December 26, 2010

movie meme

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 5 times.
You've Got Mail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Lion King
Shawshank Redemption
Toy Story
Jurassic Park
The Sound of Music
Men in Black

Hitch
Jaws
Psycho
Rear Window


2. Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater.
(3 times each)
The Lion King
Chicago
Red


3. Name an actor/actress that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Tommy Lee Jones
Will Smith
Morgan Freeman
Bruce Willis
Dustin Hoffman
Jeff Bridges
Alfred Hitchcock

4. Name an actor/actress that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Will Ferrell (excepting "Stranger Than Fiction")
Rob Schneider
Keanu Reeves
Woody Harrelson
Toni Collette

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
(These are more quotes that I use in real life on a regular basis.)
America's Sweethearts ("She's on Prozac?! " "If ONLY . . . the dog.")
Airplane ("I am serious . . . and don't call me Shirley"!)
Lion King ("You have NO idea.")
Princess Bride (“Inconceivable!”)
Twister (“I gotta go Julia! WE GOT COWS!!!”)
Monty Python & the Holy Grail (“It's only a flesh wound")

Ferris Bueller's Day Off ("Anyone? Anyone?)
Men In Black ("A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it.)
Apollo 13 ("Houston, we have a problem.")
Psycho ("Mother . . . isn't quite herself today.")
Goodbye Girl ("I AM decent. I also happen to be naked.")
Kindergarten Cop ("It's not a TUMAH")
Pirates of the Caribbean ("Where's the RUM???")
When Harry Met Sally ("I'll have what SHE'S having.")

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs
The Lion King
The Sound of Music
The Little Mermaid
Chicago
Annie
Newsies

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with
Raiders of the Lost Ark - "dun da dun daaaa, dun da daaaaa, dun da dun daaaa, dun da da da da" Sing with me!!!


8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
To inspire or change you:
Crash
The Blind Side
Martian Child
Les Miserables
Seven Pounds

Fairly recent fun movies:
Red
The A-Team
Despicable Me
Star Trek

Avatar

9. Name a movie that you own.
Any movie previously mentioned and available on dvd . . . plus a myriad of chick flicks, most Harrison Ford movies (Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan, Star Wars, etc.), King Kong, the library of Pixar & Disney, some Stephen King, some John Grisham, some M. Night Shyamalan, some Coen Brothers, some Alfred Hitchcock, and pretty much any disaster movie threatening the end of the world as we know it. Oh, and about 10 dozen others.

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
Will Smith. No contest.

11. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to.
Schindler's List.

12. Ever walked out of a movie?
So far, all of them.


13. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
See #12.

14. Popcorn?
Rarely. I LOVE it, but I can't justify paying $6 for something I can pop at home for 75c. And, NO butter.


15. How often do you go to the movies?
Average: once every 6 weeks.


16. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
True Grit. Love those Coen Boys.


17. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
I gave this a bit of thought. I don't think I have one. A good movie is a good movie. For me, it MUST have, and I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough, it MUST have great dialogue.


18. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
The Jungle Book, though it was actually at the drive-in

19. What movie do you wish you had never seen?
Hmmmm . . . if I had to pick just one movie, I would say, "The Hours." I wish I had "the hours" back that I spent watching it. Dreadful.

20. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?
I tried to enjoy "Inglorious Basterds", I really did. I wanted to. But I just couldn't make it past the gore to appreciate the humor. So . . . weirdest movie I've enjoyed? Fargo. Or Supergator. They're both so similar . . . :)


21. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen?
The Shining. Silence of the Lambs. The Ring. None so scary now.

22. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen?
I rarely like comedies that are JUST comedies . . . i.e., most anything starring a Saturday Night Live alum. I like movies with action or a story that also happen to BE funny. BUT, for strictly giggles, the movie that makes me laugh hysterically no matter how many times I see it . . . Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Hands down.

23. Great books that were also great movies?
For me . . . Hamlet, Little Women, and several John Grisham's.

24. Great books that were not-so-great movies?
Most of the movies based on Stephen King stories seriously do NOT do him justice. (There are a FEW exceptions.)

