the hunger games. the brain version.

Yesterday morning, one of my besties Myrtle and I met up for coffee-lunch, which is what you get when you  meet at Starbucks after dropping off your kids at school then talk for so long that you end up having lunch as well.  It happens a lot with us.

During this latest edition of the ever-awesome coffee-lunch, we had our long awaited post-"Hunger Games Trilogy" recap and discussion.  Myrtle had already read the books.  As for me, from February 28 to March 6, I read all 3 books -- Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay -- unable to put them down to sleep, eat, or even go to the bathroom.  I also learned that sleeping on the corner of a hard cover book doesn't hurt that much and that I can do most things with one hand if I absolutely have to.

Anyway, Myrtle and I like to get together to discuss movies we've seen and books we've read, and finally it was time for our shot with the Hunger Games to share both big and seemingly-insignificant thoughts, why Peeta had to be The One, how we would've improved the ending, what the point of that scene was, how we couldn't wait to see the movie, and overall, feed our latest obsession.

One HUGE topic of conversation was casting.  You know how sometimes, when you read a book, your brain conjures up existing people, usually actors, for each character to give them a face while you read?  Yeah, that.

Well, Myrtle and I couldn't help but compare the actors we kept picturing in our heads while we read the books with the actors actually cast in the upcoming movie...

1:  Katniss, Gale, and Cinna.
We thought they were well cast.  Especially Gale.  Cute and capable of making a lasting impression that would last through the whole movie.
I still kinda think Jennifer Lawrence is a little tall as Katniss, because by Catching Fire, her 14-year-old sister Prim was supposed to be as tall as her, but having said that, Jennifer L. is Katniss.
And Lenny Kravitz as Cinna.  Inspired!  I have to confess that I couldn't picture a proper Cinna.  Lenny K as a Tom Ford-esque Cinna sounded perfect to me.

2:  Peeta.
At first, we were stunned by the choice of Josh Hutcherson because he's the same height as Jennifer Lawrence, and we always thought of Peeta as being tall and stocky, at least, enough to envelop Katniss and make her feel safe.  In fact, Myrtle pictured Gale as shorter and slimmer like Josh H, and Peeta as a blond Liam Hemsworth.  Which is why when I said that I thought of Liam's older brother and Thor star Chris Hemsworth as Peeta when I read the books, she totally agreed with me.
But after seeing the trailers, we knew Josh, no matter his height, was our Peeta.

3:  Haymitch.
I think Woody Harrelson is a great casting call.  However, he does seem too "cleaned" up in the trailers to be a convincing drunkard, so we'll see how he appears in the rest of the movie, during more drunky scenes, like when Haymitch falls down at the reaping.
When I was reading the books, the Haymitch of my mind was played by Gary Oldman.

4:  President Snow.
Donald Sutherland is and always will be Mr. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.  Period.  He's too tall and kindly.  He's a sweet Canadian.
Snow is short and creepy, and in my mind, he looked like song-and-dance man Joel Grey.  Seriously, couldn't you imagine this man with a white rose in his lapel?!

5:  Seneca Crane.
Wes Bentley is probably the most surprising casting decision of the whole movie.  Seneca is supposed to be much older, right?  I couldn't picture him in my mind either, but he certainly wasn't THAT young.

6:  Caesar Flickerman.
I couldn't picture someone blue.  I really couldn't.  So when I saw how they made up Stanley Tucci and how he became Caesar, I was sold.  But Myrtle thought of someone more '70s gameshow host.  I suggested Will Ferrel in Anchorman.  I can see it.

7:  Effie Trinket.
Elizabeth Banks was my Effie.  But when Myrtle suggested that she be someone older, someone who'd been with the Games for years, I saw that she had a really good point.  Myrtle pictured Imelda Staunton -- who you may recall played Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- as Effie.  I can really see that!  Until I watch the movie, I think I'll be picturing Effie played by Imelda S.  Really, can't you just picture it?!

But really, let's face it, just watching the book come to life on the Big Screen is going to be phenomenal.  I felt that way about LOTR.   And judging by the trailers, it's going to be great.  I'm looking forward to it.


Who would you cast in *your* Hunger Games?

the soundtrack of my life.

