I lahahuve games! Board/card games that is. Board more than card really.
I have many: Apples to Apples, Mad Gab, Scattegories, Bananagrams, Cranium, Smarta$$, Party Playoff, "Office Trivia", Boggle, etc.
Today, I played Settlers of Catan for the first time. I highly recommend letting someone that has played before explain the directions/rules to you. The instructions are a treatise of confusion! I started sweating reading them.
We played the game thrice. The first time was practice: I won. The second time was for realsies: I lost. The third time was for realsies realsies: I won!!!
Do you like games? Which ones and why come? I'm always in the market for more...
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
I saw the movie "Brothers" a few nights ago with Tie and his siblings, Tate and Tory. From the preview, it definitely looked like it was going to be an intense flick. Indeed it was. Perhaps a little too intense if you ask Tie. His exact words after we walked out of the theater were "It makes me want to shoot myself in the head."
However, intense, twisted, heavy, depressing movies are some of my favorite. My top 5 include Braveheart (the redeeming qualities outweigh the intensity), Million Dollar Baby (yes, I know I'm the only person on the planet who likes this movie) and Goonies (oh wait...it doesn't fall into this category).
Anyway, the basic plot of "Brothers" centers around a man who is a captain in the Marines (played by Tobey Macguire). He deploys to Afghanistan and bad things happen. Meanwhile, his wife (Natalie Portman) finds comfort in her growing relationship with his ner' do well brother (Jake Gyllenhal). When Brother Marine gets back from war, he has extreme psychological damage which essentially results in the destruction (figuratively) of his family.
One of the main reasons I like intense movies is because they generally make me think about something more so than I usually would. I am embarrassed to admit that it took this movie to actually make me think more deeply about the soldiers that fight for the United States, on my behalf. Tie and I both discussed how we really don't want anyone's family to be ruined in our name...while they fight for us. Is anything worth someone else's life? Certainly my faith is worth my own life. But aren't I the one who has to make that sacrifice? If someone else is making it on my behalf, then obviously I'm not losing anything. In our 20 minute ride home from the movie theater, our conversation only scratched the surface of the issue, which I guess is if and when war and fighting is appropriate and right.
I repeat, it is embarrassing to confess that I think about this subject far less than I should. But, I'm ok to admit that. My admission makes me accountable. It's on my radar. I'm actively thinking about it. I want to resolve my feelings/beliefs about it.
See the movie. It's worth the momentary and superficial discomfort caused by engineered intensity if it causes you to consider the reality of the lives our soldiers lead and the responsibility that we, as citizens of the country they fight for, bear for their circumstances.
However, intense, twisted, heavy, depressing movies are some of my favorite. My top 5 include Braveheart (the redeeming qualities outweigh the intensity), Million Dollar Baby (yes, I know I'm the only person on the planet who likes this movie) and Goonies (oh wait...it doesn't fall into this category).
Anyway, the basic plot of "Brothers" centers around a man who is a captain in the Marines (played by Tobey Macguire). He deploys to Afghanistan and bad things happen. Meanwhile, his wife (Natalie Portman) finds comfort in her growing relationship with his ner' do well brother (Jake Gyllenhal). When Brother Marine gets back from war, he has extreme psychological damage which essentially results in the destruction (figuratively) of his family.
One of the main reasons I like intense movies is because they generally make me think about something more so than I usually would. I am embarrassed to admit that it took this movie to actually make me think more deeply about the soldiers that fight for the United States, on my behalf. Tie and I both discussed how we really don't want anyone's family to be ruined in our name...while they fight for us. Is anything worth someone else's life? Certainly my faith is worth my own life. But aren't I the one who has to make that sacrifice? If someone else is making it on my behalf, then obviously I'm not losing anything. In our 20 minute ride home from the movie theater, our conversation only scratched the surface of the issue, which I guess is if and when war and fighting is appropriate and right.
I repeat, it is embarrassing to confess that I think about this subject far less than I should. But, I'm ok to admit that. My admission makes me accountable. It's on my radar. I'm actively thinking about it. I want to resolve my feelings/beliefs about it.
See the movie. It's worth the momentary and superficial discomfort caused by engineered intensity if it causes you to consider the reality of the lives our soldiers lead and the responsibility that we, as citizens of the country they fight for, bear for their circumstances.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
(ha...so long that I forgot my username/password combo. lame.)
I'm back in the game. As much as I'd like to pass off my delinquent blogging as a result of busyness, the honest to goodness reason is that I feel all kinds of pressure to say something witty or compelling or even provocative (in the PG way). Yep, that's why. Why waste everyone's time with something boring? That's my brilliant logic.
So, I'm going to lower the expectations. We'll see how that goes.
