Menopause: The Blog Post

Warning: The title should have already put off the weak, the scared, and the male. Anyone else that sticks around is definitely a glutton for punishment, or engaging in that nasty little brand of schadenfreude that revels in other people's misery.

Which one are you?

There was a time when I would have laughed at older women in my life, had they been as open about this fascinating phase of their lives as I'm about to be. There's still time to go read about Paris, instead.

Inexplicably, you are still here, reading, no less. Well, welcome to my nightmare. And a nightmare it is. I haven't slept through the night in a couple of years. It has resulted in some really weird dreams, let me tell you. Not as weird as Vicky's recent dream involving a moose, my van, and a dead pedestrian, but pretty darn close.

The dreams, however, are not as bad as the night sweats. Sounds disgusting, huh? You have no idea. Waking up in a pool of sweat is no fun. I confuse the husband by sleeping at the foot of the bed, like a puppy, because it's cooler there. Go figure. If anyone ever catches me panting with my tongue out, walk me, or slap me back into my senses.

There are other indignities that I will spare you here, but I assure you, I already went through puberty once, this second go round, blessedly without the acne, is no less emotionally challenging. Teenage angst and middle age angst are kissing cousins. Instead of yelling at my parents, I yell at my teenagers.

There's actually a certain amount of satisfaction in that, although I've lately noticed the conspiratorial glances exchanged when I go over the top and ground a kid until 2037 for not folding the socks properly, but hey, I figure I have to give them something to tell their therapists one day.

The consolation that this, too, shall pass is no consolation at all. Maybe it has something to do with the misnomer--I mean, meno-pause? I'm not liking these "pauses." I need it to end. Definitely. Permanently. And now.

I'm thinking, everybody who lives with me is thinking the same thing, times 10.

coffee obsession? um, what's the name of the blog?

So, in an admittedly weird move, I am posting a link to MY MOST FAVORITEST COFFEE SHOP ever, the Kaiteur Coffee House, just around the corner from where we live. Yes, a real frou-frou coffee place, that get this, actually has human beings that work there and engage you in live conversation of the congenial kind. They even get your name right.

Yummy.

So here's an invitation to join me for coffee there. Unfortunately, most of you who read this are, like, 700 miles away, but I know of one very local coffee drinking friend of the bestest kind who will let me buy her a cup.

Achito? Mace?

Mace Windu, bad-ass with a purple light saber.

Achito, dumb-ass silly-goose with a Treo.

I LOVE YOU ACHI! ! !

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looks sexy--don't forget the sunscreen!

Another post?

Told ya it was a lazy Saturday, and if you read my previous post on editing my novel, you'll recognize this as some more avoidance.

Anyway, read this brief article about J.K. Rowling, who reveals she changed the last word of the series. For years it's been reported that the last word was going to be "scar." She says she changed it.

I'm declaring here, publicly, that I bet it's gonna be LOVE.

Betcha. It's what I'd do, only what do I know...she's the gazillionaire, and I won't edit my damn novel.

A Neil Sedaka morning

I'm listening to Neil Sedaka's Laughter in the Rain from Rhapsody, which is no big secret, but some of you may want to check it out, so here's the link. It's The Definitive Collection, so go figure that it's another name for Greatest Hits. It's perfect for my current mood.

It's kind of rainy this morning, enough to keep us indoors and avoiding yardwork (aw, gee, see the disappointment?), so instead, He-Man went to get bagels, and after loading up on the tasty treats, we've settled into a lazy Saturday. That means nobody is doing anything signficant.

Except me. I still have to cook tonight. Oh, and Chrsity is baby-sitting. That kid is racking up the bucks. I should start moonlighting.

And then, there's the ubiquitous laundry. Gah!

But first, let me point you guys in a diiferent direction today. A couple of months ago, it seems, I got this random twitter invitation from someone I didn't know, and checked him out. He goes by JazzyChad, and he's got an absolutely BRILLIANT project going on at http://www.twittermosaic.com/. It is awesome. He has taken all his friends and followers and made all kinds of really cool mosaics from the pictures people use for their accounts. There's even a link to the mosaic software, so I might give it a try this weekend. In the small world of six degrees of separation, it turns out that Vicky knows the guy from the band. How weird/funny is that? Small world. Which, by the way, is the latest mosaic.

