UPDATE: HBO pulled the video, but has the transcript here.
--------------------
I didn't laugh, so much as cringed- sometimes the truth does hurt.
Showing posts with label TV/TiVo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV/TiVo. Show all posts
Monday, May 09, 2011
Friday, April 08, 2011
** Let's Talk.About.Thanksgiving... Shall we?!?
Today, the world lost an amazing woman, and extraordinary nurse. I lost a friend, a mentor, and an occasional surrogate mom.
I was 23 years old when I met Deirdre. I was a new nurse, starting a new job in the MICU and everything I needed to know about her, I learned in that first shift: She was all business, no nonsense when it came to the job. At first blush, she scared the shit out of me. But you only needed to hear her laugh to know there was nothing to actually fear - she was full of life, heart, humor, mischief, giggles, and truth. Dee would tell you what was what without batting an eye. She could say to you "Why are you wearing that? You look ridiculous!" but make it sound like, "I've been thinking, and I have a great idea for a make over!" She was what my gram would have called a "rascal". To qualify for the label the way my gram intended it, you'd have to be someone smart, someone that intuitively knows exactly what is going on, someone that pays attention and "doesn't miss a trick", someone that speaks truth in a good-natured way, that can knock an arrogant fool down a few pegs without seeming mean or threatened, someone soulful but who truly enjoys a good joke.
Deirdre was all of this. And a real class act.
She taught me so much about what it means to be a nurse. Being a nurse means doing things the right way. Working fast but not taking shortcuts. Taking care of what you can, fixing and organizing what you can; and creating comfort and respectful solutions when things can't be fixed. Washing and rubbing a back, lotioning someone's feet, helping a person eat or go to the bathroom, listening as people talk about their lives- these are not small, insignificant things... They are usually the most important things.
I stopped working in the ICU almost 10 years ago... And Deirdre left before then. We hadn't spoken in a long time, until last year when I learned that she had been diagnosed with Cancer - stage 4.
We emailed a few times, and in November, we had a big party in her honor.
She looked fantastic! The last time she wrote me, she told me that her prognosis had improved... Today, I was caught completely off guard by the news. I hadn't realized that she had recently gotten much worse, that she was hospitalized last week and transferred to hospice.
She died last night, surrounded by her family. She was only 65 years old.
There are too many stories to tell about Dee and all that she taught younger nurses and all that she did for (hundreds and hundreds of) patients, and all of the laughter she encouraged, but these are two of my most vivid and treasured memories.
Grief Stricken Nubbie:
I worked in MICU right out of college. I had recently broken up with my high school sweet heart, my first love of 6 plus years, by BFF all through school. I spent that first year as a nurse, trying to learn how to be a competent professional, trying to recover from the break up, trying to figure out who I was, trying to make sense of it all.
I was happy though, making money, finding satisfaction in my work, developing really amazing friendships. All the people I met that first year, never knew me as John's girlfriend. Never knew me as any one's girlfriend. I didn't have a significant other, wasn't really looking, and maybe some guessed it, but I don't remember telling anyone that I was searching for a way out of the closet. It was complicated inside of me, trying to figure out a way to break the news to lots of people that I wasn't straight.
It must have been really confusing to my colleagues how devastated I was when John died in October of 1997. When people asked what was going on, I first had to explain about John and then had to try to convey the terrible grief I felt. Words were inadequate and so I used few of them. After trying on a couple detailed explanations, I shortened the tale to "He was my best friend" and now he was dead.
Those first few weeks, going to work was awful. You don't realize you work in a place that is all about death until grief settles in you like a magnetic field and the tiny, metal shavings of death (that lay like fine dust in a modern ICU) fly from their resting spots to coat your skin. I was a wreck. And it took several weeks before I realized that people there were watching me. People like Deirdre, looking out for me, moving obstacles before I bumped into them, intervening on my behalf- "You go help with this admission, and I'll do that" I'd be told when it was time for me to prepare and "bag" the corpse of one of my patients that passed away.
One night, I caught the Jay Leno show, and he had a clip from this new comedy called "South Park". Watching it, I laughed and laughed and laughed. It was one of the funniest things I had ever seen. I taped it and watched it over and over and realized, it was the first time I had laughed- really laughed- in almost a month. I brought the tape to work and showed several people (trying to figure out if everyone thought this was funny or if I was cracking up.) Dee was in that first crowd of people and she laughed even harder than I did. Hearing her laugh made me laugh even harder. The laughing felt good. She and I watched that clip a dozen more times that night. We set the TV and VCR in an empty patient room and every so often, we would go in there and watch it a few more times... getting more silly each time. After that night, I would have done anything for that woman- that experience really helped me start to heal.
What would your mother say:
The second story: I had started dating a woman that we worked with. She was a travel nurse and started on our unit a few months before, expecting to stay 3-6 months longer. She was colorful and funny and a good nurse. She was popular, but not quite comfortable in her own skin and had a tendency to be erratic- not at work, but when she wasn't working. Again, I was not really "out", but I wasn't NOT out. Anyone that asked a question, I told the truth to, but this was like 12 years ago, Will and Grace wasn't yet on TV, not a lot of people brought it up.
Still, even though people weren't asking me about it the way they would have if Dana had been a man, we had told several of our friends and there is no doubt it was probably the worst kept secret on the floor (maybe in the hospital). One night, Deirdre pulls me aside...
D: What's going on with this Dana girl?
Me: what do you mean, what's going on? What do you want to know?
D: She's no good for you.
Me: (laughing, slightly embarrassed) what?!?
D: I'm not trying to get into your business, but you are going places and she is not going anywhere you want to be- this isn't about her being a girl... you want to be with a girl, that's fine, this isn't the girl for you...
Thing is, she was right. Not that the girl wasn't good for me, necessarily, but she was right to bring it up. She was right there for me... not letting her possible discomfort or fear of not being politically correct distract her from attempting to care for me. She was there to treat me and this relationship with the respect that comes from someone who tells you to "Pay attention!!!"... who reminds you not to shit where you eat... I wasn't even considering if Dana was "the girl for me" or not, but hearing that said out loud made an impression on me. I wasn't estranged from my family or anything, but there were no "parent-type" members that knew about this relationship (or if they knew, they didn't bring it up to me; and I didn't bring it up to them). Unless you count my MICU family (which I do...).
When you needed a mom or mother figure (whether you knew it or not) Deirdre was there. When you needed a mentor or a friend, same story.
The thing I'm having trouble describing in these memories of her is the love and vitality that Deirdre brought to every interaction. The perfect balance of salt and sweet. She would bust your balls, but it wouldn't be to break you down, it would be to build you up. She was a hard ass, with a heart of gold. She could be serious, but her laugh was seriously infectious.
When I got the news today, I felt sick and I felt sadness wash over me. For a few minutes, I thought I might start shaking with sobs at the loss of someone I haven't spent more than an hour talking to in the last 10 years. It's just this: As is true of most of the people who are our teachers, she is so much a part of special and important things inside of me, that she is kind of with me all the time. And intellectually, that's reassuring because that means (if she is living inside of me) I can never really lose her to death; those parts of her that she planted in me will still always be with me...
But...
That doesn't dampen the ache I feel knowing I will never hear her laugh or see her smile or her wise gaze again.
Sleep well, sweet-tough-nurse, funny-soulful friend.
You are loved more than you know and I miss you already.
**
Monday, March 07, 2011
The last 3 hours of your day
Sometimes I think I write a highly idealized version of what life with little kids is like. I mean, all the cute conversations, all the "Life is good" tags, all sweet photos and some of the other bullshit...
I think we are hitting a rough patch with JB- he is talking back, rolling his eyes, and acting like he just learned the word "no" and we just took the keys to his car away all at the same time.
Tonight was a night that I'd like to erase from the books. It went something like this:
5:23pm - Arrive home from work. Kate is at the stove. ML is running around, JB sees me when I open the door. He stops cutting construction paper and looks at me with a 1/2 crooked smile. I have no idea what is coming, and I assume he is going to break into a grin, run up to me, and throw his arms around me (like he does on most nights). Instead, he holds his dull, kid-scissors up in front of his eyes and says, "If you come any closer, I'll cut you." When I get over my shock, give him a low-key reprimand, and convinced him to give me a hug, he brings his knees up high and kicks me in the chest a couple of times.
5:25 - JB is in time out.
