Some Lime

Love is not something that someone Does For You, but rather something that passes between two people like a tide - building, receding, and always bringing something up from the deep.

a few more "best movies"

I am adding "Sideways", being a rather sweet, very adult and unusual take on romance that really stands out as a well written comedy/romance/drama with some of the most unforgettable quotes and scenes.
I am also adding " The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"- one of the most best film adaptations of a book...but so much more- philosophy, Alan Rickman, high brow humour, intellectual tongue in cheekness and a truly fresh film that was a nice antedote to the rather "big" but dour films like "Babel" and "Crash" of our last decade.
All Harry Potter movies except the first two that were a little too "G Rated" compared to the rest. ;)

Guilty pleasures...part 5 maybe??

I have written many posts before about guilty pleasures of television in my personal life. Now that we have very limited television I am going to tell you what good shows are on if you only run on antennae and or the whole Netflix/Wii service that we have. This service has been great, you get series such as "American Pickers", "Anthony Bourdain" and many other cable shows. On the downside, you get hundreds of B/C list movies that you may not have ever heard of to choose from: this can be quite "ok" if you are like us and can barely find time to have two hours to watch a movie. we have seen some doozies, and seen some interesting movies like "The Last Winter" (check it out).
Here is a list of some of the best television/cable channels have to offer, including public broadcasting:
Austin City Limits
American Pickers
Nova
Pawn Stars (we may have to wait for this on our Wii deal)
Dexter (caught up on three seasons using Wii)
the "Create" public channel- brought to us down here by USF- wonderful variety of food, travel and crafting shows all with an updated look
Bones- (Fox); the weird thing about Fox is that although their news departments drive people crazy, they have always been ahead of the game creatively with some of their shows (21 Jump Street, X-Files, The Simpsons, The Family Guy and Bones). I love Bones!!
Guilty Pleasure: American Idol- now we don't watch each season and watch every performer, but sometimes we'll catch this a few weeks in a row by accident, and it really does remind you of a big national talent show, which it is supposed to be, without all the sponsorship and cheesiness. It is fun to see people from small towns get their five minutes of fame or shame try to make it big and I just like seeing people perform live, period.

I would endorse reading literature or even doing crosswords every night rather than watching tv, but if you must...enjoy it! Mindless entertainment is great especially when it's not full of violence or uber depressing content.

We have enough of that in the real world.

The Welcome Stranger, Rain.

There is nothing more satisfying than big fat steady raindrops pounding your home and land after weeks of hot dry drought weather. It is happening right now in Dunedin FL. I was outside about one hour ago, talking on the phone, after watering our wilting plants when I saw it- Lightning. However, this is sometimes a false prophet. Lightning visits our neighborhood often, but since we live only a few miles from the Gulf Coast, it travels through a lonely soul, with no rain to show for all it's fierce intensity. The rain here usually collects more inland, towards Tampa Bay and surrounding areas east of our area. We are grateful for it tonight, a sweet loud reprieve from the constant high and dry temps (upper 90's) and no relief.

So, what are you up to tonight old friends? What was your weekend like? Did you enjoy some favorite music, film, or book? Did you dig into some great food among loved ones? Did you take care of your family and/or friends? Did you take care of yourself?

Oh, someone is up--- the crazy thunder has gotten Nick up. Knowing him, he has fallen asleep behind his door, not in his bed. We check on him every single night around this time to make sure he is actually in his bed....
talk to you later friends!