"What songs define you, and what songs make up the soundtrack to your life?"

That's what my friend Loukia asks in her most recent post on her blog.  If you've been reading me a while or know me IRL, you'd know that music is a big deal in my life.  And not in the negative "if my parents make me take up yet another musical instrument I detest, I'm going to stab someone in the face" kind of Big Deal.

No, it's in the positive way my heart lurches and turns over, my fingers itch to hold my bass guitar again, and the sudden urge to simultaneously laugh, cry and dance takes over me whenever I hear this song...



Yeah, that kind of Big Deal.

This is the very first song my band covered and the very first song we played at our very first public gig.  We had our audience convinced that we'd been playing bars for ages.  We were that good.  Not bad for a bunch of kids closer to graduating high school than touring stadiums.

There have been many songs like that, that when I hear them again, they propel me back to my first crush, my first broken heart (and how much of an ass I thought he was), the freedom I felt when I'd jam with my band, hanging out at the mall with my best friend, screaming a song on the dance floor at an engineering social, watching video shows (before MTV) with my friends, long drives to California with my family and friends, being in my husband's arms at our wedding reception, driving several provinces over for our nerd's honeymoon, watching our children dancing, etc.

Here they are, in no specific order, the songs of the soundtrack of my life...

Don't You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds
Out of the Blue - Debbie Gibson
We Run - Strange Advance
I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Girls on Film - Duran Duran
Like a Virgin - Madonna
How Will I Know - Whitney Houston
Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid
Come On Eileen - Dexys Midnight Riders
Two for the Road - Andrea Marcovicci
Somewhere Down That Crazy River - Robbie Robertson
Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - Wham
Don't Give Up - Kate Bush & Peter Gabriel
If You Leave - OMD
Control - Janet Jackson
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Everything Counts - Depeche Mode
Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Rock Lobster - B-52's
Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
The Time Warp - The Cast of Rock Horror Picture Show
Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meatloaf
Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
It's a Beautiful Life - Ace of Base
The Look of Love - ABC
Poison - Bell Biv Devoe
I've Had The Time Of My Life - Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
Step By Step - New Kids On The Block
Let Your Backbone Slide - Maestro Fresh Wes
New Year's Day - U2
At Last - Etta James
Natural - S Club 7

How about you? What songs define you, have influenced you, become the soundtrack of your life?

I love...

This post was inspired by Schmutzie's post on Aiming Low.  Thank you for sharing the love. 

... simple, clean, natural decor...
... summer day trips to small towns just outside the city...
... my son and me bouncing to our favourite songs on the car radio while we drive...
... my grandmother’s house in the Philippines, with its jasmine and rose bushes, rice paddy field, and kalamansi trees...
... having the door held open for me...
... the crack of the hard caramelized sugar top when I dig into a creme brulee...
... Scottish accents...
... bacon baked so that the fatty bits are dry and crisp...
... the delicious silence while my besties and I savour our first bite of sushi during our monthly get-togethers...
... white walls I freshly painted myself...
... frozen grapes...
... update pictures of the SOS childrens village we support every month...
... putting on my favourite cardigan fresh from the dryer...
... the feel of a fresh pair of contact lenses...
... how light my head feels after a long overdue haircut...
... that my daughter was invited to take the Royal Academy of Dance ballet exam...
... when my warm fuzzy cat lies on me on a cold night...
... that, sometimes, all I need is a quick swipe of lipstick to make me feel better...
... how saying just one word would set my husband and me laughing over a shared memory...
... real-life royal weddings...
... how my feet feel after taking off high heel shoes I’d been wearing for hours...
... walking around Hilo, Hawai’i on misty days...
... naked cuddling with my husband...
... Sheldon Cooper and Doctor Doofenschmirtz...
... when PayPal notifies me that I’ve been paid...
... the night when 3 of my favourite sci-fi shows are showing one after the other...
... Fergie's battered pickerel with my daughter after ballet class...
... having coffee with my bff and giggling over cute boys as if we're 15...
... my aunt’s Buko Pandan...
... that I have the complete DVD set of some of my favourite TV shows that are no longer airing...
... that I lived with my husband first before we got married...
... soft fresh salmon sashimi...
... movie nights at home with my family...
... starting a brand new erotic romance novel by any one of my favourite authors...
... getting snail mail that’s not a bill or spam...
... going out for breakfast with my sister...
... spending the whole day in pajamas...
... mallratting with my son...
... the caesar’s salad at Stella’s that has the perfect amount of garlic and parmesan...
... rediscovering what flowers I’d planted when they pop up again in the Spring...
... the warmth of the sun on my face...

