"Julie and Julia" is kind of a double movie. One movie is about Julia Child, foodie extraordinaire, and the other is the story of a young woman (Julie) who sets herself on a mission to cook all 500-plus recipes in Julia's breakthrough French cuisine cookbook in the space of one year, and blog about it daily.
I liked the movie about Julia. Meryl Streep was great, and so was the guy who played her husband.
The other movie was not very interesting, mainly because I don't have any patience with young people who are as dumb as I was at that age.
Do the two stories balance each other out? Yeah, I guess so. But I think the whole movie should just be Julia. Maybe you can fast-forward through the other stupidness.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Happy Birthday
Kayti has turned 11, and we have lived through another birthday party.
This time, it was actually enjoyable for me! The older the kids get, the less planning has to be done. They come up with their own games. (These are probably the golden years -- because when they get even older, I probably won't like the games they come up with! I do remember my own teen-age parties ...)
As I was saying, I found myself looking forward to the party. Ten fun kids to play with! We did have a good time, too. We had a foosball tournament. I had to be a partner to one of the kids, who chose the name "Cheeseheads" for our team.
The one aspect to birthday parties that I will always hate, however, is goodie bags. I remember Kayti's first birthday, or maybe it was her second. Her cousins came (second cousins, to be exact, because they are my nephew's kids), and when the party was over, the eldest, who was about 7 at the time, came up to me and said, "Where's my goodie bag?"
Goodie bag? What's a goodie bag? I honestly didn't know. And when someone told me what it was, I was incredulous. What -- give presents to all the kids who show up at the party? I will never, ever do that, I vowed.
Famous last words, of course. I think Rex shelled out upwards of $100 for goodie bag materials for this birthday. He always goes overboard, anyway, as you already know if you check in on this blog now and then. It's really stupid of me to put him in charge of goodie bags. If I did them, the kids would be lucky to take home a lump of coal in a dirty old sock.
This time, it was actually enjoyable for me! The older the kids get, the less planning has to be done. They come up with their own games. (These are probably the golden years -- because when they get even older, I probably won't like the games they come up with! I do remember my own teen-age parties ...)
As I was saying, I found myself looking forward to the party. Ten fun kids to play with! We did have a good time, too. We had a foosball tournament. I had to be a partner to one of the kids, who chose the name "Cheeseheads" for our team.
The one aspect to birthday parties that I will always hate, however, is goodie bags. I remember Kayti's first birthday, or maybe it was her second. Her cousins came (second cousins, to be exact, because they are my nephew's kids), and when the party was over, the eldest, who was about 7 at the time, came up to me and said, "Where's my goodie bag?"
Goodie bag? What's a goodie bag? I honestly didn't know. And when someone told me what it was, I was incredulous. What -- give presents to all the kids who show up at the party? I will never, ever do that, I vowed.
Famous last words, of course. I think Rex shelled out upwards of $100 for goodie bag materials for this birthday. He always goes overboard, anyway, as you already know if you check in on this blog now and then. It's really stupid of me to put him in charge of goodie bags. If I did them, the kids would be lucky to take home a lump of coal in a dirty old sock.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Scoop on Cats
I'm home from a week in South Portland, during which I ran a hospital for cats.
It was really more like a clinic, because I didn't have to do any surgery. The lady for whom I was pet-sitting has nine cats and a 13-year-old Wheaten terrier. The dog and four of the cats required daily medication, some of them twice daily. So I got pretty good at wielding the syringes and hiding pills in peanut butter.
There was a learning curve, of course. The first night, it took me an hour and a half to feed, water and medicate the troops. I felt like Nurse Ratched. One cat ran and hid whenever she saw me coming with syringe in hand. Another has an esophagus problem and he threw up four times in the first 12 hours I was in residence.
Eventually we came to terms. I learned to brook no nonsense, Pepper learned that I wouldn't hesitate to grab her tail as she tried to scurry under the bed, and Stuart Little restricted his vomiting to once a day.
One great thing that I took away from the experience: I lost my aversion to cleaning litter box. That "box" is not a typo. After cleaning eight litter boxes twice a day for five days, one box (which is what we have at our house) seems like nothing!
It was really more like a clinic, because I didn't have to do any surgery. The lady for whom I was pet-sitting has nine cats and a 13-year-old Wheaten terrier. The dog and four of the cats required daily medication, some of them twice daily. So I got pretty good at wielding the syringes and hiding pills in peanut butter.
There was a learning curve, of course. The first night, it took me an hour and a half to feed, water and medicate the troops. I felt like Nurse Ratched. One cat ran and hid whenever she saw me coming with syringe in hand. Another has an esophagus problem and he threw up four times in the first 12 hours I was in residence.
Eventually we came to terms. I learned to brook no nonsense, Pepper learned that I wouldn't hesitate to grab her tail as she tried to scurry under the bed, and Stuart Little restricted his vomiting to once a day.
One great thing that I took away from the experience: I lost my aversion to cleaning litter box. That "box" is not a typo. After cleaning eight litter boxes twice a day for five days, one box (which is what we have at our house) seems like nothing!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
It's all about US
Kayti was noticing this morning how the car windows were frosty on one side but not on the other. "It's because the sun is on one side," she said. "Too bad we don't have two suns that come up from different directions."
Yes, it IS too bad, just because WE want the FROST off BOTH sides of OUR van. Let's redesign the entire universe just to convenience US!
I noticed something today, too. I noticed that the pony is wallowing around in about a solid inch of manure, so I'd better get out there with a shovel.
