Citizens:
I must say this blogging thing has opened many doors - tech wise. Already hyperactive, I've now gone interactive and possibly radioactive from too much face time with the world wide web. I've peeked behind the tech door and now you're looking (virtually) at a person who has a gmail account (iamcitizenb@gmail.com) and an iGoogle home page with a highly functional layout.
My personalized page displays the usual suspects of date & time, calendar, local news, weather (including an impressive Doppler radar), local links, movies, and TV guide. I added a few national news and political sites, business and market watch, and on the opposite end of the spectrum items like EW.com and People. We all know how important it is to keep up with the latest celebrity assaults, top 100 teen idols (there are more than 10?), and hits and misses on the red carpet.
I also added a Fat Loss Tip of the Day (don't eat croutons), Flower of the Day (Freesia, meaning trust & innocence), NY Times crossword, and other random stuff.
I've managed to become slightly more technical all while discouraging Marshall The Cat and his constant attempts to interfere. Once he paw-typed "zzzzzz" in place of my preset "user name" when he happened to step on my laptop at a very critical log-in moment. Fortunately, I didn't have to make the dreaded call to the Help Desk... "Yes, hello...ugh...my cat erased my user name. Okay, let me remove him from the key board."
Now to the topic of widgets; specifically Meditation Chimes. I liked the idea of something interactive (and calming) and decided to add it as a feature to iGoogle and my blog site. I truly enjoy the ding, dong, bong of the chimes. It's relaxing especially with eyes closed. The problem with closed eyes is that I end up missing the mallet and clicking on the Doppler radar on iGoogle or "The Citizen Archives" on the blog.
Remember the satisfaction of banging on a xylophone as a kid? This will not happen with the widget Meditation Chimes. The fundamental flaw with Meditation Chimes is that you can only bong one chime at a time. There is no jazzing it up by hitting multiple chimes and there is absolutely no grand maestro finale with a dramatic sweep of the mallet across the length of chimes.
While I'm happy with my newly found tech savvy, I'm reminded that the wildest widgets in the world can't replace the experience of the real thing...and I'm more likely to find my Zen chomping croutons.
Ding, dong, bong,
CitizenB
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
If You Can't Beat'em, Join'em
Dear Citizens,
Last night the Republicans rolled out their best version of Obama, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Young, ethnic and highly educated. That's where the comparison ends. In his address, Obama spoke to us as adults. Jindal seemed to be speaking to a group of third-graders. I admit it was difficult to take him seriously because he reminded me of an Indian-American version of Kenneth - The Page on "30 Rock." If I remember correctly, there was an episode where Kenneth reminisced about his Daddy taking him to the store. (Okay, I made that up.)
I'm sure Jindal has lots of potential as a Republican politician but last night he didn't say much. What could he say? He was a little sideways in stating the stimulus bill was "irresponsible" considering he accepted $3.7B of the $3.8B offered to LA. (I suppose only $100M was irresponsible.) He also didn't mention the billions the evil government paid to rebuild after Katrina.
IMO, we are the government and we gotta do what we gotta do. Yes, the current state of affairs and resulting stimulus plan is painful and unfair in many respects; especially for fiscally responsible American citizens. As one of those citizens, I don't like it... but I'm willing to look at the big picture and what's at stake for all of us.
Okay, so we must act quickly in this crisis and there's a lot of ground to cover. I'm all for getting the heart beating again ("clear!") while simultaneously making things happen like health care reform. Because we, the government, are historically slow to act, I'm hesitant to say let's be careful about acting all at once. We don't want a mind-boggling amount of money to be squandered. There must be change at the core or money won't fix anything. Obama recognizes this.
Lastly, the atmosphere in the house chamber was so incredibly different from the last - well, forever. Where has our leadership been for all these years?
Obama gave a brave and highly ambitious speech. And, yes, we need his kind of leadership.
CitizenB
Last night the Republicans rolled out their best version of Obama, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Young, ethnic and highly educated. That's where the comparison ends. In his address, Obama spoke to us as adults. Jindal seemed to be speaking to a group of third-graders. I admit it was difficult to take him seriously because he reminded me of an Indian-American version of Kenneth - The Page on "30 Rock." If I remember correctly, there was an episode where Kenneth reminisced about his Daddy taking him to the store. (Okay, I made that up.)
I'm sure Jindal has lots of potential as a Republican politician but last night he didn't say much. What could he say? He was a little sideways in stating the stimulus bill was "irresponsible" considering he accepted $3.7B of the $3.8B offered to LA. (I suppose only $100M was irresponsible.) He also didn't mention the billions the evil government paid to rebuild after Katrina.
IMO, we are the government and we gotta do what we gotta do. Yes, the current state of affairs and resulting stimulus plan is painful and unfair in many respects; especially for fiscally responsible American citizens. As one of those citizens, I don't like it... but I'm willing to look at the big picture and what's at stake for all of us.
Okay, so we must act quickly in this crisis and there's a lot of ground to cover. I'm all for getting the heart beating again ("clear!") while simultaneously making things happen like health care reform. Because we, the government, are historically slow to act, I'm hesitant to say let's be careful about acting all at once. We don't want a mind-boggling amount of money to be squandered. There must be change at the core or money won't fix anything. Obama recognizes this.
Lastly, the atmosphere in the house chamber was so incredibly different from the last - well, forever. Where has our leadership been for all these years?
Obama gave a brave and highly ambitious speech. And, yes, we need his kind of leadership.
CitizenB
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Emily, Our Newest and Littlest Citizen
Dear Citizens,
Please allow me to introduce the newest addition to the family, Emily Maribel.
