Movie Magic

If you ask me, there's just no substitute for the silver screen. There's just something I love about seeing a movie in the theater. Maybe it's the overpriced but oh-so-buttery popcorn. Maybe it's the giant screen and wall-shaking surround sound. I don't know what it is that draws me in, but I know it's powerful enough not to let the high ticket prices deter me.

David and I have always been fairly regular moviegoers. In the last year or so, we've made it about a twice a month routine with his sister and brother-in-law. In the last couple of months, it's been much more often than that. Summer blockbusters, after all.


I've even begun seeing movies more than once in the theater. This is a practice I used to avoid. However, both The Proposal and Ice Age 3 have been repeated in the last little while. (To be fair, I did see them both with different people that the original viewing. And children were even involved for Ice Age. More on that in a minute.) Harry Potter will also get an encore in IMAX format.

I've even found joy in going to the movies by myself. Some people think this is weird, but you generally don't talk to your companions much during the movie anyway. When I have to travel for work or when everyone else wants to see something I have no interest in seeing when there is something I definitely want to see just a few doors down, I don't mind a bit to watch solo.


Some movies (those over 2 1/2 hours or those of marginal interest to me) are still reserved for the Netflix list. (Yes, our movie buff lifestyle absolutely carries over the the DVD realm!) It just seems that a night at the movies is a night well spent. It doesn't require a lot of planning, it doesn't require anyone to clean their house, it doesn't require anything but $8.50 a person.


My favorite recent movie trip involved taking BonBon and Skywalker to Ice Age last week. First, I asked SW if he wanted popcorn. He replied "I'm not really a fan." (He's 6) BB (she's 4) then answered that sometimes she likes it, sometimes she doesn't. She then squealed "I want THOSE!!!!!" and pointed at the candy case. Followed by "What are they?" They were Twizzlers, by the way. (Did she get them? See photo.) We got settled into our seats (as a non-parent, this was actually more of an ordeal than I had anticipated) and waited for the movie to begin. Of course, every preview that was shown was followed by "I want to see that!" As the movie began, I gave BB a handful of popcorn. I figured a handful would be a good start since sometimes she likes it and sometimes she doesn't. It didn't take her long to realize that movie theater popcorn is in a league of its own! I frequently felt a tiny little tap on my arm and saw her pointing to her empty popcorn napkin. She ended up eating almost as much of it as me! SW literally sat on the edge of his seat the whole time. (He was much too cool for the booster seat despite being barely able to see over the seat in front of him.) They laughed hysterically throughout. And, for us big kids, it was just as fun the second time around. The best part was to see movie magic in action for SW and BB.

Side note: The best non-movie part was stopping by Starbucks afterward and having SW tell us he didn't like coffee because it makes you cough. I said "No it doesn't" and he replied "Then why do they call it COUGH-ee?" Valid point, kiddo!!

I only have two real frustrations with my movie going. A) The local theaters are kind of "old-school" (read: non-stadium seating, sticky floors, one person working the concession stand.) Therefore, a 45 minute drive to a "good" theater is usually required. B) The 4-6 messages to remind you to turn off your cell phone. (Including one theater that sends in an employee to remind you in person.) I understand it is annoying. However, it's not fatal. Well, unless a person near you gets annoyed and kills you. Nevertheless, one or two reminders would probably suffice. Having a 20 foot tall former American Idol David Cook remind you is a little bit of overkill. Other than that, the movies make me happy!!



I don't know what's next on the agenda (other than HP in IMAX) but I think it's safe to say that David and I should have our picture in one of the Coming Soon frames along the wall at the theater.Don't worry Cleve, the Saturday matinee ticket taker at Breckenridge Village, you won't have to miss our smiling faces for long!

In Defense of Wes...

If you ask me, reality TV fans need a major reality check! That being said, I am a huge watcher of reality TV. While there are a few sitcoms and dramas that I watch, the majority of my TV viewing is documentaries / docu-dramas (like my beloved Deadliest Catch), home improvement shows, food-related shows, and yes, the more stereotypical "reality" shows like Survivor and The Bachelor/Bachelorette.

I've never wanted my blog to be celebrity rants or focus too much on my extensive TV watching habit. However, I feel like I just need to vent about reality TV for a little while.

