This morning, as I was getting all of the family and houseguests fed and out the door to their several different locations, my son came up to me saying:
"Mommy, I did something upstairs! I took all of my pajamas, and socks, and underwear, and shirts, and shorts, and..."
and I'm sorry, but that is where my brain tuned this little guy out as I was rushing through the kitchen.
After ten minutes or so, I heard a noise upstairs.
It was the washing machine on the spin cycle.
Apparently, he was telling me that he loaded all of his dirty clothes into our front-loading washer and pushed the buttons to start the machine!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
when the kids are too quiet...
...it can't be good.
Some of the things I found today:
The good...
I call this the Hats for Basketballs series. Love it!
Reminds me of another movie quote: "Hats for bats. Keep bats warm." (Major League, one of my guilty pleasures.)
The bad...
Someone's been up to no good in here. This is our "garage thing." Sad to say, I have to call it a "garage thing" instead of a "garage." It might have fit the Model A...
The ugly...
Do you see it? Do you see the squashed berries from the hedge and the little berry-colored footprints on the concrete back patio?
Maybe I read a few too many blogs today. Watch your children much?
Some of the things I found today:
The good...
I call this the Hats for Basketballs series. Love it!Reminds me of another movie quote: "Hats for bats. Keep bats warm." (Major League, one of my guilty pleasures.)
The bad...
Someone's been up to no good in here. This is our "garage thing." Sad to say, I have to call it a "garage thing" instead of a "garage." It might have fit the Model A...The ugly...
Do you see it? Do you see the squashed berries from the hedge and the little berry-colored footprints on the concrete back patio?Maybe I read a few too many blogs today. Watch your children much?
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
I made dinner
My-brother-the-food-snob and his wife are staying at our house right now, and The Hubby is out of town on business. So I have been making some dinners (normally Hubs and I share this duty, with Hubs taking on the "making" more often than I do).
Tonight I tried making up a new recipe. I think it worked out reasonably well, but needs further tweaking.
It's a marinade for chicken that I call "Mimosa Chicken."
It's made of:
Orange Juice (I squeezed some fresh, since yesterday my friend dropped off a bunch of oranges from her tree) **
White wine (I used Pinot Grigio and a splash of Chardonnay - I think I'd stick to Pinot Grigio)
A little Dijon Mustard
A little garlic salt
Strawberries (I sliced one, and prepped the slices by microwaving them with a bit of sugar and a splash of water, hoping this would prompt them to ooze out some strawberry flavor)
_______________________
I marinated the chicken in that for about two hours, then I cooked the chicken in a pan on the stove.
_______________________
And it was good, but the marinade flavor was subtler than I was hoping for.
My-brother-the-food-snob's suggestions for tweaking are:
** put Orange Zest in with it
Add a splash of lemon juice (??)
Just use regular salt instead of garlic salt
Dijon Mustard is probably not necessary (I'm not sure I agree with this)
I'd like to figure out how to make a sauce out of this for topping the cooked chicken.
Anybody ideas out there, oh wise Interwebs?
Oh, and P.S.
It would be nice if I weren't doing BOTH the cooking AND the dishes afterwards. Hubby and I are very good about splitting up these jobs. I miss him!!
Tonight I tried making up a new recipe. I think it worked out reasonably well, but needs further tweaking.
It's a marinade for chicken that I call "Mimosa Chicken."
It's made of:
Orange Juice (I squeezed some fresh, since yesterday my friend dropped off a bunch of oranges from her tree) **
White wine (I used Pinot Grigio and a splash of Chardonnay - I think I'd stick to Pinot Grigio)
A little Dijon Mustard
A little garlic salt
Strawberries (I sliced one, and prepped the slices by microwaving them with a bit of sugar and a splash of water, hoping this would prompt them to ooze out some strawberry flavor)
_______________________
I marinated the chicken in that for about two hours, then I cooked the chicken in a pan on the stove.
_______________________
And it was good, but the marinade flavor was subtler than I was hoping for.
My-brother-the-food-snob's suggestions for tweaking are:
** put Orange Zest in with it
Add a splash of lemon juice (??)
Just use regular salt instead of garlic salt
Dijon Mustard is probably not necessary (I'm not sure I agree with this)
I'd like to figure out how to make a sauce out of this for topping the cooked chicken.
