Earbuds be damned

There's a special place in hell for earbuds. They, together with liquid body wash, purses, gratuitous clothing labels and stick figure car decals, will some day sit on a bed of hot coals, demons whipping them with sticker bush branches for all of eternity.

Image by Juanibb via Wikimedia Commons

Sure, maybe they work for you. But in these perfect, petite ears? Not a chance. My dainty canals reject earbuds at every twist and turn. There's just no fitting those white plastic bulbs into these itty-bitty earholes. Did I mention I have the cutest, smallest ears ever? It's totally adorable. I'm the best.

Now, before you accuse me of whining about my #PetiteEarProblems, let it be known that this issue doesn't just affect only those of us with cute, small, super adorable ears. My dad has large, 67-year-old man ears and earbuds don't work for him either. Two words: EAR HAIR.

Rich Kay's course, grey ear hairs poke the earbuds right out. He's tried trimming, but the stubble gets to the buds eventually.

The solution? We both favor a retro, 1999-style athletic headphone that wraps around the back of the head. Still lightweight enough for running, but with 0% chance of slipping off, they're perfect.



Goodnight,
Margaret

P.S. Apparently ears are considered an "organ". I don't know how I feel about that. Would it make more sense to call them a limb? No, probably not. But organ? That doesn't seem right. Organs are squishy, meaty, bloody things that live in the stomach.

P.P.S. Oh, alright.

#Blessed

Britney's new song

Have you heard Britney's latest single 'Pretty Girls'?

Image by Glenn Francis via Wikimedia Commons

It came on in the car today and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. And no, not because it's the feel-good song of the summer we've all been waiting for (although it actually probably is). But because it's a hilarious caricature of a pop song, performed by a 33-year-old-going-on-14 mother of two.

I'm fairly certain Ja'mie King wrote the lyrics.

All around the world, pretty girls 
Wipe the floor with all the boys 
Pour the drinks, bring the noise 
We're just so pretty! 
All around the world, pretty girls 
Jump the line, to the front 
Do what we like, get what we want 
We're just so pretty!

Britney's nasal croaking is in full force, but they had the nerve to autotune it! I mean, go ahead and autotune some hack like Xtina, but don't get in the way of Britney's natural gift.



A few times, in Edinburgh, I came across things in pop culture that I just didn't understand. My friend Igor would explain, "It's for teenagers, Margaret. It's for teenagers!" (please read that in a Spanish accent - emphasis on the second syllable - teenAGERS) 

Ah, no wonder I don't understand. I no longer belong to the target market for Top40 music. Britney, four years my elder, certainly doesn't belong either, but it behooves her to fake it. What's the alternative for her? Release an 'adult contemporary' album? I don't see that working. It makes you think, in terms of career longevity, 12-year-old Celine Dion was smart to start off singing songs for the middle-aged. Maybe it was René's influence.

That's it.

TTFN,
Margaret

P.S. Just gave it another listen. I like it now.

33 years later movie review: Tootsie

Anna and I watched the 1982 Sydney Pollack film 'Tootsie' this evening.

It stars Dustin Hoffman, a talented-but-difficult actor who can't get a gig to save his life. With no director in New York willing to hire him, he creates a drag character named 'Dorothy Michaels' and auditions for the part of a female hospital administrator serving tough-ol'-bird realness in a famous soap opera. And he gets it!

But wait a second, one of his castmates, Julie, happens to be a beautiful actress and it's love at first sight. How will he ever get her to fall for him when he's dressed as an old lady?

Plot. Established.

I'll cut to the chase: this movie is good. It also stars a young(er) Bill Murray in one of the more understated roles I've seen him in. And Dustin Hoffman is fantastic.

On the other hand, '80s film soundtracks be cray. It took Anna and I a good 20 minutes to get used to the ridiculous instrumental elevator tunes that played between every scene. Also, old movies loved to feature a theme song that repeatedly swells up at sentimental moments throughout the film. In this case it was that song "Something's telling me it might be you, all of my life...."

Oh, and there are lots of creepy moments. In one scene, Dustin Hoffman (as Dorothy Michaels) ends up having to sleep in the same bed as Julie. They're at her dad's country home and there isn't an extra bed. They have a heart-to-heart, she gets emotional and he gently pets her head like she's a labrador. He's wearing a wig with curlers in it.

Difficult to explain.

