Day 10: Watch "The Big Chill"

I haven't seen this movie in years. I often think (after I've watched some horrible, modern-day romantic comedy) that I should re-visit this classic film. But I never do. Because usually I am watching Fantastic Mr. Fox or The Incredibles, or Kung Fun Panda. Yep. That's life with a almost 4 year old and an almost 7 year old.

But the kids were off to Grandma's for the afternoon so I was able to cross this one of my list. And it is still a fantastic movie. An observation on things you just don't see in the movies/TV anymore:

• forehead wrinkles
• records and record players
• characters smoking (except for Mad Men, of course)
• small-ish boobs on the leading characters (females, obviously)
• permed hair

Once you come to grips with the above peculiarities, it's really fun to watch. And if you haven't ever seen this movie, you should. The writing and the delivery of the lines is wonderful. And there are some top notch actors: Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt - just to name a few. In a nutshell, it's the story of a group of college pals who meet up for a reunion of sorts about 15 years post graduation. Except the reunion is happening b/c one of their friends, Alex, has committed suicide. It's dramatic and funny and sad and hopeful and lovely. See for yourself, just a snippet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O19k-YtwXTg

Roger Ebert had this to say about the film, back in the day: "The Big Chill is a splendid technical exercise. It has all the right moves. It knows all the right words. Its characters have all the right clothes, expressions, fears, lusts and ambitions. But there's no payoff and it doesn't lead anywhere. I thought at first that was a weakness of the movie. There also is the possibility that it's the movie's message." Works for me.

The morning scene with the running shoes is my personal favorite. It personifies the characters perfectly.

The soundtrack is also fabulous. (Note to self: download this sucker in iTunes.) And the house where the movie is filmed is To Die For. A true Southern gem.

I leave you with this little dialogue between -2- of the characters who are talking about sex....

Sam Weber: Nothing's more important than sex!
Michael: Oh yeah, have you ever gone a week without a rationalization?
Michael: I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex.
Sam Weber: Ah, come on. Nothing's more important than sex.
Michael: Oh yeah? Ever gone a week without a rationalization?

Brilliant!

Day 9: Complete a DIY project.

I was not feeling especially crafty today. Not at all.

My house was dirty. My arms were sore from yoga and Side Crow and then regular Crow and then what seemed like 500 chaturanga push-ups. I just wanted to read (finish task #4 and put that Kindle to bed already!)

I  seriously considered changing today's task to something else. But I persevered. And I'm happy that I did.

I found this Silhouette project a looonnnnngggg time ago on a home decorating blog. I thought it was really cool and would be super cute in Holly and Sydney's rooms. I whipped out the camera, took some profile pics of them and printed them up. I carefully cut around their profiles and then used spray adhesive to glue it to some bright pink paper. Excuse me, I mean magenta paper, because Holly no longer likes pink...A trip to Michaels (wowzie, was that place a zoo today. Apparently all the Moms go there on Superbowl Sunday???) to purchase some frames and some jazzy card stock paper to mount the silhouettes onto and VOILA!


Note, it took me several cutting attempts to get the profiles looking like my girls, rather than some type of alien creature. And I ended up using the pony tail version profile, as making naturally curly hair look right is really, really difficult. Who knew?


But I do like the final product. So do Holls and Syd. They exclaimed "we look like Barbies!"


Not what I was going for, but I'll take it.

Photos and the link to the project below. Holly added hers to her art gallery wall (her framed art work) and Sydney wanted hers in between the -2- paintings my crafty friend Lynette did when Syd got her Big Girl room re-do last year...
http://www.prudentbaby.com/2009/10/diy-cameo-silhouettes-three-ways.html

Day 8: Church. Back on the wagon!

I attended the Saturday Vigil mass yesterday at Holy Family Parish. It's a little ironic that this church in Kirkland has the same name as the church I attended for 18+ years in my hometown. I'm certain there are thousands of Holy Family churches across the good ol' USA, but still, I find it a bit of a ko-ink-a-dink.

I've attended church very sporadically since graduating college. And I have not yet had my girls baptized in the Catholic church.  There's many reasons why I drifted away from the church: my husband is not Catholic (nor does he practice any faith), I don't agree with some of the church doctrines (heck, I was a Philosophy major, so I've become the ultimate cynic), and I also think religion (in general) usually bears some hypocrisy. And, as I've long argued with people, I think a person can be intensely spiritual without going to church every Sunday and being part of a faith based community. But, having said all that, I haven't felt right about not practicing anything formal.

I'm sure that has a lot to do with how I grew up: church every Sunday, CCD classes during the week in elementary, first communion, going to confession, fully participating in Lent and Advent activities, etc.

That was my "normal".