Anybody ideas out there, oh wise Interwebs?
Oh, and P.S.
It would be nice if I weren't doing BOTH the cooking AND the dishes afterwards. Hubby and I are very good about splitting up these jobs. I miss him!!
Nursing my babies
Sarcastic Mom started this, and I guess it was supposed to be yesterday, but I am late to the game again. But this seems like a good excuse to write about this, so I will!
I nursed three babies.
When I was pregnant with my first, I didn't really think about what I would do. I didn't have a "birth plan," or a "feeding plan." I just figured, sure, I'll breastfeed. That's the way women's bodies are built, so that's what I'll do. But I also registered for bottles and figured, "maybe I'll do both." I didn't read about it, didn't take a class about it, didn't have any friends with kids. My mom had nursed both of her babies, but I didn't talk with her about it.
CLUE. LESS.
When my Big Girl was born, nobody asked me if I wanted to try nursing her immediately after the birth. I was being sewn up from the episiotomy/tear (L4, thankyouverymuch), and that took an alarmingly long time. I was on the oxygen mask and so tired. I didn't know to care about it.
After a while, after being moved to my recovery room, a nurse showed up to tell me to nurse the baby. She had to show me what to do, but we couldn't get latched, and it HURT, and the baby just wanted to sleep, and oh who am I kidding it's all a haze. I remember a lactation consultant coming the next day and after much trial and tribulation she finally got the baby latched on. But then I couldn't do it again without her.
At home, my milk came in. And I cried and cried from the pain. And I cried and cried from the pain of the poorly latched nursing baby. And there were bad days and bad nights and bad days and I was LOSING MY MIND.
Then my mom came into town to help me. And she said, "tell yourself you'll do it for six months. or three months. You can make it three months. Then, if it's still horrible, give yourself permission to stop breastfeeding."
My mom is a genius. I cried with relief. Even though I could barely make it through one latching attempt, the thought that I could stop in a few months gave me such an emotional boost, I cannot tell you.
So the next couple of months contained more crying in pain, and nursings that took 30 minutes to achieve latch-on, so that by the time the two sides were done it was time to start over again, and mastitis, and antibiotics, and lo and behold, it suddenly one day was easier!
And then it was EASY. It took just a few minutes. My baby could latch herself on and go to town. I didn't pump, because she didn't like bottles, so there was no clean-up and no money spent on formula.
I nursed my first baby for 12.5 months, and weaning just took a week or two.
In short, I became a true believer in breastfeeding.
But I'm not a fanatic. With all three babies, I had the hospital staff take the baby for 8 hours during the night, doing one formula feed, so that I could get some sleep. And I gave my babies pacifiers, because otherwise they would have been attached to my sore, raw nipples 24 hours a day. And despite the fact that each child had two formula feedings in their life and a couple months of pacifiers, I was able to nurse them all. Some people make you think you won't be able to nurse if you do those things. Those people need to chill.
I was so shocked that it was hard to learn. And it was hard to learn all over again with each subsequent baby. The biologist in me is frustrated to no end that this makes no sense, survival-of-the-species-wise. I guess it proves that humans evolved to be a tribal species, needing females around to teach the new mothers.
My second baby was a big one, 8.5 pounds. The pediatrician in the hospital told me to give her formula after every feeding since I was only making colostrum. She said the baby would still be hungry. Good thing it was not my first baby and I knew that this was hogwash. An 8.5-pound baby does not need to supplement! So I just said, "okay," and then when the nurse came back I told her about the advice and she and I had a chuckle about what bad advice that was. This was the nurse who told me I had flat nipples and gave me some nipple shields to help prep them for latch-on. What a Godsend! How I wished someone had told me about this for the first baby! Middle Girl was a great nurser, and even took bottles of pumped milk so I could go to choir rehearsal one night a week. She was happy with the milk however it came. But I still got mastitis.
I nursed Middle Girl for 16 months.
