Category: Misc Stuff


…a Day in the Life, a Very Good Life

Filed Under: Family, Health, Misc Stuff by Fan of Jane — Leave a comment
August 30, 2010

Feeling so good, I can’t quite believe it. After so many months of pain, nausea, fatigue, and mental fog, I am finally on the mend. So fucking glad!!

Started getting ready today for a fantabulous trip to Crater Lake. Haven’t ever been there and am soooo excited! Especially since I’m feeling healthy. Got the ok from the doc to hike from the rim to the lake and can’t wait to make it happen.

Also looking forward to spending five days alone with my honey. No kids. No furry. Will miss them all but will also enjoy the man…

Some People’s Kids: Happy. Healthy. Vacationy.

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A Friend for Grams

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August 29, 2010

Life was looking up a bit for Grams. She had a friend. Perhaps her first and only friend. Josie came to the house daily to clean and dress Grams’ wound (you remember, the maggot infested wound from spilling grease). She also cleaned and cooked meals. Basically Grams got a friend and a break. She had worked so hard all of her life especially since she lost her ability to walk. Wow…pushing a chair around to get from the stove to the washboard to the clothesline…She even did her own dry cleaning – with gasoline! The youngest (my mother) passed at school after breathing the fumes. I’m surprised the whole class didn’t have to be evacuated! That would certainly be done today, in a heartbeat.

Josie lightened the load not for Grams but also for the son and the youngest. The son could spend even more time away and the youngest could have a bit more carefree kid life. Grams could confide in Josie and Josie could just smile and everything seemed better. As a child I was always more excited to go see Josie than I was to see any of my crazy family. Her world was somehow safer and more joyful and well she made the best tortillas in the southwest. Josie passed this talent on to the youngest (my mother), when she was an adult, who improved upon the recipe to ultimately make the best tortillas in the universe! I’m not kiddin’.

There was an added benefit to Josie’s relationship with Grams. It seemed that Gramps didn’t spend as much time at the house. Once Grams was healed, she continued to spend time with her friend and they remained so until Josie’s death.

Some People’s Kids: Healers…

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On the Road…

Filed Under: Family, Misc Stuff by Fan of Jane — 2 Comments
August 28, 2010

A wonderful day for a drive with my honey and my daughter, the elder! Miles and miles of songs at the top of our lungs and laughter. Is there anything better? The only thing missing was my daughter, the younger, and the furry…definitely something to look forward to.

There’s not much that I like doing more than taking a road trip with loved ones and my tunes. I don’t really know where I got this trait. My mother was never much for drives or music blaring but I certainly passed it on to my chillens…

Oh, and how could I forget?! I found out about my daughter the elder’s strange attraction to her cat. We were all happily riding along when she shared that her cat had been looking quite sexy the day before. She claimed that she didn’t actually feel sexually attracted (my god I hope that is true!) but that she could appreciate that another cat would find her sexy! Hmmmm…quite disturbing is all I can really say…

Some People’s Kids: Drive. Sing. Laugh. Think lovingly of their cat.

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Too Hot to Move!

Filed Under: Misc Stuff, Politics by Fan of Jane — Leave a comment
August 5, 2010

And yet another day of great news! Elena Kagan has been CONFIRMED as the 112th Supreme Court Justice!!! Whoohoo!!! Makes me sooo proud to be an Hispanic woman…

I’m sorry but it is too freaking hot to move let alone write. As I sit here I am dripping sweat! Not a pretty sight. I hope the rest of you out in the blogosphere are more comfortable than I. Anywho, I am off to the cool cave to munch on cheese ravioli and peas, takes me back to my childhood…

Some People’s Kids: Can’t stand the heat. Getting out of the kitchen.

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…And in this Corner – Jane Austen!

Filed Under: Books, Misc Stuff, Movies by Fan of Jane — 1 Comment
July 28, 2010

So I have begun my journey to revisit the works of Ms. Jane Austen. Recently, I gathered my chil’ens and off we went to the bookstore where I purchased new copies of Sense and Sensibility, Pride And Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion. How delightful! If you could only see me, you would most certainly laugh as I am clapping my hands together with merriment at the thought of reading all of these tomes…

Although she is my favorite author, the last time I stepped into the literary world of Ms. Austen was probably 30 years ago. Sure, I’ve seen the various theatrical productions as she has gone in and out of favor with Hollywood but there is nothing quite like giving yourself over to her words. She had a biting wit, a way with sarcasm, great comic timing, and a sense of the absurdities and inequities of the world. What a joy! I encourage anyone looking for an amazing read to pick up one of her novels.

