1. The term “gentlemen’s club” used for a strip club. I don’t have a problem with calling them “men’s clubs”—actually, I’ve never seen that term used; why not?—but I wouldn’t call the men who frequent that type of place “gentlemen.”
2. People who say “myself” instead of “I” or “me” because they think it’s fancier. Example: “Roger and myself would like to go to the gentlemen’s club, but we can’t, because our wives might find out.” In this case, you should say, “Roger and I.” You wouldn’t say, “Myself would like to go.” Okay, then.
If you have anything that bugs you (it doesn’t even have to be grammar-related), post it in the comments and I will read it and probably say, “That bugs myself, too!”
Showing posts with label ephemera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ephemera. Show all posts
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Two quotes I heard this week that made me laugh (both are paraphrased since I can't bring magazines home from the gym to check my accuracy):
Ray Romano said that having kids is like living in a frat house: it's always noisy, everything in the house is broken, and there's a lot of throwing up.
Jon Stewart noted that the thing to remember about the will of the people is that it wasn't too long ago we were all swept away by the macarena. (Draw your own conclusions about how to apply this statement.)
Ray Romano said that having kids is like living in a frat house: it's always noisy, everything in the house is broken, and there's a lot of throwing up.
Jon Stewart noted that the thing to remember about the will of the people is that it wasn't too long ago we were all swept away by the macarena. (Draw your own conclusions about how to apply this statement.)
Monday, January 14, 2008
I Don't Understand Regular Math, Either
Let N = the number of times the kitchen floor gets swept in a week, where N is a number usually >0 but never >2.
Let X = the amount of debris (dirt from the garage, dried-up cereal, various unidentified bits of food, glitter, and string, among other things) contributed by each member of the family.
X * ({2 children under 5} + {2 parents, neither of whom really enjoys sweeping but don’t like their feet to stick to the floor, either}) – N = a big pile of gross debris that embarrasses me every time I sweep the floor. ("I left that on the floor for how many days?")
Feel free to point out any errors in my “equation.” (Yes, the quotation marks are ironic.) But what I am describing is accurate, every single week.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
right now
color: chocolate brown
author: Haven Kimmel
magazine: The New Yorker
movie: last seen: Enchanted
TV show: Heroes, first season
web site: The Pioneer Woman. She has amazing talent with words and photos. Plus, she’s hilarious.
drink: Coke Zero
meal: spaghetti and meatballs
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Battle of the Nerds
I may have to turn in my nerd card.
Because: my husband beat me at computer Scrabble last night.
People. This is HUGE. We both went into it thinking that I had a substantial advantage, since I am the English teacher, avid reader, and all around word nerd. So when he had sat there for fifteen minutes pondering the screen, I kindly pointed out to him the word "BENCH." Because otherwise the game would have taken seventeen hours, and I don't have that kind of time.
That put him up 16 points and he never looked back.
How did he win? Well, on the computer version we downloaded from Yahoo! Games, there is an official Scrabble dictionary that lets you test words to see if they are acceptable. My sweet darling would start typing random letters that didn't even sound like words, as long as they contained the most high-scoring letters. And lo and behold, some of them WERE words. In other languages.
That's how he came up with "QOPH." 26 points or something close to it.
It's a letter in the Hebrew alphabet, if you were wondering. (The one person who is still reading. I mean, Scrabble? Who freaking cares, right?)
I don't want to play that way, because I get bored typing all possible combinations of my tiles in AND because it should be against the rules. You couldn't do that with regular Scrabble!
Don't even get me started on the Hint feature. It gives you the letters you need to make crazy-high scores and all you have to do is figure out the word with the computer's help. (GAZABO was 41 points. GAZEBO I know, GAZABO just sounds WRONG.)
He's not allowed to use the Hint anymore. I almost caught up with him using only my amazing brain so next time I may have to play it his way just to keep my superior nerd status intact.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to play against the computer.
Because: my husband beat me at computer Scrabble last night.
People. This is HUGE. We both went into it thinking that I had a substantial advantage, since I am the English teacher, avid reader, and all around word nerd. So when he had sat there for fifteen minutes pondering the screen, I kindly pointed out to him the word "BENCH." Because otherwise the game would have taken seventeen hours, and I don't have that kind of time.
That put him up 16 points and he never looked back.