ok- a top 13 list of my faves from the past decade

"The Road" - the best novel adaptation, and the best apocalyptic film I have ever seen. Loved the intense but spare dialogue between father and "the boy", and the overwhelming sense of landscape
"The Hurt Locker" - the most intense war movie, on a microcosmic scale - the complete opposite of wide, sweeping drama ala' "The Thin Red Line" or "Saving Private Ryan"
"Atonement" - brutal, beautiful, drama, war and another message- how lives play out. Surprise ending noone sees comming. Trust me. I don't even want to see it again, but it's like a trophy you place high on a shelf, full of pride that you were there to witness the event.
"O Brother Where Art Thou?" - humour mixed with political statements about the South and great adaptation of ancient poetry
"The Big Lebowski" - again, humour mixed with alot of racial and class statements
"Gran Torino" - classy, direct, great story telling by Clint Eastwood and cast
"Donnie Darko" - I could watch this a hundred times and still wonder...
"Gosford Park" - forgot this was in this decade- incredible Robert Altman "who done it"
"Pan's Labryinth"- the most haunting war movie I have ever seen
"Momento" - Christopher Nolans first "popular" movie, "Following" was neat, but low on emotional connectiveness
"The Royal Tenenbaums" - fun, eccentric, not for everyone kind of film...like a play on-screen. A work of art for set direction, character, and dialogue (not too much plot but that works out for this film)
"No Country for Old Men" - good versus....evil, really? Good versus....what we think of evil or that we tempt evil and it comes to visit when we choose unwisely. In this movie, the "devil" only shows up when messed with. Unforgettable!
"Two Lovers"- a very intense Joaquin Phoenix film about ...two lovers he must choose from, but so much more. If you think it's a chick flick, you are wrong. Watch it, discuss. Straightforward life choices ahead. Very well made.

Jude vs the Vacuum

Right now, my little nugget of joy is stalking and sizing up the tall vacuum like a pitbull sizing up a tall human. We have 10 minutes to go until his 12 month doctor's appointment. Shots, yeah! I haven't been able to write alot lately but hope to tonight before company comes in and my privacy for writing is on hold for a small while...that's ok, we are so happy they are comming to visit!
How are you this morning? When you woke up, were you immediately happy or does it come slowly out of a sleep induced fog? Or, if you're like me, did that full moon of last night pretty much make your house seem like the moon is pretty much sitting on your couch, casting his white glow on every inch of your home, making it too bright for sleeping??
I will get through it, and so will you brothers...
have a wonderful day and hold onto the good stuff.

gym rats and me

Today, I had my first session with a professional personal trainer. Yikes! We talked about my weaknesses, my strengths, went over my diet, my BMI, my heartrate, my blood pressure and all the good stuff. The trainer showed me several machines to use and we experimented with them all, doing several reps to make sure I was doing them correctly and she even took film footage of my walking to show me how to "walk better". It as amazing to hear all the information she gathered. Some of it not so positive, but alot of positives- I am very strong, have alot of endurance, super flexible ( I already knew that from yoga) and my heart health is great. My biggest goal is work more of my back and core muscles for posture and to lose about 45 pounds. This is alot of weight, but we are going to do it within 3 months. I will keep you posted on this new challenge that I am very excited about. Cannot wait to be leaner and meaner!

On another note, I am going to post something soon about all the different kinds of people you find in gyms. It is interesting and great for people watching. Also, hand sanitizer is my new friend.
Ciao baby!

What do you want to do, young friend?

I wrote a huge post for this, with article quotes and all. But, neither the article nor the post represented my true feelings about the topic.
All I am going to write tonight is this (after writing 5 paragraphs of storylines earlier then deleting):
"You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something you want to say:
F. Scott Fitzgerald.
My favorite modern literature lad.

Do I really love my son? (title from Salon article posted below)

Dear Salt & Lime friends, if you are a parent or have friends who are new parents, this article is a lightbulb moment. Either way it's great reading! I love it when people write honestly about life, without feeling like they must only protray the best moments, as if life is always perfect. Great writing, although some hostile and supportive commentary follows it..

Do I really love my son?

Good Morning students!

Yet another day dropping off the child at school. I got reprimanded like a 10 year old by a staff member, who thought I was holding up the drive through line. But I wasn't, I swear teacher! She didn't understand that Nick is only 3.5 and has to wait until his teacher comes to get him out of the car (this is done with all pre-k kids for safety reasons). This process is done within about 5 seconds and there are two lanes for people to drive around you.