5:26 - With the sweet sounds of JB SCREAMING in the background, I attempt to wrangle ML into a greeting, but he's marching around like that kid from parenthood (the movie) without the bucket on his head
"He likes to bonk things with his head"
5:28 - Time out is over, but JB is still SCREAMING AND SOBBING, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!RIGHT NOW!!!" So we have to determine if we are going to give the kid another 3 minutes. I try a different tactic and I go to him and lay down on the floor next to JB so that we are face to face. I stroke his face to dry his tears...
Me: Did you have a bad day?
Him: no
Me: Do you need any help?
Him: no
Me: Can you stop crying so that you can come out of time out--OUFFFFF
(ML has jumped on my back making the same noise with his body that you hear in a Mission Impossible movie, when a short Scientologist throws his body from the top of a tractor trailer onto the roof of another moving vehicle)
5:32 - ML marches over to the stove and attempts to stir the pots that are simmering over his head up there. To get closer to the danger, he tries to pull the oven door open. It doesn't matter that Katy and I are standing right there, we can barely stop him. He starts WAILING.
5:34 - Strapped into his high chair, ML is finally quieted when an appetizer of raw avocado is placed in front of him. JB takes a butter knife and starts to stab at the pages of a book that is on the table. I tell him to stop.
5:35 - JB has picked the knife up again and is stabbing at the pages of a book again. I raise my voice and then take the knife away
5:40 - Dinner is served. We all sit down "Taco dinner"
5: 42 - ML throws his plate of taco meat onto the floor. While we are down picking it up, he showers pieces of taco shell on us. Katy reminds him, "Only six more months before I get to put you into time out."
5:45 - We have been offering ML other food: cheese stick? JB wants one too. Applesauce? JB wants one too... ML shoves 1/2 a cheese stick into his mouth and laughs when Katy tries to get him to spit out the too-big piece. He finally spits it out and while never breaking eye contact with his mama, he dangles it over the side of his high chair tray. We bark, threaten, and scold... He smiles and let's it fly...
5:48 - ML gets put into the corner for "Baby time out".
5:52 - After gagging his way through 2 sugarsnap peas, JB had "earned" the applesauce he requested. ML's tray has been cleared of food.
6:16 - ML is crying because Katy is washing his face with a soft, soft wash cloth. Mommy and the boys roll around of the floor for a while. Until ML drops a load in his diaper.
6:52 - After chasing him around for all this time, ML finally consents to a diaper change. JB demands a "SHOWER, NOT A BATH" (Even though he shouldn't get his way based on how he is acting and how he is speaking to us, both parents agree: "whatever... It's not worth making a federal case") We act like we intended to make him take a shower all along.
7:07 - the bath was fun and pleasant, and a clean ML, acts as if the world's softest sleeper contains some type of chemical that will kill him if he allows himself to be clothed in it...
7:15 - Baby ML is only half dressed
7:22 - Both kids are dressed for bed. Humidifier is filled.
7:25 - Teeth are brushed, hair is combed, baby is finally calm and happy; ML wiggles out of a mom's arms and bangs his head on the floor (Cue screaming).
7:40 - ML is calmed, has been soothed, watched a little TV with his brother, and accepts that it is bedtime
7:45 - our hero, Handy Manny is there for us in "The big race"
8:15 - JB goes to bed
(sigh)
W.
T.
F.
I think we are hitting a rough patch with JB- he is talking back, rolling his eyes, and acting like he just learned the word "no" and we just took the keys to his car away all at the same time.
Tonight was a night that I'd like to erase from the books. It went something like this:
5:23pm - Arrive home from work. Kate is at the stove. ML is running around, JB sees me when I open the door. He stops cutting construction paper and looks at me with a 1/2 crooked smile. I have no idea what is coming, and I assume he is going to break into a grin, run up to me, and throw his arms around me (like he does on most nights). Instead, he holds his dull, kid-scissors up in front of his eyes and says, "If you come any closer, I'll cut you." When I get over my shock, give him a low-key reprimand, and convinced him to give me a hug, he brings his knees up high and kicks me in the chest a couple of times.
5:25 - JB is in time out.
5:26 - With the sweet sounds of JB SCREAMING in the background, I attempt to wrangle ML into a greeting, but he's marching around like that kid from parenthood (the movie) without the bucket on his head
"He likes to bonk things with his head"
5:28 - Time out is over, but JB is still SCREAMING AND SOBBING, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!RIGHT NOW!!!" So we have to determine if we are going to give the kid another 3 minutes. I try a different tactic and I go to him and lay down on the floor next to JB so that we are face to face. I stroke his face to dry his tears...
Me: Did you have a bad day?
Him: no
Me: Do you need any help?
Him: no
Me: Can you stop crying so that you can come out of time out--OUFFFFF
(ML has jumped on my back making the same noise with his body that you hear in a Mission Impossible movie, when a short Scientologist throws his body from the top of a tractor trailer onto the roof of another moving vehicle)
5:32 - ML marches over to the stove and attempts to stir the pots that are simmering over his head up there. To get closer to the danger, he tries to pull the oven door open. It doesn't matter that Katy and I are standing right there, we can barely stop him. He starts WAILING.
5:34 - Strapped into his high chair, ML is finally quieted when an appetizer of raw avocado is placed in front of him. JB takes a butter knife and starts to stab at the pages of a book that is on the table. I tell him to stop.
5:35 - JB has picked the knife up again and is stabbing at the pages of a book again. I raise my voice and then take the knife away
5:40 - Dinner is served. We all sit down "Taco dinner"
5: 42 - ML throws his plate of taco meat onto the floor. While we are down picking it up, he showers pieces of taco shell on us. Katy reminds him, "Only six more months before I get to put you into time out."
5:45 - We have been offering ML other food: cheese stick? JB wants one too. Applesauce? JB wants one too... ML shoves 1/2 a cheese stick into his mouth and laughs when Katy tries to get him to spit out the too-big piece. He finally spits it out and while never breaking eye contact with his mama, he dangles it over the side of his high chair tray. We bark, threaten, and scold... He smiles and let's it fly...
5:48 - ML gets put into the corner for "Baby time out".
5:52 - After gagging his way through 2 sugarsnap peas, JB had "earned" the applesauce he requested. ML's tray has been cleared of food.
6:16 - ML is crying because Katy is washing his face with a soft, soft wash cloth. Mommy and the boys roll around of the floor for a while. Until ML drops a load in his diaper.
6:52 - After chasing him around for all this time, ML finally consents to a diaper change. JB demands a "SHOWER, NOT A BATH" (Even though he shouldn't get his way based on how he is acting and how he is speaking to us, both parents agree: "whatever... It's not worth making a federal case") We act like we intended to make him take a shower all along.
7:07 - the bath was fun and pleasant, and a clean ML, acts as if the world's softest sleeper contains some type of chemical that will kill him if he allows himself to be clothed in it...
7:15 - Baby ML is only half dressed
7:22 - Both kids are dressed for bed. Humidifier is filled.
7:25 - Teeth are brushed, hair is combed, baby is finally calm and happy; ML wiggles out of a mom's arms and bangs his head on the floor (Cue screaming).
7:40 - ML is calmed, has been soothed, watched a little TV with his brother, and accepts that it is bedtime
7:45 - our hero, Handy Manny is there for us in "The big race"
8:15 - JB goes to bed
(sigh)
W.
T.
F.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Superbowl VW ad - PREVIEW!
My favorite part except for the tension in the tiny hands, is the perfectly-expressioned parents... with less than 10 seconds of air time, they perfectly capture what it feels like to live with a toddler...
I've watched this 1/2 a dozen times all ready!!!
Monday, January 17, 2011
"Screw that, Kids!"
I'm posting about this because in 10 or 15 years (oh, who am I kidding? 15 months) I may not remember the back story, but this kid, Chris Colfer plays an amazing character in Glee...
An out-of the closet gay high school-er who is a singer and a dancer, who cannot pass for straight; who is bullied, but strong, temperamental, bitchy, compassionate and complicated.
The part was written for the actor after he auditioned and the creators realized they didn't have a part for him, but they wanted this guy in their show. (Gay boy's dream come true, right?) It is a fun show. There are a lot of goofy, funky, fun, ridiculous things about Glee. But sometimes, watching what Chris's "Kurt" is dealing with and seeing how he moves through life is the main reason I watch this show.
In terms of showing a fully textured character that is gay, there has never been anything like it on TV. As a lesbian, it floors me. I am simultaneously happy and grateful that this show and this character is on TV now. AND I'm a little disgusted that this is ground-breaking and controversial in 2011.