How did he win? Well, on the computer version we downloaded from Yahoo! Games, there is an official Scrabble dictionary that lets you test words to see if they are acceptable. My sweet darling would start typing random letters that didn't even sound like words, as long as they contained the most high-scoring letters. And lo and behold, some of them WERE words. In other languages.
That's how he came up with "QOPH." 26 points or something close to it.
It's a letter in the Hebrew alphabet, if you were wondering. (The one person who is still reading. I mean, Scrabble? Who freaking cares, right?)
I don't want to play that way, because I get bored typing all possible combinations of my tiles in AND because it should be against the rules. You couldn't do that with regular Scrabble!
Don't even get me started on the Hint feature. It gives you the letters you need to make crazy-high scores and all you have to do is figure out the word with the computer's help. (GAZABO was 41 points. GAZEBO I know, GAZABO just sounds WRONG.)
He's not allowed to use the Hint anymore. I almost caught up with him using only my amazing brain so next time I may have to play it his way just to keep my superior nerd status intact.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to play against the computer.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Literary Meme
Here's a review I wrote. I've been waiting to link to it and to post the rest of the meme it came from. I've included the books they came from in case you don't feel like racking your brain or Googling the names. :-)
1. If you could host a party with seven literary characters , who would they be and why?
Elizabeth Bennet Darcy and Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice); Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing); Odysseus (The Odyssey); Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane (mystery series by Dorothy Sayers); Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables).
2. Who is your literary role model?
Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)
3. Which literary house would you most like to live in?
Pemberley (P & P) because I love old English manor houses.
4. Which literary couple would you most like for parents? Ideally I would choose Atticus and Marmee (Little Women). But if they have to be married to each other, then Charles and Caroline Ingalls (the Little House books).
5. Pick three literary characters you would most like to have as siblings.
Whew, tough one. I eventually settled on Jane Bennet (P & P) as the perfect sympathetic older sister, Harry Potter (duh, like you don't know what book) as the caring, chivalrous brother; and Lucy Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia) as the spunky younger sister.
6. Who is your favorite literary villain?
Xenia from Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride. The way Atwood tells the story, we're never entirely sure what motivates her malicious acts (sort of like Iago in Othello). If other people are happy, Xenia wants to steal something from them.
7.Name a character that most people dislike, but that you do not. Why do you like them?
I don't know what other people like, but: the father in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He lies to his autistic son (and does something worse but I won't reveal it because that would be a spoiler). However, he had a lot of frustration and no help from his wife. He feels a lot of remorse.
8. What major character deserves a book all to themselves?
Jane Fairfax (Emma.) It's so clear Emma underestimates her out of jealousy. Joan Aiken wrote one but I heard it wasn't good.
9. Which character do you identify with most in literature?
Anne Shirley. Aside: I have been told that I look like the actress who played her in the movie. Before we got married, my mom advised my husband to watch the movie for keys to my character.
10. If you could go into a novel, which one would it be and why?
Definitely not anything scary or depressing. And I'd be a social upstart in a Jane Austen novel. Let's say Little Women. I'd have a great time with Jo.
11. Name 3-7 books that you rarely see on others' book lists that are high on your own. I answered this in the review. These are books that I never hear other people mention, that I reread every so often and recommend to others. (Obviously, Austen is a favorite, but lots of people love her; ditto Flannery O'Connor and Alice Munro.) For nonfiction, it would be The New Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman.
12. What is your least favorite of the books that are considered "classics?"
A tie between Paradise Lost and Moby Dick, both of which I refuse to read.
I've learned something about my long-term literary taste. It is classic and comforting, without a lot of bleak postmodern posturing, and includes a substantial dash of wit. Books that make me laugh mean a lot to me. Something to think about as I write my own stuff.
1. If you could host a party with seven literary characters , who would they be and why?
Elizabeth Bennet Darcy and Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice); Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing); Odysseus (The Odyssey); Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane (mystery series by Dorothy Sayers); Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables).
2. Who is your literary role model?
Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)
3. Which literary house would you most like to live in?
Pemberley (P & P) because I love old English manor houses.
4. Which literary couple would you most like for parents? Ideally I would choose Atticus and Marmee (Little Women). But if they have to be married to each other, then Charles and Caroline Ingalls (the Little House books).