You're holding up the line, ma'am! Umm..please don't get my Irish temper going at 8am, it's not pleasant and I don't let it out often. In fact, it's been exiled to a far off cave in a far off island and only if bears come around to poke at it, does it come out raging. Don't poke the bear.

I need a bagel and coffee...you guys have a great day out there in the real world! It's a good day to be alive, even though some days begin better than others - I'm grateful for each grumpy morning.

Austin City Limits

Look, there's alot of crap to write about, and although it's all up in my head, I cannot always find the time to write about everything I think about. So forgive me, dear friends. It's not like I dont' know you have other things to do than read this crappy blog of mine.
Smiling....

SO, on Austin City Limits tonight, after all the football hoopla, My Morning Jacket was performing. Now, I am a new fan of theirs. I have heard of them, but with music the way it is now a days, speaking as an old fart, you have to do your research and not rely on some music "channel" to let you know what bands are cool or what to check out. As it has been the past years, we just try to forage through music sites and online zines to see the latest and greatest.
"My Morning Jacket" put on a great show. It was chillin, laid back, at times zippy, at times trippy. It had the current theme- the big full beard frontman, the crazy thin guy on keyboard, the wailing long haired dude on drums...but all in all their music was very nice, live. That's the key, live. I loved their somewhat old school "Chicago, Framton- like" style. But I had the clear thought that they would rather be seen as more "Phish" or "grateful Dead" style...they need to accept their true tone. Or, maybe their self-perception is just not my reality ;)
I truly like their music, their vibe. It is suitable for a long afternoon or a drive. They are clearly talented, and I can appreciate their various talent on different instruments. They tried hard during this live performance, to showcase their wide range of talent, and it was successful. I would suggest that the vocals, so high and tenor-ish, may not be for everyone, even myself who tends to like deeper voices, and growly rock. This is not music for someone who wants to "rock out" rather for someone who wants to "veg out". And both are ok by me. No details on songs or writers yet..I haven't had time yet tonight to sit more than 5 minutes at a time...such is life with two kids and phone calls to take care of!
Hope you are having a wonderful night. Life is never perfect - but moments can be. Please take a moment to put aside any cynicism you may have to remember those who lost their lives on Sept 11. It was such a big moment for me, just in the situation I was in at work (media) and how crazy it was afterwards...details like Tyndall being cordoned off with machine gun bearing men, and not being able to talk to my fiance for hours not knowing if anything had happened at their base. Little things compared to people going to work and getting blown up, or put into the ground as in PA or the Pentagon. People forget, or seem to want to forget..I don't understand this mentality. Why do so many Americans hate themselves, or feel unworthy of feeling patriotic? I have come to believe because there is no modern Vietnam, that some of our current generation must find reasons to "rebel" against their upper middle class Christian families for some reason, maybe in order to find purpose? I don't know, I get curious about this new facet of our society, but then I was like them for a brief moment in college, before I joined the real working world. I just wish people would give more respect to the country they live and work in.. if you don't like it- there are plenty of European countries that would be happy to take your American dollars.

Really, in the end, there are still some great bands going on here...Music- the last frontier.

Existentialism- a very brief summary

I am reading a book called "Ideas that Matter- The Concepts That Shape the 21st Century" by A.C. Grayling. It has been a great way to re-educate myself on the type of things you discover in formal education but tend to lose every day use of when you are surrounded by mundane domestic life or friends who don't really have time to discuss concepts that matter.
The book covers in neat little chapters, everything from nationalism, Luddites, Nazism, idealism, Judaism, Laissez-faire economics (my fave), logic, creationism, humanism, etc. It's a great reference book for ancient and modern religions, theories, science breakthoughs, modern economic processes, and even archeological finds that are important to our current civilization.
Anyway, I stumbled upon the idea of "Existentialism" which I have summarized below:

