Teri Parris Ford's Blog

Good Friday

Balt and I woke up at 7am and after Balt's breakfast, a quick walk outside and the coffee was brewed, we sat to watch Pride and Prejudice (2005) on bluray. Jessi joined me and it made for a wonderfully leisure morning. There is always so much to do, but I just didn't do much. I made it to yoga and got a couple of nice walks in with Balt. I took him to the arboritum while Jessi attended her first spring swim training. We had a family dinner together and then Jessi and her dad went to see the Hunger Games while I opted out in order to stay home, get a bit done while watching Pride and Prejudice again-- crazy, I know! I just love this movie and bluray is nice. My favorite scene is the end, of course. When Mr. Darcy says, "I love, I love, love you..." I weep everytime. 
 

Hope is a good thing.

Balt and I spent the morning up at Indian Lake. I left shortly after 9am and we got home around 11. Balt is drawn to the water- always. The lake is solid ice but the shoreline has doubled over in areas and the water was barely noticable until Balt went over and weighed down a chunk of ice. He was slipping around as the water moved up. He seemed to enjoy the experience and when I called him to get going, he ran away gleefully as if he had just drank in a bit of spring. Oh, I'm in for trouble once that lake melts. He's jumping in everytime, I just know it. 

I came home with an exausted dog to a hungry family. I made egg sandwiches and enjoyed a very leasure afternoon. I read and napped until my 3pm yoga class. After I went shopping and came home to make dinner. It was a wonderfully restful Sunday. Jessi has to write a paper on the movie, The Shawshank Redemption (1994), so we watched it with her. It's a wonderful story (adult family stuff- not for kids). Morgan Freeman should have won the oscar for it (Forrest Gump got it). It was the second time she had watched so she was able to catch a lot of references to the themes of hope, redemption and deliverance. It made for good family conversations and a few great laughs. We all busted up loud when a prison guard said he had to go "pinch a loaf." We then proceded to debate whether he had said "pinch" or "pitch". My husband insisted it worked either way. 

Date Night

We woke up to snow today. I never Balt so happy to go outside! He was dancing around, rubbing his nose in the snow in glee. I took him to the dog park early after dropping Jess off for basketball practice. I took a wrong turn on the way to the park and found myself rolling down a hill unable to stop on the ice, headed right into a highway with a snowplow headed my way. It was very much an "oh shit" moment. My life didn't flash before me, instead it was just like in the Sherlock Holmes movie when they slow the action down and you can see all the details (I love that). In real life, I knew I wasn't going to be able to stop at the T-intersection, so I had three options and all three involved the possibility of hitting the snow plow coming at me from the far lane. To go straight would involve flying over the embankment into the field in front of me. Turning left would put in front of the plow, turning right would most likely involve a wide turn or a slide into the plow with the driver's side most at risk. I had enough time to think through each option and chose. I went with the right turn. It went wide and luckily the plow saw me and swerved off the road to his right. When I was able to stop, I pulled off the road to let my heart calm down and offer a great deal of thanks to God. When I shared my story to my husband, he was pretty sure I would have survived no matter what I had decided. I'm not sure how Balt would have fared and I can guarantee the Nissan would have been totalled. But not even a scratch and I will now be going grandma speeds for the winter.

After a long morning walk with Balt, I spent the day cooking and cleaning. I went to yoga and then on a date with my spouse. We both enjoyed the movie Sherlock Holmes (2011). My husband enjoys the subtle historical references. I enjoy watching Robert Downey Jr. This movie is basically just a big-budget- big-guns action flick with time period costumes-- pure entertainment.

Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

I came home from work today to find a couple of Netflix DVD's in the mailbox and we all got excited about Crazy, Stupid, Love with Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling. Monika watched it first while Jessi was at basketball practice and then Jessi watched it while Monika was at driver's ed. I got to watch bits and peices here and there during both showings and then watched the end again alone after both girls went to their rooms to do their homework. Having watched the Notebook about a dozen times, Ryan Gosling is a favorite romantic character and of course Steve Carell from the Office is a comedic favorite. The two of them together make a wonderful romantic comedit full of hoaky but wonderful speaches of soul mates and true love while acknowledging the failure of romance. I loved it. It was the perfect diversion...

Today was a pretty good day at work... stuff got done. Both Jessi and Monika seem swamped and frustrated a lot. There doesn't seem like I can do much for them, nor do they want me doing a whole lot, except to buy them food, take them places or make them cookies. I'm glad I have a dog-- he's always happy to see me... I think he's the only one really happy to see me most of the time. Funny how that it is with pets. They do make life a bit more fun, as well more complicated. In between all the coming and going I made sure to get in Balt's walk. It was freezing cold, 27 degrees, but Balt doesn't seemed the least bit bothered by the cold. I really need to buy better winter pants.