Yes, it IS too bad, just because WE want the FROST off BOTH sides of OUR van. Let's redesign the entire universe just to convenience US!
I noticed something today, too. I noticed that the pony is wallowing around in about a solid inch of manure, so I'd better get out there with a shovel.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Ich bin ein slacker
I have not abandoned this blog. I've just been so overwhelmed by all the Berlin Wall information, I couldn't focus on my own little life.
I am working a lot these days, since the Press Herald is throwing money at me again. I barely have time to say hi to my kid, between work, online Scrabble, and animal care. I have a pet-sitting gig next week in which I'm in charge of one dog and NINE cats! It should be most interesting.
Finally relented and let the older hens out of the new pen. A couple are back in now, but two are permanently out roaming around with Robin Hood the rooster. Robin never had any hens of his own back when Friar Tuck was here. Now he's got 'em, and guess what? He's afraid of them!
It's really warm out today, and I can't sit here any longer. We'll talk tomorrow!
I am working a lot these days, since the Press Herald is throwing money at me again. I barely have time to say hi to my kid, between work, online Scrabble, and animal care. I have a pet-sitting gig next week in which I'm in charge of one dog and NINE cats! It should be most interesting.
Finally relented and let the older hens out of the new pen. A couple are back in now, but two are permanently out roaming around with Robin Hood the rooster. Robin never had any hens of his own back when Friar Tuck was here. Now he's got 'em, and guess what? He's afraid of them!
It's really warm out today, and I can't sit here any longer. We'll talk tomorrow!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
As Maine goes ...
We in Maine all voted Nov. 3 on whether to repeal our new law allowing same-sex marriage.
I voted no. I think I am an isolated case, though, in that I feel that maybe marriage is way overrated as an institution, and maybe instead of OK'ing marriage for gays and lesbians, we should ban it altogether in favor of civil unions with accompanying rights and privileges for everyone, gays and straights alike.
The outcry from the one-man-one-woman camp reminds me of when Maine was considering requiring that motorists drive with headlights on during the day as well as at night. Motorcyclists were up in arms over that one. Their argument: Daytime headlights are a motorcycle thing, and should remain a purely motorcycle thing. Kind of a one-bike, one-headlamp mentality.
What if we non-motorcyclists told bikers, "Wheels are strictly for cars. You can't have them." That would be fairly dumb, wouldn't it?
My point being, if it works, why not share it? Similarly, if marriage works (and frankly, I'm not that sold on the idea that it does), then why not share it?
In Tuesday's vote, the Yeses won out, and went home safe and sanctimonious in their marriages, which they have rescued from the very jaws of Satan.
But it's pretty obvious the issue will be back, and it's pretty obvious that someday marriage will be OK for everybody. We'll just have to keep voting on it until less rigid heads prevail.
I voted no. I think I am an isolated case, though, in that I feel that maybe marriage is way overrated as an institution, and maybe instead of OK'ing marriage for gays and lesbians, we should ban it altogether in favor of civil unions with accompanying rights and privileges for everyone, gays and straights alike.
The outcry from the one-man-one-woman camp reminds me of when Maine was considering requiring that motorists drive with headlights on during the day as well as at night. Motorcyclists were up in arms over that one. Their argument: Daytime headlights are a motorcycle thing, and should remain a purely motorcycle thing. Kind of a one-bike, one-headlamp mentality.
What if we non-motorcyclists told bikers, "Wheels are strictly for cars. You can't have them." That would be fairly dumb, wouldn't it?
My point being, if it works, why not share it? Similarly, if marriage works (and frankly, I'm not that sold on the idea that it does), then why not share it?
In Tuesday's vote, the Yeses won out, and went home safe and sanctimonious in their marriages, which they have rescued from the very jaws of Satan.
But it's pretty obvious the issue will be back, and it's pretty obvious that someday marriage will be OK for everybody. We'll just have to keep voting on it until less rigid heads prevail.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Hands-off Momma
Kayti is working on her first major school project and Rex and I are having a devil of a time letting her do it herself.
It's really been a test of her boundaries, as she has had to stand up to us and say, "No, I want to do it THIS way!" sending us whimpering back into our corners.
I remember once in 7th grade I let a science project slide until the night before it was due, and my poor dad stayed up half the night putting something together for me. He actually did the whole thing -- it was a homemade battery. I was so grateful to him. I felt guilty, too. Not because I hadn't done my own project, but that my dad lost so much sleep. I've never felt guilty about getting someone else to do my work!
Kayti is having some interesting ideas and I'm proud of her creativity. Of course, it would have been nice if she'd started the project three days ago like we begged her to.
At 9 p.m., she decided she needed a nap and made me promise to wake her up in an hour and a half so she could continue working. She's sleeping now in the recliner. It's a perfect time for Rex and me to hijack the project. We'll tell her elves must have done it.
It's really been a test of her boundaries, as she has had to stand up to us and say, "No, I want to do it THIS way!" sending us whimpering back into our corners.
I remember once in 7th grade I let a science project slide until the night before it was due, and my poor dad stayed up half the night putting something together for me. He actually did the whole thing -- it was a homemade battery. I was so grateful to him. I felt guilty, too. Not because I hadn't done my own project, but that my dad lost so much sleep. I've never felt guilty about getting someone else to do my work!
Kayti is having some interesting ideas and I'm proud of her creativity. Of course, it would have been nice if she'd started the project three days ago like we begged her to.
At 9 p.m., she decided she needed a nap and made me promise to wake her up in an hour and a half so she could continue working. She's sleeping now in the recliner. It's a perfect time for Rex and me to hijack the project. We'll tell her elves must have done it.
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