No news

I was going to be good and post something truly fascinating about the things I read on the news today. But after I started scanning the news headlines and saw "Desperate No More: Eva Longoria Engaged" and "Inside Britney's Underpants" I decided that there wasn't a damn thing worth reading about in the news.

I received one of the Xmas presents I bought for my son today. It's the cutest thing ever. He's really into Thomas the Tank Engine and we got him a track for all his trains. I think I'm worse than my kids about Xmas. I wanted to run and wake him up so he could come play with it right away. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees it. 25 days to go!!!!

Finally, a great big HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA to the poor folks down in St. Louis. Looks like it's pretty chilly and wet down there. Not that it was warm here today, but that city just CANNOT handle winter weather. They'll shut down the whole show for at least another couple of days. And if anyone from St. Louis reads this, please answer one question for me: Why is it that when there is any kind of inclement weather even remotely possible, the entire damn city makes a mad dash to the grocery store for MILK???? Baby formula, prescription drugs, cigarettes, feminine products, TP - these I could understand. But MILK?!!?!?! You folks can't live a day or two without milk??? Why not just buy a bottle of Cal-trate for those calcium weather emergencies? It's weird. You need help.

Things I found

Here are a couple of interesting articles I read today.

Don't Sit Up Straight!
Drink More Red Wine


I guess I posted these backwards - it's a lot easier to function at a 135 degree angle AFTER you drink the wine! :)

Been on this British film kick. In the past week I've watched Pride & Prejudice (new version and BBC version), Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, A Room With A View, Four Weddings & A Funeral, and Notting Hill. Obviously, I need to get out more. All really fine films. At the same time, I've been re-reading all my Michael Connelly books. There could be nothing more dissimilar than Michael Connelly and British film, but that's what's captured my attention the past few days. Connelly has a new book out and I wanted to catch up with the characters before I get the new one. (Hopefully for Christmas HINT HINT HINT!!!) For anyone who enjoys the mystery/suspense genre, there is hardly a better writer out there than Connelly. Engaging stories, interesting characters, well written prose - just really good books. Will they be adapted into Merchant/Ivory films starring the greats of British film? No. But enjoyable all the same.

Speaking of film, I just saw the new Superman movie - Superman Returns. The movie bombed with critics and I don't think did all that great at the box office. Personally, I kind of liked it. I do have one HUGE complaint about the movie which I had read about on other blog sites. At one point, one of the characters talks about "truth, justice, and all that stuff." Because God forbid that anyone in Hollywood promote anything about America. For someone who loves this country that phrase REALLY stood out as being offensive and quite childish in terms of how the entertainment industry behaves.

On a more ironic note, I've been reading that Angelina Jolie (who is rumored to be starring as Dagny Taggert in the film version of Atlas Shrugged) is playing Marianne Pearl in a movie called A Mighty Heart. Pearl is the widow of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl and the movie is based on her book about the whole incident. What I find so funny about this whole thing is that apparently some people are unhappy with the casting of Jolie in this role because she is white and Marianne Pearl is mixed race. Funny how you don't hear complaints like that when Denzel Washington is cast in The Pelican Brief in a role that was white in the book. Or Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption. Hypocrites. I do have to say though that apparently Sheri Belafonte said that she had no problem with Jolie in the role and wouldn't mind Jolie playing her in a movie about her life. So despite my problems with Harry Belafonte, I may be the newest fan of Sheri.

I knew this would happen

I've never been able to keep a diary. I never finished filling out the baby books for either of my boys. I never finished the wedding book for my wedding either. *Sigh* I knew I'd start neglecting this blog. I am resolved to try to be better about this from now on and post something at least every couple of days. So since I skipped Funny Photo Friday, I'll put something up for Silly Snapshot Sunday and start posting regularly again this week!

This is a picture of my incredibly stupid cat, Twister, trying to wear one of my bras. I tried to explain to HIM that he didn't really need a bra, but he wouldn't listen.