5. Pick three literary characters you would most like to have as siblings.
Whew, tough one. I eventually settled on Jane Bennet (P & P) as the perfect sympathetic older sister, Harry Potter (duh, like you don't know what book) as the caring, chivalrous brother; and Lucy Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia) as the spunky younger sister.
6. Who is your favorite literary villain?
Xenia from Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride. The way Atwood tells the story, we're never entirely sure what motivates her malicious acts (sort of like Iago in Othello). If other people are happy, Xenia wants to steal something from them.
7.Name a character that most people dislike, but that you do not. Why do you like them?
I don't know what other people like, but: the father in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He lies to his autistic son (and does something worse but I won't reveal it because that would be a spoiler). However, he had a lot of frustration and no help from his wife. He feels a lot of remorse.
8. What major character deserves a book all to themselves?
Jane Fairfax (Emma.) It's so clear Emma underestimates her out of jealousy. Joan Aiken wrote one but I heard it wasn't good.
9. Which character do you identify with most in literature?
Anne Shirley. Aside: I have been told that I look like the actress who played her in the movie. Before we got married, my mom advised my husband to watch the movie for keys to my character.
10. If you could go into a novel, which one would it be and why?
Definitely not anything scary or depressing. And I'd be a social upstart in a Jane Austen novel. Let's say Little Women. I'd have a great time with Jo.
11. Name 3-7 books that you rarely see on others' book lists that are high on your own. I answered this in the review. These are books that I never hear other people mention, that I reread every so often and recommend to others. (Obviously, Austen is a favorite, but lots of people love her; ditto Flannery O'Connor and Alice Munro.) For nonfiction, it would be The New Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman.
12. What is your least favorite of the books that are considered "classics?"
A tie between Paradise Lost and Moby Dick, both of which I refuse to read.
I've learned something about my long-term literary taste. It is classic and comforting, without a lot of bleak postmodern posturing, and includes a substantial dash of wit. Books that make me laugh mean a lot to me. Something to think about as I write my own stuff.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
100 Things About Me
Since no one answered my question about the new Bond, I'm just going to pretend it was rhetorical--or, better yet, unanswerable.
Here's a meme no one tagged me for, but I wanted to see if I could come up with 100 moderately interesting things about me, because whenever I try to think of anything on the spur of the moment, I seem to myself to be the least interesting person who ever lived. I know this cannot be the case since people do not run screaming from me, hiding themselves from the Worst Bore Ever. It turns out that like most of us, I like to talk about myself. Who knew!
Anyway, enjoy (or not, as the case may be...)
Here's a meme no one tagged me for, but I wanted to see if I could come up with 100 moderately interesting things about me, because whenever I try to think of anything on the spur of the moment, I seem to myself to be the least interesting person who ever lived. I know this cannot be the case since people do not run screaming from me, hiding themselves from the Worst Bore Ever. It turns out that like most of us, I like to talk about myself. Who knew!
Anyway, enjoy (or not, as the case may be...)
100 Things About Me
1. I’m short—only 5’2”.
2. When I was younger, I always wanted to be 5’6”.
3. Now the only time I care is when I have to get the stepstool out to reach the top cabinets.
4. I majored in psychology.
5. I thought I was going to become a counselor, but I didn’t.
6. Because I realized I take other people’s problems too much to heart.
7. I realized this when I had a volunteer job at a crisis hotline.
8. I became a teacher, and I didn’t love that as much as I thought I would.
9. Mainly because I hadn’t had any therapy then, and I thought everyone had to like me and I had to be the BEST TEACHER EVER who changes student’s lives like in sappy movies.
10. I think I would be a much better teacher if I went back to it now.
11. But I’d rather not. In fact, I’d much rather not.
12. I have two halves of two different master’s degrees (education and humanities).
13. At this point I do not have plans to finish either one.
1. I’m short—only 5’2”.
2. When I was younger, I always wanted to be 5’6”.
3. Now the only time I care is when I have to get the stepstool out to reach the top cabinets.
4. I majored in psychology.
5. I thought I was going to become a counselor, but I didn’t.
6. Because I realized I take other people’s problems too much to heart.
7. I realized this when I had a volunteer job at a crisis hotline.
8. I became a teacher, and I didn’t love that as much as I thought I would.
9. Mainly because I hadn’t had any therapy then, and I thought everyone had to like me and I had to be the BEST TEACHER EVER who changes student’s lives like in sappy movies.
