Freeky Movies

Freeky Friday: What's your favorite feel good movie?

Just in case anyone who has ever met me doesn't know: I have a thing for movies. I come by it honestly: it runs in the family. So, when it came time to picking a favorite for today's topic, I naturally had a difficult time picking just one.

My favorite movie depends on my mood at any given time. Here are a few of the best:

Source for photos

I love Christmastime movies. And I love movies that explore a number of story lines. Love Actually does so with wit, charm, fun and with the reminder that things don't always work out the way we imagine or hope. Sometimes they work out better, and sometimes...life just happens. But either way, "love is all around."

The classic story with a festive twist, Bride & Prejudice has so much color. And it's a musical. Doesn't get better than this.

And who doesn't love a good Hitchcock, let alone with two of the classiest actors of all time?

Back to Rome

On the third day, we woke up around 7:30 for breakfast before our morning swim and arrived at the pool a little before nine. We did a nice workout, with a relatively short aerobic set and some sprinting, but before calling it a day we spent some time practicing starts.

Within the last year or so, FINA accepted a new kind of block for competitions:

The new blocks, made by Omega

The adjustable “footrest” (with five placement options) provides an advantage for the track start to give a swimmer more power coming off the blocks.

I had never used this new block before this meet, so practicing starts was definitely necessary. Thankfully, I didn’t over-think the change (like I normally do), and after just a few starts, I found the right position for the footrest and made the necessary adjustment without hitches. Definitely helped boost my confidence.

 ***

We went back to the hotel, and planned out the rest of the day during lunch. We decided to catch the metro into the main part of the city to visit the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon in one fell swoop. Since our hotel was quite far removed from any metro stops, we took cabs to the Piazza Euclide (which, incidentally, is where we stayed in 2007), and rode the metro to Flaminio, then transferred lines to reach Spagna.

The return to Euclide

It was incredibly hot where we got off the metro at the Spanish Steps, but as Floridians, we managed to stomach the heat and climbed to the top to capture the incredible view.

The Spanish Steps

As usual, people crowded the steps and the piazza at this intersection of old Roman architecture and modern chic shops and restaurants.

Piazza di Spagna

After taking in the view from the top of the steps, we made the descent and began the walk to stop #2 for the day.

The walk took us down an endless number of side streets filled with tourists, with people on lunch breaks and, of course, with people eating gelato.

Just as the walk was getting unbearably hot, we finally heard running water in the distance. Just hearing that bubbling sound had a cooling effect. Another few meters and we finally happened upon the glorious Fontana di Trevi.

Rumor has it: tossing a coin into the fountain over
your left shoulder will ensure your return to
the Eternal City. 

It took a while for us to make our way through the throngs of people around the fountain, but we finally reached the front and all took turns throwing in coins.

Before we moved on to stop #3, we paid a visit to the gelato shop to the left of the fountain. Seriously, the best gelato we had all week.

The gelato place

...and our delicious gelato!

Next: The Pantheon and the Piazza Navona

Freeky Friday: Advice

Happy Friday!


Today's prompt:

Share your favorite positive advice. It could be a quote from a movie, song lyrics, or just a fun catchphrase your great uncle uses!

It was quite difficult to select a single phrase for today's post. Quality advice, in the form of song lyrics, movies or books, comes in and out of life at different times. Sometimes it fits perfectly--it's that one thing that makes sense of everything--and sometimes it's just what we need to hear, even if we don't want to.

So, what to choose? Funny, serious, sound: I have heard an extensive number of each. Everything from "chew your food," to "pay attention to the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves." (Courtesy: my father, and my cousin's swim coach, respectively.)

But, for the purposes of this prompt, I (like Julia) selected a quote from the fifth Harry Potter movie. Harry, while instructing his classmates as they practice magical defenses, offers sage advice that can also apply offscreen, outside the magical world:

"Working hard is important, but there's something that matters even more: believing in yourself."

{Source}

Belief in your ability to accomplish something in any area of life, however trivial or significant, is essential. Pair that belief with hard work: you are unstoppable. The two work hand-in-hand and provide a great deal of support in trying times. Both knowing your capabilities and acknowledging your hard work make it easier to work through obstacles and preserve your positive attitude.

Freeky Friday: July 4th Edition

Happy Friday, everyone! Let's celebrate the first of FIVE Fridays in July with a festive post about one of my favorite holidays.

What's your favorite Fourth of July memory?

July Fourth is always an interesting holiday in Florida. To begin with, you can never predict the success of fireworks shows, because the weather remains eternally unpredictable. On any given summer day we see thunderstorms, cloudiness, simple rain, perfect sunshine...or...all of the above. So, while my Independence Day celebrations don't usually include watching fireworks, they always include some kind of celebratory family feast involving a number of close friends.

I particularly enjoyed last year's July 4th. My sister and I spent almost the entire day cooking. She took care of the main courses (BBQ chicken, potato salad, grilled vegetables...an incredibly hearty meal, and extremely delicious!) while I tackled The Pie.

[Side note: Before last year's holiday, my mom and I made a visit to a cookware store, Sur la Table, where we found this lovely pie pan:

A 12" diameter, ON SALE, red...we had to have the pie pan. Any pie made in such a pan would inevitably be the most delicious thing ever, clearly.]

So, while my sister was busy being Emeril for a minute, making the most delicious barbeque chicken of all time, I lamented the fact that Florida does not seem to have any pre-made 12" pie crusts, and settled into the task of making from scratch enough pie dough to fill the pan.

Mer supported me during my dough battle as we watched Invictus, and eventually, the crust formed, the apples filled in, the pie baked and we had a delicious feast ready for company.

Last year, we were joined by one of Mer's best friends, who has become as much a Fourth of July staple in our house as potato salad and pie. Along with our friend Rob and our parents, we sat, ate, talked and laughed our way through the afternoon and into the evening.

I love July Fourth because in my house, we always seem to forget the time and just enjoy the pleasure of each other's company.