Not a surprise
I shouldn't be surprised to see this picture taken from a web cam in Paris at 8AM EST near Quai de Seine 2.
Hopefully we have a few days there where we don't see this type of picture. Thanks, Angie for directing me to the
website with the webcams.Labels: Travel
Happy dog...
Happiness is...
Cooling your butt in the creek after chasing deer and squirrels on a mountain bike ride.
Labels: Dogs
Brief sag...
I've suddenly had a sag in my efforts to clean the hell room. I'm still working on it, and the numbers so far are slightly staggering...
4 bags & 2 large boxes of trash
6 bags of clothes to the Salvation Army
4 boxes of books, videos, and tapes to the library
Yet when I look at the room, I realize that I have HOURS of work left to do - and that's not counting the boxes of photos I have to sort through. So for now, I'm trying to at least do little bits of cleaning to keep myself going. But I'm a little discouraged and starting to lose my enthusiasm for the project. Vacation will be good, time away and a chance to come back with fresh eyes to toss this stuff.
Le Grrrr Le Grrrr
I hope
these protesters don't interfere with our seeing Paris-Roubaix and Ghent Wevelgem. Go protest somewhere else you morons.
Oh, and in response to this:
Protesters in Paris said they wanted to defend the status quo.
"We are here for our children. We are very worried about what will happen to them," said Philippe Decrulle, an Air France flight attendant. "My son is 23, and he has no job. That is normal in France."
I'd like to say, Philippe, I wouldn't hire your 23 year old punk kid either if it meant I couldn't fire his sorry butt when I caught him smoking a joint on the job.
Do they really think companies are going to randomly hire and fire for the fun of it? I know it's not as bad for the smaller companies here, but firing someone in a large company in the US is
costly. There is security that needs to be handled, and paperwork for HR to handle, and unemployment, and, and, and. The worst that happens is those sorry punk kids get some experience, and turn 26 and are worth hiring forever and ever amen. Puh-lease.
And in other news, blogging may be a bit quiet for a while we bask in the (ahem) sun of Northern France and Belgium. Hopefully we can get from CDG airport to our "gite" outside of Lille. Chris is in good shape, though, because he'll have his bike with him. I, on the other hand, will have to walk past the crowds of protestors.
#1,297,563
Wow, what a surprise, a Fred photo!
I love this picture of him, he looks so regal. This is how he looks with the winter coat in - full lions mane, and thick, luxurious fur. The funny thing is the winter coat seems to take away from his tail. Winter = ratty dog tail, Summer = thin all over coat and luxurious doggy tail.
Capote
First of all, I have to say that Philip Seymour Hoffman every bit deserved that best actor award.
Technically the movie was well shot, interesting, and worth a view. But having said all of that, I couldn't identify with or like Truman Capote. And that's sort of a deal breaker for me. Essentially he was a spineless weasel through the whole story. He got what he wanted, but it destroyed him in the end. Not the most uplifting thing to watch.
Labels: Movies
Couch Tater
I had screaming "Watch my face blow off" headache last night which has sort of lingered into today. As a result, it's been a lazy day for me while my poor hubby has to work. Sorry sweetie!
Last night I went to bed at about 8:30PM. I felt bad, since I hadn't seen my gorgeous husband all day, but I figured staring and drooling on myself probably didn't count as quality time. So I finished up "Marley & Me" by John Grogan last night while I was under the covers waiting for the aleve to kick in. Finishing the book, when I was already feeling like %#* may have been a poor choice. The overall story is of a man's life with "the world's worst dog" (hardly). It follows the 13 years of Marley's life which he shared with the first 13 years of John Grogan's marriage, the birth of his three kids, and two job changes. By turns touching, and hysterically funny, it's a quick easy read. Alas, it ends with Marley's passing, which is about the point I was at last night. It's a two kleenex box finish, and I hated that part for reminding me that Fredly won't live forever. But hopefully we have many years before we have to address that.