Let's start with the name. Reality. As is my approach with most things in life, I tend to take a more cynical approach. I like the genre because it is more or less mindless entertainment. In general, it doesn't require the personal investment I find myself making in "regular shows". (You know, like wondering if George is really dead on Grey's Anatomy. Or feeling sad that Men in Trees got canceled before answering so many of my questions.) So, without that emotional attachment, I can see it for what it is. Thousands of hours of footage that are edited down to a handful of episodes. Entertaining? Yes. Reality? No chance. Sure - the majority of the things that you see when the episode airs did happen. But I'm not foolish enough to think they all happened exactly as the unfold on television. The editors and producers of the show carve out story lines, cut out that vast majority of what they filmed and then piece it together in a way they feel will be most exciting and ratings-worthy. I TOTALLY get that.

This blog is inspired by / dedicated to the people who obviously don't.

At the end of every season of The Bachelor, I find myself swearing it off. Yet, I never seem to remember to delete the timer in my DVR. So at the start of the next season, it records. And if my DVR cared enough to record it, it would be rude not to watch, right? Plus, I stumbled across a blog a few years ago written by a guy, Reality Steve, who shares my cynical and sarcastic outlook on the show. I keep watching mainly so I can laugh hysterically the next day when his blog is posted. The last couple of seasons have been less hilarious snark about the previous night's episode and more about the behind-the-scenes information he comes across. While I miss the snark, I enjoy the secret-spilling as well.

I've said ALL of that to say this: This season has been almost unbearable to watch! It's absolutely been a train wreck. And in true train wreck fashion, I continue watching. The people are boring, the editing is BEYOND obvious... it's just been painful to watch. In addition, one guy in particular has been ridiculously vilified. Sure, the first few episodes, I got a little caught up in thinking he was a jerk but it didn't take long to see that it was just part of the story. In short, the guy is a musician and apparently it would make a good story if he cared nothing about the Bachelorette and was only there to get famous. And, since he only cares about getting famous, he may as well have a girlfriend back home. I don't want to rehash the whole thing because there are about a million other blogs where you can read all about it.

The part that disturbs me most is how many people are buying into this. Not just anonymous people on forums and blogs... people I know. People I respect and feel are intelligent. Every Monday night, I see a plethora of Facebook posts from my friends about what a d-bag Wes is. How glad they are he got voted out. How they will never buy his CD. I find myself reading them and thinking "Seriously?" I can't believe they don't see through it. It seems so obvious to me. This guy got the hatchet job of the century. I mean, they have made him out to be Satan's half-brother from Texas. How do people not see that?

The guy who writes the website I linked to earlier actually got to meet Wes and interview him a couple of times. (Despite the fact that it violates Wes' non-disclosure contract. I mean, doesn't the fact that he has a non-disclosure contract clue anyone in to the fact that reality TV lacks reality? I guess not.) It was interesting to hear exactly how certain scenes came to happen. Or how things he said were blatantly spliced together in a voice over to form comments that made him look terrible. I'm somewhat of a conspiracy theorist so none of it really surprised me. But it was good to hear his side of things and defend himself.

I don't know the guy. I don't want to over-defend someone I don't know. But I know he's not the guy portrayed on the show. I know that no one on a reality show is the person they are portrayed to be. And, in violation of my own rules about not becoming invested in reality shows, I feel bad for the guy. He is a talented musician. (I went to his website to listen to a song or two and ended up listening to all of them.) Sure, he is trying to make a living. (So is everyone else.) He might be a little cocky, but so are a lot of people. He did agree to go on a reality show. In retrospect, I'm bet he would reconsider. The bottom line remains that he is a real person. When I hear and read the things people have to say about him, I don't think they understand that this is not a character. This is not Miranda Priestly a la The Devil Wears Prada. You're supposed to hate her. That's how the character was written. Wes, on the other hand is a person. There's a difference. So, I'm not going to run a Wes for President campaign, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he's not pure evil.

I can't explain why this has gotten under my skin so much. It just has. In one of my college classes (marketing, I think), the professor's whole curriculum focused around the idea that perception is reality. I think he said that phrase 1,000 times over the course of the semester. What you believe, no matter how flawed, is reality to you. It is just in my nature, I guess, to dig deeper. That's why I feel like I can watch and enjoy "reality" TV. I know it's not completely real. Perhaps it should be called perception TV. I perceive it to be entertainment based on actual events. Am I in the minority? Apparently so.

I can't find a clever way to wrap this up, so I'll just recap a few of my key points. A) To my friends and others who still think Wes is Public Enemy Number 1, please go listen to the interviews on Steve's site. Make up your own mind instead of just going along with what you saw on TV. This applies to any celebrity or reality show participant, by the way. B) What you see on TV is meant to entertain and earn ratings. All of it. Period. As much as it pains me to admit it, this even includes my beloved Deadliest Catch. C) Wes, if you come to Little Rock, put me down for two tickets.

Time flies!