The Help (2011)

I finished reading the book last week and then tonight our book club met to chat and then see the movie. The book was a good read, entertaining and yet horrific at times. The story takes place in the early sixties, only a few years earlier from the time I grew up (I was born in 1965) but in Mississipi. I must say I couldn't help but cringe at the great amount of rasism the story revealed to me and yet it was a happy ending kind of book. It hints at an ugliness, like a man wearing a bag over his head might suggest ugliness. I cried at the end of the book and I cried at the end of the movie for the same reasons. I pushed tears away at the movie tonight, not wanting to admit just how very ugly rasism is. The book entertains while touching on the the very sensitive issue rasism, the film takes on less, leaving behind a few story details that may have wieghed it down too much. (I don't want to be a spoiler here so I'll keep it vague). I was slightly dissappointed but completely understood the movie could only do so much in 2 hours. Both the book and the movie give a strong voice to black women. Octavia Spencer (plays Minnie) steals the show. I'd like to think that the "Ol' Miss" rasism is all past us now, but I fear there are still a few Mississippi rasist remnents still out there somewhere. I do hope they are a very small minority now and very close to death. 

Too much to do yet not a lot going on...

I bumped into a friend yesterday at the pool who shared with me she wasn't doing anything this summer but yoga and swimming and felt wonderful. She was tan and thin and looked great. While I feel like I'm not doing much of anything but some yoga and a bit of swimming, I don't feel wonderful, but I am tan. Today was kind a blah day-- I keep feeling like I need to be doing more and eating less. At least the heat is easing up.

Balt had me up at 4am, which could be one of the reasons I felt tired all day. He's so eager to get up in the morning and I am not. I keep wondering how he will fair next week without me. I woke Jessi up at 5:30am and then walked with Balt while she swam. There was a breeze out on the fields that I took him and it was really nice. At 9am I went into school to take Jessi to play basketball. I wondered around a bit, but was in no mood to actually work. I came home and started reading. I start a lot of books that I never finish, but I'm enjoying The Help and think I'll actually get through this one. I want to read more, but I always fall asleep when I do. I went to a noon yoga class and then worked on the computer sizing photos for scrapbooking while the girls watched old episodes of Glee. At 5pm Jessi had a basketball game. I grabbed a pizza after and then went to the Sundance for a 48 Hour Film Fest.

A group of JMM students entered. Joe has been working with a group of great kids to get the film part of photo going. It has been so exciting to see it grow. Melissa came as well and we had a great mini-reunion. I guess one of the best parts of summer is realizing how much I miss my friends and students. I love the people I work with and I don't get to see them nearly enough during the summer.  You can check out the movie these fine young people pictured made in ONLY 48 hours. It's absolutely amazing! Joe was VERY proud.

Record High One More Time

Jessika wondered why she was so tired today. She swam this morning and then joined the basketball team with their morning workout for the first time. She happened to pick a day with excessive heat warnings where most activities outside were being cancelled-- not swim team and apparently not morning shooting. Luckily evening scrimmage time was cancelled. Monika had her tennis cancelled, so this afternoon was a pretty lazy day at home. The animals usually love to layout in the sunshine but today avoided it and relished in the coolness of our basement.

I made it to hot yoga today. I figure what's the difference? Well the extra humidity makes it a little more intense and I am still getting back into the swing of it after a couple weeks off-- so it's hard, really hard. I made a Costco run for a few items, including diet dog food for Balt. I came home and dumped it into his big food bin and spilled a bunch. He quickly sucked it down. It seems he likes it alot. 

Erika invited her new boyfriend over for dinner and the girls sat around chatting, watching youtube videos and laughing. When they left to see a movie, Jessi complained that she wanted to see a movie too. I'd like to see Transformers, but we opted for the 3D version of Harry Potter! Yes, I know we just saw it, but seeing it in 3D makes a little difference. There were a few scenes where it made a BIG difference. I didn't cry nearly as much as the first time I saw it, but I still loved the character, Snape. Alan Rickman is just wonderful. It made me wonder about soul mates and true love. There's nothing wrong with that.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

With 11am tickets, the girls were still able to do their morning sport activities. Jessi started watching the first episode as soon as she was ready to go, about 9am. She saved the first episode for last. We headed out around 10:30am. It was nice not to have to worry about seating, no long lines! I got our tickets at the Sundance Theater on line for the matinee so I didn't even pay full price ($7 each seemed like a steal).

I didn't expect to get quite so emotional, but I wasn't the only one. Jessi started first. She was crying-- REALLY CRYING. I handed her a napkin when I heard the snif-snif-hic-ups start. I'll try not to give anything away... but the second half is when the emotional stuff happens. Things that got to me weren't necessarily the things that made the other girls cry. There was a scene near the end with the three main characters just standing together and I teared up as I realized I would not see them together again in a new movie. I've been expecting one for the last 10 years-- no more. I must admit I teared up reading the book for the first time, but the movie made me cry. In the end, you just love Snape even more.