How about you?  What do you love right now?

birthday morning.

As a special birthday treat, we all went to The Forks Market for Mini's ballet class together as a family. I wanted everyone with me EVERYWHERE I WENT. Yes, I temporarily go nuts one day a year; it's my birthday -- I'm allowed.

We chilled out, relaxed, and enjoyed just being together. And along the way, I saw some of my favourite dance people.

So who did I see on Birthday Morning on Saturday?  (While I type this, "Who are the people in your neighbourhood?" is going through my head.)

When we first got there, I got one of these.  A Vietnamese Coffee.  Okay, it's not really people, but it made me happy.  I would've taken the picture while the coffee was still dripping into the condensed milk, but I wasn't fully awake enough until AFTER I'd had the drink.

Isn't my little Lam adorable?  Yes, he is.  Here, he is surprisingly calm considering that he'd just had a pepsi/rootbeer drink that was as big as his head.  "Thanks, Dad -- why didn't you buy the big one?"

Oh, my darling Roomie, with his Movember Mo. Yes, he's doing it again this year!  Here, he's writing his feelings in his book -- his feelings about math and free will vs. determinism.

Then I went up to pick up Mini from class. Here is Ms. TK McHotster, the office manager, and my old buddy from high school. Love this girl -- she's as crazy as me.

One of these lovely dancers is one of Ms. TKMcH's daughters. The other lovely dancer is her partner in crime. They're always giggling like they're up to something. Awesome, ain't it?!

Mini's bff is also in her ballet class! So, of course, I get to see her mom, Tonya Kung-Fu Grip* (who is one of my school-mom girlfriends), every Saturday. Here, I got an extra special birthday treat because not only did I see Tonya, but I also got to see another of my school-mom girlfriends, Jenna Slickbooty*, who is Tonya's sis-in-law. Yay!

After dance class, Mini has a crepe. Smothered in Nutella. In order for her to not be covered in Nutella as well, I cover her with my sarong/scarf. Yes, she's a spilly pants like her mom, but oh, she's ever so cute!

That was my birthday morning.  I was going to continue to take pics the rest of the day, but I forgot.  It was my birthday!  I was too excited!

And yes, my friends, it was awesome.  Happy Birthday to me!  xo

* Names have been changed to protect the guilty. Yes, guilty.

only one.

It's birthday week for Roomie and me. Mine's tomorrow! I'll be turning 42, which is, as many of you know, the answer to the ultimate question about life, the universe, and everything.  Yup, a lot of pressure on such a small number.  Yes, it's a small number.  Really.

So, since it's almost my birthday, my brain's all fogged up with Halloween candy and Roomie Birthday cake sugar floating all around in it, and it's Friday, I declare that we should have some Nenette-no-think-much fun!  Yay!  Okay.

Marilyn decided to start a meme, and as you know, I love a good meme.  And this one totally is.
It has some minimalist leanings, so I was piqued.  What if we could have only one?  Imagine the lack of clutter in our lives.  See?  Don't you love it already?  Anyway, let's begin.

If you could only have one_______ for life, what would it be?

1. Condiment:  Soy sauce.  You know, for item #10.  And the fact that I'm Southeast Asian.  We put that s---- on everything.
   
2. City to live in:  I want to live in Canada, but since we haven't annexed Turks and Caicos yet, I'm stuck with 4 seasons.  Toronto is too big, and Vancouver is too cloudy and depressing in the winter.  I've never been to the Maritime Provinces, so I can't say whether I like them or not.  So, gotta say Winnipeg which is where I'm currently writing this awesome post.
3. Place to vacation to:  London.  Because I've never been.  And because people say it's nice.  I love the accent, and the shopping, and the history.  Totally the history.
   