Emily was born Tuesday, February 17 at 7:49 a.m. and weighed in at 7 lb. 7 oz. She's a petite 18" long.
She's adorable and totally Zen even when she spits up a little. Her beautiful black hair forms in to a perfect faux-mohawk* and her big blue-brown eyes will melt your heart.
Mom Whitney is doing well. She is such a patient, loving mother. Like most fathers, Dad Jose, smiling brightly, is probably a little stunned by the whole birthing experience. It is quite stunning.
Big brother Gabriel, 2 1/2, is getting with the program and the idea of sharing his mom with "Emme". I learned last night that you should always carry a spare hot wheel race car, preferably black, in your purse. If not, be prepared to allow a 2 year old to play with your I Phone.
Here's to Emily. I can't wait to watch you grow up.
Aunt Citizen B
*Note: Her mother does not approve of the faux-mohawk; at least not yet.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Honoring Our Presidents - The Good, the Bad, and the Forgotten
As a citizen, I'm compelled to comment on yet another holiday. I'm still in disbelief I actually blogged about Valentine's Day.
Today is Presidents Day and to most Americans this means banks and government offices are closed. No mail delivery today. That's about it. At least it's one less day for banks and the government to make a total mess of our lives.
There's no birthday cake for George Washington with 277 candles nor Abe Lincoln with 200 (that I know of) and someone in charge needs to make cake a priority on Presidents Day (Hillary, will you fit this in before your inaugural Asia trip?) We all know birthday cake calories don't count and with a cake large enough to hold a combined 477 candles, we could eat a lot of guiltless cake. Who needs another parade or red, white, and blue bunting?
I suppose the purpose of Presidents Day is to allow schools to focus on educating our children about presidents and government. (Oh, and to promote patriotism.) I hope our future generation is learning something stimulating about presidential history and that it involves information not on a standardized test. When will we figure out that our kids need creative ways of learning without concentrating solely on which circle to fill in with a #2 pencil?
I'm not suggesting that the assassinations of Lincoln and JFK or Washington's siege of Boston be reenacted in the classroom. Although most kids see much worse on TV and video games. We certainly don't want Monica Lewinsky to be portrayed in any manner or George W.'s spelling to be showcased.
I've been out of public school for longer than I care to mention. Today, I had to think back on what I learned about Presidents Day. Most of it had to due with memorization. So I put my memory to the test and beginning with Washington I made it to president #7. For some reason I hit a mental block after Andrew Jackson. I fared a little better starting with Obama and working in reverse. I actually made it to Warren G. Harding or 16 back. At least I remembered the 11 presidents in office during my lifetime. I admit to almost forgetting Ford.
Why is it so difficult to recall all the guys in the middle? I remembered Lincoln, Johnson, Buchanan, Teddy Roosevelt, Polk, and Taylor, and except for Lincoln at #16, I don't know their numbers. I also remembered Grover Cleveland because once we visited an historic house in Nashville where a special bath had been designed to accommodate his large size. Also, the Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Cleveland's daughter. Considering my love of sugar, this wasn't hard to remember along with the snack cakes named for Dolley Madison.
The in-between president names remind of those one would find in an elite country club registry - Harrison, Tyler, Pierce, Hayes, Arthur, McKinley, Van Buren. Maybe this is why I've blocked them from my memory.
During this exercise in futility, I actually remembered an excellent learning experience. I was one of several 7th and 8th grade Speech students presenting an after-school program highlighting excerpts from famous FDR speeches. We were dressed in red, white, and blue. I wore a white cotton dress with navy blue trim that Mom sewed just for the occasion. Each student stood on a designated "X" on the dark stage in the school auditorium and when a beam from a red, white or blue spotlight blinded us one by one, we were cued to give our our speech.
I remember arriving and my teacher advising one of the student speakers had strep throat (instead of failing to memorize FDR) and I was to take his part in addition to mine. No pressure! I remember my bit was an excerpt from the famous inaugural speech "...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself..."
This 1933 speech speaks eerily to the current state of the union. In that life is cyclical, does this mean Coolidge and Hoover preceding FDR were as lame as George W.? Most likely.
CitizenB
Today is Presidents Day and to most Americans this means banks and government offices are closed. No mail delivery today. That's about it. At least it's one less day for banks and the government to make a total mess of our lives.
There's no birthday cake for George Washington with 277 candles nor Abe Lincoln with 200 (that I know of) and someone in charge needs to make cake a priority on Presidents Day (Hillary, will you fit this in before your inaugural Asia trip?) We all know birthday cake calories don't count and with a cake large enough to hold a combined 477 candles, we could eat a lot of guiltless cake. Who needs another parade or red, white, and blue bunting?
I suppose the purpose of Presidents Day is to allow schools to focus on educating our children about presidents and government. (Oh, and to promote patriotism.) I hope our future generation is learning something stimulating about presidential history and that it involves information not on a standardized test. When will we figure out that our kids need creative ways of learning without concentrating solely on which circle to fill in with a #2 pencil?
I'm not suggesting that the assassinations of Lincoln and JFK or Washington's siege of Boston be reenacted in the classroom. Although most kids see much worse on TV and video games. We certainly don't want Monica Lewinsky to be portrayed in any manner or George W.'s spelling to be showcased.
I've been out of public school for longer than I care to mention. Today, I had to think back on what I learned about Presidents Day. Most of it had to due with memorization. So I put my memory to the test and beginning with Washington I made it to president #7. For some reason I hit a mental block after Andrew Jackson. I fared a little better starting with Obama and working in reverse. I actually made it to Warren G. Harding or 16 back. At least I remembered the 11 presidents in office during my lifetime. I admit to almost forgetting Ford.