10. I think I would be a much better teacher if I went back to it now.
11. But I’d rather not. In fact, I’d much rather not.
12. I have two halves of two different master’s degrees (education and humanities).
13. At this point I do not have plans to finish either one.
14. Let’s talk about something else. (I have a short conversational attention span.)
15. I don’t find a massage particularly relaxing. I don’t hate them, it’s just not a real treat for me.
16. If I let them, my eyebrows would take over the top third of my face.
17. Once I was not a jewelry person (I only wear a watch, and my wedding and engagement rings.)
18. I’m starting to get over that. I have my eye on a certain necklace I want, probably for Christmas.
19. I am going to ask my parents for an iPod for Christmas.
20. To use while working out, since going to the gym has somehow taken over my life.
21. Yes, my parents still give me Christmas gifts (although less now that they have grandchildren, and that’s how it should be.)
22. Autumn is my favorite season.
23. Unfortunately, I live in Texas, where autumn lasts about 2.7 minutes in October.
24. I love coffee ice cream, coffee candy, Frappuccinos—basically any sweet coffee-flavored thing, but I don’t drink coffee.
25. Because I always burn my tongue when I drink hot drinks.
26. I do not have a compulsion to redecorate my house often—maybe once every five years I want to do something major like repaint or buy a piece of furniture.
27. But I leave it alone—even the knick-knacks and decorative items—in between. Because I still like the way it looks.
28. My closet, on the other hand, gets cleaned out ruthlessly every season.
29. And then I get more clothes! Yay!
30. I like to cook.
31. I browse web sites and cookbooks for fun.
32. I do NOT like to clean up the kitchen after I’ve cooked.
33. I’m a recovering perfectionist.
34. Which explains how my house looks the way it does.
35. If I had to choose only one store to shop in ever again, it would be Target.
36. I know, how original of me.
37. If I could only shop in one clothing store and money was not an issue, it would be Nordstrom. 38. Money will always be an issue. Oh well.
39. I have had one pedicure in my whole life.
40. I am going to have another one as soon as I can.
41. Pretty toes made more of a difference in my mood than I would have thought possible.
42. A manicure, on the other hand, is a very bad idea.
43. Partly because I bite my nails.
44. Partly because I’m always scraping dried food off the kitchen floor with my fingernails.
45. That was a lovely image, wasn’t it? You’re welcome.
46. I often give advice to people who are singing lovelorn songs on the radio. (“You just need to dump him already!”) I know this is irrational, but it just seems wrong to let them wallow in their ignorance without at least saying something.
47. This must be left over from my desire to counsel people (see #5).
48. And the radio can’t argue back, after all.
49. One of my greatest regrets is that I did not study abroad.
50. I did get to visit London when I was in college.
51. Oddly, it felt familiar, like I had once lived there.
52. That’s probably because I’ve read many books set in London.
53. I really, really want to go back, and to other places in Europe.
54. My family came over from Ireland, so I especially want to go there.
55. I would never in a million years go skydiving or bungee jumping.
56. I don’t particularly fear heights, just falling (I can’t explain it, but they are not necessarily the same thing).
57. Some of my worst nightmares have involved falling.
58. Someday I want a library in my house full of books and a perfect writing space.
59. My beverage of choice is Coke.
60. But I’m trying to be healthier, so I’m limiting myself to one a week.
61. But I’m still drinking diet drinks, because I need the caffeine.
62. I’m a terrible liar.
63. I am most comfortable “one on one” or in small groups of people.
64. But I have no problem speaking in front of a crowd.
65. Even without preparation.
66. Because when I was young my dad would put me and my brother up on the hearth and give us a topic and have us talk about it for a few minutes. If we didn’t know what we were talking about, we just had to act like we did and keep talking.
67. This stood me in good stead in graduate school, which is full of people trying to out-BS each other.
68. I failed the driver’s test on my sixteenth birthday. For parallel parking improperly—something the driver’s ed teacher was too impatient to teach me.
69. That birthday sucked as a result. (I should’ve gone the next day or something.)
70. To this day, I will drive around the block rather than parallel park.
71. I’ve had several “incidents” while parking, including hitting stationary vehicles and a light pole at Target, and scraping the side mirror against our garage.