After the movie, it was hard to do much. I went into school to frame my finished picture of Balt. Melissa and I went to an Aroma Flow Yoga class that was absolutely amazing and then I sat and finished HP1 with Monika. I fell asleep only to wake and find she had started HP2. We may be watching them all over again only to see the movie again next week!

Rainy Day, Movie Night

The bummer about rainy days in the summer is, well, it's wet outside and sometimes kind of cold (like today). The great thing about rainy days in the summer is that a lot of stuff gets cancelled and busy days turn into mellow days. Jessi slept in although I don't think her swim practice was cancelled. There had been thunder, but whatever... Tennis was definitely cancelled. By late afternoon it was clearing up so Jessi went to track and of course rain won't cancel basketball practice.

Anyway, I decided to start getting some scrapbooking done. I finally started Monika's high school book and did a couple of pages in Jessi's book as well before putting it all way to make lunch. I spent some time looking at a map and planning my California road trip-- only started. I planned on two yoga classes tonight. Wednesday night yin has been a weekly art teacher thing for about a month. I met Jen for the power class before yin and then Mel joined in for yin. She then asked that we go see a movie with her all wet, hot and sweaty! We went together and enjoyed it, even though it was nothing like the movie we had expected. The movie listed on Flixter is called "I Am" but is a documentary on gay and lesbian families living in India and has a 100% liked listing on Rotten Tomatoes. I just looked up the movie we saw with the same title and Rotten Tomatoes only gives it 40% -- it's about Tom Shadyac discussing with intellectual and spiritual leaders what's wrong with our world and how we can improve both it and the way we live in it. It's a feel good movie with low rating and I'm not sure how gays in India can get such a high rating. I guess Bollywood has something over Hollywood? I loved the movie I saw and felt as if it were some kind of cosmic "ment to be" situation.  You can check out both trailers below... then decide which one you'd like more. 

Graduate, in the finals, and Win-Win (2011)

Balt graduated from his Puppy2 class today. He continues to amaze me in his classes as very smart, eager to please and never agressive, while in real life (at home) he seems pretty lazy, never very concerned about my wishes and kind of nippy. I found my offspring all to be so much better behaved at school than at home-- I guess the same is true for my pets.

Jessi had another track invite today. It was cold and rainy. She managed to get to the finals in the shot put but then scratched her good throw (if you step on or out of the circle it's called a scratch and your throw does not count). Tuesday is the conference meet which she will be competing in. She will have another chance to throw strong.

After my favorite afternoon yoga class, I took Monika to see Win Win with Paul Giamatti, who I first fell in love with in Big Fat Liar (2002) and totally admired in the mini series, John Adams (2008). He plays a familiar role (the complicated, not successful guy) in a familiar story (stray kid finds a good home), but the movie is heartwarming and not completely predictable. Alex Shaffer who stars in the movie as a HS wrestler actually won the New Jersey State Wrestling Championship last year and hasn't been in any other movies. I thought he was adorable and look forward to seeing him in other movies.

Jane Eyre 2011

On IMDb there are 22 listings of Jane Eyre. I have seen 9 versions. My favorite, I believe still is the 2006 BBC mini-series with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens BUT the one I saw this evening may yet be better. I will have to take another look. I'd have to say the older the version, the worse it is. The 1943 version with Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine has a young Elizabeth Taylor who played Jane's friend at school who dies. It's actually not really that bad especially when compared to the 1934 one with Virginia Bruce and Colin Clive-- that one is aweful. BBC seems to make a new verson every 10 years. Mr. Rochester is not supposed to be as good looking as Timothy Dalton (1983 version), nor is Jane for that matter. In this most recent version Mia Wasikowska, who was very attractive in Alice in Wonderland, is transformed into a pretty plane Jane. The timeless dark hero of the story is supposed to be the dangerous attraction to a somewhat helpless heroine, although Jane Eyre is also proud and virtuous, brave and idealistic. It is a great Gothic Romance -- capital G, capital R.

I will eagerly watch the movie again, hopefully with Jim next, I hope. Tonight was a girls night out. After a pretty relaxing day, I met up with my friend, Jen, for yoga (and Jessi too) and then with Melissa for dinner. Only Jen and I got to see the movie. I'm not sure Melissa is as much of a romantic as Jen and I. We LOVED it!

Puppy love

I've been watching a few documentaries on dogs on Netflix lately. The one I caught tonight while waiting from Jessi to get back from a basketball game in Waukesha was really good. It seems that dogs have figured out how to communicate with us and more intelligently than any other animal including chimps. It is fascinating to learn about how very smart dogs are and how genetically they have changed to become better companions for us.

