Awww, You Shouldn't Have

My conservative, Republican step-dad bought my husband, who isn't so sure about his Democrat proclaimed self as of late, this.

Misjudged

I don't think I've ever fully appreciated the intelligent, independent creature that is Tinker Bell. I always dismissed her as Peter Pan's scantily-clad fairy friend. I've recently been enlightened due to watching the new Tinker Bell movie (with Ella).

Apparently, a fairy is created as a result of a baby's first laugh. "Tink" was born and given the talent of a "tinker"...fairy speak for engineer! The girl is smart! She struggles with her identity throughout the cartoon, trying her hand at more girly careers, but eventually accepts her skills as a tinker.

The cartoon really is sweet, and the animation is beautiful. I've always been an admirer of fairy dust:) If you have little ones, check it out. If not, check it out anyway and just don't tell anyone!!!

P.S. The end of the movie provides Tink's tie to Peter Pan; kinda cool.
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Date Night

Josh and I ate at P.F. Chang's Saturday night...first time there...pretty good. Truluck's is still my favorite dining experience in DFW...so far.

We contemplated Avanti as our restaurant of choice last night...anyone been there?

After dinner we went to see Star Trek. Eehhh, it was alright. I'm not a trekky, but my husband kinda is, so he got a few "inside jokes", but even he made fun of the guy in front of us that laughed a bit too heartily at a few not so funny moments. At least it was short. We both agreed we should've seen Pelham 123.
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Pseudo-Sappiness Alert:
The hubs and I always have excellent conversation, and I mentioned to him last night that if we ever became that couple that sits and stares off into space, showing no sign of life until the food arrives, then that will be the time we "hang it up", we'll be "done", it's "el fin". I don't see it happenin'. I love that guy.

Crazy Car Ride

On the way home from Ft. Worth late Saturday afternoon my husband and I witnessed the rolling wreck of the red Chevy Cobalt as seen on BG's blog. It happened so fast, but at the same time seemed to happen in slow motion. The car started to smoke, but people still ran to it. So many pulled over, had their cellphones out, and the ambulance was barelling down the road within minutes.

Our world can be crazy, but I think when it comes down to it, we all instinctively care for our fellow man in time of crisis. If only we could lend that same helping hand or those life encouraging words just because, without the crisis...ya know, to a stranger, a co-worker, or family member. It's not an original sentiment but one I sometimes need to be reminded of.

Let's Talk About...

literature. Yep, that's what I'll be doing for 7 hours each day this week as I attend TCU's annual Advanced Placement Summer Institute. The mommy side of me is going to miss my Ella Bear since we've been spending every day together since summer break, but I think she really does miss her daycare buds. The teacher-bookworm-nerd side of me can't wait:)

You'd Think...

that a Dish Network technician would know where to install a satellite so as not to receive signal interference from a half dozen trees beside my house, you know, once the leaves grew. They're sending someone out tomorrow to move it. I think I may try hitting them up for the Noggin channel as a result of their previous "Duh"ness. If it ends up looking like a weather vane on my house, though, I'm getting Time Warner.

Starting This Tonight...

...and NOT because Oprah said so.

Sent Scents that make Sense

Beall's sent out a mailing to advertise for Father's Day, and an ingenius marketing ploy was tucked inside the magazine of overpriced Dad doo-dads...4 little fold-outs of 8 different men's colognes. I can smell them now as I type. They smell verrry (imagine a rolled "r") nice...even all jumbled together.

They got me; I will be going to Beall's tomorrow to look for a Father's Day shirt(s) for my Dad...I have good taste; he likes them...well, at least he wears what I've bought him in the past...when I'm around, and maybe only when I'm around...nevermind.

Back to the olfactory pleasers...I L-O-V-E cologne.

I'm a married woman, but Josh wouldn't mind me saying...a guy can be so-so good-looking, but some nice, non over-powering smell-good can greatly improve the attractiveness of a so-so guy. Men, if your significant other likes cologne, wear it. If you don't have a significant other, wear it. Surprisingly, the Axe spray (the one with a hint of chocolate) smells reeeeally good. Josh always teases that those commercials are true:)

Here, I'll list the ones that were sent in order of Most Favorite to Least:
1). Polo Black (5 Yums)
2). Armani Code (5 Yums)
3). Polo Blue (4.5 Yums)
4). Azzaro Chrome Legend (4 Yums)
5). Aqua di Gio (3 Yums)
6). Azzaro Chrome (3 Yums)

*I bought Josh Dolce & Gabbana One for Men last year...(5 Yums); maybe more:)
*I bought Dad Kenneth Cole Black last year...I refuse to rank in Yums re: my Dad, but it was waaaay better than his usual Polo Sport.

Happy Shopping!