This morning I watched "La Femme Nikita". I know I've seen it before, but I've sort of been bingeing on movies the last few years, and I couldn't remember it. And then I watched it and wondered WHY I couldn't remember it. Fer cryin' out loud, it has Jean Reno in it, hit man extraordinaire, and one of the few "manly" Frenchmen in movies. (No, Gerard Depardieux does not make the cut). But part of it is that I was a La Femme Nikita series addict, and the Nikita in the movies is MUCH different than the Nikita in the series. The Nikita of the series was a likable runaway who was innocent of murder but is somehow turned into a killing machine. The Nikita of the movie is not very likable and about one step up from an animal. It's easy to see how movie Nikita was turned into a killing machine. I miss Peta Wilson, and I miss Roy Dupuis who is pretty doggone hot. I'm told Peta Wilson is too, but for me she just played a likeable character. The series is on our netflix list, so sometime in the next 276 movies, I'll get to see it. Anyway, back to the movie. It's awesome. Add it to the ol' netflix list, it's worth a watch.
And now I'm wrapping up the afternoon with "dirtyprettythings" starring Audrey Tautou (of Amelie fame). One of those movies that I probably would have liked more had I not just gotten through La Femme Nikita which I liked a lot. But an interesting movie nonetheless, and probably worth a gander.
joy Joy! JOY!
Wow...it's been quite the the week already - I hope my luck keeps going!
The first good news is that the cardiologist I saw yesterday says
I may not have the bad heart valve I was told I had 5 years ago. This is like being given my life back again. When I left Texas, I left behind my flag football league, volleyball, and cycling. When I arrived here I was told my ticker had a faulty valve. Not only were a lot of the athletic opportunities diminished, but now I was being told that I had a bad heart. And even though they didn't seem worried about it, and everything I read on the internet didn't sound like it was an immediate problem, well... It takes the wind out of your sales when your body turns out to be broken in a way you never imagined. So I did what any good ostrich would do, and stuck my head in the sand and willed it to go away. Finally, in my massive health clean up of the last few months I went to see a new GP who recommended a new cardiologist. But let's see, how symbolic is it that 5 years I had a broken heart, and now I don't any more?
The next bit of good news is that someone nominated me for the IT employee of the month for last month. Damned if I know why, but I'll take the honor.
And finally, I got a nice raise this year. My boss gave me props on the evaluation last month, good raise followed this month. Good timing, it hits immediately after we return from Europe.
Did I mention we leave for Europe shortly?
The hits just keep on coming!
People are pigs
I volunteer about once a month with an organization that acts as a volunteer clearinghouse. Essentially other charities tell them how many people they need, and when, and this organization posts it on a monthly calendar. Then you volunteer when you can. I love the concept, gives me a chance to do charity work without having to promise X amount of time per month. My free time is one area where I’ve become a bit commitment-phobic.
Overall, it’s been pretty cool. I’ve sent out mailers, packed science kits, did inventory for an organization that send medical supplies to third world countries, and set up for a dinner held once a month for Aids patients, among other things. All cool stuff that I never would have had the chance to help out with had I not gone through this particular organization. And most of the time, you walk away from these organizations amazed at the dedication and drive these people have for helping other people. These are people who have moved beyond complaining about the way things are, and have done something.
This weekend, though, the project sort of left me with the exact opposite feeling. This was working with one of the local community organizations. The posted request was prepping a vacant lot for becoming a parklet. Because the community was the local college area, when I arrived Sunday AM, there were 18 people there. And I was the oldest by 10-15 years.. Sigh. Anyway because there were so many, 6 people worked on the parklet (and a tiny parklet it is!) and the rest of us picked up trash in the neighborhood.
My thoughts progressed as follows: Fer cryin’ out loud people, when you have built an ENTIRE WALL out of your cigarette butts in the gutter, maybe you could, you know, sweep or something? Then I came across the pair of boxers. Underneath was the pair of women’s panties. OOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWww. Get a room! I ventured a little out of the territory on the other side of the fence to pick up a grassy area full of beer cans and debris. I did throw out the lid to the barbecue pit that sat pitless there, and retrieved a notebook from the branches of a tree. I left the random scraps of wood that were too big to haul, the sofa, and the tire. The Japanese passport I just turned over to the project leader (who had probably been out of college for like 20 minutes). I figure she probably had better ties with the police as part of the community than I did.
