A Post

A modest title, for such brilliant thoughts.

:)

I see that Blogger has added a poll option--fabulous. I didn't take the time to read on before signing in, so I don't know anything abotu the other stuff they've added. I bet that none of it is as good as the poll feature, though.

Dan, Jennie, and I watched A Conversation With Other Women. I really liked it. I felt angsty the whole time, and in the end just deflated. I liked the stitching together of the past and present, and the idea of being different women at different times. 'Cause sometimes that really feels so true. And I liked the music. I don't know if I like Aaron Eckhart, though. I do know that I like SmartPop mini bags and pickles (dill, not bread and butter--yuck!).

So, a new Batman movie is being made for 2008? And Christian Bale is once again on board? Interesting. Additional cast members: Maggie Gyllenhaal (replacing Katie Holmes), Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Anthony Michael Hall, Aaron Eckhart, and there's a rumor of William Fichtner? This sounds like a comedy. Especially when you throw in the returning Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman to the mix.

Well. I've heard that a couple of people don't know about this little watercolor of the Stanwood house. It's been sitting around in a large envelope for years, and it is still sitting in a large envelope.

It is an excellent addition to the Former Homes Series, which began with the watercolor fo the lake at the farm: I enjoy putting makeup on when no one else is going to see me. If someone comes in, I'll wipe it off really quickly, and look guilty.

Ben and Jaime, you have rated 801 movies on your Netflix account. You have rated 801 movies on your Netflix. Eight hundred. And one. Have you seen 801 movies??? Seriously??? I don't think I've seen 801 movies, and I looove movies. Approximately 1,602 hours of movie watching. Hmm...that's only about an eighth of a year. How can that be possible? Maybe I have watched 801 movies. Oh dear, I think I undoubtedly have. Really? Oh well!

I've forgotten everything that I wanted to post about.

To: Brad

From: Mandy


courtesy of xkcd at xkcd.com

Boringness

After watching Planet Earth's Ice Worlds, Dad was trying to find the last pickle at the bottom of his jar, and said with a smile:

"I feel like a polar bear hunting a pickle!"

There are a lot of really fun electric cars out there. They're inevitably all tiny and cute, and now I'm going to have to watch that film, Who Killed the Electric Car?

Meanwhile, I believe that I've found my dream scooter. I have looked at so many scooters in the last three days. And then, there it was. That old-school, Vespa look, electric, decent price range ($2,500ish?), nice color options, 45 mile range on one charge.

I've been cleaning out my room, and this may sound like a mild thing, but believe me, this is in fact MASSIVE. There were about 10 boxes full of stuff in my room. I think, because my room is in a general sort of messy condition, it can inadvertently become a dumping ground for the whole house. For instance. For the last, ohhh, fifteen years, a pair of Sam's sandals have been in my closet. They followed me from the farm, and ended up haunting my closet in Maine. But since I don't have a closet in operating condition, here, I finally chucked them. Back in Ohio, I had Jennie's white slippers that she wore at her wedding until we moved. All of the little kid gear (old cowboy boots, backpacks from daycare) and sentimental things that no one wants to get rid of, but no one wants in their room, either. I found the file for the farm's intercom system sitting on my floor, a flash for an oldschool camera, with a remote button thingie, and I only knew it was a remote button thingie when I carried it over to Dad and asked what on earth it was, Emma Hooper's Spanish Society certificate, three of Dad's shirts, two three-inch thick pieces of aluminum, three rolls of Christmas wrapping paper and two rolls of ribbon. A wooden crate full of Sam's empty CD cases. Anne's Erzulie makeup bag. A laundry basket filled with sheet music for organ, piano, and violin.

This list could go on for soooo long. So! For the first time ever, I went through everything, made an enormous mess, and sorted what would go and what would be kept. My room is beginning to resemble normalness, and getting rid of all the clutter that has been filling every corner and free space for the last...years....is really liberating. So, be warned, all ye who would enter my room. I have a hand now practiced at throwing things away.

Well, this has been enough boringness for one post.

Sitting in the dark

"It's not the smoking, Steve, it's the crapness."
-Fever Pitch (as to why Colin Firth's friend will never play Division 1 soccer)

I have, basically, scooter fever. This is absurd. I'm considering getting a motorcycle license so that I can get one more than 50cc. I can't even ride a 50cc one in Nova Scotia without a motorcycle license. Which is ridiculous. Can't even break the speed limit with that. Undoubtedly, this is a temporary insanity that will pass with a week or so, but for now I've been looking at different scooters non-stop the last two days.

