I stumbled over this movie at the library and watched half of it yesterday and half today, all if it reading the closed captioning being that the movie was filmed in Japan. It is the charming, triumphant story of a bunch of shy coal-miners daughters who decide to learn to hula dance in an effort to earn money while the coal mine that employs their parents begins to let people go. The plan is that the Hula Girls will eventually perform at the brand-new Joban Hawaiian Center in northeastern Japan, a place where it’s always warm.

I found it funny, heartwarming, touching, and very uplifting. And the hula performance at the very end was very, very impressive. So…if you can deal with subtitles, I highly recommend it. The cinematography is beautiful. And I love the movie poster. There’s also a bonus feature of interest: How to be a Hula Dancer. I have to admit, I didn’t watch it. Maybe if I could practice in one of those outfits…

Oh! And I forgot to mention…this is based on a true story.

I finally got around to doing my Christmas returns at the mall yesterday, and as I was making the rounds, I noticed a new cart had made an appearance. It was dedicated to ‘Eyebrow Shaping’, and I couldn’t help but do a double, triple, and then quadruple-take. The sign showed pairs of eyebrows displayed in Before (relatively normal) and After (oddly geometric) shapes. But that wasn’t even close to the most interesting part. There was actually a woman getting her eyebrows shaped!! She was a rather large women, sitting completely reclined in a barber’s type chair IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MALL! As she sat there, the lady that worked at the cart was using what appeared to be dental floss to nudge and prod her brows into submission. I didn’t stop to gawk, but I have to admit, my pace slowed in curiosity. I wasn’t the only one either. Two other people who didn’t appear to know the woman getting ‘shaped’ had also stopped and were taking in the Eyebrow Shaping Show.

This just seems odd to me. We already have the massage guys and the guys that want to rub you with lotion or put a daddy-longlegs-looking contraption on your head. What’s next? Getting waxed at the mall? I envision serious rubber-necking problems.

Okay. I think I’ve put it off long enough…I need to consolidate my resolutions so that I can start working towards them. Somewhat oddly, writing doesn’t feature prominantly in this year’s resolutions–probably because I’m still so confused about how I want to proceed. This year’s list is more domestically-oriented.

1. Make my own pickles from scratch. I already have a recipe I want to try for Sweet and Spicy Pickles. I am a BIG fan of the bread & butter pickle but thought it would be nice to have a little kick. I have no idea what inspired my desire for homemade pickles.

2. My family’s dinner repetoire has stagnated. I resolve to try at least two new dinner recipes every month and, hopefully, add them to our monthly/bimonthly mix.

3. I want to get my TBR stack under control. Other than my B&N gift card (and Amazon’s free shipping incentive), I’m going to try very hard not to buy any more books until I tackle the ones I have. To that end, I’m going to start carrying a little journal to make note of books I’d like to read sometime in the future.

4. I’d like to take a Girls-Only trip (I already have one planned for April).

5. I plan to decide the fate of my recently finished novel by March.

6. I vow to refocus my efforts on reserving time for pilates.

7. I intend to decide where I want to go with my writing, whether that means a change in plot, a change in genre, or a change in focus.

8. I’m considering giving knitting a try–I covet some Jane Brocket style socks.

9. I hope to re-landscape our flowerbeds to be less prickly and more inviting.

10. I’d like to spend more time outside, grilling, biking, playing, and just enjoying.

So that’s it for me…an easy year. Or at least I hope so.