72. When I was in college I drove into a mailbox.
73. Then a few months later I backed into a different mailbox.
74. It’s a wonder I don’t have a phobia of mailboxes.
75. Except for parking, I’m not that bad of a driver, but if given the opportunity to ride and not drive, I will always accept.
76. My favorite fast food place is Chick Fil A.
77. Parties make me nervous.
78. My first memory is of lying in my crib looking at my stuffed dog. (That means I was about 18 months old, my son’s age now. I wonder what he will remember from now, if anything.)
79. I feel like we need a dog at some point for the kids, but I am personally ambivalent.
80. I only had one dog growing up and it wasn’t the best experience (poor Max).
81. I’m a “mid-morning” person—my ideal time of day is 10 am-1 pm.
82. My favorite color is green.
83. Because it makes my eyes look greener.
84. My eyes are my favorite facial feature.
85. Taken together, my first and middle names mean “little truthful one.”
86. Given #1 and #62, I guess that’s accurate.
87. I don’t set an alarm because the baby wakes me up around 7 am every day.
88. My favorite music is big band/swing.
89. I like other types of music, but I can’t deny that I gravitate to the old stuff.
90. I love to watch musicals in the theater, but not movie musicals.
91. I was born in the town my husband grew up in.
92. My favorite chocolate bar is a Toblerone.
93. I don’t like dark chocolate. I’ve tried, since it’s better for you, but I just don’t like it.
94. My favorite cartoon character is Bugs Bunny.
95. If I could change one thing about my personality, I would become more assertive.
96. I don’t much like breakfast except on Saturdays.
97. I suffered post-partum depression after my son was born.
98. I went on an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety medication, and went back to therapy until it was pretty clear it was all chemical, and the meds were working.
99. Thank God the meds work. I plan to stay on them AT LEAST until the children are in school.
100. Life is good. Hard sometimes, but still good.
15. I don’t find a massage particularly relaxing. I don’t hate them, it’s just not a real treat for me.
16. If I let them, my eyebrows would take over the top third of my face.
17. Once I was not a jewelry person (I only wear a watch, and my wedding and engagement rings.)
18. I’m starting to get over that. I have my eye on a certain necklace I want, probably for Christmas.
19. I am going to ask my parents for an iPod for Christmas.
20. To use while working out, since going to the gym has somehow taken over my life.
21. Yes, my parents still give me Christmas gifts (although less now that they have grandchildren, and that’s how it should be.)
22. Autumn is my favorite season.
23. Unfortunately, I live in Texas, where autumn lasts about 2.7 minutes in October.
24. I love coffee ice cream, coffee candy, Frappuccinos—basically any sweet coffee-flavored thing, but I don’t drink coffee.
25. Because I always burn my tongue when I drink hot drinks.
26. I do not have a compulsion to redecorate my house often—maybe once every five years I want to do something major like repaint or buy a piece of furniture.
27. But I leave it alone—even the knick-knacks and decorative items—in between. Because I still like the way it looks.
28. My closet, on the other hand, gets cleaned out ruthlessly every season.
29. And then I get more clothes! Yay!
30. I like to cook.
31. I browse web sites and cookbooks for fun.
32. I do NOT like to clean up the kitchen after I’ve cooked.
33. I’m a recovering perfectionist.
34. Which explains how my house looks the way it does.
35. If I had to choose only one store to shop in ever again, it would be Target.
36. I know, how original of me.
37. If I could only shop in one clothing store and money was not an issue, it would be Nordstrom. 38. Money will always be an issue. Oh well.
39. I have had one pedicure in my whole life.
40. I am going to have another one as soon as I can.
41. Pretty toes made more of a difference in my mood than I would have thought possible.
42. A manicure, on the other hand, is a very bad idea.
43. Partly because I bite my nails.
44. Partly because I’m always scraping dried food off the kitchen floor with my fingernails.
45. That was a lovely image, wasn’t it? You’re welcome.
46. I often give advice to people who are singing lovelorn songs on the radio. (“You just need to dump him already!”) I know this is irrational, but it just seems wrong to let them wallow in their ignorance without at least saying something.