4. Colour to wear:  White.  Weird, eh?  Because if you know me in real life, I'm always wearing black.  Thing is, I'd be wearing white if I weren't such a spilly spaz.
   
5. Celebrity/Character crush:  Okay, this may be a bit of a shocker...  Gerard Butler.  I know, I know, hard to believe because I rarely ever talk about him.  I even consider him my, get this, pretend boyfriend.  I KNOW, RIGHT?!
   
6. Dessert to eat:  It used to be pavlova, but I think it's creme brulee.  Know what it's like to creme brulee your face off?  I do.
   
7. Book to read:  Hitchhiker's Guide Trilogy by Douglas Adams.  Okay, I may have cheated with that one because it's a trilogy of 4 stories all in one big book.  But really, it's the best.
   
8. Television series to watch:  You all know it's 'Allo 'Allo, right?   It's just too funny!  The French "hero" has the courage of a hamster, the Resistance is always coming up with cockamamie schemes to help a couple of blundering British airmen escape back to England, no one understands English, the Nazis and Gestapo are each scheming to get The Portrait of the Fallen Madonna with the big boobies to sell after the war, and everyone is hiding in broom cupboards getting it on.  Perfection, really.
   
9. Cartoon character as a roomate:  I'd choose Leela from Futurama.  She's got money (from her job at Planet Express), I can borrow her clothes (remember, I like to wear white), and she's always away for work.
   
10. Type of food to eat (assuming that we can sustain ourselves easily off of one thing): This one is so easy - sushi.  And I would use the soy sauce from #1.
    

Wow, my apartment/house would be so spartan, and I'd have nothing to clean! Wish I could live like that now. Seriously. I'm looking at my kids' crap all over my floor and want to scream.

Okay, now I'm tagging Toni, Harmzie, Jenny, Loukia, and Adam to do this too.  And you.  Do it, and let me know!

things I have done.

First, I gave you my life/bucket list.  Then, I gave you my f*ck it list.  Last week, I gave you the list of things I've never done.  And now, I give you...

the list of things I have done

I'm forty-one.  And eleven-twelfths.

And I have...

1:  Been a runway model.

circa 1990

2:  Moved from The Philippines to Canada.

3:  Lived in Hawai'i.

4:  Proposed to my husband.  Naked.

5:  Played the bass guitar in a band.

good grief, my hair...

6:  Traveled by train from Manitoba to British Columbia.

7:  Given birth with pain medication.

8:  Joined the Mile High Club.

9:  Earned a Computer Engineering degree.

10:  Given birth without pain medication.

mama and mini

11:  Taken figure skating lessons.

12:  Taken Hawai'ian Hula dance lessons.

13:  Taken tae kwon do classes.

14:  Taken Sikaran classes.

15:  Had 3 of my Canada Moms Blog posts selected by McClatchy-Tribune for US syndication.

16:  Danced the Hawai'ian Hula on a parade float.

17:  Painted a whole room by myself.

18:  Cared for a dog and 3 cats.  But not all at the same time.

19:  Done the CRON eating plan.  And had great success.

20:  Written the first 3 chapters of an erotic romance novel.

21:  Opened my own Hawai'ian Hula dance school.  

22:  Started and maintained a blog of my own for 4 years.

This post submitted to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop and all its prompt-y goodness.

things I've never done.

I'm forty-one.  And eleven-twelfths.

And I've never:

1. Set foot in a Scottish Castle.

Eilean Donan seat of Clan MacRae

2. Needed to colour my hair... yet.

3. Eaten frog legs.

4. Been to Miami.

5. Run a marathon.

6. Starred in a porn film.

7. Seen Casablanca.

8. Read The Lord of the Rings (I know... I hang my head in shame).

9. Ridden an elephant.

10. Worn stilettos.

11. Been to Nova Scotia.

12. Been to Newfoundland.

13. Been to Prince Edward Island.

14. Watched Superbad.

15. Discovered a new planet.

16. Gotten a tattoo.

17. Drunk a flaming sambucca.

18. Harvested pineapples.

19. Taken a boat down the River Nile.

20. Guest starred on Doctor Who.

21. Slept in a hammock on a beach.

The idea for this post was stolen from Mama Kat, who stole it from the Pioneer Woman.  Lots of kleptos I follow. 
If you're  klepto too, feel free to steal this.  It's okay -- I'll just look away, like, oh, look at this plant, it's so nice... have you stolen it yet?  no? okay... oh, look, I'll just count the leaves over here...