If you ask me, time really does fly! I have no idea where the last week has gone. In some ways, I didn't have as much going on as I have in the previous several weeks. But in other ways, it seems like I had a million things to do. Most of them involved cake!

I did 3 little girl birthday cakes between Thursday and Monday. That might not be a lot of cake for someone who, say, has a bakery. For someone with an average-sized kitchen that does NOT clean itself, that's a lot of cakes. When I do a large wedding cake, it's just a one-night event and then I can clean up. When I have back to back to back cakes, it's a lot harder to keep up with everything. Nevertheless, I got them done. Two of them are below. I haven't uploaded pictures of the third cake yet. Happy Birthday, Girls!

We also went to the birthday party for one of the little girls. Of course, the party was outside and last Saturday was one of the hottest days of the year. My Cullen-like skin (while covered in a ridiculously high SPF) did not quite know how to react to being out in the sun for so long. With the sudden onset of my summer hatred, I've been keeping it indoors most of the time. (Side note: In the past, I've always loved summer. I've hated cold... moved to the South to avoid cold, etc. Yet this summer hit me like a ton of bricks and I feel very much like melting!)

My cousin BonBon is a friend of the birthday girl's, so she was in attendance at the party. There were horses and other animals for the kids to pet. It was fun for the kids and the adults. The best part was getting to ride a horse alongside BonBon. Her and her older brother are the first kids I've been around since they were born. Most of my cousins are around my age and then there was a gap in little ones until my generation started producing some new ones. Anyway, these two are super special to me and feel a lot like a niece and nephew. (BonBon's brother, Skywalker, was at home recovering from a tonsillectomy and couldn't come to the party. Bummer!) BonBon had never been on a horse before and is a self-proclaimed princess, so I was pleasantly surprised at home much she seemed to enjoy it. (Of course, she wouldn't pet the llama. She said "He's a little dirty for me.")

The rest of the week has been filled with work and brainstorming ways to make our house more energy-efficient. No matter what we do, the A/C seems to run constantly. Part of it is the fact that it's summer in Arkansas. However, upon further investigation, we found more "nuggets of stupidity" around the house. This is my title for anything we discover left undone or done stupidly by our builder. (We did not contract the house. It was brand new when we bought it but he had already completed the building. All in all, he's a nice guy but he cut a lot of corners that weren't obvious at the time.) This cut corner was caulk around the windows. Yes, seriously. He did not caulk the windows. (Not sure exactly why this is surprising since he didn't put screens on the windows either.) There was a line of caulk at the bottom of each window but none on the other three sides. Gee, wonder where the cold air is escaping. So, windows have been caulked and we've bought a special film to cover them. It's supposed to reflect back 60% of the sun's heat. We'll see how that goes. Job One is getting it up successfully. Then maybe some energy savings can begin!

Tomorrow, it's off to Hogwarts! Yes, I've managed to hold out 4 days and not see the new Harry Potter movie. I nearly gave in every night but we've had plans to see it with David's family, so I held out! Based on several of my friends being disappointed, I did go ahead and read up on the difference between the book and the movie. Now I'm prepared and won't be throwing popcorn at the screen in anger! I'm actually very excited and sure it will be a good movie. I'll let you know...

Word to your mother...

If you ask me, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is my frenemy! Or maybe their list of new words was actually just a hoax created by a sock puppet.

I always thought a sock puppet was an old sock that had eyes and a mouth drawn on with a Magic Marker. Apparently it is "a false online identity used for deceptive purposes. " I also mistakenly assumed "earmark" would have been in the dictionary years ago. I have spent my whole life hearing about Congress earmarking funds for this or that. Good thing it's easy to spell since you couldn't have looked it up to be sure.

Yes, every year when Webster's announces the new additions to their next edition, I spend a few days trying to see how many of the words I can use. Now I know that I should be doing something more cardioproductive with my time. Perhaps walking to work so as to reduce my carbon footprint. And all that walking will make me thirsty, so I better get an acai and goji smoothie. Good thing I'm not a locavore because those berries aren't grown in Arkansas. Whew, this is exhausting. I'm ready to hit the memory foam. In fact, I'm so exhausted that I may need a few days off to enjoy a little staycation.

See how fun this is!? I haven't had this much fun since last year's list brought me a gianormous amount of excitement. (Yes, "gianormous" was added last year.)