Today was a really long day. I took Balt into work for a short amount of time which was really fun. I had too much to do to keep him there for too long and the hour he was there seemed to over-excite him. I wanted to share some puppy love for Geof's birthday; maybe help lessen some of his stress and perhaps even lengthen his life. Of anyone I have ever know, Geof is the most animal friendly, animal loving, animal tuned in person. I wish I had captured a picture of Geof digging his face into Balt's fur as Balt gleefully enjoying the attention.

After getting Jessi on her way to her game, I ran Monika home and then went to a yoga class. Jessi had a hard time getting her stuff together for the game, forgetting her "Tuesday Report" (an accountability card that allows her to play), Jim was upset because she had called him to get it for her but he had taken too long and the bus left without it which meant she could not play in the game tonight. It all got me so uptight. I have learned to let go of the stress, unwind & sweat it out in yoga. I was able to come home completely wrung out and ready to enjoy life again. I had a bowl of cereal, showered and went to the hockey game to sell tickets. I got home, watched the NOVA documentary and then picked up a very exhausted (she ended up playing a bit in the second half) and hungry basketball player at school after 10pm. After a McD's drive thru, I got a call from Erika who wanted a ride. I didn't get home until nearly 11pm and now I'm feeling like tomorrow will be here too quick.

Baltazar?

Jim came up with the name Balthazar for the dog. It's not an easy name to say, or shorten- Balt!? Everyone kind of likes it, mostly because of its uniqueness and meaning-- only Jessi says she wants it spelled without an H. Baltazar was one of the 3 wise men from the East who gave gifts to the baby Jesus- gold, myrrh and frankincense. I'd like to think Baltazar was the big the black one with the turban.

We had a very nice day of doing not a whole lot. The girls played on the Wii, took turns cuddling with the puppy while I made dinner (ham) and kept the cats company. Later, Jim and I saw The King's Speech with Colin Firth (who will win the Oscar for his performance, I bet). It will definitely be a tough Christmas to top in the future. 

For Jim's take on the day, see his blog post!

Stowaway (1936)

Last night we watched Home Alone 2, tonight I wanted a classic. When Netflix was unable to stream It's a Wonderful Life it led me to Shirley Temple's Stowaway. I would have rather watched The Blue Bird but that also is not available for instant viewing. The Stowaway is not quite a Christmas movie, but ends with a Christmas song, "That's what I want for Christmas." It's about an orphan girl (Shirley Temple) in China who meets an American bachelor (Robert Young) and is accidentally put on board his cruise ship.This is the kind of movie I stayed up watching during vacation when I was a teen. In Los Angeles there were two independent tv stations (KTLA & KTTV) that would air old movies. Back when there were no movies to rent or stream, I would study the weekly TV guide looking for classic movies. Anything with Shirley Temple was a must see. I believe Fox Movie Channel is having a holiday Shirley Temple movie marathon this week and they are airing The Blue Bird on Christmas! That's one of the very few times when I wish we had a tv with cable. Oh well, I'll just have to wait for the DVD to come in my mailbox in a couple of day... that is unless someone bumps it off the top spot in the queue. I hate when that happens!

The Deathly Hallows, part 1

I read HP7 this past summer to prepare for today. It was a blast to see it with my whole family on Thanksgiving Day. It made it more special. This movie is not a happy one and as we were getting ready to go to the theater, I reminded the girls of a very scary scene Harry would have in Godric's Hallow where Voldemort's snake had killed and took over the body of an older woman. It freaked me out in the book and I remember reading the scene several times to fully understand what all was happening. There are parts of the book that could easily turn the movie rated R because of all the fighting, blood and death involved. The makers kept it PG-13, but there's still fighting, blood and death. 

In the opening scene Harry loses his pet owl and my eyes started to well up. I knew that these characters had become meaningful to me in the past 10 years... I remember trying to sell Erika on these books back when she was in elementary school, now she's in college. They have all grown up together and like real life, it's not all happily ever after. At least not in part 1.

What the World Needs Now...

Today Bob Bowers came into to speak to my photography classes as well as Melissa's Illustration classes. Monika is in her 6th hour class. Bob came to my Illustration classes back in 2007. Two very creative students in my class won the contest that he runs called, "What if it were you?" and their art work is still on display all over the world! It is an amazing opportunity for student artists on so many levels. I love what Bob is doing and so do a lot of others. The posters kids create for this campaign are more than just AIDS awareness and his visit isn't about just education. He seeks to address other issues involved, including racism, homophobia and addiction. Because Bob has lived with AIDS for so long, his testimony of truth and compassion is so very meaningful for students. Monika said it was like he forgot he was speaking to children. I reminded her that he didn't forget-- he wasn't. His message is very frank and maybe more PG-13 than some freshman are used to hearing. I think it's important for students to understand all the ways anyone might get a preventable disease-- any disease. Knowledge is power. Perhaps that knowledge will make them think twice about an unprotected encounter they are not ready for in their future. 