Click on the mosaic and it will take you to his awesome site.

Avoidance post # 247

I'm supposed to be editing Darknet. Please, don't anybody hold your breath. Instead, I first looked up "avoidance" on-line, and now I am going to share with you what I have found:

In avoidance, we simply find ways of avoiding having to face uncomfortable
situations, things or activities. ... Avoidance may include removing oneself
physically from a situation. It may also involve finding ways not to discuss or
even think about the topic in question.

Well, I suppose I'm doing that quite well.

Then, it says:

Avoidance is a simple way of coping by not having to cope. ... According to
the dynamic theory, avoidance is a major defense mechanism in phobias. Procrastination is another form of avoidance where we put off to tomorrow those things that we can avoid today.

Oh. So I'm afraid of finishing. That must be it. You might like it. Hmmm. You might hate it. You might think it is stupid, and poorly researched, and boring, and an awful story. You might think I'm stupid. Or a hack!

OMG! ! ! I'm having a panic attack. Must. Breathe. Deeply.

Yeah, thanks for stepping inside my head today.

We'll resume regular programming tomorrow.

note: you may check out the link to today's neurosis information here.

Here are Frick and Frack

I have to ask, why is it that the male of the species is always prettier? Unfortunately, it has resulted in some extreme make-overs, notably, what some crazy Southern women do to achieve big hair and colorful coloring.
Well, does anybody think Disney modeled Ursula after Divine? I'm just sayin'.

OK, that's it. Clearly, this blog wins the random tangent award. Maybe you'll have clarity tomorrow.

The Break-up is Final

Splish will have nothing more to do with Splaish. In fact, she won't return his phone calls, answer his mail, or even whisper his name. It's over.

She has now bonded with the little blue shark that leans against the No Fishing sign in her tank. Frankly, the shark is not her type, but he treats her well.

Meanwhile, He-who-shall-no-longer-be-named seems to be withering away in all that room. We think that he's been running through the garish plastic plants and scratching his fins. What a goober. Serves him right, I say.

I think he's just a confirmed bachelor. Isn't that code for something else?

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Stay tuned for the continuing Chronicles of Splaish and Splish.

Crazy Monday

Registration today--who knows when I'll get out of here, hopefully, alive.

As you know, Jaime was ordained this weekemd. Check out my Monday Musings over at Rosary Army for some of my thoughts.

The Chronicles of Splaish and Splish

In this chapter, an intervention, isolation, and adoption:

Splaish has adapted to his new environs swimmingly well. In fact, that's what he does, a lot of swimming. Up and down and around and around. He seems to favor a little coral cave, but is also fascinated by the garishly green plastic kelp. Did I say garish? There's nothing natural about those colors, especially the gravel. Somehow, though, the total effect is quite colorful and inviting to the eyes.

The instructions for this new tank stipulate that one is to turn on the light only when "enjoying the fish." As this one has no enjoyment in pets, it became a curiosity to discover what this means. After spending 15 minutes watching the fish swim up and down the tank, I was beginning to think he was also watching me. It was a very weird moment, but there you have it. Evidently I was enjoying the fish, and he, me, because I turned off the light and went back to the interminable laundry.

Eventually Princess Neptune arrived with her little fish net, a striking number in the same blue as Splaish, and introduced the girlfriend, Splish, into the tank.

It was a very chilly reception.

The rest of the day I didn't so much enjoy the fish as watch in mortification as they play a game of chase around the tank. Since I have a life, I didn't enjoy them very much, and definitely without the lights. Eventually, however, their owner arrived and proceeded to enjoy the fish.

There was no real enjoyment going on. You see, Splaish seems to have some anger management problems. Apparently, we failed to see the "doesn't play well with others" designation. Let's just say he's not on anyone's favorite's list today.

He attacked Splish. The bastard.

The handy dandy net was immediately commissioned to rescue Splish from that dastardly domestic violence perpetrator, and she was removed to the safe environs of the smaller tank. I adopted her on the spot. That Splaish is a bully, and I shall have nothing more to do with him.

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Stay tuned for the continuing serialization of the The Chronicles of Splaish and Splish.

I don't like pets

And while Splaish has grown on me in the same way the algae tends to grow on his tank, it was I that had to ascertain which little shrivelled piece of matter in the sink, alongside bacon, onions, and noodles, was the unfortunate little fellow that had leaped out of his little bag in the transfer to his new condominium.

