Fantasy Football Team 2

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Team Name: Tight End Kicker


Players:

1. Kyle Orton, QB, Denver Broncos
2. Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams
3. Mark Sanchez, QB, New York Jets
4. Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints
5. Knowshon Moreno, RB, Denver Broncos
6. Tim Hightower, RB, Washington Redskins
7. Mike Sims-Walker, WR, St. Louis Rams
8. Johnny Knox, WR, Chicago Bears
9. Danny Woodhead, RB, New England Patriots
10. Greg Jennings, WR, Green Bay Packers
11. Miles Austin, WR, Dallas Cowboys
12. Michael Bush, RB, Oakland Raiders
13. Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, Minnesota Vikings
14. Tony Gonzalez, TE, Atlanta Falcons
15. Altanta Falcons, Defense/Special Teams
16. DeAngelo Hall, Independent Defensive Player, Washington Redskins
17. David Akers, K, San Francisco 49er

Each week we start:

• 1 QB
• 2 WR
• 2 RB
• 1 TE
• 1 WR/RB
• 1 K
• 1 Defense
• 1 Independent Defensive Player

The Help: Fiction vs. Film

Synopsis


Welcome to Jackson, Mississippi; it's the1960s, during one of the most tumultuous time periods in American history. Meet Miss Skeeter, a white Southern woman, who decides to collaborate with black maids to change the way things are in Jackson between the maids and the white families for which they work.


Fiction


So much for individuality; I like every woman in the United States, just finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. If you know me, you know I hate to be left out. 


First off, for those of you who haven't gotten around to reading it, it's a very looooong novel. It was very entertaining; it kept my attention and I was always wondering what was going to happen next. I really liked the character of Miss Skeeter because she reminded me of myself with her aspirations of being a novelist/journalist and her having to move back into her mother's house at the age of 23 because she hadn't found a husband at college or a post-college job. 


When I got to the end of the novel, there were certain characters about whom I wondered  what would happen to them after the novel ended. I don't know if it's enough suspense to warrant a sequel but I was left feeling a little unsatisfied since I wouldn't know what happened next to them.


Also, when I finished the novel, I was a little disappointed. To me, the novel did not read as a social criticism like I thought it was supposed to. I think Uncle Tom's Cabin said a lot more about social and racial inequality. The Help reads more like entertainment. 


I also wasn't really a fan of the part the author included about her childhood maid. It seemed as  if she took that one experience and based an entire novel that included stories from more than a dozen fictional maids off of it, which isn't enough information. It was as if she was trying to use her one experience as "research" for the novel. 


Film


Remember how I said that the novel was very long; imagine trying to put all that into a film. Even though The Help was 146 minutes long, this was not sufficient time to include everything in the novel. There were a couple of parts of the plot that I thought were important, entertaining, and very telling of the characters, and they were left out of the film. 


They also changed some of the situations in the movie, particularly the one dealing with why Skeeter's childhood maid, Constantine was not there when Skeeter returned from Ole Miss. I like the reason from the novel way more than the one in the film. 


The actresses chosen for this film were above par. The woman playing Miss Hilly (Bryce Dallas Howard) did a wonderful job; you seriously wanted to slap for her for all the racist and mean things she said and did to the maids. I like Bryce Dallas Howard and I didn't even recognize her because she was so into this role. 


I also did not recognize Emma Stone, who played Miss Skeeter. Stone was so spunky and full of energy in this film. Jessica Chastain pulled off the crazy Miss Celia well. 


Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, who played Aibileen and Minny, were perhaps the stars of the films. Davis knew how to play Aibileen in a way to evoke emotion and Spencer was quite humerous in her role as Minny. 


Also there were several scenes in the film that brought tears to my eyes toward the end. 


Conclusion

Overall, both the book and the movie were great. If I had to choose though, I'd probably pick the book over the movie, because I think you miss a lot of the depth of the characters and some important and interesting plot lines in the movie due to the lack of time and the changes they made.


Have you read or seen The Help? What did you think? What did you like? What did you not like? Please share your thoughts!  