Anyway, the best scene is when Hoffman reveals that he's actually a man live on the soap opera. It's a brilliant bit of television (as portrayed in film).

TGIF,
Margaret

P.S. Floyd Mayweather isn't actually going to post Suge Knight's bail if he wins the fight tomorrow. I suppose the Internet can occasionally get things wrong. Madgespace regrets the error.

P.P.S. I found this picture while searching for 'Tootsie' in Google. Wow.

Image by theimpulsebuy via Flickr

I'M BAAAAAAACCCCCKKK!!!!!!

Guess who's back back back, back again gain gain? Grassy's back back back. Tell a friend friend friend.

It's been a while! I don't even remember how to type. I have to keep reminding myself to rest my fingers on 'home row'.

But it feels great to be back in action.

Heck, I even made an iMovie about it.

Guest Blog Week: Review

Thanks to everyone who helped make the first annual Madgespace Guest Blog Week a resounding success. Thanks to the talented guest posters, to my legions of loyal fans and to Char Kay for organising the whole thing.

Every evening I'd get the text from Char saying the next post was ready to go. I'd quickly flip open my laptop, head to the blog and drink in every word. Not only was it amazing to be relieved of my blogging responsibilities for a while, but, dare I say it, it was refreshing to read voices other than my own.

I realised that THIS is what life's all about. Family blogging. OK, no, not family blogging—what I mean is that life is all about creating. Or at least it should be. I'm at my happiest when I'm creating something, be it a homemade Thai curry or a blog post about toilet paper alternatives. I like the challenge, the process and the end result. I also enjoy the creations of others. It's a great way to get to know people and see a different side to them.

Basically, what I'm saying is we should all get together and Mod Podge photos and magazine cut-outs onto an Ikea bookcase. You in?

Life update

OK, so you're dying to know what I've been up to during my week off.

Here's what I've been doing:

• Getting loads of migraines. Seriously! Char hypothesised that blogging may be the cause, but now I'm thinking it might be the only thing keeping my kopf from exploding.

• Watching every episode (so far) of HBO's 'Silicon Valley'. I wasn't convinced at first, but the more I watched, the more I liked. 

• Getting my bowl cut frisked at airport security. I had to go through the body scanner, then afterward the lady said, "And I'll just go ahead and check your hair." She patted me on the head like I was a labrador. 

• Hanging out with Andy before our FIVE MONTH stint apart. We've been eating lots of Sainsbury's fishcakes and watching The Americans, Better Call Saul and House of Cards. If you still aren't watching The Americans, it's time you take a long look in the mirror and reevaluate your life. The show's great. 

See you tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, 

Margaret

P.S. If you're not going to produce an iMovie in honour of yourself, then who is? 

Don't hate. Don't wait. Make yourself an iMovie today. 

Must put duct tape over my webcam

I watched the Edward Snowden documentary 'Citizenfour' last night with Andy.

When the Snowden stuff first leaked, I knew that I should be outraged, but it was so much easier to be apathetic. I knew that the stuff the government was doing was unjust, but ignoring it felt better than caring. If I cared about it, I might feel compelled to do something about it. And that never works. Protesting? Campaigning? Please. Haters gonna hate, bankers gonna bank and spies gonna spy, lie, spy, lie, spy. There's no stopping them and we're all doomed.

Plus, the sheer scope of surveillance, the high-tech tools involved and, I'll admit it, even the "but terrorism" argument, clouded the conversation for me. With the latest episode of 'Real Housewives' streaming the next tab over, the choice was easy: read nothing else about it and hope for the best.

But the documentary forced my head out of the sand. As the extent of the NSA's spying was revealed, I kept thinking about Watergate. What Nixon did was minuscule potatoes compared to the NSA and he was forced to resign just two years after the break-in. This June it will be two years since Snowden's big reveal—will there be any retribution for the government officials involved?

So, now I have this belated outrage and have no clue what to do about it. Is there something I can sign? Is there someone I can vote for? Would eating another oatmeal chocolate chip cookie help? Because if it would, I'm happy to do it. They're right here in this tupperware next to me, so it's no inconvenience at all. I'll eat as many as it takes.

Anyway, I'll conclude with two suggestions:

1. Watch the movie if/when it's screening in your city. 
It's so interesting that I actually said, aloud, during the middle of it, "This is interesting!"