The good news is that because of the number of people out there, our 4 hour project took 2.5 hours – including the 20 minute walk over and 20 min back. But I was skeevy until I’d spent 10 minutes in a shower. I mean, really, people suck. Two of the guys on the project made me laugh because they were talking about our trash pick up reflecting the human vices – alcohol, cigarettes, sex… all we needed were some lottery tickets and it would be like Las Vegas. And maybe a crack pipe.
You make the call
This week we had 70 degree weather, snow, and 32 and sunny.
Mother Nature: Bitch? Tease? Indecisive Flake? Source of hope for better times?
Best News Story ever
Flying Cow Leaves Two Police Cars in FlamesSeriously - does it get any cooler than that?
Lazy Fair
This story in the Guardian makes me think my children should be packing their bags to France when it comes time to job hunt. I particularly like this:
Under current law, employers face a stringent test when they terminate contracts and risk fines, or being forced to make fixed-term contracts permanent if they fail to adequately justify the redundancy. The new contract allows employers to take on workers aged under 26 who have not worked for six months on a two-year deal.
The test for making the employee redundant during that period is less tough than under the existing law, but remains reasonably stringent, according to the Paris-based employment lawyer Florence Dupont
From what I understand from reading other articles, essentially the deal in France is, once you get a job, you can effectively never be fired. Awesome if you're the employee, but as an employer, maybe not so much. If you don't hire the right person for the job, oh well. But on the flip side, would you take the chance on an immigrant "youth" if you knew that meant you were stuck with him or her forever whether they fit your business or not? And that's why de Villepin proposed this:
Mr de Villepin proposed the idea as a way to help underprivileged youths find jobs following riots in poor urban areas across the country last October and
November. According to the OECD's latest figures, unemployment among under-25s
in France is 23%, compared with 11% in the UK, 12% in Germany and a European
Union average of 16.5%.
Talk (and laugh enviously) amongst yourselves.
A national breakdown
Funny, we were talking yesterday about…the breakdown…at natz last year. Even now it's only something we refer to peripherally, and never head on.
To back up a little, I’m not a cryer. A few sniffles here and there at a particularly touching movie or hallmark commercial, but genuine crying because of something in my life is rare. I think in 5 years of knowing me Chris has seen me cry about 5 times:
When I was in the hospital
When I was shot up with hormones (but only once!)
Chris’s Dad’s funeral
When we lost Fred overnight one time
And…
Natz 2005
I was really looking forward to Natz last year. I was looking forward to the experience, but also I was looking forward to having a day in a strange town with no demands on our time. Chris’s race schedule was awesome – Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. In addition, Sunday was our anniversary. Chris’s work schedule and training schedule, and my work schedule often conflict, so the luxury of a whole day of hanging out with my husband and seeing something besides a cross course was enticing. We could sight see! Newport has those fabulous mansions, and that wouldn't have been far away. Then we’d have a great dinner, and be up for the next day’s race. The perfect weekend!
Things started going off the rails around Thanksgiving. Between sleeping on a sleeper sofa bed at my parent’s place and Chris running a high fever the whole time, there wasn’t much sleep. Chris was really sick, so I drove part way back on Sunday, then we drove another half a day of day on Monday, and then I went into work. Work going absolutely nuts. For the whole time from Thanksgiving until I left for Natz, I didn’t have a night that I didn’t wake up around 3 AM and stare zombie like at the ceiling trying to forget the 1000 things I needed to do. In addition, we got back on Monday after Thanksgiving, then headed out for bike races that weekend. Then it was back to work on Monday, training sessions on Wed & Thurs, fly to Rhode Island for the following weekend. Because of Missing Wed-Fri of natz week, a lot of deadlines had to be met early. Then, while we were dealing with travel and work, Fred had been limping for 6 weeks for unknown reasons, despite our best efforts to do what the doc told us to do, and keep him quiet on a leash. As the pain was making him more morose even with Rimadyl, we finally decided that when we got back, he was going to have to see some sort of specialist.
So when I got to R.I., I was a little…tense.