Pi Complete

I was stunned...in a good, can't believe it, refuse to believe it kinda way.
SPOILER ALERT!!! Pi's lifeboat eventually reaches land off the coast of Mexico, and RP bounds into the forest, never to be seen again, and much to the regret of Pi, without a proper goodbye. Let me quickly summarize the rest:

Poor, kind, Mexican people take care of Pi. Two Japanese men interview Pi in order to "get to the bottom" (hehe) of why the Japanese cargo ship that he and his family had been traveling on sank. Pi shared his story; they did not believe it. Finally, they tell Pi to be honest with them, and he tells the "real", "true", "more believable" story. The animals represented human characters that he'd actually been on the lifeboat with; a Japanese sailor, a french cook, and his mother. Here's how it went down: Cook cut off sailor's broken leg, sailor died. Cook killed and beheaded the mother, and then Pi murdered the cook after being at sea for months. Sailor=zebra, cook=hyena, mom=orangu-tan, and Pi is Richard Parker.

In order to survive, Pi had to create an alternate universe to exist in emotionally and mentally. So, in a lifeboat with a crazed frenchman and upon murdering said frenchman, Pi created the story using the animals instead as a way to escape his unreal reality. Think about it...imagine your mother being beheaded before your eyes and her head thrown into your arms over and over again...or, picture a hyena killing an orangu-tan instead. He is able to describe their behaviors so well because he is the son of a zookeeper and grows up in an Indian zoo...coping mechanism.

I do know, though, that I don't want to believe the human-infused story; I like the animals better. I love Richard Parker, and I was amazed at the survival instincts of Pi, which, if one believes the "real" story, then the survival techniques are a product of the cook's mind and actions, not Pi's. As I stated in my first post, Pi, as an older man telling his story, incorporates wisdom far beyond the years of a 16 year old boy, and often it is apparent that the thoughts that are claiming to have been thought on the lifeboat have been the thoughts of a survivor year after year and have since been honed and "beautified".

IF, however, the true story is the true story, then how did meerkat bones end up in the boat? Last I checked they weren't seafaring creatures...hmmmmm. Maybe there was a floating meerkat dominated island made solely of nocturnal, killer algae. Maybe there was a zebra and a hyena, and hopefully, a Richard Parker.

I can't wait to discuss this book with my sophomores in the fall:)

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Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)

Not the official trailer, but pretty good. Either way, I'm there...March 2010.

Life of Pi (continued)

I should finish the novel tonight. I still love it, but last night I read a portion that dealt with Pi and Richard Parker (the Bengal tiger) both going temporarily blind. I need to read it again, but Pi begins having a conversation with RP (actual "I talk", "you talk" kinda conversation), then with another man/boy in another lifeboat who claims to have gone blind too. When the man/boy attempts to get on Pi's boat to hug him, RP tears him to shreds.

I thought it was a hallucination/dream/nightmare/crazy spell, something, but Pi gains his eyesight back and sees the remains of the man/boy at the bottom of his lifeboat. It may be explained by book's end, but I couldn't help but think of a Disney animated movie when reading that section. You know...cartoon is moving right along, all is normal, bright, and ever so happy, then, there's got to be a segment that warps into another dimension...pictures become distorted, minor chords are thrust into the score, and the whole effect is trippy, really. "Dumbo", "Beauty and the Beast", "The Little Mermaid", "The Lion King", and let's not forget "Alice"...I can't think of one without it.

Not that Pi's world up until the aforementioned strangeness is bright and happy, quite the opposite, but I imagined normalcy in the way of colors, sounds, and the general described day to day survival methods of Pi and RP. The hallucination/nightmare/what have you just jumped out at me and didn't mesh; I'm sure the author had every intention of accomplishing just that, but I'd sure like to be given a better explanation. I mean, the chances of Pi coming across another blind castaway when he was about to give up on life only to have fellow castaway turn into catnip? Uh-uh. Not buyin' it.

I'll read the rest, re-read the former, ponder some more, and take any suggestions or insights from any out there who've read it.

Also...an algae island full of meerkats? I guess one can only flip through so many pages of dorados, hammerheads, and turtles.

I Rarely Talk Religion, but...

I just saw the trailer shown in my previous post advertised on NewYorkTimes.com tonight. I watched, and I've read several comments from others who have watched.

I have a few thoughts on the matter: Religion will not get me to heaven; Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Hinduism, Buddhism, any other "isms" or "ists", denomination-schmomination. I have believed since I was a little girl that it was my faith and belief in Christ that would be my golden ticket.

The trailer is typical...bring up lots of horrible actions committed by those claiming to be christians in order to disprove the existence of Jesus and further prove the insanity one must possess to believe in Christ, heaven, hell, the afterlife, anything really.

Why do so many need to disprove what some are so passionate about believing? Why are so many so angry that there are billions who believe in a higher power? What does one gain from such vehement debate? The woman holding the sign reading "God Hates Fags" in the trailer is not spouting my beliefs, and I am a proclaimed "christian" or "believer". Therein the problems lie, how does one define a christian, and when do we stop pointing fingers at one another? Judging is easy because it's opinion without true knowledge of another and lack of insight into oneself...those things take time to acquire.