I just saw Fever Pitch, the earlier one (1997) with Colin Firth and Girl with a Tiny, Tiny Mouth. GTTM was very very good at looking pissy; so good, that even when she was supposed to have softened up she still looked pissy. Sorry, GTTM. I saw the 2005 version with Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore first, but I'm impressed with how well the football (Arsenal) fandom interfering with life scenario was translated over to Red Sox fandom. They stayed quite close with the 2005 version. What they did change was the bleak, depressing, realism that Nick Hornby's books have. The Jimmy Fallon Drew Barrymore one was much more bubble gum-y, with a cheesy bubblegum ending, while I don't think that normally Nick Hornby would have stood for such a thing. He didn't write hte screenplay for the 2005 one, but did for the 1997 one, and Colin Firth did a nice job of being properly...I don't know what the word is. Out of touch, maybe? Anyways, I liked it. Maybe that's just 'cause it's Colin Firth, though.

So, VeggieTales is making a new movie. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. Is anyone else surprised by this? I thought that went bankrupt after...that one movie...flopped. I didn't notice anything Biblical about it, and the news article I just read said, Blah blah blah, "life lessons to a wider audience." Does that mean they're abandoning their Bibleness and going with basic morality? Kind of sad.

Perhaps instead of going dairy free for a while, I should go pop-free for a while. Is this even possible?

And I can't believe that people weren't interested in giving name ideas for Dad's potential blog address. This is an opportunity for some good fun that you're allll missing out on.

Little things

I can't stand people who don't keep a consistent speed while driving. You pass them, 'cause they're going so slowly, then, since your cruise control has been on this entire time and you know you're going the same speed, they zoom by you, then inexplicably slow down, so that you have to break to not hit them, then pass them again...and so on and so forth. Is this a sick game that I don't know about? It happens infrequently, but drives me up the wall so much each time that it deserves mention.

Saw Evan Almighty last night, and it was good for a laugh. Morgan Freeman and Steve Carell worked really well together, and Steve Carell made the movie. I'd say rent it. Thank goodness both Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston declined returning to these roles when they were offered. I actually enjoyed the previews as much as (or more than) the movie itself. Why is John Travolta playing a woman in the new movie they're making of Hairspray?? Is there something I don't know about the plot that requires this, 'cause there didn't seem to be. I'm totally going to go see that, though.

I'm considering going dairy-free for a short while. Four months? Just as a fun thing to try, not only to see if I can do it, but what it's like. What do you think, should I do it? Hmm...maybe just for a month at first. I doubt that I could hold out against cheese and ice cream for much longer than that.

I've commandeered Dad's Netflix queue to a decent extent, and some of my movies have just started arriving. For now, my movies are clogging the queue, and I'm constantly bumping Dad's down to the bottom. (Ben K, you're the only one who can see Dad's netflix queue, right? Don't judge me for my Buffy the Vampire Slayer love. ) Oooh, I really like that Netflix also gives the average rating of people who rate movies similarly, not just the average rating. That's handy.

I really really went to go to Ohio, especially during the Harry Potter movie release, but plane tickets are so expensive that that's starting to look extremely improbable right now. Ohhhh well. :(

Ninjas!!!!

June Bugs stupidly ram into the French doors nearby again and again. Until I realized that it was a June Bug, I was frightened that it was a bear or something outside.

Come on, people, would a deodorant for women that smells good be so hard to do? Men have all these properly masculine smells, but teh deodorants made for women make me think someone's just opened up a fridge filled with rotting fruit, or that I am sitting next to an old woman who can't smell when she's put on too much of her stale perfume that she used even back in 1940. It's sickly, sourly, sweet, and it just grosses me out.

I have once again bought a new deodorant with a new scent (since I'm never satisfied and so never purchase the same one twice) and am once again disappointed, in case it wasn't obvious. :) When I do get truly fed up, I just buy men's deodorant. Then, a long while later, I forget my horrible experiences, and see all those little feminine-looking deodorant sticks and think, "Well, this one seems like it could be nice..." WRONG. Grr.

This is old news, but have you guys seen the new ten dollar bill?? Radical. I love it, actually. American money is getting so colorful, and though I was fond of just having greenbacks, I think the colorfulness is really fun. Ben K handed me a ten while we were in Lowe's, and the yelp of surprise that I uttered on seeing it was red gave Ben and Anne a chuckle at how out of it I am.