My third baby was a terrible nurser. He also would NOT stay awake for about the first two weeks of his life. So in the hospital, with my other two kids safely taken care of by my mom at home, I didn't worry about it. I tried nursing him, but when he just fell asleep, I too went to sleep and then told the nurses that he ate. Hey, I was tired and I wanted to rest, knowing I wouldn't get any at home. But the problem was, he didn't get any better at home. We tried, but he was determined to sleep. At his two-week checkup, he had lost too much of his birth weight (which was 8 lbs. 12 oz., by the way), so I had to wake up and smell the coffee. We had to really teach this kid how to nurse. So I poured a little formula on the nipples and used cold washcloths to wake him up and let him know there was food coming, if he'd just work for it a little. Hubby and I had to hold his tongue down to teach him how to do it (he had it GLUED to the roof of his mouth), and I had to hold everything in the right placed while Hubby was in charge of KEEPING BABY AWAKE. It was hard, but we got him to figure it out after a while. In one week, he gained plenty of weight and no one was worried anymore. I was glad that I had 2+ years of nursing under my belt, so I knew I could do it if I just remained calm and lived through the initial pain and difficulty.
I nursed The Boy for 18 months. It was hard to stop, knowing that it was all over!
My mom's advice is what saved me. And I give this advice to all of my friends who are having their first baby and want to try breastfeeding. And they have all told me that it helped them.
Tell yourself you'll do it for six months. or three months. You can make it three months. Then, if it's still horrible, give yourself permission to stop breastfeeding.
Most women find that it gets easy by two or three months. And those that don't, don't deserve to beat themselves up about it. And those that don't feel relief from this advice, who still feel like they just can't do it, should stop. And they should not feel guilty about it.
Thanks, Mom!
I nursed three babies.
When I was pregnant with my first, I didn't really think about what I would do. I didn't have a "birth plan," or a "feeding plan." I just figured, sure, I'll breastfeed. That's the way women's bodies are built, so that's what I'll do. But I also registered for bottles and figured, "maybe I'll do both." I didn't read about it, didn't take a class about it, didn't have any friends with kids. My mom had nursed both of her babies, but I didn't talk with her about it.
CLUE. LESS.
When my Big Girl was born, nobody asked me if I wanted to try nursing her immediately after the birth. I was being sewn up from the episiotomy/tear (L4, thankyouverymuch), and that took an alarmingly long time. I was on the oxygen mask and so tired. I didn't know to care about it.
After a while, after being moved to my recovery room, a nurse showed up to tell me to nurse the baby. She had to show me what to do, but we couldn't get latched, and it HURT, and the baby just wanted to sleep, and oh who am I kidding it's all a haze. I remember a lactation consultant coming the next day and after much trial and tribulation she finally got the baby latched on. But then I couldn't do it again without her.
At home, my milk came in. And I cried and cried from the pain. And I cried and cried from the pain of the poorly latched nursing baby. And there were bad days and bad nights and bad days and I was LOSING MY MIND.
Then my mom came into town to help me. And she said, "tell yourself you'll do it for six months. or three months. You can make it three months. Then, if it's still horrible, give yourself permission to stop breastfeeding."
My mom is a genius. I cried with relief. Even though I could barely make it through one latching attempt, the thought that I could stop in a few months gave me such an emotional boost, I cannot tell you.
So the next couple of months contained more crying in pain, and nursings that took 30 minutes to achieve latch-on, so that by the time the two sides were done it was time to start over again, and mastitis, and antibiotics, and lo and behold, it suddenly one day was easier!
And then it was EASY. It took just a few minutes. My baby could latch herself on and go to town. I didn't pump, because she didn't like bottles, so there was no clean-up and no money spent on formula.
I nursed my first baby for 12.5 months, and weaning just took a week or two.
In short, I became a true believer in breastfeeding.
But I'm not a fanatic. With all three babies, I had the hospital staff take the baby for 8 hours during the night, doing one formula feed, so that I could get some sleep. And I gave my babies pacifiers, because otherwise they would have been attached to my sore, raw nipples 24 hours a day. And despite the fact that each child had two formula feedings in their life and a couple months of pacifiers, I was able to nurse them all. Some people make you think you won't be able to nurse if you do those things. Those people need to chill.
I was so shocked that it was hard to learn. And it was hard to learn all over again with each subsequent baby. The biologist in me is frustrated to no end that this makes no sense, survival-of-the-species-wise. I guess it proves that humans evolved to be a tribal species, needing females around to teach the new mothers.
