I See What You Meme

As far as I'm concerned, Pixar can do no wrong. I've loved every movie. And I do mean LOVED; not just enjoyed. There are some who have tried to r ank all 15 movies from best to worst . I don't think I could do that; however, I do agree that Cars 2  falls at the bottom of a tightly ranked list of masterpieces. I'm a fan of Disney but I deeply admire Pixar. This isn't the first time I've waxed poetic about the genius that is Pixar . When I think about those specific elements that make their creative productions so great, it comes down to the way they capture the human experience.  Disney sells fairy tales and fantasies but Pixar tells fables. Pixar finds ways to explain the human experience through whimsical but powerful characters. Finding Nemo tackles the challenges of parenthood and how we must, at some point, learn to let go. The Incredibles helped us examine what happens to our dreams when we grow up and start a family. We can easily forget our dreams or...

I will admit that I have been distracted. It has been WAY too long since I've blogged and the writing aspect of my life has been swept under the rug, placed on the back burner, pushed to the side, and every other procrastinatory metaphor you might imagine.    Procrastinatory. I thought I had just made that up but apparently some online dictionaries actually recognize it. Who knew? It's not that I haven't thought about writing. I get ideas almost every day.  Some go in my notebook. Some just get locked away into my brain for later use.   In my constant pursuit of balance , I have realized that I can't, unfortunately, do everything I might like in a 24 hour period and that I do need some opportunities to relax or my head will probably explode.   So to recap, here are a few things that have been taking up space in my brain in my life recently. Becoming a parent. Again. Our process towards becoming a Resource Parent with UMFS continues.  We hav...

Last week, Roger and I had a rare date opportunity so we actually got to see a movie. In the theater.   What a treat! We seized the chance to see the latest Iron Man flick.  It is rare that we miss a superhero movie. Admittedly, some sequels are better than others ( Batman and Robin , anyone?) but it's tough to screw up a good superhero story and the latest crop has had a good track record. Iron Man 3 was no exception. It had just the right balance of action, violence, romance, callbacks to previous films, and hints of what is probably to come in the forthcoming Avengers sequel.  Here is what I didn't expect: apparently Tony Stark and I have a few things in common. No, it's not the endless supply of revenue.  It isn't the supersonic brain that slips into hyperdrive and invents objects that in the "real world" would be worthy of a Nobel Prize. It isn't even his ability to charm the pants (literally) off of most members of the opposite sex.  Our commo...

Have you heard this question a lot lately? I have.  Three years after losing Charlotte, I still feel like I don't quite handle the holidays well.  Worse, I still don't know how to answer this question.   On the plus side, I am blessed with a great job and had two full weeks (three full weekends!) of vacation time.  I completed a number of projects around the house and managed to work on some pending CJSTUF projects that had been on my to-do list for quite some time.  I had some grown-up playdates (AKA lunch!) with friends.  I was able to sleep in and managed to get in some pleasure reading as well.  Who can complain? On the other hand, I experienced the usual grief flare ups.  It actually started early, thanks to the horrible events in Connecticut .  Learning that any parent has lost their child, regardless of the cause, tends to open my heart up again. The ache returns. It was a rough week leading up to Christmas.  Then Christmas...

It was a lovely birthday week, even if I found it to be a bit exhausting! I was greeted with so many birthday wishes.  I was treated to breakfast in bed by my dear husband, my coworkers decorated my office, and I received messages of love throughout the week on Facebook, via phone, via text, and a few actual birthday cards.  I received $120 in donations for the Autism Speaks walk coming up on the 29th ( you can still donate if you're interested) and I'm hoping that the Lady Godiva Program and Eagle Rare Awards received lots of clicks this week.   Thank you to everyone who made the week special.  I suppose it was inevitable, but thoughts of mortality crept into my consciousness this week.  Of course, I thought of the terrorist attacks in the days leading up to my birthday. It seemed somewhat easier this year to "celebrate" despite the collective grief and remembrance that our country now faces every year at this time.  Maybe it was because we had c...

There has been a lot of emotion in my most recentposts .  I thought it was time for a change of pace.  With that in mind, today’s post is a list. Who doesn’t love a list? It’s easy to read, straight to the point, and all the hip kids are making lists these days.  Today I’m going to share my top five celebrity BFFs.  Admit it.  You’ve made this list in your head before.  No, I’m not talking about “The List” .  That’s different.  We might share that on another day.  So, in no particular order, these are the five celebrities who I wish were on my speed dial.  If the agents or publicists of these celebrities (or the lovely ladies themselves) are reading this, I promise that I’m not a crazy stalker.  I’d just love to grab a cup of coffee with them someday.  Mindy Kaling I just finished reading Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?  It was a refreshing celebrity memoir.  It’s almost an anti-me...

I can't believe it's been over three weeks since I've blogged.  Admittedly, my life has been a bit busy. Aside from the job that pays the bills, CJSTUF has been gearing up for our next big event (next Saturday!) so I've been busy collecting items for our silent auction and tying up loose ends for the whole she-bang.  I'm still writing, too.  I wrote another piece or two for Insert Eyeroll and covered a story about the Ringling Bros. circus coming to town for Richmond Mom .   The problem is, at the end of the day, I'm tired. I have plenty of things to write about and there is no lack of source material. But I also love curling up with a good book or watching a movie or TV show as the day winds down. My latest obsession is old episodes of Monk  on Netflix.   A few of you have asked recently about my book: Four Seasons for Charlotte .  We are, indeed, working on a Spring 2012 publication date. I'm hoping for May.  I am in the process of working...