December 19, 2010

give peach a chance

She was two, and OH SO cute. She had definitely NOT earned the "terrible" nickname that particular age brings to so many toddlers. She was good-natured and imaginative and verbal.

But on this particular day, she was quiet. Really quiet. And at first you, as a parent, don't notice 'quiet'. It's peaceful. That's why they call it "peace and quiet". But then suddenly 'quiet' screams at you like an airhorn: SHE IS TOO QUIET. WHAT IS SHE DOING? IS SHE BREATHING? HAS SHE FALLEN INTO THE TOILET HEAD FIRST? Of course, all these thoughts go through your head in less time than it takes you to gasp.

On my way up the stairs, I called out frantically, "Kacey?"
"Wha mommy?"
(Sigh of relief. Panic subsided. Heart rate returned to normal.)
"What are you doing?"
"I play wif da soap."

Whew. Play with the soap. Good. Wait. Play with the soap? What soap? The only soap upstairs is in the bathtub, and she can't reach it. Investigation became urgent.

At the door of my room I found her sitting in the middle of the bed. It took a second or two to assess what I was seeing. In the middle of my very 1980's peach comforter was a reddish stain the size of a large Rorschach ink blot. Was it blood? No, too purple. Finger paint? No, there's no finger paint upstairs . . . OHHHH, but there IS paint for FINGERS upstairs.

Kacey, wearing nothing but her big girl panties, swiveled around to reveal a bottle of nail polish in one hand, a very decorated Winnie-the-Pooh in the other hand, and a tummy covered with "soap
".

It was clear (unfortunately the nail polish was not), that the comforter was ruined. As was Pooh Bear, her favorite "baby". But how could I be upset at something that stinkin' cute? I couldn't. I said, "Honey, don't move. Mommy will be right back!" And I ran to get the camera.

The comforter became history. Kacey's tummy stayed "pretty" for several days until the polish wore off in the bath, 'cause there was no way I was rubbing my baby down with acetone. And the mauve-painted Pooh was discreetly replaced by a new, clean Pooh.

I just realized it's not often you get to say "new clean Pooh" in a blog. Or in real life, for that matter.

December 17, 2010

2023: A Displaced Odyssey

Walking uphill, alone on a cracked sidewalk, I was just past the outskirts of an old town. Walking toward me in the street was a guy I recognized, I think from high school. He still looked the same as when I knew him, but as we got closer it was apparent he was drunk, and had an empty brown bottle in his hand. He smiled and I smiled back. After he had passed by, I looked over my shoulder. He had stopped behind a telephone pole. When he saw me look back, he threw the bottle at me, which shattered on the sidewalk in front of me. I said, “That wasn’t very nice. I’m barefoot.” As I maneuvered around the broken glass, he continued to throw things at me - rocks, trash, cans. But he was so drunk, both his strength and his aim were greatly affected, so I walked on unthreatened. It was all very Stanley Kubrick, in “A Clockwork Orange” kind of way.

I arrived to a rundown diner, now accompanied by someone else. I asked my boss - a petite, 60ish woman - if my friend could join us. The friend also asked if she was welcome, and the boss replied, “You will always be welcome, as long as you have not had any contact with live, warm animals.”

Looking around the kitchen, there were about 15 people. I assumed we were about to start serving food in the diner, when my boss said, “Stephanie, you’re first.” So I got a metal tray, like from a prison cafeteria, took it over to her, and she sprinkled an assortment of food onto it - pieces of a fried egg, what looked to be chunks of chicken-fried steak, and some green vegetables. They were just scattered across the tray and not compartmentalized into groups. The boss lady then said, “Go to your pod and eat.” I realized then that the food was being rationed and this was my portion. I walked out to the parking lot to find my car. The parking lot was grown up with weeds. Boxes and piles of junk were littered throughout, almost like an old salvage yard. I walked back to my car, the 1983 white Chevy S-10 blazer I had years ago, intending to get inside to sit down. When reaching the car, however, I realized the floorboards had been filled with soil, and we were growing vegetables inside. I remember thinking this was 2023.