"New" blog #1: I've decided to trick myself into feeling less complain-y. The past month of school (which I most thankfully have a break from now) has been pretty...well, terrible. No, not that bad in the grand scheme of things but far less than pleasant. I'm a person who needs to find fulfillment in my profession. It ain't happenin' these days. And, no matter how many different ways I've tried to deal with my feelings about it, my solution of the moment doesn't last through the next "episode".
However, my latest and hopefully final solution to feeling under-appreciated/under-paid/overwhelmed/over-worked, blah, blah, blah is to try to appreciate someone more, value someone more, lighten someone else's workload, etc. You know, try to assuage/alleviate someone else's feelings of dissatisfaction. I'm thinking this will a) help someone else feel better and b) make me feel like a chump for whatever I'm feeling sorry for myself about. Thus far, I've employed said technique approximately one time. With smashing success I might add. I'm going to try to make Scout feel less-tired by playing with him. Yes, this is an excellent plan!
I'm back in the game. As much as I'd like to pass off my delinquent blogging as a result of busyness, the honest to goodness reason is that I feel all kinds of pressure to say something witty or compelling or even provocative (in the PG way). Yep, that's why. Why waste everyone's time with something boring? That's my brilliant logic.
So, I'm going to lower the expectations. We'll see how that goes.
"New" blog #1: I've decided to trick myself into feeling less complain-y. The past month of school (which I most thankfully have a break from now) has been pretty...well, terrible. No, not that bad in the grand scheme of things but far less than pleasant. I'm a person who needs to find fulfillment in my profession. It ain't happenin' these days. And, no matter how many different ways I've tried to deal with my feelings about it, my solution of the moment doesn't last through the next "episode".
However, my latest and hopefully final solution to feeling under-appreciated/under-paid/overwhelmed/over-worked, blah, blah, blah is to try to appreciate someone more, value someone more, lighten someone else's workload, etc. You know, try to assuage/alleviate someone else's feelings of dissatisfaction. I'm thinking this will a) help someone else feel better and b) make me feel like a chump for whatever I'm feeling sorry for myself about. Thus far, I've employed said technique approximately one time. With smashing success I might add. I'm going to try to make Scout feel less-tired by playing with him. Yes, this is an excellent plan!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Gallery Fridays...
While there are numerous, obvious reasons why Friday is quite possibly the best day of the week...until Sunday...I invite you to add another reason to the list. The Guardian (the British paper that I read) has an awesome "Week in Wildlife" picture gallery that they update every Friday. The quality of the pictures is excellent. They frequently show endangered species of animals and plants. They also frequently have pictures that are flat out hysterical. Here is a sampling of why I LIVE for this gallery on Fridays
from this week's gallery
"Macaque monkeys in Lopburi, north of Bangkok. Thailand started a birth control programme to sterilise male monkeys in the famous monkey town"
"'Footprints'. The entry for the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 for the One Earth Award category. This and nearly 100 other winning images will go on display at the Natural History Museum in London on 23 October"
last week's gallery
"Two-week-old Ruffles, the red ruffed lemur, investigates a pear at Lemur Land in Blair Drummond safari park in Scotland. It is the first of the endangered species to be born at the park"
"A female hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas) and her baby in the ape house of the Hellabrunn zoo, Munich, Germany. The natural habitat for the species can be found in Africa, Saudi Arabia and Yemen"
from this week's gallery
"Macaque monkeys in Lopburi, north of Bangkok. Thailand started a birth control programme to sterilise male monkeys in the famous monkey town"
"'Footprints'. The entry for the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 for the One Earth Award category. This and nearly 100 other winning images will go on display at the Natural History Museum in London on 23 October"
last week's gallery
"Two-week-old Ruffles, the red ruffed lemur, investigates a pear at Lemur Land in Blair Drummond safari park in Scotland. It is the first of the endangered species to be born at the park"
"A female hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas) and her baby in the ape house of the Hellabrunn zoo, Munich, Germany. The natural habitat for the species can be found in Africa, Saudi Arabia and Yemen"
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Speaking of...
You know how most people hate public speaking? I used to think that was me. However, considering the fact that I stand in front of people (granted, they're teenagers so not entirely people) all day long and yap away, I had to reexamine the exact nature of my hatred.
Indeed, I do not hate public speaking. I hate planned public speaking. You know, a written speech, a recited reading, a question during a question and answer session. Seriously, all of these things make me either a) cry b) have a heart rate of 1013 beats per minute or c) have a strange and false feeling of overconfidence resulting in a shockingly embarrassing moment.
