Ode to Scary Movies

I don't really get the genre of scary movies, for the most part.  I don't enjoy being scared, and I try to avoid hobbies that are stressful, it seems a bit counter-intuitive to me.

So, I've always had a principle that's worked for me.  I only see horror movies that seem to have some kind of unique angle to them, something that gets reviewed as being particularly ingenious or thought provoking, something that sets it apart from the pack.

Because of this narrow and highly subjective view, I have seen very few horror movies - but I love practically everything I've seen and have a lot of affection for my favorites list.

In the spirit of all this, and the coincidental timing of Halloween, I thought I would mention that I just rented The Cabin In The Woods, a recent horror movie that got the kind of reviews I notice.  It made me squirm, but I was still thinking about it for quite a while afterwards, so it must deserve a spot on my short list.

Here are the horror movies for people who avoid ordinary horror movies:

• 1408.  Probably my favorite of all.  Made more of a haunted house concept that I could have possibly imagined.
• Let Me In / Let The Right One In.  Vampire movie.  WOW.
• The Ring.
• Signs.  I actually screamed out loud!  I don't recommend watching during a lightning storm.
• The Blair Witch Project.
• Poltergeist.
• Jaws.
• Silence of the Lambs.  Almost suspense, but I'll include it.
• Seven.  Ditto.  One of my favorite movies of any kind.
• Aliens.
• Melancholia.  I wrote about this a few months ago.  Most of the movie is absolutely incomprehensible and useless, but a few minutes of it are some of the most mind-boggling of anything I've ever seen, and I'm kind of obsessed with it.

 I've heard that the movie Saw fits into this category of mine, but I really don't think I have the constitution for it, I'll take your word.

Camera Kids

I've started letting Ada and Logan use my point and shoot camera, to pretty great and hilarious results.  Incidentally, is this Rapunzel dress the best money I've ever spent or what?

New Pictures

I have SO MANY pictures that I've been trying to post!  Stay tuned, lots of stuff coming up.

Here is a great start.  I had to stop and take this picture on our way to 'school' a couple weeks ago.  They look like they need a little more practice putting together an outfit.  I particularly love that Ada is wearing some kind of princess costume skirt under her actual dress!

As always, click to enlarge.

Kindle Paperwhite

Dear Amazon,

I love you.  But if you're going to improve upon my favorite hobby, that has been pretty much the same for hundreds of years, could you just make all your improvements at once so I don't have to buy more Kindles?  I'd appreciate it.

You kind of blew my mind today; a Kindle with light that does not point at your face (like an iPad), a light that actually points down at the e-ink.  Who do I make the check out to?

Your best buddy,

Jen

PS. Hurry up with that J.K. Rowling book, I've waited long enough.

Adventures in Digital Security

I've never really been one to worry about what could happen, preferring to concentrate on keeping one foot in front of the other...  But recently I've come across a couple interesting stories about digital security that caught my interest.

This one is a great essay in the New York Times online about a technology writer - with a significant Twitter following - that made a hilariously public affair of losing his iPhone.

This one is bit more disturbing tale of a breathtakingly effective and swift hacking job, also victimizing a tech writer.  Wow.

So the lesson is...  back up your stuff, and keep your passwords tight.  Your digital photos may not matter to most people, but they do to you.