Then my cell phone alarm went off and I woke up. I fully intended to blog about socks today, but this takes precedence because I don’t want it to slip away as dreams often do.

I’m usually good with interpretation, but this SyFy weirdness has me stumped.
Anyone? Anyone?

December 14, 2010

it's worth repeating

"Nursing on Peppermint Sticks"

I did not feed my children sugar until they were 2. Even then, they were more likely to get it from other sources than from me. My theory: why give it to them when they don't even know what they're missing? Anyway, the Christmas when Kevin was 11 months old, Kacey (7)
wanted to decorate the tree with a whole red and white candy-cane motif. We hung shrink-wrapped candy canes, strung peppermint garland and made a huge bow for the top from red & white striped ribbon. It turned out really cute!

Kevin, (having never had a nursery, nor a crib because we're "family bed" people) was, what I call, a "wandering baby". You never knew where he was going to be when you woke up. One particular morning during the holiday season (I believe it was "8 Maids a-Milking" day), I woke to funny little noises coming from the living room. Upon further inspection, those funny little noises turned out to be my barely-steady-on-his-feet baby boy, standing as high on tiptoes as his footie pajamas would allow, neck outstretched like a Serengeti giraffe, nursing the end of a peppermint stick. Apparently he had sucked the plastic wrap off the end, then continued to lick and slurp it to a sharp point. The funny little noises were his grunts and groans as he neared the end of his height range in relation to the dwindling candy cane. The look on his little face told me what his lack of verbal communication could not: "Me like sugar."

As a wandering baby he did many other funny little things like sleepwalk, pee on his sister (well, almost!), and sleep in the kitchen cabinet. Oh, other stories for other days!

December 07, 2010

25 Christmassy Things

1. Favorite Holiday Memory - Kevin licking the candy canes off the Chritmas tree when he was barely old enough to stand up.
2. Favorite Holiday Song - “O Holy Night” - 'Fall on your knees' gives me cold chills every single time I hear it. Although Harry Connick Jr.’s “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” works for me too. :o)
(**I also highly enjoy my Charlie Brown Christmas cd that Kacey bought me, and Mikey’s “Candlelight Processional Disney Massed Choir” cd he recorded when he was in high school.)
3. Favorite Holiday Cartoon - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated version!)
4. Favorite Holiday Movie - Die Hard! But I’m also a sucker for “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
5. Wrapping Paper or Gift bags? Both. I like the looks of wrapping paper better, and I LOVE big bows, but I hate the thought of 3 trees in Oregon giving their lives just so we can rip it up and throw it away . . . so gift bags or gift boxes would be more honest.
6. Real tree or artificial? Fake, baby! Although I LOVE the smell of pine, I again hate the thought of a tree withering away in my den when it could be thriving outdoors. Besides, the last time we cut a real tree, some critter hatched out in the house and we were bug-infested the entire season. Ick!
7. When do you put up the tree? Thanksgiving weekend. Usually. This year was later because when I went to get the tree out of the utility room, there was no tree. Apparently I got rid of it last year when I was feeling scroogey, so I had to go buy another tree.
8. More importantly, when do you take down the tree? New Year’s Day. I’m firm on this one. When the season is over, doggone it, turn off your giant inflatable penguins and take down the garland. I will give you about a one-week grace period on this one, and then I will be yelling at your house from my car, “CHRISTMAS IS OVER!!!! TURN OFF THE LIGHTS!!!”
9. Favorite Gift? Hmmmm . . . the funniest one was a GIGANTIC can of ravioli my parents thought would be good for a laugh. It was. The most creative was from my boyfriend who did a “12 days of Christmas” thing that included a lot of sweet and fun things like matchbox cars and fur coat charms and a diamond necklace. I’ll have to blog about that sometime . . .
10. Hardest person to buy for? Dad. What to get dad? I never do know.
11. Easiest person to buy for? I used to say Kacey or mom, because they both like what I like! But really, it's the cowboy. He writes out a VERY detailed Christmas list about a mile long containing several thousand dollars worth of items he can't live without. I take the list to the nearest Saddle Boy store, ask them what I can get off this list of x-amount of dollars, have them put it in a burlap feed sack with a green bow and call it good.
12. Greeting cards? Nope. Sorry, just don’t do them. Again, I don't see sacrificing trees just to say "Merry Christmas", but I’m happy to open yours as long as you don't include one of those "this is how wonderful my family is" newsletters!
13. Nativity Scene? Uh uh . . . I don’t even have family pictures displayed in my house, so this is not a big surprise. Jesus is in my heart, but not on top of my entertainment center. Sorry to disappoint.
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? SUSHI!!! HaHa. Okay, truthfully it's grandmama’s oyster dressing. Yum!
15. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yeah, Grumpy, Sleepy, Dopey and Fred.
16. Angel on top of the tree? Sticks and twigs and berrys and spirally things that stick out everywhere. Love it. When the kids were little we usually topped the tree with a Santa hat.
17. Open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? One present only on Christmas eve, the rest on Christmas morning, or whenever daughter-face and son-in-law and baby girl come in.
18. Best part of the holidays? Playing games. Especially ones that I win. Like Boggle. Or Trivial Pursuit. Or Scrabble. I will seriously kick your tail at Scrabble.
19. Worst part of Christmas? Missing people who should be sharing the holiday with me. That, and taking down the tree and getting used to seeing the house look “naked” again.
20. Weirdest Christmas memory? Asking for a doll that looked like me, and getting a Raggedy Ann doll. Not a great self-esteem booster, though now that I see her again . . . round face, pale skin, thick ankles, unruly red hair . . .

