Big Stick for Dad

Big stick for dad, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

My dad keeps passing his checkups with flying colors. Yay, dad!

I forgot to mention: I took Brenden to the park last Sunday morning. He discovered an interesting swing - it is a big tractor tire suspended from three chains so it hangs sideways like it would be lying flat on the ground. The thee chains meet up at a swivel so not only can it swing side-to-side, it can spin.

He got me to spin him, faster and faster. Finally he asked me to stop, and I pulled him off the swing and tried to get him on his feet. He was a little unsteady. He asked to go home and he insisted I carry him (it's a half-mile walk). Every time I put him down he'd walk a little, then beg me to carry him. If I refused, he'd cry. Finally I put him on my shoulders and we got home.

I gave him some water while he sat on the couch. Suddenly he stood up and hurled his breakfast all over the couch. It wasn't a little puke, it was a standard Linda Blair joke projectile mass of goo. I was worried he was sick, but he was fine after that. Lesson learned: spinning a toddler around and around for a long period of time is not a good idea.

I also forgot to mention: I watched The Simpson's Movie (in Blu-Ray, but that hardly mattered). Cute, funny, worth a watch especially if you are or were ever a fan of the show. And weren't we all at one point in time? I don't think I've watched the show since before I moved to Alabama. It's been on the air since 1989! Sheesh.

If you get the cable channel G4 ( Spike for Nerds) it is showing The King of Kong Sunday afternoon. Really, it's worth watching!

Nothing much about nothing

Pictureok 056, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend. Brenden and I swam, and then we swam some more. Then we swam even more, and Sunday night Jon brought a bunch of skydivers home and Brenden swam with his dad a bunch.

We took a break on Monday because it was cloudy. We swam just a little bit then Brenden told me it was too cold. I spent most of the day watching the CSI marathon on Spike (that show is a guilty pleasure), and took time out to watch a documentary recommended to me by my brother: The King of Kong.

I concur with Ed's assessment of the doc. I will add that when it begins and I first met these people I felt an incredulous desire to see if Christopher Guest is in the credits anywhere. After a while I really started to empathize with Steve Wiebe, who took solace in Donkey Kong after getting laid off from his job (I lmao'ed when his son is yelling at him when he's trying to finish a game - been there, done that).

It would be easy to smirk and say 'what losers' but I think of all the time and quarters I wasted over the years on video games (I was pretty damn good at Galaga in the height of the 80's - there was a machine at the laundromat I used). I have to recommend a viewing of this documentary to everyone (despite it being about trying to beat the high score on an ancient video game).

Oh, and another amusing Brenden story (and a big old "FYT" to Kathy Lee Gifford): I'm trying to get him to tell me when he has a poop and he started to this weekend: he walked up to me twice and handed me his fully-loaded diaper which he took off. He proudly announced "Poo-poo!" both times and I had to scramble to find the wipes before he decided to sit down any where.

What I'm watching:

Pictureok 090, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Bee Movie and Ratatouille: Yes, I've seen the Pixar movie before, but we caught it on one of the Hi-def channels right after the Bee stuff. It helped me understand why I thought the Bee stuff blew. Ratatouille's story is character-driven. I mean the characters drive the story! Remy the rat has a mad passion for good food and wants nothing more to be a chef. The movie not only says this, it shows it. What happens during the story is driven by Remy's (and to a lesser extent the other characters) desires and actions.

Whereas the B movie just rambles. Jerry Seinfeld's bee character doesn't want to just pick a bee job and work it until he dies. But from that point he just rambles around, makes friend with a florist, and eventually sues humans for stealing honey from hardworking bees. It's just stupid.

Oh, yes: the animation was no where near Pixar's greatness. Crap, it didn't even come close to Toy Story, which was released over 10 years ago! Upon a second viewing, I've come to think Ratatouille is a darn good movie.