2. Put duct tape over your webcam.
Do this if, like me, you like to use your laptop whilst sitting on the toilet before getting in the shower (naked as a jay bird). Nowhere in the film does it mention the NSA hacking into people's webcams, but now I'm paranoid.

Good luck comrades,
Margaret

RIP SkyMall

Annabelle: Part 2 has been delayed until tomorrow because I've been too busy having a GREAT DAY. Yeah! Take that!

Right now, I'm watching 'Big Brother's Bit On The Side' (the Big Brother after show).

Earlier, Andy and I went to the cinema to watch 'Whiplash'. It's a film about a jazz drummer and, despite that premise, it's fantastic. Go see it. I liked it better than Birdman and Foxcatcher.

Before that, I went to Craigie's Farm with Char, Freddie and Elsie. It was typical Scottish hurricane conditions, but there's a café there, so ye-haw!

But, as Lisa Vanderpump would say, today wasn't all diamonds and rosé. I also learned that SkyMall has filed for bankruptcy. If you didn't already know, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

A page out of SkyMall.

Image by nowviskie via Wikimedia Commons

The best way to make yourself feel better when something like this happens is to immediately identify and blame the culprit. In this case, I'm going to blame rich people.

Every time I read SkyMall, I think "Yep. I'd buy that. Yep, that too. Yep. Yep. Yep." Why don't I actually buy the stuff? Because I don't have any money! But rich people, they have no excuse. Damn them. DAMN THEM.

Now where am I going to get a raincoat for my dog? Or a high heel wine holder?

TGIF!

Margaret

Birdman review

It's really great! Compelling performances. Fast paced. Lots of deep thoughts when you leave the cinema. Yeah, it's great. I think I know what happened in the end, but I also think maybe I don't. Or, you know what, I actually think the point is that you're not supposed to really know what happened. Or that there's no real way of knowing.

See what I mean about the deep thoughts?

Birdman.
Image by Herb Roe via Wikimedia Commons

Wow. Somehow this Saturday just flew by.

8:30am -- Wake up. Holler at Andy to "Do me a favour and come in here and open up the curtains for me." Gotta get that natural light in the morning. 

10:30am -- Emerge into blizzard conditions (by Edinburgh standards) to watch a breakdown assistance man jump-start Andy's car battery.

11:00am -- Walk back to our flat from the auto garage where Andy dropped his car off. 

11:30am -- Read up on the latest MH370 conspiracy theories. Read up on the latest Serial conspiracy theories. 

2:00pm -- Buy tickets for Birdman online. Fill up hot water bottle to take with me to the cinema. 

2:30pm -- Walk to cinema, by way of the supermarket to stock up on snacks (cheddar ploughmans sandwich for me, ham and cheese sandwich for Andy, three cheese twists to share, bottle of diet coke to share, one pack of Frutella to share, gum to share). 

3:20pm -- Watch Birdman, with the hot water bottle on my lap the whole time. Best decision. 

5:45pm -- Leave cinema and start walking to Char's

6:30pm -- Hang out with Freddie, Elsie, Andy, Char, William and Anthony. Eat pizza. Watch 'Take Me Out'. Watch 'Take Me Out: The Gossip'. Watch 'Celebrity Big Brother'.

10:45pm -- Walk home with Andy. 


See how time flies? It's now 11:27pm and I don't have time for a proper blog. As you may have noticed, I just listed my day's movements instead. However, earlier today, predicting that I might not have much time to write tonight, I made a short video for your viewing pleasure.


Back tomorrow,
Margaret

My three favourite Christmas films

It's difficult to narrow it down to three. But, with the Celebrity Jungle finale airing in less than an hour and Sainsbury's 'Melt in the Middle, Smoked Haddock, Leek & Cheddar Fishcakes' roasting in the oven, I am blessed by the incentivising power of a tight deadline.

Here they are in no particular order.

Muppet Christmas Carol

This is the best Scrooge film of them all, and I like to think Dickens would agree. As long as you fast forward through the part where Belle and young adult Ebenezer sing to each other in the park, this movie never disappoints. I sing the opening tune ("There goes Mr. Humbug, there goes Mr. Grim...") all year 'round.



Meet Me in St. Louis

People might not consider this a 'Christmas' movie per se, but I definitely do. It features all of the seasons, but Christmas is where the film reaches its climax, and it's when Judy Garland famously sings 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' in the—SOB—most emotional scene ever.