Why is it so difficult to recall all the guys in the middle? I remembered Lincoln, Johnson, Buchanan, Teddy Roosevelt, Polk, and Taylor, and except for Lincoln at #16, I don't know their numbers. I also remembered Grover Cleveland because once we visited an historic house in Nashville where a special bath had been designed to accommodate his large size. Also, the Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Cleveland's daughter. Considering my love of sugar, this wasn't hard to remember along with the snack cakes named for Dolley Madison.
The in-between president names remind of those one would find in an elite country club registry - Harrison, Tyler, Pierce, Hayes, Arthur, McKinley, Van Buren. Maybe this is why I've blocked them from my memory.
During this exercise in futility, I actually remembered an excellent learning experience. I was one of several 7th and 8th grade Speech students presenting an after-school program highlighting excerpts from famous FDR speeches. We were dressed in red, white, and blue. I wore a white cotton dress with navy blue trim that Mom sewed just for the occasion. Each student stood on a designated "X" on the dark stage in the school auditorium and when a beam from a red, white or blue spotlight blinded us one by one, we were cued to give our our speech.
I remember arriving and my teacher advising one of the student speakers had strep throat (instead of failing to memorize FDR) and I was to take his part in addition to mine. No pressure! I remember my bit was an excerpt from the famous inaugural speech "...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself..."
This 1933 speech speaks eerily to the current state of the union. In that life is cyclical, does this mean Coolidge and Hoover preceding FDR were as lame as George W.? Most likely.
CitizenB
Saturday, February 14, 2009
A Valentine's Day Bonanza
Happy Valentine's Day, Citizens.
Today is all about matters of the heart. Love is mysterious - how do we chose the ones we love and vice versa? Romantic love is one of those things - you just know it when you feel it. It's more than a fleeting crush. It's all about admiration, respect, understanding, patience, acceptance, support and giving fully of yourself without asking for anything in return. It's a wonderful thing when it happens and endures.
Valentine's Day is the time to demonstrate "the love". In our commercialized society, this means purchases: chocolates, flowers, cards, balloons, jewelry, stuffed animals, romantic dinners, and lingerie. Along with using money allocated for this month's car insurance, this takes a lot of preparation and forethought.
Some thoughts:
I always feel for men - husbands and boyfriends - on Valentine's Day. Not the best at forethought and preparation (with a few exceptions), you see them in the grocery store floral department on the day in question looking like lost children. They move on to the greeting card aisle and look painfully through the left-overs. There's so much pressure; women, in general, are very picky. They don't like receiving Valentines entitled "For My Mother" or worse, a get well card. They like their name to be spelled correctly. Most don't enjoy sharing a half off appetizer at T.G.I. Fridays.
Maybe there's too much pressure - unless you're a metrosexual or one of the Queer Eye guys. It's really all about being thoughtful. Why not vacuum the entire house for your loved one, replace the burned out light bulb in the bathroom, and make homemade sushi? (My gift from Andy this year.) How about giving your loved one a rock (not the kind of rock you may be thinking of; an actual rock rock, you know, from the yard), a book or just saying "I love you" accompanied by a bunch of kisses.
My favorite Valentine's gift was "I love you" and an arrow-pierced heart marked with a sharpie on a paper towel accompanied by a segmented orange in a Ziploc baggy - left on the kitchen counter before work. Perfecto! Yes, as you can see, I have very low expectations in this category.
Valentine's 1960-1970's Style:
I loved Valentine's Day as a kid and the big event of decorating a shoe box with doilies, pipe cleaners, and cut-outs of cupids and hearts from red and pink construction paper and tissue. This was way before glitter, glue sticks, and Michael's MJ Designs. We managed.
It was also a thrill to choose a box of Valentine cards and write one for each member of your class - including the boys - and even for the boy that blew spit balls through a straw into your hair. Of course, he was the one who loved you the most and/or voted most likely to end up in prison. There was always a special valentine for your teacher ( "Teacher, You're A+") and this was before helicopter mothers sent gifts for the teacher like heart -shaped paperweights, pink mugs, and spa gift certificates.
At the class party, it was so much fun to read each valentine - always corny - with cute animals and sayings like "I'm Just Wild About You, Valentine" and "Quit Horsing Around and Be Mine." Many valentines featured fruit with cute faces and sayings like "You're a Peach", "I'm Going Bananas for You", and "You're Plum Cute." This was before Pokemon and Hannah Montana. We were very sheltered and thought animals and fruit could talk.
Once as a senior in high school and after 3 years of French, I became an aide to the French teacher (the perks included getting to grade my younger sister's tests). I was Ms. Tharp's aide during a class period when she taught Special Ed (that's what it was called at the time). It was not a Special Ed French class; Ms. Tharp taught more than one subject. Anyway, there were several boys in the class (most looked like Landry on "Friday Night Lights" and unfortunately not like Tim Riggins) and that particular Valentine's Day, I received an excessive amount of valentines - some scrolls of paper tied with red ribbons and others handmade red hearts. It was very touching. With some stroke of luck, my boyfriend also sent 3 red roses with baby's breath in a vase to the school. I carried it around all day - which was awkward because all the desks were slanted. I wouldn't have dreamed of leaving those roses in my locker or car. I had my special day and have been happy with oranges ever since.
Also, a shout out to Jamie & Leon. Happy Anniversary. And Mom, Happy Anniversary. I love you and I'm glad you had many happy years with Jan.