Anyway, Friday we got to the course about 3 hours early. It was POURING. It had snowed earlier, then warmed up and it was raining. Important Lesson: Resist the temptation to use the hood part of your hoodie in the rain. It turns into a sodden weight hanging off of your neck. Even my bulky Columbia jacket was starting to get soaked through, so after a while I made my way through the disgusting weather back to the car where I planted myself until Chris showed up with similar ideas. Screw warm up, just stay warm. About 30 minutes before his race was scheduled to begin, I ventured out of the car to take his bike through the driving sleet to the pit. It sucked. But I wanted to be sure that I understood the Byzantine pit system rules that were listed in the rule book. (I found out later that it wasn’t an issue, they didn’t enforce them for non-elite races). About the time I got to the pits, 10 minutes across the fields, they cancelled the race. I stopped briefly to cheer from one of the guys from the races we attend and talk to his very brave wife. Then it was back to the car. By the time I got there in my wet clothes, my face was numb and I was shaking. Late that night, we found out that Chris’s race had been scheduled to early afternoon on Saturday.
Saturday bright and early, was at least sunny. This time Fred came with us, and I spent the pre-race prep with the usual Fred duties (Keeping Fred from approaching everyone on bike or off for lovin’, keeping Fred from killing other dogs so that he could keep all of the loving for himself, keeping Fred from dehydrating because he was marking every tree in the park, keeping Fred from getting impatient when little kids wanted to hug him around his head, and finally, loading Fred in the car for the race…). Chris headed off to the course 10 minutes before I did. I made it to the pit about 5 minutes before the start, and went to the starting line. No Chris. He should have been VERY easy to find because he registered about 20 seconds after registration opened so he could get a front row start. As time ticked by, I started grinding my teeth and could feel the blood rising in my neck, I was really worried that he’d had some freak fall or he was sick. When they announced 30 seconds to start, my husband rolled over the horizon. So as the whistle blew, he was taking off shoe covers, and his front row start, and all of the other rows as well, rolled off before he was even on the bike. Fear had turned to anger, and I just could not calm down.. When he came through on the last lap I RAN to the car with the bike, yanked Fred out, and went for a long walk. I vaguely remember seeing one of his teammate’s moms, but can’t remember what I said, or if it was even civil. I knew I was over-reacting, I knew I needed to calm down, but 20 minutes of walking Fred, while holding one of those heading bobbing talking to yourself sessions did nothing.
When I got back to the car, I was trying to be cool, calm and collected, asked “What happened?” Now my husband knows me well, and without a doubt he knew something was wrong. Unfortunately he picked the wrong answer. “Well, I realized I hadn’t really been enjoying the natz experience and stopped to talk to so and so, and then ran into so and so, and I just didn’t hear them call the racers up.”
At that point the top of my head landed 3 football fields away.
Now I know that it didn’t mean that he didn’t care about the race, he just screwed up and was probably trying to play it cool. What I heard at the time was that after everything I had invested in time, money, inconvenience, and discomfort so that he could have as comfortable, fun, and worry free race as possible, he didn’t care enough to make the start. Three weeks of stress and sleep deprivation had worn the control completely down. And that’s when the tears fell.
Chris was traumatized, and I was mortified. The only positive thing out of the whole experience is we walked around the park letting Fred chase squirrels against all doctor’s orders. And he didn’t limp again after that.
The Incredible Hulk
Today I managed to get to the weight room before everyone else, so managed to get in a furtive weight lifting session. I didn't do as much dumbbell work, but I did up my concentration curls from 8lbs to 10lbs today.
Stop laughing.
Then I did the lat pull down, and that went from 43lbs to 50lbs today. The funny thing is, I've been doing 43lbs for so long, and today I had an epiphany, complete with angel choirs and a voice from heaven. Maybe it's time I moved the weight up. Essentially I was turning into my dog and doing things one way, because that's how I've always done it. It's amazing what I can accomplish when I actually consider what I'm doing rather than following the same well worn path.
Labels: Movies
Best Blog Title ever
I like "La Coquette" which is a blog written by a young American woman who lives in Paris and works in fashion. Ya gotta love the title of this one:
"And God created blogger and blogger said 'You're here too?'"
A Meme
My Mom doesn't blog, but she tagged me with this Meme, so I'll pass it on via blog:
How well do you know me?? For instance, did you know...
Four jobs I have had in my life: (not in order)
1. Arby’s – the quintessential teenage job
2. Asheville Tourists – served beer to intoxicated people who paid an extra $1 per person to be served instead of wait in line.
