Robert Downey Jr, Chest hair and CGI

Since this is movie going season for many, let me tell you about the new Sherlock Holmes movie.

 I think Robert D. is a cute guy. I like his dark looks, his big, brown eyes . Remember back in the 80's when he was in the "brat pack", that group of young actors in all the John Hughes-type movies? Then he got into drugs, disappeared for a long time, and suddenly seemingly out of nowhere, came back as an action hero, (Robert Downey...an action hero?) in Iron Man and was again a wildly popular, a big star...how does that happen? I sometimes wonder if stars like him, with miraculous come-backs, sell their souls to the devil. Anyway...

Robert Downey Jr, a heavily bearded guy with thick, dark eyebrows, appears shirtless in his new movie, Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows, and has nary ONE hair on his chest! I found it very disconcerting and thought he was "creepily" smooth, kind of  "Edward, white, sparkly, smooth-skinned". Don't be fooled be the images on google, those "lightly-haired chest shots" were from the last movie, Sherlock Holmes. No, in the latest S.H. he is hairless.

And the movie was boring  I probably dozed through half of it, only waking when the next rattling,  explosion rang through the theater. 

So many movies now, with all their cgi (computer generated imaging) abilities rely, I think, too much on the shock and awe of the close-up shot of a bullet flying slo-mo through 7 different trees in a snowy forest, filled with realistic unicorns racing toward a realistic, yet fantastically other-wordly castle sat high on a craggy peak with, again, realistic yet fantastical see-through dragons gliding overhead as far off off planets rotate in a starry sky. Whew!  And the death defying feats, hanging from a speeding train by one pinky as it speeds around a hairpin curve next to a ravine filled with ravenous crocodiles...come on! While I realize you have to suspend belief, those scenes can't carry a whole movie. At least not to hold my interest. Acton films just do not hold my interest for long.

But if you like action films, CGI, Robert Downey Jr, or you just need a nap, go see it!

I'm done!

 It was a sunny day today!! After two weeks of smoggy, freezing, overcast skies it was a beautiful sight!

Shopping done!
Wrapping done!
Stocking stuffers bought!

Neighbor gifts, Cranberry/blue cheese- cheese balls, prepared to be delivered!
I've never, in many years, been so ahead of the Christmas game!

Groceries bought!
This humble little trio, a mom on piano and her sweet little children on their violin and cello, provided Christmas music to shop by. I was teary eyed as I pushed my cart through the aisles as their innocent, slightly squeeky but beautifully honest notes wafted down the aisles. It was just so sweet and true! It touched my heart with a grateful spirit.


All I need are some Bingo gifts and a unisex "big" gift. And tomatoes. And peppermint ice-cream. And something to take around to the young, single women from church that I visit. And flowers from Costco... Gee, I guess I spoke too soon.

Oh well, I still feel pret-ty, prett-y good about my preparations! That's what Larry David always says "Pret-ty, pret-ty good" Anybody out there watch Curb Your Enthusiasm?   Funny show, but get the edited version, otherwise you'll hear a lot of the "bomb". On another T.V. note, I watched Downton Abbey for the first time! Loved it! I must dvr the new season starting in January!

Excuses, Excuses....

I know I haven't posted in a long time.

I haven't died.
I haven't lost my fingers in a horrible industrial accident.
I haven't run off to join the circus. (although I've been tempted)
I haven't been placed into the Witness Protection Program.
I haven't started working on a PHD. (I'd have to get a Masters first)

So, what's my excuse?

I'm just kind of losing interest, that, and I'm lazy.
I'm not a blogger that likes to check in often, just kind of sharing my day to day antics. NOT that there's anything wrong with that! (I sound like Seinfeld!) Really, I love reading the blogs of those gals who do share their day-to-day, it's just not me. I usually have to have some topic that I need to blab about. And often, when I think of the effort it's going to take to organize my thoughts and TYPE it up, I just think, "ugh, do I really want to share it that bad?"

I'm a horrible typist. I can't sit down and ra ta tat some entertaining or thoughtful piece in a quarter of an hour! I know that if I practiced, practiced, practiced I'd would become faster, but I don't wanna! I practiced, practiced, practiced when I was thinking of a job change last Spring and I got up to a swift 37 wpm. I know, I know, stop laughing!

So, I'm really thinking of
a. giving it up
b. trying to write a small day-to-day antic every week...I guess that would actually be a week-to-week antic.
c. practicing typing WHILE writing the blog more often.
d. hiring a personal scribe.

We'll see. In the meantime, check back from time to time. Just don't worry if I disappear now and then like an old tom cat.





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Mother and Child

Amanda, of Baseball and Cocoapuffs, posted this pic, along with the story of her son's birth.

I have to tell you how much I appreciate this picture!

I am so tired of "fashion photo-shoot" birth pictures. I've noticed recently that many brand-new moms present a picture of dewy freshness immediately after giving birth, lying artfully arranged in a peignoir on the hospital bed, with perfectly styled hair and make-up, looking dewy fresh.
Whatever happened to a beautiful, wrung-out, happy, emotional, newly delivered mom?

Now let me also say, that if your thing is to look like a newly delivered Angelina Jolie on the cover of People Magazine, more power to you. It's just not my taste.

Maybe, because I always looked like a bloated refugee from a horrible natural disaster, holding a baby close while dressed in the standard hospital gown that came in light blue boxer underwear pattern or gray boxer underwear pattern, I am jealous.
That may be, but there is something so emotionally honest in the beautifully haggard new mom pics that touches my heart and sets my tears to start, that I don't find in the staged pictures.

