In previous posts and comments on other people's blogs, I proclaimed not only my love for Pixar but my son's love for it as well. I try not expose him too much to it as it IS viewed either on television or via my computer and as I've been told so many times, children his age are not supposed to watch television. Although, I just recently read something on BabyCenter about how 15 minute increments (controlled watching of selected material) for children under 2 shouldn't hurt them (and other mommy guilt laden topics). But that's not what this post is about, so I digress.
Since moving the "office" to our basement, I've found it lonely and boring for some reason. Maybe it's because the window in our previous "office" location overlooked our street and I could watch the comings and goings of the world. Now I just have a sliding glass door that looks onto our fenced in yard. So to give myself some "company" and if I need some background noise to make working easier, I've been putting on movies. This is better than daytime television because A) most daytime television is boring or just plain stupid, B) I've already watched all of the movies we own so I can block it out should I need to put more concentration into something. I know some people find this concept baffling -- when I worked in an ACTUAL office, I listened to my iPod often. That was to BLOCK out certain individuals in the office though. So I suppose I got used to background noise and when there is none, I can't work. (BTW, Monsters, Inc. is on in the background now because DH is gaming and I'm, well, I'm writing this!)
Okay, back on topic!
I've been watching a LOT of Pixar movies lately. I simply LOVE Finding Nemo and could watch it over and over again. It has so much to offer besides a cute story and amazing graphics. Many palatable lessons for young and old alike exist in its storyline. Most of Pixar's movies have this quality. Maybe all? I'll need to rewatch Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2 to verify this as I haven't rewatched them in a while.
For instance, in Finding Nemo, there are two obvious lessons. One, parents should not overprotect their kids because it could just drive them into danger. Two, kids should listen to their parents and not stray to far from them because the world IS a dangerous place. In The Incredibles, there are a few good lessons but the one that always strikes me is the one about the "bad guys" and how they don't show restraint like the cartoon bad guys. In Monsters, Inc. there are some sutble statements about our society (e.g. use of energy, assumed views of those we don't know much about). But there are so many others. I'm not going to state them all here -- today anyway.
I do want to catalogue these lessons somewhere so when Monkey is old enough to comprehend we can talk about them after viewing the movie.
Enough of my extolling the virtues of Pixar movies. Which one is your favorite and why?
P.S. I've had some posts in queue. Sorry for the onslaught.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Certain times of year
There are certain times of year when you think of things. Memories. Fond ones. Sometimes not so fond ones.
Being Memorial Day weekend, I think of DH's father and how he would go the Rolling Thunder ride in D.C. each year. That is until he passed away in 2004. It's hard to believe it's been 4 years now.
While traveling to the National Zoo for the D.C. Mommy blogger meet-up, I saw a group of motorcylists headed to the Rolling Thunder event. I started to feel very sad and forced myself not to become overwhelmed by the feeling. Each year, I know this weekend brings up painful memories for my DH and my in-laws. I try to "check in" on him by asking how he's doing. I "pseudo" check-in on my MIL by asking DH if he's spoken to her and how she is doing. I never know whether I should bring the subject up though. If he doesn't, then I suppose it's not worth mentioning and unnecessarily bring up painful memories.
I guess why I'm writing this is to ask, how do you handle similar situations? Where you have a loved one who has suffered a loss and you want to make sure they're okay without making it worse?
Being Memorial Day weekend, I think of DH's father and how he would go the Rolling Thunder ride in D.C. each year. That is until he passed away in 2004. It's hard to believe it's been 4 years now.
While traveling to the National Zoo for the D.C. Mommy blogger meet-up, I saw a group of motorcylists headed to the Rolling Thunder event. I started to feel very sad and forced myself not to become overwhelmed by the feeling. Each year, I know this weekend brings up painful memories for my DH and my in-laws. I try to "check in" on him by asking how he's doing. I "pseudo" check-in on my MIL by asking DH if he's spoken to her and how she is doing. I never know whether I should bring the subject up though. If he doesn't, then I suppose it's not worth mentioning and unnecessarily bring up painful memories.
I guess why I'm writing this is to ask, how do you handle similar situations? Where you have a loved one who has suffered a loss and you want to make sure they're okay without making it worse?
Friday, May 23, 2008
Listening to DH giving Monkey a bath ...
"Ahha! We've found GOLD! You've got a lot of gold in there!"
Monkey's been a little snotty lately. :)
Monkey's been a little snotty lately. :)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Politics Wed: Campaign Money
Usually, I do not interject opinion with these posts. However, something has been on my mind regarding the presidential race and I wanted to share it with everyone and get your opinions as well.
