Book Review: The Cuckoo's Calling

I have to admit, I read this book because I heard that J.K. Rowling wrote it under a Pseudonym (which is true).

The Cuckoo's Calling 

A down on his luck P.I., Cormoran Strike, reluctantly agrees to investigate the death of a supermodel. At first glance, the case seems straightforward, like a completed puzzle, but soon the detective notices something amiss, some of the pieces don't fit flush. To help sift through the clues of the case, he begrudgingly accepts the help of his new office temp. From there, the story pulls you in, the questions build, suspects seem more and more suspicious, and soon you're trying to decipher every movement they make. J.K. Rowling does an excellent job of creating a life and world you can enter (we already knew she could do this from the Harry Potter Series). There are several plot twists: some were surprising, some were predictable. The ending, which can make or break a mystery, was good.  But that's it, just good. The main character arrived at some conclusions and I couldn't quite see how he had. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book. Rumor has it that this is the first in a series, and we all know what kind of luck J.K. Rowling has had with those.

Rating: B+

Nail Time!: blue nails with criss-cross accent nail

I love painting my nails, but I'm not sure I love my creation this time. The metallic blue looks a little too Dallas Cowboys to me, especially with the white criss-cross pattern on the left ring finger. What do you think?

Left hand

Right hand

Movie Review: Elysium

I love watching movies! Joe and I see anywhere from 1 to 3 a week. I like most genres but I can be picky. And what better way to share my particular movie opinions than to write a movie review!

Elysium 

The film is the story of a doomed man who is trying to break into the uber exclusive world of Elysium. It's an action-packed science fiction with mild emotional manipulation (i.e. the use of a dying pet or child, or overly sentimental flashbacks, to elicit an emotional response from the audience). The acting in the movie is good, however it's so action-oriented there is not a lot of time for character development. Matt Damon is great and does not disappoint as the main character. You'll also love to hate several characters. The movie starts out strong but somewhere in between the middle and the end it starts to drag. In the theater my mind started to wonder: what should I make for dinner tomorrow; I should write an email to so and so; what should I post on my blog next; and so on. The unending action wore me down, I mean, how many times do I have to watch this one guy punch, stab, and explode stuff? Although the special effects were impressive. The ending was a little predictable but fine. Nothing about this movie blew me away and I expect this movie to be somewhat forgettable. If you're bored and it's raining outside and you like action movies, then maybe go see Elysium. Or just stay home and watch Terminator again.


Rating: C+

Our Apartment

As mentioned in an earlier post, one benefit of moving to McAllen is low cost of living, lower rent included. To us cheaper rent meant we might be able to have a house with a garden and a grill and privacy, but our online searches proved otherwise. We struggled to find something we liked so we settled on another apartment (it was the only property we could agree on). It was about the same as our old apartment. The floor plan was similar, the amenities about the same. When we visited we couldn't view the actual unit; we saw a model with updates we wouldn't have in our unit. 

While we had hoped for a nicer place, we at least consoled ourselves with the cheaper rent. But the unit surprised us! It had all the updates: fake laminate wood floors, spray-on granite counters, new appliances. And it had a washer and dryer! (Although "boo!" to less storage!). The place is still a work in progress, but here are some pics:

Livingroom

  

Dining room 

Kitchen

My desk

Bedroom (Our dresser, Joe made it!!)

Joe made our nightstands too!

I know there aren't many pics of the actual bedroom and study, but they are small rooms and we're still trying to figure out storage. That concludes the tour of our apartment. Hope you enjoyed it!

Misadventures in McAllen!

 Say my name, say my name!

For the next year I'll be posting about my adventures and misadventures in McAllen. So without further ado, here is my first misadventure:

While Joe and I were in McAllen for the day looking for a place to live, I was calling around to see what was available. One potential landlord asked me to spell my name, so I did. After a pause, she calmly told me--with dead seriousness--I was pronouncing my name "incorrectly." She then promptly corrected me. My full name is long and perhaps a bit unusual, and some do pronounce it wrong or throw in an extra letter somewhere, but in my 20+ years of existence I've never had someone tell me I was saying my own name wrong. She hung up before I could argue the matter. I wanted to say, "Thanks! I was never sure I was saying it right!" Ultimately we decided to go with another property, so, unfortunately, I won't have a landlord who thinks she taught a grown woman how to pronounce her own name. 

Moving to McAllen!

We are moving to McAllen!!! Hooray!!! Where? you might ask. McAllen is a midsized city on the US/Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley. It's one of the fastest growing areas in the U.S. 

Things I'm excited about:

• The citrus fruit. Most of the citrus you buy in Texas comes from the Rio Grande Valley. I LOVE Texas grapefruit and I use lemons and limes daily.
• The Mexican food. Since McAllen is right on the border, there should be no shortage of good Tex-Mex/Mexican restaurants. I'm excited about finding a favorite!
• The cost of living. Houston is a cheap place to live. McAllen's cheaper. We should be able to save money without changing our lifestyle. 

 Things I'll miss:

• Friends.When I first moved to Houston I didn't know anyone here. But over the past several years  I've made some really good friends and I will miss them terribly! 
• Our apartment. I never realized how much I like our place. We have 6 years' worth of memories here. This was the first place Joe and I lived together and we were living here when we got married.
• Thunderstorms. I love the summer thunderstorms in Houston. McAllen won't have as many.
• The diverse restaurants. Houston has every kind of cuisine. What Mcallen makes up for in Tex-Mex it lacks in diversity. I will especially miss the Greek and Indian restaurants.

Although I'm excited about moving, I hate the process: the packing, the realization that you have too much stuff, the realization that you can't part with any of your stuff, the heavy lifting, the unpacking. Anyone have any tips?

Fourth of July

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Fourth! Joe and I met up with some friends to watch fireworks and listen to the symphony at a local park. We had a great time! It has been six years since we went somewhere to celebrate and I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. We packed a delicious picnic of fried chicken and beer and enjoyed a great fireworks show! Although there were a few things I didn't like. The symphony wasn't loud enough, they didn't play long enough, and I wasn't a fan of some of the songs they played (songs from Dream Girls and The Wiz don't scream happy birthday America!). Another thing that I was disappointed in was my fault: I didn't take enough pictures!!! Overall, though, it was a delicious, pyrotechnic-filled night, and I can't wait to do it again next year! Happy Birthday 'Merica!!!!

Fireworks over Houston (obviously I did not take this photo).