3. Inside Sales for a large corporation
4. IT business analyst for a large corporation
Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Chariots of Fire – I don’t know why, it totally appeals to me.
2. 1776 - the musical that I used watch with Mom & Dad every year on my birthday
3. Lord of the Rings
4. Boundin' (Ok, I don't know if the little short on the movie "The Incredibles" counts, but Dad & I watch this about 10 times a visit)
Four places I have lived:
1. St. Louis
2. Memphis TN
3. Asheville NC
4. Houston TX
Four TV shows I love to watch:
Err… we don’t have aerial or cable tv. Drawing on memory
1. What not to wear
2. Firefly (sigh, it’s dead now)
3. The Simpsons
4. South Park (Yes, I know, my husband is appalled too)
Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Rome/Florence/Venice
2. Paris
3. London
4. Ireland
(Just figured I’d mention the glamorous stuff. I didn’t figure “Northern Georgia” would generate the same reaction)
Four websites I visit daily:
1. testosterhome.blogspot.com
2. dailymumps.com
3. cnn.com
4. http://www.theanchoressonline.com/
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Pizza
2. Chili
3. corn on the cob in the summer when it’s fresh…
4. Dr Pepper
Four places I would rather be right now: (I agree with
most of Barb's choices here.)
1. Somewhere on the Blue Ridge Parkway, hiking…if it’s warm and not raining. Bonus points if the Azaleas are in bloom.
2. Eating Mexican food at Taco Loco with my husband
3. Hanging out with Mom & Dad
4. Bike riding with my brother (or egging him on to more cyclocross racing - mwah-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa)
Four friends who have been tagged that I think will
respond:
1. Angie
2. Tammie
3. Nikki
4. Carrie
I've been tagged. so here it goes...delete my answers, replace with your own and send it back to me and on to other friends.
Shoveling Out
We're slowly working through the &#*$ in the junk room. 2 more bags to Salvation Army, 1 more box to the library, 2 more trash bags out. And...1 more bookshelf in. Chris is no longer an Ikea virgin, having survived the incredible maze that is the store. Then we got to where we picked up the bookshelves in the warehouse. Er. Marketplace. It turns out the bookshelves weigh...roughly 10,000 lbs. And barely fit in the car. Fred did the whole ride home with his head bouncing off the roof of the car. Now we just have to assemble the darn thing. But I'm pretty sure that once they're in place, everything else already in there will disappear. Sigh. Journey of a thousand miles, and we appear to be only 2 steps in.
Weekend Movie Review
Michael Collins: Interesting if you're into Irish history, but probably not the movie Liam Neeson brags about on E! Tv. Julia Roberts is forgettable in her role as Michael Collins's love interest. But the basic story is interesting, so if you like that kind of thing, it's worth a watch
Fantastic Four: Yes, we got it despite the fact that anyone who ever watched the movie, panned it. But...well...dammit, cool source. And we got it. And...well it's just boring. It's not even bad enough to heckle, or to turn off. Just...boring. Let us join the chorus of those who are telling you to pass.
Capturing the Friedmans: I didn't see it, this was hubby's gig. And he LOVED it. Highly recommended.
Moll Flanders: Eh. Morgan Friedman plays the usual Morgan Friedman character. Not a bad movie, and beats the heck out of the Daniel Defoe book which I still haven't made it completely through.
The DVDs getting most play in our house of late - Chappelle Show, Season 2. It just doesn't get old.
Labels: Movies
My 15 minutes of fame...
It all started with
this announcement from Walmart that they want to expand their organic line. The crunchy con heads exploded.
I've now made the
crunchy-con blog. Too funny. My poor husband, I bring shame upon the family.
I still disagree with Rod Dreher, basically because we're crunchy for different reasons. I like organic foods because in principle I think using unnecessary chemicals is a bad thing. Overall we buy what's available at the local Shop and Save, but I try to make it a point to buy at least one organic product a week. Not necessarily because I think it's better or worse than the other products, but because I LIKE encouraging a certain amount of organic farming. I also do recognize that if it were all organic farming, the lower resulting productivity would mean that the next choice would be between those in wealthier countries eating meat and those in less wealthy countries starving. It's already happening, but less food on the market means higher prices and less availability to those who can least afford it. But somewhere in there, there has to be a balance.
