We went this afternoon to see if it was okay for the Wolvog.  It’s a little amusing since I’ve never been a huge lover of gadgets nor Apple fan until the Wolvog started his one-sided bromance with Steve Jobs at age two.  Since then, I have not only switched to a Mac and iPhone, but I read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs and relayed the stories to the Wolvog.  Seeing the movie felt like a natural extension of feeding that beast.

To answer the question about whether I’d take the Wolvog, the answer is yes.  There is a scene with acid that could either get glossed over or explained.  There is cursing, but we’re fine with him hearing cursing in the context of art.  There are the crappy things he did such as deny paternity or screw his friends, but those lead to interesting discussions.  So all in all, okay-ish for the Wolvog.  Since he knows so much from Isaacson’s book, I think he’d be able to follow along for what I’d want him to get out of the film.

That said, I’m on the fence about how I felt about it; film-wise.  It’s very choppy; as in, enormous ideas are glossed over with a single line.  People appear and disappear with no explanation.  A lot of people who are in Isaacson’s book don’t appear at all, and others that you know played much larger roles in Apple are tucked behind the scenes.  In trying to cover too much, they covered nothing very deeply.  At times, I could watch Ashton Kutcher and forget it was Ashton Kutcher.  And other times, I looked at the screen and all I could think about were those creepy Nikon commercials that had him oogling women.

Maybe the problem with the film overall is that people are too complex to be contained in a biopic, Steve Jobs and this large cast of characters even moreso since trying to contain them also means trying to explain to an audience aspects of the computing and business world.  His friendships seemed excessively messy (at least as portrayed on film and in Isaacson’s book) as did his relationships.

Aaron Sorkin is making another movie about Steve Jobs that is focusing on three half hours that came before three launches; covering in real time three moments from three different periods of his life.  It doesn’t sound as if Sorkin’s script will solve one of the inherent problems with today’s film’s script, namely, that the other interesting people are shunted to the back of the story.  But maybe it will at least delve deeper into his personality.  Give us the “why” that Isaacson gave in his book.

And still, the best way to understand a person seems to be to read one of the numerous books.  We’ve already read Walter Isaacson’s biography.  The Wolvog just started iWoz and loves it.

So can I recommend the movie?  Not if you’re tight on money or time.  If you have $10 for a ticket and two free hours, then sure, go ahead and see it.  But keep low expectations.  I can’t say that this film blew my mind or made me realize something incredible or even moved me.  I left the theater feeling the same way I came in.

That said, I am taking the Wolvog since he idolizes Steve Jobs and loves the idea of spending two hours listening to anything regarding computers.  The movie opens the door to a lot of discussions: being a team player, respecting other people’s ideas, collaboration, respect.  So on that end, it’s worth another $20 to show him that world, reminding him that a lot of it is fiction.  That people have a tendency of being flattened once they hit the screen, whether that be a blog or a movie.  It’s an important thing to remember; that we can’t contain three-dimensional, complex human beings with words.  So be mindful of that as you read and watch your way through this world.

So a “meh” is our take on the film.

I may post a more in-depth review over at Geek Dad.

* Though I must admit that the iPhone revolutionized my life, and I feel like it takes such a weight off my mind in keeping me organized and on task.  Plus I like always having books with me.

I am well aware that our brain often processes things through our particular lens.

We were driving by a billboard that read something akin to this…

Oh, I thought, after all these signs advertising the hospital as a beacon for those suffering a heart attack or experiencing cancer,* I’m glad they’re also touching on pregnancy loss with this big billboard about D&Cs.  I wonder how many parents have had to have a conversation about D&Cs with their kids due to this sign.  Just as well since we had to explain what a “gentleman’s club” was to the twins a few miles back.  I wonder if it’s a problem; if local doctors are performing D&Cs in their offices and this hospital wants you to know “the D&C is in” their hospital.  The D&C is in Big Local Hospital.