As a mom, I always keep Kurt in the back of my head and heart. Protecting my kids means supporting them so they can stand on their own
AND watching helplessly as they make their own courageous way thru life
AND teaching them to respect others
AND teaching them when to fight and when to work on "their art" and when to chill out.
The content of this show can practically be boiled down to two things: singing and bullying.
Glee shows - with an appalling lack of subtlety but an obviousness that lends itself to symbolism- that the kids (and sometimes adults) that put their creative, yawning, sappy hearts out there can be halted and invalidated by someone who says, "THAT'S GAY!" quicker than the snapping shut of a metal Zippo lighter. Even if the implication is put out there (What you are saying or how you are acting isGAY, Queer weird, strange, stupid, and out of the normal range) and the anti-gay slur is omitted, the effect is the same. I've seen it happen in political discussions. I've seen it happen in the work place. I've seen teachers do it to students. I've seen parents do it to kids. And countless times, I've seen kids to it to other kids.
The threat of being called gay is one thing that shuts a lot of people down: gay kids, people in the closet, heterosexuals that have nothing against people that are gay. Name-calling often stops people in their tracks, without the silenced person knowing why. Being called "Weird" is not the same as being called "Gay". But some would claim (see politicians who go on and on about how "everyone is bullied for something" and therefore "gays" don't deserve "special protections") that only "super sensitive gay kids" care so much, and take it so personally.
But isn't all bullying really about checking to see if you can make someone feel inferior and alone in a way that historically meant being called "gay"? No matter what the incident begins with, bullies just want to see if they can make you cry or beg for mercy- so then you are either a baby or a fag (or if you are a girl and you don't cry, maybe you're a dyke.) In our society, there is no bigger schoolyard insult- worse than being poor, ugly,stupid nerdy, fat, or the "wrong" race or religion. In all those groups, you are far better off to not also be perceived as gay.
All the kids in the glee club on Glee endure, submit, and occasionally stand up to bullying. And all of them have made a choice to be who they are in spite of that bullying.
And Kurt is no different. He has bravely made a choice to be who is he and not pretend or hide even- though that comes with a lot of shit, and sometimes requires him pretend that he doesn't care or pretend that he is stronger than he is. The show does all of this without denying that stereotypes are based in reality, without trying to make him some perfect "who wouldn't like him" character. The show lets him be bitchy sometimes and immature sometimes. They dress him (or let Chris dress?) in such a way that meat-heads in the fly-overs will look at him and say, "of course he gets his ass kicked" and twinks throughout the land say, "I LOVE WHAT HE'S WEARING!"
But Kurt is never a punch line. He has a "real" father on the show that loves him no matter what and is honest about how hard is is to be so different from your son. He has a small group of friends that support him completely, and are terrorized on some level by bullies themselves, but they mostly know that he is in this alone because they cannot understand the more difficult aspects and internal struggle of being gay.
Nearly every time I watch the show (and its calculated plots, random singing, bizarre antics, silliness, absurd fantasy nonsense) it ends with my mouth agape for the realization that this show and Chris Colfer's character is probably literally saving lives: Kids who see themselves for the first time in him. Kids who realize that they shouldn't bully someone for how they dress or act or for being gay. Parents who see a role model for how to protect their gay kid without asking him or telling him to hide his uniqueness. Everyday people who aren't gay or particularly prejudiced who don't think that there should be anti-gay laws, but don't see the particular harm in churches or hate groups lobbying against what will someday a non-issue (2 or 3 generations down the road).
Now they have Kurt to admire, protect, worry about, and love- despite his flaws. They have Kurt who is unapologetic, but always one bad day away from completely falling apart. They have Kurt who is as honest, smart, and brave (and more talented) than any football player or soldier or "perfect son" you have ever seen on TV.
We have Kurt to better measure our prejudices and to help us assess how inclined we are to get up off the couch and stand against people that are teaching our children that gay children (and the adults they grow into) should be stopped, feared, changed, fought, pitied, lobbied against, kept separate...
We have Kurt.
And Now Chris Colfer has a golden globe.
An out-of the closet gay high school-er who is a singer and a dancer, who cannot pass for straight; who is bullied, but strong, temperamental, bitchy, compassionate and complicated.
The part was written for the actor after he auditioned and the creators realized they didn't have a part for him, but they wanted this guy in their show. (Gay boy's dream come true, right?) It is a fun show. There are a lot of goofy, funky, fun, ridiculous things about Glee. But sometimes, watching what Chris's "Kurt" is dealing with and seeing how he moves through life is the main reason I watch this show.
In terms of showing a fully textured character that is gay, there has never been anything like it on TV. As a lesbian, it floors me. I am simultaneously happy and grateful that this show and this character is on TV now. AND I'm a little disgusted that this is ground-breaking and controversial in 2011.
As a mom, I always keep Kurt in the back of my head and heart. Protecting my kids means supporting them so they can stand on their own
AND watching helplessly as they make their own courageous way thru life
AND teaching them to respect others
AND teaching them when to fight and when to work on "their art" and when to chill out.
The content of this show can practically be boiled down to two things: singing and bullying.
Glee shows - with an appalling lack of subtlety but an obviousness that lends itself to symbolism- that the kids (and sometimes adults) that put their creative, yawning, sappy hearts out there can be halted and invalidated by someone who says, "THAT'S GAY!" quicker than the snapping shut of a metal Zippo lighter. Even if the implication is put out there (What you are saying or how you are acting is
The threat of being called gay is one thing that shuts a lot of people down: gay kids, people in the closet, heterosexuals that have nothing against people that are gay. Name-calling often stops people in their tracks, without the silenced person knowing why. Being called "Weird" is not the same as being called "Gay". But some would claim (see politicians who go on and on about how "everyone is bullied for something" and therefore "gays" don't deserve "special protections") that only "super sensitive gay kids" care so much, and take it so personally.
But isn't all bullying really about checking to see if you can make someone feel inferior and alone in a way that historically meant being called "gay"? No matter what the incident begins with, bullies just want to see if they can make you cry or beg for mercy- so then you are either a baby or a fag (or if you are a girl and you don't cry, maybe you're a dyke.) In our society, there is no bigger schoolyard insult- worse than being poor, ugly,stupid nerdy, fat, or the "wrong" race or religion. In all those groups, you are far better off to not also be perceived as gay.
All the kids in the glee club on Glee endure, submit, and occasionally stand up to bullying. And all of them have made a choice to be who they are in spite of that bullying.
And Kurt is no different. He has bravely made a choice to be who is he and not pretend or hide even- though that comes with a lot of shit, and sometimes requires him pretend that he doesn't care or pretend that he is stronger than he is. The show does all of this without denying that stereotypes are based in reality, without trying to make him some perfect "who wouldn't like him" character. The show lets him be bitchy sometimes and immature sometimes. They dress him (or let Chris dress?) in such a way that meat-heads in the fly-overs will look at him and say, "of course he gets his ass kicked" and twinks throughout the land say, "I LOVE WHAT HE'S WEARING!"
But Kurt is never a punch line. He has a "real" father on the show that loves him no matter what and is honest about how hard is is to be so different from your son. He has a small group of friends that support him completely, and are terrorized on some level by bullies themselves, but they mostly know that he is in this alone because they cannot understand the more difficult aspects and internal struggle of being gay.
Nearly every time I watch the show (and its calculated plots, random singing, bizarre antics, silliness, absurd fantasy nonsense) it ends with my mouth agape for the realization that this show and Chris Colfer's character is probably literally saving lives: Kids who see themselves for the first time in him. Kids who realize that they shouldn't bully someone for how they dress or act or for being gay. Parents who see a role model for how to protect their gay kid without asking him or telling him to hide his uniqueness. Everyday people who aren't gay or particularly prejudiced who don't think that there should be anti-gay laws, but don't see the particular harm in churches or hate groups lobbying against what will someday a non-issue (2 or 3 generations down the road).
Now they have Kurt to admire, protect, worry about, and love- despite his flaws. They have Kurt who is unapologetic, but always one bad day away from completely falling apart. They have Kurt who is as honest, smart, and brave (and more talented) than any football player or soldier or "perfect son" you have ever seen on TV.
We have Kurt to better measure our prejudices and to help us assess how inclined we are to get up off the couch and stand against people that are teaching our children that gay children (and the adults they grow into) should be stopped, feared, changed, fought, pitied, lobbied against, kept separate...
We have Kurt.