Love you bunches,
Citizen B
P.S. If you didn't get a chance to see 30 Rock's Valentine's episode, you must check in out on NBC.com or Hulu. Liz's first date with Don Draper (Jon Hamm) lands on Valentine's Day and she's freaked out by his handsomeness, Kenneth falls in love with a blind intern who disses him after feeling his dorky face - Tracy couldn't save him with the charade, and Jack ends up in confession, totally freaks out a priest and ends up at McDonald's with Salma Hayek.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
OMG! - 25 Random Things About CitizenB
When I started this blog a few months ago I had no idea how popular blogging had become and of the millions of citizens who share great and not so great ideas and/or random, useless information (guilty). Yes, I knew about MySpace but never considered it because it seems best suited for the 15-30 age bracket or the group known as "Generation Y" or "Guppies". (I just made up those tags but they could very well exist.)
Anyway, Slate recently headlined a story about Facebook's "25 Random Things About Me" with detailed research on the craze including opinions from Ph.Ds, and charts and graphs to demonstrate its evolution and how people react and respond. Per Wikipedia (how did we ever get by without all this information available at our fingertips?): "Facebook Notes was introduced on August 22, 2006, a blogging feature that allowed tags and embeddable images. Users were later able to import blogs from Xanga, LiveJournal, Blogger, and other blogging services. A recent use of Notes includes the Internet meme - "25 Random Things About Me" which involves writing 25 things about the user that their friends don't already know about them and using the tag function to ask 25 friends to also do so. Nearly 5 million "25 Random Things" notes were written on Facebook profiles in the first week of February 2009." 5 million last week? Wow. We are in dire straits - and obviously not out dancing in the streets.
My closest experience with "25 Random Things" is receiving e-mail questionnaires as shared by friends and family asking questions like "what's your favorite color?", "TV show?", "Food?"etc. I admit that I made up a lot of my answers to make it more interesting because who really cares that the answers are "green", "The Office" and "Italian"? As a side note and warning, never answer "What is your mother's maiden name?" and "The last 4 digits of your SSN?"
I considered not going down the "25" road, but hey, I might learn something about myself that will lead me to become a better person/citizen. Not really. I'm doing it for "fun" and because I'm bored and have no control over any other aspect of my life - typical of the 5 million others just like me. Because of the randomness, I hope to be able to tell the truth - or a kernel of the truth , if you can handle it.
"25 Random Things About CitizenB"
1. The story is that as newborn, I was left on the doorstep by desperate gypsies - I was a screamer - and had weird hair growing off my ears.
2. Due to the screaming and general unhappiness for no apparent reason (maybe the hairy ears?), I was drugged (legally) as a baby and by age 18 months a full-blown Paragoric addict. I weaned from my addiction by age 3, and no, I do not blame my parents or the gypsies. It was standard procedure in the 60's and too bad infants can't be drugged with something more effective and less harmful than grape-flavored Dimetapp or whatever is prescribed these days. Disclaimer: I don't know what I'm talking about.
3. As a young child, I specifically asked to be the "onlyest one" and in response my Mom became pregnant for an entire decade, producing 4 younger siblings - girl, boy, girl, girl. We also had dogs.
4. As a 6 year old, I stood on an overturned crate in the front yard and sang "It's The End of The World" into the garden hose. That was a highlight - and the beginning and end of my singing career.
5. As a 12 year old, I wrote poetry and placed anonymous samples in random mailboxes in the apartment complex where we lived. I really hope I cheered up grouchy Mrs. Pritchett in Apt. 121-A. If she smiled, her pancake make-up probably cracked and fell off.
6. I still like reading the dictionary, finding a "word for the day" and also spinning the globe to point to the destination of my next vacation. For some reason, I always land on Mongolia - if in fact my globe is current and Mongolia hasn't been renamed or had its borders redrawn due to Civil War.
7. I speak limited French with a Texas twang.
8. I'm tragically un-hip and love the corniest of corny jokes. I'm known to snort and cackle.
9. I like to sketch and my favorite subjects are nudes wearing large hats adorned with flowers and feathers. It's not as weird as it sounds.
10. I'm OCD with laundry and actually count (in Spanish - for some reason) the articles of clothing as they go into the washing machine. I still come up with missing socks.
11. If my hands are tied down I cannot speak.
12. I own one diamond - an anniversary ring - and I'm still bothered a little about how I came to own it after reading "King Leopold's Ghost." In denial, I manage to dismiss the horrors of diamond mining (and other atrocious acts like rubber harvesting) in the Congo by convincing myself that my diamond was excavated from a nice, safe underground diamond mine below Zales' TX headquarters. Also, I figure we all use rubber products - can't drive without tires - so how could one diamond ring be so horrible? Enough of the justification.
13. I like to listen to Pearl Jam in my car before important meetings and my daily mantra consists of two curse words - even though I'm not a negative person. I don't find the necessary strength for presentations in Barry Manilow and words like "love" and "hope".
14. I can't do step aerobics without falling over. I can't exercise without laughing and falling over. I fall over easily.
15. More and more, I find myself repeating sentences when talking. I find myself repeating sentences when talking. If only I could reboot.
16. The movie generally sucked, but I loved the character of Esqueleto in "Nacho Libre" and his line "I am Hid-E-Ous."
17. I have fat lobes and didn't have my ears professionally pierced until age 28.
18. I went to 12 different public schools - not because I was a juvenile or gifted. We just moved a lot.
19. I love babies and really old people. You can learn a lot from a 90 year old. Most newborns resemble Winston Churchill (or 90 year olds) but they usually cute'n-up in a couple of weeks.
20. I would like to own a book store and live in Paris, near Hampstead Heath, or in Austin, TX - with dogs lounging on Persian rugs and cats sleeping on window sills.
