Friday, June 27, 2008

Yeah...um...I watch alot of movies *EDITED

So this is the Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Movies of something or other...The last 25 years maybe? Anyway. The ones I've seen are in bold. There are a lot.
I've also done you the courtesy of rating them. You're welcome.

1. Pulp Fiction (1994) GOOD
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03) GREAT
3. Titanic (1997) BLAH
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
5. Toy Story (1995) GOOD
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998 ) BORING
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) SCARY!
9. Die Hard (1988 ) FUNNY
10. Moulin Rouge (2001) YUCK
11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) YAY!!
12. The Matrix (1999) GOOD
13. GoodFellas (1990)GOOD
14. Crumb (1995)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990) GOOD
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996) BLAH
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
19. Casino Royale (2006) OK
20. The Lion King (1994) EH
21. Schindler’s List (1993) GOOD, IF DEPRESSING
22. Rushmore (1998 ) YAY!!!
23. Memento (2001) GOOD
4. A Room With a View (1986)
25. Shrek (2001) GOOD
26. Hoop Dreams (1994)
27. Aliens (1986) AWESOME
28. Wings of Desire (1988 )
29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004) GOOD
30. When Harry Met Sally… (1989) OK
31. Brokeback Mountain (2005) GOOD
32. Fight Club (1999) GOOD
33. The Breakfast Club (1985) WOOHOO
34. Fargo (1996)
35. The Incredibles (2004) INCREDIBLE! (GET IT???!?!?)
36. Spider-Man 2 (2004) OK
37. Pretty Woman (1990) EH
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) A FAVORITE
39. The Sixth Sense (1999) EH
40. Speed (1994) STOOOOOPID
41. Dazed and Confused (1993) GOOD
42. Clueless (1995) SUPRISINGLY OK
43. Gladiator (2000) WASN'T INTO IT
44. The Player (1992)
45. Rain Man (1988 ) GOOD
46. Children of Men (2006) AWESOME
47. Men in Black (1997) GOOD
48. Scarface (1983) GOOD, IF BLOODY
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) GOOD
50. The Piano (1993)
51. There Will Be Blood (2007)
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988 )53. The Truman Show (1998 )
54. Fatal Attraction (1987) YAY
55. Risky Business (1983) GOOD (EVEN IF I HATE TOM CRUISE)
56. The Lives of Others (2006)
57. There’s Something About Mary (1998) FUNNY
58. Ghostbusters (1984) A+++++++
59. L.A. Confidential (1997) GOOD
60. Scream (1996) OK
61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984) BLAH
62. sex, lies and videotape (1989)
63. Big (1988) GOOD
64. No Country For Old Men (2007) OK- NOT AS GOOD AS PROMISED
65. Dirty Dancing (1987) YAY! NO ONE PUTS BABY IN A CORNER
66. Natural Born Killers (1994)
67. Donnie Brasco (1997)
68. Witness (1985) HARRISON FORD = YUMMY
69. All About My Mother (1999)
70. Broadcast News (1987)
71. Unforgiven (1992) GREAT
72. Thelma & Louise (1991) OK
73. Office Space (1999) YAY!!! SHOWING YOU MY 'OH' FACE
74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989) OK
75. Out of Africa (1985) OK
76. The Departed (2006) AWESOME. AWESOMELY AWESOME
77. Sid and Nancy (1986)
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) YAY!!
79. Waiting for Guffman (1996) FUNNY
80. Michael Clayton (2007) OK, NOT FANTASTIC
81. Moonstruck (1987) YAY! ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVES
82. Lost in Translation (2003) GREAT- BILL MURRAY KICKS ASS
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987) OK
84. Sideways (2004) GOOD
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005) YAY!!! TOTALLY RULES IT
86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002) GOOD, IF A LITTLE STRANGE
87. Swingers (1996) MONEY, BABY
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) THE ONLY FUNNY ONE
89. Breaking the Waves (1996) DEPRESSING
90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) LOL- JUST LIKE WHERE I GREW UP
91. Back to the Future (1985) SHIT YES- A CLASSIC
92. Menace II Society (1993)
93. Ed Wood (1994) GOOD
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987) NOT A FAN
95. In the Mood for Love (2001)
96. Far From Heaven (2002)
97. Glory (1989)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) BORING
99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999) FUNNY

*ETA: After I pilfered this, I did some research and discovered that it is the Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 "New Classics". Whatever that means.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

9 Months

Dear Otto,

On Tuesday, you turned 9 months old. You've been out as long as you were in. Heh.

