Party at my blog...

This marks my 100th post to this blog. For veteran bloggers, that's "just getting started"... but for me some people who never follow through occasionally have trouble following through with things, it's kind of a big deal.

So, how should I celebrate?  Hmm. I guess I should have decided before I started this post, eh?  (Oh, I am also using "eh" as often as possible to commemorate the last few days of the Vancouver Olympics.)

I've seen people do different things once they reached 100 posts... start a blog roll of their favorite other blogs, let their readers coerce them into telling a story they said they'd "tell another time", etc.

Anyway, you tell me...

Blog roll? Embarrassing story? Answer random questions about myself? Post more self-deprecating photos? Something else?

And no, to the smart aleck in the group who is considering "Shut up and stop blogging" as their suggestion, I'm preemptively vetoing that.

Come on, let's hear it.

If I don't get any suggestions, I will be forced to post something tomorrow noting my 101 blog posts... and you can be assured it will be clad in dalmations and cheesiness.

Project 365: Week 8

In addition to my kitchen renovation project, my decluttering project and my 365 days of pictures project, I also started a walking / running project this week. There's a good chance my next few weeks of photos will be of the kindly nurses at the mental health facility.  :-)

Feb. 20th

 

Two very different cakes. The tree stump is a first anniversary cake - a smaller replica of a groom's cake I did last year. The mom ordering the pink cake wanted "purple ballet slippers, ribbons, etc. and swirls". It came out okay... I was afraid it would end up on CakeWrecks. (The mom and the birthday girl loved it, so that's all that matters, I guess.)

Feb. 21st  

 In my world, putting MJ in a Michigan outfit is tantamount to child abuse. (GO IRISH!)

In David's world, it's adorable. And MJ? I can't believe you're semi-smiling. Little Benedict Arnold!

Feb. 22nd

 

Day One of Operation: Run 1 Mile

I was too tired to put my shoes anywhere but the middle of the floor. 

Feb. 23rd

 

Bruiser and his treat both in mid-air. 

Yes, he caught it. No, I haven't painted the cabinets yet. 

 

Feb. 24th

 

A little before 5:00, the sun was coming through my office window and actually blinding me.

I'm glad the sun was shining but I couldn't even look at my computer without retinal damage.

Feb. 25th

  

Special at a local restaurant. (And yes, all on one burger, I asked.)

I can't decide between two captions:

 "Yes, I'll have the special... with a side of double bypass." "For only a dollar more, you can make that a triple bypass."

OR

If the burger doesn't kill you, the spelling will!  

Feb. 26th

 

Cats? Why would you think we have cats?

Have a great weekend!

Under Construction

Since I'm renovating the kitchen, 

decluttering my life, etc.

I thought I'd make some changes on my blog. 

I'll probably mess with it a few (hundred) times before 

I settle on a "look". If you stop by and it's

all out of sorts, you'll know why. 

If you stop by and think it's starting 

to look like a MySpace profile, 

please alert me immediately

so I can go back to the drawing board.

:-) 

5,280 Feet

I have come to realize that I am a lot of things in life. However, I am also not a few things. For example, I am not athletic. At all. I am a huge supporter (he he) but I just don't have the vast majority of the skills required to be an athlete myself.

That didn't stop me from trying, mind you. In junior high and high school, I gave it my best shot. However, my best was, well, terrible. My stats for my basketball career included 0 points, 2 missed free throw attempts and countless asthma attacks. My volleyball stats were slightly better. I scored a few points, saw a little playing time and a host of ankle injuries before my career ended in a light blue cast. And it's not just limited to formal athletics. Once, in college, a cute boy offered to walk me to class. I fell in giant hole in the parking lot and nearly broke my "good" ankle. The following year, I was chasing my friend through yet another parking lot and somehow ended up tearing up my knee. At that point, my orthopedic surgeon suggested I "stop trying" anything too risky.

I did. Aside from about a 6 month stint leading up to my sister's wedding, I have hardly done anything exercise-related in the past decade. As a result, I get winded entirely too easily, my asthma is worse, and my joints hurt more than they would if I would exercise (see: lupus). Factor in the added weight from both some medications I've taken over the years and my horrendous eating habits and I'm a TLC special waiting to happen.

So, while I may not have athletic ability, I do have an intense desire to prove people wrong... even if "people" is actually myself. Remember the time I joked I'd make a terrible movie reviewer and I've since inflicted a movie review upon you every week? Well, a couple of weeks ago, I was reading Kasey's blog about her upcoming marathon... yes, marathon! I commented that even in my best condition, I could barely run a mile and that now I would probably pass out if I tried to run to my car in the parking lot. I still believe that to be a true statement. For now...

After she completed her marathon and after I started taking stock of the people around me who have made drastic changes for their health lately, I knew I had to do something but I wasn't quite sure what. Saturday, David and I were driving to Little Rock and, without any forethought, I said "Do you think I could learn to run a mile?" Before he could even answer, I had that "Oh crap! It's out there in the universe!" feeling. He replied "Definitely! That's only two laps around our subdivision."  (Yes, he knows from experience.) I reminded him that I'm not supposed to run on really hard surfaces (see: lupus, ankles) but he reminded me that, while lacking in a number of things, our town has both indoor and outdoor tracks and a gym full of treadmills.

When we got to lunch, the same thing happened again. Without any forethought, I blurted out to my parents "I've decided to run a mile." (PS - I don't know at what point I "decided", but apparently I had.) I'm not sure what reaction I expected from them, but it wasn't the one I got. My mom, without any hesitation of her own, said "Well, you should start by being able to walk the mile. I'll go with you."

So, it's settled. Despite the many, many anti-running jokes I've made ("The only reason I would ever run would be to help someone who was on fire... and even then, it'd have to be a close friend!"), I am going to run a mile. (I'm not sure why I picked one mile. I guess it just seems like a legitimate milestone of a distance.) Based on the Google results for "how to run a mile", this process should take about 4-5 weeks. I'm going to play the asthma and lupus cards here and give myself a little extra time, but 8 weeks should be reasonable, right?