21. I was always terrified of even the idea of cats until the Halloween night when a black kitten appeared on the doorstep, invited himself in and became a member of the family. Ironically, the arrival of "Boo" didn't scare me at all.
22. While 8 months pregnant, I slept in the back of a pick up truck in the middle of a cow pasture. It's what we call "camping" and what you do for "entertainment" when you are young, dumb, and want to be with your husband in West Texas.
23. I don't know how to gamble. Thank goodness.
24. I cried (bawled) when Carter lost to Reagan in 1980 - my first election and vote. A miserable milestone. I've had a few disappointments - politically - over the years. You learn to get over it and on with it - but not when you're 19 and naive about the real world.
25. I'm brave when I travel alone - it's all about cool sunglasses and driving rental cars like a pro - including lots of exciting U-turns.
The end. 25 random things takes a lot of brain-storming and is a bit numbing. I invite you to try it. If not, I will concoct 25 random things about you - my family and friends. It could get embarrassing!
Oh, did I mention I love green?
Signing off,
CitizenB
Anyway, Slate recently headlined a story about Facebook's "25 Random Things About Me" with detailed research on the craze including opinions from Ph.Ds, and charts and graphs to demonstrate its evolution and how people react and respond. Per Wikipedia (how did we ever get by without all this information available at our fingertips?): "Facebook Notes was introduced on August 22, 2006, a blogging feature that allowed tags and embeddable images. Users were later able to import blogs from Xanga, LiveJournal, Blogger, and other blogging services. A recent use of Notes includes the Internet meme - "25 Random Things About Me" which involves writing 25 things about the user that their friends don't already know about them and using the tag function to ask 25 friends to also do so. Nearly 5 million "25 Random Things" notes were written on Facebook profiles in the first week of February 2009." 5 million last week? Wow. We are in dire straits - and obviously not out dancing in the streets.
My closest experience with "25 Random Things" is receiving e-mail questionnaires as shared by friends and family asking questions like "what's your favorite color?", "TV show?", "Food?"etc. I admit that I made up a lot of my answers to make it more interesting because who really cares that the answers are "green", "The Office" and "Italian"? As a side note and warning, never answer "What is your mother's maiden name?" and "The last 4 digits of your SSN?"
I considered not going down the "25" road, but hey, I might learn something about myself that will lead me to become a better person/citizen. Not really. I'm doing it for "fun" and because I'm bored and have no control over any other aspect of my life - typical of the 5 million others just like me. Because of the randomness, I hope to be able to tell the truth - or a kernel of the truth , if you can handle it.
"25 Random Things About CitizenB"
1. The story is that as newborn, I was left on the doorstep by desperate gypsies - I was a screamer - and had weird hair growing off my ears.
2. Due to the screaming and general unhappiness for no apparent reason (maybe the hairy ears?), I was drugged (legally) as a baby and by age 18 months a full-blown Paragoric addict. I weaned from my addiction by age 3, and no, I do not blame my parents or the gypsies. It was standard procedure in the 60's and too bad infants can't be drugged with something more effective and less harmful than grape-flavored Dimetapp or whatever is prescribed these days. Disclaimer: I don't know what I'm talking about.
3. As a young child, I specifically asked to be the "onlyest one" and in response my Mom became pregnant for an entire decade, producing 4 younger siblings - girl, boy, girl, girl. We also had dogs.
4. As a 6 year old, I stood on an overturned crate in the front yard and sang "It's The End of The World" into the garden hose. That was a highlight - and the beginning and end of my singing career.
5. As a 12 year old, I wrote poetry and placed anonymous samples in random mailboxes in the apartment complex where we lived. I really hope I cheered up grouchy Mrs. Pritchett in Apt. 121-A. If she smiled, her pancake make-up probably cracked and fell off.
6. I still like reading the dictionary, finding a "word for the day" and also spinning the globe to point to the destination of my next vacation. For some reason, I always land on Mongolia - if in fact my globe is current and Mongolia hasn't been renamed or had its borders redrawn due to Civil War.
7. I speak limited French with a Texas twang.
8. I'm tragically un-hip and love the corniest of corny jokes. I'm known to snort and cackle.
9. I like to sketch and my favorite subjects are nudes wearing large hats adorned with flowers and feathers. It's not as weird as it sounds.
10. I'm OCD with laundry and actually count (in Spanish - for some reason) the articles of clothing as they go into the washing machine. I still come up with missing socks.
11. If my hands are tied down I cannot speak.
12. I own one diamond - an anniversary ring - and I'm still bothered a little about how I came to own it after reading "King Leopold's Ghost." In denial, I manage to dismiss the horrors of diamond mining (and other atrocious acts like rubber harvesting) in the Congo by convincing myself that my diamond was excavated from a nice, safe underground diamond mine below Zales' TX headquarters. Also, I figure we all use rubber products - can't drive without tires - so how could one diamond ring be so horrible? Enough of the justification.
13. I like to listen to Pearl Jam in my car before important meetings and my daily mantra consists of two curse words - even though I'm not a negative person. I don't find the necessary strength for presentations in Barry Manilow and words like "love" and "hope".
14. I can't do step aerobics without falling over. I can't exercise without laughing and falling over. I fall over easily.
15. More and more, I find myself repeating sentences when talking. I find myself repeating sentences when talking. If only I could reboot.
16. The movie generally sucked, but I loved the character of Esqueleto in "Nacho Libre" and his line "I am Hid-E-Ous."
17. I have fat lobes and didn't have my ears professionally pierced until age 28.
18. I went to 12 different public schools - not because I was a juvenile or gifted. We just moved a lot.
19. I love babies and really old people. You can learn a lot from a 90 year old. Most newborns resemble Winston Churchill (or 90 year olds) but they usually cute'n-up in a couple of weeks.
