Hmmm that sounded pompus

Reading over what I wrote yesterday I realized the post about Peter O'Toole started out sounding all pretentious. Lots of people appreciate older movies, music, and books. I meant that few of my friends do and that's not a criticism it's just not their thing. Okay gonna go watch the end of Dream Girls.

Beautifull Dream

There's truth in madness that never lies
Gleaming weakly through oil slick rainbows
Looking in through a window at an entire universe
A shadow that no one regards
But the lie shines bright on the surface



I rather liked the Man of La Mancha can you tell?

How did we meet?

It just occurred to me that of my 4 sisters in law (sister in law's?) I can only remember the first time I met one of them. I only remember that because it was kinda funny but I don't think she'd appreciate me broadcasting the story. I will admit however that I was dressed as a go go dancer at the time.

So now I'm trying to remember how I met other important people in my life. I recall meeting Dave's twin brother because it was the same night I met Dave (the same goes for our friend Jeff) and I remember meeting my newest brother in law at the rehearsal dinner for my wedding but I have no clue about the other two. I don't remember when I met his parents which is funny since I was probably nervous. I remember how I met my best friend Camilla when I was four(this is actually my first complete memory) but I'm having a hard time coming up with how I met any of my other friends. If you remember how we met let me know 'cause it's driving me up the wall.

The Tooth Fairy

My Mom still has all my baby teeth in a box in the top drawer of her dresser. Ya I know that's weird. But I kinda get it. What was she supposed to do with them, throw them in the trash? At the time it probably seemed like throwing away a piece of her child. And what if she had thrown them out and I'd seen them, wouldn't I have been upset? This made me wonder what am I gonna do with Fiona's teeth (and any other children we may have)? Will I just throw them out? Keep them? If I keep them where would I put them? And the thought pops in to my head "I've got a box in my dresser that would be perfect."

Lip Gloss

There is something about lip gloss I can't resist. It's particularly weird since although I wear makeup every day I almost never put anything on my lips besides chap stick. I must own 25 kinds of gloss and probably almost as many lip sticks which I never wear (to cakey). Usually if you check my purse there's at least half a dozen tubes of gloss. Lets see how many I have today....1...2....3.........7 glosses, 3 lip sticks, 1 lip liner, & 2 chap sticks (1 colored) and this is when I've just come home from a trip in which case I would have taken all those out of my purse for the flight. I wonder what they put in this stuff that I find so hard to resist. I wonder if it's crack. I bet it is, there's crack in my lip gloss!

It seems to me that something is missing

I am frankly amazed at the complete lack of manners displayed by most people I come in contact with. No one seems to care who they offend they just say whatever is in their heads. Yes I understand that there are no safe words and offence is not always meant but everyone should be expected to think before they speak/act.

Here's an example (this happened to someone I know, not me) this person applied for a promotion within their company. The position was given to another applicant. These things happen however the welcome email for the new hire went out to the staff (including my associate) before they were told they were not getting the job. Come on this is just tacky.

Here's another one that happens all the time (again not to me but I've seen it several times recently). When a couple who are having a baby tell their family and friends the name they've picked people tell them how much they don't like it. Are you kidding me! Hello unless you helped make the baby you don't get a vote.

Here's one that actually did happen to me. At my brothers funeral all my family members kept hugging me and saying how sorry they were until I got to my aunt Jeenie (the rudest person alive) she held me at arms length and asked, "Did you dye your hair?". Okay #1 no that's my natural hair color and #2 I don't think you could have come up with something less appropriate to say if you tried. FYI: I just turned and walked away without answering which I suppose was also rude but I honestly couldn't think of a response.

It's called tact people! Look it up! Oh wait I did it for you.

Main Entry: tact
Pronunciation: \ˈtakt\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, sense of touch, from Latin tactus, from tangere to touch — more at tangent
Date: 1797

1 : sensitive mental or aesthetic perception

2 : a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offense

Ya learn something new every day

I had no idea that Indiana Jones had any basis in fact.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/05/22/sv_rahn125.xml

BTW I found this link through Kottke.org. A site with all kinds of links & info. Definitely worth checking out.

http://www.kottke.org/

Black Pants + Golden Retreiver = Bad

I think my dog exploded all over me.

