Like The White Stripes sing..

"I just don't know what to do with myself" is the perfect title for this morning, until I realized I had a day completely alone! For the first time in at least 7-8 months, I have been completely alone. This is something you take for granted when single, childless, or pretty much a voluntary recluse. I loved living alone in a tiny place in the Cove right before I met Phillip, and it was very very hard for me to get used to sharing space. Not that he isn't easy to get along with, but I would literally jump the first year of my marriage when he would show up in the same room as me! true and funny for a newlywed.
After 5 years of complete and utter bliss and peace, we decided to throw a wrench into an otherwise perfectly great union and bring our child into the world. For almost exactly 2 years (his bday is 7 days after mine in Jan.) I have been with Nick, my husband or a combination of them plus friends, family etc of course. We are very social people and I love our active life. Emotionally I think this life has elevated my moods and kept me from moping around drinking cheap red wine and writing really bad poetry like I tended to do when alone and single. Of course, most of those days and nights were crazy and fun and full of dancing and good times.
Today, Phillip and NIck are actually out of town and comming back tonight. It's been really weird, I went to the store, the gym and then kept looking around for the baby tote, wondering when he was going to wake up from his nap- only to remember- oh yeah! he's not here! I missed them both, but have done more in one single day than in all of 2008. I would list them for you but that would bore you even more.
It's just strange that I could actually remember the last time I was completely alone. I hadn't visited that country in a long, long time. ahh- Alone Land! And, I did miss it too. As I layed out in the backyard reading (yet another luxury), I thought about how cramped my books are now, how I can't find stuff half the time, how I don't ever paint like I used to,and how to be married is to negotiate subconsiously, your own wants and needs for someone elses. And you raise your child "unselfishly" loving them, yet thinking selfish thoughts like "I never get a bubble bath anymore because my child bangs on the bathroom door every single time I close it".
Yet....we move on, and I move on with my crowded, semi-cluttered, shared space and I appreciate it. After all, these are my choices. And when I really need my space, Nick just sits quietly in his car seat and smiles while I sing along to songs during one of our ventures out into the world. My own space is now all around me, and also in some tiny place kept just for me, in my heart.

An Ode to Country Music

I like all kinds of music, but after living in Nashville for a while, got to appreciate better some of the more well written songs and singers of the genre...I've got a list growing that I keep downloading of some really good music from NashVegas- enjoy!
"Jolene"- Dolly Parton: This is really old school hillbilly songbird at her best. It's sad, it's pleading, and you feel like you know exactly what she means. Please- Jolene! Don't take my man away from me!
"Stupid Boy" - Keith Urban: I really like this guy, not for his frosted hair and Aussie accent, but for his guitar playing and song writing chops, which come out in this beautiful ballad...the long version is the best which they don't play much on the radio. It's about being a stupid boy and being such a jerk that she leaves you...of course you want her back later, ya'll!
"Carrying your love with me"- George Strait: Maybe it's because I've lived in TN and visit my folks second home in West Virginia (both of which he mentions) so much, or maybe it's just because it's so awesome. Listen at your leisure and enjoy the flavor.
"My Old Friend"- somewhat unknown but goodie from Tim McGraw. Mellow, bittersweet song about memories with an old pal.
"Like Red on a Rose"- Alan Jackson: His best ballad so far. Sweeping strings and guitars with his rich voice, and he leaves out the twang.
"Mud on the Tires"- Brad Paisley: this guy also actually plays guitar and it's such a fun song that reminds me of rednecks and midnight stars.
"Georgia Rain" - Trisha Yearwood: I can't even listen to this without getting all emo. Her voice is so strong and the song paints a picture.
"Hurt"- Johnny Cash: I love all his stuff but this version is like swallowing a sip of Kentucky Bourbon (Maker's Mark, maybe?) and then listening to your own funeral speech.Fun! and good.
David Allan Coe- enough said.
"Georgia" Willie Nelson: also considered a folk singer, he just pulls it off in this. His voice sounds like a 12 string guitar (I know cuz we have one) somehow it vibrates, and he is so mellow and raspy at the same time.
"Neon Moon"- Brooks and Dunn:I like pretty much anything they do, and didn't know much about them till recently. Huge catalog of stuff. Some country "corny" but most really really good musically.
"November"- I got the title wrong I think, but it's a Rich and Big song about a Vietnam vet, and it is very touching from such a flamboyant group- spare, strong and not over-produced like most of their songs.
"A Great Day to Be Alive"- Travis Tritt: The best song about just enjoying the open air and some time off....well written, fun and optimistic in a time of cynicism.
"Run"- George Strait: I'm a fan of his, obviously. A bittersweet appeal to just run to the next car, train, boat or Harley to get immediately to your loved one. Awesome.
"Redneck Woman"- Gretchen Wilson: I hated this at first because i was forced to hear it sung live at at every famous honkytonk on Broadway in Nashville for two years, but do appreciate it's clever, fast, fun verse and it reminds me of some folks back in PC... in a good way.
Well...there's too much to put down in this genre but fun to think about. I don't care too much for Kenny Chesney (the twang and he's always reminscing like he's already 60), or alot of the flash in the pan American Idol types. But I'm always listening...and hoping for more good music.