Yeah, add Coast Guard to the long list of hats I have to wear as a mother. Where was his mother? Oh, she was the one squealing and giving her father a heart attack.

May I suggest the pretty little net that most civilized people use when transferring fish? I'm sure it won't break the bank.

The excitement over, and the fish doing whatever it is that fish do, we settled back to admire his new digs.

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Stay tuned for the serialized adventures of Splaish, and his new girlfriend, Splish, who is currently a little undone by the whole experience. They are living in separate homes until the courting period is over and she is introduced into the condo....

tomorrow is Jaime's big day!

That countdown to the right of this blog has been counting down to his ordination in the morning. I'm sure it's been an incredible journey for him. It's a pretty irreversible commitment that he's making, and so, the lengthy process of discernment comes to an end, and in less than 24 hours he'll be starting a whole new one.

LOL, isn't that life? We get out of one pickle in time to jump into a whole new pickle.

I am confident that he will do his best. Best wishes and always, always, prayers.

Check out these Men in Black.

it's all about me!

Not one for gratuitous self-promotion...ok, now that the laughter has died down...check out Wency's blog "Let's Go...Slaho." It's funny and entertaining, and best of all, dedicated to me today.

Yeah, give the guy some traffic, post a comment or 10, give him some love. Anybody with a name long enough to get two nicknames deserves the attention.

After all, his name is Wenceslao.

Don't ever make a snide comment about my name.

today's crass moment brought to you by...

The Missing One, who is technically not quite missing, i.e., she's living at home. She's still The Missing One, because between working late, and living the Late Night Vida Loca (public admission from me: not as late as she'd like as she is trying to be considerate of the whole family dynamic thingie) but still late for me.

Well, hell, anything past 7:30 pm is late for me....

I digress--we were discussing crass comments. Those of you easily offended, or too curious to back away, here's the story, unedited: we tend to call breasts around here, well, breasts. Not boobies, not ya-yas, and certainly not that other word that interestingly enough offends the eldest to the point of anger. Strange issues, but I'm digressing again.

Anyway, vocabulary now being established, we can move to the scenario this evening. Those of you who know the three women in this household may have delicately, if discretely noticed that we are not wanting in the breast area. Oh sure, delightful when the ladies are young, but I...sorry...I do seem to go off on tangents today....

Anyway, back to the story at hand. Being an affectionate family, we do tend to hug an awful lot. The physics of the situation require a bit of forethought in order to execute a hug that actually resembles a hug, instead of one of those awkward "kindof" hugs, and as a result the middle one and I have taken to calling a position, top or bottom, for the placement of ...well, I think you get the picture. What can I say? It entertains us, and serves a practical purpose after all.

Today, as the tallest went to hug the shortest, I heard from afar that there was no need to call it.

"I have the Alpha-breasts. I'm always on top."

You can't say I didn't warn you.

Another episode of That Catholic Show!

Can't begin to tell you how much fun this is...check out today's episode. Ever wonder why Catholics have statues and icons? For the same reason you carry around a picture of your sweetheart or kids.

Oh, and pay close attention to the Holy Land Paparazzi. Ha!

reason #1,742 for why I love my kids

They make me laugh, especially when I need it most.

I got nuttin

But it gives me a great deal of pleasure to connect with you guys, reading this goofy post.

Hi!

Meanwhile, I'm not up to anything at all. Ate a filling, if totally forgettable dinner, and I think I'm going to go to bed early. Maybe I'll pop in a movie and watch a director's commentary. I know, it's a weird thing to like, but believe it or not, I really enjoy listening to the creative process as explained by these people--I especially like the writers. The one thing they all have in common is their discussion of the number of rewrites.

In a small way it gives me a big validation. Phew--I'm not a loser, everybody does it.

So that's all that's happening. I am totally going to enjoy the fact that I have no looming deadlines (excluding anything that slave-driver Greg comes up with...)

PSA's and other writing

So, after a rather low key weekend spent in gastronomic Father's Day pursuits, I'm ready to get back to the business of slacking off during the week. I've got a few things to finish off before new projects can be started, and most of it is merely the inconvenience of decluttering. Oh, well, we did paint the deck some more, and it looks a lot better. Unfortunately, the unpainted portions are really glaring at me now, though. John got one of those neat little compression air brushes--we'll see how that works between the wood slats. Alas, the work is never finished.