Since this is the kind of discussion that sort of requires a "but do you live it" type of set up, here's the deal. I shop at Walmart a LOT. There are issues that I have with them, but I also think there are a lot of good things that they do, that they don't even give partial credit for. My Dad works on a fund raiser every year that raises money for blind kids. Everything they raise outside of Walmart, Walmart matches. They were among the first to hire elderly and handicapped (challenged?). I like their support the troops stance. There are a lot of things that are bad about Walmart, but I think they get demonized too. So I don't have a single twitch of my conscience over buying common things there like shampoo, cosmetics, dog food, and powerade. Buying there over the local grocery store chain or the drugstore chain, on the same brands, saves us probably $20/month. Which I then immediately spend at the local Mom & Pop ethnic grocery stores, vegetable and meat markets downtown.
Anyway, whether you think Walmart carrying organic foods is good or bad, depends on a few things.
- Your overall feeling about Walmart. If you hate Walmart on principle, this is the end of the world
- Why you buy organic - is it because what the local farmers & ranchers raise? Is it because you think it's healthier for you? Is it because you think it's healthier for everyone in general?
- What's more important - organic or local? If you buy organic because of the first two reasons, local will be more important and the organic thing at Walmart is pointless. If you buy organic for the last reason, then probably organic is more important.
Intellesting, vellllly intellesting
Milk through the Nose
I think
this appeals to me because my version of satan who appears doing yoga has lots of hair and answers to "Fred".
The new motto
Angie sprung "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels" on me, and the more I think about it, the more it makes me laugh. I, in turn, passed this along to Christine. So now there are three of us laughing. Thanks, Angie, you're the best! I may need a laugh today - eating out three nights in a week isn't usually good for my Friday happiness. But I don't regret a bite, that food may very well have tasted as good as thin feels.
I already have next week's menu written out so that when we shop on Saturday AM we can have everything ready for our eating pleasure next week - and my weigh in pleasure next Friday. I need to thin out the freezer anyway. If I do end up buying some meat from the grass-fed farmer-dude, I'm going to need a place to put it. And the freezer is literally stacked to the ceiling. So light purchases at the meat/seafood place tomorrow, and we eat at home most of next week.
Organic Grass Fed Beef
Hmmm. I'm thinking the
Crunchy Cons book may have had more of an influence than I thought. Or maybe it's the crunchies plus a lot of the nutrition reading I've been doing.
The other day I found myself looking up local cattle farms to see if there's a close place from which to get our beef. I stumbled across
VanBuren's farm which isn't terribly far from us, offers grass-fed beef which is raised organically (although they can't certify the calves that they buy elsewhere). A lot of the nutrition books claim that we're losing the Omega 3s from our diet when we eat grain fed beef instead of grassfed. From the crunchy con standpoint, organic and local are big pluses because of lower chemicals in the environment and less fuel inefficiency. And hey, for the big crowning touch, it's a family farm. John Cougar Mellencamp would be proud.
The catch to all of this is I haven't tasted this yet. I'm thinking I'll place a small order after we get back from our trip to France to see if it meets two criteria:
1. It tastes good. Those omega 3s do us no good if Fred's eating them.
2. We can afford it.
It is a lot more expensive than Shop & Save's 4 packs of meat for $20. Having said that, Shop & Save meat violates the number 1 rule which is why it's so cheap. I was NOT impressed with the stuff I bought there recently.
Why do I see us eating this organic grass-fed beef with a side of ramen noodles though?
And The Academy Award for a Happy Birthday goes to…
(rustles envelope)
...My husband!
Happy Birthday, sweetheart! Since you couldn’t be on my blog to accept (because I haven’t given you the user name and password), I figured I’d issue a few thank-yous myself.
To the woman who gave birth to my husband: Thank you, thank you, thank you for NOT choosing an abortion. I’m sure whatever the circumstance, at the time it was hard choice. I just wish I could reach back through the years and tell you that not only did you give my husband life, but you profoundly impacted my life, and the lives of other people around him. It was the right choice. Thank you.
To Mary: who led the crazy dance across multiple continents that landed him with his parents, including a stop at a fishing village in Alaska where she made friends with my husband’s (then-future) mom. Thank you.