And Now Chris Colfer has a golden globe.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
New Tap Shoes
Well, he's signed up for dance class.
And when we bought him these used shoes- his head didn't actually explode, but it was probably the best $5 we've spent in a while.
I guess all that "SYTYCD" with his mama really paid off.
Observe cuteness:
And when we bought him these used shoes- his head didn't actually explode, but it was probably the best $5 we've spent in a while.
I guess all that "SYTYCD" with his mama really paid off.
Observe cuteness:
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Shout out to my Nightingale...
Last Friday was Nurse's Day."Nurse's week" started sometime either last Wednesday or last Monday.
If you google this holiday, you will see some discrepancies and inconsistencies about the dates... I digress...
For most of my life as a nurse, i really viewed this as a hallmark holiday:
Thanks for the shout-out, Hallmark, no matter how much money you make on cards this year, you can't possibly know about being a nurse and therefore, not really honor it.When I was a teen? pre-tween? I'm not sure when this show was on... I was addicted to China Beach. Looking back, I had a serious crush on Lt. Colleen McMurphy:
Yum:
Mee: 
There I go digressing again... Anyway... Sometimes I credited this show to making me want to be a nurse, I didn't want to go to war, but i could really relate to this character- Irish, catholic, who wanted to DO something that mattered, but then in the middle of it was like, "What the hell am I doing?!?"
I think i was surprised when I worked in the ICU (years later) how much it could feel like you were living through a war even though you were in a civilian hospital during "peace" time. The woman and men that I nursed with in the ICU were amazing: smart, sassy, with the quickest wit and the crass-est, sickest senses of humor you can imagine. You've got to have a strong stomach and a lot of patience for shit (of the literal and bull variety.) And they did. And they laughed and cried and picked people and pools of blood up off the floor. And we ordered Chinese take out in the middle of cardiac codes, and helped families accept the death of their loved ones, and talked and taught and fought the doctors to get them to HEAR what the patients were saying.
I wear that experience like a badge of honor on my soul. But even so, it never made me view nurses day outside of the scope of cynicism. (see made up sassy bark to Hallmark corp above...)
Then this year... when I'm so far removed from clinical care of patients that I've started to call myself a "fake" nurse, Katy wins a Nightingale Award. This is a statewide recognition of nursing excellence. And sitting next to her at the ceremony, something changes a little in me. A little of the cynicism melts away. It is more than being proud of her and thrilled that she was recognized for all the amazing work she does and has done. (Though I am and I was). It had a lot to do with what happened last October and Last January, and Last September...
A nurse was there kind of saving and protecting us when ML gushed into the world.
A nurse was there in my most terrified moments, when I wouldn't even let myself think my worst fear about his illness and fevers and seizures three weeks later.
A nurse was up all night with us when his fever wouldn't come down.
A nurse was there to help get him help when he was having seizures.
Nurses were there, talking to and teaching and sometimes fighting the doctors on our behalf.
A nurse was there during all the LPs, during the MRI, during the EEG.
... During the nights, the early mornings, and the long afternoons.
A nurse was there to help us get some rest and to help us ask the right questions.
To help us calm down a little at certain points and and to get us riled up a little at others.
Then a few months later for JB's surgery... more nurses.
Many of them nameless to me now.
Keeping us sane...
It's different when it's your kid, I guess- those cliches about angels seem somehow less "cliche-y"
There's not a greeting card out there that can convey what those nurses did for us, but now there IS a part of me that has the inclination to buy a few and TRY to convey it...
But then, here we are on Mother's day. And as I write this, my pretty Nightingale Award winner is sleeping upstairs in our bed. She's an amazing mother. Tonight, she got JB to turn off a "Terrible 2" tantrum by suggesting that he could take his "bad attitude" and decide (IF HE WANTED TO) to put that bad attitude in his hand and throw it away and choose to be in a better mood. (I swear this is true.) And what do you think that little
blink.
blink.
blink.
Thank God I'm on this journey with such an insanely talented and smart woman. I just love her and hope she knows how much! Cause I didn't get to sign the card I bought for her today...
Happy nurses week and mother's day, baby.
As part of my gift to you, I am going to (be extremely quiet as I come) crawl into bed next to you to sleep this day off!
All my love, Me
xoxo
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Politics as (un)usual
Dear Obstructionists: Claiming this watered-down bill is a "GOVERNMENT TAKE-OVER OF HEALTH CARE" is about as accurate as saying that parents who buy sunscreen for their children are "TAKING OVER THE SOLAR SYSTEM"
I'm watching CSPAN. I can't believe all the antics...
I wish there were lie detector tests so you could see if they actually BELIEVE the lies they tell.
Also, there should be immediate fact checking based on data... it is weird how you can re-write history in a statement on the floor of the house of representatives and it simply goes, uncorrected into the record.
I hope this thing passes.
I also hope I can get my sorry A$$ to bed soon...
(It's like a car accident, I can't look away.)
I'm watching CSPAN. I can't believe all the antics...
I wish there were lie detector tests so you could see if they actually BELIEVE the lies they tell.
Also, there should be immediate fact checking based on data... it is weird how you can re-write history in a statement on the floor of the house of representatives and it simply goes, uncorrected into the record.
I hope this thing passes.
I also hope I can get my sorry A$$ to bed soon...
(It's like a car accident, I can't look away.)
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Just a little tender
I am at work.
I am actually doing things at work. I cannot believe I am even interrupting my "flow" to post this but I want to say that things have been hard. Not in my "actual life" but "inside of me" where you can get lonely sometimes even when you are surrounded by love and amazing things... Maybe it's the winter and I'm seasonally affected or some such thing. Maybe it is the tingles of depression dusted on my genes by some of my ancestors, maybe it's the culmination of what has gone on in our live in the last 12 months- lots of it good, some bad... Most of it stressful...
Yesterday I got a call from a State School BFF whose 6 month old son got a fever. (He's fine.) She called to tell me "I don't know how you did it when ML was sick. I can't imagine how hard that was". Her message was sweet and funny and it made me smile and giggle. And then when I hung up, I started bawling. Crying. Hard. Out of the blue. Baffled and embarrassed for the entire 30 seconds until I pulled myself together in a "What was that?!?" sniffle. It was a wave of emotion that washed over me and disappeared.
I had really no idea that was inside of me.
That... like... scary, wounded, anxiety tears could burst unannounced thru the doors the instant a friend pads the safe room walls with an "I'm sorry you had to go thru that" on my voice-mail 3 months later.
Whoa.
The reasons I'm writing now from work are:
1) I don't want to forget to write what I wrote above because a lot of the times when i post it is when I'm feeling pretty good and parenting AND life is more about ups and downs.
2) Lately, by the time I get the kids to bed I have about 6 minutes before I get hit by a wall of exhaustion.
3) If you are not watching "Modern Family" on TeeVee, please set your DVR and/or go get hooked up with a DVR. Maybe it is my diminished mental capacity, but If this isn't the funniest show on right now, I'll eat one of JB's socks. It hits me right where I live. I love the office and 30 rock, but even in my melancholy, MF made me laugh out loud 6 times in the first 90 seconds of the episode last night. Katy watches it with me b/c she thinks if's funny to watch ME laugh.
4) We are finally restarting housekeeping services. We cannot keep up with the mess. And my sanity and my marriage is more important than my desire to succeed in the category of "be better about cleaning". It feels like I've failed only until about 6 seconds after the call is made. And then (with 100% candor I tell you) I feel like an enormous weight has been lifted... They are coming tomorrow to help with our filth.
5) Acts 3 and 4 (I appreciate all the positive feedback) are not written, but forthcoming. Sorry to keep especially the womb whisperer waiting. I'm sure that any momentum in the "you almost made me want to have kids" category has been lost, but we'll work thru it.
6) There is a lot going on in the health care debate right now. I wish I could get my shit together to comment and write more about it. If you want to know where I am in it and/or the things that interest me, you should keep up with Rachel Maddow. The podcast of her show (there's an iphone app) is as refreshing as water. And my favorite source of news and tidbits is JoeMyGod. His blog is a daily "must read" for me.
-----
sent from my iphone
I am actually doing things at work. I cannot believe I am even interrupting my "flow" to post this but I want to say that things have been hard. Not in my "actual life" but "inside of me" where you can get lonely sometimes even when you are surrounded by love and amazing things... Maybe it's the winter and I'm seasonally affected or some such thing. Maybe it is the tingles of depression dusted on my genes by some of my ancestors, maybe it's the culmination of what has gone on in our live in the last 12 months- lots of it good, some bad... Most of it stressful...