Here's the update:
You are SO CLOSE to crawling. Really. You can get on all fours, rock back and forth, scoot backwards...pretty much everything but crawl forward. You get so frustrated when you can't get to your goal. Stick with it, honey. You'll get it. Sooner rather than later, I think.





You are also starting to show more attitude every day. You get mad when I take something away from you or when I walk out of a room. You are suspicious of strangers. You laugh at all sorts of things- the dog, the cat, me looking at you funny, your Dad coming home from work. You are more into food, but look out: if you are done, you are DONE. No ifs ands or buts. The end.

Your 9 month appointment is not until next week, so I'll have to come back and post your stats. I'll predict right now that you are at least 21 lbs. Not sure how long you are, but I'll bet you are 90th percentile or higher. You're kind of a big little dude.

Our major breakthrough this month has been a beginning to weaning from co-sleeping. I originally thought we might go longer, but it just feels right. Neither you or I are sleeping real well lately and I think that sharing space has something to do with that. Right now, I put you down in your crib about 7:30 pm and then when you wake up (usually around 10 or 11) I bring you into bed with us. Baby steps. And, perhaps selfishly, I still really love waking up to your sweet, warm little self all snuggled up to me.



The weather has finally begun to cooperate and we are spending more and more time out of doors. You love animals (especially dogs) and are fascinated by vehicles going up and down the street. Just wait until we take you downtown to see the trains. Your little brain might explode.

I'm sure there is more to write...I'm drawing a blank. The main thing is that we love you so so much. You bring such light and joy to our lives- every single day.






Kisses,
Mama

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

NewsBrief

* It's warm. Supposed to be 80 degrees today. Naaahsss.

*There is some exciting news to share: I got a promotion at work! This is good because a) we could DEFINITELY use more money and b) I was getting a little bored and it will be fun to shake things up with some new duties etc. So GO ME!

My interview was nerve wracking in the way that interviewing for good friends that you work with while pretending that you are not all good friends who work together can be. Yeah. Confusing.

*On the home front, we're having lots of company in the next couple of weeks: the husband's folks, my folks, my folks again, the husband's folks again...I daresay Otto will be grandparented- out after so much consecutive ooooohing and ahhhing and OMGHE'SSOADORABLE-ing.

The husband's folks were actually here last weekend and babysat so we could go out. (What is this you say, "go out?" I had pretty much forgotten the meaning of the phrase. ) I was, however, quickly reminded and also reminded that I've been over "going out" for quite some time. Hanging out with totally wasted retards slurring their words and sloshing booze all over someone's nice hard-wood floors is not really a good time. Well. I guess is can be, but I was NOT in the mood. And the husband and I had been fighting before we even left the house. That and we got a call at 11pm that Otto was up and royally PISSED so we had to go home. All in all, it was not the best time.

* Today is our 8th anniversary. We are going out to lunch. Romantic, I know.

* Otto is 9 mos. old today. He's been out as long as he was in. Heh. Letter to follow.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

By the Seat of my Pants

This month is TOTALLY KICKING MY ASS. In a big way. Its our busiest month at work. I'm interviewing for a promotion today. (EEEK) The part-time, in-home business thing is kind of taking off and our 8th wedding anniversary is on the 24th. Gah.



The sunny side of this is, of course, that some more moola may be coming our way. Which would be absotively loverly.



In other news:



Otto is growing, growing, growing and anxious to be locomoting. He gets totally frustrated when he can't get to something he wants and has taken to simply rolling around until he happens upon it. Its hilarious. I think he will be crawling, or at least army crawling any day now. He's super vocal and yells ("BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!) when he needs us to pay attention to him. He loves the animals and laughs huge belly laughs when we come home and the dog is jumping -up- and down- excited to see us.



He is still an avid nurser, showing no signs of weaning- not even of night weaning. And to tell the truth, I'm not super anxious for an end to the night feedings: They help my overall supply and provide some re-connections after our busy days apart. And as things stand right now, he only nurses maybe twice during the night anyways (around 10pm and again around 5am- not too bad.)





The weather here has been super depressing lately- cold, windy, rainy (yesterday, we actually got about a minute and a half of snow) and I find myself wondering if it will ever actually be summer. Its a little disheartening, to be honest.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Different Strokes for Parenting Folks

I should be posting Otto's 8 month letter. Unfortunately I've scarcely had time this week to make it to work on time while maintaining an acceptable level of personal hygiene, so a sweet letter with pictures, etc. will have to wait.

