Saturday, February 28, 2009

Vicky Cristina Barcelona.... a movie review...

So, Hubster and I last night had a "stay at home" date. The weather in Atlanta was very bad (monsoon rain - thunder - cold front moving in), so we ordered in Chinese, and watched "Vicky Cristina Barcelona".

Great movie! Penelope Cruz definitely earned her Oscar for her portrayal of the vitriolic Maria Elena, the estranged wife of Javier Bardem's character.

I was drawn to this movie because I think Javier Bardem is a fabulous actor, and I've long loved Penelope Cruz because I'm a big Pedro Almodovar fan (some of Almodovar's movies are "Talk to Her", "Volver" and "All About My Mother".... all are definitely worth checking out!).

So anyway, Hubster and I both enjoyed "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". Very funny, and definitely something to watch with your significant other.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Unbelievably.....

Update: as of Saturday morning the forecasters are downgrading their snow predictions to 1" maximum accumulation.... (still enough to snarl Atlanta traffic... good thing this is happening on a Sunday!)... we'll see if it actually happens!

....it may SNOW here this weekend.

This is Atlanta, folks. Not Chicago.

It was so warm and mild that I was in capris and sandals yesterday.
But less than 48 hours from now, we could be looking at up to 3" of SNOW in North Georgia.
Crazy? Why yes.

Winter never leaves without a fight, does it?

Should be an interesting weekend.

Diva in a More Contemplative Pose


She's not always on the prowl to destroy, you know.....sometimes she even naps.
(This is one of my favorite shots of her...an oldie, but a goodie.)

Oh yes, this morning Diva ALSO destroyed S's diary.... I just located the TATTERED remains....

Zoinks, Shaggy.

Diva's Latest Debacle



Diva, Queen of Destruction, has found something new to amuse herself. (For those of you unaware, Diva is our 9 month old Chocolate Lab puppy. She weighs 70 lbs., is solid muscle, and thinks she's a lap dog. Her favorite hobbies are eating, chewing, fetching, going for walks, and avoiding the amorous advances of the German Shepherd down the street who doesn't seem to care that Diva has been fixed.)


Anyway, I digress.
Diva's latest pasttime: when I go out to run an errand or go on an interview she goes into S's room and extracts however many stuffed animals suits her fancy and proceeds to surgically remove certain parts of the said "stuffy".

Two days ago, it was "Fashion Kitty". Fashion Kitty had her purple nose chewed off and her left rear paw removed.

This morning, when I was taking J to school since he had a big project due, the stuffed animal of choice was the unnamed Moose, who received Diva's WRATH.
Poor Moose is now a double amputee.

And yes, Diva has many many doggie chew toys..... she just REALLY likes stuffed animals. And S. has a plethora.

I guess we'll now have to close off all bedroom doors whenever we leave the house. Alas.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

A Delightful Side Effect to Being Unemployed!

So.... last week I was at S's elementary school for a 5th grade function and my dear friend Anne saw me, gasped (literally) and exclaimed "OMG! How much WEIGHT HAVE YOU LOST?!"

(Clearly, it's been a few months since she's seen me...)

I had noticed my jeans have been getting loose.... didn't think much about it.... but went home and weighed myself.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to report, I am now down 15 lbs. since the last time I weighed myself (which was probably a few months ago.... I'm not much of a scale watcher).

Crazily, when I'm stressed over something (ie. finances) and uber-focused on something (trying to find a job, since my business has TANKED due to the economy), I really don't have much of an appetite.

I can now get into my size 6 jeans, once again.
They're snug, but I'm in 'em.
Shocking, but true.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

"Sunshine Superman" by Donovan

... was the #1 song in America the day I entered the world.
And it's a pretty cool song, I must say. :)

If you're curious about what song was #1 on your date of birth, this handy dandy site will help you out....

And, if you want to hear the FAR OUT SOUNDS of that COOL CAT Donovan, I've got you covered:

Monday, February 23, 2009

So.... Did Hugh Woo You Too?

If you watched the Oscars last night, did Hugh (Jackman) woo you?

I must say.... for me, D'Arcy, and Pumpkin Delight, this question is not fair, because we're all already SMITTEN with Hugh... but let me just say, I'm not even a FAN of musical theater, and yet I was clearly TRANSFIXED all evening by the Oscars (and of course, mesmerized by Hugh and all his charms...). :)

I liked the Oscars much more this year than in years past.
I liked the intimate way the presenters addressed the nominees... it made it much more personal.

What do you think?
Thumbs up?
Thumbs down?

Sunday, February 22, 2009

"Wooderson" .... for Suz and Laurie...

OK, girls, here he is.
Matthew McConaughey before he became famous.
Here he is as Wooderson in "Dazed & Confused".... a hilarious role that he NAILED!