On the occassions when I get to commute to the office in the morningtime for a meeting, I try to listen to NPR so I can familiarize myself with what is going on in the world. Recently, as I listen to the reports about the campaigns, I find myself astounded at the amount of money collected and spent by the presidential candidates. Especially when the television news stations always show Clinton asking, practically begging, for more money after each primary she wins.
Does anyone else find the amount of money spent just mind-blowing and downright wasteful?
I found a good site which breaks it all down in a nice, concise, easy to read format (crucial for someone like me with a small attention span and little tolerance for long, tediously detailed reports). It details how much money was collected by each candidate (even those not in the race any longer), how much was spent and a general pie graph of how most candidates spend that money.
Another simply baffling aspect of this campaign financing is that they have DEBT as well! Can you believe this?!
Here are some examples for each of the remaining candidates:
TOTAL RAISED
Clinton -- $214,883,437
McCain -- $96,654,783
Obama -- $265,439,277
TOTAL SPENT
Clinton -- $185,216,984
McCain -- $72,666,309
Obama -- $218,884,220
DEBTS
Clinton -- $19,480,893
McCain -- $968,301
Obama -- $2,037,801
After looking at the expenditures, it appears most of the money goes toward employees and their benefits (okay, that's fair I guess unless there's an overly paid CEO scenario happening) and broadcast media. I don't know about you, but I don't really need any candidate spending that much money on those ads. They usually disgust me and I drown them out from my senses when they come on the television.
The one area I think they get their money's worth are those signs outside of the polls, especially the local candidates running for town or county offices -- most people don't know anything about these people so those signs might actually sway someone just because the name would then be familiar.
I really wanted to go into this with more detail and if I have time, I might delve into it more next Wednesday. But I want to know, what are your thoughts on the matter?
On the occassions when I get to commute to the office in the morningtime for a meeting, I try to listen to NPR so I can familiarize myself with what is going on in the world. Recently, as I listen to the reports about the campaigns, I find myself astounded at the amount of money collected and spent by the presidential candidates. Especially when the television news stations always show Clinton asking, practically begging, for more money after each primary she wins.
Does anyone else find the amount of money spent just mind-blowing and downright wasteful?
I found a good site which breaks it all down in a nice, concise, easy to read format (crucial for someone like me with a small attention span and little tolerance for long, tediously detailed reports). It details how much money was collected by each candidate (even those not in the race any longer), how much was spent and a general pie graph of how most candidates spend that money.
Another simply baffling aspect of this campaign financing is that they have DEBT as well! Can you believe this?!
Here are some examples for each of the remaining candidates:
TOTAL RAISED
Clinton -- $214,883,437
McCain -- $96,654,783
Obama -- $265,439,277
TOTAL SPENT
Clinton -- $185,216,984
McCain -- $72,666,309
Obama -- $218,884,220
DEBTS
Clinton -- $19,480,893
McCain -- $968,301
Obama -- $2,037,801
After looking at the expenditures, it appears most of the money goes toward employees and their benefits (okay, that's fair I guess unless there's an overly paid CEO scenario happening) and broadcast media. I don't know about you, but I don't really need any candidate spending that much money on those ads. They usually disgust me and I drown them out from my senses when they come on the television.
The one area I think they get their money's worth are those signs outside of the polls, especially the local candidates running for town or county offices -- most people don't know anything about these people so those signs might actually sway someone just because the name would then be familiar.
I really wanted to go into this with more detail and if I have time, I might delve into it more next Wednesday. But I want to know, what are your thoughts on the matter?
Monday, May 19, 2008
Muddled
Did you ever have one of those days where you kept flubbing up little things along the way and each one built up under your skin making you just feel awkward or "off"? And the whole day was just muddled?
Lil' Monkey was a little cranky when he got up. Still half-asleep, I decided to breastfeed him. This wasn't right. I should have taken him downstairs and given him his breakfast (cereal, fruit or something). So that fouled up our morning routine. He didn't want to eat, even after I waited a half-hour to try. After trying in vein to get him to eat some pears and Cheerios, we went upstairs and I put on Baby Einstein (he likes it now) while I took a shower. This wasn't right either. Normally, he plays for a bit in the kitchen while I make his bottles for daycare. Because I was just not in our routine, we ended up running late. I hurried up to make the bottles 5 minutes before we needed to leave. Then I remembered I needed a new backup outfit for his bag. Then Monkey decided that he didn't want his shoes on but wanted to "pet the tree" instead (we have a small evergreen on our dining room buffet that he likes to touch) -- I normally enjoy letting him do this but the pressure of being late and just feeling out of sorts started to make me not such the nice mommy.
