All of you faithful fans need to back off - I am NOT the only one who hates TH -
http://metrodad.typepad.com/index/2006/07/an_open_letter__1.html
MetroDad's language is waaay more colorful than my vanilla descriptions, and he wimps out over the TH baseball tour, but he really had me for a moment when I read that he too was hoping Apollo 13 wouldn't make it back.
5 People other than TH to play Charlie Wilson in no particular order-
Think tall, Texan, way with the ladies...
1. Clive Owen
2. George Clooney
3. Ralph Fiennes
4. Rupert Everett (if you don't know who he is, you've missed some great movies in the past 10 yrs.)
5. Tom Wilkinson (ditto)
5 People who aren't right, but would still do a better job
1. Johnny Depp (he nails almost everything)
2. Daniel Autiel (french, but waaaaayyy better)
3. The dead guy from weekend at Bernie's
4. Luke Wilson (could be a breakthrough role for him!)
5. Jon Heder a.k.a. Napolean Dynamite (as Napolean Dynamite he would still be more convincing)
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
I blame Jack Abramoff for ruining our beautiful connection to a corporate seat set at RFK Stadium. Don't know if you all know, but many corporations gave up their season tickets in the wake of the scandal. Last year, we had a sweet deal and went to many games.
Last night we bit the bullet and took Evie to her first-ever baseball game. It was Juliette's first non-corporate fatcat game. Our seats were so high, we could have spit and hit mile-high stadiu, in Denver.
The seats cost $3 apiece. Here is the breakdown of expenditures....
Tickets $9
Fees attached to tickets $9
Parking $12
Half smoke $6.50
Lemonade $5.50
Peanuts $4
Cotton Candy $3
Pretzel $3
Our seats were so bad, we were BEHIND the jumbotron.
Compare to pre-Abramoff corporate seats
Seats (6 of them, plenty of room to stretch) facevalue $30 X 6, for us - Free
Parking - Free
etc. etc.
Is it worth it losing those seats to see Ralph Reed lose his GA primary because of Abramoff ties?
ABSOLUTELY!!! One almost might say, priceless!
Last night we bit the bullet and took Evie to her first-ever baseball game. It was Juliette's first non-corporate fatcat game. Our seats were so high, we could have spit and hit mile-high stadiu, in Denver.
The seats cost $3 apiece. Here is the breakdown of expenditures....
Tickets $9
Fees attached to tickets $9
Parking $12
Half smoke $6.50
Lemonade $5.50
Peanuts $4
Cotton Candy $3
Pretzel $3
Our seats were so bad, we were BEHIND the jumbotron.
Compare to pre-Abramoff corporate seats
Seats (6 of them, plenty of room to stretch) facevalue $30 X 6, for us - Free
Parking - Free
etc. etc.
Is it worth it losing those seats to see Ralph Reed lose his GA primary because of Abramoff ties?
ABSOLUTELY!!! One almost might say, priceless!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Ess A Bagel
a limerick composed to honor our bagel delivery girl
We love our Ellie, she is so pretty
She brings us Ess A Bagel from New York City
Other girls may love pearls,
Or taffeta and silk swirls ...
We think life without cream cheese and carbs would be a pity.
Coming soon - a list of the 347 actors better suited to play the part of Charlie Wilson than Tom Hanks.
We love our Ellie, she is so pretty
She brings us Ess A Bagel from New York City
Other girls may love pearls,
Or taffeta and silk swirls ...
We think life without cream cheese and carbs would be a pity.
Coming soon - a list of the 347 actors better suited to play the part of Charlie Wilson than Tom Hanks.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
OT - Why I Hate Tom Hanks
I didn't used to. Really, when he was Kip on Bosom Buddies, I actually found him funny. Big wasn't too bad either.
Maybe it started around Philadelphia. As someone who was involved with pediatric AIDS at the time, the movie felt ... like an oatmeal version of a very complex, heartbreaking reality.
The Oscar speech outing his H.S. teacher wasn't a favorite either.
Or maybe it was Forrest Gump. Sue me, but I didn't find the performance particularly compelling although the rest of the cast was great.
And the ego started to grow. Saving Private Ryan - squeezing tears out of the doughboy face to try to portray some emotion while Matt Damon stole what small show existed in Steven Spielberg's film school trick laden, jurassic park wanna be WWII movie where the Nazis were the dinosaurs.
Or how about the movie where he was onscreen with a volleyball. Maybe you forked out $8 to see that for three hours, but I'd rather contemplate my bellybutton.
