In rewatching the trilogy yet again over Christmas break (I’ve seen these movies a million times, but it had been a few years since last viewing), my main takeaway was, “I can’t believe Sean Astin didn’t get a supporting actor nomination for this.” He is so, so good as Sam, but especially effective in ROTK.

The biggest problem, I realized upon rewatching, is that Jackson never quite gets me to care about any of those characters.

Several years ago I was dealing with an overactive thyroid (Graves disease), which, to the uninitiated, means your thyroid produces too much thyroxine and sends your body into overdrive (increased metabolism/heartrate/etc). I had trouble sleeping and would wake up in the middle of the night SOAKED in sweat; I was…

I teach group fitness (including Spinning) and a few years ago, I debated on whether I should get a bike, treadmill, or rower for my home gym. I went with the rower because I thought, hey, it’s a full-body workout, unlike the bike/tread which are very lower-body focused, so it will get me the most bang for my buck.…

My mom and my sister are prone to fits of rage, but I am generally a low-key person. Mom and sis have no issues whatsoever with acting like total Karens and causing scenes in public when a restaurant/store/etc makes a mistake, whereas I’ve always been the type to just let it go and move on. However, every once in a…

Agreed. This opening is so great. 

The New Line thing with Peter Jackson is pretty amazing. He went in *hoping* for two movies to tell the story and was pretty flabbergasted when they were like “it’s three books, right? It should be three movies.” Too bad they didn’t follow that logic for The Hobbit. 

I thought the same thing. Ultimately there was no real reason for it within the story and it was a very strange choice.

I noticed that as well. I work in PR, but for a hospital, so we’ve been busy AF this year dealing with media requests around COVID (on top of still trying to remind people that yes, it’s safe to come to the hospital for emergencies so don’t ignore signs of a heart attack, and no, don’t skip your cancer screenings,…

At first I was SO confused because I thought, “Uh, I didn’t pay back my First Time Home Buyer tax credit” but then I realized you said 2008, and I got my home in 2009 and got the $8K tax credit (which, fun fact, they kept denying my application because they apparently thought I was trying to scam the government for…

Seconded. I’ve had the real, legit flu once, and I thought I was dying. Endless high fever, delirium, sobbing in pain and misery, and my skin literally hurt at the slightest touch. My poor boyfriend couldn’t figure out how to help me because I would just sit in bed and cry at how awful I felt, but as soon as he…

Same here. People around here think you’re just being ridiculous if you seriously follow every precaution. I make masks, and just a few weeks ago one of my customers asked if she could stop by my house to pick them up (instead of waiting for me to deliver it to her a few days later). She’s someone who generally…

The LOTR trilogy is what turned me from someone who really enjoyed music as my side passion/preferred form of entertainment to someone who became waaaaay more into movies. I had never tried to read LOTR (because I tried to read The Hobbit when I was younger and thought it was so dull) and I didn’t have much of a stake…

I always get charged for a “contact fitting” even though I’ve worn them for 20 years and even when I buy the same kind/brand over and over. I was told i had to have it done in order to be able to get a new prescription and order new contact lenses for the year. My eye exam co-pay is $10, the contact lens fitting is…

I love the theater experience, but at this point I’m perfectly happy to have the chance to curl up at home and be safe while watching a new blockbuster release. This is all music to my ears. 

Agreed, the movies she makes with her husband’s involvement have been... not good. 

I think the overall setup of the Apple Watch is better than Fitbit (which is what I’ve previously used) in that I think you get a better sense of overall activity compared to just tracking steps. However, our fitness challenges at work are always based on steps. I do walk a fair bit, but I have a Stages Sc3 bike at…

Our moms must be twins, because mine also makes similar complaints about the Apple Watch. My aunt (her sister) is a relatively recent widow and now lives in Florida with a pool in her backyard, and is also obsessed with weight loss. My aunt works out for HOURS a day. Water aerobics, walking, dancing, etc. She doesn’t…

I think it takes a few episodes to really get going, and I feel like you don’t get a sense of the overarching arc for a while (lots of X-Files-esque Monster of the Week episodes, which are fine and fun). And the guys take some time to really settle into their characters. I found Dean to be sort of ridiculous and…

I’ve taught group fitness for 12+ years and done many, many trainings. i wasn’t super into spinning, but I figured it was a worthwhile addition to my repertoire and I needed the continuing education credits for my primary group fitness cert. I did Mad Dogg Spinning back in 2012 and it was one of the best, most…