Pickles Aplenty
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Posts posted by Pickles Aplenty
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I really need to reread the books and read the between the lines. I'm starting to wonder if I should recommend the books to kids. As a kid, I adored Laura and my favourite bits about the book were about her just being free and happy which she wasn't for most of it.
I love hearing about the nitty-gritty now, but this stuff flew over my head as a kid, and I'm sure it still flies over kids' heads. I think they're still "safe".
I don't know but for Almanzo, I honestly think the parents were too indulgent...yes, they made him do farm work, but think of all the times they said he could skip school in Farmer Boy---it's astounding. He grew up bad at math and couldn't understand contracts he signed.
I was thinking about this today (why, no, I don't have a life), and having just read the chapter in Farmer Boy where Mother and Father Wilder leave the kids for a week, I'm inclined to agree with you. So, they tell the kids not to eat all the sugar and keep up with the chores, and what's the first thing the kids do? Wipe out the sugar barrel making cakes and ice cream, and what-not. Well, that's pretty normal behavior for little kids, but when the parents come back, Alice comes clean about not eating all of the sugar because there's some left at the very bottom of the barrel, and Mother Wilder hugs her and laughs and says that's all right. I can't help but think of what Ma would do if Laura and Mary did something similar, and I don't believe she would be so forgiving/lenient. Of course, the Wilders had more food than the Ingalls ever saw in their lives, so maybe I'm thinking too much. Still, she told the kids not to do something, they went and did it, and they didn't get punished, so, yeah. I can see your point. :P
I think it's funny that when Pa goes to file on a DeSmet homestead claim, he tells how the line is so long the first day that he can't get in. And the next morning there are people ahead of him already, and he gets in because "Mr. Edwards" fights two men so Charles can slip the door.
Oh, shit...I forgot about this. The more I read this thread, the more I'm convinced Pa was just a sneaky, deadbeat asshole.
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I just finished The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure. I had no idea that a woman wanted to adopt Laura in Burr Oak, Iowa, and tried to negotiate with Ma when Laura was standing right there. Then Ma just smiles and declines by saying she can't do without Laura. I know people did these kinds of things back then (the scene where the neighbors ask Laura and Manly if they can have newborn Rose comes to mind), but sweet lord, that has to do a number on your psyche.
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My unpopular opinion is that I think Jennifer Aniston is entertaining and pretty. I like her.
Same here. I think she's ok and I don't feel sorry for her because of her marriage history. I don't care about that stuff. I thought she was funny in Horrible Bosses and We're the Millers. I know that movie is not everyone's cup of tea, but I loved that movie .
I like We're the Millers, too, but I think JA was at her best in Office Space and Wanderlust. I love those movies.
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Thanks. I looked up Ghost In the Little House, but they don't seem to have a Kindle edition. I put it on my wishlist, though. :)
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Well, maybe that explains why Caroline abhorred drinking.
Where did you get all this information? Do you recommend any biographies?
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The number of stupid decisions within this family is astounding. Why were they so risky with their money?
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What drew Caroline to Charles, anyway? It sounds like he was a rough, morally ambiguous person, and Caroline came from a good family (or at least a better one than Charles'.) She didn't seem to like moving, but Charles hauled her and the kids all over the country for a "fresh start", like, fifty times. Maybe it was an opposites attract sort of thing, but I just don't get it.
Reading more about Bastard Real Life Pa makes me appreciate James Wilder more. By contrast, James seemed to know what he was doing and didn't uproot his family a million times. He was successful in Malone and had the respect of the townspeople. But, maybe he was an idiot in his own way, and I just don't know about it yet.
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My unpopular opinion is that I think Jennifer Aniston is entertaining and pretty. I like her.
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I'm the opposite- I love digging and finding out what these people were really like. I still love fictional Pa, but hearing that real life Pa was a king-sized loser is fascinating to me. I think it's because these characters were so saintly in the books and TV series, it's nice to hear they had flaws, just like any human being.
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Really? I thought Laura was 4'11", not 4'8". Damn, that's tiny.
Anyway, I'm simultaneously re-reading Farmer Boy and Wendy McClure's The Wilder Life, which is interesting. This thread has made me interested in the series again, and I want to know more about what really happened, as opposed to what the books say.
Question: How do you pronounce Almanzo's name? I've heard it was al-MAN-zo, but some people say al-MON-zo. Which is it?
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How about when they leave "Indian country" because the soldiers are coming to throw them out and Pa storms into the house in a snit and insists on leaving the next day, and how the plow is left in the field because they "didn't have room in the wagon"? Researchers say the Ingalls homestead was not on Indian or government restricted land; some miles from it in fact. And hundreds of thousands of settlers took plows, Pa did when they left other places. So...why? All I know is they bought all that stuff on credit. And he decided they had to leave right away...
I'm thinking scenes like this were Rose Wilder Lane's contribution. I've been reading about her, and her politics really influenced the LH books, to the point where people considered them propaganda. Any time Pa throws an anti-government tantrum and bails, I wonder if it really happened, or if Ayn Rand's BFF came up with it on her own.
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For breakfast Ma made biscuits or potatoes or toasted bread. For lunch it was potatoes and salt, and maybe for dessert, a plate of tomatoes with sugar. For supper, surprise! It's potatoes and biscuits and for dessert, more biscuits maybe with Ma's preserves or salt pork grease.No wonder Carrie and Grace and Mary had diabetes. Laura was lucky to marry young and get the hell out of there.