"Alright, alright, alright!"


Saturday, February 21, 2009

A Tribute to the Pontiac GTO

As many of you know, the Pontiac name is being phased out.... a sad result of the current economic climate.
One of my VERY favorite muscle cars - the Pontiac GTO - will soon be just a fond memory of the past.

So today's post is a tribute to this Way Cool Car.

Of course, a tribute to the GTO can hardly be complete without a reference to the movie "Dazed and Confused". If you haven't seen this movie, you really MUST. It's hilarious and will bring back great memories from high school (especially if you graduated in the 70's or 80's. Below is the trailer from this great movie. (An added bonus - this movie showcases the talent of some big names back before they were big: Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, Ben Affleck, etc.)

Thursday, February 19, 2009

All About My Husband ("Hubster")

This is the "Spouse Meme" - I tag anyone who wants to play. :-)

1)Husband's Name: never before revealed on my blog, but Hubster's REAL name is.... (drum roll please) Ron.
2)How long have you been married? Since May 22, 1992
3)How long did you date? We had our first date in June of 1985. I was 17 and had just graduated from high school. We were children.
4)How old is he? He is currently 45, I am currently 41
5)Who eats more sweets? Used to be me.... but he's really developed a sweet tooth as he has gotten older
6)Who is the better singer? (snorting chuckle) Without a doubt, ME.
7)Who is smarter? Hubster is DEFINITELY smarter. He remembers stuff from chemistry, physics, geometry, anatomy, etc. that I am STUNNED over. He also remembers stuff that happened to us when we were dating back in the 1980's that I have ZERO recollection of.
However, if you asked him this question, he would say I was smarter. But I disagree. He's definitely the smarter one.
8)Who does the laundry? We both do.
9)Who pays the bills? I do but I wish he did... I tend to get stressed over finances.
10)Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you look at the head of the bed from the foot of the bed, I do. Now that we have Diva, HER big behind also sleeps on the right side of the bed. Hubster has the whole left side to himself.
11)Who mows the lawn? Jose does... and let me tell you, that is WELL worth the money it costs. He mows, edges, trims the bushes, blows the driveway, etc.
12)Who cooks dinner? Hubster is a FAR better cook than me, and enjoys it, so he usually cooks. However, if he's really tired from work, I will.
13)Who drives? He always drives if we're together.... always.
14)Who is the first to say they are wrong? He is. I have him fairly well trained on this issue.
15)Who kissed who first? He kissed me, after our first date, in the driveway of my parent's house.
16)Who asked who out first? He did. I'm very old fashioned and have never asked anyone out.
17)Who wears the pants? We make big decisions together. We co-parent our children. (My husband is very patient and loving....a GREAT dad to the kids.) We truly are partners, in every sense of the word. So, I guess you could say we both "wear the pants".
Like all couples, we have disagreements, but we resolve them. We're in this for the long haul.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Old White Guy Blog


I love Steve Brown.... I'm sure I've mentioned him before, but if not, here's a link to his blog.

He comes to Atlanta fairly frequently to speak and he's interviewed some of my favorite writers (Anne Lamott, Donald Miller, etc.).... maybe one of these days I'll get around to meeting him.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Salma and Francois - Valentines Day Wedding!

I love Salma Hayek. LOVE her. I think she's incredibly talented, funny, REALLY smart (really), and very insightful. Every time I read an interview with her, or see an interview with her, I'm impressed all over again.

Oh yes, and she's really incredibly beautiful too. (I'm always impressed when someone THAT gorgeous doesn't "skate through life" on their looks.... because they certainly could.)

So, anyway, I was delighted to hear that she and the father of her adorable baby finally decided to tie the knot. Oui, c'est vrai. They got married on Valentine's Day.

It always makes me happy when a Baby Mommy and a Baby Daddy decide to make it legal.

Here's a virtual toast to Salma and Francois!

White Roses and Red Tulips


My sweet Daddy (who is 79 years old!) brought me some white roses for Val Day - isn't that sweet? They are in a lovely vase on my kitchen table.

And, just a few days earlier, my sweet Mommy brought me some gorgeous red tulips. They are in a lovely red pot on my coffee table in the family room.

There's just something about fresh flowers, isn't there?
I keep going downstairs just to gaze at them. :-)

(And I'm very excited about the tulips.... they are in a pot so I can plant the bulbs in the yard after they are done "being beautiful" this season...)

Once again, I'm reminded that it's the "little things" in life that make me really happy.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage....

We're doing a great series on MARRIAGE at church.

For any who are interested, you can listen to the teaching on line, download a CD for free (if you have CD burning capability), or simply open and print the PDF summary of the teaching.