Unfortunately, I do not need new running shoes. Despite my aversion to running, I have no problem with purchasing "cute" tennis shoes. However, David pointed out that I'll need to keep my inhaler handy... which, of course, means I will have to buy some of those track pants with zippered pockets. That's really all the motivation I need. Forget heart health. Just reward me with guilt-free purchases.

I will not subject you to an abundance of updates regarding this process but just enough so that I'll have some accountability and not quit. Besides, I think all the updates will be about the same "Why did I decide to do this? I don't like sweating. My inhaler tastes gross."  (Oh yeah, I'm going to do this because I said I would... but it's unlikely I'll have a very positive attitude about it. I'm sure that seems counterproductive to some of you but I definitely operate better under the "just to prove you wrong" mentality than they sunshiney "I can DO this" mentality.)

Night One begins this evening when I meet my mom at the (indoor) track after work. If you don't hear something from me in a few days, assume the worst.

**UPDATE**
I did not die. Since I do everything Google tells me, I ran 1/16 of the mile and walked the rest. I didn't pass out or anything! I did, however, realize that I should work on being less competitive. First, I told my mom I needed a watch. She asked why. I said "Because that lady has one." Then she said she needed to stop to use the restroom. I told her she couldn't or we wouldn't win. She asked what we were competing against. The first thing I could think of was "We have to lap Dad."  So, she managed to hold it and we lapped Dad. I'm not sure why, but whatever. Next challenge: hopefully not be so sore I can't get out of bed in the morning.

PS - This is what I look like when I run:  (Phoebe, of course...)

Movie Review Monday: Valentine's Day

Remember last week when I was all "Valentine's Day got such horrible reviews. I will save the money and not see it in the theater."  Yeah, that didn't work out. I went and saw it on Saturday. But, it wasn't entirely my fault.

First, these two guys on the radio said they liked it. I mean, if guys like a movie about Valentine's Day, it must not be too cheesy, right? That was the first crack in my armor. Then, I started noticing more and more friends on Facebook saying they had enjoyed it. Finally, Saturday, my mom called from Little Rock to see if we wanted to meet them at Olive Garden for a late lunch. I decided it was a sign. Olive Garden is right by the movie theater. And it would still be at matinee time, so that would save a couple of bucks, right? David agreed we could go see it. Of course, the theater right by Olive Garden didn't have a showing at the time we wanted so we went to a different theater, but that's beside the point.

This is another one of those movies with tons of famous people in a loosely connected story. Honestly, I'm kind of a fan of this genre. I have a short attention span as it relates to movies (okay, fine, not just movies) so this ever-changing snippet thing works for me. Well, if it's done right.

Valentine's Day was a good balance of the "loosely connected" concept. It was less connected that He's Just Not That Into You... which I found a little confusing to try to keep straight. However, it was more connected that New York, I Love You... which I found kind of annoyingly random. (I also just realized that Bradley Cooper is in all three of these movies. Weird, but yummy.)

So, not shockingly, this movie follows several people through the goings-on of their Valentine's Day. (For "people", see the movie poster. Again, too many names to type out.) Some enjoy Valentine's Day. Some don't. Some end up happy. Some don't.

All in all, I thought it was cute. It was funny and had some good one-liners. It wasn't all sappy. I had heard a lot of people say "I did not see that coming" about the way certain stories played out. I can guess at which stories those were, but honestly, I thought each outcome was fairly predictable. Not in a bad way, but I definitely wasn't on the edge of my seat. There was one Eric Dane comment that did surprise me a bit, but as soon as he said it, the rest of his story was easy enough to understand. I thought it was all done pretty well. It was light enough that it wasn't a chore to watch but it wasn't so light that it was corny. I mean, it was a teensy bit corny, but, like I said about I Hate Valentine's Day, you have to expect that in a movie with "Valentine's Day" in the title.

Oddly enough, the part that I liked the least was the Taylor Lautner / Taylor Swift story. I love Taylor Lautner. (He's legal now. Stop judging.) I mostly like Taylor Swift's music. I liked Taylor Swift when she hosted Saturday Night Live. However I did NOT like her in this movie. She basically acted like when she hosted SNL. She did the flaky blonde teenager thing... but to such an extreme that it was not believable. And she's just too freakin' skinny. The whole piece with her and Taylor Lautner seemed forced and didn't add anything to the movie at all. If they were hoping to attract a younger demographic, they could have just put Taylor Lautner on camera shirtless. It worked for New Moon.

So, I declare the movie worth watching. David enjoyed it more than he thought he would. I'm glad we didn't go see it last weekend with the Valentine's crowd... and I don't think you'll miss anything if you wait for DVD... but if you're planning a Girl's Night Out or if you've got a Saturday afternoon you need to occupy, then it's a good choice.  I give it a B.

If you do go see it, stay for the bloopers as the credits roll. The last one with Julia Roberts was priceless.

I'm not sure what I'll be watching this week. I've got The Invention of Lying at home. However, I've also got the first season of How I Met Your Mother at home. Given that I watch 8... yes, 8... episodes last night, I think it's safe to say I'll be watching a few more this week. Not to mention the Olympics. (Can you believe I turned them off long enough to watch 8 episodes of HIMYM? What can I say? Part 2 of 3 ice dancing competitions seemed like a good time for me to come up for air.)  However, just to clarify as you plan your own movie watching, this week The Crazies opens. Lest anyone be disappointed, it's NOT about David and me!

Project 365: Week 7

Between the Olympics, the kitchen renovations, and fearing for my life, it's was a fairly hectic week. I did, however, manage to meet my goal of taking more of my pictures with a camera and not my phone. Not all, mind you, but more. Hey, it's a start...