I need to read my Bible more, pray more, and learn more, as should anyone claiming to be a christian...not to be able to argue with others, but to be able to be closer to God and withstand doubt that is an all too human experience, and one that I have dealt with intermittently throughout my christian life.

The creators of this movie and many like them are of the opinion that believers are ignorant. They say ignorant, I say faithful. If one must subtract IQ points from me after discovering I believe in God, so be it. When all is said and done, well, we'll find out, won't we?

The God Who Wasn't There: Movie Trailer

Read thoughts above.

3.14, Cherry, Chart...Nope. Meet Pi.

I'm halfway finished reading Yann Martel's Life of Pi. It has already exceeded my expecatations of a supposed sophomore level read. The basic premise (so far) is: young Indian boy grows up in Pondicherry, India where his family owns and runs a zoo. Piscine (Pi) is an extremely observant young man who wants to wholeheartedly be a Muslim, Hindu, and Christian simultaneously. He sees absolutely no reason why such a feat isn't possible until his innocent ideals are almost thwarted by grown ups from every direction. When he is 16 his family attempts to move out of India, during the time of Ghandi, to Canada in search of a better life, of course. On the nautical journey, the ship sinks, and Pi is the only human survivor stuck on a life boat with a zebra, Bengal tiger, male hyena, and female Orangu-tan named Orange Juice. (You must read to find out who's left, or just wait until I do, and I'll post it:)) Survival, faith, love, trust, confusion, this book paints with them all.

Yann's prose equally succeed at conveying both the breathtaking beauty of human and animal spirits and irrefutable gore of life's harsh realities. Pi is telling the story to the writer (and part-time narrator) as an old man, thinking back to his life altering sea expedition with the in-depth, profound, and meaningful insight that hindsight can provide. I have to remind myself of that because at times I question whether a young boy could formulate such thoughts and connections about and to the world around him, so keep that in mind if you give this one a try!

I am only halfway through, and I'll pick it up again as soon as I'm through here, but I haven't read a book in a while that I've connected so quickly and deeply with. I've smiled and nodded my head, "yes", but I have also cringed and even gotten sick to my stomach as life and death and the thin line between are so regularly explored. The strength of the human spirit screams to be recognized in this novel, and I can't wait to finish the rest...
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Hydrangea Help

I've planted lotsa flowers this year, and they're doing well, although, I can tell they're slouching just a bit since June has finally started feeling like June. I have begonias, imapatiens, caladiums, and various other partial shade loving plants.

I need some advice, though. I tried hydrangeas for the first time in a large planter in my front yard, which faces the south, I believe. They were looking exquisite until today. They look as if they've bowed their flowery heads and are looking to give it up. They are, or were, beautiful shades of light blues and greens. Does anyone know why they may be drooping?

My husband's grandmother says they should be planted on the north side of the house, so I moved them to the backyard this evening. I'm hoping that does the trick, but any other suggestions are more than welcome...Anobiter??? Ever grown hydrangeas?

Credit Card Companies Can...

[use your imagination to fill in the rest.]

As an American citizen concerned about the well being of her fellow American citizens I would like to warn everyone against using Citi-Mastercard...ever. Josh and I only have two credit cards, and we're working on paying them off completely, never to be used again, and hopefully we'll reach that goal by 2010. We've moved 7 times in the past 4 years; CC's have been a necessary evil.

But back to Citi...they're shady dealers. They moved our payment due date, and the automatic payment that is debited from our checking EVERY month for the past year was "late". As a result, they hiked our interest rate from 9% to,get this, 28.99%Josh called and spoke nicely to them, and we received an e-mail stating we'd be getting the original interest rate back...awesome, thank you, much appreciated.

HOWever, I talked to them today regarding a program that lowers the interest rate by an additional 6% if 60% of the card is paid of in 3 billing cycles...who comes up with this crap, by the way? I was informed our interest rate was still at 28.99%. Not only that, but once we paid 60% off they'd lower our credit line to $1,000 above the balance post 60% pay off, making my used percentage of available credit at 90%...not good. Again, who is getting paid to create these "incentive" programs?

I realize that we're dealing with borrowed dollars and cents here, and I'm all about paying them off quickly, but, whatever happened to customer loyalty incentives that one can understand without a college finance course? We've never been late...not ONCE until the sneaky move on their part. We don't even deal with the bill in paper form...it's ALL automatic-electronic-technology based bill pay.

SICK OF IT. Citi: you'll get your money, then a nastygram that won't do any good other than providing me with a small sense of "stickin' it to the man".

P.S. And all those credit card companies sitting underneath the shade trees at University campuses across our nation offering your little coozies and cheap T-shirts, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

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Schooool's Out For...

SUMMER!!!