Stepbrothers- the movie and other stuff

So, this movie was with watched with high hopes- Adam McKay and Will Ferrell writing another Talledega Nights ...but not so much! With every passing moment, I felt like little squirrels were taking away my brain cells and storing them away for winter. It was that bad- to me! Now my husband and sister in law kindof liked it but I think we were all in accord with feeling like we were ripped off. The gag reel was even funnier than the movie. I would explain the plot but the title does that for you, and I love John C Reill- in Chicago, in The Good Girl (very good movie) he was the bomb. Maybe it's the post Christmas blues, but we were all hyped after a good day in the sun at Tarpon Springs with the in-laws eating Greek food and loving the atmostphere of sponge diving boats and tacky tourists shops (but awesome food establishments- love the rolled grape leaves and pita & hummus).
Linda and Paul went back to their hotel by the bay till tomorrow and my sis in law is staying with us while her hub visits family in Gainesville ( we have lots of family there on both sides). This movie really stinks. It was silly - and I can handle silly. But it wasn't really funny to me. I felt like it was a long SNL skit that ran out of steam. Watching Will Ferrel playing a beer- bellied hair over grown child has lost it's cool- or maybe it just needed another venue. I was in a good mood, but now have lost about half my brain cells. Thanks Will and co! Maybe you don't agree and that's fine! I love a good comedy but felt like this one wasted my time. It makes me want to get out the Monty Python dvd's and have some real senseless humor- or just read a really good book.
By the way-my mother in law just brought us another two boxes of books- we have about 400 now (including our own) love her! I just gave my sis in law "The Blank Slate" by Steve Pinkerton about the whole nuture vs. nature thing..... I can read anything. I am looking most forward to the newest Scarpetta novel- have all of them and now will get the latest in this new delivery- nothing like really well written forensic fiction to keep you awake and paranoid for another night!
Hope everyone had a good Christmas - more about that another time. It was peaceful as usual for us, and I loved going to Christmas eve service at 4 and then having a big cookout afterwards under the stars. I would like it, though, if we could get some more cool weather before spring begins!
Love ya, JLM

Voluntary Simplicity or just poorer than usual?

There is a new trend emerging I have seen alot about lately on the netzines...Voluntary Simplicity. Due to the recession, some families dealing with one salary instead of two, and alot of people getting fed up with their spoiled rotten kids and trying to keep up with the Joneses, a new era of purposeful thriftiness is becomming cool. When I first read about this I smiled, because my husband and I have always been thrifty, about fifty percent due to low paying jobs initially in our early marriage years, and about fifty percent just because we like having extra money in the bank, not on our walls (no big flat screens in this house). We like to do things, not buy things. This has worked out very well for us, and we just smile when people with 4 bedrooms complain about not having enough of ....purses, shoes, jewelry.... it's just not me, and it's just not us.
Back to this trend... my husband said it best- when rich people do something it becomes a trend. TRUE. so right. But that's ok. We'll let the yippies (yuppy hippies) take this one and spread the trend around... alot of people need it right now. In general, voluntary simpliticity asks you give up most material things, grow as much sustainable foods as possible, and live without as much tv, media as possible. Also a part of this life-second hand clothes, toys and vehicles and bicycles. There is a Simple Living Institue in Orlando that has information to newcomers. Some people are building do it yourself cabins here in Florida (but have issues at times with the buidling codes in this state..wind load, etc) and live with their children in nothing but 900 sq feet of pine forest happiness, albeit up on stilts to catch the breeze and miss the misquitos.
This reminds me of when i worked the ad deparment at Tractor Supply Co. Headquarters in Nashville.... if you've never seen one, TSC is like a Target feed-n-seed, it's a growing chain of stores that are everywhere above N. Georgia. Their main customers are the new "urban ruralist" - a growing population that is leaving the suburbs for their own acreage and little slice of country heaven. No wonder this store chain is so successful, with the trend of Voluntary Simplicity growing, TSC should do very well. (buy stocks maybe?) Their catalogs are like a J. Crew for chicken farmers- i am not kidding...check it out sometime. Their ads are targeting the folks who are rich enough to buy those acres, buy a six pack of chicks for their kids to grow - yes you can order a six pack of chicks!, and purposefully have left their Prada at the Goodwill back in the city. Hmm...
I like this idea. We pretty much in a suburban sprawl and appreciate what we have. But it makes me happy to know that the people who used to stress over what to wear to opening night of a downtown hotspot may now be wondering when to pick their fresh ripe tomatoes growing in their very own yard. How cool!

