movie

Yes!!! Comments in the double digits for the last post. Thanks, dudes! Keep 'em coming!

We got a tankless water heater today. (Yay for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009!) It was an all-day process, and the guys didn't tell me before they turned the water off for more than three hours. It really caught me off guard when I used the bathroom and then went to wash my hands and no water came out of the facet. I was really distressed. I ended up soaping up my hands and then used my glass of drinking water to rinse my hands. Why am I telling you this? Well, I'd rather be dehydrated than have dirty hands. Now you know. Although the chances of me actually getting dehydrated were pretty low, while the chances of me getting my dirty hands on my laptop were extremely high.

After the recent dreams about the old house and the new owners, I've continued having distressing dreams. I had two dreams that my old company asked me to come in and do some consulting for them. In both dreams, I went in, ready to help them solve some type of problem, and both times I got completely shut down by the people who are still working there, and I left in tears. Hmm, I really don't feel bitter toward them. In fact, in real life, I recently went there and had lunch with my former boss and a couple coworkers. They bought me lunch and gave me a copy of the last book I copy edited for them, which was really super-duper nice. But apparently my subconscious is still a little ticked off. Oh, so there were those two dreams, and then I had a dream I got laid off from my new job. I really don't feel all that stressed out in my waking hours, but these dreams must be a manifestation of something, right?  Me thinks it's time to go back to the acupuncturist.

Saturday night, Pat announced that he was taking Greta to see Shrek in 3D. He asked if I wanted to come and I said no and that I didn't think he should take her to a 3D movie. My reasons? Because it's expensive and because Howard Stern said he thinks that 3D movies mess with kids' vision and brains. Howard Stern and I have no evidence to back this up, but it might be true. (And Howard Stern and I aren't alone!) After I said my reasons I felt silly but had to stand my ground because I'm stubborn and because I had a vision of me with two hours of free time. Both of those reasons seemed like good ones to let those guys go off and have some daddy-daughter time. I'm glad I did because I used the time wisely and put a fresh coat of paint on my childhood vanity. Plus, I got to witness Greta running in the house after the movie with her 3D glasses on, smiling ear to ear, and then listen to her talk a mile a minute about what happened in the movie. It was a pretty awesome evening for all.

Ooh, more about my vanity. It was a Christmas gift from my parents when I was maybe twelve. My dad spent a lot of time painting it and assembling it in the basement before Christmas. I remember being completely disappointed when I saw it, and I'm sure I was not at all good at hiding my disappointment. But as I got older, I spent more and more time sitting in front of it. It was white with bronze hardware and a bench that had a fuzzy, cream seat cushion. It was so very girly. When we moved to this house, I asked my parents if I could have it back. It has seen a lot of wear and tear over the years, and at some point in college I put a bunch of stickers all around the mirror part. It's still a work in progress, but I cleaned it up, painted it black, reupholstered the bench cushion with a black and cream damask pattern (leftover fabric from my dining room chair project), and, in honor of its original girliness, I got pink glass knobs and a pink and white handle to replace the brass hardware. Hopefully I can finish it soon so I can show some before and after pictures here. It goes with nothing else in my house, but I love it.

Sunday we met up with some friends we hadn't seen in years. They have a daughter who is just a couple months older than Greta. We met up with them at Wild Wings (the facility in Mendon Ponds that cares for injured birds of prey, not the gross restaurant). We saw the birds, which was very cool, and then we took a hike. The girls were very good, aside from being a bit competitive and turning the hike into a race. Here they are walking with Pat, or who our little friend Hanley nicknamed, "the kid master."

In conclusion, speaking of cute things kids say, tonight I was reading Greta a book called I Love You, Every Little Bit. On one page, it says, "I love your cheeks, round and sweet..." and Greta cut me off to say, "My cheeks aren't sweet, they're evil!" It was funny at the time. Hopefully it's not foreshadowing.

Fran

My friend Sarah and I went to see Avatar in 3D tonight for free (because we're high rollers and things like this fall into the laps of people like us), and we documented the experience.

The big-glasses-over-little-glasses look will be huge in France next year. Just wait. We laughed a lot. We also enjoyed the movie.

Fran

My old friend Chris Teague is a filmmaker who has always had a knack for making smart, original, clever work. The latest short film of his especially struck a chord with me. You can check out the film Monkeywrench (by using the password "chainsaw"), and then if you'd be so kind, go on over to Slamdance and vote for it here. When Chris and I were in high school, we both had an interest in photography, and not surprisingly, he had an interest in film. I've been following his progress over the years and am so impressed with what he's done. I'm so proud of my friends who wanted something and followed through with it. (And he's the only person I personally know on IMDb!)

In exchange for your time spent watching the film (and voting), I will post an embarrassing photo of us from the 1995 Marcellus High School Senior Ball, which the lovely Jennifer Suarez dragged out of some frightening archives and posted on Facebook for all (including half my coworkers) to see.

Why did no one tell me my dress was all wrinkly...and short, yet frumpy?

Fran

Last night I watched the Walker George documentary Young@Heart on Independent Lens on PBS. Young@Heart is a choral group made up of elder adults who cover modern songs, such as I Wanna Be Sedated (The Ramones), Stayin' Alive (Bee Gees), and Fix You (Cold Play). While the documentary wasn't necessarily the best I've seen, it was simply a great story. It was really inspirational, funny, and heartwarming.

Here's one of my favorite parts from the movie. They have music videos, too! Here is my favorite.

When I worked as a candy striper in junior high, I spent a lot of time with the elderly patients at the hospital, and it seemed like they took one of two paths: they were either grumpy and sad, or they found a way to enjoy everything they did. I like to think that when I'm in my twilight years I'll be rockin' out (or whatever it is the kids are into then) and enjoying life.

When I was watching the movie, I thought of my Great Aunt Jean, who has a wonderful, positive attitude (and she had a beer when we went to lunch AND she still wears lipstick every day!). Here's a picture of Greta, Great Aunt Jean, and me from our visit to Ohio this past summer.

Isn't she beautiful? If there was a rock-and-roll chorus in Dayton, Ohio, I think she'd be in it.

Fran