20. I would like to own a book store and live in Paris, near Hampstead Heath, or in Austin, TX - with dogs lounging on Persian rugs and cats sleeping on window sills.
21. I was always terrified of even the idea of cats until the Halloween night when a black kitten appeared on the doorstep, invited himself in and became a member of the family. Ironically, the arrival of "Boo" didn't scare me at all.
22. While 8 months pregnant, I slept in the back of a pick up truck in the middle of a cow pasture. It's what we call "camping" and what you do for "entertainment" when you are young, dumb, and want to be with your husband in West Texas.
23. I don't know how to gamble. Thank goodness.
24. I cried (bawled) when Carter lost to Reagan in 1980 - my first election and vote. A miserable milestone. I've had a few disappointments - politically - over the years. You learn to get over it and on with it - but not when you're 19 and naive about the real world.
25. I'm brave when I travel alone - it's all about cool sunglasses and driving rental cars like a pro - including lots of exciting U-turns.
The end. 25 random things takes a lot of brain-storming and is a bit numbing. I invite you to try it. If not, I will concoct 25 random things about you - my family and friends. It could get embarrassing!
Oh, did I mention I love green?
Signing off,
CitizenB
Monday, February 9, 2009
10 Tips To Improve Your Mood During An Economic Crisis
Dear Citizen,
I don't know about you but I'm having a tough time keeping my chin up in these trying times. Of course, I don't have much of a chin, but you get my drift. Despite a few highlights, the ever-present news is mostly depressing - clueless and faithless congressmen, crooks and liars, tax dodgers, jobless claims, foreclosures, struggling stocks, disappearing 401Ks, Australian wildfires, contaminated peanut butter, irresponsible multiple embryo transplants, pot-smoking and steroid-using athletes/"role models", the horrors of celebrity weight gain, and too much analysis of fake Reality TV. No matter how optimistic you are (and should be for the greater good), for many of us, it's hard to feel "the love" right now.
10 tips to improve your mood:
1. Enjoy a piece of toast (whole grain with Brummel & Brown natural yogurt/butter spread, of course.) You'll be surprised how a simple piece of toast (no, it doesn't have to be a bagel) will magically lift your spirits.
2. Take stock in what you have. Revisit your book, music, DVD or other collection. This will make you happy - or make you pause - in the event you realize you had (have?) terrible taste in music (especially during the 80's) and own too many movie soundtracks that don't include that one song you were looking for. (I actually own the soundtracks from "Last of The Mohicans" and "Dawson's Creek - Season 3"). This will allow you to make fun of yourself and decide which items to select for next Christmas's inevitable re-gifting. Hmmm, I wonder if my nephew Ryan is a Joey & Pacey fan?
3. Smile. Do it by force or even if it feels creepy. After a few moments, it will occur naturally and be less painful. Your mood will improve over time and/or if the smile becomes stuck for more than 4 hours, someone will suggest psychiatric help.
4. Talk. To a friend, stranger, yourself, an object, plant (preferably an ivy) or pet. If necessary, join a support group of any kind. Recently, I read about a group of women - wives and girlfriends of investment bankers - meeting (in a bar) to bemoan topics like "This is not what I signed on for!", "I'm not sure I love him if he's not rich.", "But I deserve a McMansion and luxury SUV!" etc. Okay, in that case, just get over it.
5. Value experiences, not possessions. What really makes you happy? Okay, I admit I hugged a new magazine rack once and also kissed a new pair of shoes. Minor detail.
6. Get excited about the little things; i.e., fake-buttered toast.
7. Tell your significant other that you love, love, love him/her at least 3 times per day - even if you are mad at him/her for:
a) turning off the electricity without warning causing you to lose valuable, unsaved diary entries,
b) buying the world's cheapest detergent that inflames your sensitive skin when you specifically requested "Cheer - Free & Gentle" with a coupon no less, and
c) calling your cell phone repeatedly from the bedroom so that you can drop what you're doing in the kitchen and locate the remote sitting on the bedside table.
8. Play outside with your niece's adorable 2 1/2 year old (as long as he's had his nap and has dry pants). Observe the joy on his face as he smears mud on his clean shirt, crashes his matchbox cars into the curb, insists on pushing you on the porch swing, points out airplanes, birds and stars, and sneaks forbidden drinks of your diet coke when his mother isn't watching. This will please you.
9. Find a cheap hobby. I read that yarn is flying off the shelf and knitting while eating spam and saltines by candle light has replaced dining out at Chili's (same sodium content). If you're my mom, borrow our staple gun and fire away at fabric on those hand-crafted cornice boards. It's good physical therapy and will help you regain your strength. You also may sew. There's enough fabric in Mom's house to clothe the octuplets for life.
10. Clean your bathroom. It will remind you of how nice it is to have running water and to be thankful you don't have to use a latrine in the woods where there are raccoons.
It's all relative.
CitizenB
I don't know about you but I'm having a tough time keeping my chin up in these trying times. Of course, I don't have much of a chin, but you get my drift. Despite a few highlights, the ever-present news is mostly depressing - clueless and faithless congressmen, crooks and liars, tax dodgers, jobless claims, foreclosures, struggling stocks, disappearing 401Ks, Australian wildfires, contaminated peanut butter, irresponsible multiple embryo transplants, pot-smoking and steroid-using athletes/"role models", the horrors of celebrity weight gain, and too much analysis of fake Reality TV. No matter how optimistic you are (and should be for the greater good), for many of us, it's hard to feel "the love" right now.