Along came a gas leak

So we made it to the gym today, little junior and I, and after a good workout and sweating in the newly humid air, walked outside the gym ready to go home and have short nap time/ clean house time around noon. Five fire trucks were surrounding a large parking lot area (with our truck surrounded) and also blocked a major intersection...a gas line had been ruptured according to a fire chief I spoke too, and it was comming up through the concrete and into the vehicles parked there. Of course, my Xterra was among them. No! He said- you gotta wait at least 1/2 hour because you're car could ignite if you turn it on.
Well, in no mood to get blown up today, I walked with junior up and down the shaded shopping center area, checking out the Ace Hardware store (yes they are still around), all the way to the Publix on the far end, and then slowly back...junior takes a while to walk as he likes to look at each crack every few yards (just like a man!). On the way, I decided that good Chinese take- out was a perfect after gym meal. But no! They couldn't cook anything because the gas had been turned off to the whole shopping center.
After about 1 hour of waiting, I was told I could "probably" get in our car and back out safely, and was directed to go out another way. "Probably!" I asked...does that mean yes my car won't blow up with me in it? Or probably we'll be toast? Theoretically, it seemed, the wind was blowing the gas the "safe" way now ....so I grabbed juniors tight little fingers, hauled him into his seat, strapped him in .0008 seconds flat, put that truck in REVERSE, hauled butt backwards (the lot was cleared except for about 3 other cars) and opened my eyes about 10 seconds later. SAFE! Only after I got a cold iced tea from the Checker's nearby did I finally uncross my fingers. Finally got home and threw junior wheat toast ... he loves it.
There is no point to this story. Only that perhaps I could have just stayed in the gym longer until the gas leak was cleared up. But, that would have been way too easy.

A few items.

To all 12 or so that read this (from the comments on FB the number is growing and soon we'll be featured on tv or something- yeah right!), I hope your evening is going well. Wednesdays are always cool- halfway through a week. When I used to work, this day was the best to get over with, it was all downhill from there. I miss working in a way- the crazy deadline oriented stuff i used to do was perfect for my personality. But, I am grateful to spend the past two years at home with Nick to make sure he's on the right path due to his Occular Albinism...and he is now! Thanks to Bascolm Palmer at Univ. of Miami, the retina specialist here in CWater, and Lighthouse program that sends us free DVDs, and audio stories that he can enjoy at his age. Anyhoo- random tv surfing tonight waiting for Top Chef (of course another Bravo show we follow). It's interesting for a reality show and we enjoy the recipes and competitions - not to mention Tom Collichio (sp). He is so funny with his smirks and utter disgust at the mediocre dishes but also has humorous advice for the contenders. Here are a few other things that ran through my mind today as we ran around doing errands and then visiting the marina for sunset and an ocean view....
1. The Gov from ILL looks like the hobbit from Lord of the Rings - Sam! His hair is like a helmet and he has a really boyish face like Sean Astin did. Superficial comment realizing all that's going on there but that's so played out in the news already.
2. I wish Pres. Bush had a big hard boot to throw back at that reporter. I know the press loves this stuff esp about Bush but enough disrespect already- the press is a monster these days.
3. I can't wait for 4-8 more years of the Clintons.
4. We had alot of fun at Phillip's FAA Christmas party Saturday night in Tampa...thanks to my sis for watching over our home and boy :)
5. We may very well go back to no tv soon- will discuss soon w/ family. We did this for 3 years and it was great.. no news show, no Paris, no Britney, no trash. We would get Gator games on PC or radio live with Mick to crank up in the backyard or living room...and there was alot more guitar playing, painting and less laziness ...and more fun money.
6. Lately after joining Facebook and Twitter, I have been flooded with memories of my 20's and earlier with old friends, etc. Sometimes a very good thing, sometimes glad I just made it out ok with a heart still full of love to give.
7. I hope my grandmother McCarthy is well- she's lost alot of memory although she's over 80 and had a great life, I know she misses grandpa Mcc and it must be hard for her to be alone. We visit alot and she loves the little ones from us and the cousins. She painted alot, fished alot, played the organ and had these huge fish aquariums with crazy exotic saltwater fish.
well....that's enough for now, I hear football but it's just a rerun of that glorious game we won recently. Sorry to hear Bama didn't get a better bowl. BCS stinks.
Sleep tight. JLM

Warning- disgusting material ahead.