After school Melissa and I went to dinner and went to see Waiting for Superman. If only everyone would see it, maybe it would sicken enough people to make a change. Jim and I stayed in Wisconsin, in part so that our kids would have a better education. I can't imagine being stuck somewhere knowing your children were getting a terrible education (like Washington DC) and yet, so many are. Having three teens who have had both good and bad teachers, I understand that as parents we do a lot to fill in the gaps. School cannot do everything and teachers cannot parent. BUT as a country, if we do not fix the education system in general, we will be in trouble. Perhaps we are already in trouble? What's so amazing is that movie gives us the answers to our troubles; good teachers, more school time, and high standards. What the movie doesn’t explore too deeply are the reasons we have this educational crisis, but it does indicate that the teacher's union and tenure may play a big role. Bad teachers can't lose their jobs in America but bad doctors or lawyers do. I found out that is the reason why doctors and lawyers make so much more than we do. It all makes sense now. 

A Day of Rest

My dad gave me some money to buy a couch for my birthday which was pretty special. I have never actually purchased a real couch before. I have had futons, cheap foam couches and used ones. Today, I finally had a little time to do some couch shopping. I took some measurements. I need to decide on whether I want a full couch, a love seat or the chair and a half or any combination of those. 

My day started with a fantastic yoga class and ended with a fantastic movie with Melissa. We saw The Social Network and it was super good. Justin Timberlake is so great! The story is smart and crazy interesting. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it's wonderfully entertaining!

Get Low (2010)

Earlier this summer I read an article in Entertainment Weekly about Bill Murray and his being in this movie, I've been waiting for it to come to Madison ever since. So when Melissa asked if we could go see a movie tonight, I jumped at the chance to see Get Low at the Sundance. I was not disappointed. Bill Murray jumped on to play his character because of Robert Duvall. Both Murray and Duvall are wonderful and make the movie the great story it was. Melissa called it an old person's movie. The story is about a funeral, and has a slower pace with a lot of character development, so I guess it's a bit more appealing to an older crowd, but that's not why I loved it. It makes you think about love, life and death. There's a lot depth.

I kind of felt a weepy all day. My sinus's are bothering me. I'm not sure if I'm fighting a cold or dealing with allergies. Allergies make sense to me-- I think I deal with my sinus's every year in the autumn. 

Inception (2010); the movie and the project

I've heard only good things about Inception which sometimes will ruin a movie, giving it high expectations. I have never been a huge Leonardo DiCaprio fan, but I must admit he is an amazing actor. I very much like Ellen Page and she is perfect in this. Michael Cain and Cillian Murphy are friendly faces from Christopher Nolan's Batman past. Unlike Eat, Pray, Love, this movie is able to communicate very deep emotions and intricate plot lines in a way that is both believable and entertaining. I'm not one to thoroughly enjoy thrillers-- this one is an exception! I completely loved this movie.

Today was spent with our new fifth art teacher, Josh. After picking up Jessi from swimming I ran off to to pick up Josh and have a late morning coffee. We talked about the metals curriculum and my ideas for some changes. I figured we would come up with some new projects together. He might as well start taking some ownership in that class if I am indeed going to share it. Every year I come up with an entryway poster with all the art teachers' schedules. I had a grand idea of making us all into greek gods with photos from Greece. Josh LOVED the idea and asked to help. He told me that the project would be better with studio photos set onto my Greek ruins background. We started right into it. He's going to take the portraits and work some of his photoshop magic while I create the poster with the schedule. We had a blast planning it all out and his knowledge of the gods was quite helpful in picking out colors and props. We took photos of each other to get started and now I just have to hunt down Joe, Mel and Geof for the rest. If I build it they will have to come. I think they kind of owe me and Josh agrees. Of course, I like him!

Eat, Pray, Love... then sleep.

I'm late posting my blog tonight because I was out tonight with Melissa watching a movie and then catching up. I've been dying to see Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem. The book was an amazing read during a past California vacation and Javier Bardem is kind of dreamy. You'd think those two things alone could make this a blockbuster, but no. The movie is a stinker. I offered to take the girls to see it Sunday night but they already knew it was bad from Rotten Tomatoes--only 38% with a green splotch. Luckily Melissa was willing. While I don't think she was disappointed with my company, I'm certain she was just as disappointed with the movie.

The day was completely full and not disappointing. Monika found out today she made varsity tennis. This was a bit of a surprise for me but not as much for her. I think she'd been playing enough with the other girls on the team to know where she would be placed. My surprise comes from just not knowing how good she is. I'm not even sure I really even know how to play tennis at all, let alone know if a player is good or not. Anyway, having a varsity tennis player and varsity swimmer in the same family, both underclassman is kind of impressive, I think. I've paid for lots of lessons and this is when that stuff starts paying off a little. I know I can't take much credit, but I like to take a little.