Soon after my purchases, I stumbled upon (pun intended) the most fantastical video, Jane Austen’s Fight Club (oops, I just broke the first rule of Fight Club). I kinda think that Ms. Austen would get a charge out of this video. I was laughing so hard I almost rolled right off my chair. And how ironic that I would see this video just when I was pondering how relevant Jane Austen might be to the current state of things?! Life can just be so damn fanfuckingtastic!

My first read on this journey is Pride and Prejudice and I am currently in the midst of the lives of Mr. Darcy, the Bennetts, and the Bingleys. I have to say that I’m certain that Elizabeth Bennett would have loved to send a nice roundhouse to Caroline Bingley’s beautifully rouged cheek! As I have been reading, I can’t help but flash to the video, and sometimes I just have to stop and laugh.

Anyway, there will be much to come re: our fair Ms. Austen but for now I just wanted to share. I hope the novels as well as the video will tickle your funniest funny bone…

Some People’s Kids: Amusing. Relevant. Irreverent.

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Random Friday Thoughts

Filed Under: Misc Stuff by Fan of Jane — Leave a comment
July 23, 2010

What is it about women that we make bad choices over and over? Even when we know that the choices are unhealthy we still go back to the well.

This gene pool includes me. I allowed cheating and violence in my life and I went back for more over and over again. Why? No clue. Sure, I can point to losing my dad as a baby but that doesn’t really explain it. And the thing is, I’m not the only woman with this tendency.

As a women with daughters, shouldn’t I have set a better example? Definitely. My dream is for them to have healthy stable relationships that fulfill and nourish them however both have struggled with their relationship choices. Books, movies, music all tell us that we should be strong and not put up with any shit and yet other books, movies, and music let us know that we are failing miserably.

And what about the men? What do they think as they raise their hand in violence or step out on the women they love? Yeah, yeah, I know it’s not just men but I can only speak to the experience that I have had. And the violence isn’t just against women. I’m talking about bar brawls, tussles between friends (usually after one too many), football, wrestling, hockey…

Wow, the light bulb goes off as it occurs to me that, on the whole, women don’t participate in violent sports. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of that before but all of a sudden it just stands out. Interesting. Is that part of why we’re drawn to the bad boy, because we don’t have that kind of outlet? Hmmm…curiouser and curiouser.

I know that I certainly have my anger issues. And let me tell you there is only so much that a good turn of the vacuum can do to let off steam. A good cry really doesn’t do it either. On those occasions when I have broken something or slammed a door, I have felt more shame than satisfaction.

When a man punches someone, makes a tackle, slams someone to the ground, is there a sense of satisfaction. Does it feel like a release? Are we back again to the whole “we’re just wired differently” thing? Maybe…

Some Peoples Kids: Self-damaging. Repressed. Pressure cooked. Ripe to explode.

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So You Think You Can Survive, Survive, Survive…

Filed Under: Health, Media, Misc Stuff, Rants by Fan of Jane — Leave a comment
July 22, 2010

So my girls are back and we are making up for lost time and missing each other! We had a little breakfast, a little shopping, and watched a little “So You Think You Can Dance.” Another week another injury. Three great dancers down. This spate of injuries is a first for the show and there is confusion as to why. Really? Well, let’s look at what’s changed. The format, that’s what! There is no luxury of a top twenty within which to build skills and stamina. A group of 10 young dancers go from 0 to 100 working full out on skills outside of their skill set with professionals working mostly within theirs. I just think that’s a recipe for injury. After all, about 65% of dance injuries are from overuse and an overwhelming 90% of injuries occur when a dancer is fatigued.

The elder daughter was a dancer for nigh on upon a gazillion years (ok, 13 years). I watched her body change to enable her to do more and more. However this growth was over years not days or weeks. The younger was a gymnast and again tricks and complexity were added as her body and mind were ready to tackle them.

And I guess I wonder why the format change anyway? Ratings? Seems to be since I can’t see how it really benefits the dancers. Sure, it’s great to dance with the all-stars and clearly they push the younger dancers, however they wind up with less time to learn as well as to strengthen their minds and bodies.

It’s important for any athlete (yes, dancers are athletes) to constantly assess where they are and how their body is handling what’s being asked of it. For instance how many hours are being danced each week? How many new styles of dance are being introduced to each dancer for which they don’t really have the technical expertise? Are they being provided sufficient warm up before rehearsals and/or performances? Do the dancers know how to warm up properly for the workload they are experiencing? Is there appropriate conditioning activities provided other than dance such as swimming, yoga, Pilates, gym aerobics? I know that there are limited hours in a week but if there isn’t enough time to make sure the dancers are safe then maybe ratings should take a bit of a back seat.