Here's a little salt and lime to make you pucker and go - nasty! There is a company, in trying to be "green", that is taking any parts from sex toys (rubber, springs, plastic and batteries) from those who send them in in order to recycle them. YES. Specifically, the article I read in GQ or Atlantic monthly or something at the gym said they were hoping to use most of the parts for plastic SODA BOTTLES. Think about that the next time you wrap your mouth around a diet shasta. ( i don't drink soda so am safe for now).
I warned you. You're welcome. Have a nice day.

Dr. Seuss

There is a Dr. Seuss movie playing right now in our home...one of Nick's faves. I have it memorized."Big Y, Little Y- a yawning yellow yack. Big Z, Little Z- a zizzer zazzer zuz!" I mean it's easy to remember nonsense, no wonder kids love this stuff. We have every Seuss story and I have no problem reading them to Nick because I have so much fun with the language. What a wordsmith Seuss was, he found rhymes and patterns and put them together in a very sing-song, musical way. Oh- they just mentioned Jake the Pillow Snake! Who knew there were Pillow Snakes in our world? "Nice ice for sale- ten cents a pail!" The ice won't melt in Seuss's world. It's just simply there, waiting for a nice pair of pink pajamas or green eggs and ham to join the story. Or waiting for Mr. Brown to moo (can you?)
Thanks for the fun, Dr. Seuss!

Sundays

Is there anyone else who thinks that Sundays are kindof depressing? Maybe because it always marks the beginning of the end of the weekend? Represents last minute things to do before the week begins? or maybe it's that slow, methodical tick- tick -ticking of the "60 Minutes" clock that has traditionally ended Sunday evenings for so many years now. My husband and i always try to do something a little different on Sundays- go for a drive to some new nook of our town, find a new fun place to eat, etc. It's nice to drag the weekend out as long as possible....but still, the ticking clock is always in my head, like a little reminder of time passing by.

Late night

Whenever in doubt, just remember this- you should never throw good money after bad. That's all. Sleep tight young kings and queens of the world....love you, juju (as my young sis used to call me).