" 'Absurdity' is the key notion applied by existentialists to the human condition, meaning by it that there is no extrinsic meaning, purpose or value to human existence: it is 'absurd' in being wholly accidental and in itself pointless. As Camus put it ..."Man stands face to face with the irrational. He feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and unreasonable silience of the world'.
But this chracterization is not intended to be...so badly stated, pessimistic or nihilistic. Rather, it is the starting point for the claim that individuals must, in repsonse, create meaning in their lives by asserting the value of freedom, creativity, and love, and attributing dignity to human beings thus condemned to be self creating and self- valorizing. This is the basis of Existentialism. (This is also the root of the saying "the theater of the absurd" by Camus and is also found in works by Samual Beckett, Jean Genet and Pinter, whose characters are troubled and displaced, not attached to the a world that seems menacing to them...( this is because they have not taken it upon themselves to find meaning in the world that is indifferent to them; they must place themselves in the world, and creat their own purpose rather than waiting for the world to deem them worthy, or wait on another human to give them purpose).

Existentialism come svery close to atheist point of view that whatever meaning attaches to human existence is found in it or imposed on it by human beings themselves....because there is no purpose established for man 'outside'. Existentialism takes it a step further to include love, freedom dignity and creativity, to man's meaning, though Sartre describes the possesion of 'free will' as agony because it forces us to make choices in the face of existence's utter emptiness. But existentialism allows for 'authenticity' which means living according to one's beliefs, taking responsibility for the consequences of one's actions, and accepting the agonies of one's own freedom."

In a nutshell, this idea speaks to me, it is how I have viewed life for a long long time. That is why I get frustrated with people who cannot seem to take responsibility for their own actions, and tend to seek blame for their mistakes. On the other hand, I have to realize I can only be watchful of my own, and if we would all allow that our actions are our own, people may treat each other with more respect and be filled with more pride and dignity.

thanks, and a have a great Sunday. I have a second load of laundry to do, and then checking out our backyard for weeds and other varmits.

Salt

..I think, most presidents would have a hard time figuring out how to handle such an unprecendented event (Gulf Oil Spill), however in this day and age, it's hard to find people who will question anything.... and that in itself, is the beginning of the demise of this great country. People compare our US to the fall of Rome, yes, it is if we continue to condemn people who question any leader- even the ever so popular Barack Obama. It was ok to question Clinton and Bush, but not today's leader? why? Are you afraid of being called a racist? I've realized alot of people are very afraid, now, to speak up for what they want. And what they would like to question. If they voted for Obama, they are still afraid to question him. Why? If race isn't the answer, then what are they afraid of?
Fear is only set by others. You can react to their fear, or not react. I learned the past few years, that to react is to make others attack, and this raises more questions. Why so ready to attack? Why not talk about what the problems are and not attack others? Why not get so defensive because some don't like the current leader? Why even try to act like a peace loving person when you are angry, devisive and narrow minded? Or, maybe you are wanting peace among us all, but you find it hard to find the right way to communicate because of all the hateful dialogue on tv...and so you demure, and you don't let people know you're true feelings. Perhaps you don't give damn, God, I wish I was one of those. How easy not to care. How truly peaceful life would be... really. I admire those. I just cannot be one, it's not in my nature.

Find your voice, but realize we don't have to argue. We do not have to hate. We can talk, we can share information like some of my friends do on FB, where we share, argue a little but still respect each other. For some, this has been hard. I have had people argue and they solicit comments but really don't want to hear them at all. I find this passive aggressive style not at all positive or worth anything - they are looking for a fight, they throw out the bait, and then try to wrestle you to the ground with their dogma. There is no fun discussion, they just think they're right, so it's no fun, and they end up hurting feelings and look like jerks.