Given the injury waterfall, I think the SYTYCD producers owe it to the dancers as well as the public to evaluate the entire process. After all I’m not thinking that the public would have sent Alex or Ashley home.
Anyway, it’s just kind of troubling to me. Most of the time mucking with a TV show just impacts the quality of the show and though it may lead to a cancellation the actors are still able to go on to other projects. But if you muck with the format of a dance show, you just might be mucking with safety. Just a thought…

Some People’s Kids: Hard working. Talented. Young. Competitive.

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Shirley Sherrod. Honest. Heroine

Filed Under: Misc Stuff, Politics, Rants by Fan of Jane — 1 Comment
July 21, 2010

Oh…the end of worry is near! My girls are getting in tonight and I have missed them like crazy!! I have had the requisite conversation with my long dead dad and he has his marching orders to keep their plane in the air and land them safely. It’s amazing how I immediately feel some semblance of power once they are in my sphere of influence even though I have no more power than when they are away. Mind games, ain’t they swell?!!

Had a girlie day today. Got the old hair and nails done. Don’t know why, not going anywhere but I guess I just needed to feel pretty. Being under the weather for several weeks can do that to a girl. Before the elder daughter left she let me know that the skunk look wasn’t really cuttin’ it and I had to agree so didn’t really want her to come back to the “bride of Frankenstein”…

Here’s something really random for you…What about that Shirley Sherrod case? It just goes to show that anything we say at any time in our life can be taken out of context and used to further an agenda. A three minute snippet of a twenty-seven minute speech was used to portray Ms. Sherrod as a racist. And on the basis of a YouTube airing of this snippet, she was forced to resign her position as the Georgia Director of the USDA.

Don’t be fooled by what you see on that three minute piece! This is propaganda of the worst kind and the best evidence I know of how important it is to get your information from more than one source and make sure you have the whole story before you make judgments. After all, our perspectives are the result of lives lived and as such we think they have a solid foundation. However, some of our experiences lead us to make assumptions and oftentimes those assumptions are just plain wrong. And I guess I would suggest that anytime we allow our assumptions to lead us to snap judgments, then that should be the red flag that says, “take a minute (or twenty-seven) to rethink.”

Now, the full twenty-seven minutes of Ms. Sherrod’s speech takes the audience on a journey that paints a complex picture about the role of not only race but also poverty in American culture. It presents a woman honestly airing her prejudices as well as the epiphany that showed her the error of her position. Oh, that the rest of us could be so honest! Because if we can’t face our shortcomings how will we ever grow and be a agent of change?

What did she get for her courage? Lambasted! Verbally tarred and feathered! Undercut by the very people who should have gotten their information from more that one source, who should have taken twenty-seven minutes before making a judgment! I am disappointed in the NAACP, I am disappointed in the Obama administration, I am disappointed in knee-jerk liberals who were so concerned with appearing to take the high road that they wound up in the gutter. I am disappointed in anyone who painted her a racist before knowing her. Isn’t that what every important civil rights leader in the last half century has asked. Get to know me, him, her, whoever…before judging.

Shirley Sherrod is about as far from a racist as she can get. Because one thing I know about a racist, they don’t question their belief system. They don’t recognize that they might be wrong. They don’t admit that they are behaving badly. And they certainly don’t encourage the choir to sing a different tune. I admire Shirley Sherrod’s willingness to use her life lesson to plant the notes of a different song in the hearts of her choir…

Thanks Shirley!

Some People’s Kids: Courageous. Honest. Deserving of much better treatment…

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Jane Austen: A Timeless Philosopher?

Filed Under: Books, Media, Misc Stuff by Fan of Jane — Leave a comment
July 20, 2010

So it’s four in the morning, my partner is snoring (that word doesn’t really describe the intensity of the experience), the dog is taking up most of my pillow, and sleep is not going to be forthcoming in the near future. As I lay in bed I found myself thinking about life and the “never ceases to amaze me” way that people live that life. Somehow those thoughts led to Jane Austen (my very favorite author) and how succinctly she chronicled life as she experienced it. I began to wonder what would happen if I read her works again but with a different eye. There was just this nagging feeling that I might find that the basic “human experience” hasn’t really changed. That her insights are just as relevant to life in 2010. After all, there is a reason she remains so popular today.