Okay, so maybe I'm playing it kind of fast and loose with the word "fun". Seriously, I love words. I like to learn new ones. I don't automatically assume a person is pretentious just because they choose large words. I can't explain it; it's just something that interests me. I already know I'm a dork, so don't feel like you have to tell me. :-)

I also think it's sort of interesting how some of the newly-added words reflect the changes in our culture. Would "frenemy" be getting its place in the dictionary if not for The Hills or The OC or something in that genre? Other than on previews for those shows, I've only heard the word used once. It was by a friend of mine who teaches high school Spanish. She said "One of my students asked if (insert Spanish word I can't remember) meant the same thing as a frenemy."

Anyway, just thought I'd share the new list of words in case the 3 other people in the world who would likely find this interesting just happen to read my blog.

Finally, I would like to add that I was planning on writing another blog in a few days about my adventures in finding a dentist. However, I may do that to tomorrow. That would, of course, be in honor of "prepone" (refers to the act of arranging for an event to take place earlier than originally planned — the opposite of postpone) who didn't quite make the cut for this year's dictionary. Better luck next year!

Fantastic Fourth

If you ask me, holiday weekends are the best! In fact, every weekend should be 3 days... or better yet, 5 days! Every weekend, however, should not have a Deadliest Catch marathon. Why can I not turn off that show? It's a wonder I managed to get anything else done. Plus, after the 20th time, why was I still laughing at the commercial with the crab wearing an Uncle Sam hat? Yes, I am a TV junkie. I can admit it. We got a heavy (and much-needed) rain this afternoon that knocked out the satellite. I didn't know what to do... so I took a nap!! Nevertheless, between the Bering Sea adventures, I carved out a great 4th of July weekend!

We had some friends down from Illinois. It was great to see them for a couple of days. David let the kids take pictures in his police car. They also bought some fireworks to shoot. Fireworks are illegal in Illinois so it was a treat for them to get to buy them. The city display was also great. We watched from my parents' house. They live in the same neighborhood we do but their lot sits up higher so the view was even better. Some of the fireworks were hard to see because the smoke hung around after each one was fired. (It was a really humid night. Humid? In July in Arkansas? Imagine that!!) But, for the most part, it was really good. My new camera, as promised, took some pretty cool pictures.This weekend also marked my grandpa's 78th birthday. We had a celebratory dinner tonight at a Mexican restaurant in town. (Our options were limited as the other restaurants in town, including the one my parents own, were closed for the holiday weekend.) As a side note, it's a very good restaurant but what is it specifically about Mexican restaurants that causes the smell to linger (strongly) on your clothes? It has been about 4 hours since we left and my clothes still smell like enchiladas. Oh well, it was tasty!

I made Papa's cake. I actually had a hard time deciding how to decorate it. I decided on drizzly chocolate because he likes chocolate and he's probably a little old for superhero or cartoon character cakes. (Although I am sure David will want a Transformers cake or something like that for his 78th birthday!) He seemed to enjoy it. And he and Mama sure can rock a sombrero! I couldn't ask for better grandparents. Happy Birthday, Papa!! And many more!!

Trapped in an elevator a year ago

I spent my 4th of July last year preparing for my little sister's wedding. Let's just say that things did not go exactly as planned. Enjoy! (Oh, and if you are new to my world, you might note that my husband is a police officer here in our small town. That makes the part where he calls 911 more entertaining!)

Over the years, a lot of people have told me that the life of David and Aud would make a good comedy sitcom on TV. At first, I wondered why they would think that. But, the more I think about it, crazy stuff does seem to happen to me. I drove the car through my parents' garage when I was 15... I almost got deported from Italy over a pair of ripped jeans (okay, that's a stretch... but there was some jean-related chaos in Italy)... there is the whole story of how David stalked me at work, I turned him down, etc... or the time I had to go to the ER because he dropped a TV on my foot... or the time the Sonic girl yelled at us because we ordered ice cream and she was out of spoons. Well, this weekend could certainly be an episode in our crazy life. It was my sister's wedding. That right there should be all you need to know. However, there was one particular point of insanity that I must share.
The ceremony was to take place at our church building. Directly across the street is a city center with some offices, a couple of gyms, a walking track and a really nice room upstairs for banquets and that sort of thing. We reserved that banquet room for the reception. Although the building was closed for July 4th (the day before the wedding), we had a friend who works in the building offer to let us in anyway so we could decorate.

David, Big Al and I arrived at the building in the early afternoon to start hauling all the reception supplies upstairs. Our friend said the elevator was not working (it had stormed the night before) but that she was going to make some calls to get it fixed. We began carrying all the reception stuff up the stairs. About the time we finished, she came to tell us the bad news. The elevator wasn't going to be fixed. The mayor said he was not going to pay the repair fee for a holiday weekend. Then he said that since we were the ones using the facility, we could pay the repairman. Yes, you read that right. WE could pay the repairman out of our own pocket... so, in short... $^%& that!