Feb. 13th

We met David's family in Little Rock to celebrate his mom's birthday. I know what you're thinking... "Wow, David looks nothing like his mom!"  :-)

Later that evening, I gladly drew first blood on the destruction of the awful tile counter tops.

Feb. 14th

Nope, no mushy Valentine's pictures here. It's not a big holiday at our house.

However, BB (who is almost 5) modeling her 1 year old cousin's hat is photo-worthy.

Feb. 15th

The sunset was so pretty! Pictures never do sunsets justice.

Feb. 16th

The counters, sink and faucet are installed!!!  I'm planning  a whole "before and after / big reveal" kind of post when I get the cabinets and walls painted. But, at least you can see my kitchen is free of alien nozzles.

Feb. 17th

 

I wrote a post this week that the excessive crap on my counters had caused me to give up clutter for Lent. Lest anyone think I was kidding about how much excess crap I had on the counters, here is proof. (To be fair, some of this is from under the sink. Not much... but a some!)

Feb. 18th

 

Terrible photo, I know... it was dark outside and those reflectors wreaked havoc on my flash. So what the heck is it? Some people in my neighborhood have their camo-painted boat propped up a plastic chair! I mean, at least spend the extra $4 for a metal chair!

Feb. 19th

I eat one of these cereal bars for breakfast every morning. The Walmart brand is actually MUCH better than the Special K brand. However, it's been out of stock lately. It's back!! Hooray!!

Have a great weekend!

Paranoia at 4AM

Picture it, Sicily, 1923...

(Okay, that's not funny if you aren't a Golden Girls fan)... but picture it, my house, 4AM...

My throat was so dry it woke me up, so I went to the kitchen to get a drink. While I was there, I decided I needed to use the bathroom. Since I was closer to the guest bath, I headed for that one.

The door wouldn't open.

I tried it again, realizing I don't have good motor skills in the middle of the night. Still wouldn't open.

It's 4AM. The door is locked from the inside. David and I are the only people who live there. He's in bed (I checked). A this point, what would you think?

 

Serial killer hiding in the bathroom... right?

 

So, I tip-toed back to our room, not wanting to alert the serial killer that I was onto him. (You know, surely he didn't notice me wiggling the door knob.)

 

"David," I whispered. "The bathroom door is stuck."  This is eerily reminiscent of a conversation we had in the middle of the night several years ago... and then again a few years after that. He made a grunting sound and resumed snoring.

 

"Seriously..." I insisted. "Why won't the door open?"

 

"Is the light on?" he asked. 

 

Of course it wasn't. I mean, seriously, Officer, you think the psychopathic killer would leave the light on? 

 

Finally, he got out of bed and headed toward the door.

 

He tried the door once and then headed back to the bedroom and said,  "Yeah, it won't open."

 

"And that doesn't concern you?" I asked.

 

"Maybe one of us accidentally locked the handle the last time we left that room."

 

Hmm... maybe. Or maybe there is a homicidal maniac crouched quietly in the shower waiting for me to go back to sleep so he can sneak out and butcher us. I glanced at the front and back doors... both were still deadbolted. I wasn't convinced. Any murderer worth his weight would know to re-lock the door. Plus, he's obviously very stealthy since he snuck in and didn't even make Bruiser bark.

 

I crawled back into bed with a loud sigh. David grunted again and flipped on the overhead light. He then headed back towards the bathroom. (I'm sure the overhead light was meant to punish me and prevent me from going back to sleep while he dealt with the door.)

 

I heard him rummaging around in some other part of the house. I hoped he was getting his gun. For a second, I even hoped he was putting on his bulletproof vest... you know, just in case. (Plus, it would have looked really stylish with his Simpson pajama pants.)

 

After several minutes, I stuck my head around the corner and very tentatively whispered "Psst..."

 

He whirled around and said "What!? And why 'psst'?"

 

I replied, "I don't know. It just seemed like what I should say. Um, what are you doing?"

 

"I'm taking off the door knob."

 

At this point, I just knew the serial killer was getting ready to pounce as soon as David opened the door. I couldn't bear to watch. I crawled back in bed.

 

A few minutes later, David crawled back in bed also.

 

"The lock on the door broken," he explained. He started to say something about the locking mechanism. It didn't make sense. My eyelids were beginning to close.

 

The last thing I remember saying before going back to sleep was "But did you check behind the shower curtain to make sure no one was there?"

 

I think it's best I wasn't awake to hear his response.

 

Giving Up

No, I'm not waving a white flag of surrender. I'm not running away. I'm not going to quit blogging (hey, whoever it was that just said "Oh, darn", I heard that!) but I am thinking about all the things people will be giving up, effective today.

In the Catholic faith (and others), today is Ash Wednesday... the beginning of Lent. This is a time when people remember the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert. The time is to be used as a period of reflection and self-sacrifice. It's traditionally marked by "giving something up for Lent".

I am not Catholic. Not in the religious sense, anyway. Huh? What other sense is there? Let me explain...

My parents are of different religious faiths. My dad and his entire family are Catholic. My mother and her family are members of the Church of Christ. I was raised well-versed in both faiths as well as the Bible in general (which, if you ask me, is the part that matters most anyway). My parents decided that my sister and I should be exposed to both and make our own educated choice when we were old enough. So, they reached an agreement that we would primarily attend church with my mother (though often also Mass with my father) and attend public school up to 6th grade. At 7th grade, we would switch to a Catholic school for the remainder of our education. Some people thought this was a confusing way to raise a child, but it worked fine for me. I've always been the type of person who wants all the information possible before I make a choice. So, I made my choice and it was not Catholiscm. But, it's definitely something that is engrained into who I am as far as family traditions go. It's part of my identity even though I don't practice it as a religion.

Now, with that overly long background story, I'll get to the point...