“Don’t you think that’s progressive for this area?” I asked Josh as we drove past.  “The D&C is in Big Local Hospital.”

“Uh… Mel, that says ‘The Doc is in’.  It’s an ad for the local hospital stating ‘The Doc is in’.”

“Oh.  So that’s not a plus sign?”

Ooops.

* Considering it’s the only hospital for several hours, I’m not sure why they needed to advertise with that many billboards.  I mean, it’s not as if Farmer Bob is running his own cardiac clinic out of his barn.  We get it, Big Local Hospital.  You’re where we go if we’re sick.

It’s been a long time since I have been more on-the-fence about a book than I am about Gone Girl.  I want to read it and I don’t want to read it at the same time.  So hopefully people who have (or are not going to for some reason) read it can nudge me definitively to one side or the other.  If I’m going to start it, I want to grab it tomorrow.

Reasons why I don’t want to read it:

A few nights ago, Josh asked me to watch Broadchurch with him.  I knew nothing about it.  Early in the episode when the boy was missing, I knew this was something I didn’t want to see and passively mentioned that to Josh several times.  I sat through the end of the first episode even though it made me feel sick (especially when the mother ran across the sand).  Then I had terrible nightmares that night.  I often have nightmares, but these nightmares were worse than usual — more violent, more upsetting.  They stuck with me the whole next day.

I don’t know if that was because the person harmed was a child, or if I’d feel the same way if it were a husband.  I have never been one to watch CSI or any of the police shows.  Thinking about someone being murdered isn’t entertainment for me.

Gone Girl is about a woman who goes missing, so I’m scared that it will end up giving me nightmares and sticking with me in the worst way, coating my day.

Reasons why I want to read it:

Despite sounding as if I’m completely anti-suspense novels, I usually do enjoy mysteries or suspense novels the few times when I’ve read one.  I like trying to figure out what happened, and I’ve heard that the ending of this book provides an authentically surprising twist.

It also doesn’t sound realistic to our particular life.  I could imagine how the characters on Broadchurch felt — just a small town family who has lost their child — and the show focuses on their grief.  Whereas my understanding of Gone Girl is that this isn’t a murder case per se (it’s a missing persons case).  The characters sound completely alien from our lives, like reading about celebrities.  It sounds like a safer choice when talking about a suspense book.  I couldn’t, for instance, read The Lovely Bones.  But Nick and Amy don’t sound (from the description) like people we are or people we would know.  That gives me a lot of distance that allows me to enjoy the story.

It’s been on the bestseller list for so long that I feel a little strange avoiding it.  Similarly, I’d like to read JK Rowling’s Cuckoo’s Calling since I really loved the Casual Vacancy.  Though that’s another one that I worry whether I could handle though it sounds so far removed from my real world that perhaps I could read it without getting scared.

So, for those who have read Gone Girl (or for those who aren’t reading it and can explain why), could I handle this book?  Or hey, weigh in on Cuckoo’s Calling too if you can.

Crowdsourcing my reading list…

My cousin was checking something on her iPhone when the Wolvog walked through the room and immediately came over because he is like a moth to flame when it comes to screens.  It doesn’t matter if he is holding the very same device; he needs to see yours too.  Somehow it came up that he had set up his iPod to read aloud passages of text in Siri’s voice.  But he informed us that you don’t have to use Siri’s voice.  You could have a robotic British man or an electronic Australian woman.

“How do you do that?” we asked him.

You go under General Settings and click on Accessibility.  Turn “Speak Selection” on, then tap “Dialects.”  Under English, you can choose from the follow accents: US, Australian, British, Irish, or South African.

I like the British man, but he sounds a little uptight.  Like the sort of guy who enjoys wearing a suit.  Whereas my Australian woman — I call her Kylie — sounds like the sort of person who would be a good travelmate.  She’s fun without being flighty.  She’s a good conversationalist.  She has ideas… I mean, no, she doesn’t actually share any ideas with me since she’s a robotic voice simply reading what I highlight on the screen.  But you can just tell from her voice that there is a lot going on behind the screen.