The Other Guys (2010)

I don't think there's a movie Mark Wahlberg has made that Jim didn't enjoy. While his last two have been comedies, thats not what he's been known for. Jim likes him from The Shooter and Three Kings-- action thrillers. I don't think there's anything out there that Will Ferrell has done that hasn't made me laugh my pants off at... well, maybe not Land of the Lost. Blades of Glory is a personal favorite funny. So tonight when we decided to go out to dinner and a movie with the kids we decided to go with The Other Guys instead of Inception, because Jessi had already seen the Inception and yes, she said it was amazing. The four of us laughed quite a bit. Each scene seemed familiar but overly done with satire, wit and humor that was especially hilarious when the heroes were thrown from an explosion (I laughed hysterically during that scene!). I don't really like cop movies-- that's Jim genre. I thought it was interesting that Jessi's been watching old cop movies like the Die Hard series, so I think she really got into a lot of the satire. It was nice going out all together, except Erika had to work, as it seems those times are only on holidays now.

I started the lazily, reading and sipping coffee. Jim returned early from Ft. McCoy-- he talked about his upcoming military training on his blog. While Jim went to the gym, I went to the pool. Every muscle in my torso seems to ache from all the yoga I've been doing, so I thought a long swim would help. Once I started swimming I realized my upper arms were aching too, so I just used a kick board to finish up my 1000m. I came home hungry but not wanting to overeat. Chins seemed like a great choice since Monika has lots of vegetarian options and my favorite meal is under 500 calories. I'm still frustrated over not losing weight and am realizing I just have to really cut back even more. Eating lots of fruit and vegetables is healthy but I can't just eat as much as I want.

Reading, Writing and Noah's Ark

The girls slept in, but I got up and made my way to the nearest Starbucks. I spent most of my day there, from 9am to 4pm with only a break for lunch. The girls called me back to the hotel at 10 to bring them breakfast and take them to Noah's Ark. I dropped them off and then went back to Starbucks. I had a nice chair, free wireless and a plug for my laptop. I got in lots of reading and at least an hour of writing. I am almost done with chapter one. I plan to print it out this weekend to have the girls edit it and add input. It is about a teen-aged girl after all. 

Jim surprised me with a lunch time visit on his way to Fort McCoy. We enjoyed lunch together at Wendy's and then I was back to work at Starbucks. At 4pm, I had expected just to get the girls some food, but they were tired and eager to go home, relax and have pizza for dinner. I got home in time to pick up Monika from her soccer practice. Monika is not a fast ride kid, so Noah's Ark had no attraction for her. She'd rather not miss soccer. I think she was happy to have me home early. 

I was able to get in my 35th yoga class this evening and came home to left over pizza and watched a DVD-- Bandslam. Erika made fun of me for watching it when she got home from work. She told me the movie was made for 12 year olds. I LOVED IT! I'm not sure I'm much older than 13 in my head- so I guess it all makes sense. 

It's Complicated (Just One Day)

My day started at 6am. I bounced out of bed to let my cats out and get my coffee brewing. I picked up whatever dishes are left out from the late night snackers (usually Jim or Erika). I woke up Monika for EHS, drove her there at 6:50am, after eating a bowl of cereal with her. At 7:20 I woke up Jessi and sat downstairs sipping my coffee, poking around on the computer waiting for her to come down for swim team. This morning, I lost track of the time and at 8am realized she fell back asleep and went to get her. We argued for the next hour. Jim left to pick up Monika at 8:15am. 

Melissa came by at 9am to drop off her dog, Tilly. She's a Yorkie-Poo--an annoying little yapper with way more energy than my cats are used to dealing with. Jim took Monika to tennis at 10am, I took Tilly for a walk to Memorial to try to expend that energy and pick up some paperwork. At 11:30 I picked up Monika from tennis and took both Jessi and Moni to the library and then at noon I took Jessi to her Driver's Ed class.   I cleaned the garage while Tilly watched. At 2pm I picked up Jessi while Jim took Monika to the doctor for her physical. At 3:20 I dropped off Jessi for track practice and met Erika at the pool. We swam, laid out, read and chatted. It was nice. I got home around 5:30pm, showered, then took Tilly for a walk down to the West Town soccer fields to watch Monika who had ridden her bike to soccer practice. At 7pm, the four of us girls sat together and watched It's Complicated (2009) while eating home-made chocolate pie. It was a cute movie that John Krasinski, from the office, makes even funnier,. In the end Meryl Streep picks Steve Martin over Alec Baldwin-- good girl. It's what I would have done as well.