47. This must be left over from my desire to counsel people (see #5).
48. And the radio can’t argue back, after all.
49. One of my greatest regrets is that I did not study abroad.
50. I did get to visit London when I was in college.
51. Oddly, it felt familiar, like I had once lived there.
52. That’s probably because I’ve read many books set in London.
53. I really, really want to go back, and to other places in Europe.
54. My family came over from Ireland, so I especially want to go there.
55. I would never in a million years go skydiving or bungee jumping.
56. I don’t particularly fear heights, just falling (I can’t explain it, but they are not necessarily the same thing).
57. Some of my worst nightmares have involved falling.
58. Someday I want a library in my house full of books and a perfect writing space.
59. My beverage of choice is Coke.
60. But I’m trying to be healthier, so I’m limiting myself to one a week.
61. But I’m still drinking diet drinks, because I need the caffeine.
62. I’m a terrible liar.
63. I am most comfortable “one on one” or in small groups of people.
64. But I have no problem speaking in front of a crowd.
65. Even without preparation.
66. Because when I was young my dad would put me and my brother up on the hearth and give us a topic and have us talk about it for a few minutes. If we didn’t know what we were talking about, we just had to act like we did and keep talking.
67. This stood me in good stead in graduate school, which is full of people trying to out-BS each other.
68. I failed the driver’s test on my sixteenth birthday. For parallel parking improperly—something the driver’s ed teacher was too impatient to teach me.
69. That birthday sucked as a result. (I should’ve gone the next day or something.)
70. To this day, I will drive around the block rather than parallel park.
71. I’ve had several “incidents” while parking, including hitting stationary vehicles and a light pole at Target, and scraping the side mirror against our garage.
72. When I was in college I drove into a mailbox.
73. Then a few months later I backed into a different mailbox.
74. It’s a wonder I don’t have a phobia of mailboxes.
75. Except for parking, I’m not that bad of a driver, but if given the opportunity to ride and not drive, I will always accept.
76. My favorite fast food place is Chick Fil A.
77. Parties make me nervous.
78. My first memory is of lying in my crib looking at my stuffed dog. (That means I was about 18 months old, my son’s age now. I wonder what he will remember from now, if anything.)
79. I feel like we need a dog at some point for the kids, but I am personally ambivalent.
80. I only had one dog growing up and it wasn’t the best experience (poor Max).
81. I’m a “mid-morning” person—my ideal time of day is 10 am-1 pm.
82. My favorite color is green.
83. Because it makes my eyes look greener.
84. My eyes are my favorite facial feature.
85. Taken together, my first and middle names mean “little truthful one.”
86. Given #1 and #62, I guess that’s accurate.
87. I don’t set an alarm because the baby wakes me up around 7 am every day.
88. My favorite music is big band/swing.
89. I like other types of music, but I can’t deny that I gravitate to the old stuff.
90. I love to watch musicals in the theater, but not movie musicals.
91. I was born in the town my husband grew up in.
92. My favorite chocolate bar is a Toblerone.
93. I don’t like dark chocolate. I’ve tried, since it’s better for you, but I just don’t like it.
94. My favorite cartoon character is Bugs Bunny.
95. If I could change one thing about my personality, I would become more assertive.
96. I don’t much like breakfast except on Saturdays.
97. I suffered post-partum depression after my son was born.
98. I went on an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety medication, and went back to therapy until it was pretty clear it was all chemical, and the meds were working.
99. Thank God the meds work. I plan to stay on them AT LEAST until the children are in school.
100. Life is good. Hard sometimes, but still good.
Monday, July 2, 2007
HairlineFracture Recommends
Hey everybody! I hope you had a good weekend. Me, I'm just looking forward to the end of the swimming lessons we've been having for the past two weeks--we never knew when we woke up if we were going to be rained out that day. We have three make-up lessons this week and then no more driving 35 minutes away! Yeah! (But it was worth it, the teacher is great, and Miss Pink is swimming a little bit.)
Anyway, that wasn't the point of this post. I feel like recommending some things I like. Just like Oprah's favorite things, except I can't afford to give them to you. Sorry about that. You can feel free to ignore them, if you like. Way too many of them are food, by the way.
1) Athenos whole wheat pita chips. Dang, but these are addictive. Note to self: just because they are whole wheat does not mean you can eat the whole bag.
