WW: SOMEbody (Bill!) Taught Payton What a Sucker Is

NTS: Movies are Rated R For a Reason

It's been a while since I've watched a rated R movie. I gave them up like 10 years ago when Billy was at that "I'm old enough to do anything I want" stage of boyhood and was acting like a big jerk. I felt like a hypocrite telling him a movie was not appropriate for him to see, but yet Bill and I would go see it. I don't know why it was different for him than it is Kyra. Maybe because Kyra doesn't push the issue and I know she won't see it if I tell her not to. With Billy, his mom would let him see whatever he wanted. At least he knew he wouldn't be discussing it with us, because we wouldn't watch it.

Really the only R movies I've seen lately have been war movies so it was all about the violence and some bad language. The language was usually yelling, war language, so it wasn't typical conversation language taking place in a house. You get the difference, right? People talking to their spouse and children, throwing the F bomb every other sentence is just different to my ears than, say, guys swearing at each other as their limbs are getting blown to pieces by machine gun fire.

I broke my anti-R rule tonight and saw a movie with my friend. I really wanted to see The Kids Are Alright, but whooshta! It got great reviews, I love Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo, the girl from Alice in Wonderland was in it, and well, it just seemed like a different story that was supposedly well done. Holy Schmoke! As we left the theatre my friend said, "Yeah, I'm really glad I didn't bring my daughter to that one." (She's 15) I asked, "was that abnormally R, or am I just not savvy anymore?" She confirmed that it was a bit over the top in the sex scenes and the language, again saying that she was really glad she didn't bring her daughter. Yep, I can see that.

I think that the next time I consider breaking the anti-R rule I will be a little more conservative. "strong sexual content" plus "nudity" was a little much. What was I thinking?

It was kind of funny that when the father figure (alright, he was just the sperm donor) was in front of the kids he would say, "shut the front door" instead of swearing. It made me giggle every time he said it. Guess you had to be there.

Ladies, Get Educated and GO VOTE!!!

This is Alice Paul

Alice was one of the women who fought for women to vote in the early 1900's. Many horrible things happened to her and her fellow women as they were imprisoned, beaten, starved, etc. There is a book written documenting this time, and an HBO movie, "Iron Jawed Angels" that I have yet to see. Apparently there is a scene where "Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy. The doctor admonished the men:"

'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'

Alright, I Won't Stop Believin'

Since I can't seem to concentrate on anything, a friend of mine did. I was sent this analysis of the Journey Song, "Don't Stop Believin'", and must say that it is good. It makes sense, the song means something, and it has lifted my spirits once again. Here ya go...

(And if you need the tune in your head, click on this baby here)

Just a small town girl
Livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train
Goin' anywhere
Just a city boy
Born and raised in South Detroit
He took the midnight train
Goin' anywhere

The anygirl and anyboy represented here show that any person from wherever they live, whoever they may be, all walks of life all desire to go somewhere in their lives. To branch and discover. To go beyond their roots. The midnight train is a journey. Life is a journey. The midnight train is life. We're all on this ride. And depending which station we get on and off at, we go where the train takes us--anywhere. Why the midnight train? Why not the day express? Because the hours are longer, it's dark, and we're all waiting waiting waiting to see our mysterious destination.

A singer in a smokey room
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on

This stanza is odd because it doesn't really fit the rest of the song. It's like a 6th finger. But Journey put it there for a reason. Why a 6th finger? I surmise it is an introspection. A personal identity or marker to the song. Its lines and cadence doesn't fit any other part of the song, maybe neither does its intent. Perhaps this is the one literal part to the whole allegorical story. I'm so bold to say that the singer in the smokey room is Journey themselves, witnessing and reflecting on the interplay of life before them.

Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching
In the night
Streetlights, people
Livin' just to find emotion
Hidin', somewhere in the night

This is another way to describe what the first stanza says. It goes from specific to general (anygirl and anyboy are now strangers/people). The train is now a boulevard. But it's still dark; night. They're still searching; waiting. Streetlights: hope, understanding, illumination. But mostly, we're hiding somewhere in the night. Why? Are we afraid of discovery (streetlights)? Is it easier to find emotion in darkness? Or do we seek emotion because we're in darkness? Journey doesn't say. They're just merely offering a perspective. They do, however, call to us; they say the key, the answer is light. Streetlights, people. Streetlights, people!

Workin' hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin' anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some will win
Some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

Now Journey shows us the different ways we search for emotion, streetlights, the end of the train ride. Some work hard. Some take their chance on luck. But everyone wants a thrill, a fill. Everybody wants. There are those who fall prey, become addicted, stuck. They lose. They sing the blues. Then there are those who win. Life is a roulette. Or a movie. But it goes on and on.

Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching
In the night
Streetlights, people
Livin' just to find emotion
Hidin', somewhere in the night

[Instrumental Interlude]

Don't stop believin'
Hold on to the feelin'
Streetlights, people
Don't stop believin'
Hold on
Streetlights, people

Sounds pretty grim, doesn't it? You wait, you search, you work, you take a chance, all in the dark. And still, you might lose. But Journey reminds us: streetlights, people! There's hope, they say. Don't despair. Keep believing; in yourself, in your destination. Hold on to that feeling of hope. Hold on.


