Minions, LJ Idol and Voting - and My Day Off is Here

Chickie and I went to the cinema last night. This is a rarity for me - first of all, I get up at the pre-crack-of-dawn, and secondly, I'm not that much of a movie person. But, it's Minions, and I dearly adore Minions. So, we went to see the latest Gru and minion pack adventure at our theatre last night. The last movie Chickie and I went to see was Kung Fu Panda. I guess you get a sense of what I love in movies - LOL. 

Gru and his family are relocated to the suburbs for 
protection from an evil villain (of course), and they 
really don't fit into suburbia well - LOL. 

Anyway, we had a great time. I started laughing almost immediately, and didn't stop until the final credit ran and the lights came on. It's always marvelous to watch those dear minions, trying their best to do horrible and awful evil things, and ending up, through it all, just doing good. The villains were villainous, and the good guys were good guys and the family that Gru has built around himself works as a family. That is to say, sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but always with heart, soul and the best of intentions. Rather like an ideal life in so many ways. 

If you like Gru and his family, you'll 
love DM4. Our local newspaper gave 
it a poor review, but I adored it and the 
audience seemed to be laughing 
throughout. It's a joy to be laughing 
for more than an hour almost non-stop. 

I didn't realize that voting for LJ Idol would be open to anyone, so I missed a call-out to all of you to read and vote, but I'll try to remember that if voting is open for the next story. So far I think I'm still in the mix, although the numbers aren't out quite yet. Voting was only open for a very short window, and I refused to not give everyone votes for this, our first story in. As I warned in my "Green Room" post, however, I doubt I'll be that even-handed and kind again. It was our first shot from the gate in this new competition, and I didn't want to vote against anyone this round. Next round ... well, I won't be as kind. I will vote differently because it is a competition - not just for my writing skills, but also a competition all around. 

I'll try to let all of you know when the next 
session of LJ Idol voting occurs. I barely got 
my own votes in on time. It was a very 
quick turnaround. 

It's nice to be writing to a theme again, though. Those of us who write tend to get caught up in our own characters and plots, rarely putting our heads above water. Having assigned themes exercises the brain, and I do enjoy that challenge. I'll try to let you know when voting will be open again, though. Since our moderator is accepting votes from all directions, a call-out to all of my readers might well be essential to my getting to at least the half-way point in the competition. There are some wonderful authors in this group - very talented people - so I'll need whatever I can to stay in the competition. 

That said, it's time to head to the pool. It will be a glorious swim as the sun rises today and I'm totally looking forward to it. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.