Caleb's Corner: The Acadamy Awards

In theory, it sounds cool - take the best movies of the fiscal year, give them awards for things such as Best Editing, Best Original Song, Best Actor, etc. and the Best Picture Oscar goes to the best movie of the year. Throw in performances of movie soundtracks and A Lifetime Achievement Award and how could it NOT be cool? I can tell you. I'm a movie lover, call me movie buff, call me movie geek. Call me what you want, there a very few things I like more than watching a good movie; and like Leonard Maltin, famed movie critic, I have a varying tastes. I love action movies, but I'll watch a drama if Mom says it's good (she a really good judge of what I'll like) and I also am quite fond of a good comedy (and those are hard to find). The point is, I have a varied repertoire of films that I like. Enter The Academy Awards 80: This Time It's Stupid. Well, I tuned in Sunday to see who's winning and the award for best special effects was up. Now this past year some amazing effects were in the Movie Biz: TMNT, Transformers, Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Beowulf, etc. Fewer than half of those were nominated and of the nominees, I thought Transformers was the sure winner. Unfortunately, the God-hating, Narnia rip-off The Golden Compass won. The brilliant 3:10 to Yuma was only nominated for Best Sound Editing, no Best Actor for Christan Bale, or Best Picture. Live Free or Die Hard, the latest entry in the popular Die Hard series was nominated for nothing,same with Spider-man 3. I keep seeing the Academy looking like the snooty food critic from Ratatouille saying to themselves, "you plebeians don't understand true art." Well, personally I don't understand Picasso, but I know a cool movie when I see one. Enchanted, which was a wonderful movie (I think Mom already said that on a previous post, but I'm clarifying) got nominations for three of its songs, including the very theatrical "How Does She Know" and lost to a movie called Once (don't fret, I've never heard of it either). All in all, I'm losing respect for the Academy, as it is to focused on artsy movies instead of the summer blockbusters we've all come to love. But hey, at least Super Smash Brothers comes out soon for Wii. In the mean time I could try to figure out how to build a hover board...or I could just eat some candy.
Candy is nice.

(From Laura: We're going to occasionally allow Caleb to guest blog from time to time. It's good for him and we can buy cool stuff with the money we charge him. :D )

A Day

You ever just have a day?  I had one today.  One of those doozeys when you look at the clock and think "Are you kidding?  It's still today? I feel like ten years has passed!"  

It started with a trip to the doctor's on the insistence of my husband and my mother - a formidable pair.  But since I've been up coughing for the last couple of nights, I agreed to go. (I'm a big fan of sleep.  I can do without a lot of things - sleep is not one of them).  I have a great doctor, so I don't mind him so much it's just the idea of it.  Especially because I was just at the doctor's (ok a different doctor, but still) two days earlier.  I really do think I got sick at the doctor's office (the first doctor, I mean. sheesh - I'm not making much sense  -  for reasons that will soon become apparent.)  

Anyway, I took Emily with me for several reasons.  First, she needed new ballet shoes and since I had the van, and the shoe store is near Wally world I figured I could get any needed prescription filled and then go get her shoes while I waited - because, of course, Wally world takes forever.  Second, she's good company.  She likes to talk to me and she makes me laugh. And lastly, if I leave her at home with the boys while they are trying to do their schoolwork, she will pester them to death to play with her and they crumble to her will like graham crackers whacked with a rolling pin to make a pie crust.  So, she came with me.

She kept me company in the waiting room by pointing out the problem with having a bookshelf that was brightly labeled "Children's Library" but had only magazines for grown ups on it.  And other than scolding the Doctor for not having books for kids to read she basically just watched.  I, however, was more argumentative when the doctor told me that he was pretty convinced that I had the 'flu.  

"I had a 'flu shot months ago" I told him.

"Yes", he replied, "we're seeing a lot of people who've had the 'flu shot get the 'flu"

Now, I understand that there's a different strain out there and he explained that because I got the 'flu shot I'd likely have a much less severe case. I still feel gypped. I got the 'flu shot.  I want immunity!  

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So I came to terms with it and went to get the meds - which of course I knew would take an hour.  Because it's Wal-Mart and nothing's ever easy there.  We got the shoes then went back and got the meds and made it home for lunch.  And at this point I started thinking - 

"I feel terrible.  I'm typhoid Mary.  Today is ballet.  I'm going to take the girls and go wait in that tiny little room with people that have smaller children - one's just a few months old. I can't take my medicine until I get back because it will make me sleepy.  I'm insane"

So, I called Joel and we decided I'd go get him at work, and he could take the kids to ballet and I could stay home in a medication induced fog drinking hot tea.  I just had to drive to his work at get him (see previous post about Old Faithful - still not fixed yet) and be back in time to get my little charges off the bus.  I left plenty of time for error and away I went, dreaming of warm tea and cold compresses.  On the way, I hit a pot hole.  A nice, juicy pot hole. My tax dollars at work.   It was on a narrow road that stays relatively busy and it was while going down a pretty steep hill.  No place to stop immediately to check and see what the noise was, but as soon as I could, I did.  My tire was shredded.  I'm not even sure why I was surprised.  

I pulled off onto the next side street and pondered for a moment.  I hadn't taken the cell - not that I have clue number one who I'd call because pretty much everybody I know works.  I had to be back home in an hour and 15 minutes (and I was still about 25 minutes away from Joel's work) and I was not feeling well.

But this is where I thank God for my family.  Because when I was growing up someone, maybe my dad or my brother - I really can't remember -  insisted that I know how to change a tire.  And I did.  I got started and got the spare down (which on our van is in a really weird place) and jacked up the van and remembered to loosen all the lug nuts before I took any off completely.  Just as I was taking them off, a very nice man and his wife saw me from the main road, pulled off and stopped and then he finished.  Chivalry is not dead!

I went and got Joel (who was concerned for me because he knew it shouldn't have taken so long to get there) and we made it home 5 minutes before the kids got here.  He took the kids to ballet and dropped the ones that didn't belong to us off at their house and came home.  

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Some women get flowers or candy, stuffed animals or even diamonds for Valentines Day.  Me?  I got the 'flu and a flat tire.  And a husband who came home from work and ran all my errands and is even now out getting me popsicles.  All that and I got chocolate, too!  I have a real gem and I wouldn't trade him for anything. 

My First Video Experiment

OK, here's my first attempt at a video, we'll see if it works. If it doesn't - I blame Joel. He (tried) to teach me.

Emily loves ballet. It's one of her very favorite things.