Peter O'Toole is freakin cool!

Unlike many of my peers I prefer older movies and/or music. Current pop culture just seems like a wast of time to me. This drives my sisters in law up the wall. Sorry, Britney can kiss my ass give me Bobby Darin or Robert Plant.

This morning I started watching Man of La Mancha and it occurred to me that I just love Peter O'Toole. I mean I knew he was a good actor (8 Oscar nominations & no wins what's up with that?) but I hadn't thought about how many things he's been in that I really enjoyed.

How to Steal a Million is probably one of my favorite movies. Audrey Hepburn is another person who I find to be a great addition to any film. It's a fun movie and just romantic enough to satisfy my occasional need for a chick flick.

The Lion in Winter has an all star cast including the other great Ms. Hepburn (Katherine) and a young Anthony Hopkins. Its a long movie but the story is so well told and the performances are so good that your riveted.

He was the only person in Troy I believed at all. It was a terrible movie which is too bad because there were a lot of great people in it who I normally admired and it was a classic story. It could have been done well but sadly was not. Peter O'Toole however stole every scene he was in.

I recently saw Stardust and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately this film didn't get much buzz so no one saw it. Mr. O'Toole's part in it was small but he was so good that it didn't occur to me that it was him he simply was his character.

High Spirits is probably the only movie Steve Gutenburg ever made that I didn't hate and that's entirely due to Peter O'Toole's performance. (Steve Gutenburg being the Rob Schneider of the 80's)

The man's just got charisma (and some stunning blue eyes). I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of Man of La Mancha because I know I'm in for a great performance even if I don't wind up liking the movie itself.

Being poor sucks

Like a lot of people these days we have a hard time getting by every month. We don't spend extravagantly but we have a house and a child and the prices of food and gas are insane so we're pretty much broke. We are both looking for better paying jobs but so far nothing has turned up. The depressing thing is not only are we broke now but unless we find a way to start saving we're gonna continue to be broke. There will be no retiring for us just working until we die trying to pay off the debt we keep sinking farther in to. There's a happy thought for the end of the day.

An excelent point. I second the motion.

http://www.slate.com/id/2191912/

Fashion Police

Why is it that bike riders feel the need to get in to full regalia? I mean I get you don't want wear anything that gets caught in the chain or spokes but you're not in a race, you don't need to be wind resistant. I'm going to stand up and just say what everyone is thinking "I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR ASS IN NEON SPANDEX!" Yeah I know you think your in good shape "'cause you ride a bike" but #1 you probably aren't #2 even if you are NO ONE LOOKS GOOD IN SPANDEX! It's practically indecent exposure! Your balls are not pretty!

And this strange behavior also applies to other "bike riders". I'm looking at you middle aged balding man who bought a Harley. Sure motorcycles are cool (they scare the pee outta me but I understand the appeal) and Harley's are the coolest but your a dentist not a biker. Yes I understand the leather is supposed to afford some protection but you bought the leathers with the Harley emblem all over 'em. True it's not as unattractive as spandex but lets face it a lot (if not most) of the people you see in these ensembles are just.....well lets just say your pretty fly for a white (middle aged balding) guy.

Japan is cool

Now that's innovation plus helping an animal always to the good in my books.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080526/ap_on_fe_st/railway_cat

Menage?

Why do (some) men want to be with two (or more) women at once? It just sounds like so much work. I mean I've been around and I don't want to cast aspersions on anyone in specific but in my experience they don't have that kind of stamina. Of coarse a better question is why would any woman want to participate? I mean ya know you're not going to ...uh...be satisfied when it's all over.

On the other hand I can see why a woman would want to be with more than one man. Double (or more) the odds of...satisfaction.



Hmmmm the things ya ponder when you're married and your sex life might be described as tame but satisfying :)

Ditch Conspiracy

Why is it when you are worried about where someone is you always say they might be dead in a ditch? There are so very many places they might be dead why all the ditch paranoia? Also what percentage of dead people are found in ditches? I suspect some sort of anti ditch lobby is spreading this propaganda. If I were a ditch I'd be greatly offended by this stereo type.