There was a lovely article on Greg and Jennifer (from Rosary Army) in the Rockdale Citizen this weekend, and I even got a little mention in there--it's pretty amazing to see the attention we're getting for That Catholic Show, and it's especially fun to be so behind the scenes that I retain anonymity--I don't think I could hide my disappointment if somebody trashed the show, but that anonymity has gotten me some very nice comments! Awesome!

And so, I posted a Monday Musings over at the HQ page of Rosary Army, and wonder at the internet's role in evangelization, plus give a plug to SQPN. Here's a blurb from today's post:

Those diligent monks who copied and illustrated Bibles and other tomes were the
first Xerox machines. The epistles, especially from St. Paul, were the first mass mailings, intended for a large group as he reached out to newly-formed Christian communities. Can you imagine what Paul would do today with an email address book? Bishop Fulton Sheen, too, used the communications medium of his day to reach millions of people, first with a weekly radio broadcast in the 1930’s, and later with two long-running television shows, in the 1950’s and then again in the 1960’s. He even won an Emmy!

It’s no surprise that our beloved Pope John Paul II should declare that we “enter into this modern and ever more replete communications network with realism and confidence … convinced that, if it is used with competence and conscientious responsibility, it can offer useful opportunities for spreading the Gospel message.”

Anyway, that's part of what I'm doing lately that has occupied what's left of my free time. Maybe I'll be adding some new stuff here in the next few weeks.

Happy Father's Day

Here are random shots of the men in my life--I love you all.

Lest some of you question the pecking order, it's random. I did it that way on purpose. You know who my favorite is [wink wink].

The term is over and while I can't exactly say I have a bunch of free time on my hands, it does release me from the teaching and grading duties, so I hope to be able to pursue some writing over the course of the next couple of weeks. I've really neglected any significant posts here even though there were more than a few bloggable moments (such a cheesy thing to say, sorry).

Anyway, let's look at some really cool stuff that is happening around here. First, take a look at the countdown on the right side of this entry. Jaime will be ordained in 16 days. Sixteen days! How great is that? Yay, Jaime!

Next, of course, is the exciting release of Season One of That Catholic Show. It's available on YouTube, so you definitely should check it out. I'm working on a couple of scripts now, and it's the most writing fun I've had in a while. We'll be filming a scene this afternoon, so if you want to be in an episode, we sure could use the "extras."

Check out the links:
Episode One: Sit, Stand, and Kneel
Episode Two: Candles and Light
Episode Three: Night of the Living Catechism
Episode Four: Charity and Mercy

We've started painting the deck in the back yard, and that has turned into a mission. It's finally raining around here--not enough, but things are wet. Can't paint a wet deck. Sheesh. Yet another unfinished home project. I'm going to give it another try this evening, since it won't get dark for a while (unless of course, we get another thunder storm).

This weather reminds me of the way things were in Miami--a brief and violent thunder shower in the middle of the afternoon that soaked everything, and then--voila, out comes the sun and everything is back to the oppresive searing heat and sun of summer. Sometimes I get nostalgic about that, so I take a stroll down the produce aisle at Publix. There's no lightening, and the thunder is always the same, but I appreciate the light misting.

Well, that's all for the moment. I gotta go to a faculty meeting. I'm sure there's nothing significant to be said there; I suspect it's a headcount to make us come to work. Tee-hee.

June 12 of 12 v.2

Off to work. That right headlight seems a little weak. How come I never noticed that?

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See that stack of papers in my arms? Those are final exams that I still need to grade.

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Check it out! I used up all the ink. All of it. I usually lose the pen before that happens. It was a long and tedious session, believe me.

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I think McDonald's might have been healthier than this Philly Cheese Grease in a bun ready to soak up any grease that might have escaped my arteries. It was good.

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Wanted to include The Boy in my pictures. We had a nice chat about fishing and letting his little cousin beat on him. I had a conversation simultaneously with a few other people, including Jennifer--the caricature on my computer is actually her. In the shameless plug department, you should go check out That Catholic Show.

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Running errands. Is that Kathryn?

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Look Ma, no hands. I promise I was at a stop light.

