According to the Book of Esther, Queen Esther foils the plot and subsequently, through her cousin/foster father, Mordecai, saves the Persian Jews from the decree to annihilate the Jews and allows them the right to defend themselves during an attack. I didn't realize there was a festival that commemorated this event until I saw the movie.

The movie was a little cheesy, but it had wonderful costumes, beautiful looking scenery (both human and backdrop), and several recognizable character actors (Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole, John Rhys-Davies). It wasn't preachy in any way (in fact it felt like they glossed over the religious aspect a little - strange considering religious affiliation plays a large role in this story). It was also a little confusing in regards to backstory (why did the King hate the Jews) if you don't recall the details of the Book of Esther. Overall, though, I enjoyed the movie and would recommend it. I'm actually considering looking into purchasing a copy for my collection.  Here's a trailer of the movie: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3566862617/

I went and saw "The Ugly Truth" with my sisters this afternoon. It's a cute, yet predictable, movie. I enjoyed it though. Pretty cast, some funny parts, and a great soundtrack. I really enjoyed the music in the movie. The dance scene near the end of the movie had music that made me want to dance along. That was a wonderful scene. And the end credit song had us dancing down the aisle as we left the theater.

I've enjoyed seeing Katherine Heigel in the movies. The only thing I didn't like about the movie was the camera work. I think some of the close ups were way too close for comfort and a bit distracting. Then, there's a scene in the hotel hallway that looked out of proportion - like they changed the size of the lens and changed the light filter while they were at it. I don't think this movie will be a big money maker - the theater we were in wasn't even half-full. The movie will probaby do better in DVD rentals/sales.

Afterwards, we had dinner at Chen's Noodle House. I'd read some good reviews about the place, and I've been wanting to try it. The owner makes handcut noodles fresh each day for the dishes on their small menu.

We each tried a different dish. I thought the stir fry noodle dish was so-so as well as the lamb noodle soup.

However, I enjoyed the black bean noodle dish I ordered. I think it's because I like the spaghetti like noodles that were in that dish versus the flat noodles in the other two dishes. I also like a lot of gravy on my entrees, and this was just right - and more flavorful.

We stopped by Cupprimo, a coffee and cupcake shop nearby, for dessert. We shared a strawberry cupcake and a peanut butter chocolate cupcake. Both buttercream topped cupcakes were great choices and a delicious end to our night.

However, my evening didn't end there. I returned home only to realize I couldn't find my housekeys. They weren't in my purse where I usually put them. I dumped out my purse looking for them. Got out of the car and felt under the seats in case they had dropped out of my purse. I even looked in the trunk because I had grabbed my sweater out of there for the movie theater. I ended up calling the theater thinking that the keys must have fallen out while I was in the theater. No luck. I finally called my sister to see if I could swing by and pick up her set of keys to my house. As I was driving I was trying to think of where I could have lost my keys. The restaurant and coffee shop had already closed so I couldn't call them to check to see if they had found a set of keys.

I continued feeling around the car for the keys as I drove to my sister's house. I opened the center console just to check and not expecting anything, but they were there! I don't remember putting the keys in there or why I would have opened the center console in the first place - I rarely use it. Isn't it typical? Keys are always in the last place you'd think to look.

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