Before I reveal these shameful and ridiculous moments, I must, in my own defense, say that I'm pretty good at public speaking of the off the cuff variety. I mean, I do amuse the teenagers with my spitting...I mean speaking. I do disarm anxious parents worried about their child's potential success in my AP class by telling them about the 10 eyeliners I just tried out on my hand (and showing them too, of course). Yep, happened in Target today. Meet parent, tell them how great their kid is and how they're sure to do well in the class, right? No, because that would have been pre-planned and I would have probably wet my pants with nervousness. So, every lady likes eyeliner, right?
As you can see, this post wasn't pre-planned. But, I'm righting the ship. Example #1 of the catastrophe that is my and pre-planned speaking: Some dumb American Legion essay contest I was hookwinked into participating in in high school. I had about 2 days to write the speech. I had to stand up in from of 20 or 30 wonderfully old and patriotic veterans and give the speech. I was supposed to memorize the speech, which I didn't know until I got there. Right... 10 minutes to memorize. Ha. I decide to spend that time crying instead. That was probably the first time I had cried in several months. And it showed. I couldn't even speak when I got in front of the staring eyes. I choked and gasped for air and all the old people gave me sympathetic looks which made it 10,000 times worse. I think I almost died.
Example #2: In church one time (about 15 years ago), I had to go up to the pulpit, stand on the stool, step up to the microphone and say the scripture reading. It was the parable of the vineyard (that's right, I don't know the actual scripture reference, shame on me). I thought I was going to throw up which obviously clouded my judgment and caused me to say, in true phonetic fashion, "VINE-yard" rather than vin-yard. And I did it about 100 times. It was lovely. People at church still remind me of this gaffe. They laugh. I throw up a little in my mouth. Memories...
Example #3: Whilst attending a teaching conference in San Antonio a few weeks ago, I was in a session with about 125 other AP teachers. I had a question for the presenter. Simple enough. I raised my hand. About 5 minutes elapsed between when I raided my hand and when the speaker called on me. Anxiety ensued. I'm pretty sure I could literally see my heart bounding through my shirt/chest/ribs, etc. I promptly worked up a horrific sweat in a room that was 55 degrees. Presenter calls on me. I'm lightheaded at this point and my voice is shaking as I ask the basic question. Yay, it's pretty ridiculous.
It's so bizarre. I've talked to about a million strangers before, unprompted and unscripted. Easy cheesy. But thinking about asking the dentist at my next appointment about the difference between "floss" and "dental tape" shakes me to the core.
Indeed, I do not hate public speaking. I hate planned public speaking. You know, a written speech, a recited reading, a question during a question and answer session. Seriously, all of these things make me either a) cry b) have a heart rate of 1013 beats per minute or c) have a strange and false feeling of overconfidence resulting in a shockingly embarrassing moment.
Before I reveal these shameful and ridiculous moments, I must, in my own defense, say that I'm pretty good at public speaking of the off the cuff variety. I mean, I do amuse the teenagers with my spitting...I mean speaking. I do disarm anxious parents worried about their child's potential success in my AP class by telling them about the 10 eyeliners I just tried out on my hand (and showing them too, of course). Yep, happened in Target today. Meet parent, tell them how great their kid is and how they're sure to do well in the class, right? No, because that would have been pre-planned and I would have probably wet my pants with nervousness. So, every lady likes eyeliner, right?
As you can see, this post wasn't pre-planned. But, I'm righting the ship. Example #1 of the catastrophe that is my and pre-planned speaking: Some dumb American Legion essay contest I was hookwinked into participating in in high school. I had about 2 days to write the speech. I had to stand up in from of 20 or 30 wonderfully old and patriotic veterans and give the speech. I was supposed to memorize the speech, which I didn't know until I got there. Right... 10 minutes to memorize. Ha. I decide to spend that time crying instead. That was probably the first time I had cried in several months. And it showed. I couldn't even speak when I got in front of the staring eyes. I choked and gasped for air and all the old people gave me sympathetic looks which made it 10,000 times worse. I think I almost died.
Example #2: In church one time (about 15 years ago), I had to go up to the pulpit, stand on the stool, step up to the microphone and say the scripture reading. It was the parable of the vineyard (that's right, I don't know the actual scripture reference, shame on me). I thought I was going to throw up which obviously clouded my judgment and caused me to say, in true phonetic fashion, "VINE-yard" rather than vin-yard. And I did it about 100 times. It was lovely. People at church still remind me of this gaffe. They laugh. I throw up a little in my mouth. Memories...
Example #3: Whilst attending a teaching conference in San Antonio a few weeks ago, I was in a session with about 125 other AP teachers. I had a question for the presenter. Simple enough. I raised my hand. About 5 minutes elapsed between when I raided my hand and when the speaker called on me. Anxiety ensued. I'm pretty sure I could literally see my heart bounding through my shirt/chest/ribs, etc. I promptly worked up a horrific sweat in a room that was 55 degrees. Presenter calls on me. I'm lightheaded at this point and my voice is shaking as I ask the basic question. Yay, it's pretty ridiculous.
