Monday, January 16, 2006

Towanda!

So I'm sitting here watching the Globes and the car insurance commercial with the clip from Fried Green Tomatoes on it. "Face it girls. I'm older and I have more insurance." That reminds me of how much I LOVE that movie.

An acquaintance once told me that I looked like Mary Louise Parker in that movie and it was one of the best compliments I've ever recieved. Totally off the mark, but still flattering.

So as long as I've got movies on the brain, I thought I'd share some of my chick flick favorites with you. Keep in mind I have a toddler and I've only seen like, two movies in the theater in the last 18 months. So, I watch DVDs and HBO, when I can. I won't even mention all the films that are still on my Must See list. So in that spirit, here is a short list of chick flicks that I will drop everything to watch if I notice them on TV.

The list (in no particular order):

Fried Green Tomatoes
50 First Dates
Legally Blonde
The Royal Tennenbaums
The Wedding Singer
Love Actually
Beaches
The Man in the Moon
Steel Magnolias

So that's what makes me laugh, and cry and laugh and cry at the same time. Like Ninny Threadgoode says, "A heart can be broken, but it'll keep beating just the same." Or, as Truvy put it, "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion."

Monday, January 09, 2006

I'm smart. S-M-R-T!

Tonight I was lucky enough to teach two important things to two important people in my life.

At dinner tonight Em tasted her first popcorn, and discovered Heaven on Earth. In this house we are popcorn addicts. Caramel corn, cheezy corn, kettle corn, smooth buttery popcorn. Bring it on. I've never met a kernel I didn't like. Even the dogs are in on the game.

A little later I got the priviledge of explaining AutoStart to Elise, who had never heard of it. AutoStart is a little sumptin sumptin that helps us Northerners get through Hell on Earth, er, winter.

And then, AND THEN, I managed to teach myself how to do links. I know, this should not be enough to get me all hot and bothered, but it so totally is. I am a geek at heart.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Pennies from Heaven

So on our day off Monday we decided we needed to get out of the house. More importantly, we needed to get the baby out of the house. We figured the mall - with its endless sidewalks and dinosaur playland - would be the perfect spot.

After we spent some time exchanging germs with dozens of sniffling toddlers and a Brontosaurus cast in a strangely unnatural soft-plastic pose, we took off. Em made a beeline toward the rubber duckies at Bath & Body Works. In order to distract her, we turned her toward the fountain. She marched straight up to two little old grannies who were deep in conversation, looked straight up at them and said, "Hi." Then she stood there and stared up at them. Of course they thought she was adorable, because they were SMART little old grannies. And if anyone can recognize adorable, it's a granny.

Canon found some pennies and we showed Em how to pitch them into the fountain. We cheered with each tiny splash, and then spent some time looking at the glittering wishes that lined the bottom of the reflecting pool. Just as we were leaving, one of the grannies walked up to us to tell us how much she enjoyed Em, and asked what her name was. When we told her Em's full name, she practically melted into a puddle of goo right there on the mall floor. "That was my mother's name," she said. It's kind of an old-fashioned name, and I'm guessing it's been a while since she'd run into someone who shared it. The granny was positively glowing as she opened her purse and handed me a fistfull of pennies. She insisted we take them and let the baby throw them in the fountain.

As we tossed pennies and celebrated splashes, me with tears in my eyes, the old woman walked away with a faraway look in her eyes and an odd smile on her face. I hope it was a happy one.

Monday, January 02, 2006

MMVI

There were no champagne toasts at our house at New Year's. There was just two tired parents, a sleeping baby and a whirring DVD player. Actually, I think I rang in 2006 about 3 feet from the spot where I rang in 2005. And while it wasn't one of my most exciting New Years Eves, it was definitely one of my favorites.

Wishing you all heatlh, happiness and plenty of snark in '06.