To my husband’s Mom & Dad: You went through so much just to adopt him and “naturalize” him (“Age: 2. Height: 2 Feet. Marital Status: Single” But looking!), and raised him to be the man I know and love. Thank you is so meager, but know that it comes from the heart.
To my husband’s ex-girlfriends: Thank you, ladies. Suckers.
Finally, to my husband, whose special day this is: Happy birthday. Welcome to the same decade. I love you and I hope that the rest of our lives together bring joy. But remember – only 48 years, 9 months until we re-evaluate whether this relationship can work or not. I'll let you slack today, but then you better get crackin'.
In Her Shoes
Wow, this was a really good movie! Even the man of the house liked it. That may be because the chick flick aspects of the movie were tempered by a half-dressed Cameron Diaz and some wicked funny lines throughout. Also, while the movie was often touching, it never descended into full blown schmaltziness. The story is of two sisters who love each other and hurt each other in ways that only family can. Along the way they unearth the family secrets and find the stability and love they both crave.
Put this on your "Must see" list.
Housekeeping
One of the failed New Year’s resolutions from last year was clearing out the back bedroom of the duplex.
Cleaning the Stygean stables is a snap compared to this.
When I moved here 6 looooooooooooong years ago, I promised myself that nothing was going into the basement until I had evaluated it and thrown out what needed to be thrown out. Until then it went into the back bedroom, and I gently closed the door behind it. Then Chris arrived with his stuff, and it was thrown on top of the existing stuff. Then the tv with no remote was moved in there, a few bikes, a couple of window air conditioner units… The only recognizable order in the room are two books shelves with books in some semblance of order. Even those are a long way from in perfect order.
For the last few weeks, we’ve been hauling stuff to the Salvation Army, boxes of books to the library. And you can’t tell.
Tonight, though, is memory lane night. Chris is working until 8, so I dove in and withdrew a random box full of books and photo albums. Some of which made me go “Oh lord, he HAS to see this”. Some of them made me laugh as I bundled the books up from the library. I have Susan Faludi’s “Backlash” back when I was trying to be a feminist, but just wasn’t angry enough to actually read the book. Then there’s the wreath-making book from my first pass at domesticity. And if that wasn’t enough to make me happy I married the guy I married, the pictures from the last futile New Year spent with the ex boyfriend type. Wow, what a miserable time. We’d broken up, essentially, two months before. But I couldn’t face a New Year’s alone. At least I think that’s why I flew to Milwaukee, the coldest freakin’ place on earth, to spend a horribly awkward holiday. We won’t even talk about the last visit I made to Milwaukee (on company training program) at which time I met his future wife. Anyway, lots of pictures of strangers at a party we went to for New Year’s. There’s Dante’s Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso from one of my many self improvement stages. There’s the photo album from 6-8th grade years with pictures of my brother as a wee tyke sitting with super fluffy Captain, the papered, but not showable, schnauzer. Already in those photos, Cappy looks like a rumbled old man in pajamas. Then the next photo album had pictures of my flag football team, which almost brought a tear to my eye. I miss those guys so much! Until I flipped the page and there is the massively ugly bruise on my leg from where a teammate stepped on my leg just above the ankle while we were both chasing the quarterback. I repelled many a potential teammate by whipping out that particular photo. Back in the good old days when it didn’t occur to me to have it looked at. I guess I was more of a man then.
Finally, though, I was so happy to find Maya Angelou’s book “And Still I Rise”. I’ve always loved her poem “Phenomenal Woman” which starts:
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I’m not cute or built to a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my step
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That’s me.
I just like that spirit of “I’m not perfect. I'm awesome.” One day I’ll have that confidence!
And now it’s time to come back to the present, and whip up some dinner. It was a fun trip to the past, but I have to admit the present is really sunshiny bright. There's no where, and no when, else I'd rather be.
Baby I'm a Star
Fredly has earned another 15 minutes of fame. The first round was when the Harrisburg newspaper published a picture of Fred & Chris warming up before a cross race. And
here's his second shot (no pun intended) at fame.
Smilla's Sense of Snow
I loved the book, so I definitely wanted to see the movie. It also doesn't hurt that I want to look like Julia Ormond when I grow up. I guess we can call today "afternoon of the favorite actresses".
