Lazy Day

I got forced over until 7 AM this morning so today was a short, lazy day  before going to work again. Kiku and I took our walk as soon as I got up (they let me sleep for the most part which is amazing) and she decided she wanted to walk down to the bay. It is/was a very nice day so I enjoyed it as much as she did

It's rather amazing some of the stuff that washes in, especially since this is the bay, not the lake.  I wonder where some of this comes from.

I wish you could touch some the items and have them tell you their history.

































































Near this part of the bay is a little structure that used to be in among the tall grass and trees but they've cleared the area recently.  It looks like this:

I've thought about writing stories about it, actually have in my head but need to put them in the computer.

I've got to get ready for work but I'll post more about the day later.

The Marvel Movie Universe

I'm a late comer to the Marvel Universe-the movie universe but I'm finally caught up. As I posted before, I never read the comics-I was more a DC gal because I read Wonder Woman and glanced at Superman occasionally.  I read Spiderman in the Sunday comics but no Marvel and no Avengers. I had never even heard of Iron Man until they were making the first movie. So that's where I'll start.

I didn't dislike Iron Man but I'm not sure I really liked it either.  I found myself bored during quite a bit of it.  I've liked Robert Downey Jr since Less than Zero and I liked him in the Sherlock Holmes movies but I had a hard time warming up to Tony Stark.  I liked Terrance Howard as Rhodey. I'm also not a Gwyneth Paltrow fan so Pepper did nothing for me.  I started enjoying the movie towards the end watching Tony master the suit and such.  I would say I liked it better than the first Captain America.

Now, Iron Man 2 I liked better than the first.  It might be because I liked this Tony Stark better,  there was a little more man than man-child in his character.  I did not like Don Cheadle as Rhodey, I felt Howard gave Rhodey more warmth and he and Tony truly seemed to be good buddies where Tony and Cheadle's Rhody just didn't click.  I realize there really wasn't as much plot in the second movie but I enjoyed the introduction of Black Widow-can't wait to see what we get in the second Avengers movie.

I got a little lost in Iron Man 3 but I really liked seeing Tony's PTSD from the Avenger's battle.  Made me like Tony more since he seemed more human.  Still didn't like Pepper and Rhodey still did nothing for me.  I really enjoyed seeing Tony as "the mechanic"-it made him seem much more grounded and relatable.  I haven't read any of the comics so I'm interested in where they're taking Iron Man next.

I was surprised by how much I liked Thor.  Chris Hemsworth is not bad to look at (and I'm not into blondes) and he does a credible job as the main character.  It's too bad he and Natalie Portman have zero chemistry.  I like Natalie's character and she does a good job but there's no chemistry.  I really like Darcy too. Now the chemistry between Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston is wonderful and I also love the interaction between Thor and his friends.  I also like Idris Elba. For some reason the movie felt "bigger" than the story really was. Maybe that was Branagh's influence and his Shakespearean background. 

 I liked Thor: The Dark World though I'm not completely sure why.  This one was lot more about the special effects and tons more action. Maybe it was the stuff with Jane and Darcy I liked best, especially Darcy.  I enjoyed the psuedo-science stuff alot (maybe it wasn't psuedo, I have no idea). Hemsworth broods well and Hiddleston is just fabulous.  Once again they have more chemistry than Hemsworth and Portman.

As I mentioned before, I watched Captain America: The first Avenger because Richard Armitage was in it and once his character was gone I became bored and really didn't pay attention to the rest of the movie.  I may go back and watch it again.

I really enjoyed Captain America: The Winter Soldier a lot. I enjoyed watching Steve Rogers still struggling to adapt to the modern world and Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff's attempts to help him.  I think both characters grew in this movie and I think a friendship is starting between the two that could be explored. Captain America felt much more human to me in this movie and I liked it. I also liked Sam Wilson/Falcon a lot and the chemistry between Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie is really good and believable.  

  I did not watch the Incredible Hulk because I did not want to see anyone else other than Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner.  Ruffalo gives Banner so much heart and pathos that I actually feel for the Hulk too.  You can see how fond Ruffalo and RDJ are of each other in the Avengers movie in how they interact.  I also like to think that Banner developed a bit of a crush on Natasha, how's that for a love triangle-Banner, Romanoff, and Barton.

There's my short and shallow takes on the Marvel Movie Universe so far. I can't wait for the Avengers 2, I'll wear out my copy of the Avengers before it gets here!