I really love my phone.

Thanks, Mr. Jobs.

*******

Speaking of Mr. Jobs, I really want to see the new Steve Jobs biopic.  I’ve heard that I’m one of the only people in the world to say that, but I read Walter Isaacson’s biography when it came out for the Wolvog. (I would read it at night, and then tell him about it in the morning.)  And it sounds as if the movie is simply the book as a motion picture.  So… I’m going.

*******

August is halfway over!  Amazon chose Measure of Love to feature as one of the books of the month for the entirety of August.  Which is all kinds of cool, and they’re offering it as a $1.99 deal on Kindle.  I’d still love any help in getting word out there about the promotion.  And a massive thank you to everyone who has already Facebooked and tweeted.

*******

And now the blogs…

But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week.  In order to read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “This Is…” (Kmina’s Blog)
• “Trying” (Tales from the Waiting Room)
• “Mind and Heart” (Bébé Suisse)
• “The Tightrope of Life” (It Is What It Is (or Is It?))
• “What Comes” (My Lady of the Lantern)
• “When I Look at Him” (Unparalleled Love)
• “Help, My Sister Had a Baby!” (Here’s that Bad Advice You Were Hoping For)

Okay, now my choices this week.

MissConception has a deeply honest post about how the past doesn’t control her, but it has changed the person she’s become, and that extends to her role as wife.  She admits, “I feel bad about the wife I’ve been for the last couple of years. I feel like I should be ready and willing to get back to who I was, especially with finally reaching my goal of becoming a mom. Shouldn’t happiness lead to more intimacy?”  It’s about seeing the problem but not knowing how to change it.  I love that people chimed in within the comment section.  Blogging lets you know that you’re really not alone.

It Is What It Is (or Is It?) also has a post about marriage.  I was also touched by the raw honesty of this one, especially how she processes that flatness.  And follow up posts are about how blogging about it has moved her toward treating the problem.

The Misadventures of MissOhkay has a post about coming out of the blogging closet with a new site and the way she writes (hint: she is not worried about things).  She writes, “I used to blog because I really NEEDED IT. It was my therapy. I think it was better than the actual therapy I did. Now I blog because I like to blog. I am introspective. I enjoy thinking about things and hearing what you think about things.”  I just love that.

Lastly, The Great Big IF has a post about the research she is doing into various paths of family building.  As she points out, obsessions demand attention.  And her research makes her feel as if there is forward momentum, even if she knows rationally that they’re still far away from starting a donor egg cycle.  I love the end of the post, comparing it to the two ways people approach looking at real estate.

The roundup to the Roundup: My phone speaks to me in an Australian accent.  I want to see the Steve Jobs biopic.  Measure of Love is on sale (and I’d love your help continuing to get word out).  And lots of great posts to read.  So what did you find this week?  Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between August 9th and 16th) and not the blog’s main url. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week?  Read the original open thread post here.

I think we have found Truman’s carnivorous twin.  People claim that the olinguito, the new species revealed by the Smithsonian today, looks like a teddy bear.  But I say that they look like TRUMAN HARPER FORD!

Check out the picture in that link above (sorry, it’s an AP image, so I can’t embed it) and then look at my sweet Truman Harper below.

Okay, so Truman may be a touch smaller and have a different nose. But other than the fact that Truman lives in my living room and the olinguito lives in the cloud forests of Ecuador? TWINS!

I bet if we could get an olinguito as a pet, they would be best friends.  And we’d make a Disney movie about them, a feel-good romp through South America.  Just a olinguito and his nearly identical cavy friend, traversing the cloud forest, singing songs about being almost-twins.  Sign up Randy Newman.  Get Pixar on the phone.  Oh yes, this is ON.