. This is a habit I like to keep up, and starting early relieves stress once the semester picks up more.

-Organize and clean your space. Personally, a messy room overwhelms me and makes it difficult to do anything, so I spent my first day on campus making sure everything was unpacked, decluttered, and tidy before things get busy.

This was ok, I guess. It was a little off as a kids’ movie, though. I watched with my 3 year old and, while it was not inappropriate or anything, it really just wasn’t that interesting to him. The story was rather adult and gloomy. I think he was mostly confused. He loves Pooh! So that was a little disappointing.

As with basically all time travel stories, it is pretty convoluted and not entirely sensical. There’s a character early on who says “Don’t try to understand it.” I took her advice and enjoyed the experience.

The visual effects were mind bending. I look forward to the awards to see the “how they did it” clips.

Shocking, really, in its access. And I respect the choice to present the footage without commentary or conclusion. But that did make it feel a little like work to watch. I think it could have benefitted from at least some, like, opening credits with introductions of key folks or something. I did a lot of rewinding; I think I’d have been rather frustrated if I had seen it in theaters.

I wonder if and how the film will impact its subjects. I worry for the boys.

Having now seen 4 of the 5 docs, I’m struck that each seems to have some rather weighty things to say about the responsibilities and consequences of parenting. And I’m impressed anew with Bing Liu’s sensitivity and reaction to his childhood.

Well. Yeah. Astronauts are totally nuts. This movie shows just how.

In other news, I freaking love Claire Foy.

I watched in sub-optimal conditions and will therefore refrain from commenting on the sound nominations. Oh well.

Glenn Close was electrifying. The complexity she conveyed was gripping. Gah.