All very good, very practical stuff.

The series started last Sunday, February 8th. (It's a 5 week series.)

Here's the link.

Dreams



When my daughter was just a little sprout - about 3 or 4 years old - she used to have recurring dreams about elephants and flowers... isn't that sweet?

I saw this picture online and it reminded me of that.

(I wish I could have recurring dreams about elephants and flowers.....) :-)

Saturday, February 14, 2009

How to Mend a Broken Heart

While having dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant tonight with Hubster and the kids, I remembered (of course) that there are many many people on Val Day who have broken hearts. Not just broken for romantic reasons but broken for all KINDS of reasons.
And it reminded me of the email I read this morning from MountainWings (which is a great site, by the way.) I'll re-print it below for your edification and elucidation (trying to use a couple of those "Reader's Digest" words tonight...) :-)

How To Mend A Broken Heart
How do you mend a broken heart?
We get a lot of prayer requests asking to simply pray for theirbroken heart.
Days like Valentines Day magnify the feeling.
So what do you do when you've got a broken heart?
Here are four steps that will help you up that mountain.
1. Occupy 2. Gratify 3. Sanctify 4. Glorify.
Occupy: Occupy your time, don't sit around moping. Do something. Idleness is the soil of self-pity and depression. Get busy. The best thing that you can do is to do something that helpsothers. It's a universal principle that when you start focusingon helping others, your own problems are diminished. Don't just stand there, DO SOMETHING!
Gratify:Write a list of the things you like, then pick three of thosethings and put those things in your life - now. Make sure you can afford them and that they aren't harmful. When our hearts are broken, we often deprive ourselves of thethings we enjoy. Make an effort to put enjoyment in your life.
Sanctify: Do good. Don't return evil for evil, hurt for hurt, pain forpain. Don't wish something horrible would happen to the other person. Hope for their good fortune in your spirit, and it just may release your good fortune in your world. The easiest way to forget someone, is to truly wish them well.
Glorify: Life is not over. You can live without them. Not only can youlive without them, you can live even happier without them. It is a matter of perspective. Even with the negative in your world at the moment, there is something to be thankful for. There is plenty to be thankful for actually. Give God the glory for what you have. You can't be sad and thankful at the same time. Tell heartbreak to move over. There is a sermon on www.AirJesus.com called "Breaking the 3-WayTie, How to Break Soul, Sex and Spirit Ties." If you or someoneyou know is suffering from a broken heart, they might do well tolisten to it.
A famous comedian said, "A man isn't a man until he's had his heart broken."
It's not really broken, it's just tenderized.
~A MountainWings Original~

A Perfect Valentine's Day

My adorable friend Suz (who I've known since 9th grade) wrote the most adorable post on her blog today.... it's rather, shall we say, "fanciful".

I enjoyed it SO much, I thought I would share it here.

(I told her that I'm putting on MY size 4 running shorts and joining her in her fantasy world as well...) :-)

Happy Val Day!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Ah..... Romance....

Nothing quite says romance to me like this uber-romantic clip from, yes, "Lady & The Tramp".
C'mon.... you KNOW you're going to watch it. We ALL love the "meatball scene" and the little doggie kiss. So sweet.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

A-Rod took Steroids?! What??!!

Why is everyone acting so surprised?

Next, they'll announce that bears poop in the woods.

BIG NEWS, FOLKS.

So, A-Rod is willing to broil his liver and play Russian roulette with his health. He's a dummy. He deserves to be publicly humiliated, but he won't be. Not for long anyway. He's made the "watered down" apology, and this will be "news" for 10 minutes, then it will all settle down. Major League "brass" will act shocked for the cameras, but truly, they don't care. Not really. As long as they're selling tickets and filling up the stands, they are MORE than willing to turn a blind eye. Major League Baseball LONG AGO quit being about a simple athletic game.... it's now about the almighty dollar... marketing, advertising, etc. All about the Benjamins.

So sad, isn't it?

The ballplayers from 100 years ago who played for the love of the game (and held down "real" jobs, since they couldn't support themselves playing baseball) are no doubt turning over in their graves....

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

"Best In Show" - My Favorite Comedy of All Time

If you've never seen Christopher Guest's masterpiece comedy, "Best In Show", do yourself a favor and order it from NetFlix, or go to your local video store and rent it. (Or better yet, purchase it.)

It's really spectactularly funny. The ensemble cast is wonderful and every time I watch it (I've seen it probably 10 times), I find something new to laugh about. (And, of course, being the huge dog lover I am, I absolutely love the "dog part" of it too....)