What I am writing about is related to recent posts on AskMoxie.org regarding adult child/parent relationships and their effects on parenting your own children. The amazing Moxie (seriously- this site is the BEST) discusses the common goal of Parenting Your Own Kids Better Than You Were Parented.

This, of course, got me to thinking. For the vast majority of my childhood, I truly feel that my parents did everything right. And I am certainly convinced that they were doing their best. And the results are, frankly, astounding given the way my father was parented.

I realized, however, while thinking about this that while I'd often thought "oh, I'll do such and such just like Mom" or "OMG I COULD NEVER DO THAT TO MY KID," I'd never really sat down and listed things. So, I decided to write about the things I think they got totally right and the things that I'd do differently. I'll start with the "differently" category. There are fewer of them.


* Regarding "SEX"
My parents sucked at the talking about sex thing. As in, I never actually got "the talk." I had to figure everything out for myself with bits gleaned from movies, books, my friends, and that stupid book the school nurse gives you when you get your period. Needless to say, I really had no idea and I thank jeebus I had such a smart boyfriend in H.S. or I totally would have ended up pregnant at 16 or with an STD. Really. (Side note: Abstinence only sex-ed DOES NOT WORK. I'm just sayin'.)

My folks, my mom especially, were incredibly prudish about all sorts of things- there were code names for everything: we called pee "little," poop was "big," and if I needed tampons I had to tell my mom to get "supplies" because HEAVEN FORBID one of my brothers hear the word "tampon" spoken aloud.

Now, I am all for propriety when the situation calls for it, don't get me wrong. When I nurse in public, I totally cover up (most of the time) and I refer to the john as the "loo" because it sounds vaguely British. (You're welcome). But COME ON. As a mom, I want to be open, honest, and call things by their right fucking names. From the beginning. A penis is a penis. Poop is poop. And a period is a period. PERIOD.

And I want Otto to know a) what sex is b) that it is IMPORTANT and SPECIAL and all that business and c) how to be SMART about it. My son will know the risks. He will know what a condom is. And hopefully, he will feel comfortable talking to me or his dad about these things at least in some way.

*Regarding "RELIGION"

Now, this is a contentious topic. And one that is deeply, deeply tied to culture, family, and personal belief. I am in no way commenting on your family or your choices. This is all about me.

For me, PERSONALLY, I completely resented my religious upbringing. It never felt right to me and while I realize that my parents were doing what they thought was right, I actually feel sort of traumatized by my experience of being forced to attend religious services as a child and young adult, after I had made my feelings known. I am, what I jokingly refer to as a "recovering Catholic" and I have very few fond memories of my time with the church. I know my parents thought they were giving us a moral compass and all that, but honestly, I learned more about how to live a good life from their mindful day-to-day examples than I ever did from sitting in an uncomfortable pew for an hour trying to annoy my brother by making faces at him when my mom wasn't looking and listening to pompous dogma from a pulpit. (Now, THAT's a sentence.)

And so I will never make Otto go to church. I WILL teach him about right and wrong, the golden rule, and hopefully demonstrate for him the virtues of kindness, patience, and love for one's fellow man. If he ever wants to attend a church, I will certainly not prevent it. (Hopefully, I will have raised him to be an intelligent, questioning individual who will not easily fall prey to cultish groups. )


And really, those are the two big things I can think of that I want to do differently than my parents did. There are some smaller, nit-picky things:

*I hope never to use corporal punishment. I don't think spanking teaches kids anything. (Not that we were spanked often- I could count all the times on one hand.)

* I hope to encourage Otto to develop his interests AND demonstrate TRUST in him to do things well. (The example I'm thinking of is when I was learning how to drive: both parents could not hid their doubt that I would be any good at it, so I had a "I am a bad driver " complex for years. In other things, however, they definately encouraged me- in music, school, etc.)

* I hope to teach Otto how to appreciate food. We basically had the same few things for dinner growing up, and a lot of it was canned, fried, or very middle america '1950's food' (casseroles, etc.) I hope to give Otto an appreciation for the things I had never EVER tried until I was an adult: fresh green beans (I know!), sushi, thai food, ...you get the idea.

That's all for now. In a future post, I plan on listing big ways that I want to be JUST LIKE my folks.

How about you guys? What will you do differently from your parents?