It's so bizarre. I've talked to about a million strangers before, unprompted and unscripted. Easy cheesy. But thinking about asking the dentist at my next appointment about the difference between "floss" and "dental tape" shakes me to the core.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Passive Agressive...
So, I wanted to write about nosy people inquiring about when I'll have a baby. But, I decided I didn't really want to open that can of worms. Instead...I decided to share another hilarious blog that I like: Passive Aggressive Notes. So I type myself on over to the blog and what do you think I find? Click here to check it out.
I know this is just coincidental but it's pretty funny...I suppose.
I know this is just coincidental but it's pretty funny...I suppose.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
(Wo)Man vs. Salad
Today I chose to torture myself and go another round with one of my most bitter enemies...the salad bar. No, not the kind with a sneeze guard, you know, ala Ryan's or some other disgusting place like that where they serve more fried things with mayonnaise than actual vegetables. Oh wait...this one did have a sneeze guard. But, it was at Whole Foods, so it wasn't a regular sneeze guard: it was organic, vegan, PBA-free and completely biodegradable.
One thing the sneeze guard wasn't though was helpful. Really, I'm going to have to start taking my own food scale with me to the salad bar. Who knew that you could spend so much $ on salad?! The salad is $8.99/lb. and I tried soooooo hard to stay around the $9.50 mark but blast if the darn thing wasn't $12.20. Really Mr. Electronic Scale? R-e-a-l-l-y? This isn't my first time at the rodeo. I don't get lots of tomatoes. They're pretty but heavy little buggers. Lycopene needs liposuction! I don't get broccoli or lots of beans or anything like that that not only hikes up the weight but also inevitably gets stuck in my teeth. I don't rest my purse in the salad bowl and then weigh it...urg! How can hearts of romaine, minor amounts of red onions, green onions, green peas, edamame, chicken, croûtons (my favorite of course), a sprinkling of cheese and dressing cost so much?
It's bad enough that I have to stand in the check out line at Whole Foods without the reusable grocery bag (I ALWAYS leave it at home; Tie's resorted to using them as a lunch box, a bat-bag and a clothing duffel), without some disgusting vegetable juicer thing and without the overbearing smell of petchuli. But to also suffer the mortification of attempting to be healthy and Whole Foods-y with a salad that cost $12.20? Riiiiiiight. Those four little numbers further announce to the hipsters that I just can't cut it in the world of homeopathic remedies, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil from protected tree-farms and vegan chocolate java cookies.
I guess I'm going to have to start counting peas and croûtons. I'd much rather pretend to be considering terriayki or curry tofu whilst actually counting each pea than continue to suffer the "Stick to Kroger" eye rolls or "That's what she gets for not buying the limited edition organic feed sack reusable bag" sneers I get when checking out. Or maybe someone would like to be my personal salad-shopper? Any takers?
One thing the sneeze guard wasn't though was helpful. Really, I'm going to have to start taking my own food scale with me to the salad bar. Who knew that you could spend so much $ on salad?! The salad is $8.99/lb. and I tried soooooo hard to stay around the $9.50 mark but blast if the darn thing wasn't $12.20. Really Mr. Electronic Scale? R-e-a-l-l-y? This isn't my first time at the rodeo. I don't get lots of tomatoes. They're pretty but heavy little buggers. Lycopene needs liposuction! I don't get broccoli or lots of beans or anything like that that not only hikes up the weight but also inevitably gets stuck in my teeth. I don't rest my purse in the salad bowl and then weigh it...urg! How can hearts of romaine, minor amounts of red onions, green onions, green peas, edamame, chicken, croûtons (my favorite of course), a sprinkling of cheese and dressing cost so much?
It's bad enough that I have to stand in the check out line at Whole Foods without the reusable grocery bag (I ALWAYS leave it at home; Tie's resorted to using them as a lunch box, a bat-bag and a clothing duffel), without some disgusting vegetable juicer thing and without the overbearing smell of petchuli. But to also suffer the mortification of attempting to be healthy and Whole Foods-y with a salad that cost $12.20? Riiiiiiight. Those four little numbers further announce to the hipsters that I just can't cut it in the world of homeopathic remedies, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil from protected tree-farms and vegan chocolate java cookies.
I guess I'm going to have to start counting peas and croûtons. I'd much rather pretend to be considering terriayki or curry tofu whilst actually counting each pea than continue to suffer the "Stick to Kroger" eye rolls or "That's what she gets for not buying the limited edition organic feed sack reusable bag" sneers I get when checking out. Or maybe someone would like to be my personal salad-shopper? Any takers?
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