Scoresville

(I was looking for a good picture from the movie and decided on this one. It made me laugh.)

The girls' favorite movie currently is The Sound of Music. This makes me happy for a number of reasons:

-He-llo! It's rad.

-It's in my top 10, maybe 5 favorite movies and I like it when they like stuff I like.

-May always forgets the name of it and calls it "The Singing Babysitter Movie."

-They sing the soundtrack constantly which, of course, is adorable.

-The Sound of Music is not Barbie's Psychedelic Sparkly Unicorn and the Princess of Daisy Rainbow Glitterland.

-It's, like, three hours long.

A Most Random Post: Drew Barrymore, Country Music, GLOBES

A couple of things happened when I watched this movie two weeks ago:

1. A truth was manifested. While I think Drew Barrymore is a very interesting and fun gal, I think she's a horrrrrrible actress. Despite only having like 7 lines, Whip It only further solidified this opinion. And it furthered my love for Kristen Wiig. And Ellen Paige. And Marcia Gay Harden. And of course, my Jimmy Fallon. But especially Kristen Wiig.

2. I discovered Dolly Parton. Though I abhor modern country music, there's a part of me that likes old country music--it's folksy. In the movie, there's a great scene with Dolly Parton's Jolene. How rad is this song? It's like old country meets disco.



3. I decided to start collecting globes. During a scene that takes place in a school, off to the side there's about a dozen globes clustered together. I jumped up from the couch and yelled "Oooo! Look at all those globes!" Go burst out laughing, sighed and said "Oh, I love you." If he thinks I'm weird now, just wait until dementia hits in about 60 years. It was then when I decided that I needed to start a collection of globes. Vintage ones, because things are cooler when they're old...like country western music. You like that? Eh? Eh? You like how I brought that around full circle? And did you like THAT? Full circle? Like as in globes? I really out did myself that time.

So I've mentioned this before, but we don't have the expendable income for me to just be, you know, out buying vintage globes or whatever, so I put it in the back of my mind for a rainy day. A day when it be rainin' cash, ya'll!

BUT today, TODAY! we were driving though the country side to pick up the girls from a birthday party. We passed a farmhouse that had a bunch of trash bags and junk sitting out in front of it by the road and what did I see? A blue sphere.
"AHHHH!" I shrieked.
"Wha! Wha! Wha!" Go yelled back, looking around like we had just run over somebody and he hadn't realized it.
"That was globe! On the side of the road!"
"Ohhhh," he said with relief. "You scared me."
"This is so weird! I've been thinking about nothing but globes for like two weeks! This is meant to be! That's my globe! We have to go get it!"
And we did. We flipped a U-ey, talked to the owner and walked away a free vintage globe. I am in love. Not only with my 1954 Replogle globe but with my husband who loves me for my quirks.

Here is my short, cute, and squatty beloved, as opposed to my tall, strong and lean beloved.

The 1954 version of Russia: Union of Soviet Socialist Republic:

"Everything you want to know about your Globe--and how to use and enjoy it."

Oh, It Was Indeed Fantastic

Roald Dahl and Wes Anderson? Yes, please.

GNO

If you are having a particularly stressful couple of weeks and starting to go a little insane, I highly recommend you grabbing a pal to go see This Is It. Totally fascinating.

What a great idea, Molly. Thanks so much for getting me out of my house! The walls were starting to close in but today I feel like I can breathe again.

Who Says Domestic Tasks Need to Be Boring?

Today I am baking artisan bread. I'll let you know how it turns out as my bread baking skills are more than lacking.

Thanks to the many hours I spent at the Eaton household over my lifetime, I cannot bake bread without saying this over and over:

"They say bread is life. And I bake bread, bread, bread. And I sweat. And shovel this stinkin' dough in and out of this hot hole in the wall and I should be sooooo happy. Huh?!!! Sweetie?"

It confuses my children.

