Review - The Accountant 2 - Prime

Movie Poster Available on Amazon

Darling Hubby and I watched The Accountant 2 on Amazon Prime this past weekend. Actually, we were exhausted from moving boxes into storage and needed a break.

This sequel to Ben Affleck's first outing as The Accountant, a different kind of movie about a character usually described as an autistic savant.

In this case, the character is the hero of the story, not a quirky secondary character. 

By the way, if you like movie posters for your media room, Amazon has 3 or 4  with different designs, but they seem to be selling really fast. There were only 2 left of the design shown at left.

I have to admit that the sequel was as good as the first movie.  I'm not surprised that there is already The Accountant 3 in the works.

MY 2¢ REVIEW

The relationship between Chris Wolf aka The Accountant (Afleck) and his brother Brax (Jon Bernthal) is part of the glue that holds this story together and gives it an emotional underpinning.

Brax, is the brash, violent, lollipop sucking sociopath introduced in the first movie. His character is a cynical, oddly vulnerable, and funny killer for hire. Chris Wolf may be autistic and unable to "feel" the way others do, but Brax is also emotionally stunted. All of that aside, the characters are appealing if not likable. By that I mean, you probably wouldn't want either of them to come to Sunday dinner.

The movie is action-packed, well-plotted, with an interesting story that makes sense. The characters are  believably motivated, and the movie is often funny with quite a bit of buddy humor and oddball weirdness.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

All in all, it's a smart entertaining movie that you'll probably watch more than once. Well done, Mr. Aflect and Mr. Bernthal. I'm looking forward to The Accountant 3.

Joan participates in Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed  to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

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Monday Magic - Free App - Choose Paint Colors

Today's free app is a little something different. It's about choosing paint colors.

Why this app? Because as I write this post, the interior of my house is being painted.

Having the interior of a home painted is like having all new flooring installed in a house—both are as stressful as moving because you have to deconstruct your house to make it happen.

We've spent an entire week removing everything from bookshelves, cabinets, etc. so the furniture could be moved to allow the painters access to the walls and packing up a zillion books, the contents of a china cabinet, and all of the stuff stored in the furniture that was to be moved away from the walls.

PAINT COLOR DECISIONS

Deconstructing the house was hard but selecting a good paint color was nearly as difficult and required weeks of discussion and looking at samples. 

We finally decided on Alabaster by Sherwin Williams, a warm white that lends itself to contemporary and traditional stylings.

If you have trouble visualizing wall colors, these free apps can help you. Most of the major paint companies offer these free app which can help you visualize paint colors in your own space using photos or built-in virtual rooms. 

These can help you color match, and you can browse color palettes, and even use their  AI-powered suggestions.

Sherwin-Williams has ColorSnap Visualizer is the one I started with and found the color I wanted. Their app allows you to upload photos of your rooms or use pre-loaded images to test their colors. 

You can color match from inspiration photos or even physical items like fabrics. The app has tools to help adjust color selection and create color palettes. 

If you prefer BEHR, try their ColorSmart which is supposed to help you match existing colors, explore their color library, and visualize colors in your space using photos. It also offers project planning tools and inspiration. 

If you're a Home Depot fan, they too have an app called Project Color. The app features advanced color matching technology according to the website and allows you to capture a color and find the closest match from Home Depot's paint selection. 

MANIC MONDAY INDEED

I'm trying to fnish a book! I want this to be over so it's quiet enough that I can think!

I have just enough space to walk from my office door to my chair in front of the computer. I dare not enter in the dark lest I kick over some Japanese porcelains and crystal vases on the floor—not to mention the 1950s ceramic duck TV lamp that belonged to Darling Hubby's grandmother. 

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I'm praying this will all be finished by Friday.

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Monday Magic Free App - Video Editor

If you're just getting into video editing, there are now several video editing apps offered online.

Most people who start making videos use the app that comes with Windows, but it's very limited. Now, Microsoft slides you over to ClipChamp which they purchased a couple of years ago.

ClipChamp offers more features, but it's still not that great. Also, if you download your video to post it online, Microsoft brands it unless you sign up for their paid service at $12.00 a month.

Why do that when there are many video editing free apps like Shortcut? This video editing app is a  completely free and open-source video editing software. You don't need to pay a license fee and there are no hidden costs. 

Download from the official website to use on Windows, macOS, and Linux at zero costs. It's rated as beginner friendly. This truly is something a beginner can master unlike some so-called beginner video editing apps I've tried.

WHAT SHORTCUT CAN DO

Shortcut offers a plethora of features. Here are only a few:

1. Format Support for a variety of audio, video, and image formats, including MP4, AVI, and MOV. 

2. Multiple Track Editing allows users to layer audio, video, and effects. 

3. Timeline Editing lets users cut, trim, and arrange clips. 

4. Filters and Effects are available for video and audio to use for creative editing like blurring, color correction, and transitions. 