Okay, this cracked me up. :)
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My theory: People think 50 Shades is romantic because Ana has this handsome, handsome man- did I tell you he's handsome?- take care of her and buy her things so she doesn't have to worry about anything at all. I think it appeals to people who have busy lives or might be living paycheck to paycheck. I don't think it's a coincidence that Christian Grey, a man so rich he practically shits money and owns ALL THE THINGS, became popular at a time when people aren't doing so well financially. So, yeah, people mistake fantasy for romance. Happens all the time.
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Cannot stand Breakfast Club. I was smack dab in my teens when it came out, but still thought they were all a bunch of whiners blaming their bad behavior on their parents. I was disgusted by the end.
I still like The Breakfast Club, but now the deep, confessional scenes just make me laugh. Recalling how you taped someone's asscheeks together is OMG, SO EMOTIONAL.
Unpopular Clooney opinion: The only time I found him attractive was in From Dusk Till Dawn. Other than that, he's looked like an old man to me.
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I like The Critic, but it's so dated now I have to remind myself of a lot of references when I watch the DVD's. I have the same problem with Family Guy reruns, even ones that aired just a few years ago. One of the reasons I love Futurama and early seasons of The Simpsons so much is because they're timeless.
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Sex and the City: I hated that Carrie and Big ended up together.
I really hope this isn't unpopular. That ending was so sappy, ooey-gooey, happily-ever-after princess, it made me want to vomit, and this is coming from a die-hard romantic. I would have preferred the ending from the book: "Mr. Big is happily married. Carrie is happily single."
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The Cosby Show - When Olivia and Pam joined the series is when this show jumped. The show was running on fumes once they joined.
I couldn't stand Olivia, but I liked Pam. In fact, I think I liked Pam more than Vanessa and Sondra.
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I'm not Will Ferrell's biggest fan, but I will take a thousand Will Ferrell movies over one Adam Sandler movie (The Wedding Singer excluded.) Sandler makes fun of other people while Ferrell tends to make fun of himself.
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I still maintain the UO that Robbie from The Wedding Singer is the poster boy for Nice Guy Syndrome, and that Julia will be absolutely miserable with him.
It's been a while since I've seen the movie, but I don't recall Robbie pressuring Julia to be with him or whining the way NGS sufferers often do. There was the scene where he accuses Julia of being with Glen because he was rich, but that's the only thing I can think of...otherwise, he seems even-keeled about most things, and is just talking to her and getting to know her. I don't see NGS, but again, it's been a while since I've seen it.
Addressing other topics: I like Tina Fey, but I think Amy Poehler is completely devoid of charm. It sucks that they insist on doing everything together, because I think Tina is the truly talented one, and that Amy weighs her down. I enjoy some episodes of Family Guy and Seth McFarlane doesn't really bother me, but I agree that the overall tone of the show is lazy and mean-spirited. That's why I stopped watching a few years ago.
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The "moider" scene from Heavenly Creatures. Horrifying.
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David E. Kelley is a hack.
Every episode of every one of his shows that I've seen followed the same trite formula. A manic character does something manic, a quirky character does something quirky, several bland characters react to the manic quirkiness, and the main character, who's smarter than everyone else in the room, gives a huge, overwrought speech in the final act that either wins the big case, lands the big account, or solves everyone's problem.
Occasionally, the manic or quirky character is entertaining enough to get me through a few episodes, but that's as much to do with the acting as the writing, and I'm always driven away by that final-act speech.
I'm not ashamed to admit that John Cage was the only reason I kept watching Ally McBeal. For me, he qualified as one of those quirky characters who was entertaining/sympathetic enough to keep me watching.
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I never got the appeal of Florence Henderson, and I always thought Shirley Jones was the better 70's TV mom. Henderson sounds like a self-righteous pill IRL, but Jones seems charming. Plus, Jones was much prettier and far more talented, what with being an Oscar winner, and all. Henderson sucks in comparison. Feels good to get that off my chest.
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Mike Stoklasa of Red Letter Media recently described Johnny Depp as a great performer, not a great actor, and I have to agree with him. I have always tried to pinpoint what it was about Johnny Depp that didn't quite work for me, but that's it. Weird roles do not always equal "meaty" ones, and I think that's where JD really flails as an actor.
I enjoy Marilyn Monroe, but I totally understand why other people wouldn't. She's basically a representation of everything that was wrong with gender roles at that time, and it can be uncomfortable to watch. I have always liked Audrey Hepburn, and I think the fact that she wasn't drop-dead gorgeous was part of her appeal. She was gamine and doe-eyed and slightly gawky, and she really stood out among the sea of, well, Marilyn Monroes at that time. Also, I think she was a great actress. The one I can't muster any love for is Julie Andrews. She's not a very memorable presence to me, TBH. She's squeaky clean and charming, I guess, but mostly she just annoys me. I can't bring myself to finish either Mary Poppins or The Sound of Music because of her. She grates.
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Was Hello Ladies ever intended to go to a second series though? I know a lot of UK show just do like 6 or 8 and that's that.
Well, I read that HBO had cancelled the show, so I figured they had intended to make a second season (or a second series, if that's what they say in the UK.) Kind of bums me out, because while I thought a lot of it was a rehash of the humiliation humor from The Office and Extras, I still enjoyed it a great deal. Stephen Merchant's adorable/unique presence made it work, IMO. Love him.
I'm also sad that Family Tree was cancelled, because I liked that show, too. Oh, well.
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Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" Series
in Books
I'm in favor of a re-read. I just started doing that myself, and I'm up to On the Banks of Plum Creek, but I can snark along with everyone else.