Part of what makes this movie so good is that the stars are H-O-T-T. Not just Judy, but her older sister (Rose) and her love interest (John Truett, the boy next door). They're all stunning, elegant and charming. Also, it's a comedy! The humour holds up to this day.



Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

My mom rented this from Blockbuster one December of yore and we all begrudgingly agreed to watch it. No offence to Nadinski, but the cover looked shite. Old fashioned. Boring. Lame.

Well, it was actually FANTASTIC. As an outspoken 'It's a Wonderful Life' hater, I was thrilled to finally have a black and white Christmas flick to hang my Santa hat on.

The plot: basically, a Martha Stewart/Blake Lively type woman who writes a weekly homemaking column in the newspaper heads to Connecticut to host Christmas dinner for some war hero guy. It's a big PR thing, but the problem is: she can't actually cook! She's a complete phoney who writes all her columns from a city centre apartment. When she attempts to convince the hunky veteran that she's a married housewife who can roast a perfect turkey, hilarity ensures.

The trailer doesn't do it justice (and its pretty sexist), but here it is anyway:

 

---

Runners up:

• White Christmas
• A Christmas Story
• Elf
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
• Home Alone
• Miracle on 34th Street (both versions)

Pulled Andy's Santa onesie out of mothballs today and boy is it cosy.
I might have to retract what I said about onesies two posts ago. 

Frohe fast Weihnachten,

Margaret

P.S. When Googling 'Christmas in Connecticut', I also came across a 1992 re-make of the film, directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. It looks like a real stinker. Don't watch that version by accident.

We should be florists / Serial Ep 9 Review

Holy hell. It's 11:30pm. I'm sweating like a pig. My foot blisters are throbbing. I've got 30 minutes to write this thing. Here it goes.

I've just returned from a pre-nuptial gathering at Char's flat. She's getting married tomorrow. Her and Francie went to Sainsbury's, picked up a few bouquets of flowers, brought them back to the flat and we worked our magic on them. Magic none of us knew we had. But boy, did we turn those supermarket flowers into luxurious, boutique blossoms. As Nina Garcia would say, "They look expensive." The ultimate compliment. 

But really, you can't quite tell from the photo, but they look AMAZING. Turns out, it's not that hard. We may have missed our calling to run a flower shop. 'Margaret & Sisters Florist', we could have named it. I suppose it's not too late for a career change.

Gal talk!

I made the executive decision to keep the TV off during our bouquet-making session (shocking, I know). After all, what's the wedding eve night for if not a bit of gal talk! Here's what we covered:

• Dr. Oz turning out to be a quack (Francie didn't know)
• Birth canals. We reckon mine is large, judging by my wide hips (let's hope so!)
• Pizza, and how good it is (we split one, but wished we each had our own)
• The potential of HR departments, and the reality of HR departments (why they hafta be so ruuuude)

Serial Episode 9 Review

First, can you believe there's not going to be a new episode next week? I think I speak for all of us when I say: F-you, Thanksgiving. Waiting two weeks is going to feel like forever.

Anyhoo. For me, Serial episodes fall into one of two categories:

1) Evidence-based episodes. Lots of new tidbits to stew on (even though they never add up to anything)

- OR -

2) Narrative episodes. Not too many new facts, but a clear story arc that makes me ask: why is she choosing to say this now? Is she setting us up for a fall? What's her angle?

This week's episode falls under the second category. It was really interesting. Really, really sad. But it didn't leave me questioning the evidence (or lack there of). It left me wondering why Sarah would choose this time to present quite an Adnan-friendly episode, putting him back in our good graces after the Jay episode. Is she starting to slowly build up a clearer case for Adnan's innocence? Or is she getting us back on his side, only to blindside us with something damning next week? Or, could it really be true that she has no idea how the series will end? I can't believe that. I think she knows more than she's letting on.

OMG. FIVE MINUTES LEFT.

Gotta go.

- M

Serial Review: Episode 8

Woah, two reviews in a row. Sucks for those people who don't consume the same media as I do and only come to Madgespace for the sage advice. Don't worry, there will be more insightful wisdom in the coming days. But for now, let's talk Serial. Episode 8. The Deal with Jay.

Poor Jay?
Uh oh. It turns out that Jay is a kooky, beat-of-his-own-drum, remorseful, polite, lacrosse-playing guy who got put in a tricky situation and wanted to protect his girlfriend above all else.