Yesterday I got a call from a State School BFF whose 6 month old son got a fever. (He's fine.) She called to tell me "I don't know how you did it when ML was sick. I can't imagine how hard that was". Her message was sweet and funny and it made me smile and giggle. And then when I hung up, I started bawling. Crying. Hard. Out of the blue. Baffled and embarrassed for the entire 30 seconds until I pulled myself together in a "What was that?!?" sniffle. It was a wave of emotion that washed over me and disappeared.
I had really no idea that was inside of me.
That... like... scary, wounded, anxiety tears could burst unannounced thru the doors the instant a friend pads the safe room walls with an "I'm sorry you had to go thru that" on my voice-mail 3 months later.
Whoa.
The reasons I'm writing now from work are:
1) I don't want to forget to write what I wrote above because a lot of the times when i post it is when I'm feeling pretty good and parenting AND life is more about ups and downs.
2) Lately, by the time I get the kids to bed I have about 6 minutes before I get hit by a wall of exhaustion.
3) If you are not watching "Modern Family" on TeeVee, please set your DVR and/or go get hooked up with a DVR. Maybe it is my diminished mental capacity, but If this isn't the funniest show on right now, I'll eat one of JB's socks. It hits me right where I live. I love the office and 30 rock, but even in my melancholy, MF made me laugh out loud 6 times in the first 90 seconds of the episode last night. Katy watches it with me b/c she thinks if's funny to watch ME laugh.
4) We are finally restarting housekeeping services. We cannot keep up with the mess. And my sanity and my marriage is more important than my desire to succeed in the category of "be better about cleaning". It feels like I've failed only until about 6 seconds after the call is made. And then (with 100% candor I tell you) I feel like an enormous weight has been lifted... They are coming tomorrow to help with our filth.
5) Acts 3 and 4 (I appreciate all the positive feedback) are not written, but forthcoming. Sorry to keep especially the womb whisperer waiting. I'm sure that any momentum in the "you almost made me want to have kids" category has been lost, but we'll work thru it.
6) There is a lot going on in the health care debate right now. I wish I could get my shit together to comment and write more about it. If you want to know where I am in it and/or the things that interest me, you should keep up with Rachel Maddow. The podcast of her show (there's an iphone app) is as refreshing as water. And my favorite source of news and tidbits is JoeMyGod. His blog is a daily "must read" for me.
-----
sent from my iphone
Monday, February 09, 2009
Blow it out your swimmer's ear
You may remember, earlier in the year when I waxed poetic about Michael Phelps and his overpowering choppers? Well, at the time, I was a little hard on the guy. I guess I felt he was just a little too beloved. I mean, it was all "Michael Phelps" this and "Michael Phelps" that. People were going nuts. I never understand what it is that makes all kinds of folks want to gather up all their dreams and hopes and lay them like an laurel wreath on the head of a 24 year old freak of nature. But now, the walls come crashing down and people are shocked! SHOCKED, I say!!! Shocked that a 24 year old might take a hit off a bong.
"How dare he?"
"How could he?"
"What about the little children? "
"I'm just so disappointed in him!"
What is wrong with people?!? Are they for real?
Needless to say, public opinion turning against MP is all I needed to hop off the fence and become a true supporter and fan.
This is exactly what I wanted to say about the whole overblown, Michael Phelps-smoking-a-bong thing... especially the end of the video... SNL nails it.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Healthy living
I'm up way too late.
The house ain't clean, straightened, or ready for what the next 8 days is about to bring upon us.
I spent about an hour talking to my ICU comrade/best bud/roommate. She got some crazy-assed news at the cardiologist today. Life is strange. When did we get old enough to face all this "reality" K's mom in Chemo, L's FIL gravely ill, Adam learning how to scratch his nose again...
I am seriously in love with Facebook b/c even though it is ridiculous and a total time suck, if it didn't' exist there are about 25 people who I would have had zero contact with in the last 30 days that I have had important, meaningful exchanges with and/or have been privy to significant details in their lives that they likely would have not called or emailed to update me on.
Modern day conundrum: I don't want to be the type of mom and wife who is a slave to the computer and social technology, but I don't also want to be the type of friend that is totally out of the loop when major shit is slapping into the fan.
There was a story on the news tonight about a 14 year old girl who sent 14,000 text messages in a month. She's a self-reported "texting addict. " I saw this story from the treadmill where i spent over an hour tonight. Occasionally I watch "the biggest loser" while eating ice cream. But this week I drank water and wondered if I could handle a bunch of sprints like they do.
I've put 8 miles on our treadmill so far this week; which is more than any other week since we've owned the monster. The worst part about exercising for me is the time spent away from my lady and my baby. Lame as it might sound to a more "driven" individual, I'd rather be on the couch next to her than just about anywhere else in the world. I always walk away (or limp away) feeling better about myself and I am always a much more productive member of the family after a little (or a long) workout. But in this crazy-busy life wrought with hardship and illness and problems, it does seem like a self-indulgent use of time.
Did i tell you we're going to the inauguration?
Well there will definitely be more on that later...
The house ain't clean, straightened, or ready for what the next 8 days is about to bring upon us.
I spent about an hour talking to my ICU comrade/best bud/roommate. She got some crazy-assed news at the cardiologist today. Life is strange. When did we get old enough to face all this "reality" K's mom in Chemo, L's FIL gravely ill, Adam learning how to scratch his nose again...
I am seriously in love with Facebook b/c even though it is ridiculous and a total time suck, if it didn't' exist there are about 25 people who I would have had zero contact with in the last 30 days that I have had important, meaningful exchanges with and/or have been privy to significant details in their lives that they likely would have not called or emailed to update me on.
Modern day conundrum: I don't want to be the type of mom and wife who is a slave to the computer and social technology, but I don't also want to be the type of friend that is totally out of the loop when major shit is slapping into the fan.
There was a story on the news tonight about a 14 year old girl who sent 14,000 text messages in a month. She's a self-reported "texting addict. " I saw this story from the treadmill where i spent over an hour tonight. Occasionally I watch "the biggest loser" while eating ice cream. But this week I drank water and wondered if I could handle a bunch of sprints like they do.
I've put 8 miles on our treadmill so far this week; which is more than any other week since we've owned the monster. The worst part about exercising for me is the time spent away from my lady and my baby. Lame as it might sound to a more "driven" individual, I'd rather be on the couch next to her than just about anywhere else in the world. I always walk away (or limp away) feeling better about myself and I am always a much more productive member of the family after a little (or a long) workout. But in this crazy-busy life wrought with hardship and illness and problems, it does seem like a self-indulgent use of time.
Did i tell you we're going to the inauguration?
Well there will definitely be more on that later...
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Recapping Rachel's Recap
There's some crazy shit going on out there. But if you don't have the time to pay attention, just check in every now and again with my girlfriend, R. Maddow\.
1) "Warning add": Vote for McCain or you will die... Classy. And such a "change" from politics as usual
2) The "hoax" perpetrated by McCain staffer, Ashley Todd, who reported to police that she was attacked by a large, black, Obama supporter who physically and sexually assaulted her and carved a "B" in her face with a knife... Unfortunately, in addition to the many inconsistencies in her story, when she carved the "B" into her own flesh, she forgot that looking in the mirror would make the B appear backwards.
3) The announcement that $150,000 was put out for Sarah Palin's wardrobe, and the highest paid staffer on the McCain campaign pay role is Gov. Palin's traveling make up artist: $22,000 in 2 weeks.
4) Joe McCain, John's brother was recorded calling 9-1-1 to complain and try to get info about traffic. Then he cursed at the dispatch operator and called back later to complain.
---------------------------
On the flip side, Barack Obama's grandmother is sick. I wonder how sick she must be for him to go there now. I'm sure it is related to the fact that my gram was hospitalized this week, but this news has affected profoundly. I am very sad for Senator Obama that he might lose his grandmother at this pivotal time in his life. I am praying that she lives to see him elected.
I hesitate to say that so nonchalantly. So I'll say this... He is leading in all polls. It looks to be the largest margin of victory in many, many presidential elections. But there is a lot of concern about voter fraud and the security of this election seems questionable. There's shouting and murmuring from both sides, but seriously, I will be rioting in the streets if this shit goes all wrong...