Irritable, I rushed to get him into his carseat and as I'm sure any parent knows, when you are in a hurry, they fight you about EVERYTHING. He was grabbing for the car keys, grabbing at the backseat mirror, leaning over the carseat so I couldn't get his arm into the strap.
Exasperated, I said, "UGH! Please just sit still so we can get going!"
Once we were in the car and moving, I realized that my reaction wasn't one I felt comfortable with -- not since I'd be dropping him off within a matter of minutes. I wanted to leave on a good note. Just before I took him out of his carseat to give him over to the sitter, I made sure to give him a couple kisses and tell him that I love him.
And that just was the way the rest of the day went as well. Little things just being slightly off.
I opened the letter from the specialist we're seeing tomorrow only to realize that I was supposed to fill out the forms and send them by mail PRIOR to the appointment. I've had the letter for a week or more. I kept telling myself, "You need to open that." But of course, I waited until the last minute. Hopefully, they'll still take us.
While working, I kept messing up the query I was working on to get data from one database to another. Starting over at least 3 times.
When I went to pick up lil' Monkey, his sitter said that he must be getting a cold. And indeed as I looked down at him, I could see the tell-tale running nose, watery eyes and those red circles under his eyes he's been getting when sick. "I'll have to stop by the store and get some Motrin on the way home," I said to her. Did I? Nooooooo. Went on auto-pilot and drove straight home. Luckily, we still have some Tylenol in the house.
Anyway, it's just been an off day. So I apologize if this post is a little muddled.
P.S. Tonight is the FINAL for DWTS! Be sure to watch!
Lil' Monkey was a little cranky when he got up. Still half-asleep, I decided to breastfeed him. This wasn't right. I should have taken him downstairs and given him his breakfast (cereal, fruit or something). So that fouled up our morning routine. He didn't want to eat, even after I waited a half-hour to try. After trying in vein to get him to eat some pears and Cheerios, we went upstairs and I put on Baby Einstein (he likes it now) while I took a shower. This wasn't right either. Normally, he plays for a bit in the kitchen while I make his bottles for daycare. Because I was just not in our routine, we ended up running late. I hurried up to make the bottles 5 minutes before we needed to leave. Then I remembered I needed a new backup outfit for his bag. Then Monkey decided that he didn't want his shoes on but wanted to "pet the tree" instead (we have a small evergreen on our dining room buffet that he likes to touch) -- I normally enjoy letting him do this but the pressure of being late and just feeling out of sorts started to make me not such the nice mommy.
Irritable, I rushed to get him into his carseat and as I'm sure any parent knows, when you are in a hurry, they fight you about EVERYTHING. He was grabbing for the car keys, grabbing at the backseat mirror, leaning over the carseat so I couldn't get his arm into the strap.
Exasperated, I said, "UGH! Please just sit still so we can get going!"
Once we were in the car and moving, I realized that my reaction wasn't one I felt comfortable with -- not since I'd be dropping him off within a matter of minutes. I wanted to leave on a good note. Just before I took him out of his carseat to give him over to the sitter, I made sure to give him a couple kisses and tell him that I love him.
And that just was the way the rest of the day went as well. Little things just being slightly off.
I opened the letter from the specialist we're seeing tomorrow only to realize that I was supposed to fill out the forms and send them by mail PRIOR to the appointment. I've had the letter for a week or more. I kept telling myself, "You need to open that." But of course, I waited until the last minute. Hopefully, they'll still take us.
While working, I kept messing up the query I was working on to get data from one database to another. Starting over at least 3 times.
When I went to pick up lil' Monkey, his sitter said that he must be getting a cold. And indeed as I looked down at him, I could see the tell-tale running nose, watery eyes and those red circles under his eyes he's been getting when sick. "I'll have to stop by the store and get some Motrin on the way home," I said to her. Did I? Nooooooo. Went on auto-pilot and drove straight home. Luckily, we still have some Tylenol in the house.
Anyway, it's just been an off day. So I apologize if this post is a little muddled.
P.S. Tonight is the FINAL for DWTS! Be sure to watch!
Friday, May 16, 2008
New Sleeping Quarters
I tried out the new guest room after its move from our basement to the top level of our home. DH actually STOPPED playing WoW at 9:00 (very rare) and went to bed with me. We watched The Office season finale and as he has no issues with falling asleep, he was OUT within 2 minutes of it ending.
