Angelika a Kral

In Slovakia there is this series of books and films all about a woman named Angelika. I think it's French originally (Angelique et le roi), but it's a HUGE sensation that swept the nation back during the days of communism. Basically, it's a cultural experience I had yet to experience. So I decided to watch the film my friend lent to me. Translated, it's "Angelica and the King," and it's the third book/film in the series, I believe.

The following is what I depicted from dialogue and actions throughout the film (it wasn't in English)**:
-The films starts by a narrator explaining some things that have happened that set the tone for the film- war, Angelika's husband disappearing, French King is very ill/dying.
-French King dies and King Louis XIV and his very French mustache gains the throne.
-Angelika is called to the King's castle and he gives her a document
-Angelika goes somewhere (her house?) and finds a mad scientist and her husbands shirt soaked in blood
-King Louis XIV spends a lot of time wining, dining and what looks like wooing Angelika
-There's a Persian Prince who shows up and spends a lot of time eyeing Angelika
(I left the room for a spell, so there's a gap in what I actually saw)
-Angelika tries to seduce Persian Prince, then tries to stab him with a knife, then he says somethings about her husband and she drops the knife (rather dramatically) and lies face down sobbing on the bed, Persian Prince then tries to stab Angelika with her own knife
-Another random prince rushes into the room (along with his merry band of men, of course) and "saves the day" and carries Angelika out of danger into the woods.
-Angelika continues to return to the mad scientist and sob about her husband
-Random Prince comes over one night and Angelika does the only natural thing a grieving woman should do- she totally lets him take advantage of her by seducing him
-Another blond who has her eye on King Louie tries to seduce King Louis but is always failing because King Louis continues to favor Angelika
-Blond chick tries to kill Angelika by way of Angelika's servant girl placing some sort of acid powder on Angelika's bed clothes. (Angelika ends up beating servant girl with bed clothes instead and servant girl dies from her flesh being eaten away by the powder)
-Angelika stumbles upon some sort of satanic seance where a small baby is about to be sacrificed over a naked woman; seance people decide Angelika must die
-Angelika is sleeping and her husband creeps into the house and enters her room; he wants to kiss her but doesn't and walks out of the room to find the seance guy entering with a knife. They fight and tussle and husband kills seance guy. Angelika wakes up and comes into the hallway to see her husband
-Husband runs out of the house, Angelika follows in shrieking hysterics and follows him as he disappears
-Husband leaves note. Angelika reads and all of a sudden is smiling. The film ends with her dressed as a man (more pirate-looking than anything) and steering a horse-drawn carriage with a huge smile on her face and enthusiastic "Hyas!" coming out of her mouth repeatedly as she whips the horses to make them go faster.

Uh.... yeah. I'm pretty sure I have no desire to see another Angelika film. One is definitely enough for me (and I could barely stand watching it as it was).

**The film was really about this (according to IMDB.com): Angelika's second husband dies and she goes home to live with her children. But King Louis XIV has a mission for her that involves a Persian Ambassador. Later, rumors start to spread that she is the new mistress of the King [Yeah, I wonder why! They only give each other googley eyes throughout the ENTIRE film!]. As Angelika navigates politics and matters of the heart [gag me!] she uncovers a secret.

Christmas in the Fog

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone and New Year's is right around the corner. Where did December go? Where has the year gone? Honestly, it's been a very strange Christmas. It doesn't even feel like Christmas has come and gone. My brain is still humming Christmas music (okay, not too unusual for me, honestly) and anticipating the arrival of the celebratory day. I know it happened; I know I went and ate Christmas dinner with a family from my church; I know I was given gifts and gave gifts in return; I know I baked Christmas cakes and cookies for another family in my church who asked me too; I know I went through the Advent Season leading up to Christmas day; I know I received Christmas cards in the mail; and yet I don't feel like any of it actually happened. It was almost as if I was outside of myself watching everyone else celebrate the season rather than being a part of the celebration myself.

Part of it has to do with the fact that I'm ill and was finally forced to go to a doctor the day before Christmas and ended up on antibiotics and tablets, which in turn gave me the runs for three days. (More than you wanted to know, I know.) But mostly is has to do with watching my roommate who, for better or for worse, has spent the last three months over-dramatically freaking out about the loss of family, friends, traditions and food for both Thanksgiving and Christmas (this is her first time this far away from home and for this long, to give a little background); it left me with a very numb feeling of "I don't care if I celebrate another holiday again." I would have been perfectly fine to be left at home, alone, with a good book or movie, especially after four very long months of nothing but noise and people.

But alas, though I was fine with being alone, other people were determined to thwart my plans and I received three invitations for Christmas dinner. It took me a while, but I did eventually accept an invitation and enjoyed a very wonderfully hosted, Candida-diet friendly meal. In hindsight, I'm glad I wasn't alone (not for lack of preferring it) and it was a lot of fun helping cook and prepare the meal while being able to talk with my friends, learn how to properly bake and eat chestnuts, and observe their adorable infant son from a distance, not wanting to spread my Christmas "germ" cheer on the poor boy who was suffering from his own vexations of spirit being on an antibiotic administered nasally. (I can empathize with him- I'm taking the same antibiotic and it's less than pleasant sticking it down your nose!)

So as New Year's does approach (regardless of whether I feel like it should be here already or not) here's to the hope and anticipation of coming out of the fog, kicking the illness and rejoining reality posthaste!

It's one of those days...

I'm really missing the men in my family today. Their senses of humor, scowls, wit, wisdom, the bad tempers and even tempers, voice impersonations and sarcasm are things that just never leave you and becomes a part of who you are over time. In fact, I often find that I don't make a lot of sense to many Slovaks (or many Americans for that matter), but I do when I'm in the context of family. 

 Dad, Brother two and Brother one

"Evil Twin 1&2" (that's what they call each other) and The Hunter (who may as well be my brother)

Brother-in-law with the Monkey

Rano Dozor

This morning I had the duty of watching the kids who arrive at school before classes start (I get to do this every Wednesday for the month of December) and because it's early (I start at 6:30) some of the students and I decided to have a little fun before classes started.