1) "Warning add": Vote for McCain or you will die... Classy. And such a "change" from politics as usual
2) The "hoax" perpetrated by McCain staffer, Ashley Todd, who reported to police that she was attacked by a large, black, Obama supporter who physically and sexually assaulted her and carved a "B" in her face with a knife... Unfortunately, in addition to the many inconsistencies in her story, when she carved the "B" into her own flesh, she forgot that looking in the mirror would make the B appear backwards.
3) The announcement that $150,000 was put out for Sarah Palin's wardrobe, and the highest paid staffer on the McCain campaign pay role is Gov. Palin's traveling make up artist: $22,000 in 2 weeks.
4) Joe McCain, John's brother was recorded calling 9-1-1 to complain and try to get info about traffic. Then he cursed at the dispatch operator and called back later to complain.
---------------------------
On the flip side, Barack Obama's grandmother is sick. I wonder how sick she must be for him to go there now. I'm sure it is related to the fact that my gram was hospitalized this week, but this news has affected profoundly. I am very sad for Senator Obama that he might lose his grandmother at this pivotal time in his life. I am praying that she lives to see him elected.
I hesitate to say that so nonchalantly. So I'll say this... He is leading in all polls. It looks to be the largest margin of victory in many, many presidential elections. But there is a lot of concern about voter fraud and the security of this election seems questionable. There's shouting and murmuring from both sides, but seriously, I will be rioting in the streets if this shit goes all wrong...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
What our electrical gadgets are trying to tell us
If you looked at our DVR, you might conclude that DNC convention is part of the Olympics. For the last several weeks, we have recorded hours of Olympic events every night- some still remaining on the "My recorded programs" menu. For the last few nights, we have recorded hours of political coverage. The Democratic nominating convention is my idea of sport. ("Sports" are Katy's idea of sport.) I cannot handle the din of the crowd broadcast during live sporting events. Katy cannot handle the talking heads broadcast during political events. She also cannot handle Hillary supporters who will not "let it go" or the media lug-heads who constantly remind us of those supporters' existence. I'm kind of like, "Everyone's got a right to their opinion- even those Floridians that voted for Ralph Nader in 2004 and 2000."
Every time we put our ipod on shuffle this week, chapters from The Audacity of Hope spontaneously start playing. Katy: Do you think our ipod is trying to tell us something???
Every time we put our ipod on shuffle this week, chapters from The Audacity of Hope spontaneously start playing. Katy: Do you think our ipod is trying to tell us something???
Friday, July 11, 2008
Where do you find the time?
We watched a DVR'd episode of wipeout yesterday.
I know 99.99% of you have not seen this show, but when I set the DVR I just felt like, "I have got to see this insanity at least once." It is on A.B.C. and is followed by a show called, "I survived a Japanese game show."
Summer tv is a freaking horror show.
I didn't expect wipeout to be anything other than what it was. (Honestly, though, I wasn't expecting the 30,000 times an announcer found a way to work the word "balls" into the commentary.)
So even though, I couldn't look away from the travesty, that's about 33 minutes of my life (ff'ing through commercials and other lame parts) that I'll never get back...
So what. After watching that show, my brain is mushier, my body is flabbier. But it reminds me of one of the reasons I blog. Namely, because I have the time.
My parents are 2 of the people that (though they have always encouraged me to write more) whenever the blog is mentioned say, "I don't know where you find the time..." It's ironic coming from my mother who last week alone, made several homemade bibs out of hand towels, while caring for 2-3 infants and toddlers around the clock.
Then there's my dad who will spend 45 minutes picking dandelion fuzz off the blades of grass on a certain section of his lawn; even after I've driven an adorable grand-baby 30 minutes to see him. Also, he's been known to play the fife for 7 to 22 hours on any given week in the summer. But he's baffled by my ability to find 20 to 60 minutes every few days to write about myself (or about them.)
To be fair, my parents haven't said this in a while, but a lot of people who spend a little time at the GSO are apt to remark: "I don't know where you find the time..."
I'm gonna say this: it doesn't take that much time.
I blog AND I still have time to watch an occasional episode of wipeout. That's just how I roll.
I have friends that do all kinds of things I don't do: exercise, clean house, apply makeup, blow-dry their hair...
I myself have list of items that go un-checked-off:
Returning the phone calls of people i care about and haven't seen, writing thank you notes for gifts given several months ago, getting my car to pass emissions, returning baby clothes that don't fit, laundering piles of underwear stored on the bedroom floor, dusting the treadmill that never gets used, etc.
My sister and i have a pet peeve about people who say, "I'm sorry I didn't XXX, I have just been so busy." I hate this statement b/c frankly it feels like pressure to be more wound up; an invitation into some kind of nauseating contest called, "I'm busier than you..." I think Web hates it because it would be a joke for someone to try to compete with her in this insane contest. She's been known to fly over 10,000 miles a week for work, put in the hours of a DA prosecuting OJ Simpson, host a pampered chef party, take my mother and grandmother out for pedicures, bake a batch of lollipop chocolate chip cookies for an ailing co-worker and still have the time to tease her older sister for showing up late to watch papa pick the dandelion fuzz off his lawn.
It's not that I am not busy. I assure you, we are as over-booked as the next group of lunatics. It is that no matter how "busy" someone is, there are always decisions involved about how an individual will use his/her time. Everyone gets the same number of hours in the day, right? Some people sleep more than others. Some people cope better than others. We all set our priorities, and the blog is a little gift I give myself; my way to produce media and not merely consume some trash that someone else produces. (wipeout.)
This guy, Clay Shirky plucks all the right notes in this tune if you ask me. (hat tip, Adam)
I know 99.99% of you have not seen this show, but when I set the DVR I just felt like, "I have got to see this insanity at least once." It is on A.B.C. and is followed by a show called, "I survived a Japanese game show."
Summer tv is a freaking horror show.
I didn't expect wipeout to be anything other than what it was. (Honestly, though, I wasn't expecting the 30,000 times an announcer found a way to work the word "balls" into the commentary.)
So even though, I couldn't look away from the travesty, that's about 33 minutes of my life (ff'ing through commercials and other lame parts) that I'll never get back...
So what. After watching that show, my brain is mushier, my body is flabbier. But it reminds me of one of the reasons I blog. Namely, because I have the time.
My parents are 2 of the people that (though they have always encouraged me to write more) whenever the blog is mentioned say, "I don't know where you find the time..." It's ironic coming from my mother who last week alone, made several homemade bibs out of hand towels, while caring for 2-3 infants and toddlers around the clock.
Then there's my dad who will spend 45 minutes picking dandelion fuzz off the blades of grass on a certain section of his lawn; even after I've driven an adorable grand-baby 30 minutes to see him. Also, he's been known to play the fife for 7 to 22 hours on any given week in the summer. But he's baffled by my ability to find 20 to 60 minutes every few days to write about myself (or about them.)
To be fair, my parents haven't said this in a while, but a lot of people who spend a little time at the GSO are apt to remark: "I don't know where you find the time..."
I'm gonna say this: it doesn't take that much time.
I blog AND I still have time to watch an occasional episode of wipeout. That's just how I roll.
I have friends that do all kinds of things I don't do: exercise, clean house, apply makeup, blow-dry their hair...
I myself have list of items that go un-checked-off:
Returning the phone calls of people i care about and haven't seen, writing thank you notes for gifts given several months ago, getting my car to pass emissions, returning baby clothes that don't fit, laundering piles of underwear stored on the bedroom floor, dusting the treadmill that never gets used, etc.
My sister and i have a pet peeve about people who say, "I'm sorry I didn't XXX, I have just been so busy." I hate this statement b/c frankly it feels like pressure to be more wound up; an invitation into some kind of nauseating contest called, "I'm busier than you..." I think Web hates it because it would be a joke for someone to try to compete with her in this insane contest. She's been known to fly over 10,000 miles a week for work, put in the hours of a DA prosecuting OJ Simpson, host a pampered chef party, take my mother and grandmother out for pedicures, bake a batch of lollipop chocolate chip cookies for an ailing co-worker and still have the time to tease her older sister for showing up late to watch papa pick the dandelion fuzz off his lawn.
It's not that I am not busy. I assure you, we are as over-booked as the next group of lunatics. It is that no matter how "busy" someone is, there are always decisions involved about how an individual will use his/her time. Everyone gets the same number of hours in the day, right? Some people sleep more than others. Some people cope better than others. We all set our priorities, and the blog is a little gift I give myself; my way to produce media and not merely consume some trash that someone else produces. (wipeout.)