Some of the "hypocrisy" I find in the faith comes from my own family dynamics. My father was a devoted Roman Catholic, and expected the same from his children. We were to never be late to Mass and had to dress up in our church clothes (for kids that ran around in an apple orchard most of the time, this was quite a feat).  And God Forbid if we were not anything but angels during the service. I mean, honestly, this was high expectations: 3 girls and 2 boys in ages from 15 down to 5.  Looking back, I seriously don't know how we (the kids) did it. My dad also participated in Stephen Ministries and retreats and marriage encounters. Sounds like a great guy, right?  Not. In fact, he's one of the most selfish people I know. A perfect example of someone who twists and morphs a religion so that it works for themselves, regardless of their behavior. No altruistic intentions. And the coup de grace? He had his marriage to my mother annulled at that same church, so he would be free to marry someone else. I'm not sure how a 30 year marriage that resulted in 5 children can be annulled, but what the heck do I know?

So, you can see why I may have some issues with Catholicism.

Yet, as the years have passed, I've grown up enough to stop blaming the religion. That's just silly, right? And there are things about the faith that resonate with me. It's worth giving it another "go" and seeing where it takes me.

And there have been some "ah ha" moments along the way, that have steered me to where I am now, emotionally. A good friend of mine attends Holy Family and has been talking it up for several years. She's offered to go with me, invited me to a Mom's group, etc. For some reason, it didn't feel like the right time. And then, recently, a yoga buddy and I were talking before class...and I found out she goes there too. AND she's part of the team that arranges baptisms for older children. She even brought me a church bulletin, that she toted around in her purse for a week! I was sincerely touched and also felt like it was another door opening. It was up to me to walk on through....

And that's what I did.

Day 7: Surprise a friend!

Well, "technically" I did chat with the surprisee (not a word, but deal with it) today, but she really found out about the surprise earlier in the week, when I had to tell her earlier than planned. Had I not, she might have been traveling for work...the nerve of some people! :)

My college roomie, from Gonzaga (Joy!) is coming to visit! Hailing all the way from snowy, bear country in Anchorage! YAY!

I've been messaging her hubs the past few weeks, setting the plan into motion and we had it "set" until he learned of some travel/work plans for the same time frame as her trip to see moi. Of course, I was in Winthrop when this all came about (with crappier than crap cell service) so I ended up having to divulge the bare bones of the surprise to her via text. Not as fun, but still pretty awesome.

Would you believe that Joy and I were randomly assigned as room mates at GU and had never met one another, but lo and behold, we were actually baptized together (as babes) at the same church in Yakima? Destined to be friends, I tell you! I love that story.

Anywho, she is coming to visit for 3 days at the end of this month (thanks to my hubby's hefty mileage plan balance) and we are gonna party like it's 1989/90. Well, maybe there are no rugby parties in our near future, but I guarantee much giggling and catching up and commiserating about the looming 40th birthday. She will make the decade changeover 4 days before me. Yep, we are both Pisces, too.

I am sooooo excited I can't stand it! Countdown to her visit: 20 days!

Surprising people is fun. Highly recommend.

Day 6: Comment on a Blog or blogs

I'll admit it - there are a 1/2 dozen blogs I regularly follow but never comment on. Gasp! The nerve of moi, to enjoy someones work and not let them know. Looooseeeer!

I mean, really.... if a friend wears a cute outfit, do I not comment on it? Hells to the Yeah, I say something. If a Facebook friend posts something witty, or cute, or sentimental, don't I hit the "Like" button? Done and Done.

So, what is my problem???

Talk about being hypocritical! I've often said I think it's the nutjobs out there in cyberspace who look at everything, but never participate that are the ones to be wary of. And here I was being one of them. No more! Finito!

I made some comments today. Hopefully, I just sounded grateful and appreciative for these people putting themselves and their thoughts out there for all to see. And not overly stalker-ish...

One of my "must reads' every morning is a fashion-y blog, but it's also from a Mom perspective (she has triplets) and she puts together wickedly creative outfits but is also really, really witty. She has fun with language (shit-tastic) but also posts about ordinary day type things, and there are real humdinger thoughtful posts that make you go Hmmmm.

So, I never know what I am going to find, and I like that.  Here's an older post I loved, about Coffee. http://merciblahblah.blogspot.com/2010/12/once-upon-time-i-did-wardrobe-post-with.html

Every woman out there would get a kick outta this one: http://merciblahblah.blogspot.com/2011/01/wwd-feeling-euphemistic.html

For Reals, that is funny stuff!

I made a few comments on some other blogs, too, in the true spirit of sharing the cyber love. But I won't bore you with the ins and outs.