My whole life, I've always been around people who were giving things up for Lent. Even though it is not something most people in the C of C practice, I think it's an interesting concept. I do think Christians should look at their lives from time to time and see what things they can do without, find ways to put Christ first, etc. If giving up something tangible helps you do that, then cool. I don't think it has to be at any certain time of year or limited to a 40 day time frame (in fact, I would hope the lessons you're trying to learn would last longer than 40 days or why bother?) but you get my point.

Some people take it more seriously than others (no, your teachers won't let you give up homework for Lent). A lot of people give up sodas or sweets. Some people give up TV. My friend Beth is giving up calling people "douchebags". (That probably should  be what I give up, but as I told her, it's really just calling them a medicinal product. No one would be offended if I called them a bottle of Advil. Yeah, yeah, whatever makes me feel better, right?) Anyway, as a non-Catholic frequently surrounded by Catholics, I have always found it interesting what choice people made for Lent and I've done my best to support them. If they gave up chocolate, I wasn't going to eat a candy bar in their face. I usually gave up something too, just to see if I could. Plus, not eating meat on Fridays is a common Lent tradition. Between my school cafeteria and my mom not wanting to fix something my dad couldn't eat, I pretty much never ate meat on Fridays by default. I still tend to do these things out of tradition more than religious implications... and because I just like a challenge.

So, what am I giving up this year? 

Crap.

Trust me, it's a sacrifice. I'm a packrat. I'm an avoider. I have piles and piles of junk. I'm going to use this time to whittle them down at least a little. And yes, this is probably the 90th blog where I've talked about needing to get rid of clutter, but this time I have a plan. Sort of. As you know, we're in the midst of renovating the kitchen. The new sink and counters are in place (pictures soon, I promise). In order to accomplish that, the counters had to be cleaned off. Holy mountains of useless crap, Batman!!

Last night, I decreed that 2/3 of the useless crap was not going back on the counters. I frequently make crap-related decrees. David just rolls his eyes. He would get rid of 2/3 of our house if he could. I am the one responsible for the vast majority of the clutter. Anytime I want to get rid of something, he is extremely supportive (as long as it doesn't belong specifically to him... *ahem*... novelty pocket knife collection... Simpsons figurines... polyresin wolf decor...) 

I started putting "essentials only" on the counters... coffee pot, knife block, Kitchenaid mixer, paper towel holder... then I looked over at the table and surveyed the rest of the junk. I'm pretty sure my kitchen will still operate fine without the tea kettle I have used twice in my life sitting on the stove. I suspect my cousin will understand if I toss out the souvenir water bottle from her wedding 3+ years ago (okay, fine, I kept the label). Given the limited amount of garnishing I do, I think I can probably keep my zester, V-shaped cutter, etc. in a drawer and not in a spinning turner thing on the counter. And on and on and on...

So, there you have it... I am pledging to declutter at least my kitchen / dining room in the next 40 days. I will clean out junk drawers (yes, plural), box up the china I've been saying I would box up for the last three years and accept that I don't need 47 spatulas.

I will also work on a more eloquent answer than "I'm giving up crap for Lent". That just has too many potentially confusing meanings... :-)

If any of the rest of you are giving something up... whether Lent-related, as an ongoing New Year's resolution or just as part of a self-improvement venture... I'd love to hear what it is. I'm nosy like that.

Movie Review Monday: Percy Jackson / I Hate Valentine's Day

If you're expecting to see a review of Valentine's Day, I'm sorry to disappoint. I know, I know... last week, I was all "I'm so excited!" I think I even said "Eeee!!!" But, just like with Couples Retreat, Rotten Tomatoes dashed all my hopes and dreams. (Well, not all my hopes and dreams. I still dream of becoming an Olympic ski jumper. It's been my life's ambition since, um, Saturday.) Anyway, it got such absolutely horrible reviews that I just couldn't justify it. I'm still trying to keep the Year One lesson fresh in my mind. Plus, the weekend ended up becoming quite busy and I could only squeeze in one trip to the theater, so I opted for...

Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Someone suggested this movie should win an award for longest title. I can't disagree.

By the way, have I mentioned before that I always like the book better than the movie? Oh, about 1,349 times, you say? Okay. I'm a fairly new fan of Percy Jackson. However, I really, really liked the books. Yet, as I have not been a fan for years or anything, I thought I could see the movie and be fairly objective about it. Well, at least more objective than I am with each Harry Potter movie. I've never planned a vacation (or two) around Percy. I think I did a good job of being fairly objective... well, good-ish.

In case you've never heard of Percy Jackson... it's about a teenage demigod. His father is Poseidon. Yeah, the Poseidon you learned about in 8th grade. The basis of the stories is that the gods of Greek mythology are still very much alive and well and still bearing children in modern times. Percy is one such child. As such, he draws attention from forces both good and bad. He then goes to a camp with other young demigods to learn how to train for the battles and quests that will no doubt ensue.

And that is pretty much where the similarities between the book and the movie end. 

As just a random teenage fantasy movie, this was pretty good. It was relatively entertaining and pretty much exactly what you expect from a movie with a target audience of 12 year olds. Or 30 year olds who just happen to like that genre. My only complaint from a pure movie standpoint was that the director also directed two of the Harry Potter movies. The HP series and the PJ series do bear some common themes. (Not "an HP knock-off" like I've heard people say, but a little bit of overlap.) I had hoped the movie would steer clear of highlighting those areas. Instead, Chris Columbus (yes, that's the director's name) did everything I hoped he wouldn't. There were several sequences that could have had their own look but, instead, he totally Hogwarts'ed them up. Seriously? You can't come up with anything else? Ugh. So, that was annoying. But, you know, decent enough movie. I give it a B-.