This guy, Clay Shirky plucks all the right notes in this tune if you ask me. (hat tip, Adam)
Friday, February 15, 2008
Wha-oh!
They are resurrecting Kitt. Now that Night Rider will be introduced to a new generation of Americans, maybe Mad.tv or SNL will use my skit idea:
Imagine... "Knight Rider- the college years"
scene one
(Michael Knight, drunk outside a bar, stumbles into the bushes, pukes, and slurs into his wrist watch:) Kitt... come pick me up.
(Red lights in front grill flash back and forth) whoo-whoo-whoo.
(Cue theme music:) do-do-do-do...
Car: Michael, you're drunk again.
scene two
see the car bouncing and windows fogged up.
Flash to inside the car and the ashtray opens revealing a condom.
(moans and groans from the back seat)
Kitt: Michael, don't forget protection.
etc.
Imagine... "Knight Rider- the college years"
scene one
(Michael Knight, drunk outside a bar, stumbles into the bushes, pukes, and slurs into his wrist watch:) Kitt... come pick me up.
(Red lights in front grill flash back and forth) whoo-whoo-whoo.
(Cue theme music:) do-do-do-do...
Car: Michael, you're drunk again.
scene two
see the car bouncing and windows fogged up.
Flash to inside the car and the ashtray opens revealing a condom.
(moans and groans from the back seat)
Kitt: Michael, don't forget protection.
etc.
Monday, February 11, 2008
The L Word - season five
We don't talk about it much because it is not our favorite show on TV, but we are dedicated to supporting The L Word. Every year, we order Sho.wtime the day the season starts and cancel the pay channel the day after the season ends. (We hope that helps send the message that lesbians are willing to pay for it... err, um, you know what I mean.) Some lesbians I know have nothing but contempt for the show. But as I have debated with Dr BB and others, even bad candy is better than no candy at all.
The basic complaints I've heard about The L word can generally be summarized:
1) It is soft core porn
2) The sex is unrealistic. Perhaps choreographed more for men than for womyn who love women
3) It's not a realistic representation (ie- Lesbians aren't that rich, don't look that good, or dress that nice)
4) The dialog is so "educational" at times it seems like a giant, gay public service announcement
5) Jenny Schecter: crazy-annoying and crazy; how the eff is this character getting this much airtime?
6) Max: the only butch lesbian wants to be a man
Briefly, here are my counter arguments:
1) And???
2) Like this isn't also true of all sex on every soap opera since the beginning of time
3) Similarly, this is true of most TV shows. Ex: Gray's Anatomy- the richest, hottest, trendiest interns ever!
4) Some candy is better than no candy
5) No counter argument, I hate her
6) Max's pathetic attempt to use bogus "tech" terminology is way more problematic for me than the fact that he wants to be a man
Kt and I are pretty low key, and don't take our TV too seriously, so for the most part we really enjoy The L word. (Except that season I tried to block out when it was all about Jenny's suppressed carnival memories...)
Anyway, this season so far has been my favorite. It seems much more well-written. The characters seem to have settled into themselves. The tempo is right. The music is so much better. The dialog is funny. Max has fewer lines. And though Jenny is a huge part of the storyline, she is now viewed as crazy and annoying in the eyes of the other characters which makes watching her more enjoyable.
Another funny thing about this season, is that Katy has started to watch the show as if it is a horror film. We have been watching a lot of Weeds and Lost on DVD, and I guess this has affected her expectations. She is ready all all times to believe that the characters are about to be arrested, "caught," found out, and/or killed anytime they are having fun or generally experiencing life. No matter what is going on on screen, Kt warns me, "This isn't going to end well." So far, she's said this during party scenes, make-out scenes, the opening of a new club scene. Like what's the worst that can happen, someone gets a drink thrown on them?!?
Characters are swimming, talking on phones, ordering lunch and my wife whispers nervously, 'This isn't going to end well." To be fair, she's accurately warned me 3 times on 3 separate shows, recently, that a character was about to be hit by a bus. But so far on The L Word, nothing close to tragedy has occurred this season, and it's made my wife seem like a paranoid Debbie Downer off her meds. Kt's even started laughing and adding, "or it might be okay..." when the scene ends without a car explosion, etc.
So tonight,
DON'T TRY TO READ THE COLORED PRINT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR WHO HOOKED UP
--------------------------------------
Bette and Tina hooked up!!!
I didn't realize that I was rooting so hard for them to get back together but yeah, um... I was.
--------------------------------------
IF YOU CAN'T READ THE ABOVE AND YOU WANT TO, JUST HIGHLIGHT THE WORDS WITH YOUR CURSOR
So they start romping in bed together and Katy's (all-like) covering her eyes with her hands, fingers slightly spread so she can see some of the action, "This isn't going to end well."
And well, it seemed to end well to me.
(Nudge-nudge, know whut I mean, aye.)
Here's hoping that things don't get all weird and the minute Kt lets her guard down, there's some kind of terrorist event on the show!
The basic complaints I've heard about The L word can generally be summarized:
1) It is soft core porn
2) The sex is unrealistic. Perhaps choreographed more for men than for womyn who love women
3) It's not a realistic representation (ie- Lesbians aren't that rich, don't look that good, or dress that nice)
4) The dialog is so "educational" at times it seems like a giant, gay public service announcement
5) Jenny Schecter: crazy-annoying and crazy; how the eff is this character getting this much airtime?
6) Max: the only butch lesbian wants to be a man
Briefly, here are my counter arguments:
1) And???
2) Like this isn't also true of all sex on every soap opera since the beginning of time
3) Similarly, this is true of most TV shows. Ex: Gray's Anatomy- the richest, hottest, trendiest interns ever!
4) Some candy is better than no candy
5) No counter argument, I hate her
6) Max's pathetic attempt to use bogus "tech" terminology is way more problematic for me than the fact that he wants to be a man
Kt and I are pretty low key, and don't take our TV too seriously, so for the most part we really enjoy The L word. (Except that season I tried to block out when it was all about Jenny's suppressed carnival memories...)
Anyway, this season so far has been my favorite. It seems much more well-written. The characters seem to have settled into themselves. The tempo is right. The music is so much better. The dialog is funny. Max has fewer lines. And though Jenny is a huge part of the storyline, she is now viewed as crazy and annoying in the eyes of the other characters which makes watching her more enjoyable.
Another funny thing about this season, is that Katy has started to watch the show as if it is a horror film. We have been watching a lot of Weeds and Lost on DVD, and I guess this has affected her expectations. She is ready all all times to believe that the characters are about to be arrested, "caught," found out, and/or killed anytime they are having fun or generally experiencing life. No matter what is going on on screen, Kt warns me, "This isn't going to end well." So far, she's said this during party scenes, make-out scenes, the opening of a new club scene. Like what's the worst that can happen, someone gets a drink thrown on them?!?
Characters are swimming, talking on phones, ordering lunch and my wife whispers nervously, 'This isn't going to end well." To be fair, she's accurately warned me 3 times on 3 separate shows, recently, that a character was about to be hit by a bus. But so far on The L Word, nothing close to tragedy has occurred this season, and it's made my wife seem like a paranoid Debbie Downer off her meds. Kt's even started laughing and adding, "or it might be okay..." when the scene ends without a car explosion, etc.
So tonight,
DON'T TRY TO READ THE COLORED PRINT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR WHO HOOKED UP
--------------------------------------
Bette and Tina hooked up!!!
I didn't realize that I was rooting so hard for them to get back together but yeah, um... I was.
--------------------------------------
IF YOU CAN'T READ THE ABOVE AND YOU WANT TO, JUST HIGHLIGHT THE WORDS WITH YOUR CURSOR
So they start romping in bed together and Katy's (all-like) covering her eyes with her hands, fingers slightly spread so she can see some of the action, "This isn't going to end well."
And well, it seemed to end well to me.
(Nudge-nudge, know whut I mean, aye.)
Here's hoping that things don't get all weird and the minute Kt lets her guard down, there's some kind of terrorist event on the show!
Thoughts on Pa and 1/2 Pint
I just watched an episode of Little House on the Prairie on the when-you-care-enough-to-send-the-very-best Channel. The preview guide told me I was watching a re-run and the episode aired for the first time in 1978.
Holy crapola.
For half of 1978, I was 4 years old, and the other half, I was five years old. It was an episode with Albert living on the farm with the Ingalls family, but before Almonzo ("Manly") was in the picture and before Mary and Adam relocated the blind school from Winoka to Walnut Grove.