Beowulf: Speaking of bad animation... That poem we were all forced to read in high school is made into a bad movie by the same people who made The Polar Express. It's completely CGI and the characters seem lifeless. Again, Pixar kicks ass compared to blah blah blah... Either make cartoon characters CARTOONS or use the techniques that Sin City and 300 used for the animation.

The Kingdom This one is about a terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia that kills many Americans, including plenty of women and children. A group of FBI agents manage to trick their way in to investigate. This movie is actually a pretty good thriller, with Jamie Fox, Jennifer Garner, and Chris Cooper. It allows the terrorists to be bad guys, but not in the stock movie character sense. What I mean is I don't think you could replace them with Eurotrash Nazis and have the same movie. It's worth a watch but brutally violent.

The Pixar Story I caught this documentary while channel surfing. This movie illustrates how the little guy perservered in the face of great odds. I did not know that Pixar was originally a subdivision of Lucasfilm! Basically George Lucas told them "A full-length comuter animated movie is a nifty idea, but we don't have the money for that". Suuuuuure, George, I believe you. But anyway Steve Jobs kept Pixar afloat until the company made a deal with Disney and Toy Story was born. And I hope Lucas spent a few weeks kicking himself in the butt when he saw that movie's box office receipts.

It almost didn't get born because Disney kept trying to interfere. Hooray for John Lassiter for sticking to his guns! Pixar's worst film is A Bug's Life and I adore that movie! After 8 films, I think there is plenty of proof that Pixar is good, not just lucky.

Lost and Battlestar Galactica OMFG! HS!HS!HS!HS! And I have to wait 2 weeks for both shows. That just blows.

For the record my order of preference:

Toy Story
Toy Story 2
The Incredibles
Cars
Monsters, Inc
Ratatouille
Finding Nemo
A Bug's Life

Name that Pile of Poo

Chet, originally uploaded by Comments Are Great, You Know.

Just because I so totally have nothing at all to talk about:

Top 5 Bill Paxton Movies

Aliens: Along with his small role as older brother Chet in the forgettable Wierd Science his role as Hudson vaulted Paxton into semi-fame (he became one of those "hey, it's that guy!" actors). Hudson is an obnoxious Colonial Marine who goes into shock and semi-hysteria after his squad gets thier collective butt handed to them by rampaging alien hordes. Hudson has a thousand quotable lines, from the immortal "Game over, man - game over!" to "Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!"

Apollo 13: After years of grinding semi-obscurity, Paxton finally had another big part in an ensemble movie. Instead of the usual obnoxious guy with all the great quotes, he play astronaut Fred Haise as a decent everyman in a really sucky situation. I'm not a huge Ron Howard fan, but when he hits a home run, it's always totally out of the park. This movie is required watching, as is Parenthood.

One False Move: Independent thriller about FBI agents tracking murderers to a small town in Arkansas. Paxton plays the rather excitable sheriff of this area but loses his enthusiasm fast when he realizes he has a connection to one of the killers. This movie made some people finally notice Mr. Paxton has some acting ability (including Ron Howard).

Near Dark: I hate vampires but this movie is an exception. I think it's because the bloodsuckers in question aren't effete and angsty. They just like killing and blood drinking. Especially Severen (Paxton's character). He and his family are inducting a new member, who freaks when he's shot in the belly with a shotgun. Severen exclaims "It's a kick, ain't it?" then proceeds to tear apart the bartender who shot him. Vampires suck (heh), but I love this little band's enthusiasm.

True Lies: Bill Paxton at his obnoxious best. He's a sleazy used-car salesman here who is putting the moves on Arnold Swarzenegger's neglected wife (Jamie Lee Curtis). Fun cheesy movie if not WAY overproduced. Still, Bill gets most of the good lines, including the classic "[Y]ou get their pilot lit, they could suck-start a leaf-blower!"

Frailty: Hey I said 5 but I'll make it 6. Bill Paxton directed as well as starred in this movie and is it twisted. He's a widower trying to raise his two sons when God tells him he has to kill demons living among everybody. He brings his two young sons in on his crusade. There's enough here to offend the most die-hard atheist *and* fundamentalist Christian. I got a big kick out of it.