However, I just have to say that I have never witnessed a movie MORE different from the book. Not even Confessions of a Shopaholic. Yeah, it was that different. I think that's why I could enjoy the movie. It was so different than the book it was almost like an independent story. David is only halfway through reading the first book and even he was annoyed with how totally off-track the movie was. Luckily, it won't ruin the book for him because even then ending isn't the same. And I can't figure out why. They left out major characters... like characters who have huge roles in the next books. They changed parts of the story that are critical to the rest of the series. I don't know... maybe they are only planning on making one or two of the books into movies. Either way, if you're interested at all, see the movie first because it is entertaining... then read the books so you can know what actually happened without the urge to throw popcorn at the screen.

Next up, this week's Redbox find...

I Hate Valentine's Day

That's the title of the movie... not me complaining about yesterday. (Although, even as a happily married gal, I do think Valentine's Day is kind of silly. I don't hate it but I don't care much about it either.)

What I don't hate? John Corbett. In fact, I abso-freaking-lutely love him. No, not just because he was Aidan on Sex And The City. I've loved him since Northern Exposure. I'm probably one of three people on the planet who knows the words to every song on his CD. Or that he even has a CD. So, I gladly forked over a dollar to rent this flick.

Honestly, I'm really glad I did. I wasn't sure... I'm 50/50 on Nia Vardalos. And, even though I love independent films, there is a slightly increased chance they will be weird. But, it's $1, right?

In this movie, Nia V. plays a florist who is happy all the time and loves Valentine's Day. Incidentally, she is single. She has a philosophy that long-term relationships never work. Plus, she has some daddy issues. So, she sets a 5 date limit with any guy. After 5 days, they go their separate ways without any of the messy, relationship-y stuff. Then she meets John Corbett. He agrees to her 5 date plan but spreads the dates out over months instead of the normal rapid-fire style she is used to. Then, when the 5th date comes, he lets her go. Only, she thinks it was the 4th date. Chaos ensues. Can he woo her into forgetting her 5 date rule? Does he even want to? It's a whole big thing.

Was it a little cheesy and predictable? Sure. It's a movie with "Valentine's Day" in the title... what did you expect? But it's light and funny and much better than I expected. I don't think I'll be buying it on Amazon or anything (or I might) but it's definitely well-worth the $1. In fact, I made Dena rent it too. Perhaps she can give you a more objective, less John Corbett obsessed rating. :-)  For me... A.

In other movie-related news, Netflix should be sending me Couples Retreat soon. If I do, in fact, love it despite it's horrible Rotten Tomatoes review, then maybe I will go see Valentine's Day. I will not, however, be seeing Shutter Island. No, not because it looks scary... but because I avoid all Leo DiCaprio movies. He's still shunned as a result of Titanic. 12 years down... 2 to go. (14 years... double the normal 7 year Dwight Schrute shun. Yeah, I hated Titanic that much!)

Project 365: Week 6

Let me begin Week 6 with an apology... most of the picture this week are grainy and camera phone-ish. That's because I took almost all of them with my iPhone. Usually it does a decent job but this week was either very overcast or entirely too bright (snow + sunlight = cornea damage!!) Part of the point of this project was to make me a better photographer. That would probably involve me using one of my actual, very nice cameras. My goal for next week is less iPhone pictures and more camera pictures. We'll see...

Feb. 6th

What? I ate the chicken, the pasta and the Alfredo sauce. So I picked out the broccoli. Big deal. I told you I don't like veggies...

Feb. 7th

Dena and Jarrod came over to watch the Super Bowl. I actually got some "real" pictures of Peanut playing with his dad's Notre Dame hat (GO IRISH!!) but I forgot to email them to myself so I could post them. So, this will have to do. Oh, and GO IRISH!!!

Feb. 8th

MORE snow in Arkansas. We got about 8 inches... which may as well be 8 feet around here....

... which contributed to David ending up in a ditch. (He was responding to a call and had to swerve around some cars. It didn't go exactly as planned.)

Feb. 9th

Bruiser... bath time... 'nuf said

Feb. 10th

My feet were freezing. Thank goodness for the pair of slippers I left at my office in case of emergencies.

And my grandma's new favorite game... Let's see what MJ will eat.

Turns out MJ really liked pickles.

Feb. 11th

Terrible picture... incredible book.

The whole Percy Jackson and The Olympians series exceeded my expectations.

Feb. 12th

I guess it's the week to take pictures of my feet. Weird.

I normally wear normal, boring socks. My dachshund socks are the exception to that.

 Have a great weekend!!

A Blog About Blogging

I just had a friend tell me she was contemplating starting a blog but wasn't sure if she would just be a "babbling idiot" and asked if I have any tips for her.

So, FULLY acknowledging the fact that I am neither an actual writer nor a well-respected blogger (or that more than 5 people even read my blog), I'll do my best. What I am is a person who works in training and tech support... that means I'm a pro at coming up with answers on the fly. The trick is to make them sound well thought out when, in fact, I'm completely making them up as I go!

Step 1: Decide on your audience

Who, if anyone, do you want to read your blog? Are you going to use it to keep family and friends up to speed the latest goings-on with you and your kids? If you plan on providing a link to your mother, that might have a bearing on what you decide to write. (Or it might not, depending on how cool your mom is. My mom doesn't really like it when I call people douche bags. She doesn't read my blog.) Maybe you want to use it to share random stories and thoughts with your friends. Or perhaps it's purely therapeutic. Do you just need an outlet... a safe place for venting and working things out that impact your life? For me, I'd say it's equally parts random stories and therapy.

Step 2: Where to blog

Best I can tell given my zero minutes of research, Blogger and Wordpress seem to be the two "happening" spots for blogging. (MySpace used to be a cool bloggy hangout but who goes there anymore? It's all dusty and stuff.) I'm sure there are others and I know there's a million places you can network in with other bloggers, but, for the most part, Blogger and Wordpress are free and fairly easy to use without needing any high-level computer skills. That being said, I like them both. Wordpress might be a little "fancier", but they both do the trick. One advantage to Wordpress is the post-by-post security. Here on Blogger, the last information I had was that your blog either had to be public or private. Yes, there are some ways you can limit your blog to certain people on a list, but for the most part, it's all or nothing. For me, that's fine. If you do feel you might be writing about sensitive subjects from time to time, you might consider Wordpress so you can secure individual posts if you need to and leave others open.