Fantasy Football Team 2011

Team name: Tiffany Has A Tight End

Players:

1. Philip Rivers QB San Diego Chargers (Love him...he's been my QB for 3 years now)
2. Ray Rice RB Baltimore Ravens
3. Felix Jones RB Dallas Cowboys
4. Joseph Addai RB Indianapolis Colts
5. Vincent Jackson WR San Diego Chargers
6. Jeremy Maclin WR Philadelphia Eagles
7. Chris Cooley TE Washington Redskins
8. Ravens Defense/Special Teams
9. Mason Crosby K Green Bay Packers
10. Sam Bradford OB St. Louis Rams
11. Mike Sims-Walker WR St. Louis Rams
12. Knowshon Moreno RB Denver Broncos
13. Brandon Marshall WR Miami Dolphins
14. Ryan Torain RB Washingon Redskins
15. Pierre Thomas RB New Orleans Saints
16. Johnny Knox WR Chicago Bears

I came in fourth last year. I plan on winning this year! =] 


Each week we start:

• 1 QB
• 2 RB 
• 1 RB/WR
• 2 WR
• 1 TE
• 1 Defense/Special Teams
• 1 K

Fantasy Football Weekend

I am so far behind and I know it! It's been a crazy couple of weeks, but let's go back to fantasy football weekend cuz it's worth talking about!


The Highlights

• Patti, Ben, and I drive to Harrisonburg on Friday, August 19, after stops in Richmond, Caroline, and Stafford. We arrive at Jeremy's new place, which I finally got see for the first time! And the best part: Jeremy had cooked us (and Josh) dinner!

Yum! Steak and vegetables!

Fantasy draft

• Our fantasy football draft took place at Buffalo Wild Wings (as it has the last 3 years). This year I got to write all the names on the board which may have affected the thought I put into my team but I got to enjoy some wings at the same time so it was all good! Patti got the number one draft pick! 
• After fantasy football, we went to see Matt and his new place! We dragged him to the book fair against his will. Where he blamed me for making him buy too many book (too many books?! As if there is a such thing!) I bought a book about presidents! 
• Later on Saturday, I met up with Candace, one of my MCC chicas, and we caught up over some frozen yogurt! I am so glad I got to see her because I kept missing her every time I was in Northern Virginia. But since she's at JMU for grad school (lucky!) she's a little easier to pin down.
• On Saturday night, we headed over to Beau and Josh's (so weird since I'm so used to it being Beau and Jeremy's) to hang out with the boys and Jessica! We ended going to the Blue Nile to go dancing after Beau begged us. I'm glad he did because I secretly wanted to go I had a blast dancing with everyone!
• On Sunday, I went to Catholic Church with Ben and Patti in Fredricksburg, which was interesting since I hadn't been to Mass since I was like 9 years old. 
• Monday morning, Ben and Hannah (Ben's little sister, who is taller than me!) made breakfast! 
• Patti, Ben, Hannah, Jake, and I went bowling in Massaponax! I hadn't been bowling in a year and it showed. We played three games and I lost everytime. I bowled a 49, a 48, and a 48. At least I'm consistent.
• That night, Patti, Ben, and I played a board game called Sequence, which might be my new favorite game. I lost everytime though! 
• On Monday, I spent the the night at Patti's!

Special Thanks: 

• Patti, for coming to picking me up in Richmond on Friday afternoon just so I could go to fantasy football and for driving back to Ashland on Tuesday morning (wayyy early) so I could go back home!
• Ben, for driving us to Harrisonburg, the book fair, the bowling alley, buying us pizza, and for making us breakfast (yummy)!
• Ben's family, for letting me stay at their house even though four of them had just met me and for feeding me!
• Jeremy, for dinner, a place to sleep (well, one night) and for a good time as always.
• Beau and Josh, for letting us hang out at y'all's place, for dancing with me at The Blue Nile, for suggesting CiCi's Pizza for lunch, for trying on everything I asked you to in Target while we waited for CiCi's to open and for letting me stay at y'all's place!
• Jessica, for showing up unexpectedly because it wouldn't have been a complete weekend in Harrisonburg without you
• Matt, for letting us see your new place and for going with us to the book fair, even though you bought too many books.
• Candace, for picking me up from Kohl's, eating frozen yogurt with me, listening to me complain about my joblessness, and for taking me back to Jeremy's, though I didn't know quite how to get there!