So this summer, he played the lead in the Da Vinci Code. What Injustice!! Religious controversy aside, there is no person less appropriate for that Robert Langdon part. Again, you may have spent your money, but my taste for the perfect summer popcorn movie was dulled at the thought of seeing TH destroy a particularly likeable character for 2+ hours.
Which brings me to today's reason for this OT rant. Anyone who spoke to me two or three years ago had to hear a 15 minute speech devoted to Charlie Wilson's War. In case you forgot, let me refresh -
How great a book it was, how one man can make a difference, how complex and simple Washington worked, how our current Middle East crisis is particularly frightening in the context of American influence in the region in the 1980s.... etc.
You all yawned. Patted me on the head. Went on with your lives.
Tom Hanks optioned the book and is PLAYING CHARLIE WILSON!!!!
I curse the network that ever put bosom buddies on the air.
Maybe it started around Philadelphia. As someone who was involved with pediatric AIDS at the time, the movie felt ... like an oatmeal version of a very complex, heartbreaking reality.
The Oscar speech outing his H.S. teacher wasn't a favorite either.
Or maybe it was Forrest Gump. Sue me, but I didn't find the performance particularly compelling although the rest of the cast was great.
And the ego started to grow. Saving Private Ryan - squeezing tears out of the doughboy face to try to portray some emotion while Matt Damon stole what small show existed in Steven Spielberg's film school trick laden, jurassic park wanna be WWII movie where the Nazis were the dinosaurs.
Or how about the movie where he was onscreen with a volleyball. Maybe you forked out $8 to see that for three hours, but I'd rather contemplate my bellybutton.
So this summer, he played the lead in the Da Vinci Code. What Injustice!! Religious controversy aside, there is no person less appropriate for that Robert Langdon part. Again, you may have spent your money, but my taste for the perfect summer popcorn movie was dulled at the thought of seeing TH destroy a particularly likeable character for 2+ hours.
Which brings me to today's reason for this OT rant. Anyone who spoke to me two or three years ago had to hear a 15 minute speech devoted to Charlie Wilson's War. In case you forgot, let me refresh -
How great a book it was, how one man can make a difference, how complex and simple Washington worked, how our current Middle East crisis is particularly frightening in the context of American influence in the region in the 1980s.... etc.
You all yawned. Patted me on the head. Went on with your lives.
Tom Hanks optioned the book and is PLAYING CHARLIE WILSON!!!!
I curse the network that ever put bosom buddies on the air.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Blackberries
Juliette has an I-Spy book called Counting Colors. It is a tradition for us to often to a page or two before we read our bedtime story.
Each page has 10 different items, all with a single color theme, scattered about. On the black pager there is 1 calculator, 2 licorice sticks, 3 black dump trucks, 4 ants, 5 blackberries, etc.
She or I randomly will choose a number and find the required number of whatever item chosen. That night I said, find the five blackberries... Without hesitation, Juliette looks around the page and points to the calculator.
Each page has 10 different items, all with a single color theme, scattered about. On the black pager there is 1 calculator, 2 licorice sticks, 3 black dump trucks, 4 ants, 5 blackberries, etc.
She or I randomly will choose a number and find the required number of whatever item chosen. That night I said, find the five blackberries... Without hesitation, Juliette looks around the page and points to the calculator.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
The Ohrwurm makes for an Verrückte Mutter
Ohrwurm is the German phrase to describe a tune that gets in your head and won't get out. Literal translation - brain worm.
Juliette has been singing "I've been working on the Railroad" Ohrwurm style for three days.
She hasn't been working on the railroad. Ever.
Despite her vivid singsonging lyrics about Dinah in the Kitchen.
Who is in that kitchen? Who????
It makes for a Verrückte Mutter (German for Crazy Mother!)
Juliette has been singing "I've been working on the Railroad" Ohrwurm style for three days.
She hasn't been working on the railroad. Ever.
Despite her vivid singsonging lyrics about Dinah in the Kitchen.
Who is in that kitchen? Who????
It makes for a Verrückte Mutter (German for Crazy Mother!)
Monday, July 17, 2006
Happy 3 1/2, Juliette!
Juliette celebrates her half birthday today!
We are so thankful she is our girl!
We are so thankful she is our girl!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Stay-at-home Moms vs. Moms that stay home
It is becoming increasingly apparent to me the longer I stay home that I am not a stay-at-home mom. Rather, I am a mom that stays home. I lack the social networking (outside of a business setting), nurturing, patience required for the former.
Look at the following comparison, pieced together when I should be doing consulting work, and draw your own conclusions.