Now, I can go sass the Hubs for spending -20- minutes on the good ol' FB and not commenting on a darn, tootin' thing. No "like" buttons, either... Sheesh! Where is the love?

:)

Day 5: Trying Cross Country Skiing

Yay, this task had me jazzed up with excitement. I've always thought this was an activity I would enjoy. I love snow, love the endorphin high that goes with a good cardio workout, love being outside and away from the hectic pace of city life.

And, I was not to be disappointed. I was in complete and utter heaven out there. Picture a crisp (very crisp at 14 degrees), sunny day with the perfect snow conditions, a perfectly groomed track, and not many people out but the -4- of us (Jeff, myself, and our FAB Uncle Pete and Aunt Pam). First, a few words about them, because I Love Them To Pieces. They are 62 years young and are such fun to hang out with. They are positive minded, up to try anything, appreciate and take care of their bodies, and also love a good bottle of red. My kind of folk. And I can only hope to be just like them when I am 62.

I especially love Pam today, because she gave some hand warmers. Just five minutes into the trail, I started  whimpering about that 14 degree weather and my cold hands. Anyone that knows me well knows that there are -2- things that can make me undeniably crabby: being cold and being hungry.  Those hand warmers made this adventure fun. Without them, I could have been one cranky (cold) mess.

The actual cross country skiing is a bit tricky. It involves using -4- limbs at once and focusing on creating a natural and sustainable rhythm among the -4- extremities. I was a herky jerky, robot looking thing for awhile. But then it (sort of) clicked and I was going much smoother and faster and was LOVING it. (I was the only one of our foursome to fall down. I fell twice, actually. But as my new saying goes "You Can't Win if You Don't Play" - ya gotta go "all in" if you really want to learn something, yes?)

We saw deer (20 feet away, tops), eagles, and plenty o' sunshine. Lovely way to spend a morning. And we made it 8 miles. Not too shabby for -2- newbies and the Elder Neumanns, right?

Jeff and I are totally sold on the sport. We'll go a few more times this season. And try to get the kids into it next year. It makes us feel a little less uncool for not being downhill skiers. We've tried that and it's just not for us. I hate being out of control, am scared to death of high places, dislike being cold and just think it's too expensive/time consuming with little kids. Cross country is just sooo much more my kinda thing.

And, I can't say enough about the Methow Valley. Gorgeous. Sunny. Friendly. Good People.

Yep, Day #5 was a damn good day.

Day 4: Trying the Kindle

Oh, boy, I was not excited about this one. I am NOT a fan of electronic books, newspapers, magazines, etc. I just like the Real Deal. I like folding the corners of pages in a book when I find something delightful. I adore bookstores and wandering around touching books, picking them up and paging through them. It's kind of like "dating" or "test-driving" a book. If you don't like how it feels or looks or sounds, just put it back on the shelf. No can do with the electronic books.

I like writing in books too, if I especially like a quote, or just want to jot down a thought. (Disclaimer: I do not do any of the above to library books, just the ones I own!)

You can't do that with an electronic gizmo book. You also can't share it with your friends (BOO!) or put it on bookshelf and glance at it some random day and think "I loved that book". And it's another thing with a cord and that has to be charged, right? I get enough of that with my iPhone, thank you very much.

But I have to give the Kindle props b/c it has turned the hubs into a reader. It's a great tool for someone who doesn't love bookstores, doesn't know how to go about finding the next read, or someone who travels. I get that. Who would have ever thought Jeff would willingly be reading "The Count of Monte Cristo"?  And, now that one of Jeff's BFF's has a Kindle, we joke he may start his own Book Club. Yes, indeedy - a round of snaps for the Kindle. I just know that, for moi, it will be a handy tool for travel and instant gratification when wanting to read a certain book, RIGHT NOW. Ultimately, though, I will go to my grave an "honest to goodness, hardcover/paperback" girl.

I chose to read "Born to Run" on the Kindle b/c Jeff has been raving about it for about a year. I've heard lots of good things about it from various people, too. And since I am getting back into running, I figured it would be a good choice. And it is. I have not finished it, mind you. I am 32% done (can't tell you what page that is, though. Another thing I don't like about a "non-book" book...) and I am totally diggin' the story. Imagine people (Tarahumara Indians of Mexico) that run hundreds of miles in a day, just because, they love running and view it as synonymous with living. Not to get skinnier, or to live longer, or get paid massive endorsements, but just because it's "what we are born to do". They don't wear $200 running shoes and they don't have long discussions on pronation or supination. Interesting concept, right? I think so.

You can read more about it here:http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296693172&sr=8-1

If you've read it, or plan to read it down the road - please do let me know what you think...Like I said, I'm only 32% done, so that's the end of my review, for now :)