(My 2 cents) I won't stop believin' and I do always have hope. I love that the streetlights represent hope and the people are key. Isn't that what life is about: hope and people? The light of Christ being played out in our lives here on earth? Isn't that how we end up living with Him again? I'm sure Journey didn't really mean to take it that far, especially when they say that you can roll the dice to find your fate, but I guess some people really do do that. I would also answer the question about darkness and emotion and say, "yes, people find it easier to express/find emotion in the dark" and also, "yes, people search for emotion in the dark because you can get scared in the dark and might search for another emotion." Either way, we need a streetlight, some hope that there is something beyond the dark. We need Christ and his atonement so we have some hope that there is more to this life than just this life. It all really does matter in the end, it takes a little more than rolling the dice, and we just need to keep holding on to that feelin' of a better place, the beacon of hope, the streetlight in the dark.

Helena Time? What's THAT?

The girls went to the AZ Science Center with their cousin and grandfather today. As friends were leaving my house at 1:00, they asked, "now will Payton go down for a nap and you can have some Helena time?" I didn't know what to say to that. Yes, I thought PT would nap, but what is Helena time? I'd already eaten lunch and that's what I usually try to do before he gets up: eat. So here I am, 1 hour into his nap and I don't know what to do with myself. I made an ice cream sandwich out of some delish chewy chocolate chip cookies, froze it, hung the diapers on the line, washed the dishes, cleaned the counters, ate the frozen sandwich (yum!) and caught up on my emails. Now what? He's still asleep and there are no other children in the house.

What would YOU do?! Hmm...

WW: Every Time I Go To Post I Get Distracted...

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem...

Edward Who?

NTS: Don't Wash Cell Phone

I imagine that this one should go without saying, but the complications that come with washing your cell phone are not good.

If you text me, I'll get it eventually.

If you call me, leave a message or I won't know you've called.

The funny thing is, I know 2 people that have experienced the phone symptoms that I am having and they both say that the phone dried out and worked fine after several days. Here's hopin' 'cuz it's been a week.

Click here to go take an MSNBC poll question on Arizona's Immigration law.

Sadly, it looks like America's silent majority is being completely silent on this one. Either that, or I only know people in the minority. I think if people really stopped to think about this law they would realize how terribly bad it is. Is it just a few steps away from Nazi Germany? I don't know that I'd go that far, but it certainly is heading in that direction. If you want a debate on the subject, I'm up to the task. If not, click above and go vote.

"Hey-ay, Ho-oh, SB1070's got to go!"

The Rest of the Story:

Ryan had taken his boys and Tasha to the park. They had been kicking 2 soccer balls around between the 4 of them and they both happened to come to her at about the same time. She spread her legs to stop them both between her feet.

Good stuff, better when it is only half the story though.

Microwave Minute

In an effort to have a clue, I've signed up to received daily emails from the Urban Dictionary. One might think that having a dictionary site sending you daily antidotes would make you smarter. I don't think this is necessarily going to be the case. I'm mostly going to get a bunch of slang words and how to use them in everyday talk. You know, the kind of lingo that would make a 37 year old housewife look and sound like a fool. So, instead of being enlightened, I'm going to fill my much too small of a noggin with ridiculous information that I will probably never use. Well, that's not entirely true because I've already used some of the slang in my own home. I told Bill to "shut up and keep talking" the other night and it worked like a charm. There do seem to be catch phrases that really just mean something that we already have names for, like "microwave minute":

When time slows down while waiting for your food to heat in the microwave. Known side effects are increased hunger, slowing of all the clocks in your house and walking around aimlessly trying to kill time. The microwave minute has the ability to slow time turning one minute into what feels like an hour.

Kus(9:00 pm): dude when are you gunna get here??
Ryan(9:00 pm): I'll be there in a microwave minute.
Kus(9:00 pm): aight g. Ill see you at 10:00!

Isn't this pretty much like Mormon Standard Time? Or Greek time, as my aunt likes to call it. I mean really, if you say something starts at church at 6:30 you can show up at 7 and not have missed anything except the opening prayer and the line for the food. Oh alright, you really shouldn't miss the prayer, but unless you want to make a race for the line just to beat that one person to the green jello salad, who really cares? And what if it's a potluck? Well, all the good food isn't even going to make it until 7 anyway.

I imagine that these terms aren't exactly the same thing, but it would be fun to see how late I could be to something if I combine all of them. I mean, Greek time alone has slowed me down since I was born. So let's see...

Following Greek time, I started getting ready for the 6 o'clock event at 6 o'clock. As 6:30 passed by I realized that the party had just begun on Mormon Standard Time. So then, as I reheated the funeral potatoes for 5 minutes, we all sat around starving for a microwave minute and left the house at something like 7:30.

As I reread this I realized a couple of things. 1. I'm not a 37 year old housewife. I don't like to be referred to as "housewife", and I'm not really 37. Oops. 2. Housewives have no concept of "microwave minute" and it's not because we don't get the lingo. It's because we never catch ourselves actually waiting on the food heating up in the microwave. Let's face it, while the food is heating up we are loading or unloading the dishwasher, taking care of laundry, sweeping or mopping up something that was spilled by another shorter family member, or blogging something totally ridiculous that happened to us 4 days ago. By the time we're done with our task, the microwave has beeped at least 5 times and the food has probably gotten cold again. What do you call that? What do you call the food that has been reheated and left in the microwave to get cold again? That's a term I'd use daily.

Aight g. See ya in a week.

Tune in Tomorrow for the Rest of the Story

Tasha stood there with 3 boys standing around, she spreads her legs slightly looks down and yells: “Hey, I have 2 balls!”

Ryan responds, “Yes Tasha, you sure do.”

Ugh. Just got home. 87 degrees and it's not even 2pm. We're headed out to see a movie.

One more day 'til vacation. We're holding out to turn on the A/C until we get back.

Swamp cooler, you've served us well. Until this week. Thank you for your service, but when it's over 105 outside... well, you suck rotten eggs.

Now then, let's learn to train a dragon. Arr!