Stay-at-home Moms vs. Moms that stay home
1. Plan regular playdates for their children to build social skills vs.
1. Drop their children in front of Dora to accommodate a conference call.
2. Are room moms at school and volunteer to read stories or do crafts vs.
2. Do the story or craft, but don’t do it until two weeks before school is out and they suddenly realize every other parent in the class has spent more time with their child in school than them.
3. Stay beside a sick child at night, all night vs.
3. Get the child back to sleep with drugs, then realize they can get an hour or two of billable work done since they are no longer sleepy – at a minimum they check email - they know they will hear the kid before anyone else does.
4. Search for stimulating activities online to prepare their children for preschool vs.
4. Beg the dad to let them go to Starbucks, the drycleaner, the grocery store, any where to escape for a few minutes.
5. Use sunscreen and bug towels vs.
5. Tell their kid to stay in the shade when they realize they’ve forgotten the stuff again!
6. Pack snacks (grapes and wholewheat crackers with little water bottles) vs.
6. Order their kid a hot chocolate at Starbucks (with madeleines to snack on, natch) and justify it calling it a serving of dairy.
7. Carry diaper bags (Kate Spade or LL Bean) vs.
7. Carry a single diaper (only half the time) in a newspaper plastic sleeve.
8. Use the web to explore safety recalls and get monogrammed lollipop pants for their little treasure vs.
8. Blog instead of work (remember, blogging is not billable) and Order toys from Amazon to assuage the guilt over dumping the child in front of Dora in the first place.
Look at the following comparison, pieced together when I should be doing consulting work, and draw your own conclusions.
Stay-at-home Moms vs. Moms that stay home
1. Plan regular playdates for their children to build social skills vs.
1. Drop their children in front of Dora to accommodate a conference call.
2. Are room moms at school and volunteer to read stories or do crafts vs.
2. Do the story or craft, but don’t do it until two weeks before school is out and they suddenly realize every other parent in the class has spent more time with their child in school than them.
3. Stay beside a sick child at night, all night vs.
3. Get the child back to sleep with drugs, then realize they can get an hour or two of billable work done since they are no longer sleepy – at a minimum they check email - they know they will hear the kid before anyone else does.
4. Search for stimulating activities online to prepare their children for preschool vs.
4. Beg the dad to let them go to Starbucks, the drycleaner, the grocery store, any where to escape for a few minutes.
5. Use sunscreen and bug towels vs.
5. Tell their kid to stay in the shade when they realize they’ve forgotten the stuff again!
6. Pack snacks (grapes and wholewheat crackers with little water bottles) vs.
6. Order their kid a hot chocolate at Starbucks (with madeleines to snack on, natch) and justify it calling it a serving of dairy.
7. Carry diaper bags (Kate Spade or LL Bean) vs.
7. Carry a single diaper (only half the time) in a newspaper plastic sleeve.
8. Use the web to explore safety recalls and get monogrammed lollipop pants for their little treasure vs.
8. Blog instead of work (remember, blogging is not billable) and Order toys from Amazon to assuage the guilt over dumping the child in front of Dora in the first place.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Do you even remember what it was like before you had your little darlings?
This is parent-speak for "Isn't your child the most important thing to you on the planet???"
It is part of the parent language no non-parent need bother themselves with. Another example "How old is she? She's adorable." You might think this is a simple compliment, but no. It actually is a solicitation on that individual's part for you to admire THEIR child. If you don't reciprocate, you are due for a very cold shoulder. Trust me, it took me months to figure this out. Back to Italy.
So, when people ask me this week, in particular. The title question of this post. I think of the blissful 2+ weeks spent in Italy and France three summers ago. It was our last hurrah before traveling to get Juliette in China that November. The picture of Bruce above is a perfect example of the happy, carefree, days we spent.
I wouldn't trade it for the unsolicited hugs and kisses and I Love You's from the two little girls, but I DEFINITELY REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN!!
p.s. I can't WAIT to take them to Italy and France!!
It is part of the parent language no non-parent need bother themselves with. Another example "How old is she? She's adorable." You might think this is a simple compliment, but no. It actually is a solicitation on that individual's part for you to admire THEIR child. If you don't reciprocate, you are due for a very cold shoulder. Trust me, it took me months to figure this out. Back to Italy.
So, when people ask me this week, in particular. The title question of this post. I think of the blissful 2+ weeks spent in Italy and France three summers ago. It was our last hurrah before traveling to get Juliette in China that November. The picture of Bruce above is a perfect example of the happy, carefree, days we spent.