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The obligatory commute. Isn't my neighborhood green?

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These lovely ladies put up with my abuse and never threw me out. That is the championship VBS team of all time. Wah-Hoo!

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Because I did not sufficiently clog my arteries at lunch, I decided to whip up a batch of empanadas. Yummy.

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Job applications or something. I dunno. She seemed happy enough to pose.

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This isn't a secret at all, but I am always intrigued by the turtles that perch on this log in the middle of our lake. Doesn't it look like a gator?

Edited on June 13: Thanks everyone for the comments about the turtles. I feel it necessary to make a full disclosure here, since the picture is getting so much attention (cool!). Christy (in the orange T-shirt above) took it while we were crossing the causeway home. Go Christy--I want credit to go where it should!

_______________________

For Danny: Gators!

Check this out!

Check this out. We're broadcasting live from the Eucharistic Congress! I'm sure you'll get a glimpse of my big old butt. Mom, call me and I'll go over and wave.

If you're not familiar with what I'm doing today, go check out Rosary Army. Click on the litle video picture and you'll see us working!

"We'll always have Paris"

So I'm thinking how incredibly clever I am to utter that famous quote from Casablanca, and somehow apply it to the obnoxious Barbie in the news ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME, but it turns out every blasted journalist in the universe has used that phrase in relation to Paris Hilton. Especially when she dated that guy named Paris. How weird is that?

Anyway, poor little rich girl went to jail, got out of jail, and seems to be headed back to jail.

Whatever ever happened to celebrities who had talent?

Even George Hamilton, lately known for his freaky orange skin and apparently nothing else, has a pretty decent filmography. What does Paris have? Nothing more than the media's attention.

I'll throw in the towel if she ever gets her own square on Hollywood Squares.

update: She was sent back to jail screaming and crying. Read the circus here.

it's that time again

I'm getting all jittery and there's a sense of expectation and dread as the term ends. I love the closure of it, the sheer joy of knowing I'm not going to have to do any more grading for several weeks until the process starts all over again. Which of course will bring me back to this place.

Anyway, here I am in "that" now, and getting just a bit agitated by the looming deadline and the unfinished stack of papers. Oh, plus I collected term papers today. That was my fault, lousy timing and all that, but I still have to do it.

Naturally, there is a multitude of other stuff that requires my attention, so here I am...blogging instead of doing it. Ah, the joy of passive-aggressive procrastination.

You can't make me do it. You can't make me do anything.

I'm going to play Spider Solitaire.

Just another not-so-manic Tuesday

Really, I have nothing to contribute to the world of blogging in this post (or any subesequent one, I suppose). Initially, I wrote for myself, but when I get complaints from people that I am not updating enough, I have to wonder just what it is that I'm doing here.

As my brother Danny would say, "I got nuthin."

And so, it is nuthin that I share with you today. Perhaps we can revel in that?

That Catholic Show #4

You should go to iTunes and vote for it. It's not Princess Leia, but it's not Merry Medal, either[wink].

Why I love Rachel D.

This is what she has on the back of her car. I want one.

Happy Birthday, my "not so petit" chou

I was looking for a picture that would appropriately represent his Quinces, but then remembered that I had this one from his stint as a waiter at the Night in Paris Coffee House. He is le der des der (my baby--the last one). Those of you with a little high school French will know that it translates to les dernier des derniers, or, the very last one.

Feel free to make a literal translation of it.

"Is art the mirror of life, or what?" -- Woody Allen

Every once in a while I run across some terrific links from other bloggers. I got this one from Wil Wheaton's links, that eventually took me to the following video.

Let me just say: BRILLIANT. Somebody placed a videocamera on the conveyor belt of a Sushi bar in Tokyo. If it doesn't capture the human condition, I don't know what would. Did I say brilliant?

The initial pass shows a lot of people reacting to the camera when they discover it, but catching the background people is also pretty revealing.

I hope you enjoy it for the artistic appeal as well as the sociological ones. I sure do.

It's Wednesday, so this is for Linda

I ran across this Jesuit silliness, so really, it also applies to Achi:

The Jedi's are like the Jesuits of the world. You can read the article, called The Gospel According to Luke Skywalker and tell me what you think.

It has a scary picture of Jar Jar, so proceed at your own risk.