What do the contents of your handbag/purse "say" about you?

It's been a long time since I've done one of those full disclosure purse thingies. Judging from all the emails I got the last time I displayed the contents of my Big Bag o' Trouble, I think I gave you nightmares for a week! 

But I'm doing the minimalish-ist thing, so I think my purse will be less scary.  (I don't know -- do any of you consider a Hello Kitty lanyard scary?)  I don't just shove anything in there anymore.  Every item has a reason for being.  And this is more important now than ever before because I'm going car-free and don't necessarily want to lug extra crap around if I don't have to.

Now what if an alien (like one of the hot Star Trek aliens that look human... think: The Outrageous Capt. Thadiun Okona) or your neighbourhood hobo happened across my forgotten bag?  What would they think this person is?  (I'll include my take too.)

1: Sponge Bob Bag (borrowed from Mini)
Alien: "Fun-loving.  I'd like to hang out with this person."
Hobo: "I can wear it as a hat."
Me: "This is a 12-year-old girl or boy."

2: Aveda Lip Tint in Cocoplum
Alien: "She's a woman... Oooh, yeaaah..."
Hobo: "Can I eat that?"
Me: "Oh, she is a girl.  Or a boy who stole his sister's lipstick.  Or a boy who wears lipstick."

3: Historical Romance Novel
Alien: "She loves romance.  Romance with hot humanoids like me."
Hobo: "Oh, toilet paper!"
Me: "She's an adult.  Who loves romance novels.  Probably likes to read them when she has to wait for long periods of time."

4: Antibacterial wash
Alien: "I like a clean woman." Um. Okay.
Hobo: "What is this shit? I wouldn't know.  I don't have cable.  Hey, this belongs to a woman with cable!"
Me: "She hates germs.  Probably likes to use it just before she eats.  She likes going to restaurants."

5: Aveda Lotion
Alien: "She has soft skin."
Hobo:  "Smells like stuff I can eat."
Me: "She probably lives in a very dry area, and her skin gets parched."

6: Notebook
Alien: "I wonder if she writes down her fantasies." This dude's getting weird and creepy.
Hobo: "More toilet paper!"
Me:  "She likes to stay organized.  And when she gets an idea, she doesn't want to lose it, so she jots it down."

7: Advil
Alien: "I bet these are her birth control pills."  Really, dude?  And are your headache pills as big as apples?
Hobo: "This isn't much of a meal."
Me: "She gets headaches or really bad PMS, and she wants to be prepared.  She won't let headaches or cramps put a damper on her day!"

8: Wallet
Alien: "Hey, her husband's cute too.  Maybe he'll be interested in a threesome!" Oh, for the love of-!
Hobo: "She's got no cash.  Hey, but there's a lot of toilet paper in here too!
Me: "She's a mom and wife, and her family is everything to her.  And she's everything to them -- a couple of "I love Mom" notes from her kids.  A Starbucks card -- she loves her coffee.  Oh, a receipt... decaf.  Another receipt... tea.  She's nice -- she's signed her donor card."

9: Keys
Alien: "Only 2 keys.  It'll be easy to figure out which one goes to her bedroom. Hehehe..."
Hobo: "Great.  I can pick the wax outta my ears with this here long key."
Me:  "She has a yoga key fob.  She likes yoga and staying healthy.  And not a lot of keys.  She has a house and a car.  Very simple."

10: MP3 player with Hello Kitty lanyard (not in photo: ladybug ear buds)
Alien: "I bet she has hot sexy music on this thing."
Hobo: "Maybe I can trade this for a shopping cart.  Oh!  Or a tinfoil hat."
Me:  "Hmm. Maybe she is a 12-year-old girl."