My second baby was a big one, 8.5 pounds. The pediatrician in the hospital told me to give her formula after every feeding since I was only making colostrum. She said the baby would still be hungry. Good thing it was not my first baby and I knew that this was hogwash. An 8.5-pound baby does not need to supplement! So I just said, "okay," and then when the nurse came back I told her about the advice and she and I had a chuckle about what bad advice that was. This was the nurse who told me I had flat nipples and gave me some nipple shields to help prep them for latch-on. What a Godsend! How I wished someone had told me about this for the first baby! Middle Girl was a great nurser, and even took bottles of pumped milk so I could go to choir rehearsal one night a week. She was happy with the milk however it came. But I still got mastitis.
I nursed Middle Girl for 16 months.
My third baby was a terrible nurser. He also would NOT stay awake for about the first two weeks of his life. So in the hospital, with my other two kids safely taken care of by my mom at home, I didn't worry about it. I tried nursing him, but when he just fell asleep, I too went to sleep and then told the nurses that he ate. Hey, I was tired and I wanted to rest, knowing I wouldn't get any at home. But the problem was, he didn't get any better at home. We tried, but he was determined to sleep. At his two-week checkup, he had lost too much of his birth weight (which was 8 lbs. 12 oz., by the way), so I had to wake up and smell the coffee. We had to really teach this kid how to nurse. So I poured a little formula on the nipples and used cold washcloths to wake him up and let him know there was food coming, if he'd just work for it a little. Hubby and I had to hold his tongue down to teach him how to do it (he had it GLUED to the roof of his mouth), and I had to hold everything in the right placed while Hubby was in charge of KEEPING BABY AWAKE. It was hard, but we got him to figure it out after a while. In one week, he gained plenty of weight and no one was worried anymore. I was glad that I had 2+ years of nursing under my belt, so I knew I could do it if I just remained calm and lived through the initial pain and difficulty.
I nursed The Boy for 18 months. It was hard to stop, knowing that it was all over!
My mom's advice is what saved me. And I give this advice to all of my friends who are having their first baby and want to try breastfeeding. And they have all told me that it helped them.
Tell yourself you'll do it for six months. or three months. You can make it three months. Then, if it's still horrible, give yourself permission to stop breastfeeding.
Most women find that it gets easy by two or three months. And those that don't, don't deserve to beat themselves up about it. And those that don't feel relief from this advice, who still feel like they just can't do it, should stop. And they should not feel guilty about it.
Thanks, Mom!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
My Little Town
Reason #57 Why I Love My Little Town:
(57 is a fun number to pull out of one's ass, isn't it? And I don't even like ketchup. Or catsup.)
Last night after dinner the kids and I walked to the Library. (Did I mention that my brother and his wife are staying with us and The Hubby is out of town and I am being Super Mom for a few days? Yeeeaaa me)
Big Girl did her homework and the other two did puzzles and computer games and we all looked at books.
On the walk home, at about 8 pm, we passed by a man out working on his car. "Evenin'," he said, "what are you up to tonight?"
"We're heading home from the Library. What about you?"
"Just filling up our cars with vegetable oil! Have a nice night!"
Things are good in our little town.
(57 is a fun number to pull out of one's ass, isn't it? And I don't even like ketchup. Or catsup.)
Last night after dinner the kids and I walked to the Library. (Did I mention that my brother and his wife are staying with us and The Hubby is out of town and I am being Super Mom for a few days? Yeeeaaa me)
Inside Our Local Library
Big Girl did her homework and the other two did puzzles and computer games and we all looked at books.
On the walk home, at about 8 pm, we passed by a man out working on his car. "Evenin'," he said, "what are you up to tonight?"
"We're heading home from the Library. What about you?"
"Just filling up our cars with vegetable oil! Have a nice night!"
Things are good in our little town.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
That Movie Meme
Only one of the quotes was unsolved! Bonus #3 is from "A Mighty Wind." It's part of the sublime faux-documentary trifecta "Waiting for Guffman" (community theater), "Best in Show" (dog shows), and "A Mighty Wind" (folk music) by Christopher Guest and his troupe. These movies are chock full of great quotes. The music in "A Mighty Wind" is so funny that we own the soundtrack and enjoy it often.
I was musing in the car today about whether you could do this meme with song lyrics. I think Badger would be the one to try it out, don't you?
I wan't going to do this, because I clearly don't have enough readers (yet?), but I've just been having so much fun with it at everyone else's place that I decided to go ahead and find some quotes!