Pandora's Purple Box

There was NOTHING on TV tonight (Go says "What are you talking about? Iron Chef!") so we were just kind of channel hopping and what movie did we land on? Purple Rain.
And I was like "Oh my gosh, I just realized I've never actually seen this movie," and was aghast with myself. Have any of you ever really sat down and watched it? It's glorious. It even kind of makes me think I might sort of perhaps like the color purple now a little bit just maybe. What? I KNOW!

So in searching for a fitting Purple Rain image, I found two other images I just couldn't not post because they might be the greatest things I've ever seen:
And I also found a picture that I couldn't post, which was of a sweaty Prince wearing nothing but a feather boa and something smaller than a speedo. And on that sweet note, good night my lovelies.

Everyone Listen and Listen Good

You may not want to rent this movie.
You may think it will be dumb, boring or crude.

It is, in fact, none of these things.

It's touching. It's sweet. It's funny. It's heartbreaking. It's hopeful. It's one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time and I feel sorry for you if you never see it.

A Pistachio Nut Shell

The girls' first trip to Disneyland. It was perfect-o.

And California Adventure Park was fun as well.
We learned that Ruby loves rollercoasters and May loves people dressed up in costumes.

This is my new addiction. I'm thinking of having Speed Scrabble parties at my house. Throw the kids down in the basement, the Moms upstairs getting their Scrabble on, speedy-like. Anyone up for it?

We saw this tonight. Blah. Typical comic book film: unlikely hero, evil bald man, and a shy, strawberry blonde love interest. Explosions. Quippy but unintelligent dialogue. Possibility of a sequel. This is the formula and they followed it.

Saw this the night before. EXCELLENT film. The soundtrack was skill. And I might name my next child Didier. We'll see.

Our first experience with one of these. It went something like this:

GPS Lady with a nasally, robotic voice: Turn...right...on Culver.

Go: Your MAMA turns right on Culver!

GPS Lady: Turn...left...on Jam...boree.

Go: No, YOU turn left on Jamboree!

A trip to the Getty. Beauty, beauty all around.

Beach. As in, "Life is a." I'd say about 35% of my meals have consisted of fish tacos.

*Real pictures will be posted when we get home. Until then, I'll be hanging onto this place by my fingernails, comic book movie style. "NOOOOoooooo!"

Phase Three

Yesterday, Go was lucky enough to be post-call, so I woke him up in the afternoon, told him to get dressed, dropped off the kids at Tamara's (Thank you so much, again!) and took him to a totally stupid movie--The Forbidden Kingdom. He loves martial art films and I DO NOT. Since we've had our DVR, we never watch commercials anymore, so he didn't even know it was out, which made it a good surprise.

Go: So this movie has Jackie Chan AND Jet Li?!!!
Me: Yep.
Go: And you're going to sit here and watch it with me?
Me: Yep.
Go: This really is my birthday.

This movie was SO ridiculously, awesomely bad, it was almost good. I tried to find a good picture of it, but really couldn't but I did keep seeing the photo of this couple pop up on my Google image search and I'd just like to share it with everyone.
Moving on.

Then I took him to a tapas bar. No, not a topless bar, a tapas bar. There's a smidge difference between the two. The food was outrageously delish: we got grilled marinated baby octopus with a pickled white bean salsa, a pepper stuffed with crab meat in a crispy tempura batter with a chili, cashew, and shrimp sauce, grilled bread rubbed with EVOO, garlic and tomato, and little tacos with slow cooked beef, horseradish and chive sauce, and buttermilk battered onion rings.

I'm so glad we went there because I'm pretty sure if we would have gone to a topless bar, the food wouldn't have been nearly as good.

Five Things Totally Unrelated

1. A Classic Conversation with Ruby
Ruby: Mom, some people don't have kids.
Me: You're right.
Ruby: Why?
Me: Lots of different reasons, I guess.
Ruby: Like what?
Me: Some people just can't, some people don't want to--
Ruby: Because they don't want to tell kids what to do and boss them around all day long?

Hmm...