Choir boys

Last night we were listening to some songs and I heard one of my most recent downloads, "Moon River" sung by Andy Williams (not the original singer Mancini). Featured most recently in the Elizabethtown flick by Cameron Crowe, I have always loved the way his voice floats around the words and carries them to the end of the song like a poet. My husband and I are always noticing really good singers we like....not just the innovators of music (Beck, Radiohead, for example) but the guys who just have unique voices - the ones we listen to and go Wow- every time.
Here are some of my own top choir boys....
Jeff Buckley- died too early drowning in the Mississippi River about a decade ago, when we play his album "Grace" it is truly like we are in church listening to angels. His version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujiah" is magic and "The Last Goodbye" the best love song ever written. His voice was operatic for such a whispy- thin young man, and every now and then I still check out his fan sites to see if there are any new lost recordings they may find so I may further indulge.
Jack White - like a pale faced-hillbilly lost boy, Mr. White has the gift of many personalities musically. His voices shrieks, howls, grinds, wails, and then can softly sing like some boy band pop star (sorry Jack). "There's no room for you here girl" is a great F-you song that showcases how fast he can go from a timid plead to a shouting demand - when Jack says "leave", girl, you better!
Brandon Flowers - Lead singer of the Killers, there is something fresh about this robotic, Talking Heads/Morrissey sounding guy that makes you wonder. He doesn't "over-act", he could be Keanu Reeves twin in music, because he repeats words like a mantra and keeps this emotionless mask on during most of his performances. I like that his voice doesn't match his body...he looks like a 15 year old prep school boy, but sings like a seasoned pro, with a deep voice to match.
Otis Redding- this is old school and I don't want to delve to deep in that genre (Sinatra, etc) of the great classic crooners- but this guy doesn't just sing- he cries while he is singing...or comes close enough. Put on "These Arms of Mine" or "I've been loving you" and indulge in rich smooth love letters. I'm gonna cry now, damnit.
Johnny Cash- I have him on about every other night. It's like a glass of whiskey without having to really sip on one. His voice is made for cold winter nights (like the ones we had for two years in Nashville). He seemed big and strong with that deep voice, but there's always some fear that comes through his words, like he was still afraid of the dark after all his success.
Chris Cornell- halfway through "Collateral" there is a pause, a scene with two wild dogs on a dark street, and Cornell's voice rises through the moment like a phoenix. Good for director Michael Mann to recognize that Cornell can bring a fast paced action movie to a soulful intermission and it actually adds depth to the movie. He was great in Soundgarden, as a solo, and in Audioslave (we got to catch him in Lollapalooza's last moving tour with Jane's Addiction) and is one of the best blue's voices ever. His songs have spiritual tones and his range is like a dog growling to a cat howling at midnight in an empty alley.
Dave Grohl- we saw FF last year and were blown away by this dude. On "Razorblade" he sings softly and sweetly, and then on "In Your Honor" wails like a crazy man. His voice is the best, in my opinion, of any "rock" group so far in music history. When he grits his teeth he know what he's about to scream is something you need to hear, and remember.
Alan Jackson- if you don't believe this, listen to "Like Red on a Rose" someday and get back to me. Also his figurative half brothers, George Strait and George Jones.
Willie Nelson- another regular boy in our home, his voice is like sand in your bathing suit.. it sticks to you, is gritty, and it reminds you what a fun day you had. He clinches his mouth like a true Westerner and I love the twang in his voice. Hope he comes to visit by our fire someday.
Special Honorary Choir Boy- Johnny Depp for "Sweeney Todd"- when we revisit this movie, we are usually speechless. Besides all the gore, the crazy Londoners eating meat pies and such, there is Johnny singing like a beautiful troubadore. Who knew?? He's a really really good singer.
Ya'll have a good day....stay out of the wind and rain today! JLM

Our Ditch

Like a busy worker ant, I've been in and out and around our home today washing the Xterra (or The big Red Gulp as we call her in the worst gas months), sweeping out the garage, & giving some TLC to my potted plants. The weather is getting weird, as any good Floridian knows when it goes from 50 degrees to 83- something dark is brewing.
So, I went out the garage through a little built- on porch we have into our back yard to use a table to give fresh soil to my plants. I kept noticing the sound of machetes and hacksaws and noticed a group of men in orange behind our chain link back fence lumbering along...Our yard is privacy fenced on sides with a chain link running down the back along a very deep, ancient "ditch" that runs behind two rows of streets.
For lack of an estate somewhere out in the country, we have always enjoyed a good back yard with a place for our fire ring, our grill, our dog, and general fun yards things to do (football and baby pool). When we sold our house in Nashville, we rented this home with the help of a relative down here, and have been very happy with it (old school wood floors, bad insulation, concrete block walls, one bath) but still large and kindof cool. The chocolate brown cupboards give me nightmares but i may repaint them soon if we stay on for a while.
Anyway, we've always like this ditch...because our yard never floods due to it being very steep, and in a weird way like the fact that around dusk all kinds of critters come out. We have a cute little white owl who sits on one fence and stares at us, several large Florida rats, raccoons, possums and general nasty critters - but still! Also there are alot of jays, finches, hummingbirds, cardinals to watch because over the course of 40 years since this neighborhood was built, the "ditch" is covered in a dark green lush tunnel of vines, banana trees, oaks, hibiscus, magnolias, elephants ears. It's a really nice natural boundary from one back yard to the next, and in my humble opinion, a suburban nature oasis.
Well...I asked the men in orange if they were looking for treasure. No, they're just surveying the trees. Hmmm...we have heard gossip in the hood lately that Pinellas county was going to someday cover our ditch and put a drainage pipe instead. I guess the time has come....since we rent this place a phone call to the county won't do much to stand in this path of progress.
So now, until about 5-6 at night I look forward to the sound of chainsaws, bulldozers and trees being torn down while we sip on our Pinot and discuss world events on our back porch. Have you really ever heard a tree being pushed down- it cracks, schreeches and groans. Uhgg! Maybe for the next few weeks I'll sit on the front porch instead, wave at cars like old folks do, and plan for our home out in the country....With our very own cool ditch. With our very own cool critters.

