P.F. Chang's

For a while now, I've been wanting to begin offering restaurant reviews on this blog, but I just have not had the time to really go anywhere that warranted a review. But, the other day, my friends MarySue and Scott came in from Atlanta, and we decided to go to P.F. Chang's in Ridgeland, which is one of our favorite places to go when they are in town.

P.F. Chang's is a national chain of restaurants, not something that I would normally review, but this is the only one that I am aware of in this area. So it is fairly unique for us here. I have always had a love for Asian style cuisine, but finding decent places around here that are not buffets is difficult. So, P.F. Chang's is one of my favorites.

When you first sit down, they bring you this sauce tray. Honestly, I've never quite understood the point of it, as I never use the stuff. They will usually mix the sauces together, which is a little much for me, but some folks like it.

MarySue and Scott always like to order the Lettuce Wraps for their appetizers. It's a chicken stir-fry dish that you wrap in lettuce. It's pretty good, although I am not a fan of water chestnuts or iceberg lettuce.

When I come here, I always look over the menu, trying to find something different to try. But I always end up ordering the Double Pan Fried Noodles. It's a noodle stir-fry dish that is double fired, giving the noodles a very chewy texture. Add a little soy sauce to the mix and it is absolutely wonderful. This is one of my absolute favorite Asian dishes and I've figured out how to make a fairly similar version of this dish at home. But it's nothing compared to the original.

P. F. Chang's is one of my favorite places for Fine Asian cuisine. The food is a little pricey, but the food is always good, the service is great and the restaurant is always very clean.

A New Hobby

Winter Oak at Sunset

For a while now, I've been really interested in photography. Up until now, I've been kind of playing around with my iPhone camera and my sister's little point and shoot camera. But for Christmas, my parents gave me a really nice camera so that I can expand on this new hobby.

So, I've decided to start posting my top favorite pictures from the week up on the blog. All of this weeks pictures were taken around in my back yard and all I did was enhance them just a little bit using iPhoto on my computer. That's it. Enjoy!

Barb

Colorful Nails

Mossy Post

Rustic Post Top

I've also started a Flickr page where all of my pictures are at. There are several there, but they didn't make the cut this week. Go check it out and let me know what you think!

The New Year's Resolutions for 2012

It seems like every December 31, I come up with a list of resolutions for the next year. Some of them I stick to, others fade away. So, just like every year, I've made up a list of things that I would like to accomplish in 2012. A lot of them are carry overs from previous years, others are new.

In 2012, I'm going to...

Stick to this year's Resolutions! I'm not going to let this year's list just fade away like I have in years past. 2012 is going to be MY year!

Get healthy and get in shape. This one is all to familiar. It's been on the top of my list for 10 years now. I really need to lose about 80 pounds, so the plan is to begin eating healthy and begin an exercise program which includes training for my first full marathon. For more details, check out my training blog.

Declare my independence. Exactly one year ago, I moved back into my parent's house after college. I've been working since then, but I just have not made enough to fully move out on my own. That is going to change this year. I am going to start a new job and my goal is to be moving out on my own by my birthday, which is April 18th. That's enough time find, save for and secure an apartment and furnish it, assuming I get a new job fairly quickly.

Declare my financial independence. Along with moving out and starting my own life, I would like to begin paying down my debt. I don't owe much, but it's small and manageable enough at this point that I could get my debt paid down in the next few years if I began working toward it now.

Get out and see the world and live life. In 2011, I did a lot of just sitting around doing nothing. I don't know what my deal was, but I didn't really do anything. I really just sat around on the couch moping a lot. In 2012, I will not be doing that. I'm going to start venturing out and seeing the world.

Commit to writing more. I really do enjoy writing, but I've let myself get lax in it. So this year, I'd like to start writing more on my blogs. That's why I have them, so why not use them?

Commit to reading more. This year, I'd like to begin reading one or two books every month. It's totally doable, I just don't do it for some reason.

My Thoughts on "Melancholia"

This was by far, one of the absolute worst films I have ever seen. I mean, I know it's an independent film, but I thought that since there are some pretty big actors involved, the movie might would be pretty good. Well I was certainly wrong.

Basically, the movie is about the end of the world and follows the story of a family while a rouge planet named Melancholia is on a collision course with Earth. The movie starts off with some random still shots of the actors as the planet is colliding with Earth, as we will later find out is the films ending. This segment should have been my first clue. Any movie that begins with over ten minutes of dark (albeit, beautiful) still shots set to incredibly depressing music is probably not going to be any good.

After the opening sequence, the story begins at the wedding of the main character (Kirsten Dunst). She begins doing some very strange things during the wedding. This girl is clearly disturbed, but what irritated me the most is that they never say what is wrong with her or why she is doing the things that she is doing. There is absolutely no reason given or any hints to what is going on. And that is pretty much the entire movie. Total confusion and no real story line. Basically, you're just watching this nutbag woman do crazy stuff, while her family talks to her until a planet kills everything. I tell you... by the end of this movie, I was praying for a planet to crash into me and take me out of my misery!

This movie sucked so bad that I'm going to give it ZERO stars!

My Thoughts on "Real Steel"

To be honest, I was not really sure what to make of this movie before I went to see it. I had heard very little about it and all I really knew about it was that Hugh Jackman was the star and that it was about robots. It really wasn't one of the films that I wanted to get out and see, so I had put it out of my mind. Then Sunday rolls around and I was bored, so I decided to go to the movie theater and Real Steel was really the only choice. Though I had low expectations for this movie, I figured I may as well give it a shot.

The film is set in the not so distant future where the sport of the time is Robot Boxing (think the old Comedy Central television show Battlebots). Hugh Jackman is a down on his luck robot fighter who ends up having to take care of his long lost son for a summer. To occupy him, Jackman brings him along on his robot fights. Then one night, the kid finds an older model robot, salvages it, turns it into a fighter and ultimately enrolls it into some fights.

I'm glad I went to see this movie. It has a great story behind it with a perfect blend of comedy and drama. There are also some pretty cool special effects. I'd highly recommend this film to families, especially families with young boys. I think I'm going to give this film 5 stars.

Free Coffee for a Coffee Fiend

Look what Aunt De'Dee brought to me at work today! Cups Coffee!

Anyone who knows me knows that there are three beverages in this world that I cannot live without. Coffee is number one on that list! I love coffee. Throughout the work day, it keeps me going and God help you if I don't have it.

So kudos and love to my wonderful Aunt De'Dee for making my day!

My Thoughts on "The Adjustment Bureau"

It's been a while since I rambled along on the blog, so I thought I'd write up a review of The Adjustment Bureau.

Over the weekend, I rented this movie from the local RedBox. I kind of wanted to see it, but it was not one of those movies that I just had to rush out to see. Since this was pretty much the only choice I had, I chose it.

The film is about an up and coming politician who is at the top of his game who meets the woman of his dreams. The catch is that they were never supposed to meet in the first place. When they met, they altered "the Chairman's" plan, which could have dire consequences if things continue. So, "caseworkers" from the Adjustment Bureau are sent to ensure that Matt Damon's character will never be able to find her. He becomes obsessed with her and continues to search for her, only to be met with further resistance from the caseworkers, who in reasoning with him, offer him a choice: Forget about the girl and stick to "the Plan" which leads to better and brighter things, or continue to pursue her and destroy not only his future, but hers as well.

I really liked The Adjustment Bureau. I wouldn't say that it's a must see, but if you have a couple of hours to spare, it's worth watching. There is a good plot to the film and some pretty decent special effects. There is a decent plot behind the movie and it gets you thinking. I think I would give this one 4 stars.