Puppies in need

Wine

It's Friday and I'm looking forward to having a glass of wine tonight after we put the baby to sleep. Maybe we'll even have a couple glasses. In my younger days I drank a lot of cocktails and I still enjoy one now and then but in the last several years I've become almost exclusively a wine drinker. Before we had Fiona we usually had a couple bottles of wine every weekend (more if my brothers in law and their wives were with us). Obviously we got out of the habit while I was pregnant but now I really appreciate an occasional glass all the more.

I love to go wine tasting and as a native I've got strong opinions where to go. Napa is of coarse famous for wine producing and most tourists also spend some time in Sonoma but in my opinion the best place to go wine tasting is Amador (in the foothills near Sacramento). Napa and Sonoma are both beautiful and have some very nice wines. I particularly like the Dry Creek area of Sonoma in fact Dave and I got married at a winery there (Lake Sonoma Winery, unfortunately since closed). What we (Dave too) really like about Amador county is the variety of wines available. The area in known for Zinfandel but they also have Barbera, Barberescu (sp?), Mouvedra, Primo Tivo, and other Italian varietals. Most of the wineries are quite small and generally don't charge a tasting fee. Being in the foothills there are also some spectacular views, Story winery in particular (Dave proposed to me there) has a truly breath taking view. If you enjoy wine and are going to be in the area I fully recommend spending some time there. I'm looking forward to taking a trip up to Amador soon myself.

I was amused to find out recently that (according to baby names world) in Latin Fiona means wine. Yep we're such drunks we named our kid after wine. Sweet perhaps we can name the next one Absynthe.

Query

How did it ever become cool to wear your collar up?

Poem

I love Jamba Juice
That tasty tasty treat
The calories may make me fat
But it tastes so sweet!

But I love my ring

I have the most annoying infection ever. For some reason my ring finger on my left hand keeps getting all red, swollen, & well gooey. I think it started as a paper cut or something but it got infected and my wedding ring keeps irritating it. I thought it was healed a couple times but when I put my ring back on it just gets all yucky again. It appears to be healed but I'm afraid to put my ring on.

My ring is very special to me. Aside from being the symbol of my marriage it's the only piece of real jewelry Dave's ever given me. Before we were engaged (years before) I told him that I didn't want a diamond I wanted an emerald cut sapphire. When Dave decided to propose he went and had my ring custom made. It has the sapphire in the center and diamonds on the sides and looks a bit are deco which is very me. Later we chose a band that complements it with alternating rectangular sapphires and round diamonds. I had the two joined together a couple years ago. I get complements on it all the time and I love it. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do if my finger gets all yucky again. I can't go through my life without my wedding ring that would be tragic.

My pet peve (one of em anyway)

Whenever I tell people my daughter is named Fiona they almost always say, "Oh like on Shrek". While yes that is technically true she does have the same name as a character in those (crapalicious) movies but, no she was not named after a giant green ogre. That's not a comparison any mother wants made, thank you!

Actually it's an Irish name and is not uncommon in the British isles. We chose it because it was pretty and sounds good with our last name (which is also Irish). Not that we're all about being Irish, like most people these days we're mutts.

However to be completely honest I was inspired to add that name to my mental list of potential baby names by a character in the movie The Secret of Roan Inish. A really well made film about a family in Ireland who's fortunes have taken a down turn since they moved off the island of Roan Inish (island of the seals) after the loss of their young son. The daughter (Fiona)begins returning to the island and learning it's history and comes to believe that her brother isn't dead but being raised by selkies (seals that turn in to women). It's considered a family movie and it is entirely appropriate for kids but I'd say it was more philosophical than fantasy. If you're looking for something to rent this weekend pick it up, you won't be disappointed.

Honestly!!?

I can't believe someone stole my yogurt. It had my initials on it so they had to know it wasn't theirs. It's not like it was something hard to resist. Really who steals fat free yogurt?

Pop culture for parents

Turns out one of the things I picked up in my misspent youth is a handy child rearing tool. Last night Dave was watering the corn (pronounced caan in our house)and Fiona and I were watching and she got bored so I started dancing around and singing "I'm gonna be a monkey" from Ren & Stimpy. She LOVED it! I guess all those hours in front of the tube were educational after all.