Life can only be understood backward but it must be lived forward.  ~Soren Kierkegaard  There have been about a million thoughts rumbling in my brain lately but I have been very slack about getting them on paper (or, at least, the blog). Life has just been busy -- in a good way -- and by the time I get around to blogging, I find myself tired. Or distracted.   The balloon launch... Finally, I find the time to collect my thoughts.  There have been many thoughts of Charlotte over the past week. Last Saturday, when we reflected on her passing with close friends, I felt supported and comforted. The day was just what I needed it to be. The weather was a balmy 60-some degrees. It was breezy and (most of) the balloons found their way into the sky as we launched them in our cul de sac.  I am grateful to everyone who left who shared the day, sent us notes, and told us how they remembered Charlotte in their own way.   Then, Roger and I decided to w...

So here we are on the penultimate day of the year. I survived the Christmas holiday . I even went to church. More on that in a future post (possibly). The last week or so has been a wonderful combination of relaxing and productive. I admit that I haven't blogged much but I've been busy with other projects at home.   In thinking about the close of the year, I considered a collection of lists. I've been enjoying all the other Top 10 Lists populating the Internet these days but when I considered my own, I felt horribly inadequate. I've only seen from 1/3 to 1/2 of the movies that people are talking about on their 10 best list. I don't think I even saw 10 movies in the theater this year. I wouldn't be a good authority on movies. I've read a lot of books this year but I've already reviewed those books on my blog . You can always find me on Goodreads to get an idea of what I liked or didn't like.  Music. Well, I listen to a lot of music and my tast...

I'm very eclectic when it comes to movies. I like dramas, comedies, and thrillers. If you checked my Netflix queue, you would frequently find foreign films, independent films, and documentaries rounding out my list. I even love a good slasher flick every now and then. It all depends on my mood.  Sometimes you know what you're getting into with a movie. Roger and I went to see  The Blair Witch Project right before going camping in the middle of a Virginia State Park. Not one of our smarter moves. If I ever need a good cry, I just pop in Sophie's Choice or ET . If I need to laugh, I put in anything by Mel Brooks or Monty Python .  These days, I tread lightly when it comes to films that revolve around death or illness. It can be a slippery slope. There can be a certain amount of catharsis  in watching these films and I think that's healthy. At the same time, it can open up old wounds. You have to be ready to cry. The other danger with these types of movies ...

In an effort to lighten the mood after that last post , this week's Follow Friday is going to focus on the funny side. We're not, however, going to talk about slapstick or dry wit or Smurfs.  No, folks, we're going to the darker side of funny. These bits of pop culture are most definitely Not Suitable for Work .  But they're hilarious. At least, I think they are. Roger and I recently discovered the cartoon Archer . It airs on FX and is currently in its second season. The first season is now streaming on Netflix. What is Archer? Imagine if a James Bond movie and The Office had a baby. Sterling Archer is secret agent for Isis. He's suave, handsome, and a bit of a letch. Ok, he's a HUGE letch. He's also not that great at his job. While he's off trying to save the world, the rest of the office crew from the comptroller to the tech geeks to the HR director get into the kind of office hi-jinks that only a spy agency could procure. There's sex, dru...

This week, we are getting rid of our cable and I couldn't be happier. Of all the amenities of life, cable is one that I can certainly live without. In fact, out of the last 14 years, we've only had cable for about half of that time. We never got cable when we lived in Boone, NC. In fact, we weren't able to get any TV.  We lived in the mountains and the closest television stations were over 100 miles away so if you didn't have cable or a strong roof-top aerial, TV was not an option. I was in graduate school so I didn't have much time for television anyway. If I wanted to watch something, I went to a friend's house or had them tape it. Yeah, on a VCR. Remember those? When we moved back to Fredericksburg, we made do for a while with a basic antenna but reception was (again) spotty so at some point we bought the bullet and had basic cable for about a year or so.  Then we bought our house in Ashland and local channels again became an available option. As new home...

The official calendar may say that it's still spring for a few weeks but most of us know the truth. School is out for many students around the country. The majority of the Eastern Seaboard has been melting in the 90+ degree heat this week. It's summertime. Aside from the heat, that other harbinger of summer is the summer movie.  As a kid, I have fond memories of balancing my time between outdoor activities such as the pool and the playground with the cool, dark indoor sanctuary of the movie theater.  For today's Follow Friday, I'm going to share four of my favorite movies from my childhood. In no particular order, I give you: ET: The Extra Terrestrial : This classic Steven Spielberg film released in the summer of 1982 is one of the first movies that I ever remember seeing in the theater. What's not to love about this classic? I still cry every time I watch it and I still marvel at the special effects.  They may seem simple now in the world of CGI but at the time...

I'm not sure if it was courage or just a need for some catharsis but Tuesday night I watched Rabbit Hole . I had actually put it in the Netflix queue a while ago. It was pretty far down the list but for some reason, I bumped it up to #1 last week. It came in the mail on Monday. For those of you that haven't heard of this movie, it's based on the play by David Lindsey-Abaire. It's about a couple (Becca and Howie) whose only child dies at the age of 4.  Yes, I knew what I was getting into. In truth, it was a pretty amazing movie. It's sad but it's also honest. In fact, I think it's one of the most accurate portrayals of parental grief that I've seen outside of real life.  Roger decided not to watch the whole movie with me but 15 minutes in, he said, "Do these people read our blogs?" I couldn't agree more.  I resonated with Becca's challenges: Failing to find comfort in religion . Trying to move on while keeping your child's mem...