Rules, no googling, yada yada yada.
Here we go! Some quotes from a few of my favorite movies:
#1: Snappy snapped this one up! It's "Good Will Hunting." I love this movie, and particularly this part!
Every day I come by your house and I pick you up. And we go out. We have a few drinks, and a few laughs, and it's great. But you know what the best part of my day is? For about ten seconds, from when I pull up to the curb and when I get to your door, cause I think, maybe I'll get up there and I'll knock on the door and you won't be there. No goodbye. No see you later. No nothing. You just left. I don't know much, but I know that.
#2: secrethandshake and I like the same movies! For now, I'll just put her down for "Dead Poets Society," but she figured out lots more too!
N: So what are you going to do? Charlie?
C: Damn it Neil, the name is Nuwanda.
OR ALSO...
Excrement! That's what I think of Mr. J. Evans Pritchard! We're not laying pipe! We're talking about poetry. How can you describe poetry like American Bandstand? "I like Byron, I give him a 42 but I can't dance to it!"
#3: I couldn't believe this one sat here so long. I know this movie by heart. Erin (who stopped by from Jen's place) knows it's "Say Anything." Yes, I am another woman in love with John Cusack. But I love him more than you do.
She's gone. She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.
OR ALSO...
Hey my brother, can I borrow a copy of your "Hey Soul Classics"?
J-Man: No, my brother, you have to go buy your own.
OR ALSO... AGAIN
I got a question. If you guys know so much about women, how come you're here at like the Gas 'n' Sip on a Saturday night completely alone drinking beers with no women anywhere?
J: By choice, man.
#4: Jen of Jenontheedge and Eco Women: Protectors of the Planet! knows that this is what Harry says to Sally on New Year's Eve at the end of "When Harry Met Sally." The last sentence is just perfect.
I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.
#5: MomBabe, if "Singin' in the Rain" is your favorite movie, you might just be my new best friend! I think it is one of the best movies ever made, despite that weird long "Gotta Dance" section near the end...
By the way, MomBabe has the prettiest blogs! I obviously need her help with design and decor... Fleeting Moments and The Bingham Diaries
She can't act, she can't sing, she can't dance. A triple threat.
#6: Blackbird and secrethandshake got "Hairspray." This is from the 2007 musical version, which is a new favorite of the *WHOLE* family.
First the hair, now this?
But, all the kids are battin' up their hair now, hon.
You're no help.
It's ratting, daddy. And our first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy does it!
I don't believe that.
What do you mean you don't believe that? How else would it look that way?
I believe that it is naturally stiff.
#7: Blackbird and secrethandshake also know this one from "Shakespeare in Love." A beautiful quote.
I will have poetry in my life. And adventure. And love. Love above all. No... not the artful postures of love, not playful and poetical games of love for the amusement of an evening, but love that... over-throws life. Unbiddable, ungovernable - like a riot in the heart, and nothing to be done, come ruin or rapture. Love - like there has never been in a play.
#8: Poppy Buxom, good one! It's from "Clueless," my favorite adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma." She even identified the teacher as Wallace Shawn (also seen in another of my favorites, "The Princess Bride").
So like, right now for example. The Haitians need to come to America. But some people are all, "What about the strain on our resources?" Well it's like when I had this garden party for my father's birthday, right? I put R.S.V.P. 'cause it was a sit-down dinner. But some people came that like did not R.S.V.P. I was like totally buggin'. I had to haul ass to the kitchen, redistribute the food, and squish in extra place settings. But by the end of the day it was, like, the more the merrier. And so if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians. And in conclusion may I please remind you it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty. Thank you very much.
#9: Erin and I must be the same age. Because she knows this one, too! It's from "Swingers." The funniest part is when they are playing the NHL videogame, because I watched The Hubby and his roommate play this game all through senior year of college! Takes me back every time!
They're gonna give daddy the Rainman suite, you dig that?
Do you think we'll get there by midnight?
Baby, we're going to be up five hundy by midnight!
Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!
Vegas baby! Vegas!
Vegas!
#10: Guider got "Strictly Ballroom!" This is a hilarious Aussie film (redundant, right?) that I have loved for a long time -- and now, if you've gotten into the Dance shows on TV, it's even more fun to watch!