Doesn't really satify me

3 musketeers is good but when you really want a snickers....

Saga of the tiny paperclip villagers who worship the volcano on my desk Part 1

At dawn as the sun rises Pape the high priestess gazes at the volcano still obscured by mist and feels dread. There has not been an eruption for some time now but the occasional rumbles and shakes have been coming more frequently and the villagers know this means danger. Pape sighs and turns to look at the village seeing the first movements as the people begin the daily work of life. ,"It is the only way" she says and sighs again. There are rituals that must be performed to honor the fire goddess who lives in the volcano and Pape performs them diligently but sometimes the fire goddess demands more. Pape knows the only way to possibly stop the eruption that they all believe will come is a sacrifice. Sometimes even that does not appease the fire goddess. A victim will need to be chosen and soon.

To be continued....

Listening to others

Okay I'm a fan of musicals which is why I recognize what this is from but....

#1 Please stop repeatedly singing 1 line from Memory under your breath

#2 If you must please sing some line other than "Touch me" over & over & over

I don't want to touch you and it's starting to creep me out

Phew

It was a busy weekend but nice. Saturday I had to deal with some fraud on an old bank account and Dave was talking to Costco customer service because the TV we bought there stopped working. Finally around noon we were able to head up to Dave's brothers house to go swimming. Fiona wasn't quite ready to go in the pool but had fun being held by everyone. She also said dada for the first time unfortunately Dave was picking up lunch so he missed it. I also observed some behavior that I think means good news but I won't say what just yet as it's not my secret to tell. Sunday Fiona fell asleep by herself and took a couple really good naps (naps have been a problem for her)and we went to the grocery store and babies r us and were generally really productive. Next weekend I'm hoping to clean up the house in preparation for the party we've decided to throw. Yay!

My pets are famous

I uploaded a pic to www.icanhascheezburger.com a site with pictures of animals (mostly cats) with silly captions.


moar funny pictures

That's what I want

The world would be such an awesome place if Dave & I were rich. Not only because I could own some really snazzy shoes but because there would be an outlet for the madness that is Dave.

On the way to work this morning (we commute together) he started singing one of the songs from the "You got Served" episode of South Park we watched last night. Then he turned to me and said, "It's too bad we don't have that song so we could blast it and you could lean out the window and serve that guy."

Hmmm I wonder if I can scrounge up the money to buy a lottery ticket.

Ashes to Ashes 110 pack of swiffers to 110 pack of swiffers

Is it just me or does anyone else think it's weird that you can buy a casket at Costco? I mean it's not something you're going to buy in bulk and it's not exactly something you buy on impulse like say an I-pod. Or is the flat of Crisco in your cart making you nervous?

Strange Animal tales

My cat's name is Vladimir. He's named after Vlad Tepes the man who inspired Bram Stokers character of Dracula. I named him after Dracula because he's black and as a kitten he was bloodthirsty (he used to tear my hands up and he made this hilariously cute little angry face). He's known as Vladi for short but mostly I call him bunny because I enjoy the juxtaposition.

When I got pregnant I was a little worried about how all our pets would react to the new baby. I assumed Gambit would ignore her since that's how he treats everyone, and that's just how he's behaved. Sammy I figured would love her and try to be the second mommy and again I was correct. Vladi I thought would take a page from Gambit's book and ignore her since cat's aren't usually big fans of small children but here I was wrong.

Vladi has been curling up with her on our laps since we brought her home. At first I thought he was just demanding attention but now I'm not so sure. She used to cry like she was being tortured every time we had her on the changing table and Vladi would run over stand up on his back paws put the front ones as close to her as he could get and meaow in anguish with her. We've just started sleep training with her and last night when she woke back up and started crying we were waiting a few minutes to see if she was able to put herself back to sleep but Vladi was having none of that. He ran to her room and started voicing his sympathy and then when we didn't come fast enough he started coming down the hall toward the living room to get my attention. It was as if he was saying, "The baby's crying! Can't you hear the baby? She's crying, the baby that is! Come and help the baby!". As soon as he knew I saw him he darted back in her direction and then turned around to make sure I was following. I picked her up and rocked with her as the cat stood in the doorway and supervised until he was sure I wasn't going to abandon his sister again then he returned to the living room to sit on Dave.

