End of the world movies

I thought I loved disaster movies, or as my kids all them, "end-of-the-world" movies. As much as I love them, I think my hubby has me beat. Tonight, we're watching a movie a movie about major earthquakes. I'm not sure of the name. After this, he's salivating about another disaster movie about tornadoes hitting New York City. I've not really gotten into this one. Why? For one, I'm busy blogging and reading emails. But two? There's too much action-adventure and not enough characterization. Even though I love this type of movie in general, they have to have great characters and slow down enough to allow them to shine through. What I really love is to watch the human spirit prevail against all odds. I also want to know what makes the characters tick even when there are disasters happening or pending. I can watch "Independence Day" night after night after night. Ditto with "The Mummy", "Night of the Comet", "The Stand", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Night of the Tornadoes", and "Day After Tomorrow". I can watch "Armageddon", "Dante's Peak", and "Twister" occasionally if not as much as those on my A list. I want to know the characters and feel their emotions. Some of the made-for-TV disaster movies have so much "disaster" happening, or show so many characters, I lose interest fast. Just like I'm having trouble getting into the movie on TV now. Of course, the longer I've been writing, the more I want to edit not only books but movies and the quicker I become bored if it's not really good. When I really love a movie, I forget to edit. Or maybe I should say I can tell when I really love a movie or a book when I stop trying to edit and just enjoy it. I'm not trying to be picky, but it just happens. I'm watching a commercial about the "NYC: Tornado Terror" and I have to laugh. Okay, so I'm warped - I'm laughing at a tornado ripping apart a city. Why am I laughing? Because for the gazillionth time the Statue of Liberty is being torn apart in a movie. It's so cliche. It's like a disaster movie can't be made about NYC without showing the Statue of Liberty being destroyed. Give it a rest already! Even in the "Day After Tomorrow" a movie I like a lot, the Statue of Liberty is bowled over by tidal waves. Of course it would be, but still. And now in this one, it showed the Statue of Liberty's arm being ripped off. This reminds me of the "Planet of the Apes" where Charlton Heston finds out he's on Earth and not some other innocuous planet when he finds the Statue of Liberty in the ruins. The only disaster movie set in New York City I thought was original in using the Statue of Liberty was "Ghost Busters" or was it "Ghost Busters II" where the Statue of Liberty starts walking and saves the city. Now that was pretty awesome and unique twist on the cliches. Now I know hubby's more twisted by me. The next movie was just advertised again and the Statue of Liberty's arm was just flung off again, and he's going "Oh, cool!". I married a sick sick man. I guess we're well suited. :) After all, I blew up all of planet Earth in my book "Eternal Damnation", so whose the real twisted one? You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Ham sandwiches, tornadoes, and computers

The first night I arrived home, Dad asked me where I wanted to go and eat. I thought about Skyline Chili and Frisch's but I suspected Dad meant somewhere a bit fancier plus I can drive a couple miles down the road back in Florida and get Skyline whenever I want. I was thirsty to soak in some real Ohio flavour and I remembered a couple of our old haunts. Well, I used to get big, juicy ham sandwiches at them. The first place, Meyers, Dad doesn't even remember. I guess it's gone. The second, Les Flick's, we went to. I mentioned that a couple days ago. Well, when I went to order a ham sandwich at the end of giving the order, the waittress asked if I wanted that warm. Warm? Whoever heard of a big deli ham on rye WARM? When I told her I wanted it cold, she looked at me crosseyed. I got it but not before they made it wrong once. I have this same problem in Florida. I used to be able to stop at the Publix deli and order a COLD ham on rye with swiss and mayonnaise with no problem. In fact, that was my main lunch on a work day. A few years passed and I went to my son's Publix and tried to order one. The deli worker looked at me like I was daft. Finally, she asked me to go to the bread aisle and get a loaf of rye bread and bring it to her. Huh? Well, I did, and I got my sandwich, but I didn't bother to repeat the process. What is so frickin' hard about getting a decent ham sandwich? It used to be easy. Of course I can make them at home and take them to work with me...that's if the kids don't eat all the ham the first night we bring it home which is what usually happens. I'm tempted to buy the fixings and store them in the fridge at work - however, that's no guarantee as people take other people's lunches. Knock on wood, it's never happened to me yet, but to plenty of other people. Dad's internet wouldn't let us on yesterday. Well, it did for a few minutes early in the morning. I was in the middle of commenting on Amarinda's blog when it dropped out. It wouldn't work for the rest of the day. Finally, Dad called tech support this morning and got it back up. But that's not the end of my computer woes. My lap top cord broke right after I got here. Wouldn't you know? We called around to every computer place we could find in the phone book and none of them have it in stock. By the time I special order it and it arrives I might be back home. Bugger bugger. So I'm stuck using Dad's computer which is very slow - plus I can't sit in the same room with him and I'm here to be with him. So I won't be on the computer too much for the next week and a half. Lastly, there were tornadoes in the area last night. Not in Dad's county but not too far away so we were keeping an eye on the news. We don't typically get bad tornadoes in South Florida - only when hurricanes bring them and then you get a few days warning. I'd forgotten how nerve wracking tornado warnings can be. I'd forgotten to even listen for them as I don't have to in Florida. There's a bad thunderstorm here now, so I need to pop on TV and make sure there's no tornado warnings as well.