Feeling a bit guilty? Me too. But let's not wallow too much in self pity. It's possible that Jay is even better at being a charming sociopath than Adnan! Maybe SK got lucky with two charismatic psychos for the price of one podcast. I'm open to all theories.

What's this about a pool hall? 
Another reason why we can't count Jay out 100%—Chris' story about the pool hall! Wow. Exactly how many versions of events did Jay dream up until the state landed on one they liked? Aye yi yi!

Barbie, William and I at a pool hall of sorts back in 2008. 

This isn't gonna end well...OR IS IT!?!
As we get closer to the end of this audio journey, I have a hunch that we're not going to get the tight ending we're all hoping for. We might get some troubling insight into the failures of our justice system, but I don't think we'll be any clearer on who did it.

OR WILL WE? Yep, I'll admit. I'm still hopeful that something amazing is going to happen. A new witness or damning DNA evidence from the rope. I'm still holding out for a complete WTF, jaw-dropping, text everyone you know, holy moly moment.

Sigh. How many days until it's Thursday again?

Cheers,
Margaret

Taylor Swift 1989: REVIEW

It's been a while since I bought an entire album on iTunes, but the Tay Swift hype got to me. My cousin Martha was the first to tip me off about it. "Every song is good."

So, a couple weeks, seven login attempts, and an Apple ID reset request later, I BOUGHT IT. I've only given it a few listens, but if gut reactions were made for anything, it's a Taylor Swift album review.

My verdict?

Throw a handful of Skittles in your mouth and scroll down!

I would never ask you to do anything I wouldn't do myself.

It's a 9/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It immediately hooks you in and speaks to your soul. Brilliant, story-telling verses and snappy, upbeat choruses. Lots of energy. Lots of heart. Lots of classic TaySwift on-the-nose lyrics. LOVE IT.

As I walked around Edinburgh listening to it, I kept thinking to myself, 'OMG, I bet this one's about Harry', 'Wow, this one's definitely about Harry.' 

If I had to fault it for anything (aka the reason it's not 10/10), its that the songs can feel a bit samey when you listen to the album the entire way through. Kind of like how Nina Garcia had to remind kiwi Sean not to rely too much on fringe for his fashion week collection, well, TaySwift might rely a bit too much on amazingly-catchy love songs. And it's hard to blame her, she's so dang good at them. But I would also love to hear her take on an anti-war protest song or a girl power duet with Celine Dion. 

Also, it's worth repeating: nothing will ever beat 'Trouble'. That tune belongs in a hall of fame. It's impossible to top. 

Ugh, the post-Skittles tummy ache is starting to set in. #WorthIt

Skittles, 

Margaret

Things that polarise us (plus a bonus review of this week's 'Serial')

America just had mid-term elections. Living in the UK (and banned from voting for being gone too long), I'm out of the loop when it comes to American politics. But if I had to guess, I would say that there have probably been a lot of heated debates both online and in the 'real' world over hot button issues like guns, abortion, taxes and all that fun stuff. How exhausting it can be...

If you've found yourself in the midst of a political debate with a friend, coworker or relative, and thought to yourself, "Christ! How did I wind up here? Can I rewind? I'm in too deep!", then here's my advice:

1. Recognise that there's no such thing as a right opinion. OK, occasionally someone will have their facts wrong. If that's the case, you might just be able to convince them with some statistics. But the root of 99% of political arguments is IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES! There's not much you can do about that other than try to understand where they're coming from and agree to disagree.

2. Care a little bit less. Apathy is underrated. You don't have to completely hide your passion under a bushel, but try to calm the shize down a bit. My sister Anna once taught me that the person who cries in an argument always, always loses. Maybe you're not crying in these political debates with your cousin/neighbour/colleague but, trust me, it's obvious if you're getting emotional.

I came across this great infographic showing the typical divisions between the Left and the Right. Reading through it, it's clear that both sides form their opinions based on certain values. When you identify with a certain side on one issue, it's simply because you're prioritising one value over another (e.g. equality over fairness). But the point is, there is value on both sides.

Click to expand.
Image by David McCandless & Stefanie Posavec via InformationIsBeautiful.net

There's also a UK version of the infographic (tweaked slightly).

Serial Episode 7: Review 

SPOILER ALET, this review contains spoilers. 

Speaking of polarising, the latest episode of 'Serial' is dividing the podcast's fans into two camps. Based on what I've gleaned lurking on the Serial subreddit, it seems people either:

• LOVE the episode and appreciate the break in character/evidence related plot points in favour of a more 'big picture' narrative. They see it as a "breathe of fresh air."