Look, a beginner has no right to approach an Open Amateur.
Yeah, well an Open Amateur has no right to dance non-Federation steps, but you did, didn't you?
But that's different.
*How* is it different? You're just like the rest of them! You think you're different, but you're not, because you're just, you're just really scared! You're really scared to give someone new a go, because you think, you know, they might just be better than you are! Well, you're just pathetic, and you're gutless. You're a gutless wonder! Vivir con miedo, es como vivir a medias!
BONUS ROUND!:
Bonus #1: Tuvaluans K and Oldest (hi, guys!) know that this is from "Back to the Future." In fact, it is the very last line.
Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.
Bonus #2: Elizabeth M. knows these classic lines from "This Is Spinal Tap." Seriously, folks, see it (again). Awesome. Someday I will have to write a post about the time I saw Spinal Tap play live at the Warfield in San Francisco. So Meta!!!
It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black.
OR ALSO...
It's very pretty.
Yeah, I've been fooling around with it for a few months.
It's a bit of a departure from what you normally play.
It's part of a trilogy, a musical trilogy I'm working on in D minor which is the saddest of all keys, I find. People weep instantly when they hear it, and I don't know why.
It's very nice.
You know, just simple lines intertwining, you know, very much like - I'm really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it's sort of in between those, really. It's like a Mach piece, really. It's sort of...
What do you call this?
Well, this piece is called "Lick My Love Pump".
Bonus #3:
And they had no hole in the center of the record.
It would teeter crazily on the little spindle.
No, you had to provide it yourself. They were still good records. Good product.
If you punched a hole in them, you'd have a good time.
Bonus #4: Blackbird and secrethandshake have good taste in movies, like this one: "School of Rock." Ladies, we should get together for movie night!
Look the first thing you do when you start a band is talk about your influences. That's how you figure out what kind of band you want to be. So who do you like? Blondie?
Christina Aguilera
Who? No. Come on. What? You, Shortstop.
Puff Daddy
Wrong. Billy?
Liza Minnelli?
OR ALSO...
Katie, what was that thing you were playing today, the big thing?
Cello.
Ok. This is a bass guitar. And it's the exact same thing but instead of playing it like this you tip it on the side... cello, you got a bass.
I was musing in the car today about whether you could do this meme with song lyrics. I think Badger would be the one to try it out, don't you?
I wan't going to do this, because I clearly don't have enough readers (yet?), but I've just been having so much fun with it at everyone else's place that I decided to go ahead and find some quotes!
Rules, no googling, yada yada yada.
Here we go! Some quotes from a few of my favorite movies:
#1: Snappy snapped this one up! It's "Good Will Hunting." I love this movie, and particularly this part!
#2: secrethandshake and I like the same movies! For now, I'll just put her down for "Dead Poets Society," but she figured out lots more too!
C: Damn it Neil, the name is Nuwanda.
OR ALSO...
Excrement! That's what I think of Mr. J. Evans Pritchard! We're not laying pipe! We're talking about poetry. How can you describe poetry like American Bandstand? "I like Byron, I give him a 42 but I can't dance to it!"
#3: I couldn't believe this one sat here so long. I know this movie by heart. Erin (who stopped by from Jen's place) knows it's "Say Anything." Yes, I am another woman in love with John Cusack. But I love him more than you do.
OR ALSO...
Hey my brother, can I borrow a copy of your "Hey Soul Classics"?
J-Man: No, my brother, you have to go buy your own.
OR ALSO... AGAIN
I got a question. If you guys know so much about women, how come you're here at like the Gas 'n' Sip on a Saturday night completely alone drinking beers with no women anywhere?
J: By choice, man.
#4: Jen of Jenontheedge and Eco Women: Protectors of the Planet! knows that this is what Harry says to Sally on New Year's Eve at the end of "When Harry Met Sally." The last sentence is just perfect.
#5: MomBabe, if "Singin' in the Rain" is your favorite movie, you might just be my new best friend! I think it is one of the best movies ever made, despite that weird long "Gotta Dance" section near the end...
By the way, MomBabe has the prettiest blogs! I obviously need her help with design and decor... Fleeting Moments and The Bingham Diaries
#6: Blackbird and secrethandshake got "Hairspray." This is from the 2007 musical version, which is a new favorite of the *WHOLE* family.
