Friday, September 14, 2012

Beat Beethoven 2012

Last weekend was Pleasant Grove's annual Beat Beethoven 5K, which we participated in yet again.  We joined Mom, Dad, Amber, Cami, Jake, Melody, Jonny and Evelyn, and had a great time (though it was kind of rough for me for some reason).  Apparently this race is to benefit the local arts, especially the public library, and I like libraries and reading and books and such, so I'm down (but I'm also down with the sweet group rate Melody finagled).

I did have a couple of issues with the race this year though:

•  It was NOT 3.1 miles, it was almost .15 longer, which I breathlessly and adamantly informed the workers handing out the results tickets just past the finish line.  When you're budgeting your energy and saving a last burst for that last quarter mile, that distance makes a big difference!  They were like, "o rly?... srryyy..."  And I was like... o.O

•  It was not, as advertised, completely downhill.  It's fine to have a varied race, but don't send out emails specifically and enthusiastically stating that it's an easy, all-downhill race.  It just makes the uphill parts even harder because they're unexpected.

But they had fun treats and the theme is fun, and like I said, the cause is worthwhile.  I did pretty well (not as well as last year) at 21:54 (4th in my division, 7th overall), and Julie did great too (5th in her division at 28 minutes).
Jonny had already ventured forth to get the car and two tots.
Go us.
Fall running! It's the best. Though it was still pretty hot.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Blogkeeping -- Summer 2012

It's time for another little blogkeeping post to clean out the lists on the right!  (Last post here.)  These go from the end of February until late June.

Veronica Mars (Season 3) *** 1/2 / Daria (Season 5) [r] **** 1/2 / Scott Pilgrim vs. the World ** 1/2 / The Artist [r] ***** / Frank and Ollie *** 1/2 / Wives and Daughters [r] **** / Veronica Mars (Season 2) *** 1/2 / Brave **** / The Wedding Singer [r] **** / John Carter ** / Lorna Doone (1990) ** 1/2 / Veronica Mars (Season 1) **** 1/2 / Strictly Ballroom [r] ***** / Love Never Dies ** / Neverwhere * 1/2 / Snow White and the Huntsman **** / Mirror Mirror ** / We Bought a Zoo *** 1/2 / Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue ** 1/2 / Gone *** / The Artist [r] ***** / Daria: Is It Fall Yet? [r] **** / Far from the Madding Crowd [r] **** 1/2 / America's Next Top Model (Cycle 18: British Invasion) ** / TRON: Legacy [r-sort of] **** / Sherlock (Series 2) ***** / Daria (Season 4) [r] **** / Grimm (Season 1) *** 1/2 / Invictus ***  / Smash (Season 1) ***  / Hawaii Five-0 (Season 2) ***  / Once Upon a Time (Season 1) ** 1/2  / Survivor: One World (Season 24) *** 1/2  / Life or Something Like It [r] *** 1/2  / Dark Shadows ****  / The Office (Season 8) ***  / The Avengers *** 1/2  / The Old Curiosity Shop *** 1/2  / Gift of the Night Fury/Book of Dragons ***  / Voyage of the Unicorn *  / Dinotopia * 1/2  / The Three Musketeers (1966) ** 1/2  / Wuthering Heights (1998) [r] ***  / Wuthering Heights (1967) [2/3] * 1/2  / The Mystery of Edwin Drood ****  / War Horse ****  / The Iron Lady ****  / The Royal Tenenbaums [r] ****  / Creature Comforts (Season 2) *** 1/2 / We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story [r] ***  / Great Expectations (2012 BBC) ****  / The Aviator [r] *** 1/2  / Wrath of the Titans *** 1/2  / The Hunger Games [r] *****  / Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief **  / Creature Comforts (Season 1) *** 1/2  / Emma [r] *****  / Real Steel *** 1/2  / Like Crazy ***  / Gone With the Wind [r] **** 1/2  / Rat Race [r] *** 1/2  / It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World *** 1/2  / Rio ***  / Rango *** 1/2  / The Wizard of Oz [r] ****  / Pride & Prejudice (1995) [r] *****  / TRON: Legacy [r] *** 1/2  / Deceived [r] *** 1/2  / Overboard [r] ****  / Sense and Sensibility [r] *****  / The Hunger Games *****  / Project Runway: All Stars (Season 1) *** 1/2 / The Secret of Roan Inish [r] ***  / The Muppets (X2) [r] *****  / I Have Found It ***  / Muppets From Space [r] *** 1/2  / Jack and Jill ***  / Hugo *** 1/2  / The Artist ***** / Muppet Treasure Island [r] *****   / The Muppet Christmas Carol [r] **** 1/2  / The Muppets Take Manhattan [r] ****  / The Illusionist ***  / The Great Muppet Caper [r] ****  / The Muppet Movie [r] **** 1/2  / Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules ** 1/2  / Bride & Prejudice [r] ****  / Penelope [r] **** 1/2  / Bend It Like Beckham [r] *** 1/2  / Sunset Boulevard [r] *** 1/2  / The Sound of Music [r] *****  / Under the Greenwood Tree [r] ****  / Dick Tracy [r] ***  / Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! [r] ****  / Creature Comforts America (Season 1) ****  / The Interpreter [r] *** 1/2  / Dead Poets Society [r] *** 1/2  / North [r] **** 1/2  / Singin' in the Rain [r] **** 1/2  / The Wild **

Highlights were The Hunger Games and The Artist (three times!), lowlights were Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, John Carter, and Neverwhere (YIKES, Neverwhere...).  Until next time!

EDIT 29 April 2013:  Added PR: AS (1), moved Daria (IICT?) to the next list).  Also, "Summer", not "sumer."  Dur.