Tonight- we view The Dark Knight

Ok- so we got the big one coming in the mail today via NetFlix...i know, i know, you all saw it like 5 months go but when you have a 22 month old you have to pick and choose your babysitting favors wisely, and we usually don't wasted them on movies but rather going out to eat or watching live music somewhere for a while. I have always been a Christian Bale fan since Empire of the Sun, The Machinist, and the oh so bloody gory wonderful American Psycho, so have been excited about his latest turn as Batman. I love Christopher Nolan films (Memento, Following --good weird movie), and was really impressed by Batman the Beginning (except for Katie Holmes, she's like a giant wooden figure that mumbles alot, and still looked like a preppy grunge kid from Dawson's Creek). So- looking forward to seeing the tragic Heath Ledger role that everyone has been chatting about. If there are any of you who never saw "Brokeback Mountain" - just watch the last 10 minutes of it sometime- he is heartbreaking. And no- hanky panky either.
Oh- I hear animals being thrown to the floor in Nick's room- time for my quick break to be over. Phillip and I are excited about his folks and sister commng to see us this year for Xmas so another large family gathering in a few weeks. They are alot of fun and I love my sis-in-law and brother in law Kevin (although he may be visiting his folks in Gainesville to split the time). They are the ones who came to Nashville to go to the infamous Foo Fighters concert with us on a very cold 20 degree weekend- but we stuck it out and stood in line two hours ahead of start time. Don't miss that cold though :0 Have a good day you all. Love, JM

Watching Morning Joe on MSNBC

My former employer Joe Scarborough (used to own the Independent Florida Sun in PCola- one of a few independently owned conservative papers left). Love Mikka as his sidekick- she's the news host who refused to read anymore news feeds about Paris Hilton being in jail live on air, and kept her job! Good for her. Anyway, I thought of a few more bad movie titles....see what you think.

"Hudsucker Proxy" - great overlooked Coen Brothers movie with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Newmoan and that Tim guy shacking up with Susan Sarandon the past two decades.... flopped in the theaters, but a wonderful art-deco vision of a failed "inventor" of the hula-hoop..you gotta see it sometime. The title sounds like a bloodsucking memo is going to fly out of a fax machine and leech onto your neck for dinner.
"Feeling Minnesota"- dreary movie w/ Keanu Reeves doing something in some lame town where everyone has greasy hair and it looks really cold. no thanks...I don't feel like "feeling" a place like that!
"The Astronaut Farmer"- Please! Any title with two occupations is working too hard. Even Billy Bob could not lure me to see this one.
"The Royal Tennenbaums"- based loosely on JD Salinger tales, this classic by Wes Anderson is one of my all time faves..every time i watch it there is another detail I missed before. This movie is popular and will remain a classic of our time, however I always thought to the title was long, and misleading. Until you see the movie and realize the title is the patriarch's real name, it sounds faintly like a Christmas bar of soap or something to do with a dark ages fur tree....call me crazy.
Have a good day! P's off today - we we're going to Dunedin Causeway and Honeymoon Island to fish, and walk the beach to look for Spanish coins. All I want for Christmas is a metal detector!

I am a Lord of the Rings nerd!!!!

Folks- in two years or so we will be blessed with not one but two more Lord of the Rings movies. I know I've mentioned this before- the director of Hellboy, Pans Labyrinth,The Orphanage (the best movie) etc. Guillermo Del Toro is collaborating with Peter Jackson on these, so it will be incredible! Read more about it at this link at IMDB....or look up "The Hobbit" if this link doesn't work. So exciting! May not have Viggo in it, or the younger hobbit boys, but it will be good. We are the ones who wait in line for these on opening night- because they are worth it to see on the big screen. Phillip loves them also....only difference is now we'll have to find a sitter- Nick should be glad we didn't name him Erowen or Eragon or some fantasy name from the books :) Have a great night friends...JLM
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/faq#.2.1.11

Worst movie titles ever!

Some movies are doomed before they are even released, in my opinion, just by their title. For example, newly released "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas". No matter how critically acclaimed it may be, how many average citizens are going to spend $40 bucks with a date to see that? Now, I love movies, it's one of my favorite hobbies. My husband has suffered through some doozies that are of the "independent" nature, or (gasp!) foreign. Most were good, some questionable as to their artistic purpose. but, one thing is certain, a title can stamp an image that no matter what great actors are in it, or how beautiful the photography, can never be erased from our minds. Here are some examples...i am sure you can think of some!