Step Three: Privacy

In Step Two, I chose to have my blog open to the public. Anyone who wants to see my blog is able to do so. In fact, I've met some cool people that way. But, I had to make some decisions about privacy. You'll notice some bloggers use nicknames for people they write about. Others don't. Some people only post "artsy" pictures. Others post pictures of themselves and / or their family. The decision I made was that anyone who knew I was going to write about them, I would call by name... like David. He's my husband, he knows I blog, he knows his name and pictures appear here... he's cool with it. People like my boss get "code names". I always refer to my cousins, my niece and any other child by a nickname or initials. I do put up their pictures occasionally but wouldn't do that if I were going to use their real names. Maybe it doesn't matter, but it makes me feel better. If I want to reference another blogger, I use whatever name they use on their blog. If they are ok with their real first name on their blog, I assume they are okay with it on mine. If they use a pseudonym, I do too. You never know who is hiding from their estranged, crazy mother. (And the person I know who is hiding from their estranged, crazy mother just laughed... didn't you?)

Step Four: Decide what to write

Honestly, to me, this is the least important step. That probably sounds crazy, since blogs are about writing... but if you've already decided on your audience and how much your comfortable sharing, then you're just going to write whatever you feel like writing. It's your blog, you can do whatever you want. If you were trying to "get discovered" as a big shot blogger, yeah, you might have to tailor your message a little... but for most of us, blogging is just relaxed and groovy. Don't make too many rules for yourself. For example, I used to start all my posts with "If you ask me"... it was a phrase I said a lot... it's what I named my blog... I thought it would be cute and kitschy. Then I got tired of it... so I stopped doing it. I like to have a few "features" like my movie reviews and my year-long picture project, but if I can't get around to posting that week, it's okay. I refuse to put pressure on myself to do it because then it seems like work. I come here to avoid work. I blog for fun. I blog the way my mind works... which is very randomly. My last few post have been about kitchen faucets, a nonsensical letter to my bangs, a collection of mediocre movies, and mourning the loss of a crab fisherman. If you want cohesion, you've come to the wrong place. I write because it's fun for me. I figure the few people do read my blog will just skip over a post that looks boring to them. I won't know the difference.

Step Five: To Network or Not

I'm an avid (some might say "obsessed", I prefer "avid") Facebooker and a late-to-the-party-but-glad-I-came-at-all Twitter tweeter. I share most of my posts via the Networked Blogs application. I say "most" because if I do call someone a douche bag a few too many times, I might not broadcast it too much on Facebook lest my church friends read it and escort me to the front row the following Sunday morning. But, for the most part, I provide links. I live in a town of 4,000 people. I've seen everyone else's dirty laundry, why should I care if they (or anyone else in the blogosphere) see mine, right? Oh yeah, I even posted my dirty laundry once, didn't I?

My biggest caveat to networking would be keeping in mind who your Facebook or Twitter friends are. If you have a lot of colleagues as friends, just remember that an increasing number of people are getting fired for stuff they posted online. Be aware before you cover your Facebook page with tempting links. (This is, however, a good time to mention Facebook friend lists and how you can control, down to the person, who can see what on your Facebook profile. I'm teaching a class on it next month. Let me know if you need a crash course. Aaah, you just thought I couldn't get any nerdier...)

In Conclusion:

Who cares if you're a babbling idiot? I took nearly 1,400 words to answer a simple question. (That's Rule #2 of dealing with Audreya. Rule #1: Don't catch me off guard unless you want to see me act ridiculous. Rule #2: Don't ask me something unless you have time for me to over-explain.) Blog because you want to. Don't worry about being witty or "relevant". Even though you've decided on an audience, don't write for your audience... write what you want to write. If they read it, fine. If not, oh well - it's not like they're paying you. And don't give up. If you only blog once or twice a month, that's fine. I just naturally have a lot to say, so I blog often. If you find yourself wanting to blog less often, it's cool. Don't feel like a "bad blogger" or like you need to meet some sort of quota. Take it from someone with a massive problem with authority, blogging is fun because you make the rules. So just do it... I need more blogs to read. I have lots of work to avoid.

Remembering Captain Phil

Discovery mourns the loss of dear friend and colleague Captain Phil Harris. He was more than someone on our television screen. Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him. We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart. We share our tremendous sadness over this loss with the millions of viewers who followed Phil's every move. We send our thoughts and prayers to Phil's sons Josh and Jake and the Cornelia Marie crew.

My normal morning routine consists of listening to the Today Show while I put on my makeup and wait for my Twitter feed to load on my phone. My morning routine doesn't normal consists of getting a little teary eyed. Today, however, the quote above was one of the first things I read... and, yeah, I got a little teary eyed.

I'm a big fan of Deadliest Catch. I know what you're thinking:  What show aren't you a fan of?  Lots of them, trust me. But as "reality" shows go, Deadliest Catch is my hands-down favorite. And, while it's like any show with more footage than time to air it, I know there is editing that goes on and storylines that are pieced together and whatnot. No reality show is perfectly real. But, unlike some shows, no one is trying to win a million dollars or find the love of their life in 6 weeks. These are real guys doing their real jobs. It just so happens that their job is intense and crazy enough that people will watch them do it.