But, all the kids are battin' up their hair now, hon.
You're no help.
It's ratting, daddy. And our first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy does it!
I don't believe that.
What do you mean you don't believe that? How else would it look that way?
I believe that it is naturally stiff.
#7: Blackbird and secrethandshake also know this one from "Shakespeare in Love." A beautiful quote.
#8: Poppy Buxom, good one! It's from "Clueless," my favorite adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma." She even identified the teacher as Wallace Shawn (also seen in another of my favorites, "The Princess Bride").
#9: Erin and I must be the same age. Because she knows this one, too! It's from "Swingers." The funniest part is when they are playing the NHL videogame, because I watched The Hubby and his roommate play this game all through senior year of college! Takes me back every time!
Do you think we'll get there by midnight?
Baby, we're going to be up five hundy by midnight!
Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!
Vegas baby! Vegas!
Vegas!
#10: Guider got "Strictly Ballroom!" This is a hilarious Aussie film (redundant, right?) that I have loved for a long time -- and now, if you've gotten into the Dance shows on TV, it's even more fun to watch!
Yeah, well an Open Amateur has no right to dance non-Federation steps, but you did, didn't you?
But that's different.
*How* is it different? You're just like the rest of them! You think you're different, but you're not, because you're just, you're just really scared! You're really scared to give someone new a go, because you think, you know, they might just be better than you are! Well, you're just pathetic, and you're gutless. You're a gutless wonder! Vivir con miedo, es como vivir a medias!
BONUS ROUND!:
Bonus #1: Tuvaluans K and Oldest (hi, guys!) know that this is from "Back to the Future." In fact, it is the very last line.
Bonus #2: Elizabeth M. knows these classic lines from "This Is Spinal Tap." Seriously, folks, see it (again). Awesome. Someday I will have to write a post about the time I saw Spinal Tap play live at the Warfield in San Francisco. So Meta!!!
OR ALSO...
It's very pretty.
Yeah, I've been fooling around with it for a few months.
It's a bit of a departure from what you normally play.
It's part of a trilogy, a musical trilogy I'm working on in D minor which is the saddest of all keys, I find. People weep instantly when they hear it, and I don't know why.
It's very nice.
You know, just simple lines intertwining, you know, very much like - I'm really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it's sort of in between those, really. It's like a Mach piece, really. It's sort of...
What do you call this?
Well, this piece is called "Lick My Love Pump".
Bonus #3:
And they had no hole in the center of the record.
It would teeter crazily on the little spindle.
No, you had to provide it yourself. They were still good records. Good product.
If you punched a hole in them, you'd have a good time.
Bonus #4: Blackbird and secrethandshake have good taste in movies, like this one: "School of Rock." Ladies, we should get together for movie night!
Christina Aguilera
Who? No. Come on. What? You, Shortstop.
Puff Daddy
Wrong. Billy?
Liza Minnelli?
OR ALSO...
Katie, what was that thing you were playing today, the big thing?
Cello.
Ok. This is a bass guitar. And it's the exact same thing but instead of playing it like this you tip it on the side... cello, you got a bass.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Dear Women's Club by my house,
Why is this sign affixed to your building? It is not "December 1st" anymore.
But more puzzling, why did you move this sign - from a pvc contraption on your front lawn to this spot on the exterior wall of the building - in January?
I just need to know what was going through the person's head who climbed up the ladder and nailed it to the building. I need to know because your building is on the way from my house to the nearest major street, and I look at this sign several times a day, and I just can't keep wondering in silence.
Because it is eating my brain.
should I just go back to bed?
because...
yesterday afternoon I went to the dentist for the first time in 2.5 years (because it's really hard to find someone to watch the kids for me when my husband has a gross project at work (thank God that's over)) and they found "at least two" cavities so I will have to get fillings, which fills me with dread and gloom.
my dental insurance won't pay for full mouth x-rays because I had some at my old dentist in April 2005 and you can only get them once every three years. But since the new dentist did "check-up x-rays" yesterday, they can't do full mouth for another year. Which means that the dentist needs me to come back in so he can poke around for 45 minutes looking for more cavities since there's no complete set of x-rays unless I can get the old ones from the old dentist.
the old dentist apparently "archived my chart" in 2007 which means they sent it "off to storage" and would charge me an arm and a leg to retrieve it.