11: Razr Cell Phone
Alien: "Oh, I'll call her and see if she's home."  I hope he doesn't find out where I live.
Hobo: "I can get a second tinfoil hat with this!"
Me:  "She's social.  And she has many friends she can call and who love her."

12: Reusable Shopping Bag
Alien: He's already left for my house.
Hobo: "I can use this for my tinfoil hats.  And as a shirt when it's hot."
Me:  "She respects the environment.  Good girl."

How about you?  What's in your bag?!

This post brought to you by:

A-Z Meme

Today's post is brought to you by the letters A and Z... and all the other ones in between, because Mini and I were battling some evil stomach bug this weekend, and it left me with nothing interesting to post.

But one of the bazillion voices in my head said "You need to write something today!"  So, before that other voice -- you know, the one that screams "Kill them all!!!" -- decided to speak up again and get me all sidetracked, I rushed around to find something to post.

I stole the idea for this post from my fellow sick person Stephanie at How to Survive Life in the Suburbs (although she down with the flu and not a stomach bug) who called this her "Sick Meme".

Go ahead.  You steal it too.  And no, you don't have to be sick to do it.

A. Age: 41... so I'm still young.  yes, I am.  stop laughing.

B. Bed size: Queen.  we were going to upgrade to King, but the rest of the bed would just be wasted space.  We love to cuddle.  See? 

C. Chore you dislike:  washing floors.  Ugh!  So gross.

D. Dogs:  yes...  small, two-year-old, brown and black, and answers to the name Mittens.  Oh, and she's the cat variety of dog.

E. Essential start to your day:  my cup of green tea.  After that, I'm awake enough to make breakfast and pack lunch before my kids come down and demand to give Mommy-fortifying cuddles.

F. Favorite color:  burgundy.  I love it so much, I'd paint the right side of my body with it.  Okay, I lie.  I'd paint the left side of my body with it.

G. Gold or silver: Gold.  Silver is too cold.
 
H. Height: 5' 3".  I thought I was 5'4" for the longest time.  Then I was measured just before my surgery last September.  Yup, I'm shrinking.

I. Instruments you play(ed): piano, organ, bass guitar.  See?

my bass & me - circa 1987

J. Job title: SAHM, freelance word person, hula instructor.

K. Kids:  I have 2 of 'em!  Lam - my handsome little brainiac, who'll probably use his computer genius to make his first billion at 15, then spend it all on french fries and video games.  And Mini - my gorgeous gamer, who'll be the first rocket scientist supermodel, freaking out the boys with her beauty, intelligence, and lightning fast wit.

L. Live: In Canada. In the middle of a flood plain.  Thank heavens for the Red River Floodway, or we'd be spit-shining our canoes about now.  Which would be bad since I don't have a canoe... so, I'd just be spitting.

M. Mom’s name:  Petronila.

N. Nicknames:  Candy, Nette, Nen.  Girlie used to be one of them, but then I gave birth to Mini and had to relinquish that title to her.

O. Overnight hospital stays:  twice.  For Baby #1 and for Baby #2... so only for awesome life-altering events, not bad life-altering events.

P. Pet peeves: too many... for the complete list, check out this post.

Q. Quote from a movie: "Goin' on a year now I ain't had nothin' twixt my nethers weren't run on batteries!" - Serenity

R. Righty or Lefty: Righty.  But, to be fair and give you a fighting chance, I will duel with you with my left.

S. Siblings: One older sister, who I love to pieces and has been through hell with me.

T. Time you wake up:  4am with a truck load of anxiety.  Then after I talk myself off the crazy bus and get back to sleep, I wake at 6:30-ish.  Yes, even on weekends and holidays.

U. Underwear:  Black panties.  Always.

V. Vegetables you don’t like:  I like to eat all veggies, but I don't like to prepare all veggies.  Some are just way too freakin' high-maintenance.  Like potatoes.  Stupid potatoes.

W. What makes you run late:  Getting my kids ready.  "Mom, where's my x?!"  "I don't want to wear my boots!"  "Oh, wait, Mom, could you get my watch on the nightstand?"  Next thing you know, they're out the door, and I've only managed to put mascara on one eye and my hair looks like Zoolander.