I like that the colors are sort of muted, not like they're from a little kid's crayon-box.I saw The Curse of the Golden Flower last night, and, wow. Overall: An insanely beautiful movie that's pointlessly tragic because none of the motivations are explained. I spent the entire time asking, "whyyy???" Coolest thing about the movie: The ninjas!

The Ultimate Fun

Deodorant in a spray can is really the ultimate fun. Every time you put it on, it's like graffiti-ing a wall, only instead of a wall it's your underarm. Who would use stick or gel when there's spray-on? Especially guys. I can't imagine having all that hair, and then gooping it up with gel deodorant...gross.

I'm certain that this is old news to everyone, but Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame) has been performing in the play Equus since February. There's been a huge uproar, because Radcliffe appears completely naked for a decently long while. He's...eighteen or something? Seventeen, about to be eighteen. And people are freaking otu about a 17 year-old being completely naked on stage. I think: Doesn't matter at all. He's cool with it, his parents are cool with it. Granted, there is a very naked, attractive girl pressed against him in one of these pictures. That probably sweetens the deal quite a bit.

Aanyways, all that uproar aside, it's supposed to be a really good play, and word is that Radcliffe's doing a really great job in it. Based on the Harry Potter films, I honestly find that a little bit surprising. But who knows, maybe the stage is just more his thing. So, congrats to Radcliffe for an apparently successful breakthrough onto the stage. I enjoy also that Richard Griffiths is playing Radcliffe's father in the play (Griffiths plays his Uncle in HP).

Brilliant, brilliant news. Dad wants to start a blog! I think we should all give address suggestions, so that we don't end up with paterkessler.blogspot.com, or michaelkes.blogspot.com. Ideas?

I love the cereal Total. So much goodness in such a small bowl.

I got a picture of one of Bexley's albino squirrels. It would have been better, but it took forever for me to fish my camera out and turn it on. Fooorever. Are albino squirrels as common elsewhere as they are in Bexley?

And to end on a high note, I present Diabolical Evie:

Preggers Nightmares

The last two nights, I've had nightmares. Two nights ago, in my sleep, I woke up and discovered that I was seven months pregnant, and that for the last seven months I'd just been ignoring it. I think it's reasonable to say that I was freaking out. I hadn't read any books on labor or how to take care of a baby, didn't know what to do with a dipaer, and most importantly, I hadn't changed any of my lifestyle behavior for the first seven months--picture allll that pop with alll that caffeine that I drink everyday. Yikes. So in this first dream, I was just freaking out about having a baby in general.

Last night, I wake up in my dream and discover that a full week ahead of my due date, my water has broken. I still haven't read any books about what to expect during labor or anything, and for some reason this lack or preparation is really really really freaking me out. Meanwhile, I'm being carted off to some absolutely terrifying looking delivery room (looked more like an operating room with veyr rusty tools), and the father, himself young, hasn't arrived, and when he does is more freaked out by the situation, and goes to hang out with his parents in the waiting room. I don't know anyone around me, don't have a birth plan, and a nurse is already getting ready to give me an epidural--what??? For some reason, I hadn't even started to feel the contractions yet, and this nurse was busting out the epidural already. Anyways, jump ahead in time, and I'm holding what basically looks like a huge larva wrapped in blankets, and have no idea what to do with it.

I truly hope that there are no follow-up dreams to this.

Ohio in Pictures (abridg.)

No, Ben, I do not post as well standing up, because I am laaazy.

I'm almost afraid to look at the stats for my blog, because undoubtedly everyone has jumped ship due to the lack of postiness. Fear not!, though, for I am back in Maine, and my free time now abounds. Good thing: My camera is around here somewhere. Bad thing: I don't know ehre that somewhere is. But now I do, problem solved.

I've been rereading Harry Potter in anticipation of the latest movie coming out. As well as the book. I've spent...basically the last ten years of my life (that's almost half of it) waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out. I can't imagine what it's going to be like once the seventh comes out and there' sno more expectation. I hope Rowling caves to a desire for more money, and writes prequels: Dumbledore's Story, Dumbledore as a Young Man, The Story of Lily and James, and The Story of Lily and James II: Their Unfortunate and Predictable Death.

