JanieJones

I love baseball or softball. I was a huge Expos fan until they left 3 years ago. I lived and died with that team and I still feel sad when I think that they are gone. I'm not that skilled when it comes to playing so I play on a mixed recreational softball team once a week. Its fun, and like I said I'm not that skilled but I do pretty well cause I have a great understanding of the game. I also like hockey, not that I play, but I love the Montreal Canadiens.

actually overall its probably Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen for me in terms of songwriting but Leonard Cohen has some songs that could make those two blush. He just doesn't have the same consistent brilliance as a Springsteen or the great albums of a Dylan.

I'm not a musician but I love listening to music. I've always thought that when someone throws out the fact that they are a musician themselves and therefore that validates their opion, that it is total pretentious bullshit. For instance, I knew a multi instrumentalist who was classically trained to play the cello and majoring in music in university who's favourite bands were, Limp Bizkit, Puddle of Mudd and Good Charlotte. The only semblance of taste in her collection was Combat Rock by the Clash but that is by far their weakest effort. And no, she didn't have London Calling. Someone doesn't have to be a great musician to make great music that stands the test of time. thats like saying great writers use big vague words. Look at Johnny Cash, the Ramones, or Bob Dylan. Not a "great" musician amongst them. And great musicianship doesn't make up for poor songwriting. Just saying.

Good work, Janie. I'm always amazed why car parks at Leisure Centres always fill up from the nearest to the entrance first. "Look at me - I work out!!"...."Yea but you spent 5-10 minutes driving around the car park to get as near as possible." The Centre authorities could charge the earth for those prized parking spots and make the far away ones free. Interesting thought? IN dealing with folks who overeat or eat badly, I have a few routines I try to get them to sign up to .... Listen to your body.....(no really listen). If it says I'm hungry then eat...if in doubt have a drink of water first. Still hungry 5 mins later, then eat. Take a mouthful, savour it, chew it and swallow before taking another. Put down your knife and fork (utensils) to help with this process. When you've had enough - stop eating. Give time for the "I'm full" messages to reach brain from stomach. If you don't then you will keep eating beyond the "enough" sign and get bloated. Good food/bad food - we should ALL know abouth healthy choices, but all that fried stuff looks good and smells good!! However, try eating a fried meal wearing a blindfold - surprisingly it tastes pretty foul - but normally the visual and olfactory senses upstage taste. So, while I'm not trying to put you off your weekly Michigan hot dog and fries.....!!! a lot of the problem has to do with boredom too. Its almost the same reason why people smoke. What would people do during their breaks if they couldn't go out and smoke? Sometimes on a Sunday afternoon if I'm bored I will find myself overindulging a little. Its mostly in the mind and not in the gut. Another thing you could tell people would be to fill up on salad, but lay off covering it in salad.

yeah but define 300 excess calories, two extra candy bars per day sounds like a lot of extra fat. And how does exercise fit into all this? I work in an industrial part of the city and sometimes if I want a Michigan hot dog and some fries once a week I'll take the 20 minute walk to Lafleur's. People I work with are like "OMIGOD you walked all the way there and back?" And these people eat like that everyday and take their cars and they wonder why they are so fat. well, duh. And yeah I know the older you get the harder it is to keep the weight off, but when someone is obese as opposed to a little soft its cause they are eating way too much.

I will wager that you are under 40 years of age. Ba'al Chatzaf I am well under 40 but I think it runs in my family. My uncle is pushing 60 and has very similar eating habits but he's a karate coach (martial arts are another great way to lose weight) and he looks great. I mean its not good for his heart but he doesn't seem to pile on the weight. But then again what a lot of people don't realize or admit is that it takes a lot of overeating to get fat.

I totally agree with you Judith. I don't see either character being like that the morning after. Especially Dagny slapping Rearden. Early on in their sexual relationship, if memory serves, wasn't she all into submitting to him? kinda kills that if she starts slapping him.

who do you guys see playing Jim? I could see Kevin Spacey doing it but he too would have been better 10 years ago before he became almost of parody of great roles.