X. X-rays you’ve had:  My teeth and my spine.  My spine is gorgeous by the way.

Y. Yummy food you make:   Tocino.  It's a filipino pork dish.  My kids snarf this stuff down like it's their job!

Z. Zoo Animal Favourites:  prairie dogs here at Assiniboine Park Zoo.  They pop out of their holes and start to chirp.  It's awesome!  Once I've seen them, I can go home... zoo trip is officially a success.

demolition, the doorbell, and mo.

10:05am - As I type, three men -- hammers in hand -- are demolishing BOTH of my bathrooms.  Yes, folks, it's finally happening!  After a year of putting up with a defective bathroom, construction -- well, at least, destruction for now -- is in progress.  But after the dudes go, it'll be a shell of a bathroom with a marginally usable shower... for the next while until we get someone in to finish all the work.  Bummer.

2:46pm - I ran out of yarn for that project that he won.  I need to get more.  I'm in the Knitting Zone, and if I wait too long, I'll fall out of the zone.

4:10pm - The frickin' doorbell's broken.  It keeps dinging, and dinging, and dinging... gah!  Roomie better get home to fix this thing, or I'm going to get one of those beloved hammers and "fix" it myself.

As you see, chaos reigns in my house.  My head hurts.  Stupid broken doorbell.

So, today, I will give you something that makes me smile.  Because I need it.  And hopefully, it'll make you smile too.  It's Roomie's Movember Mo that he sported to help support prostate cancer awareness. He's not giving his 70's porn look in that pic, but it's there.  Somewhere.

HOT...

30 days of truth. take 2.

Shortly after my recent surgery, I found the 30 Days of Truth on my friend Adam's swankilicious blog, and said "yeah, I'll do it too!"

Then I chickened out.

Healing from having your lady bits interfered with by surgical instruments makes one feel more than a little vulnerable. Doing the 30 Days would leave one too many things raw and open for me.

But now that I'm almost 100%, I think I'm up for the sharing of my innards.

Question is: Are you up for reading all the frightening details?

Pfft -- as if y'all had any choice... ;)

10 blogs to read when you want your life to suck less

I'm a freak -- a freak, I tell you! -- when it comes to life-designing/life-improvement. I know, you can tell, right? Because I'm so organized, eco-savvy, and my house is the epitome of simple style? Yeah, I wish that were true.

Anyway, I'm trying -- OMG, I'm trying! -- even if it is just to get ideas and maybe dream, but the lure of CSI:NY and frickin' Twitter, oh, and the need to go to the bathroom once in a while, are such inconvenient distractions.

Luckily, when I do pull myself away from the tv, laptop, and toilet, I can get the job done real quick-like thanks to my 10 Fave Life-Improvement Blogs. Check it...

1: Green is Sexy - Love the practical green tips from 3 gals who practice what they preach... oh, and one of them is Rachel McAdams... squee! :)
Check out: bosom buddies.

2: Re-Nest - Learning to eco-redesign my house... from big projects to small ones
Check out: Look! A Clean Kitchen

3: Ideal Bite - I eat up the newsletters with links to eco-smart products and services... frickin' EAT. THEM. UP.
Check out: Who cut it?

4: G Living - Dark/slick green living sexified... and we all know everything is better sexified
Check out: Stroh Haus | Modern Day Straw House

5: Casa Sugar - Gives me ideas on how to make my house FABULOUS
Check out: Railroad Tie Dining Table and Chairs

6: clean+istry - Clean - Yes; Germs - No
Check out: 5 Essential Cleaning Items for the Holidays

7: Zen Habits - Hey, Life! Take that, and that!... Hack, hack, hack...
Check out: A Guide to Creating a Minimalist Home

8: Simple Mom - Easier for me to use than FlyLady... simple... for mom... hey, look at that!
Check out: Home Management Notebooks are a great idea

9: Unclutterer - Helps me get rid of crap in my house... and then organize the non-crap
Check out: Seven Benefits of Uncluttering

10: Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Work Week - Helps me attack life... like a puma.
Check out: How to Lose 20lbs of fat in 30 days without doing any exercise

Oh, and the picture? It's a bunch of beautiful tulips Roomie got for being a super-awesome instructor. Then I "Effect"-ed the crap out of it... Likey? :)