10 tips to improve your mood:
1. Enjoy a piece of toast (whole grain with Brummel & Brown natural yogurt/butter spread, of course.) You'll be surprised how a simple piece of toast (no, it doesn't have to be a bagel) will magically lift your spirits.
2. Take stock in what you have. Revisit your book, music, DVD or other collection. This will make you happy - or make you pause - in the event you realize you had (have?) terrible taste in music (especially during the 80's) and own too many movie soundtracks that don't include that one song you were looking for. (I actually own the soundtracks from "Last of The Mohicans" and "Dawson's Creek - Season 3"). This will allow you to make fun of yourself and decide which items to select for next Christmas's inevitable re-gifting. Hmmm, I wonder if my nephew Ryan is a Joey & Pacey fan?
3. Smile. Do it by force or even if it feels creepy. After a few moments, it will occur naturally and be less painful. Your mood will improve over time and/or if the smile becomes stuck for more than 4 hours, someone will suggest psychiatric help.
4. Talk. To a friend, stranger, yourself, an object, plant (preferably an ivy) or pet. If necessary, join a support group of any kind. Recently, I read about a group of women - wives and girlfriends of investment bankers - meeting (in a bar) to bemoan topics like "This is not what I signed on for!", "I'm not sure I love him if he's not rich.", "But I deserve a McMansion and luxury SUV!" etc. Okay, in that case, just get over it.
5. Value experiences, not possessions. What really makes you happy? Okay, I admit I hugged a new magazine rack once and also kissed a new pair of shoes. Minor detail.
6. Get excited about the little things; i.e., fake-buttered toast.
7. Tell your significant other that you love, love, love him/her at least 3 times per day - even if you are mad at him/her for:
a) turning off the electricity without warning causing you to lose valuable, unsaved diary entries,
b) buying the world's cheapest detergent that inflames your sensitive skin when you specifically requested "Cheer - Free & Gentle" with a coupon no less, and
c) calling your cell phone repeatedly from the bedroom so that you can drop what you're doing in the kitchen and locate the remote sitting on the bedside table.
8. Play outside with your niece's adorable 2 1/2 year old (as long as he's had his nap and has dry pants). Observe the joy on his face as he smears mud on his clean shirt, crashes his matchbox cars into the curb, insists on pushing you on the porch swing, points out airplanes, birds and stars, and sneaks forbidden drinks of your diet coke when his mother isn't watching. This will please you.
9. Find a cheap hobby. I read that yarn is flying off the shelf and knitting while eating spam and saltines by candle light has replaced dining out at Chili's (same sodium content). If you're my mom, borrow our staple gun and fire away at fabric on those hand-crafted cornice boards. It's good physical therapy and will help you regain your strength. You also may sew. There's enough fabric in Mom's house to clothe the octuplets for life.
10. Clean your bathroom. It will remind you of how nice it is to have running water and to be thankful you don't have to use a latrine in the woods where there are raccoons.
It's all relative.
CitizenB
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Movies Movies Movies - My 115
I love film; maybe not as much as Roger Ebert, bless his heart, but as an ordinary citizen, I really love the movies. Yes, more than pie.
Recently, I attempted to whittle down 15+ years of lists to produce a new list of 100 films to include a wide range of genres. These are movies that I love (or really like) whether blockbusters (not many) or straight to video (a few). In their own way, they made an impression, and if we had all the time in the world I could tell you at least one minor but interesting detail that I remember from them all. It's about the little things.
I labored to get the number to 100 but when the tally came to 115 I decided "close enough!" You will find them listed alphabetically to the lower right. Ever the analyst, I decided to consider the titles and see if I could learn something about my obsession.
Here are the statistics (very unscientific) with some films falling into multiple categories:
The majority (48) qualify as dramas,
35 meet the romantic category (not necessarily chick flicks but, hey, I am a girl),
At least 34 are indies,
26 are comedies or try to be,
18 are classics (tough to pare down all the "greats"),
Films about social issues: 18,
17 are period pieces (not just one period!),
There are 13 foreign films and 13 thrillers,
At least 12 films center around strong but imperfect women (including a few total bad asses),
11 involve dark humor,
10 have a crime story and 10 are heart breakers,
9 are coming of age stories and 9 are political,
Action & Adventure films: 8,
7 are considered suspenseful,
6 are cult films and 6 westerns (with horses),
5 are low budget films. 5 are considered epics. There are 5 documentaries and 5 road trips or journeys,
4 were "Best Pictures", 4 are about war. 4 are musicals and 4 showcase food,
There are 3 spoofs and 3 films about aging,
2 were first films for the directors and at least 2 can be considered "film noir",
Horror: 1!
48 are from the 00s, 34 from the 90's, 12 from the 80's, 5 - 70's, 8 - 60's, 2 - 50's, 4 - 40's and 2 from the 30's.
A few directors pop up more than once including Ang Lee, Woody Allen, Lasse Hallstrom, Alejandro Inarrtu, Whit Stillman, Joel Cohen, Wes Anderson, Alfred Hitchcock, Quentin Tarantino and Curtis Hansen.
The actors range from the total unknown to Laurence Olivier. Wasn't he knighted as a film god? If I remember correctly he actually played Zeus in "Clash of the Titans." One of my faves, Russell Crowe (soooo intense), appears in at least 3. Billy Bob Thornton manages to pop up as an actor and a director. Al Gore achieves rock star status from An Inconvenient Truth. I was surprised that I liked a film with John Goodman and one with the guy from Kung Fu. But I did and do.