AND ALSO...
my insurance company just told me that the guy who hit me has changed his story and his insurance company now says I am at fault. Which is rubbish and, forgive me, horseshit. And even though the photos of my car's damage show that I was stopped at the time I was hit (my insurance guy told me that), since "guy who hit me" says otherwise, I might have to pay my deductible. What a fucking load. So apparently you can hit someone, then just tell your insurance company a completely bogus story and wtf I am so pissed. Now I have to call the other guy's insurance company and give them a statement because apparently not calling them is akin to admitting I'm at fault. I've never heard this before and it all sounds like crap. Whee, that'll be a fun phone call for me to make oh, about 10 minutes from now. Wish me luck.
I am so shitted about this I cannot even think coherently, let alone think. I mean, write.
yesterday afternoon I went to the dentist for the first time in 2.5 years (because it's really hard to find someone to watch the kids for me when my husband has a gross project at work (thank God that's over)) and they found "at least two" cavities so I will have to get fillings, which fills me with dread and gloom.
my dental insurance won't pay for full mouth x-rays because I had some at my old dentist in April 2005 and you can only get them once every three years. But since the new dentist did "check-up x-rays" yesterday, they can't do full mouth for another year. Which means that the dentist needs me to come back in so he can poke around for 45 minutes looking for more cavities since there's no complete set of x-rays unless I can get the old ones from the old dentist.
the old dentist apparently "archived my chart" in 2007 which means they sent it "off to storage" and would charge me an arm and a leg to retrieve it.
AND ALSO...
my insurance company just told me that the guy who hit me has changed his story and his insurance company now says I am at fault. Which is rubbish and, forgive me, horseshit. And even though the photos of my car's damage show that I was stopped at the time I was hit (my insurance guy told me that), since "guy who hit me" says otherwise, I might have to pay my deductible. What a fucking load. So apparently you can hit someone, then just tell your insurance company a completely bogus story and wtf I am so pissed. Now I have to call the other guy's insurance company and give them a statement because apparently not calling them is akin to admitting I'm at fault. I've never heard this before and it all sounds like crap. Whee, that'll be a fun phone call for me to make oh, about 10 minutes from now. Wish me luck.
I am so shitted about this I cannot even think coherently, let alone think. I mean, write.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
a new skill
The Boy would like to show you the latest thing Middle Girl taught him:
Since he is three, he likes that he knows another way to show it:
This means "bowling spare." I have no idea how or why he came up with that. But he is adamant about it.
Since he is three, he likes that he knows another way to show it:
This means "bowling spare." I have no idea how or why he came up with that. But he is adamant about it.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Girl Power!
This is not a "New Favorite" (tm blackbird), it's one I've loved for a couple of years and go back and watch from time to time.
She is the shit!
Pass it on!
She is the shit!
Pass it on!
awwwww...
Dudes, thanks for appreciating my dad's volcano-watching hobby -- it's the type of "quirk" (he has many) that drives my mom nuts but just makes me smile and love him even more.
When writing that post, I tried to find some pictures of our trip there in the eighties. I couldn't find them, so they must be at my parents' house (a 16-hour drive away). I wish I had been able to post some -- not just for the moonscape that was the Mt. St. Helens area at that time, but also for cute li'l me in my 1980's get-up.
Anyway, in honor of Dad, here's the link: VolcanoCam
It's completely obstructed by clouds right now (8:30 am PST on March 3). Poor Dad.
In honor of my cousin T, here's the Astronomy Picture of the Day (he also sends this out to family members, but not every day). It's something in the DNA, I'm tellin' ya.
Sand Dunes Thawing on Mars
When writing that post, I tried to find some pictures of our trip there in the eighties. I couldn't find them, so they must be at my parents' house (a 16-hour drive away). I wish I had been able to post some -- not just for the moonscape that was the Mt. St. Helens area at that time, but also for cute li'l me in my 1980's get-up.
Anyway, in honor of Dad, here's the link: VolcanoCam
It's completely obstructed by clouds right now (8:30 am PST on March 3). Poor Dad.
In honor of my cousin T, here's the Astronomy Picture of the Day (he also sends this out to family members, but not every day). It's something in the DNA, I'm tellin' ya.
Sand Dunes Thawing on Mars
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