I don't like to be cold and wet. I don't eat crab. I've never been to Alaska, despite my frequent threats to move there. So, why on earth I like a show about Alaskan crab fishermen is beyond me. Maybe it's my obsession with boats. Yes, boats. As best I can remember, I've been on a boat or ship, um, about 4 times in my life. But I love boats. I love shows about aircraft carriers and cruise ships. I'm currently hooked on a blog about a 16 year old girl solo circumnavigating the globe in a sailboat. I guess my boat thing is what got me hooked on DC. But, it should be noted that I don't spend my day reading DC message boards or joining the Facebook fan pages of every guy on the show. I'm not a DC groupie... but when information comes along, I enjoy it. So, I thought it was cool when I came across a blogger, Carlisle Boy, who lives in Unalaska - the city that is the "home base" for the show. (By the way, I found his blog because of the show but I kept reading it because he's just such a cool guy and I love his perspective on small-town life.) While his blog is about a lot more than the show, when he does talk about the show, he talks about the people. Not the "cast". The people on the boats just trying to earn a living and come home to their families. I really appreciate him for making sure viewers realize that!

One of the captains in the fleet is Phil Harris. My favorite captain seems to rotate from season to season, but Phil is always high on the list. His two sons work on the boat and watching them interact has been interesting. They are not a typical family, that's for sure. But you can tell they love each other and they love their jobs. From what I can gather, most crab fishermen exist on a steady diet of cigarettes and energy drinks... with a few high calorie / high fat meals thrown in there. Combine that with the captain's duty to sit at the wheel for untold hours, it didn't come as a surprise to me a while back when Captain Phil had to be treated for blood clots. But, he recovered and went back to running the boat. Then, a few weeks ago, it was reported that he had a stroke. There were rumors about the severity of the stroke but Discovery posted brief statements and Carlisle Boy filled in some of the gaps as best he could. As of the last statement, the boys said he was awake, talking and goading the doctors. The next update was the one issued over night... Captain Phil had passed away.

Today I'm very sad for his boys, his crew and everyone who knew him personally. He seems like the kind of person you wouldn't be able to meet without him leaving an impression on you. For me, the fan- no, the show won't be the same without him... but that's not why I'm sad. When I was a kid and Family Ties went off the air, I was really bummed and probably cried a little. This is different. This was an actual person, not a character. And it was an actual person being an actual person. I don't think I'll find myself teary eyed if The Situation goes blind after a hair gel incident gone awry on Jersey Shore. But when two guys younger than me lose their dad? I think that warrants me getting a little choked up.

So, Captain Phil, you will be missed.  I hope the fishing is good wherever you find yourself now.

Movie Review Monday: Love Happens / New York, I Love You / Land of the Lost

Did you think I had given up on watching movies? (Or, more likely, were you thinking "Oh, thank goodness she quit with the annoying movie reviews"?) Well, I made up for lost time this weekend...

Love Happens:

When the previews came out for this movie, I knew it was a "wait for DVD" situation, but I still wanted to see it. I like Aaron Eckhart. I like Jennifer Aniston. Why not, right? I knew going in that it was going to be your typical, cliché love story.  And so it was...

So, what is it about? Aaron Eckhart lost his wife in a car accident. He channeled his grief into becoming this "dealing with loss" guru. He gives seminars around the country to help others come to terms with a death. At a seminar, he meets Jennifer Aniston. She's not at the seminar... she is the florist who comes in and refreshes the flowers at the hotel where the seminar is being held. After some goading from his friend about how he never does anything wild and crazy, he asks her out. It doesn't go well. Then, eventually, it goes well. And there's a cockatiel named Rocky. He was kind of cool... for a bird.

Remember when I watched Management? It was like that... only Jen was the quirky one and Aaron was the broken one.

Like I said, fairly cliché. If you catch it on HBO or get it out of the Redbox (like I did), then it's fine. Thankfully, the soundtrack didn't include "God Blessed The Broken Road". I kept waiting for it. The other redeeming quality was that Martin Sheen played the late wife's father. I love Martin Sheen. He could sit on camera for two hours reading the phone book and I'd watch it. It's a West Wing thing... you wouldn't understand. The movie can thank President Bartlett for my giving it a C-. Without him, probably a little lower...

New York, I Love You:

Never heard of it? Me neither. It was in the Redbox when I returned Love Happens. It had Bradley Cooper. That's all that really mattered to me. Oh, and it also had all the famous people in the world... other than those that Bradley Cooper stars with in Valentine's Day (Eeee! That movie comes out Friday. *excited*) But seriously, tons and tons of famous people. I don't feel like typing them all out, so click on the movie poster and read the edges.

Apparently this was inspired by Paris, je t'aime... which, obviously, I have not seen. Oh, and yes, I totally had to Wikipedia the movie to figure out what was happening.

Basically, it follows several "love stories" that take place in different parts of the city. I put quotes around that because some are actual love stories, some are affairs, some are chance encounters and some I'm just not sure. For example, the kid from Transformers was Russian and crippled and fell out a window... and may or may not have been a figment of this lady's imagination. Like I said, I'm just not sure.

I kept waiting for them to all connect somehow, like He's Just Not That Into You, but they never really did... except a teeny, tiny bit at the end.

Also, confession time:  I have a totally irrational fear of New York City. I love, love, love to travel. I've been to tons of huge cities... but not NYC. There's no way to explain it that makes me seem cool... I'm just terrified of NYC. Not that I will get mugged or something... just of the city itself. Never mind. Anyway, sometimes I watch NYC stuff to conquer my fear. It hasn't worked so far. This movie didn't help or hurt the cause. Just thought I'd mention that in case you were wondering why, besides Bradley Cooper, I decided to watch this.

In summary, New York, I did not love you. I found you kind of confusing and disjointed. However, I think you wanted me to feel that way... and I did appreciate your originality. Definitely not a cliché love story. C

Land of the Lost:

Finally this weekend, I watched Land of the Lost. I've had this sitting on my entertainment center for weeks. Honestly, I was afraid to watch it because I was afraid I might really like it. Once, this girl I know admitted to liking Euro Trip and people teased her about it for a long time. They still haven't stopped. I didn't want that to be me. But, I was bored and it seemed like something David might watch (after spending hours playing games on the computer while I watched the two previous movies).