I was bothered by my post yesterday. It seemed so lifeless and flat! Sure, I do sometimes (ok, so most times) find myself boggled and disappointed by the ignorance and absurdities that I see around me. However I think it is important not to take myself too seriously and I failed miserably on that point. Let’s see if I can make sure that I don’t do that again.

Sometimes a change of perspective can open the world in a way that we can see things that weren’t clear before. Hell, isn’t that the whole concept behind prescription eye wear? Seriously, solutions are often simple and can apply to basic as well as complex life philosophies.

Anyhoo, I’ve decided to see what Jane can do for me at this point in my life. Time to re-read and get my scrawny little hands on everything that I haven’t read. We live in such crazy times let’s see what Jane can do for my perspective.

Next time you can’t sleep, get up and put words to screen. It worked for me…I’m off to the land of nod…

Some People’s Kids: Tired. Tired. Too tired to think…

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Dream…Dream, Dream, Dream…Think Everly Brothers

Filed Under: Misc Stuff, Movies by Fan of Jane — 2 Comments
July 17, 2010

INCEPTION

Oh! My! God, Becky!!!…what a wild ride!

Christopher Nolan wrote and directed this masterpiece with the skill of a surgeon and the soul of an artist all rolled into one. Most of the effects are real life and not green screen and CGI and let me tell you, it makes a difference. I think with all of the computer generated effects we’ve come to expect, we’ve forgotten how brick and mortar stunts can pull the audience into the scene with the actors.

Nolan’s pacing is stellar, making every moment count. It’s slow and fast, it builds, ebbs, and then takes the action to crescendo upon crescendo, all in a way that makes sense. He has a penchant for surrounding himself with wicked talent as well. The cinematography is breathtaking, costumes on point, and the score with hues of hope, despair, guilt, anger, fear, pretty much every emotion imaginable, envelopes the audience. As I said – a masterpiece!

Ok, so here’s the quick and dirty. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an extractor who makes his living by inserting himself into shared dreams in order to steal ideas. He is hired however by Saito (Ken Watanabe, AMAZING) who wants him to insert an idea into the mind of Robert Fischer, Jr., a multimillion dollar oil company heir (Cillian Murphy), this process is inception. Cobb puts together a team to help him with the task: Arthur – the Researcher who gathers all possible info on the target (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and man has he grown up!), Ariadne – the Architect who builds the shared dream (Ellen Page), Eames – the Forger who can imitate anyone (Tom Hardy ) and Yusuf – the Chemist who concocts the sedative that keeps everyone asleep (Dileep Rao). They proceed to take the subject into a dream within a dream within a dream…at least that’s how it seems. The question is, “What is really real?”

Don’t worry there won’t be any spoilers here because I simply don’t know. Actually, I’m not completely sure what I experienced. First, I think, ” Ok…it’s that!” Then I blink and I’m like, “Oh, no, wait it’s this!!!” What I do know is this movie is SICK! That’s what. Mind blowing bending altering SICK!!!!! Yeah, I know, way too many exclamation points! And enough with the capitalization already! But I just can’t help myself. Frankly, I don’t know how to get across how fucktasmagorically amazing this movie is. I believe it is not out of the realm of possibility that it is absolutely the best movie I have seen in a very long time.

Every second of the 148 minutes is a roller coaster ride of thought provoking twists, turns, action, and fun, and I don’t even like roller coasters! I actually found myself holding my breath.

Leo DiCaprio. Can I just say it? One of the most underrated actors of our time! Yeah…I’m gushing but I just can’t help myself. He grounds the movie while pushing the limits of reality. Ellen Page. Engaging, mature, thoughtful…WOW (pay attention Lindsay Lohan, this is how to be a young star in Hollywood). And Tom Berenger. Finally, reaches that tricky summit of “aging gracefully.” Gordon-Levitt. Well, he just pulses with quiet strength. Great cast…

And the concept. Who hasn’t had a wild and wooley dream? Think about it, what if someone was sharing your dreams with you? Crazy! And what if that someone could steal your ideas by manipulating your dreams? Take it a step further and what if the real goal was to insert an idea in your head by manipulating those dreams? Terrifying? And what if the really real goal was to…what?!…I don’t know…what could possibly come next? All I can say is “HOLY SHIT!” That would be one paranoia-inducing world and with the “straight out of the nuthouse” dreams I’ve been having lately…I’m starting to wonder…

Can’t wait to see it again and again and again and…

Some People’s Kids: Deceitful. Manipulative. Dangerous. Not as they seem…

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