Who'd have thought that little bloodsucker would turn out to be such a softy?

Me for president

As a general rule I'm not very interested in politics. I mean I keep track of what's going on and I vote but mostly it just seems to be a bunch of incompetent, dishonest people behaving like children. I'm not sure if I've just gotten cynical (well more cynical than I already was) or if politicians have gotten more slimy but I'm really disillusioned with the whole process.

To quote South Park, "It's always a choice between a giant douche and a turd sandwich". In this case however it seems to be a choice between a giant douche, a turd sandwich, and a decomposing weasel. I don't assign these roles to any specific candidate they are all interchangeable.

I think it's the dishonesty that annoys me the most. None of em will give a straight answer to any question and if you dig a bit in to the things they do say half the time it turns out it's not true. Sometimes it's an exaggeration and sometimes it's a flat out lie. We already know these people are liars. Why on earth would we want them to run the country?

So I've decided I'd like to run for president. Not because I'd like the job but because I'd enjoy getting up there and just being honest. "Yes I inhaled", "I had premarital sex", "I say we drill here and let the people of the middle east fend for themselves".

Here's my platform:

1. Legalize all the drugs. Treat them just like cigarettes and alcohol (people are going to do them anyway ya might as well tax em). However to get any government assistance (welfare, medicare, unemployment) you have to pass regular drug tests. If you are caught driving under the influence you will be arrested (just like alcohol).

2. The death penalty should be more widely applied, rapists, child molesters, people who abuse animals (hello serial killer in the making).

3. Build and man a wall on the boarder. I have no problem with people from Mexico. This country was founded by immigrants. However there is a system for entering the country legally and you need to respect that. We learned this rule in elementary school, no cuts.

Sure I wouldn't win and some people (many in fact) would be horribly offended by my views but wouldn't it be refreshing to have a candidate get up and actually stand for what they believe?

Finally a quote from Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, "it is a well known fact that those who most want to rule people are ipso facto those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary, anyone who is capable of getting themselves elected president should on no account be allowed to do the job"

Kinky

On Sunday(Mothers day) I was playing with Fiona in her crib. I was pretending to eat her belly which made her squeal and giggle in the cutest way. I was feeling all affectionate and as I picked her up I gave her a kiss on the mouth rather than on the cheak as I generaly do. The little booger sliped me the tounge. I'm so gonna tell this story someday at her wedding.

Ode to silly putty

Oh Putty great putty
So squshy and bold
I pull you and stretch you
It never grows old
In hypnotized pleasure the hours go by
We sit here not working the putty and I

Sesame Street was way cooler when I was a kid

I'm a new mom. My daughter turned 5 months old 4 days ago. We also recently got tivo and were setting shows to record so I added Sesame Street. I'm not planing to plop my infant in front of the TV but on occasion I have to put her down to go to the bathroom or answer the phone. I figured Sesame Street would annoy me less than the Wiggles (who scare me, seriously all their little wiggle pupets look like Peter Lory) or Barney (which I'm fairly sure causes loss of brain cells). A few days ago my husband & I decided to see how the baby girl would react to Sesame Street. We had all these pleasant memories of watching it when we were little and thought this was something we could share. Wrong! Either it's just not as cool when your an adult or it's gone down hill.

#1. No more Kermit. I know Jim Henson is gone and it just wouldn't be the same but Kermit was a much loved part of my childhood and I'm sad that he's gone.

#2. Instead of Kermit we get a bear with a speach impediment. I'm all for teaching kids not to tease those who are different but it seems to me this is just going to teach them the wrong way to pronounce things.

#3. The grownups can see Snuffy! Hello, the fact that (as kids) we were in on the joke made it seem like real magic.

#4. The Count and Snuffy have spouses now. Ya know I just don't need my muppets to have love lives. As a side note this makes the whole Bert & Ernie relationship a legitimate question now (personally I've always assumed they were brothers).

Yeah it's still a great show for kids and my daughter LOVES it but a little piece of my childhood died.