2. May's Amazing Ability to Play By Herself
Ruby has to be no more than 3 feet from me every second of the day. By 4 pm, I start to go crazy. If I say "Why don't you go down to the basement and play?" She starts shrieking, drops to the floor and acts like I just said "How about you walk across these shards of glass?" May, on the other hand, loves to play alone. Many times I'll realize it's too quiet; I'll search the house and find her in some weird corner, playing with a spatula and a shoe. Today, I found her on her bed playing with her magnetic dress-up dolls.


3. A Movie Scene
Yesterday, I watched a great scene with Meryl Streep from Marvin's Room. She's so good. I found the script online. She plays "Lee."

Lee: You mind if I smoke?

Therapist: Yes. Thank you for asking.

Lee: How about if I blow it out this way? (turns her head and mimics blowing smoke out)

Therapist: There's no smoking on this floor.

Lee: (whispers and starts to light her cigarette) Okay, I'll be real quiet.

Therapist: It's good to see you here, Lee. May I call you Lee?

Lee: Sure.

Therapist: We've missed you other days. So has Hank.

Lee:I'm sorry. I wish I could visit more often, but you know...You're not a nurse, are you?

Therapist: I'm a psychiatrist.

Lee: You're the one Hank talks to.

Therapist: I'm in charge of his therapy.

Lee: You know he lies. He told his school counselor that I beat him. So, see what I mean? You're thinking, ''I wonder if she does beat him?''

Therapist: You think I think that?

Lee: Don't you?

Therapist: Do you want me to think that?

Lee: What do you mean?

Therapist: What do you think I mean?

Lee: What do you mean, ''What do I think you mean?''

Therapist: What do you think I mean by, “What do you think I mean?'' We want you involved in Hank's therapy to visit more often.

Lee: Doctor, can I be honest with you? I have forced my way through school, and I'm about to get my degree. And I'm picky now about the kind of guy I'll go with. And I keep... used to keep...
a realy clean house. Hank makes fun of my degree in cosmetology he terrorizes any guy I go out with. This last one, Hank made fun of his being on parole he made fun of how he holds his liquor, of his Pinto! Hank cost me a potentially good relationship. And as for my house... Hank is not something I can control. What's the point of visiting?

Therapist: He says he misses you.

Lee: I'm here . So let me see him.

So then she goes to see Hank (who is played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and he is strapped to a bed and is sedated to the point of slumber. She's eating from this bag of M&M's and keeps turning around to offer the therapist some, it kills me. She ends up just putting a small pile on his chest "for when he wakes up."

The whole scene is incredibly sad and funny.

4. Our Front Yard Visitors
They came a couple of hours ago and they're still there.

5. Sprouts
For Easter, My MIL sent the girls these little plants you grow yourself; they're grown in egg shapes. Aren't these little sprouts cute? I showed them to Ruby and you would have thought I said "And from now on we're having ice cream cones for breakfast, lunch and dinner!" But then I said "Ok, so now go play," and her excitement was shattered and it was back to visions of lacerated feet.

Mansfield Park

My dear friends,

I wish to inform you that I watched a movie yesterday that I found most agreeable. It's name is Mansfield Park, a movie based on a Jane Austin novel. Don't be vexed that I just spelled her name wrong; it was merely from habit, as I have always done when penning her name, as a rebellion of sorts.

You see, when one has lived within the confines of a very small apartment with 5 other girls, one finds herself exposed to all things feminine, one of these things being Jane Austin, oh fine, Jane Austen: not only her books but movies based from them, especially a certain box set of the BBC's Pride and Predujice. It was I who would flee the television set to retreat to my room to blast Beastie Boys in hopes to drown out the uppity chitter-chatter coming from the living room, as the rest of the girls would snuggle together on the couch and swoon at the likes of Mr. Darcy. I do recall one Sunday afternoon when I joined them, but I believe that it was only to get my hair brushed.