I wouldn't trade it for the unsolicited hugs and kisses and I Love You's from the two little girls, but I DEFINITELY REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN!!
p.s. I can't WAIT to take them to Italy and France!!
Monday, July 10, 2006
Paul's Blog
Hi Everyone!
Our cousin Paul got a blog.
It is very nicely written and shows what a handsome, strong, wonderful guy he is.
We've added it to our favorites-stop by and say hi to Paul!
Juliette and Evie
Our cousin Paul got a blog.
It is very nicely written and shows what a handsome, strong, wonderful guy he is.
We've added it to our favorites-stop by and say hi to Paul!
Juliette and Evie
Sunday, July 09, 2006
The Things We Do for Love
Today I took out Evie's stitches rather than make her see a doctor again. I took her in for a two-day post ER visit and she started hyperventilating when the nurse wanted her on the scale.
So this morning at Starbucks, I ran into a fellow bookclub member who happens to be a nurse. Nevermind that she is a research nurse at NIH and I haven't been to book club in at least six months.
Saw her.
Interrupted her friends.
Dragged her away to look at Evie's head.
She walked me through how to remove stitches. Sterilize, grab the knot with tweezers, snip.
After we got home from church, I did it!!
After naps, to celebrate we all went to the pool. Evie has been saying pool every day this week after her nap, but the doctor said to keep her out for a week. Today was her first day back and she was in heaven. Lips blue, shivering, drinking so much pool water it made ME sick to watch. Absolute heaven for Evie.
So this morning at Starbucks, I ran into a fellow bookclub member who happens to be a nurse. Nevermind that she is a research nurse at NIH and I haven't been to book club in at least six months.
Saw her.
Interrupted her friends.
Dragged her away to look at Evie's head.
She walked me through how to remove stitches. Sterilize, grab the knot with tweezers, snip.
After we got home from church, I did it!!
After naps, to celebrate we all went to the pool. Evie has been saying pool every day this week after her nap, but the doctor said to keep her out for a week. Today was her first day back and she was in heaven. Lips blue, shivering, drinking so much pool water it made ME sick to watch. Absolute heaven for Evie.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Monday, July 03, 2006
ER Redux
It is pretty bad when the attending physician in the ER immediately recognizes you and says " I know you from somewhere."
"Here." Was my humble answer. Yes, we were back in the ER, today with Evie. She fell by the stairs (sounds like a cover, I know) and gashed her head open the likes of which I will remember a long time coming. The wound wasn't large (three stitches on top) but what it lacked in length, it more than made up for in depth (many internal stitches). When the aforementioned attending physician is impressed with the depth of the wound, you know it is deep.
Evie was her very happy self, until she was placed in the Burrito. The burrito is what they put children in to keep them from wiggling during proceedures. It is head to toe velcro. First, the child is placed in a doubled up sheet, arms crossed Houdini-style. Next comes the velcro contraptions, which is similar to what they use on spine injuries, but more limiting for movement.
Evie had an arm out in five minutes flat. Her crying/sobbing/squealing made her gotcha day look like the happiest day of her life. I felt bad for the other kids who hadn't hadn't had their proceedures yet in the ER. I'm sure they were wondering what the doctors were doing to her. She actually cried so hard she went to sleep or passed out. I couldn't tell.
Being Evie, she bounced right back, and was doing summersaults before bed tonight. She has ripped off two bandages, but she is blissfully asleep.
"Here." Was my humble answer. Yes, we were back in the ER, today with Evie. She fell by the stairs (sounds like a cover, I know) and gashed her head open the likes of which I will remember a long time coming. The wound wasn't large (three stitches on top) but what it lacked in length, it more than made up for in depth (many internal stitches). When the aforementioned attending physician is impressed with the depth of the wound, you know it is deep.
Evie was her very happy self, until she was placed in the Burrito. The burrito is what they put children in to keep them from wiggling during proceedures. It is head to toe velcro. First, the child is placed in a doubled up sheet, arms crossed Houdini-style. Next comes the velcro contraptions, which is similar to what they use on spine injuries, but more limiting for movement.
Evie had an arm out in five minutes flat. Her crying/sobbing/squealing made her gotcha day look like the happiest day of her life. I felt bad for the other kids who hadn't hadn't had their proceedures yet in the ER. I'm sure they were wondering what the doctors were doing to her. She actually cried so hard she went to sleep or passed out. I couldn't tell.
Being Evie, she bounced right back, and was doing summersaults before bed tonight. She has ripped off two bandages, but she is blissfully asleep.
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