BALANCING LIFE AND BLESSINGS - A RECAP

As you can see, we kind of fell off the face of the earth.  It seems that October is one of the busiest months every year, and this year was no exception.  Our plan to watch 30 scary movies that month fell to the wayside.  When I took on a third job this year, I knew things would get hectic.  But, it was far more hectic than I anticipated.  Don't get me wrong.  I am grateful for every last photo gig that came my way, and I hope that 2012 brings even more.  But, this year, more than any other year, was a struggle to balance work and life.  Thankfully Austin was on the ball and picked up the domestic duties right where I left off...which is somewhere in the kitchen, I think.

So, October passed just as quickly as it arrived, and before we knew it, it was Thanksgiving.  This year's feast was wonderful, as it was spent with family.  Evan and Liz (Austin's brother and his girlfriend) & Kevin and Sydnie (my cousin and his girlfriend) joined us in our home for a pretty fantastic spread.  

Everyone brought something to the table which helped my sanity and made my belly happy.  There were stuffed jalapenos, stuffing, stuffed mushrooms, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, spice cake, and an amazing turkey filled with citrus goodness.

To commemorate the evening, we had to capture the proverbial group photo.  For those of you who love Eddie Izzard, this one's for you: "Look, we can't all do big arms."

After the meal, I couldn't help but grab some photos of our guests as the sun set behind our home.  You see, this is what happens when you dine with a photographer.  Growing up, it was our next door neighbor, Jeff, who always had the camera out before and after dinner.  And seeing as it was tradition, I felt it only fitting to take up the charge.

And to finish out the evening, we all sat around watching the UT vs. A&M game (HOOK 'EM!) while playing Buzzwords (guys vs. girls).  The guys whooped our asses, but we all nevertheless got a good laugh or 7.

Christmas AND Austin's birthday have both come and gone (more posts soon).  And now we're prepping for a visit from our NJ friends, Lucas and Ashley.  We haven't seen them since July, and we can't wait to ring in the new year with them again this year (they flew in as a surprise last year for Austin's 30th and stayed through New Year's).  It's kind of becoming a bit of a tradition we hope to hold onto for years to come. 

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and cheers for the new year!!

30 DAYS OF HORROR [MOVIES] - VOL. 2

Movie #2: Frankenstein – James Whale – 1931

Borrowed from: http://100years100movie.blogspot.com/2011/04/frankenstein.html

Background: Author Mary Shelley wrote a story in 1818 that went on to simultaneously become the bane of high school English literature students and establish itself as a worldwide icon of the horror film genre.  As a friendly heads up, watching this film will in no way prepare you for any upcoming pop quizzes on the novel. 

Synopsis: The classic cautionary tale about rough drafts gone wild comes to life on the big screen.  James Whale’s cinematic vision goes to great lengths to recreate a golden era where people fainted upon hearing horrifying news and society regarded slapping a frantic woman in the face as “reasoning with her.”  A manmade monster wreaks some havoc, tosses his creator out of a windmill, and seemingly burns to death.  The film concludes with the patriarchal Baron von Frankenstein raising a celebratory glass in the name of his unborn grandchildren.  Fade, roll credits, the end.  I couldn’t tell if this was a work of fiction or a gritty documentary about the good ol’ days. 

Austin’s Scariest Moment: Suffering a flashback to my “Stranger Danger” preschool days after watching the monster toss little Maria to her untimely death.

Jen’s Scariest Moment:  Mob mentality.  Nothing good can come of large numbers of townies yielding fire while running through the hills screaming what can only deciphered as, "RABBLE!  RABBLE!"

30 DAYS OF HORROR [MOVIES]

October is finally here.  This is one of Team Crunkasaurus's favorite months, because it brings Halloween, which brings Halloween decorations...and scary movies.  There's something about October 1st that just gets us in the mood to spend the entire month watching horror movies, kicking it off with a little house decorating to get us initiated.  We enlisted the help of Netflix this year, only to be slightly disappointed by their selection (Seriously?  We need TWO subscriptions to be able to see Children of the Corn?!).  Granted, we've come across a few flicks that have shown up on multiple "Best of" lists, but dsiproportionately more that have probably shown up on "Best of the Worst" lists. 

Regardless of Netflix's offerings, we're taking the month by storm and making our way through as many cinematic gems as possible, as well as bringing you the play by play.  Thirty days of scary?  BRING IT.

Movie #1: The Thing - John Carpenter - 1982

Borrowed from: http://www.sci-fimovieposters.co.uk/movie-posters-t/thing-john-carpenter-original-british-quad-movie-poster.htm

Background:  A remake of 1951's Academy Award Winner for Best Picture The Thing from Another World, which was based on Caldecott Medal Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient John W. Campbell, Jr.'s Who Goes There?

Synopsis:  This film deposits a bearded Kurt Russell amidst exterior Hoth scenes from The Empire Strikes Back, buttressed  by some early '80s animatronic special effects and an Ennio Morricone musical score.  Just when the cult factor can't get any better, a de-mustachioed Wilford Brimley steps outside of his comfort zone and gets to talk about something other than diabeetus or oatmeal.

Austin's Scariest Moment:  When a mad Norwegian scientist attempts to kill an alien-infected malamute from a helicopter Sarah Palin-style, first with a rifle, then with a cornucopia of grenades. Spoiler alert: the movie lasts for another 90 minutes after this scene.

Jen's Scariest Moment:  Anytime anything biological opened up to reveal an uglier, scarier, more mucousy biological counterpart with more teeth, which is made even more sinister thanks to Mr. Morricone's distinctly '80s horror movie audio.

Seen The Thing or any of its multiple incarnations?  Which was your favorite or your scariest moment?