The comment about his hair was kind of a joke cause I found Rand's obsession with describing it kinda odd. If someone mentions a man having nice hair I tend to get scared cause I think of Sully in Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman. That was Thomas. Barry Pepper was also in 25th Hour and Saving Private Ryan and he was excellent in both. Lewis is not really smug or smart alecky, if you watch Band of Brothers you'll see he's quite the opposite. Ed Harris is just a bit too old at this point even though he's still very sexy. teehee.

very true. I run three times a week, not to lose weight but to get into shape. I couldn't imagine what dieting is like while doing something intense like jogging. I find I get intense cravings for really bad foods like poutine and hamburgers. I also eat a lot of steak too, when you run the fat literally just melts off you.

believe it or not I haven't seen either of them yet. I was really heavy into movies up until around 2001, then I sorta lost touch, I'm only starting to get back into them in the last 6 months. Jackie Brown was terrible, though.

yes and compare that to her relationships with Hank and Fransisco. Rand really fleshes those out, more Hank than Fransisco, though. I love that scene where they are in the restaurant and then when they are walking out Hank keeps his arms to his sides cause he doesn't want to touch the outside world. Its pretty magical. I also felt Dagny's devastation at what Fransisco had become (or seemed to have become). It would be more realistic had she jumped from Hank to Fransisco, much more human. But she loved Hank and they were having pretty damn good sex even two years in. Its also the best part of the novel and to throw that away to the smug, wooden Galt makes no sense. Especially after the intense scene where Hank finds out that Dagny banged Fransisco years ago. For me, the book crumbles after that.

yeah Lewis is in about his mid-30s I think. Honestly my first choice would be Ed Harris in his mid-40s but I just think he is too old now. I think its easier to make someone look 10 years older as opposed to 10 years younger and Lewis is more than capable of playing someone a bit older, in my opinion. The worst scenario would be Jolie as Dagny, Pitt as Galt, Ford as Rearden and Banderas as Francisco. That would be a nightmare. And honestly I'm more into the literary instead of the philosophical side of the novel so for me, it fell apart a bit after around page 600. Up to that point I couldn't put it down, I just found it so riveting, the characters, the plots and the way Rand was able to present her philosophy within this. I felt after page 600 she lost this. Plus Dagny dumping Hank kinda irked me.

I dunno, I kinda got the impression from the book that these were the most beautiful people ever. Especially Franscisco, thats why he'd be so difficult to cast.

I casted the movie in the other thread but please no Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt. And yes please to Damian Lewis as Hank Rearden.

the last movie I saw in the theatre was Grindhouse. I have never had so much fun at the movies. Just literally three hours of non stop entertainment. I preferred the second movie to the first but both were almost equal in quality. Quentin Tarantino has made two of my favourite movies, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. I finally saw Elephant a few weeks ago. It was great but it disturbed me. As I am only 7 years removed from high school and 2 from university it really hit a nerve. Just thinking of it gives me the shivers. Batman Begins as well. Not much to say, it was just boring and dull.

honestly I think Angelina Jolie would be a horrible choice to play Dagny, she just isn't a very good actress, but then again Dagny totally LOST me when she jumped from Rearden to Galt (yeah yeah, I know). Brad Pitt would also be an awful John Galt. He's unlikeable enough so having to see his smug pretty face wouldn't work. I'd more go for Barry Pepper as Galt, he might be able to convey what Rand was trying to get at but I just didn't buy. Very rugged and manly and brilliant looking, plus he's also got pretty hair like Galt. Maybe Kristin Scott Thomas as Dagny. Very beautiful, very classy, not a ho (like Jolie). I could also see someone like Cate Blanchett. She is also a great actress. For Dagny its probably also better to have a well known face but not some superstar that most of the audience has a pre-conceived notion about. Since Hank Rearden is the sexiest, most heroic and ideal man ever he has to be cast properly. If this were 30 years ago Clint Eastwood would be a no brainer. Ed Harris circa Apollo 13 would have been an excellent choice too, but both are too old for the role now. Some might say Harrison Ford but he's too wooden and too Hollywood. Honestly, I'd go with Damian Lewis. A more blond, aged Damian Lewis would be perfect. Not only does he physically resemble Rearden, he's also a great actor. After seeing Band of Brothers I could see him easily taking on a heroic ideal man part. (and whats not to like, Lewis as Rearden, standing alone surveying his mills, hands in his pockets, hair blowing in the wind. hehe gotta go cool down now). I'm convinced there's a supporting role in this for Kevin Spacey. Maybe Jim Taggart. As for Fransisco, beats the Hell out of me. I think an unknown sizzling Spanish actor, someone exotic, intense and brilliant. Anyone but Antonio Banderas. Maybe Paul Newman can be Hugh Akston. Sorry long first post. I love doing the casting for the movie version of books I'm reading.