TODAY'S PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:If you don't read the Curt Jester, you should give him a shot. Meanwhile, there's a new episode of That Catholic Show coming up next Monday.

I am decidedly unfunny

That doesn't bode well for me at the moment.

Maybe verbalizing it will make things better. Does one verbalize in writing or is it a spoken thing only?

Meanwhile, in other writing projects, I have an editor from Prentiss Hall calling me and leaving me messages. Blast it. I'll never make money going to an editor. On the other hand, I don't have time for marketing.

I don't think anybody ever got rich off of prepositional phrases. Of course, dangling participles are a whole other issue.

Episode 3 of That Catholic Show

Here ya go! Another fun episode. Watch out, you might learn something.

Father Krunk needs your help!

He's up against Clark Howard in a karaoke contest at Q-100 and needs your vote!

Go to the link, http://allthehitsq100.com/bertshow/, look for karaoke, and vote for Father Bailey!

Yeah!

Yet another meme

The game is to check off the movies you've seen. Besides being an interminable list, and a pain to post, I find myself embarrassed by some of the stuff I've watched in the name of entertainment. Read that as you will. I'd love to see your numbers in the comments. (The comments in parenthesis are mine)

(x) Grease
(x ) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x ) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(x ) Neverending Story (sheer torture)
(x ) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane

Total: 7 of 9 (heh, heh-heh)

(x) The Princess Bride (brilliant! the book is even better, if you can believe it)
( ) Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
(x ) Napoleon Dynamite (I'm not sure it counts if I screamed at its absurdity the whole time and fell asleep in the same spot three times)
( ) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
( ) 50 First Dates
(x ) The Princess Diaries
(x ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total all together: 11 of 20

( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie (that would be why I never saw the others)
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
( ) American Pie Naked Mile

Total all together:12 of 32

(x ) Harry Potter 1
( x) Harry Potter 2
(x ) Harry Potter 3
(x ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch

Total all together: 17 of 42

(x ) Finding Nemo
(x ) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
(x ) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x ) I, Robot
( ) Robots

Total all together: 21 of 53

( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
(x ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x ) Never Been Kissed
(x ) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(x ) King Kong

Total all together: 26 of 65

(x ) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
(x ) Flubber

Total all together: 30 of 77

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x ) Practical Magic
(x ) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
(x ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards

Total all together: 33 of 87

( x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
(x ) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x ) The Longest Yard
( ) Gridiron Gang
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x ) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask

Total all together: 39 of 104

( ) Bad Boys
(x ) Bad Boys 2 (only to catch 1.2 seconds of Danny Trujillo)
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x ) Ocean's Eleven
( ) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremacy
( ) Lone Star
(x ) Bedazzled
(x ) Predator
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
( x) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George

Total all together: 46 of 120

(x) Independence Day (I love Will Smith, I can't stand that other schmuck)
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss' Daughter
(x ) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
(x ) Rush Hour

Total all together: 50 of 131

( ) Swimfan
(x ) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(x ) K-Pax
(x ) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles (cheese, anyone?)
( ) Boogeyman
(x ) The 40-Year-Old Virgin (I'll deny it)

Total all together: 55 of 141

(x ) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x ) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x ) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x ) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x ) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x ) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Total all together: 61 of 147

( ) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x ) Elf
( ) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History
( ) Thr3e

Total all together: 62 of 157

( ) The Jackal
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
(x ) Full Metal Jacket (for a film class, I would never subject myself to this on purpose)
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x ) Monsters, Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x ) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
(x ) Willard (I still have nightmares)

Total all together: 67 of 167

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(x ) Hulk
( ) Dawn of the Dead
(x) Hook
( ) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days Later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x ) Waterworld

Total all together: 70 of 177

( ) Kill Bill vol 1
( ) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness

Total all together: 70 of 187

(x ) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace (awful)
(x ) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones (awfuller)
(x ) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith (awfullest)
(x) Star Wars A New Hope (it's called STAR WARS, just STAR WARS)
(x) Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back
(x ) Star Wars Return of the Jedi (terrible hallmark moment at the end)
( ) Ewoks: The Caravan of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle for Endor

Total all together:76 of 195

( ) The Matrix
( ) The Matrix Reloaded
( ) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
( ) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal
( ) Red Dragon
(x ) Anger Management

Total: 77 of 206

I've seen a total of 77 films on this list. I don't know if that makes me a loser or what.