"K-Pax" - some movie with Kevin Spacey as an alien or something, what the $#@! were they thinking? It sounds like something out of a Judy Blume novel that you buy for 10 cents at public restrooms- gross!
"Hope Floats" - great movie, love the Southern humour in it, and the Garth Brooks song he did for it (You Move Me) but the title gives me the image of gas bubbles rising to the surface in some swamp and then in big letters, "HOPE" comes floating out of the mire. Just weird.
" Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael" - great Winona Ryder in it before she got all pretentious and dyed her hair black (no it's not real!) and was on IFC recently. Every time i see it I get all verclempt and need tissues. Wonderful comming of age movie, horrible title. Ironically, the title character's face is never shown..but you have to see it to understand.
"Seven Years in Tibet"- sounds like fun doesn't it?? Even Brad Pitt couldn't make this one a blockbuster. Good story and also true, which can be boring for some reason.. true stories are often not written well for the big screen... I think the writers get nervous.
"The Man Who Cried"- a lost Johnny Depp movie with Christina Ricci and Cate Blanchette..interesting movie about WWII, Jews and Gypsies (of course played by Depp). I rented this a few years back after i kept seeing it at Blockbuster...I thought what a horrible name, and it really doesn't go with the story at all.

Here are some titles that walk the fine line of weird titles:
Snatch - just because people!
The Secret of Nimh (who would ever think it's about rats that talk?)
Cannonball Run
Lord of the Rings
Donnie Darko
Anchorman
Hustle and Flow
Heathers- the best movie ever about high school
The Big Chill
Pulp Fiction....ok this could go on forever.
In general movies that start with "the" are usually ok title. Except for "The Man Who Cried".
Like "The Cable Guy", etc...anyway have fun today folks--- my son is done eating grapes and licking his plate like a dog.

Gator game day

Like so many others over the years... waiting for the hour of start time to arrive. Is it as important as our declining education system, child abuse, middle class woes, climbing homelessness rates, low supplies in the charity pantries, terrorism threats and actual deeds, politicians who kiss butt more and more with all the bailouts -ahem loans, animal cruelty, high prices of groceries lately, high insurance costs, medical costs, low minimum wage, etc?

no, it isn't. I can't do alot about those things today. We all have to prioritize and be efficient with our money and our time these days. We'll donate some cash and food and maybe some hours to a charity this year for the holidays...we usually do the turkey dinners but too much going on this year. There is always an excuse for us to use isn't there??

What game days give us sports fans is a chance to be competitive- something that is looked down upon the past few years...especially by "sensitive" parents who cater to their children's every whim. It also gives us a chance to be around friends and family and just have fun. We are still allowed to do that aren't we?? These days are so serious, and I agree there are some issues but the media and politicians make it seem like the sky is going to fall on our heads any day now.

I say...relax, we'll all be ok. Take some time to have fun, laugh, smile and throw crap at your tv if you're not happy tonight. At least Hillary isn't President (for now) and hey-
at least the Gators will win.

Nostalgia

this is for the people who miss their "home towns"- or maybe really don't mind not living there anymore but just remember the quirks about those towns that are so hard to describe to anyone who has never lived there....keep with me. These are about Panama City, but if you're not from there, take the time to remember those things about the place you spent your childhood-teenage years...like it or not, I do firmly believe we are built on those places....whether molded by friends (or our perceived influence they had) or by geography (my own personal demon- i went to mountains several times and almost suffocated- I need a coastline to see clearly) Remember your special moments and places and give them forgiveness and grace for making them a part of who you are today....