Welcome home; rashes, bites and Eclipse

I came home yesterday with a terrible rash. I am not sure if it is from the Athen sunshine. I managed to go the whole trip without any sunscreen or burn and then on my last day, I got too much sun on the roof of our hotel and put some sunscreen on. OR if it is from the Wisconsin humidity. Either way, my legs look like they have a heat rash of sorts, feel swollen and itch like crazy. I have a bit of the same rash on my arms and chest, only not as sever or painful and to top the whole thing off I was attacked by mosquitoes but can not see the bites mixed into my rash.

I woke up this morning at 6am and started my summer day as if I had never left. I think it's better to just snap back into living. Jessi does not feel like that and refused to go to swim team this morning. We had rolling storms all day, so I let her sleep in as it was raining anyway. I did take Monika at 7am to her work out, though. Today was Jessi's first day of driver's ed which is in the same area as my yoga studio. So it looks like I will be doing yoga everyday while Jessi is learning to drive.

I was hoping sweating through my yoga class would help dismiss whatever toxins are causing my rash but I had to go to Walgreen's to get anti-itch spray to make it through the rest of the day, especially if I wanted to enjoy an evening movie. After a late afternoon swim, I took the girls to Eclipse (2010). The movie is true enough to the book and most likely un-enjoyable to anyone not having read the series. While the effects are presentable the dialog is often stale and the emotion somewhat dull. I recall reading Eclipse with great eagerness as the love triangle came to a head and the heat of Bella's choice was burning the pages of the book I was reading. I never saw any fire in her eyes on screen but I knew they were there as did every other girl watching. The reality is that we often love more then one person at a time and it is fascinating to see how Bella works through her passions within this story. This movie is just eye-candy for those of us who already have felt the drama while reading the book. In general is a sweeter taste then the original Twilight movie.

It's about the passion.

Monika had a game in Appleton today at noon. It seems a bit crazy to me that a whole day would be devoted to just a soccer game but that is what not only my family but I think hundreds of thousands of families do during this time of year. The passion for this game is strong in Wisconsin. The girls were winning at the half but ended up in a tie. It was a very exciting game and sad to end without victory, but certainly better than a loss. 

I got home with a little time to do laundry with Jim and then out to a movie, just the two of us. We saw Letters to Juliet.  Not the type of movie Jim likes to see, but I was treating. I can only hope to still have a lover's passion in my life in my late 60's! 

Tomorrow Monika is playing for the red team again in New Berlin. I am not sure I can devote a second day to soccer, but Monika is happy to... she's one of those kids who have a real passion to play. 

Quiche, scrapbooks, dinner and movie...

Today was marvelous... not a whole lot going on. Erika was home for the morning. She got so excited to see my asparagus-asiago quiche and poppy seed muffins. Yesterday she had pancakes with ol' high school friends. It makes me happy to see her connecting with from before. 

I got out my scrapbooks and worked at the kitchen table with Jim while he worked on his summer school class. I had hoped to go for a bike ride together, but he needed to work and I was exactly a year behind with my photo albums. It was fun to sit and chat while working. By late afternoon we went to the gym- he swam while climbed stairs. We went out for Mexican and then to a movie. 

The new Ridley Scott Robin Hood came out this weekend and because Jim is a fan, we had to go. He was not disappointed. I had heard some negative stuff, but I thoroughly enjoyed this version even as dark as it was. There are no men in tights, but a nice scene with Russell Crowe being helped by Cate Blanchett to undress in order to bathe. Blanchett as Marian, is not a maid and she is not the least bit helpless. She's a fighter who in the end joins Robin on the battle field to fight the French... yeah, this story isn't anything like any Robin Hood I had seen or heard. I walked away thanking God I had not been born at the end of the 12th century.

Date Night (2010)

Jim flew in from CA last Thursday night and then left for Ft McCoy Friday morning. Between his job and mine, we have not had any time to even talk to each other since his return home on Monday. We resorted to email communication this week. It's been busy. Tonight we both were free. We wanted to go out to dinner but the kids wanted to eat too and dinner out for 4 is pricey so I just made quesadillas (a Ford family favorite). Monika had a dance at school, so we dropped her off and then went to the Sundance for Date Night with Jessi. 

Steve Carell and Tina Fey have got to be the two most funny actors on tv today. While I am not a huge 30 Rock fan, my kids are and I can't help but get sucked into an episode when they are watching it. Fey is always perfect. Jim loves The Office. We watched the British version with Ricky Gervais, not ever thinking anyone could top him but Carell does. It's no surprise that this movie is HILAARIOUS! Mark Wahlberg and James Franco are just sprinkles on top.

So now I'm off and Jim is staying home. I get to take Monika to her soccer tournament in Fond Du Lac and he gets to make sure Jessi and the cats are fed.