I have 159 photos from the two weeks I just spent in Ohio. Evie helped with that, though, by taking photos of everyone's backs. She's going to end up a controversial cutting edge photographer/modern dancer/comedian. Endless Diet Pepsi: Good. Endless is actually a bit of a stretch. But honestly, this 24-pack should hold for the night.

I already talked about visiting Brad in LA, right? So I only have to cover Ohio...I think...

Okay, this will be pictorial, 'cause I'm not actually going to cover everything. Captions only.

My first day in Ohio, Jenny, Emma, and I went to The Flavors Eatery, which is new in Bexley. We went in for lunch, and came out six hours later. Jenny's now off on a spectacular European adventure, and Emma had just returned from one. I see Emma really really rarely, so I laughed when I ran into her again in Panera, ....and then again in Northstar cafe.

Grandma and Grandpa Callahan celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, and we had a little family picnic out in some park.

Ben K, Anne, and I went to the Columbus Arts Festival. It was very hot and crowded, and we zoomed straight through it, but on the way had a very delicious snack of fried pickles.

Ben K and I took care of a friend's dog, Lewis. Lewis loves to slobber and push roughly past people. All that sawdust is from the mess we made putting wainscoting up in Ella's new nursery. Wish I had a picture of the final product...Ben K.... Oh! Enlarge this picture to observe my kickass new shoes. I'm so in love with them... thats' the real reason this picture is up here.

Ben K and his friends are in a casual band, which played at a little cafe in Victorian Village.

We got to hang out with Ben I, Jaime, Moira, and Evie a lot. Which was fabulous. Here is Evie's beautiful portrait of Ben and Jaime.

Shannon, my cousin, graduated while were there. Congratulations! In this is Anne, Shannon, Lauren, and Morgan. Sister, cousin, cousin, cousin.

My last two days in Ohio, Julie and Ella returned from Ireland (Julie's cousin Laura as well, who is very nice), and I got to play with Ella, who is so good humored, it's amazing.

And that, my friends, is a very abbreviated version of Ohio in Pictures. More pictures from the trip will be popping up in later posts, I'm sure.

Soon, my friends,soon

Tonight is my last night in Ohio. Tomorrow afternoon, I depart for that woodland realm known as Maine. Very eastern and mostly northern Maine. Ah, what joys. And once I'm safely ensconced inside, sitting at my computer, and watching nature outside while not actually interacting with it at all, I will post about my trip. Pictures will abound. I might actually have to do a couple of installments just to handle the quantity. I might actually not talk about my entire trip, to handle the quantity another way. Yeah, probabl ythat way. Anyways, wish me luck flying, and no missing of layovers. Will be up and posting again soon!

Aah, nostalgia

While taking a break from painting the attic at Ben and Julie's house, and eating my reheated Beef LoMein, I thought I'd post. I'm in Ohio, and a lot has happened. When I'm not at a computer that requires me to stand up to use it (Ben) I'll provide a full update.

For now, though, let me just talk about who I saw the other day. This will probably only make a real impact for Anne and Ben K, and I already told Ben K, so, ...Anne! While walking back from the front of the high school, there was a little cluster of kids sitting on the ground listening to someone talking. I coul deasliy hear that this one adult was more like shouting, or barking, at the little kids. I wondered who would talk to a group of such little kids so meanly, so peeked over (I stare blatantly) as I walked by.

The woman who was seated in front of these kids had faded red hair, sticking up in crazy bunches, and wore black and white striped knee-high socks, pulled all the way up. It was Candace!!

For those who don't know, Candace directed (directed?) children's plays every summer for the Bexley Recreation Department or something. One time, Anne played my Mom in the Pied Piper of Hamelin; I was one of the kids the piper took to his cave. Another time, I was an evil stepsister in Cinderella. I was also Abu in Aladdin. And...I think we did The Worst Christmas Pageant Ever, and I was one of the boys from the family of bad kids. Candace was just this hurricane, this constant storm of yelling. Famously, I remember Candace throwing her shoe...don't remember who it was directed at, though.

Anyways, I'm just amazed that, at least fifteen years later, I should see her again, acting exactly the same way, doing the same thing, and looking only slightly more faded.

Wow, I've found her online. I hope she doesn't google herself. Anyways, here's a picture of her that doesn't do her justice at all:
My friend, Wayne, plays a lot of World of Warcraft, and he talks about it a bit. But I've never heard him say anything as funny as what he just said:
wayne hearts pie (11:44:23 pm): I'm standing around in WoW impressing people with my new dragon, I'm pretty damn cool.