Prince Harry is such a bad-ass. I really admire his military training, his openness about his family, his hard-partying lifestyle, and now his dangerous service. The rest of you men out there ought to pay attention -- he's making you look soft!

Meanwhile, we ladies have to start polishing, shining, and scrubbing. The competition for attentions will be fierce in coming days.

UK Prep Post #1

I cannot do anything remotely as thorough nor interesting as Melz' Oscar recap, so read hers.

There was competition for my attention on Sunday night, anyway. My friend AV was in the same camp. Apparently, when she came to bed late, her husband asked "what happened?". AV replied, "Oh, Miss Eliza Bennett came to her senses and she and Mr. Darcy declared their love!".

Clooney is not as interesting when he has his cocktail waitress with him. The dresses didn't even rock me. If I had to pick a fave or two I might chose this one, this one, this one, this one, or maybe even this one though SOMEBODY needs to get some stage training if she is going to be an Oscar presenter.

The only time I felt anything akin to happiness during the parts of the broadcast that I watched was when Glenn and Marketa won. The audience was so clearly behind them, too. Melz did acknowledge, and I agree, that James McAvoy's brogue was just as thick as Glenn's. And twice as fine!

For Sunday's movie minute, I'll review the movie I just paid $18 to see, and that was "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" in Disney Digital 3D. Now, I am too cheap to purchase via Fandango ($4 in service charges is 1/5 of a bottle of vodka saved), so we went a few minutes early and hoped for the best this afternoon. I was worried...., but we went to a run-down, out-of-the-way theatre so as to not run into anyone we know, and it paid off. My daughter and I shared the theatre with...


....no one.

Which was fun as hell. We had much commentary, and no one cared that I had a bit of a stomach issue and thus some gassy emissions. The previews were frequent and some in 3D, , and the concert itself was pleasant. I don't understand the appeal of the Jonas Brothers, but then again, who could have explained, circa 1976, my obsession with Donny Osmond? My daughter doesn't really love them anyway. She really loves Miley, and wants to meet her now, and it breaks my heart. Because she has nothing in common with Miley, meeting stars is really not that fun (believe me), and it is likely never to happen. Normal reaction to her first concert, though...I completely understand and remember that very feeling after my first show. (Even though mine was live, I'm pretty sure the ticket cost was less than this movie we just saw). (I did wear a similar style of glasses in both shows, though).

Anyway, the movie is fun, they show a few backstage moments, and I do believe that Miley actually sings for more than 60% of her show. I like most of the songs, I sang along, and like I said, my daughter left questioning the big issues of fame, famous friends, and a career in carefully choreographed pop stardom. A successful afternoon I would say.

For Friday's movie minute, I thought I would focus on Michel Gondry. I enjoy his films and think he is somewhat of a skewed Hollywood type since his direction doesn't fit one specific mold. And now my minute is about up. So read the following:

The Onion's AV Club article with references to YouTube and Dan Clowes (those two seem like a great match to me).

I'm sure you've seen this article - and either identified with it or been angered. The sentence that interests me most is not about sitting Shiva, but this said of those with Obama Comedown Syndrome (OCS):

"A sense of ennui began to creep through the nation’s Ian McEwan-centered book clubs."

Ahem.

My favorite Lost quote from the hype on Season Four:

Then Ben grabs a gun and tries to shoot Charlotte himself and suddenly all bets are off. Locke is especially furious, because he is the only one allowed to murder rescuers in cold blood. So he turns the gun on Ben, and just as he's about to kill him, Ben offers to tell him ANYTHING, ANYTHING! He has information! Hilariously, Locke turns into an addled online fan of the show and sputters, "What is the monster? The black smoke monster?" Ben, speaking for the writers, has no idea.
- from nymag.com

New York also agrees with me and my husband that the last episode, though focused on my erstwhile favorite Sayid, was not that great. Still, not that great for "Lost" is still pretty damned great.....

....proving to me that tv can be as fun as movies and books, but not all that often. I'm also not as well versed as some of my friends...haven't done the research, anyway.

Over here during Flu Fun 2008, we've seen "Hairspray" twice, "Sense and Sensibility", "The Simpsons Movie" (highly inappropriate for the children but highly HI-larious) Wake Forest BEAT DUKE, lots of "baby shows", we've accidentally chipped a golf ball right at the cat, and fought about science fair projects. I also was able to read "On Chesil Beach", Ian McEwan's latest. Whilst I agree with at least one reviewer (reviews read AFTER I finished the novel, thank you very much) that the two characters are wholly unlikeable and not fleshed out fully, I also think there IS a larger theme in the book. The theme of English repressiveness and the stoic nature of its people and governement, versus the rock and roll it produced and the freedom of the 60s. In my view, one character is one English type and another character the other. The book has comedy and edginess but ultimately it is horrible and sad, and made me cry (just like Emma Thompson in "Sense and Sensibility")...and for a book to do that means I must have found it very fine indeed.