You really can't go wrong watching Annette Bening (she must be a great actress to be married to Warren Beatty), Juliette Binoche, Frances McDormand, Judi Dench, Toni Collette, Judy Davis, Cate Blanchett (she makes Brad Pitt look better) and Laura Linney - to name a few.
So what did I learn?
I like variety and movies that are intense, intelligent, unexpected, emotional, artistic, visually stunning, inspiring (without trying or preaching) and passionate; with broken characters. Throw in some quirkiness with the occasional cheese and insanity and I'm a happy viewer.
I'm tolerant but there are a few movies that come to mind that I severely disliked.
"Next" with Nicolas Cage was preposterous (I did like him in "Valley Girl").
"Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind" gave me a headache. Jim Carrey should never be allowed to act with Kate Winslet.
I hated, hated, hated "Swordfish". Halle Berry removing her shirt could not save that disaster of a movie.
I'm not a Tom Cruise fan and with obviously limited sexual experience, I didn't understand "Eyes Wide Shut". Besides, TC and sex? Ew. I did like "Minority Report" but more for the pre-mug shot Colin Farrell than T.C.
Johnny Depp must have been paid a huge pile of money to do 3 "Pirates" movies. Ugh. (Sorry, kids.) I did like "Sweeney Todd", for some reason.
Lastly, I was disappointed with "Leatherheads". George Clooney bombed with that one. Oh well, he made up for it with "Michael Clayton". That film made my "115" more for the actor Tom Wilkinson and the bizzaro actress - Tilda Swinton.
Oh, so many movies and so little time. Next I'll work on my Reading list.
That's a wrap,
CitizenB
Recently, I attempted to whittle down 15+ years of lists to produce a new list of 100 films to include a wide range of genres. These are movies that I love (or really like) whether blockbusters (not many) or straight to video (a few). In their own way, they made an impression, and if we had all the time in the world I could tell you at least one minor but interesting detail that I remember from them all. It's about the little things.
I labored to get the number to 100 but when the tally came to 115 I decided "close enough!" You will find them listed alphabetically to the lower right. Ever the analyst, I decided to consider the titles and see if I could learn something about my obsession.
Here are the statistics (very unscientific) with some films falling into multiple categories:
The majority (48) qualify as dramas,
35 meet the romantic category (not necessarily chick flicks but, hey, I am a girl),
At least 34 are indies,
26 are comedies or try to be,
18 are classics (tough to pare down all the "greats"),
Films about social issues: 18,
17 are period pieces (not just one period!),
There are 13 foreign films and 13 thrillers,
At least 12 films center around strong but imperfect women (including a few total bad asses),
11 involve dark humor,
10 have a crime story and 10 are heart breakers,
9 are coming of age stories and 9 are political,
Action & Adventure films: 8,
7 are considered suspenseful,
6 are cult films and 6 westerns (with horses),
5 are low budget films. 5 are considered epics. There are 5 documentaries and 5 road trips or journeys,
4 were "Best Pictures", 4 are about war. 4 are musicals and 4 showcase food,
There are 3 spoofs and 3 films about aging,
2 were first films for the directors and at least 2 can be considered "film noir",
Horror: 1!
48 are from the 00s, 34 from the 90's, 12 from the 80's, 5 - 70's, 8 - 60's, 2 - 50's, 4 - 40's and 2 from the 30's.
A few directors pop up more than once including Ang Lee, Woody Allen, Lasse Hallstrom, Alejandro Inarrtu, Whit Stillman, Joel Cohen, Wes Anderson, Alfred Hitchcock, Quentin Tarantino and Curtis Hansen.
The actors range from the total unknown to Laurence Olivier. Wasn't he knighted as a film god? If I remember correctly he actually played Zeus in "Clash of the Titans." One of my faves, Russell Crowe (soooo intense), appears in at least 3. Billy Bob Thornton manages to pop up as an actor and a director. Al Gore achieves rock star status from An Inconvenient Truth. I was surprised that I liked a film with John Goodman and one with the guy from Kung Fu. But I did and do.
You really can't go wrong watching Annette Bening (she must be a great actress to be married to Warren Beatty), Juliette Binoche, Frances McDormand, Judi Dench, Toni Collette, Judy Davis, Cate Blanchett (she makes Brad Pitt look better) and Laura Linney - to name a few.
So what did I learn?
I like variety and movies that are intense, intelligent, unexpected, emotional, artistic, visually stunning, inspiring (without trying or preaching) and passionate; with broken characters. Throw in some quirkiness with the occasional cheese and insanity and I'm a happy viewer.
I'm tolerant but there are a few movies that come to mind that I severely disliked.
"Next" with Nicolas Cage was preposterous (I did like him in "Valley Girl").
"Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind" gave me a headache. Jim Carrey should never be allowed to act with Kate Winslet.
I hated, hated, hated "Swordfish". Halle Berry removing her shirt could not save that disaster of a movie.
I'm not a Tom Cruise fan and with obviously limited sexual experience, I didn't understand "Eyes Wide Shut". Besides, TC and sex? Ew. I did like "Minority Report" but more for the pre-mug shot Colin Farrell than T.C.
Johnny Depp must have been paid a huge pile of money to do 3 "Pirates" movies. Ugh. (Sorry, kids.) I did like "Sweeney Todd", for some reason.
Lastly, I was disappointed with "Leatherheads". George Clooney bombed with that one. Oh well, he made up for it with "Michael Clayton". That film made my "115" more for the actor Tom Wilkinson and the bizzaro actress - Tilda Swinton.
Oh, so many movies and so little time. Next I'll work on my Reading list.
That's a wrap,
CitizenB
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