I really liked the movie. I can't put my finger on what I like so much of the story - Smilla's sense of alienation, the fact that Gabriel Byrne - oddly hot non-stud - was in it, the murder-mystery story, the snow...
Hmm, I'm thinking definitely Gabriel Byrne.
It's a little long, but worth a viewing. Add it to the netflix list...
Labels: Movies
Ladies in Lavender
This is one of those movies where you see the heartbreak coming from a thousand miles away, but it cannot possibly be avoided. And the beauty of the movie is in the story telling. Any movie with Judi Dench and/or Maggie Smith automatically has my attention.
For the warning - it's slow, there's no sex, no car chases, no four letter words. If you need those to make the movie worth watching, take a pass.
Labels: Movies
Ave Maria - Crunchy Con Central?
Hmm,
this story dovetails nicely with a book I just finished reading called "Crunchy Cons". And it sort of ticks me off with the ACLU. Again. Why CAN'T like minded people live in community and say "we will not allow pornography, strippers, condoms, or abortions in our community?" Presumably you're not going to move in without knowing this. So why not? Get your porn across the border for heaven's sake. Hit the Planned Parenthood in South Dade for your abortion. I think the ACLU has lost sight of the real things in life.
As for the book, Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher, I liked it overall, but it's definitely a flawed treatise. First of all, it refers to "conservatives" when I think what's really in question are "Republicans". Not necessarily the same thing. Secondly, I think most of what he's trying to encourage are ultimately personal decisions, not policy decisions. You choose whether to buy organic/free-range food, live religious lives, homeschool your kids, fix up old rather than buy shiny new, etc. Those aren't things that can be legislated. Nor can everyone afford them. But I think what he's hoping for from a policy standpoint is an open-ness to supporting people who do adopt that way of life. Better environmental laws, more understanding guidelines of homeschooling, reasonable support of the old vs the new. A very interesting read, even if you're not crunchy or conservative, and if nothing else, a reminder that the stereotypes of Dems and Republicans aren't always true.
Update: Two blogs who have expressed my feelings on Ave Maria but done a much better job can be found
here and
here
Catholic Weightloss Plan
Apparently one day of fasting (Ash Wednesday), Catholic Aerobics (Mass on Wednesday), and giving up soda for Lent helps the whole dropping of pounds thing. I'm 1.5 lbs lighter than last Friday, and a total of 5.5 lbs lighter than when I started. I'm feeling better about this whole thing now that I'm past the halfway point towards my goal of dropping 10lbs.
If anyone needs me, I'll be out pimping my new "Catholic Weightloss" book. Autographs given at the door.
The Triplets of Belleville
I love this movie, but it's not for everyone. Having a good basic knowledge of the Tour de France or at least having been around bike racers helps immensely. Owning a dog helps a lot too. Having a weird sense of humor is a must.
If you have all of that, then you will probably like this movie. I love the details - the In Vino Veritas on the front of "french" city hall. That the Tour de France riders go up the Col de Femur.
This is one of the ones we own (there aren't many of those). It's worth a view, but I'll give the warning that this seems to be a love it or hate it movie. I hope you love it!
Labels: Movies
Lent
Tis the season of preparation. Today I and my other Catholic friends were talking about what we're giving up for lent. Another friend and I are both giving up soda. I told her I would be under my desk for the next 6 weeks and she said she would be too...because it beat jumping out the window. Another friend is much more ambitious - he's giving up most tv and once a week purging one room in his house. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I asked my co-worker Dave what he was giving up. He said "beer".
Dave doesn't drink.
I like this season though. I like that we have a built in season in which to cleanse the slate and start over. Shake off the dust of all of those little things we don't do well, cleanse, and purify and come into the spring time fresh, light, and hopefully ready to face the world anew.
But I have to admit, the fasting thing SUCKS. I'm way too much of a wimp to limit my food intake this much. On the up side, had a great time standing in line chatting with the guy in front of me at the church fish fry. We were laughing at the names of the sponsors of the fish fry. Seriously, three of the sponsors were the Burns Family, the Cook Family, and the Kitchen Family. What? No Deep Fryer family? They must be holding out this year. Pikers.
I shouldn't be surprised to see this picture taken from a web cam in Paris at 8AM EST near Quai de Seine 2. 