Do be open, do be kind. There are all types out there. Most are happy, most are secure in their beliefs, most would like to share a little, talk a little, but most don't want to be talked down to by some superior minded person who has an entitlement issue in their own mind.

yes, Mr. Thoreau

"Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it." Henry David Thoreau.

Young Voters Not Feeling the Democratic 'Vibe' Much Anymore

Young Voters Not Feeling the Democratic 'Vibe' Much Anymore

morning has broken...

cereal on the floor, milk to clean up, one child looking at me right now and smiling and one grunting and playing with his shoebox full of matchbox cars, waiting for the time when we put his shoes on and we all drive to his school. The sun has finally risen- it's hard getting up lately when the time change has yet to occur and the mornings invite long sleep ins. Who has those? I'm jealous. Oh how I took for granted the days of sleeping half a morning and feeling good all day!

On another note, we saw on the news how they are selling condos in Miami for under $60 Grand. Hello! The extra costs, of course, are the condo fees and insurance. Still.... anyone up for some hot pressed Cubans and salsa music in the air? We went there two years ago and fell in love with it. I had always thought of it as some nasty, crime ridden place ala Miami Vice but it was beautiful, artsy, full of great food and international flair. South Beach was wonderful, the my fave spot was Coconut Grove area. Anyway, for price of two cars, you can get a condo there..
just putting a bug in your ear!!

Well, time to take Dominick to school, then the gym,then doing a tutoring session tonight. Speaking of Miami, we're getting some new "Dexter" epis in the mail today! Hooray for grisley twisted fictional crime shows!

my PSA for the month- after that more pointless fun stuff

Friends, I have to tell you that this morning started with a WTF moment- I turn on our local news for about 1/2 hour while we get ready to take Nick to school and there was a new oil rig explosion. My heart sunk. Then- no lives lost, no oil leaking (supposedly since it was an inactive rig). Then I thought- but what were those men working on? Why the hasty news writing it off so quickly. After this point, I had no time to think...of to school, driving through a drop -off circle for my first born Nashville Vanderbilt child who I love so much it hurts.

I drove onward with Jude in the other child's seat, onto the causeway, to enjoy the cooler temps at 8:30 am. We checked out the "bumpy side" - all limestone rocks (popular down here) and saw the homeless guy who isnt' really homeless hanging around his cat he lives on...he has seen me so many times and someday I am going to talk to him. He's got blonde hair bleached from the sun and skin like a alligator purse but he sure does always look happy to me. Jude and I hung out for an hour, me laying in a chair and him tucked in his stroller in the shade facing me away from the rising hot sun. by 10 - time to go home and stay in the a/c for while.

My point is- there is no time like the present to see if there is anything at all you can personally do for our Gulf of Mexico. If you look online, there are countless groups that help wildlife, that need supplies for cleaning animals (this is still going on in LA btw, even if the news hasn't reported it that much anymore), and there are groups that just go out and clean up tons of trash. I have seen them weekly, in orange pullovers- volunteer groups who pick up water bottles, plastic and trash that people leave behind.

This is about responsibility. And about doing something, even little things, if you can. I have picked up bags of other people's trash here in Dunedin, and this is considered a very eco-friendly type of community. I don't doubt people consider themselves that, but they still leave a heap of trash behind. The beaches are beautiful here because volunteers help clean up before you hit the shoreline with your family.

I'm not big on guilt trips. I dont like the media informing me of things we should already know, and usually do. I am big on doing things I know are right.

Do something, anything, about cleaning up the Gulf. This is my only PSA for the week. I promise.

PTAPTAPTAPTAPTA. Lather, Rinse, and Repeat

Today, my husband and I turned in our fees to join the PTA of our son's school. I think that's enough news for this hour, and enough for me to chew on, personally, for a while. I'll write again tonight, after my grizzlies are in bed and my head is clear (er). I hope my old and new friends out there are doing well, and having a day of great highs, and small lows. Later, kiddos.