Seen @ mamapop.com

Who is R.G.? Do you think the writers (now employed once again!!) were thinking of this guy?

Here's my Valentine's gift to you - enjoy.

Wouldn't you know that REM is playing in London the very day we travel there? Ah well, maybe I'll bump into Mike Mills in Brixton.

Respect? Or "Renew"?

I've tried to be quiet and polite whilst my neighborhood goes down and a new, larger, vastly more expensive one goes up. Now, however, my new neighbors (and some of my old ones) have decided to go ahead and make THEIR opinions known by putting these pretty green signs in their yards that belie their real purpose....the purpose is to encourage City Council to not form an infill task force. Why not? Oh, because our city already has so many task forces!! I encourage you to visit the website of the organization in question to see for yourself, even at the risk of losing you from my side. Why? Because I'm FAIR THAT WAY. (Be forewarned: should you ask for more information, you will be listed as a supporter - by name.)

I cannot hardly state my position as well as my buddy Andrea , who did so very powerfully (and with her raw humor, too) where she writes. I agree with her, but have more fear than she does, as she lives in a historically-protected neighborhood. A neighborhood with a bunch of silly rules, but hey! Andrea's gorgeous three-bedroom, 2.5 bath will never be overshadowed by a 8,000 s.f., four-story, gazillion-dollar monster. Maybe rules are good in some instances? Maybe discussion is warranted?

People have a right - a "fundamental right" as outlined at the linked website above, to do what they want with their homes, and even what the market demands. I, however, do think that in light of the historic drought that our state is experiencing, and the unprecedented growth of our county, the least we can do is have our elected officials examine what is CLEARLY a trend.

If you agree, feel free to sign the Respect4Raleigh petition. If you don't, feel free to join the other organization. Either way, know that since those lovely green and yellow signs have started sprouting up, I'm not going to be quiet anymore.

Facebook: "It's Like the Hotel California"

Eek. And yet, isn't all of the web just like Facebook in this way? I've technically dropped out of my message boards from my first pregnancy - due mostly to a lack of time. But those girls know where I am and how to find me. Unless I change my email address and get a new computer, I'm pretty sure I'm traceable. After the Hard Drive Crash of ought-eight, we've noticed that no one on the Internet seemed to think we were gone at all. We've jumped right back in where we left off.

Facebook is fun, but I don't have much invested in it. I would assume that if it were your link to the dating world, or your only online outlet, or you need to be invisible for a while due to crime, indiscretions, or self-preservation, you might be truly frustrated by the archival nature of the site.

That said, who's up for Scrabulous???

Global warming really cuts down on the snuggling. My poor husband had to resort to putting his hand in my back pocket for warmth and touch last night. Anything else is just too much in these unseasonably mild times.

Fun with Fonts

Today is Ash Wednesday, arguably my favorite day of the liturgical year. Whether or not you believe in God, and you know my issues (Relationship Status: It's Complicated), you gotta like where Jesus' head was at during most, if not all, of his time on Earth. The 40 days in the wilderness and the sacrifices therein are a great impetus to modern-day believers and atheists alike to do something selfless. Frankly, I wish we all were a bit more selfless in general, myself included. Today it is appropriate to take a minute to decide on a sacrifice, or a way to give more time or energy to a cause, or to just reflect on our normal, everyday lives and how we live them.

I've decided, by the way, to keep alcohol on the docket and to also keep having regular intercourse. What will I give up, then? The thing I treasure most, my occasional raison d'etre, my obsession: worrying.

I'm not even worried about how I will give it up.

And I'm not worried that my husband smiled and stroked my hair when I told him. Or that my boss seemed dubious of my success.

Dude. I gave up nagging my husband one year and that went ok (until about a week before Easter, on trash day).

Here's what I've been working on - the Lenten focus of my church job - and if you want to help out, I hope you'll visit our church or drop some change at a place of business that is partnering with us, like NoFo or Armadillo Grill. Or, come out to our benefit concert March 16 (more on that later) Thanks.

"That's a fake!" he says.

"Isn't it?"