Felicidades

Happy Birthday to the beautiful Aliza!

I love this picture--we both totally blew off her mother's attack about dog hair on her pretty white dress.

Happy Mother's Day

To all the Special Moms:


Mami, Hilda, Critter, Mary Alice, Mary, Isa, Tia Tony, Aleida, Ana, Nat, Martiviri, Jennifer, Julie, Leonie, Miss Annie, Tammy, Tracy, and Hormiga!

May 12 of 12 version 2.0

Here we go with another 12 of 12---this one late because the pictures didn't post right. Anyway, it wouldn't be Mother's Day Weekend if John didn't design some way to make me have to work instead of hiding in my room relaxing. Oh well, in the end, the forest is cleaned up and the yard is neater than when we started (not that I don't still have to weed what I so optimistically call the rose bushes).

Anyway, here we go:

A Bobcat gets delivered to the house at 7:50 AM. Somehow, that's not a good sign.

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Then, I walk outside to discover they are cutting down another Bradford Pear. Good riddance, I say, those stinky trees! There was much discussion of pulling ropes and leverage and physics...

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I just noticed that the truck was precariously close to a potentially falling problem (more on the truck another time--we jack-knifed the trailer and dented the rear panel--oops).

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Anyway, the Big Kahuna (the one who in previous posts was seen climbing a tree) has now attacked the tree with a chainsaw.

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But go figure, they felled the tree where they wanted it. No children or eaves were harmed in this process.

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Meanwhile the wenches tackled the forest that had grown in the pool. I failed to take a picture of it, but we did find some squirrel bones. Hmmm. Remember that clean-up, Linda?

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After a long day of weeding, The Missing One camped out in the living room with a Harry Potter marathon (and dinner at Red Lobster with Daddy).

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While I went with the goobers to Sonic, in the rain, where we made the waitress or whatever she's called bring us our order...

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And we sang silly songs and then we went to the theater to watch Superman.

And even though I'm an old broad, I still think Toby Maguire is hot.

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PS--I know I said Superman. You know you understood me to mean Spiderman. Get over it. It's just a bunch of guys in tights. After all, Brandon Routh is pretty hot, too.

That Catholic Show, episode 2

Here we go again folks. Episode 2. Makes me wanna snack on some antelope.

The Deb and Flo Show...On the Road Again

and talking about Tubas.

I made it to the 21st Century

Here are my first ever YouTube uploads. I feel so...modern.

I'm soooo behind

I posted a Monday Musings over at Rosary Army. It's a lame post--I'm a slacker, get over it. The article is weak, not the point--lest you want to interpret my disgust with the lapse in brilliance with a lapse in faith.

The Missing One is home. Happy to have her back--wish some of her stuff went missing. Ordinarily, she has no problem accumulating crap. I am astounded by 9 months accumulation packed into her bedroom and office, this is a new record. There is a kind of cosmic retaliation going on--or is it karma. it seems that her missing roommate made it easy for her to expand all over the room. Evidently, Little Sister has, too, and thus the terrestrial space race has begun.

It doesn't matter who is going to win, I choose to close the door and be done with it. The best comment of the weekend? "I am donning a HAZMAT Suit and cleaning the bathroom."

In other news...um, there is no other news. My life is consumed by the homefront. I'll make another promise to post pictures, with the full intention of never getting around to it.

a person's a person, no matter how small

But, when is a person, not a person at all?

Today's bit of weird and confusing news has a group in Austria (note Europe, and not that other cool place in the middle of the pacific) that is lobbying to grant "personhood" to chimps.

Yeah. Cue the theme of Planet of the Apes, the good one, with Roddy McDowall.

wishful thinking...

Maybe not the greatest thing to post above the premiere of the brilliantest podshow ever, but one cannot escape heritage, a sense of humor, and Roberto's particular brand of egging on. Needless to say, we made spectacles of ourselves in the middle of Little Havana on a late Wednesday night.

I am forgoing posting the most beautiful Confirmandi in the whole world to please the Missing One, who by all counts should be in the picture, too. As Prufrock says, "In a minute there is time" because the old geezer has been dead for at least 10 months, so the announcement will be coming forthright and we'll find ourselves embroiled in the Road Trip of the Century.

Until then....