So kudos to you Amanda, and your lovely, honest "Madonna and Child"!

Unfaithful

I'm sorry blog.
I have been unfaithful.
I have neglected you because I have found something that doesn't require as much thought to express myself.
Facebook.
Every day when I get home from school I check out the latest entries and I let the comments flow.
Oh believe me, I always have something to say!
In 20 words or less I can given my opinion, be a smart-ass or an inspiration, crack people up or at least cause a chuckle and in doing so I don't even  have to think of a title!
No one has to "leave a comment", something that proves difficult for some readers, simply hit LIKE and I know "you love me, you really love me".
It's so easy and shallow and now that school is back in session and I am working with 40 kids per day, I desire to play in the shallow end of the writing pool. I'm tired and brain dead when I finally have a minute to write.

So forgive me my infrequent posts, my 6 faithful readers... and watch for comments and likes on your F-book posts.

Reading Between the Lines

The following is an email exchange between my daughter and me.
"Are you at court today? How are you? I am in such a bad mood, dad started it off this morning talking abt. "yeah, just think, only so many days of daylight savings left. I cant wait!"  I have told him a hundred times, I hate when daylight savings ends. I dont care if it's light in the MORNING! I'd rather have it light at night! So I finally asked him if he really didn't know how I felt abt.it and if he did, how come he had to keep rubbing my nose in it when I've TOLD him a million time I dont WANT TO HEAR it!  It just bugged me! I wouldnt keep reminding him about something that   was going to happen that he didn't want to happen. Im sure he just thought, "wow SHE"S in a bad mood" but I wasn't til he started in. AND he didnt leave any light on for me downstairs, he comes up after his breakfast and shuts everything off. THAT bugs me, it's pitch dark, leave a light on for me.  arghhhhhhh! guess i am in a bad mood hahaha   ugh! well, hope you are having a good day and are in a good mood! : )  love you, mom

I was at court this morning. It was okay- I wasn’t there that long. There’s a door man/bailiff that thinks he’s the shiznit (creepy middle age guy) and he is always discriminating against women. “Take off your shoes” “Put that in the bin” etc etc when he doesn’t make the MEN take off their shoes. He’s an ass. Kirk has complained to the court about him before b/c of the way he acts and he changed for a little bit, but he’s getting back into old habits.

I’ve been moody the past couple of days. I’m trying to stay positive, but it’s hard! I also hate…no loathe, when daylight savings ends. Seriously, I get really depressed. I might go tanning once a week, as I heard that helps. But I don’t want to get burnt…hmm…it just sucks. That is rude of dad- I HATE when people don’t leave a light on. Dad just doesn’t think or consider other peoples thoughts/feelings. He just seriously doesn’t get it.  I sorry. Let’s do fun things this winter! I hope your day gets better! We’re ordering lunch today from Village Baker b/c of a birthday. I got egg salad (no bread) and a spinach salad. Sounded good!

Talk to you soon- Love you!!! shan

So many things said here. 

We are both dieting, low carb. Mmmm egg salad and spinach salad! Yum! My choices today were "grilled cheese" (only in the loosest sense of what a good grilled cheese sandwich is) mini-corndogs, frozen burrito. We no longer have a daily salad bar for teachers, only on Wed. and Fri. So it was an apple for me. My weight has steadily been climbing since school started and I've got to get back on the stick...celery stick!

We both are "seasonally affected". While I don't get really depressed, too badly, it is just so sad for me to see the days shorten. Then I remember, you just have to make it til Dec. 21st and the days lengthen once more!

I am trying to stay positive too. She actually ovulated this month and you cant help but get your hopes up.

He really doesn't get it.

I feel better already : )

Wonderful Saturday

Wonderful Saturday, what made thee such a wonderful Saturday?

Was it because there was some sunshine peeking through the clouds, on a beautiful vista of snow capped mountains across the valley? Even with the temperature being 50 degrees, very un-like what we usually think early October should be, it was still a beautiful morning.

Was it the usual NPR Saturday line-up, which never fails to make me think and laugh? It always accompanies me on my journeys to the many exciting destinations of a Saturday morning, like the grocery store. It makes me sad to turn off the car in the middle of a great story and I admit spending way too much time sitting in the car, in the Smith's parking lot, listening til the end of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me". I had a thought today, that maybe I could use my phone to listen with earphones to a podcast. Would people think I was crazy as I burst into laughter, or made some other seemingly inappropriate expression, as I walked the aisles with my cart? Probably.

Was it because we had a fun lunch date with friends, friends who "get us", who laugh at and with us? After lunch, we went over to the mall to buy Don some "excercise shorts" in his words, otherwise known as basketball shorts and a dress shirt. But when he talked about them he kept getting mixed up saying he had to "buy some dress shorts", so that was the running joke...yes, I know, we are easily amused and I guess you had to be there, but those are the kinds of silly things that cause friends to laugh, with and at each other, things that no one else would find funny. Our friend needed new jeans and there was much talk about changing sizes, styles, rises, washes.  We two wives decided he should get the kind endorsed by sexy Mike (Dirty Jobs) Rowe. Lee Jeans knows well, the demographic of  their customers.

Don and Barry left early for the BYU game. As soon as the door closed, I turned off the television, leaving me alone in the house with only the sound of the clock ticking. This is something that I love, but seldom get to enjoy.

And so I sit in the quiet, with only a few well chosen lamps burning softly and type

It was a wonderful Saturday.