Funny Photo Friday

These are my boys. I think I may need to speak to my older son about playing fair with his little brother.

Finally some time.

First post in a few days. It's been a long week. My little guy has strep throat and we were in a frenzy of tending to him, going to the doctor, juggling schedules, etc.

Ann Coulter funny and right on target about the hoopla over Pelosi becoming the (insert fanfare, trumpets, shock, and awe right here) THE FIRST WOMAN SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE!!!! (insert wild applause, fainting, rending of clothes, etc. here)

Also, for any of you Jean Auel fans out there, it looks like she got things waaaaaay wrong:
No Rumpy Pumpy for the Humans and the Neanderthals

Shopping Spree

Normally hate shopping, but hit a FANTASTIC sale at JCP. Also tried on a pair of pants in my normal size and found that it was too big and had to go find a smaller size!!! Woohoo!!! (Naturally celebrated with a brownie when I got home!!).

Am reading "Seabiscuit" by Laura Hillenbrand. Fascinating story. She is also a very gifted writer. She had a line in there I thought was so descriptive and interesting: "He had a colorless translucence about him that made him seem as if he were in the earliest stages of progressive invisibility." Wonderful! I love finding little nuggets like that. Stephen King has a line in his book "Bag of Bones" that I love as well. A character is watching a large man get into a small car and the first character thinks, "He was so big and the car was so small, it looked as if he were wearing it." Sometimes just falling into language can be as much of a pleasure as plot or character development. I have nothing but respect for people who can put words together in clever and descriptive ways. One of my all time favorite of these nuggets came from my mom - "Not everything in life has to be steeped in meaning and fraught with profundity." Not only a fabulous sentence, but a good life lesson as well. That's my momma!

Finally - I was off visiting my mom and dad yesterday so did no blogging. Here is a belated but heartfelt thank you to all of our veterans and all the military currently serving today.

Funny Photo Friday

This pictures was taken October '06 in a little tiny town in western Illinois called Atlas. I hope that the owners of this little shop/cafe were TRYING to be funny and not that A) if you eat there you will, indeed, get worms or B) they didn't notice. They had to have noticed - the second line of the thing reads all the way across.

Tired....and Lost

UPDATE:

Ok great! Now I have something to do on Wednesday nights until "Lost" comes back on. This is the most addictive thing I've ever seen!

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40255643/

Really tired tonight. Am also very sad about "Lost." It seems that the show goes on hiatus until Feb. 7!!!! Dang TV execs. Why would they do this? Why do they get a 3 month break for the holidays? Sheesh.

Here are a couple of interesting things I read today:

Acetaminophin Recall: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061109/ap_on_he_me/drug_warning

More acadamia insanity:
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/006332.htm
Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin

*sigh*

UPDATE:

Just read Ann Coulter's latest column. She speaks about the voting machines too. Find it here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucac/20061109/cm_ucac/historicvictoryfordiebold


So election day was kind of yucky. The Demoquacks are now controlling the House (Pelosi-----shudder) and maybe the Senate. Rumsfeld has resigned. And the bad bad bad citizens of South Dakota have now made all my cigarettes $1.00 higher per pack.

I should have gone on a news blackout today like my mom did. Most of the election results are little depressing (despite my upbeat attitude last post). One of the funniest things I did read today was how before the elections, all the Demoquacks were quacking around about possible voter fraud because of shoddy voting machinery. Hmmmmmmmmm....I wonder why they've dropped that topic?? I guess I'm a little slow on the uptake, but apparently in the Demoquack universe, it's only election fraud when they lose, but a mandate when they win. How utterly convenient for them. There's nothing like a subjective moral base to prop up one leg when the other gets kicked out from under you minute to minute.

Blah. Enought about this mess. "Lost" is coming on very soon. Such a fabulous show. If you've never watched go out and rent seasons one and two and get caught up. Then go online to ABC's website and get caught up for this season.