5. Intuitive Interface that's user-friendly with dockable panels to make learning and use easier. 

6. Capture content from screens, webcams, and network streams. 

7. 4K resolution support.

8. Professional looking transtions. 

Seriously, the list of features goes on and on.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Free, easy to use, and customizable. My advice is to download it and try. Use the basic features and get comfortable. Then move to more sophisticated features. Shortcut can do it all.

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Saturday Share Recipe - Lemon Dessert Sauce

Lemon is my favorite taste sensation in a dessert. Yes, I deserted chocolate and embraced this aromatic citrus flavor.

Everyone knows how to make chocolate sauce, but not many have a lemon sauce in the recipe box.

The remarkable thing about lemons is that they lend flavor to everything from main dishes to desserts.

Today's recipe is a sauce that you'll want to make and keep in the fridge. It's absolutely fabulous.

Even better, it can be made in a matter of minutes if you juice a large lemon in advance.

LEMON DESSERT SAUCE

This recipe makes 1 cup of lemon sauce that's delicious poured over pound cake, strawberries, ice cream, of frozen yogurt.

Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar (the organic kind I usually buy won't work)

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup boiling water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (the bottled stuff won't work)

2 tablespoons butter (must add pinch of salt if using unsalted butter)

grated rind of 1 lemon

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, mix sugar and corn starch. Stir in the boiling water and the lemon juice.

2. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly so it does not scorch. Boil for 3 minutes until the mixture is clear rather than cloudy. It should be thick at this point.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Add salt at this point if you used unsalted butter.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Actually, this is delicious on a crusty piece of toasted, buttered bread too!

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On the Road Again

Today's trip is to Louisiana to visit my older brother on his birthday.

In Texas, we're accustomed to road trips. Road trips require planning.

Darling Hubby takes care of checking tires, engine, and filling the tank.

I take care of the other important things: tunes and road snacks.

It's like Jenn McKinlay said, “Road trips required a couple of things: a well-balanced diet of caffeine, salt and sugar and an excellent selection of tunes....”

Each time we make this trip, we take a slightly different route. We try to avoid freeways and take the less-traveled roads. I even like detours because you never know what you may find on an unplanned road.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Road trips are infintely surprising. “The open road is a beckoning, a strangeness, a place where a man [or woman] can lose himself oneself.” – William Least Heat-Moon

Monday Magic - Free App for Screenshots

Looking for a better screenshot tool? Flameshot, a free open-source, cross-platform tool to take screenshots with many built-in features, is it. 

Flameshot, for Windows, macOS, and Linux, will save you time.

However, it is crucial to ensure you download Flameshot from a reputable source, like the official Flameshot website.

CAUTION IN DOWNLOADING APPS

Always download an app from the app's official website and keep the app updated from the official website. Like many apps, if you download from a website other than the official website, i.e. Flameshot.org, you run the risk of getting something that may contain a file infected with malicious code. 

Having said that, let me tell you about some of the main benefits of Flameshot.

1. Highly customizable

Set it up the way you want: interface color, button selection, keyboard shortcuts, how images are saved, and more with Flameshot's accessible configuration dialog.

2. In-app screenshot editing

Add an arrow mark, highlight text, blur or pixelate a section, add text, draw something, add a  rectangular/circular shaped border, add a counter number, add a solid color box —all using Flameshot's built-in editing tools.

3. Simple and intuitive to use

Using Flameshot is simple. Launch it, drag the selection box to cover the area you want to capture, make annotations as needed on-screen, save the shot to your computer. All simple and easy with the interface.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

This is easy to use, easy to customize, and free—three of my favorite things. Visit Flameshot today.

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Why Is June The Wedding Month?

Ah, June, when summer eases into our frazzled lives. Somehow, it feels just right to be a little lazy in the summer.

Here are a few facts about this first month of summer when we love to kick back and enjoy those long summer days and nights.

JUNE FUN FACTS

1. This month has 3 birthstones: pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone.

2. The flowers that symbolizes this month are roses and honeysuckle—both highly aromatic. 

When I grew up, we didn't have central air conditioning. In fact, hardly anyone did in our small town. We had attic fans that would draw in the cool night air through open windows.

Yes, small towns felt so safe back then that everyone slept with windows open. The air was perfumed by roses, honeysuckle, and night-blooming jasmine. Oh, my but it smelled wonderful.

3. June was the traditional month of weddings because colleges and schools were out for the summer. 

Those of marriage age and intention would pick June for their weddings. 

Historically, June was named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth, so the tradition of weddings in that month started long ago.

4. June is of course the month of the summer solstice with the longest day of the year and the shortest night.

5. In 1986, the rose, flower for June, was named as the official floral emblem of the United States. The Whitehouse's famous Rose Garden dates back to John Adam’s presidency.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

This is a month to be happy and carefree so try to achieve that. After all, attitude is everything! Happy June.

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