2) Evan Almighty. A sweet, pleasantly funny movie that probably won't appeal to people who want cerebral humor. But it has a nice message (it's about faith, about doing what you believe God wants you to do even when it seems crazy to everyone else) and I love Steve Carell and Lauren Graham. Plus it was the first movie my husband and I have been able to see in a theater for a long time, so of course I was going to like it.
3) Diana Krall's music. It's not jazz jazz. She just has the sexiest female voice since Sade, that's all. Very nice.
4) The Villa Pizza at the Northeast Mall in Hurst. The pizza was decent for mall fare--but you get a huge slice with the kids' meal, which along with the drink and bag of cookies fed both of my kids. But the surprising thing was the Spring Mix salad which came with my slice: mixed baby greens, red onion, asparagus (!), crumbled bacon, and mozzarella cheese served with Ken's Steak House balsamic vinaigrette. Really good! So although I don't suggest making a special trip, if you're there, it's worth a try. Oh, and the lunchtime service was excellent: fast and polite.
5) The kids' TV show "Peep." It comes on Discovery Kids, I think. It's funny (an egomaniacal blue duck is funny, I don't care who you are) and has subtle educational elements, mostly about scientific things like the sun or how shadows are made. And Joan Cusack is the narrator. I LOVE Joan Cusack! Since it comes on early in the morning, we TiVo this every day and Miss Pink watches it during Save Mommy's Sanity time--I mean Mr. Blue's nap time.
Okay, that's probably enough for now. We must go to swimming lessons. If it doesn't rain--and that's a big if.
Anyway, that wasn't the point of this post. I feel like recommending some things I like. Just like Oprah's favorite things, except I can't afford to give them to you. Sorry about that. You can feel free to ignore them, if you like. Way too many of them are food, by the way.
1) Athenos whole wheat pita chips. Dang, but these are addictive. Note to self: just because they are whole wheat does not mean you can eat the whole bag.
2) Evan Almighty. A sweet, pleasantly funny movie that probably won't appeal to people who want cerebral humor. But it has a nice message (it's about faith, about doing what you believe God wants you to do even when it seems crazy to everyone else) and I love Steve Carell and Lauren Graham. Plus it was the first movie my husband and I have been able to see in a theater for a long time, so of course I was going to like it.
3) Diana Krall's music. It's not jazz jazz. She just has the sexiest female voice since Sade, that's all. Very nice.
4) The Villa Pizza at the Northeast Mall in Hurst. The pizza was decent for mall fare--but you get a huge slice with the kids' meal, which along with the drink and bag of cookies fed both of my kids. But the surprising thing was the Spring Mix salad which came with my slice: mixed baby greens, red onion, asparagus (!), crumbled bacon, and mozzarella cheese served with Ken's Steak House balsamic vinaigrette. Really good! So although I don't suggest making a special trip, if you're there, it's worth a try. Oh, and the lunchtime service was excellent: fast and polite.
5) The kids' TV show "Peep." It comes on Discovery Kids, I think. It's funny (an egomaniacal blue duck is funny, I don't care who you are) and has subtle educational elements, mostly about scientific things like the sun or how shadows are made. And Joan Cusack is the narrator. I LOVE Joan Cusack! Since it comes on early in the morning, we TiVo this every day and Miss Pink watches it during Save Mommy's Sanity time--I mean Mr. Blue's nap time.
Okay, that's probably enough for now. We must go to swimming lessons. If it doesn't rain--and that's a big if.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Words I Can't Take Seriously
despite the fact that they're not meant to be silly. This post was inspired by my dad using the word "stalwart" to describe a church member during a sermon. My husband and I looked at each other and whispered "stalwart!" It's just an odd-sounding word. So I started thinking about some others.
- stalwart
- nimble
- bulwark
- akimbo
- Walla Walla, Washington
- morose
- oboe
- sphincter
- frolic
Yes, those are all real words. Maybe this will explain why I have started doing crossword puzzles and Scrabble. I have to find SOME use for these obscure words that are taking up valuable brain cells (which could be used to store more relevant information, like, where my keys are when my arms are full of baby, diaper bag, purse, and multiple sippy cups. When that happens I am much more likely to feel morose than to frolic.)
Let the record show that besides "sphincter," Justin's contributions were "orifice" and "gluteus maximus." If you are more mature than he is (or even if you're not) think about it and let me know if you have any to add!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Week in review
I've been keeping a writer's journal for the past couple of weeks. I've always had a notebook to write things down in...but would go for quite a while without actually writing things down. Apparently there's a reason every creative writing book and class tell you to keep a journal and write something every day: because then you start to notice things more, and your subconscious kicks in, and all of a sudden you have all this Material.