It's a "mockumentary" that takes place at a fictional dog show (the "Mayflower" dog show) ..... VERY similar to the REAL Westminster dog show that took place last night in New York City, in which the adorable Stump won best in show. Below is a clip with the hilarious Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy. Enjoy! :)

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Throwing Rocks at Others.... Still a BIG Hobby

I have to vent a little bit about a news story that has been on TV ad nauseum lately.

Yes, that would be the one about Michael Phelps and the infamous bong photo. I think we can all agree (Michael especially) that he screwed up. (I'm sure his Mama has already smacked him upside the head.... I certainly would have if it were my son.) :)

As we all know, Michael is a role model to kids and this sort of behavior is not good. At all. But the thing that drives me NUTS is the self-righteous media acting as judge, jury and executioner. (And you KNOW that many of these media folks with the puffed out chests have pictures in their past of younger versions of themselves toking on a joint, or passing a bong around..... right?)

I'm just saying......

"The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." John 8:7 (The Message)

Friday, February 6, 2009

A Taste of Spring?

65 was the high today here in the ATL.
65. And sunny blue skies. (Crazy because it was 13 just a few days ago!)

Anyway, it was a lovely day.

I met 2 girlfriends at my favorite vegetarian restaurant (and I'm a "hard-core" carnivore... so that should tell you how GOOD this restaurant is!).

The conversation was wonderful and so was the food.
I'm sooooo ready for Spring!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Amazing, Transforming Power of Love

Segregationist who beat John Lewis asks forgiveness
2/5/2009

Associated Press - By Ben Evans
WASHINGTON — Elwin Wilson was an unabashed racist, the sort who once hung a black doll from a noose outside his home. John Lewis was a young civil rights leader bent on changing laws, if not hearts and minds, even if it cost him his life.
They faced each other at a South Carolina bus station during a protest in 1961. Wilson joined a white gang that jeered Lewis, attacked him and left him bloodied on the ground.
Forty-eight years later, the men met again — this time so Wilson could apologize to Lewis and express regret for his hatred. Lewis, now a congressman from Atlanta, greeted his former tormentor at his Capitol Hill office.
“I just told him that I was sorry,” Wilson, 72, said in a telephone interview Wednesday as he traveled home to Rock Hill, S.C. For years, he said, he tried to block the incident out of his mind “and couldn’t do it.”
Lewis said Wilson is the first person involved in the dozens of attacks against him during the civil rights era to step forward and apologize. When they met Tuesday, Lewis offered forgiveness without hesitation.
“I was very moved,” said Lewis. “He was very, very sincere, and I think it takes a lot of raw courage to be willing to come forward the way he did. … I think it will lead to a great deal of healing.”
Wilson said he had felt an urge to voice his remorse for years. He talked about his past activities a few weeks ago with a friend, and the friend asked him where he thought he might go if he died.
“I said probably hell,” Wilson said. “He said, ‘Well, you don’t have to.’”
Wilson’s apology was first reported by The (Rock Hill, S.C.) Herald. After reading an article about local black civil rights leaders reacting to President Barack Obama’s inauguration, he and another former segregationist called the paper saying they wanted to apologize.
The paper aired their comments and documented an emotional meeting with the local activists at a former whites-only lunch counter in downtown Rock Hill, where Wilson had antagonized demonstrators during a 1961 sit-in.
After meeting with the local activists, Wilson realized that Lewis must have been the young black man he had attacked at the bus station that same year, when a bus carrying two Freedom Riders rolled into town. The riders were Lewis, who is black, and the late Albert Bigelow, who was white. Neither pressed charges over the assault.
Wilson didn’t know that Lewis, who was 21 at the time, had since become one of the most influential Democrats in Congress.
“I never dreamed that a man that I had assaulted, that he would ever be a congressman and that I’d ever see him again,” Wilson said. “He and everybody up there in his office … they were just good people, treated you right and all.”
Lewis and Wilson said they hoped Wilson’s quest for redemption will inspire others who took part in civil rights-era violence to come forward and help heal wounds from the struggle over integration.
“I said if just one person comes forward and gets the hate out of their heart, it’s all worth it,” Wilson said. “But I hope there will be a bunch of people. Life’s short and we all go to the same place when we die.”

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

Under the "Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction File":
Man Caught With Pigeons In His Trousers
After viewing the photo, I kept thinking, those poor poor birds.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

A Pink Carnation For Ava

Many of you have no doubt read Sheye Rosemeyer's blog.... this week is a very painful anniversary for Sheye and her husband Crayton. It marks the 2 year anniversary that their precious little girl Ava flew away to Heaven after a tragic accident.

If you pray, please take a moment to remember Sheye, her husband, and their 3 other children in your prayers. I know Sheye will feel lifted up.

Be Like Mike? No Way.... Be Like Millard Fuller!

Millard Fuller lived an amazing life.
He was the definition of Servant Leadership.