Now, for the adventure!! Big Al, being an electrician, decides that he will take a look at the elevator. (We had several elderly guests and one in a wheelchair so the elevator was a must.) It didn't take him long to locate a blown fuse. He got some fuses and tried to swap it out. Suddenly, the elevator went "ding" and the button lit up!! Victory! Wait, nope... the fuse quickly blew again. (Repeat this process about 4 times) Finally, he clanged and banged around on enough things that the door opened. At this point, David (the faithful apprentice) and Big Al run out of the equipment room to survey the situation. I am yelling "NO ONE GET IN THE ELEVATOR!!! Just reach in and push the button to send it upstairs. DO NOT GET IN THE ELEVATOR!!!"

Now, if you've ever met a real-life man, you know this information was lost on them. In hops David. Now I'm shouting "GET OUT! DON'T PUSH ANY BUTTONS!!!!!"

"Ding"... button being pushed... door closing...

A priceless look of terror passed across David's face. Next came the sound of him frantically hitting the panel inside the elevator. No luck. Next, I hear a voice come over the emergency phone. Yes, in his panic and button pushing frenzy, he hit the emergency phone and called 911. Here is how it transpired:

Dispatch: (hard to understand but basically confirming there was an emergency)
David: Yeah, I'm stuck in the elevator at the Events Center
Dispatch: What?! You're what? (Old, deaf dispatcher couldn't hear over the elevator phone and gets the court clerk / office person on the phone)
Court Clerk: Sir, did you say someone is stuck in an elevator?
David: Yes! I am stuck!
Court Clerk (CC): Um, okay, I'll send someone, um...
David: CC, it's getting really hot in here!
CC: Who is this?
David: It's me, David!
CC: DAVID!? WHAT are you doing stuck in an elevator? And isn't that building closed today?
David: Yes, but... it's a long story... anyway, I'm stuck in here...
Me (shouting from outside the door): David... have you tried manually opening the door?
David: CC, hold on... (hear hands against the elevator door... door slides open easily)... CC, I'm okay, I got the door opened!

So yes, not only did he get stuck in an elevator, he failed to even attempt to open the door and he called 911. Awesome. And, before realizing she was ok, she did radio out what was going on. So all his co-workers got to hear too!!

 Needless to say, our attempts to repair the elevator quickly ceased. We also decided that we would just have the reception in the church fellowship hall. It was much smaller than the banquet room, but the best option given the circumstances.

All in all, after quite a bit of drama, chaos, elevator entrapment, and a very late night of emergency decorating, the wedding and reception went off very well!! Wow-- only in my family! And yes, I did wish we were on a TV show just so I could see all of our faces!!!!

So, Happy 1st Anniversary to Big Al and Little Sis. And yes, that's me next to her... not Lil Bo Peep. Wow, my hair was long last year and David's was really short...

Independence Day

If you ask me, it's important to remember that the 4th of July is not just about cookouts and fireworks. I love the three day weekend. I love that the city fireworks display is literally a block from my house and I can watch from the comfort of my front yard. I love burgers and watermelon. But more than that, I love the freedoms I have just because I was born in the US. My mother-in-law forwarded me this email a couple of days ago and I thought it was really interesting. I think it's so important to remember those who came before us and chose to be Americans. And to remember those who are currently serving our country to preserve our freedoms.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who
signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the
Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the
Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from
the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his
reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank
these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

I couldn't find a reference to the author, but thank you whoever you are. What a great reminder of just a few of the men and women who have made our way of life possible.

Happy 4th of July!! I'll post pictures tomorrow of the fireworks display. My new camera takes fabulous fireworks pictures!

Condensed soup

If you ask me, I need to condense my blogging activities to one general location. We'll see how it goes! We'll also see how well I keep up with it.

I've kept a blog on MySpace for quite a while. In addition, I dabbled in the world of WordPress but did not stay long. The majority of the blogs I read and follow seem to be over here, so it seemed like a good idea to give it a try too. Not to mention the mass exodus of the majority of my friends away from MySpace. (Myself included... my profile is still active and I still have a couple of mainly MySpace friends, but for the most part, you can find me on Facebook or Twitter.)

Plus, some of my friends have super fabulous blogs with awesome pictures and accounts of the more regular events of their lives. I've had a tendency to just blog when I had a particularly "out there" story to tell. Theirs are much more shiny and fun! It makes me jealous and I want one too. I will probably repost some of my MySpace blogs just for giggles, but for the most part, feel free to stop by soon and find out what craziness Bruiser, David and I have encountered most recently!