Election Day

UPDATE:

Looks like my former classmate, Jeff Smith, has won a state senate seat in Missouri. Good for you Jeff, even if you are a Democrat! ;)

Mike Rounds will continue to be governor of South Dakota.

The citizens of the state have overturned the draconian, out-of-touch, cruel, inhumane, and otherwise horrid abortion ban. Good for you, citizens!

Looks like South Dakota has banned gay marriage. Bad for you, citizens! (Mom, NO COMMENTS ON THIS!!! WE'VE BEEN THERE!)

Waiting for election results. Should be an interesting turnout. While I wait, I will do this:

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/006295.htm

Thanks Ms. Malkin.

How well do we know people?

So I was talking with my mom and she was a little disturbed by my previous posts. She said she felt she was reading a blog of someone she didn't even know. I find that really interesting because she probably knows me better than anyone. But how well do we REALLY know people? I suppose everyone has a face or a side that they present to certain people. (For instance, since my MOM is reading this thing, you certainly won't get any really juicy gossip or...er...tidbits!!!! Ha ha. Just kidding mom, I love you!) I'm sure that there are things I'm interested in, books, movies, thoughts, ideas, that my mom and the others around me know nothing about. And it's not as if I'm trying to actively hide anything from those that I love. I suppose it's that I don't feel a huge need to share everything. This is different than hiding - some things I can enjoy, think about, stay up worrying about, laugh about, cry about, etc. all on my own. I don't need others to validate my enjoyment, thoughts, worries, laughter, tears, etc. I don't think this makes me cold or cut off from people - I think it makes me self-reliant and self-assured. How could you get through a day if you can't stand your own company? Do you have clutter up your world to get away from yourself? Is this what's behind crazy seeming behavior like drug addiction and such? I don't expect answers to these questions - just sending them out into the void, as it were.

Speaking of voids - just finished re-reading "Contact" by Carl Sagan. Such a thought provoking book. Are we alone in the universe? Is there intelligent life out there? There is so much about space and the universe that we'll never understand or never have more than hypotheses about. It's so maddening. What's out there? Who's out there? Are we completely alone? I hate to think so.

Movie review

Just watched "Mrs. Henderson Presents." Fantastic film. I love Judi Dench. Funny movie, well acted, etc. I give it 3 stars out of 4.

I got a comment about the pronounciation of Anais. It's Ahn-eye-eece.

Day 2

Someone told me that my comments weren't working, but they appear to be fixed now. So by all means, comment away!!! But please, no vulgarity or swear words or mind-numbing dullness.

Have started re-reading "Bridget Jones' Diary." Thought about putting my weight, alcohol, and cigarette consumption up at the top of this, but then started to worry about plagarism accusations - especially since I would use the exact numbers in the book rather than fess up to my own!

Off to work. Will add more later after I have a chance to look at some news and have something more interesting to say.

Wow I hope this isn't lame

So here it is. My first post to my first blog. I really have no idea what this is going to be about or how often I'll update it or if anyone on the planet will read it. I feel like I'm under all this pressure now to be witty and fascinating. But who is, really? I think I'm just going to make random comments on things around me - my life, the news, movies, people (with names changed to protect the innocent or phenomenally stupid), etc. I suppose this won't be the most wildly original thing in the world, but it could be kind of fun.

I just re-watched the film "Henry & June." I have to wonder what Anais Nin could have done with a blog. Maybe nothing. Her unexpurgated diaries weren't published until most of the main characters had died. Is this a good thing? Do we need a bunch of would be diarists (sp?) out here spewing every little thought they have into the void? Do we need to know every thought everyone is having at the minute they have them? Does anyone remember that episode of Gilligan's Island where they ate the sunflower seeds (I think) that allowed them to read each other's minds? That would be bad. I'd hate to give up my spits. Anyway, I'll try not to bore the world with the minutae of my life. I'm just giving this a whirl.