So I decided to watch my recording of Lost. He was snoring SO LOUDLY that I couldn't hear the show! I kept nudging him, saying "Be quiet! I can't hear!", but he must have been really tired because he barely even moved each time. I was afraid to turn it up anymore for fear of waking lil' Monkey up in the room down the hall.
Once I struggled through Lost, I laid in bed contemplating whether or not I should move to the next room. Afterall, that's what the whole Big Move was for, right? After struggling to hear both the Daily Show and Colbert Report, I decided it was time to move.
It was a little difficult getting to sleep in the strange "new" room but eventually I did and I'm thankful I made the decision. I ended up having a pretty good night's sleep.
So I decided to watch my recording of Lost. He was snoring SO LOUDLY that I couldn't hear the show! I kept nudging him, saying "Be quiet! I can't hear!", but he must have been really tired because he barely even moved each time. I was afraid to turn it up anymore for fear of waking lil' Monkey up in the room down the hall.
Once I struggled through Lost, I laid in bed contemplating whether or not I should move to the next room. Afterall, that's what the whole Big Move was for, right? After struggling to hear both the Daily Show and Colbert Report, I decided it was time to move.
It was a little difficult getting to sleep in the strange "new" room but eventually I did and I'm thankful I made the decision. I ended up having a pretty good night's sleep.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
DWTS: Semi-finals!
I know I've been lagging on the posts about this. But given that most of my readers don't watch, I didn't feel it was very pressing. If you HAVE been watching and haven't watched your recording for this week, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!
So since I last posted about DWTS, these individuals have been voted off:
Adam Carolla
Priscilla Presley
Marlee Matlin
Shannon Elizabeth
Mario
And last night, Marissa Jaret Winokur (again, apologies to anyone who hasn't watched their recording).
This season I was really hoping a woman would win since it's only been men winning except for the first season. However, as I've stated before, I think Kristi, the only woman left, had an unfair advantage going into this. I mean, if anyone saw her tango last week, I mean ... C'MON! She might as well have been wearing ice skates during that spin! (DH keeps teasing, pretending to be her, saying "Um, could we like put some water on the floor and then like make the room really cold?" I don't think I've ever heard her use "like" in this manner but he puts a lot of "likes" into sentences when trying to imitate a woman. Not sure what that says ... hmmm.)
So my new favorite, since Shannon was voted off, has been Jason. He's fantastic! Very smooth and deliberate with all of the dances. Plus, he's definitely a looker. :)
However, my second choice would definitely be Kristi. The woman does work her butt off and it shows (in her dances and her actual butt). Maybe the producers chose her because they knew people would be rooting for a woman this time (or at least the women probably would be). And they knew, she'd kick everyone's ass. I dunno.
Who is your favorite to win and why?
P.S. I know today is Wednesday and I owe everyone a Politics Wednesday post (for about two months now!). However, I have an idea I'd really like to devote some time to so it might have to wait until next week. Sorry!
BTW, DH doesn't watch regularly. Only when I have it on. I'm sure he'd like me to make that clear. ;)
So since I last posted about DWTS, these individuals have been voted off:
Adam Carolla
Priscilla Presley
Marlee Matlin
Shannon Elizabeth
Mario
And last night, Marissa Jaret Winokur (again, apologies to anyone who hasn't watched their recording).
This season I was really hoping a woman would win since it's only been men winning except for the first season. However, as I've stated before, I think Kristi, the only woman left, had an unfair advantage going into this. I mean, if anyone saw her tango last week, I mean ... C'MON! She might as well have been wearing ice skates during that spin! (DH keeps teasing, pretending to be her, saying "Um, could we like put some water on the floor and then like make the room really cold?" I don't think I've ever heard her use "like" in this manner but he puts a lot of "likes" into sentences when trying to imitate a woman. Not sure what that says ... hmmm.)
So my new favorite, since Shannon was voted off, has been Jason. He's fantastic! Very smooth and deliberate with all of the dances. Plus, he's definitely a looker. :)
However, my second choice would definitely be Kristi. The woman does work her butt off and it shows (in her dances and her actual butt). Maybe the producers chose her because they knew people would be rooting for a woman this time (or at least the women probably would be). And they knew, she'd kick everyone's ass. I dunno.
Who is your favorite to win and why?
P.S. I know today is Wednesday and I owe everyone a Politics Wednesday post (for about two months now!). However, I have an idea I'd really like to devote some time to so it might have to wait until next week. Sorry!
BTW, DH doesn't watch regularly. Only when I have it on. I'm sure he'd like me to make that clear. ;)
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