(All that and much more about Little House is stored in a quick-recall file in my brain. But for some of the details below, I have turned to Google...)
Apparently, the show ran for 9 seasons, September 11, 1974 until March 21, 1983.
I always thought that I had seen these episodes in real time, but I realize now that I was watching them in syndication in the 80's.
The show is THIRTY YEARS OLD!!!
What's remarkable is how timeless this series is. Because it's a period piece, it doesn't get outdated. There are no special effects or costumes that they might do better now with since-invented computers or new technology. Also, the point of reference is skewed. No one was alive back then. Unless you are a major history freak- not someone who "likes" history, but someone who has made it her/his life's work to read obscure texts and research the subtleties of daily life of the prairie- you watch the show without fighting the contextual details. When Jonathan Garvey and Pa are excited at the prospect of getting $3 a week, you just assume that was a lot of coin 150 years ago. It doesn't bother you in the way it would if you found out that George Jefferson was living on easy street, pulling in $80 Grand a year.
In contrast, a 12 year old episode of Touched by an Angel (which follows Little House on Hallmark daytime programming) dated itself in the first 20 seconds when the main characters were complaining about the fact that stamps were a whopping 37 cents.
SIDE BAR: It is ironic that Angels make small talk about the cost of anything and don't recognize that money is a subjective and erratic symbol of the quantitative value of goods and services determined by the market's relative health and the context of the governing economic system of a particular time and place. (It's supposed to be a run-on.)
Also ironic, but more in line with the topic of this post, I was forced to nearly injure myself rolling my eyes after this line was delivered by Della Reese: "I told Ben Franklin this would happen." By the way, Angel-played-by-Della, if Charles Ingalls could mail a letter for- like, a PENNY and a week's wages were $3, than surely the inflation of $0.37 as compared to our current weekly pay averages show what a bargain the USPS provides (and I would think angels would understand that!) Furthermore, if you explained to Ben Franklin about airplanes and the role they have taken in eliminating the Pony Express, and the fuel planes require and the wars we have to fund to secure that fuel I bet after his brain exploded, he would suggest that 37 cents is not very much money to pay to mail a letter.
But I digress. TouchedBAA lost me in that first 20 seconds because, "STOP YOUR BITCHING,PEOPLE ANGELS, first class stamps now cost 49 CENTS!!!" TouchedBAA did a lot to extend the assertion that since angels are timeless, ageless, travelers, perhaps the show itself is also timeless and can live on in syndication forever. But have you seen the cell phones these people used? How can you trust the primary messages of a show where Angels didn't even know about technology that was only a decade away?
Thing is, I am astounded at how easy it is to still watch a 30 year old episode of Little House. I get lost in the loving messages because I am not distracted by how outdated the show is. I dare you to try this with any other show. (Possible exception: Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman which I've never really seen.)
Little House didn't shy away from modern day topics. I watched (and still watch) the people of Walnut Grove deal with racism, war, divorce, single parenting, rape, incest, bullying, loss of faith, abuses of police and government, poverty, and on and on. They found ways to comment on world wars and holocausts that happened after the deaths of the show's characters because hey, there have always been wars and atrocities that humans have committed against other humans and the pros and cons don't really vary that much from era to era. The show I saw today, "Harriet's Happenings" made points about the freedoms and responsibilities of the press, social justice, and class structure.
I think my only regret that this show wasn't produced more recently is there exists no episode about some "Carl and Jeb" cowboy types who lived alone together, loving one another, bothering no one, and farming their farm. If that episode existed, Charles would have to lead the town in a live-and-let-live, 19th century stand for gay rights.
Michael Landon's son is gay, and i think if the series started even 10 years later than it did, there would have been some don't-use-the-olden-days-as-an-excuse-to-pick-on-the-gays tolerance content. In fact, the show was so progressive and modern and pro-family* it seems odd that there never was a gay-farmer episode. It's practically the only way the show dates itself- thought there were certainly gay people living in the 1800s, there simply was not a place for gay people on TV in the 70's and early 80's.
* "Pro-family" as in, "love, protect, and take care of your family." Not "hold up a 'god-hates-fags' posters at a soldier's funeral, 'pro-family' "
Holy crapola.
For half of 1978, I was 4 years old, and the other half, I was five years old. It was an episode with Albert living on the farm with the Ingalls family, but before Almonzo ("Manly") was in the picture and before Mary and Adam relocated the blind school from Winoka to Walnut Grove.
(All that and much more about Little House is stored in a quick-recall file in my brain. But for some of the details below, I have turned to Google...)
Apparently, the show ran for 9 seasons, September 11, 1974 until March 21, 1983.
I always thought that I had seen these episodes in real time, but I realize now that I was watching them in syndication in the 80's.
The show is THIRTY YEARS OLD!!!
What's remarkable is how timeless this series is. Because it's a period piece, it doesn't get outdated. There are no special effects or costumes that they might do better now with since-invented computers or new technology. Also, the point of reference is skewed. No one was alive back then. Unless you are a major history freak- not someone who "likes" history, but someone who has made it her/his life's work to read obscure texts and research the subtleties of daily life of the prairie- you watch the show without fighting the contextual details. When Jonathan Garvey and Pa are excited at the prospect of getting $3 a week, you just assume that was a lot of coin 150 years ago. It doesn't bother you in the way it would if you found out that George Jefferson was living on easy street, pulling in $80 Grand a year.
In contrast, a 12 year old episode of Touched by an Angel (which follows Little House on Hallmark daytime programming) dated itself in the first 20 seconds when the main characters were complaining about the fact that stamps were a whopping 37 cents.
SIDE BAR: It is ironic that Angels make small talk about the cost of anything and don't recognize that money is a subjective and erratic symbol of the quantitative value of goods and services determined by the market's relative health and the context of the governing economic system of a particular time and place. (It's supposed to be a run-on.)
Also ironic, but more in line with the topic of this post, I was forced to nearly injure myself rolling my eyes after this line was delivered by Della Reese: "I told Ben Franklin this would happen." By the way, Angel-played-by-Della, if Charles Ingalls could mail a letter for- like, a PENNY and a week's wages were $3, than surely the inflation of $0.37 as compared to our current weekly pay averages show what a bargain the USPS provides (and I would think angels would understand that!) Furthermore, if you explained to Ben Franklin about airplanes and the role they have taken in eliminating the Pony Express, and the fuel planes require and the wars we have to fund to secure that fuel I bet after his brain exploded, he would suggest that 37 cents is not very much money to pay to mail a letter.
But I digress. TouchedBAA lost me in that first 20 seconds because, "STOP YOUR BITCHING,
Thing is, I am astounded at how easy it is to still watch a 30 year old episode of Little House. I get lost in the loving messages because I am not distracted by how outdated the show is. I dare you to try this with any other show. (Possible exception: Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman which I've never really seen.)
Little House didn't shy away from modern day topics. I watched (and still watch) the people of Walnut Grove deal with racism, war, divorce, single parenting, rape, incest, bullying, loss of faith, abuses of police and government, poverty, and on and on. They found ways to comment on world wars and holocausts that happened after the deaths of the show's characters because hey, there have always been wars and atrocities that humans have committed against other humans and the pros and cons don't really vary that much from era to era. The show I saw today, "Harriet's Happenings" made points about the freedoms and responsibilities of the press, social justice, and class structure.
I think my only regret that this show wasn't produced more recently is there exists no episode about some "Carl and Jeb" cowboy types who lived alone together, loving one another, bothering no one, and farming their farm. If that episode existed, Charles would have to lead the town in a live-and-let-live, 19th century stand for gay rights.
Michael Landon's son is gay, and i think if the series started even 10 years later than it did, there would have been some don't-use-the-olden-days-as-an-excuse-to-pick-on-the-gays tolerance content. In fact, the show was so progressive and modern and pro-family* it seems odd that there never was a gay-farmer episode. It's practically the only way the show dates itself- thought there were certainly gay people living in the 1800s, there simply was not a place for gay people on TV in the 70's and early 80's.
* "Pro-family" as in, "love, protect, and take care of your family." Not "hold up a 'god-hates-fags' posters at a soldier's funeral, 'pro-family' "
Monday, January 28, 2008
Only as my maternity leave comes to a close...
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Welcome young sports fans...
Well, it looks like JB couldn't care less about the Pat's game...
Thanks be to God that Katy has someone to share the love of the hum-of-the-crowd with!!!
Thanks be to God that Katy has someone to share the love of the hum-of-the-crowd with!!!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)