Little Luxuries: The Sundance Cinema

When Jim and I have the time and the funds to see a movie together at the Sundance then it's a wonderful night. Our weeks are so filled with stuff and our schedules so different. He loves coming home after a late night at work and staying up into the morning hours going to the gym, reading or writing. I, on the other hand need to be in bed by 11pm typically, so I often don't see him all day during the school week. It seems Sunday has been our day to connect.

Today Jim took Monika to her soccer game while I went to the gym to climb stairs. He started the laundry yesterday for me and I continued this afternoon. I made a very nice dinner for us all late this afternoon and then Jim and I went to the Sundance for a movie night. Late last Sunday night we went to see The Last Station (2009)- about Leo Tolstoy, which was wonderful. Tonight we saw the Ghost Writer (2010). We did not realize it was a Roman Polanski movie until the credits were running at the end. I hate the idea of helping to support a man wanted by the US for sexual assault of a 13 year old girl, no matter how good the movie is. I am not a Polanski fan, but The Pianist (2002) is an amazing movie still. This movie was good, Ewan McGregor is great, but had I known who the director was, I would have passed.

my Top 10 Movie list

Jim asked me to put a list together of my favorite movies on my blog. I've stayed up later than I wanted to to do this, as it was not easy. I am sure I will change it in the near future, but here it is for now in order of release.

Rear Window (1954) When I was a young teen, I would stay up all night into the morning to catch old movies on TV (back then we did not have the luxury of DVDs or VCRs). I recall getting the TV Guide in the Sunday paper and looking for anything that worth losing a night’s sleep for. Anything by Hithcock’ including Rebecca (1940) or romantic like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) would have been worthy.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Star Wars should be listed here as it totally changed the way I thought about how movies could be made, but of the 6 episodes, this one is my favorite. I waited the longest in line to see the Return of the Jedi (for several days), but this one is the one I remember most.

Blade Runner (1982) I don’t think I saw this when it was released originally. Rated R, it was a little too racey for my taste at that time. But when I did see it on video it changed the way I thought about sci-fi as I believe it did for many others for years to come.

The Breakfast Club (1985). This movie may be one reason I am a high school teacher. About a small group of teens who spend a Saturday in detention together realizing that they are all deeper than their respective stereotypes, the film has become a cult classic that now my own teens can still identify with. While the film has had a tremendous influence on many coming of age films since its release, I believe it has timeless truths about high school in America.

Unforgiven (1992) I am usually not given to westerns (nor do I like country music), but this dark Western deals with the myth of the Old West and it’s violence.  Clint Eastwood directs and acts in the lead role, making me a instant Eastwood fan from then on.

Groundhog Day (1993) Directed by Harold Ramis and starring Bill Murray (think Ghostbusters), this movie was more than a comedy. It spoke of life’s purpose and priorities.

Toy Story (1995) Once Erika was born, we started watching a lot of animated films. This was the first computer-animated feature for Pixar, which has surpassed the Walt Disney movies in both quality and innovation. This movie changed the way I thought about animation.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) I loved Shakespeare in Love but 10 Things took Shakespeare back to high school and as a remake of the classic Shakespare play "The Taming of the Shrew,” the story was smart and fun. Health Ledger makes it unforgettable…

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) This is the epic movie of all time based on perhaps my favorite fantasy book series of all time. This movie blew me away and met every expectation I had in what I had imagined from the books.

Pride and Prejudice (2005) So if I have to pick my favorite Darcy of all, Matthew Macfadyen is it. I love English romance movies and this is my favorite of all, but honorable mentions should go to A Room with a View (1985), Emma (1996), Ever After (1998), Becoming Jane (2007), Bright Star (2009), and Young Victoria (2009).

Little Miss Sunshine (2006). This is one of those Sundance Films that I love—not too polished, hilarious and real. It is the kind of movie that makes you cry from emotions that are in that strange place where comedy and tragedy meet.  I know I sneaked in an eleventh one...

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Tim Burton directing, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter acting,  and Danny Elfman's music makes for a movie delight that can not be passed up. There is no way it's going to be bad but it most likely will be weird and weird is good.

Erika asked me this week if we could go as a family to see the movie. Jim could not go until Sunday night and Erika works then. Tonight she had to work, but would be done by 8:30. Neither Jessi or Monika had much going on all weekend, so last night I purchased 4 tickets for late this evening and called it a girls night out.

I spent the day at Lake Geneva at a conference for newspaper and yearbook advisers. It was supposed to be a weekend event, but I left after dinner and don't plan to return tomorrow at this point. The speaker handed out his talk's power-point on DVDs, so I have tomorrow morning's chat to look at on my own. I am so tired right now that all I want to do is sleep in, I can't even imagine waking up to drive 1 1/2 hours back to the conference now. Sweet Dreams.