Long story short, Will Ferrell creates a time machine and ends up in a crazy land full of aliens, dinosaurs, and crazy monkey people. Yes, it's pretty much exactly what you would expect from a Will Ferrell movie in a crazy land full of aliens, dinosaurs, and crazy monkey people.

Nevertheless, it had some funny parts. Well, sophomoric, "why am I laughing at this" funny parts. David laughed his fool head off. Of course, he kept saying "Why am I laughing at this?"

There's not a lot to say. It's the kind of movie you watch when your husband has overused all the cheesy lines from previous movies and needs some new ones to add to his collection. Right now, he's going with "Bad Chaka! Master is not pleased!" and, his new favorite, "You just got deuced out by a dinosaur!" Oh goody. I did, however, appreciate the Matt Lauer cameos. I love Matt Lauer. I also love Will Ferrell, though this does not represent his best work. I can't decide between a B- and a C-. Take that for what it's worth.

Next week, I hope to be reviewing Valentine's Day and / or Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. We'll be out of town, so I'm not sure if I can swing one trip to the movies, let alone two, but believe me, I plan on trying!

Project 365: Week 5

Can you believe it's already February? The first month of daily picture-taking has gone really well. I think I took a lot more pictures than I realized, so it hasn't been much of a "lifestyle change". It has, however, been interesting to document them all. It's also been cold. Well, not "it" as in the project... just "it" in general. I'm ready to  be taking some spring pictures!

Jan. 30th

 It snowed way more than it normally snows here. David and I took the opportunity to build our first snowcreature together. We opted for Snow Cop. Yes, his nose is a bullet.

Jan. 31st

  It's very hard to get a non-blurry picture using an iPhone when the child is in motion... but I wanted to document how MJ is crawling all over the place these days.

Feb. 1st

 

Earlier in the week, I got very mad when I prepared a packet of Marshmallow Lovers hot chocolate and it had zero marshmallows. I then realized the marshmallows had their own packet. Ooops. It's made me laugh all week, so I took a picture for future reference.

Feb. 2nd  

 

David became fed up with my faucet-related indecision, commandeered the process and bought this one.

Feb. 3rd

I went a little camera-crazy this day...

 

First, these cherries greeted me in the parking lot as I arrived at work. Have I mentioned that I hate working next door to a Chinese restaurant?

 

 

Then I came home to find Snow Cop had lost his head...

 

 

So David and I elected to drown our sorrows over Snow Cop with drinks from Sonic. I took this picture to highlight the fact that every time we get a drink somewhere, David sets it on the shifter thing instead of the cup holder 2 inches away. It's weird but funny.

Feb. 4th  

 

The big story of the day was the return of bangs to my hair.

Feb. 5th

The clock at my office stopped working several days ago (around 4:45, I think). I couldn't be bothered to change the battery... but take a picture? Sure, why not?

Have a good weekend!

A Letter to My Bangs

Dear Bangs,

It's been a long time since we've talked. A lot has happened since we were last together. I've changed. You've changed. We both made some mistakes, but I think we've learned from them. I don't know what exactly what the future holds for us, but I hope we can make it work this time. I know we can't dwell in the past, but with as much history as we have, it only seems right to look back.

I don't even remember meeting you for the first time. I was only 2. But, we made a good team back then.

You stuck with my all through elementary school. Bangs, you were there when I decorated my first cake.

You went with me on my first day of middle school. Being the new kid was hard, but you accepted me... even with those glasses!

 

You faithfully covered my acne all the way through high school. I thanked you by making you the centerpiece of my senior pictures.

When I graduated, I awkwardly pinned my cap back so you wouldn't feel smooshed.

Oh Bangs, remember college? We had some good times back then! Like how happy we were when Liz decided she wanted to be in Tri Kappa. (And how you comforted me a year later when she decided she didn't want to be anymore.)

You were with me through thick and thin back then... and I mean thin!! Those were the days!

Bangs, you didn't bat an eye when I took you to study abroad. There, amongst the olive trees of Florence, you looked so happy!

 

But something changed over there, didn't it?

I visted the Oracle of Delphi. In her ancient wisdom, she suggested we part ways. She said our time together had run its course. Who can argue with the Oracle?

So I took her advice. I came home angry. I said some things I didn't mean. Like how it was your fault I couldn't wear a hat. How I was a broke new college grad and I couldn't afford to keep you trimmed and happy anymore. You did some things you probably regret. You poked me in the eye. You went out of your way to flip awkwardly and grow slowly. And finally, we'd both had enough.

I swore I never wanted to see you again. I went on with my life and hardly gave you a second thought. I met someone. I got married. I didn't even invite you to the wedding.

 

I'm not going to lie, Bangs, I had a pretty good run without you. But then, last year, I thought about calling you. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Too much time had gone by.

I tried to fill the void with your cousins, Wispy and Side-Swept, but it wasn't the same.

Then I started seeing you running around with a lot of my friends. I admit. I got jealous. How could you? After all the time we'd spent together, you'd come back to town and not say "hi"? At first, I was hurt... but then I realized it's only because I missed you.You were probably angry with me too... you know, for banishing you and all.

They say time heals all wounds. I hope it's true. Thanks for agreeing to meet me at the salon today. I'm sure it wasn't easy for you either. We're both different now. I'm older and wiser. I won't tease you the way I used to. (But I will continue to make corny jokes like "tease you"... you know, because I used to comb you up really big! Ha ha!) I won't subject you to the curling iron anymore. For your part, just relax. Hang out. Try not to make me regret this...

We'll have to get reacquainted. People will have to get used to seeing us together again. But, I think we still look alright, even after all these years!

Welcome back, Bangs!

PS- I know you haven't met my other chin before. I just had the one last time you were around. She's annoying, but just try to tolerate her. Hopefully we can get rid of her soon.