In PC...
my first feelings of freedom where of going down to Spyglass in the back of Steve Bailey's truck with Ricky and Paul (Hutch) with Marlene and Renee when we were so young....a walk down place to the water that was mild surf and no cops- unless you waited until around 11. We were not alone! There were always around half the high school there- drinking illegal wine coolers and Key stone Light ($5 a 12 pack maybe?) nasty.
Corams- anytime. I went there with my husband (before we were married) and laughed my butt off at some huge honey bear they had- we could not stop. but this wasn't just us- that mood was contagious.. going out dancing all night until 2 and then falling asleep with sand between your toes (from Salty's parking lot) and the next morning wanting to do it all over again.
BACK BEACH ROAD. now called Panama City Parkway or some BS. Look- when i was in school that was two laned, and then afterwards when I go there I keep expecting a deer to jump in front of my car for restitution. they deserve it! I went back on those old roads with my old Tercel climbing sand dunes so we could hang out with people who half my friends wanted to break up with about half and hour after arriving- girlfriends- they're great when they aren't mucking up your plans.
Alligator Point- a pretty point of land that at the time was undeveloped near Bay Point- during the 1990's close people (not family of course!) have gone there (offshore on their boat) and picked up several pieces of Indian pottery, etc but nothing valuable just really neat stuff. Now, we used to go there after games or just in boredom and meet up with friends until the cops came and followed us to the Bay Point Subway. But before cell phones were around it was all about the first phone of the night to your parents line and then- what the heck are we going to meet up with tonight??
King's Point- now I grew up in this hood- and woke up several times with random holiday crap in my yard which my Illinois -raised father yelling- where did this come from and put it back? There were Santas, real estate signs, alot of pumpkins and various toilet paper brands in our trees. what he didn't realize is that I was a part of a very specialized mafia- the girl tp group- who had bombed all the boys we knew with massive toilet paper rolls. like the kind you find at MccyD's- but I never did most of it.
One of the most personal moments I ever had in PC was of just driving to any place of water and loving the sun setting there...I would leave Bay High and drive to Beach Drive (in town) or quickly over the bridge to Thomas Drive. If you are there through Sept- Spring the light is very different- we lived for a while near St. Andrews and the city marina and loved how fair and high the light was during these times. The cool air is so nice around (dark thirty as I call it) 5-6 but is so worth it if you are sick of the heat. The sky is always to light blue and the water so calm and so clear- that is my favorite time of year to swim or fish. You can stand in a wave line on the beach and have stingrays swim in around you and never touch you! It's happened about 5 times and it's always awesome. Now- summer is great- hot hot hot. sticky I do take it for granted but damn it's so hot. Love the long nights for grilling, the beach is always good but sometimes too crowded... it's never enough is it???
There is so much more..of course. It's hard to generalize any of our lives in a few paragraphs or even try to catch some memories in an essay. Maybe another night. Good night friends... we loved Tarpon Springs today- great Greek village north of Clearwater where they dive for sponges still and have the best food, wine and coffee around. What more could anyone want :)

fake tans, boobs,nails and hair- why the Real Housewives of OC is the best show!

OK- I love educating myself on real world issues but the latest new season of the Real Housewives of OC started last night on Bravo (isn't that the only channel i ever really talk about?)
Holy %$#@! What a beautiful train wreck this show is! With a rotating cast of "real" women livin the life in OC gated communities- this show takes the cake! I can't even describe it. It's not Jerry Springer reality tv like "Real World" or" Survivor"- it's more like some of the women from King's Point and The Cove (from PC) moved to "Beverly", got some spray tans, platinum, Hummers and yachts while marrying wealthy and having mostly bratty kids who don't even know that the life they is so...different.
What's really great is how they are all from the midwest so even when trying to be cool getting a mani-pedi, they still talk like Sarah Palin had a love child with Matthew McConnehey (sp). And for the most part, they are actually nice women. Yes they're catty as hell but even women on WIC in a trailer park are catty so you can't blame their wealth on their cattiness- us women are competitive (don't you know?) Even my husband suffers through this show (not so many ahemm..."designing" type men that you mostly see on Bravo shows), and I know it's not the prominent display of bronzed cantalopes (think victoria beckham) that the Britney over 50's show off ALL the time on this show. Anyway- i must retrieve apple pieces off the floor before they peel the varnish of the wood. You MUST check one of the past season out to catch up and watch the latest season...it's so funny, and even endearing at times. PS- for newbies to this series...the spinoff RH of New York and ATL aren't as good - trust me. The ATL ones are just embarrasing.....

Bad mommy quotes

This is due to the fact I got up at 5:15 today during freezing weather to dump some cheerios and milk on Nick's tray so he could eat and grunt with pleasure while i creeped around the house on our creaky old wooden cold floors drinking coffee until the sun came up. damn that was a long sentence.
here's some things you can say to your toddler before they really know what they mean without damaging his intelligence, hurting his feelings, or maiming him/her psychologically for life:
1. The toddler farm opens at 8 and if you're not good I'm trading you in for a better model.
2. wow- you are just like your father.
3. I really don't like wiping runny noses and cleaning your bottom- just so you know.
4. You're only cute after around 10 am.
5. I only put you down for a noon nap for your own health- not because i need a break from you.
6. I do not like doing laundry every single day because you grow so fast and get food, milk and random body fluids on your clothes about every 3 hours.
7. Your whines are like a musical Hallmark card to my ears.
8. Because you, my life is no longer recognizable to me. Thanks!
OK- those sounded really mean on reading them over. Sorry Nick! We love you so much and I appreciate how fast you have learned to "give 10" instead of give 5 like a good little capitalist should.
We are so proud! Now come here and give me a big hug and let's start the morning with a better attitude.