21. Colored lights or white? White, LOTS OF THEM, but NO BLINKING!
22. Ever been Christmas caroling? Yes, but it's been a LONG while! Mostly I just Christmas Carol to myself in the car . . .
23. Ever been ice skating? Once, in Alaska, while pushing Kacey in a stroller. Cold, but FUN!
24. Candy Canes or Gingerbread? Gingerbread, but star-shaped sugar cookies with colored sugar sprinkles are even better!
25. Christmas quirk? When the kids were little, I wouldn't let them see the presents under the tree or open their stockings until everybody was awake and their hair was brushed. (It's a photographer thing. Or a control-freak thing. Who, me?) :o)

December 01, 2010

NAME THAT HOLIDAY MOVIE:

1. A tiny little boy is separated from his family.
2. When his mother finds him, he is thousands of miles from her.
3. His 5-year-old sister saves her coins, one at a time, to help save her little brother.
4. Legal red tape keeps them apart for months upon months.
5. His parents scrimp and save and pray every day for their son who, halfway around the world, doesn't even know they miss him.
6. After a long, long time, the precious little boy hears that his family has found him and is coming to get him as soon as they possibly can.
7. You buy a t-shirt.

What?

Okay, so it's not a movie. At least not yet. It's the story of my amazing friends, Philip & Sara, who are adopting a little boy with special needs from an orphanage in west Africa. The legal work is nearly finished, their son DOES know they are coming to bring him home, and you CAN help write the end.

They need to raise $15,000 dollars to finish this journey.
Sound like a lot of money?
How much are your children worth?

Go. Seek. Love.

Seriously, go seek love. As in
http://www.goseeklove.com/ and buy a t-shirt. Or buy 2 t-shirts. Or buy t-shirts for your whole family. If you do it before December 13, this sweet family gets the proceeds donated to their adoption fund.

You are likely to spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars this season to spoil your children, indulge your appetite, take a vacation, and deck your halls with boughs of Hallmark . . . while this little boy waits in an orphanage for his dad and mom and sister and brother, who are already crazy-in-love with him, to come get him and bring him home.

Come on, if that doesn't tug at your heartstrings, your name must be Ebeneezer.

"God bless us, one and all." Now buy a t-shirt. Please.

(If you would simply like to make a tax-deductible donation, please email me - stephanie@reidland.org and I would be privileged to help you do so. Also, you can click HERE to read about their adoption journey. Merry Christmas to you all.)