• HATE the episode, feel like they've learned nothing new about the case and are annoyed there aren't more hard facts to investigate before next Thursday comes along. They see it as a "waste of time." 

My thoughts? Well, being the nuanced, emotionally mature intellectual that I am, the episode both excited and disappointed me. I'm in both camps. OF COURSE it was thrilling to hear that The Innocence Project is investigating Adnan's case. And OF COURSE it was unsatisfying to have no new insight into the details of the investigation.

If I had to lean closer toward one camp, I would go with the LOVE folks. After all, I feel dissatisfied after every episode, simply because I'm always left wanting more (and I suspect that won't change, even after the series is over). So I'm used to feeling this way. It's part of what makes Serial so great.

I change my mind on Adnan after every episode too. This week, he's innocent (DUH). But next week, I'm sure I'll have diagnosed him a textbook sociopath. You wouldn't want me on your jury, I can tell you that!

If you're a Serial fan and haven't yet delved into the deep Serial web, here are some good resources worth checking out:

• Serial subreddit — Where the Internet gathers to discuss Serial. Heck, even Beau Willimon, head writer of 'House of Cards', created an account to get in on the discussion (although his posts are longwinded, philosophical nonsense, sadly). 

• Slate's Serial Spoiler Specials — Yep, a podcast about a podcast. David Haglund, Katy Waldman and Mike Pesca discuss the latest episode, what they liked, what they didn't, the story's narrative arc, predictions, etc.

• Rabia Chandry's blog— The lawyer and friend of Adnan who first introduced Sarah Koenig to the case. She's obviously majorly Team Adnan, so that's worth keeping in mind. 

Later,
Margaret

Two Years Later Movie Reviews, Edition 1: Skyfall

Welcome to a new, recurring blog post theme: 'Two Years Later Movie Reviews'.

The title is self-explanatory, but I'll explain it anyway for the sake of making this post longer. Each 'Two Years Later Movie Review' will feature my thoughts on a film that was released around two years ago. Hopefully that makes sense, but if you're still not sure, please don't hesitate to contact me at margareteileenkay@gmail.com.

You've had more than 24 months to watch the film, but just in case: SPOILER ALERT!

The film: Skyfall
The technology: 13-inch 2013 Macbook Air
The venue: Our marital bed

Last Friday, Andy and I needed a fast-paced, easy-to-digest film to watch as we gobbled down our far too easy-to-digest Indian takeaway at a face pace. We chose Skyfall, the James Bond movie from October 2012. Andy had already seen it, but I—despite seeing and enjoying all the other Craig David Daniel Craig 007 films—had somehow missed it.

Firstly, of all the Bond flicks, this one wins the award for best song. Adele's 'Skyfall' is so haunting and beautiful and perfectly suited for a Bond film. I just LOVE it! Also, I've been singing it all week and let me tell you, it has some really challenging vocal jumps. Let's just say I wouldn't pick it for my X Factor audition. #BitPitchyDogg

Now for the plot. Here it is in a nutshell: Bond is old, Bond's boss is old, terrorism is happening online these days, oh no, whatever will we do. Times (and audiences) are changing. They lay this point on pretty thick, but if you're willing to look past it (and you are, because it's a Bond film and you're used to looking past hokiness), the film is quite compelling.

The best part of the film is the end, when Bond takes his boss 'M' to Scotland to await a showdown with the bad guy. They go to Bond's childhood home 'Skyfall', which is filmed in one of the most beautiful places on earth, Glencoe. I went camping in Glencoe this summer with Andy, and I was blown away by how gorgeous it was. Andy also went there with his friend right after the film came out, and they recreated the scene of Bond looking out at the hills.

A woman of the earth washing her face in a babbling brook. 

Andy and pal Bruce in Glencoe. The Aston Martin is photoshopped in. 

Finally, and here's where I give away the ending, so WATCH OUT if you haven't seen it. Dame Judi Dench dies. Yes, James Bond's boss dies and it's so so so so so so so so sad and shocking.

What wasn't shocking was that, in her will, she left Bond a tacky English bulldog paperweight that he had teased her about in an early scene. I saw that coming from a mile away. Andy can vouch for me.

The verdict: Really entertaining, surprisingly sad (I cried) and only medium corny/predictable.

Love,
Margaret