This post is my contribution to Task #41: Your Top 10 Blog Faves of Shai's 52 Weeks of Blogging Community (yes, it's back!).

it's totally sweeping the nation

I can predict quite accurately how disease will sweep through my household:

Stage 1:
Lam catches it from school, gets sick, and brings it home. (Roomie may, 5% of the time, bring the pestilence home if his students are sick -- but yeah, 5% of the time.)
Stage 2: (2-3 days later)
I catch it -- I always do.
Stage 3: (4 days - 1 week later)
Mini -- if she will get sick at all -- will now catch it.
Stage 4:
At this point, if Roomie wasn't the origin, he will get it from any of us -- if he is in fact destined to get it.

Anyway, right now, we're at Stage 3. Lam is doing better and he's at school, but Mini and I aren't doing too well.

Meh, aside from feeling like crap (and having to bring Lam to and from school), we really don't mind. Mini gets to play video games, all day, uninterrupted by her brother, and I can watch the CSI:NY Marathon on SpikeTV.



Yeah, I'm hooked on CSI:NY. Sure, it's graphic, but it really does appeal to the geek in me -- I love the use of science to solve a puzzle. I also watch CSI and CSI:Miami, but my favourite is CSI:NY. Eddie Cahill and Carmine Giovinazzo are definitely easy on the eyes, but you know who really does it for me?

GARY SINISE.
He's not conventionally handsome, nowhere near pretty-boy, and not rugged and scruffy like the men on my List. Actually, he's not easy to categorize.

But he sizzles on screen.

I don't think it's like Ed Harris using The Force on Ali. Because I KNOW who uses The Force on me: that evil hottie-hot hotster Ed Quinn, who, whenever I take him off my List, I'm compelled to put him back on again -- near the top, I might add -- because I see him for like two freaking seconds on Eureka, and I'm hooked!
And he plays a total pompous jerk too. But he's a pompous scientist-guy jerk. I know! How can I stay mad at him? He's a scientist-guy!!!

[Updated 09/02/06: I can't believe I'd forgotten that Ed Quinn was actually on CSI:NY! Even as Stella's scary psycho boyfriend, he was hot -- not scientist-guy hot, but still HAWT!]

Wait a minute, I was talking about Gary Sinise. (See?! Ed Quinn and his damn Force!) Gary's Detective Mac Taylor is so strong and take-charge, yet so, yes, scientist-guy. And that episode where he's running around the building, soaking wet, gun in hand, rockin' that black t-shirt, and chasing the bad guys, it's almost like Ed who?

Almost.

Anyway, I'm going to stop now, because I feel like I'm cheating on my pretend boyfriend Gerard Butler.

Motrin, Are You Effing Kidding Me?!?

[Updated with the original ad]

So, this morning, Roomie and I were sitting on the couch, laptops open, both of us catching up with our respective online worlds.

While Roomie perused the recent news on Reddit, I scanned Twitter and found my Twitter Sibs frantically waving their hands in the air, freaking, and in a general uproar about Motrin's brand-spankin' new ad -- an ad that appears to mock the idea of baby-wearing, a topic very close to my heart.

Hearing the growing freak-out in my voice, Roomie talked me off the ledge, "OK, hold on, have a look at the ad first."

So, I hit the link from Katja's post, and together, Roomie and I watched my laptop with growing horror as the commercial unfolded.

We watched them claim that baby-wearing seems "to be in fashion" and that it's "a good idea in theory", as if it's some sort of new fad, as if baby-wearing hasn't been around for thousands of years, as if many cultures worldwide have never continued to wear their young because baby wearing is such a PROVEN good idea.

Motrin shouldn't have made this commercial. Baby-wearing and the need for pain medication just don't go hand in hand. And now, legions of future moms could be turned off to baby-wearing if they're misled by idiotic, poorly-researched pap like this.

So, yeah, watch the commercial yourself (Thanks to dizastor!), and check out Katja's post for the video of other mom reactions too.
Maybe you too will think, like Roomie and myself, that the Motrin people are morons for coming up with such an offensive, condescending ad.

The uproar is huge. I wonder if heads are going to roll.