Thanksgiving

First let me start by saying Happy Thanksgiving. Traditionally in my family we celebrate Thanksgiving by going to my brothers house in Ann Arbor with the whole family. We used to eat the traditional big feast, but now we have switched over to a cold lunch style buffet. We have turkey and ham for sandwiches, as well as all the fixins. We do it this way to avoid having to spend so much time cooking and cleaning. Another plus to this is that when people come at different times, they can eat whenever they want to. The men in the house usually are perched in front of the television watching some sports, while the women all have some drinks and play games. The kids are usually in the basement on some game system. I won't lie, I am usually in the basement with my drink playing video games too : )

I am so thankful for so many things. I am thankful for my family and friends, especially as of late. They have helped me get through some tough times and I love them for that. I am thankful for my job, that is hard to come by in these times. I am thankful for my health. And most of all, I am thankful that the end of this semester is near.

Gaunt to Gargantuan

In the article Gaunt to Gargantuan and Back by Caryn James, James argues that actors/ actresses today go to extremes with their changes in weight for the roles they portray; weight gain and loss has become a new form of stunt acting. The author describes how Christian Bale lost 63 pounds for his role in The Machinist as well as Renee Zellweger gaining 20 pounds for her role in Bridget Jones diary. James views this as an unhealthy choice, and describes how going through such drastic weight change is not good for your body. She concludes by saying “it’s easy to imagine a new stunt-acting extreme, in which cosmetic surgeons help performs hone their most conspicuous tools, their bodies.”

Although I do not feel that these drastic weight changes are good for their health, I do feel that it takes great passion, and devotion to their roles to go through such transformations. When I saw Cast Away for the first time, I remember thinking how believable Tom Hanks was in his role. Much of his credibility was the drastic weight change that he endured to make it believable. In addition, if actors/actresses want to wear “fat suits” to bulk them up for roles, that’s just fine. What about characters that need to be thinner? You can’t just put on a suit for that right? Most people in movies have access to the best of everything: health care, chefs, trainers etc. If they need to be unhealthy for a short period of time, more power to them. In the long run, they will probably end up in better shape than we could ever be.

My so called weekend : (

While most people were having a good time with Halloween festivities, I was packing the last 13 years of my life in boxes. To add to the fun, I was packing these boxes because my boyfriend and I broke up, and I needed to move. I have always heard "what doesn't kill ya will make you stronger". If this is the case, I should be the strongest girl in the land! I should have been handing out candy, or attending Halloween parties. Instead, I was packing and crying. I should have been studying for my SOC mid-term. Instead, I was cleaning and crying. I hope whoever reads this had a great weekend. Maybe next weekend, which is also my Birthday, will be better to read about.