I wouldn't say that I thought Ms. Austen a ninny, but I would venture to say I found her work most dull and totally unrelatable, as I never had the pleasure of having any sisters, nor had I ever had the desire to wear a corset or wish to dwell upon prospective suitors' social class.

But yesterday as I watched Mansfield Park, I was most delighted. I wish to inform you of this, especially my former room mates, in hopes that I shall be able to come back into your good graces, as I had become a social outcast for constantly mocking your love of all things Austen and threatening to flush those blasted VHS tapes down the loo.

I do not think it probable that I shall run out and buy Emma or start devouring Jane's novels by the dozen, but I surely will not roll my eyes when one proclaims to love Ms. Austen with the fiercest part of her heart.

Yours affectionately,
Ann

This Movie Was Good

I really enjoyed this one. Michael Douglas depicted crazy at its finest. It was a good story with complicated, interesting characters and appropriately ended with "California Stars" by Wilco with Billy Bragg, which is one of my top 10 favorite songs. Maybe top 5. It perfectly captured the mood of what I was feeling by the end. And redemption is a theme I never get tired of. King of California is just a really good movie.

Harold & Maude

Tonight, Sarah (my SIL), the girls and I were at the library. I was perusing the DVDs and was minding my own business, (no wait, I was trying to get May up off the floor after she had assumed her famous "rag doll" position) when I saw this:
One of my faves, possibly in my top 3, definitely in my top 5 favorite movies. I yelped a yelp that made several librarians look up from their encyclopedias and I grabbed it. To my delight, Sarah was a Harold & Maude Virgin; it's always fun being there for someone's first time.

Usually, they either get it, love it and are totally inspired or they don't get it, hate it and are totally grossed out. My husband was one of those people who didn't get it...but I decided to love him anyway. Either way, it's enjoyable to watch either result, but it's a rush when I find a kindred spirit, someone who loves this quirky, dark comedy as much as I do. It makes me want to hold their hands and jump up and down. Sarah was pretty lukewarm about the movie but still--I got to watch it and fell in love all over again.

So tell me, are Harold & Maude Lover or Harold & Maude Hata?
(And if you've never seen it, I highly, highly recommend it.)

In Case You Were Wondering

Excellent job everyone, I was very impressed.

1. Help Wanted: Kids 

2. Darby O'Gill and the Little People

3. The Absent Minded Professor

4. The Apple Dumpling Gang

5. Bed Knobs and Broomsticks

6. Oklahoma!

7. The Brave Little Toaster

8. The Sound of Music

9. Swiss Family Robinson

10. White Christmas

11. Mother Goose Rock 'N Rhyme

12. Not Quite Human

13. The Flight of the Navigator

14. Savannah Smiles

15. Escape to Witch Mountain

16. The Happiest Millionaire

17. Old Yeller

18. In Search of the Castaways

19. Mary Poppins

20. The Music Man

21. Napoleon and Samantha

22. The Edison Twins

23. Benji the Hunted

24. The Leftovers

25.  I-Man

Before High School Musical

My mom left this morning (Will Ferrell as Robert Goulet saying "Single tear") so now I'm procrastinating doing all the things I didn't do while she was here, so hello procrastination tool of choice.

Being with my mom for the past 11ish days has made me think of my childhood; it was a pretty good one, I have no complaints out of the ordinary besides her agreeing to let me be a wise man in the nativity scene when I was eight.

Shortly after this in-every-way-disturbing picture was taken, we

moved from Florida to California. In preparation for the packing, moving, unpacking, my mom did what any normal mother in 1988 with a VCR and cable would do: she taped hours and hours of the Disney channel for her kids to watch while she packed, moved and unpacked so that maybe, just maybe, they would stay out of her hair long enough for her to get something done.

I doubt her ploy was 100% effective but I am 100% grateful for those video tapes that still grace her bonus room cupboards. I hope to have a similar collection someday made up of these films of yesteryear, as none of them make me violently ill unlike the made-for-tv Disney movies of today.

High fives to anyone who is able to name all of these movies by name.

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