A lot of that material is going to end up here. This entry is from an exercise in a book called What If... which has a lot of suggestions to jump-start your writing (if you write fiction.) The "assignment" was during a week, to write down 10 things that made you happy and 10 things that annoyed you. I decided to modify it to "up to 10 things" because I had more things that made me happy than annoyed me. And I'm an easily annoyable person. So yes, I realize this makes me a lucky girl.
THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY
1. The cilantro-lime rice at Chipotle
2. Eating at least half of a bag of Starburst Sour Jellybeans (over several days, mind you, but it was still a lot of jellybeans) and sharing them with Mr. Blue
3. When Miss Pink told me she didn't have to pray for what she wanted; God had already heard her mention it because "He has excellent hearing."
4. Mr. Blue "answering" a pink plastic cell phone by putting it against the back of his head
5. My friend R inviting Miss Pink over for pizza and a movie with her daughter from 6-9 pm tonight. Too bad we don't have anywhere to send Mr. Blue.
6. The lyrics to the Lyle Lovett songs I've been listening to. It's such a shame, 'cause you've been so good up till now...
7. George Pelecanos' book Hard Revolution has made up for the other disappointing books I've started reading this week.
8. The cluster of people waiting outside the library for it to open. They made me feel that all is not lost for Western civilization.
THINGS THAT ANNOYED ME
1. When Miss Pink yells across the house, "Mommmmmmy! I want strawberry milk!" and then proceeds to throw her cup in my direction--oh no, that does not work on me, if you were wondering.
2. This woman in my neighborhood who, I swear, every time I drive by, is outside talking on the phone. It's not a cell phone, but a cordless. What, she doesn't own a couch? The fact that she is a large woman who doesn't wear enough clothes and doesn't appear to own a comb, either--that bothers me too. I don't know why.
3. Today I followed up my one and only workout of the week by buying a quart of ice cream.
4. Apparently it was Senior Citizen Day at Wal-Mart.
5. I will never again let the baby eat two boxes of raisins in one day. I'll leave it at that.
A lot of that material is going to end up here. This entry is from an exercise in a book called What If... which has a lot of suggestions to jump-start your writing (if you write fiction.) The "assignment" was during a week, to write down 10 things that made you happy and 10 things that annoyed you. I decided to modify it to "up to 10 things" because I had more things that made me happy than annoyed me. And I'm an easily annoyable person. So yes, I realize this makes me a lucky girl.
THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY
1. The cilantro-lime rice at Chipotle
2. Eating at least half of a bag of Starburst Sour Jellybeans (over several days, mind you, but it was still a lot of jellybeans) and sharing them with Mr. Blue
3. When Miss Pink told me she didn't have to pray for what she wanted; God had already heard her mention it because "He has excellent hearing."
4. Mr. Blue "answering" a pink plastic cell phone by putting it against the back of his head
5. My friend R inviting Miss Pink over for pizza and a movie with her daughter from 6-9 pm tonight. Too bad we don't have anywhere to send Mr. Blue.
6. The lyrics to the Lyle Lovett songs I've been listening to. It's such a shame, 'cause you've been so good up till now...
7. George Pelecanos' book Hard Revolution has made up for the other disappointing books I've started reading this week.
8. The cluster of people waiting outside the library for it to open. They made me feel that all is not lost for Western civilization.
THINGS THAT ANNOYED ME
1. When Miss Pink yells across the house, "Mommmmmmy! I want strawberry milk!" and then proceeds to throw her cup in my direction--oh no, that does not work on me, if you were wondering.
2. This woman in my neighborhood who, I swear, every time I drive by, is outside talking on the phone. It's not a cell phone, but a cordless. What, she doesn't own a couch? The fact that she is a large woman who doesn't wear enough clothes and doesn't appear to own a comb, either--that bothers me too. I don't know why.
3. Today I followed up my one and only workout of the week by buying a quart of ice cream.
4. Apparently it was Senior Citizen Day at Wal-Mart.
5. I will never again let the baby eat two boxes of raisins in one day. I'll leave it at that.
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