Maintaining Tradition is Important

Sleep time, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday Bill Paxton,
Happy Birthday tooooo youuuuuuuuuu!

Brenden and Anthony

Brenden and Anthony, originally uploaded by nheiges.

Nancy, Mark, and Anthony came for a weekend visit. We had fun at a Decatur park and in the pool and hot tub - the pool is clean, clear, and open even though it's cold. Nancy came over to catch up on Battlestar Galactica season 4 and we made it through 4 out of 6 episodes. I'm so glad I can geek over the show with someone I know! Besides my brother Ed.

I stole this photo from Nancy's Flickr site. It's totally adorable; she took it just before they left on Sunday. And since Sunday was Mother's day, Jon gave me a terrific gift: a Brenden-free day! I dropped him at the drop zone (heh) and went home and did nothing but play computer games and snack on cheese and olives.

The olives were a Mom's day gift from Jon; the cheese was a birthday gift from my brother Ed and sister-in-law Jen. They sent us some cheese for Christmas which was TEH YUMMEH and I loved getting more.

The only useful thing I did was vacuum the worms out of my pool. They committed suicide during the night before's terrific thunderstorms.

What I'm Watching:

Yellow Flowers, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Kiddie film. A waste of Jason Lee, of all things.

I Am Legend I finally got to watch a movie where Will Smith acts, and doesn't play Will Smith (not that there's anything wrong with that - I enjoyed Hitch way more than I should have). The plot has a few holes, but it's saved by Smith's performance as his character seems to be the only survivor of a plague that killed most and turned a bunch into bloodthirsty mutants who managed to wipe out those who were immune to it. I'm not going to say more but I was gushing tears at several points and it's all Mr. Smith's fault.

Touching the Void Amazing mountain-climbing story, narrated by the 3 people who actually participated in the event (and dramatized by actors). Two guys climb a mountain in Peru (the third is at their base camp) and on their way down one of them breaks his leg (and not a simple snap, either; he described it like he drove his lower leg bones through his knee and jammed into his femur -OW!). His friend painstakingly lowers him down 300 feet at a time, but at one point, it gets dark and storming and the hurt guy ends up dangling over a precipice and his friend ends up having to cut the rope between them.

Surprisingly suspenseful, considering it is narrated by the guys it happened to. The hurt guy's journey out from the crevasse he landed in back to the base camp is just insane. YOU scoot on your butt backwards over a glacier! I don't know why I'm watching so much mountain-climbing stuff; I certainly have no desire to do so (and this story didn't make me want to do it any faster).

Letter to Brenden Month 35

Pictureok 084, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

You have quit with the hitting, at least other kids.

Sometimes you're funny: you will knock on my arm or leg, like knocking on a door, to get my attention. You constantly want my attention. Sometimes I just get so tired of you being in my face. I'm sorry about that.

Last weekend you were great at the pool store, good in the grocery store, and then things rapidly deteriorated from there. I took you into the hot tub Saturday. When we got out, I set you down and wrestled the cover on, only to discover that you ran around to the other side of the pool. I asked you to come back, and you refused. You played that game where if I walked towards you, you would move to keep the pool between you and me.

I finally noticed a big bug in the water and I pointed it out to you. You came around to look so I grabbed you around the waist, took you inside, and spanked you. Hard. In between your screaming and sobbing I tried to tell you why I spanked you.

What a load of good that did; you played the same game with me on Sunday.

I'm just about totally revolted by my lack of mother skills.

Slacker

Pictureok 152, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Been busy and nothing to write about.

Jon's mom visited for a week and it was nice to come home to a clean house and a cooked dinner. Not wonder husbands like wives. I need a wife.

About the most exciting thing I've done all week is open the pool, and any polar bears in the vicinity are welcome. I hope it warms up soon enough.

Of course I'm watching BSG and there's even new episodes of Lost (yay!).

Oh! I almost forgot. I'm scheduled to get my new set of hooters June 4th. I can't wait!