I have the theme from 'The Godfather' playing in my head. Is this normal?

I'm back, after a long hiatus... Too long. I'm sorry. I've missed blabbing to y'all nearly as much as y'all have missed reading me :-)

So, I'm all better. My stitches are out, and I feel normal again!!! I send out a big thank you and a hug to Becky. She made me these AWESOME potatos that had corn and carrots, I think. Travis liked them too, so if She'll let me, I'm going to get her recipe and make them. They were great when I couldn't chew. Travis has a wisdom tooth that is coming out in July, so I'm going to need to make squishy foods for him.

I've had a quiet weekend. Travis went out on Saturday, so I stayed home and rented Shopgirl and Me and You and Everyone We Know. I really liked both of these movies. Me and You was pretty twisted though. It's a strange love story.

I also grabbed a copy of Adbusters. I'm still digesting the content. I'll have a full "review" later. I can't remember who had mentioned this Mag to me, but I saw it, and grabbed it on a whim. This issues theme is "Torture'. Juxtapose that with the other Magazine that I was reading last week: Beyond. Beyond's theme was "Possible Worlds", and the issue before that was "Beauty".

I can definitely see a place for both of these publications in my home. After reading articles like the ones you find in these magazines, it sure makes Cosmo seem like garbage for the brain.

Waiting...

I'm sitting here, listening to Death Cab for Cutie, waiting.

Waiting for Travis to come home.

Waiting for The Daily Show to start.

Waiting for my Sister to get off work and call.

Waiting for something to happen.

I've had this feeling of trepidation; a feeling that there is something big on the horizon. This looming sense of...expectation. Not of dread, or melancholy, or bad stuff... just this feeling that there will be a change. I am waiting for the ball to drop. I don't usually feel this way.

Death cab is a good disk for this mood today. I could take this disk and get in my car and drive. Just go for a cruise. Back in the day, if you had a driver's license, and a car, in my town, we would cruise. We would go to Moose Jaw, grab a slurpee and drive home. I really would like to call Tara and Kimmer, Lisa or even Danielle, and get into the "chuckwagon" (Tara's parents red mini-van) or "Jessica" (my Mom's jeep) and cruise Main Street like we used to.

I remember learning to drive standard when I was 15. Danielle and I were in a car with Lee from the Power Station (A youth group hang-out), and I remember not stalling more than a couple of times, but Danielle..She sucked :-) She stalled so many times that when she hit the four-way stop (there was only the one) There were people going around her, before she even stalled the car. I wonder what she's doing now. I haven't talked to her in at least 4 or 5 years.

I'm boring you all, I'm sure. The only people who will have read this far are Tara and Kim, and they are both like "Omigawd, she's losing it! Next, she'll start talking about Cameron, and the Party at Grandma's house and the Rockaberry coolers and getting His license taken away by Charlene.... Too Much Information!!!"

I can claim that this post was caused by Dr. Hohn and painkillers...only 10 more pills left people! Then I can do no more harm.

This is a president I could get behind!

George Bush's approval rating just shot up 60% in the following demographic: Males aged 15-29.

Photo courtesy of Rick Mercer's Blog. (Does this mean that he wants to pull out of Iraq?)

Natalie Portman will Kill your dog for fun!

Tonight's Saturday Night Live was a repeat. It was from a couple of months ago and featured Natalie Portman hosting and Fall Out Boy as the musical guest.

I saw this on it's first showing and nearly wet my pants, I was laughing so hard. Natalie and the cast parody the Eazy-E's song "No More ?'s".

Here's the link to the video on NBC.com, and here's the Script for those of you who have computers that suck (like I do) and your video clips are really choppy. WARNING:
extremely bad language ahead...

Interviewer – "We’re sitting here today with film star Natalie Portman.
Natalie – Hello.
Interviewer – So Natalie, what’s a day in the life of Natalie Portman like?
Natalie – You really want to know?
Interviewer - Please, tell us.
Natalie raps-

i don't sleep motherf**ker off that yak and the bourbon
doin 120 getting head while i'm swervin
"damn Natalie, you a crazy chick"
yo shut the f**k up and suck my d**k
i'm bustin dudes mouths like gushers motherf**ker
roll up on NBC and smack the s**t out Jeff Tucker
"what you want Natalie?"
to drink and fight!
"what you need Natalie?"
to f**k all night!

don't test me when i'm crazy on that airplane glue
put my foot down your throat 'til your s**t's in my shoe
leave you screamin', pay for my dry cleanin'
f**k your man, it's my name that he's screamin

Interviewer – "I’m sorry Natalie, are we to believe you condone driving while intoxicated?
Natalie – I never said I was a role-model.
Interviewer – But, what about the kids that look up to you? Do you have a message for them?
Natalie –
all the kids lookin up to me can s**k my d**k
it's Portman, motherf**ker, drink 'til i'm sick
slit your throat and pour nitrous down the hole
watch you laugh and cry - while i laugh, you die
and all the dudes, you know i'm talkin to you
"we love you Natalie"
i wanna f**k you too!

P! is for Portman
P! is for p**sy
i'll kill your f**kin dog for fun so don't push me (laughing)

Interviewer - Wow, Natalie, I’m surprised…All this from a Harvard graduate?
Natalie - Well, there’s a lot you may not know about me.
Interviewer – Really? Such as?
Natalie -
when i was in harvard, i smoked weed every day
i cheated every test and snorted all the yay
i got a def posse, you got a bunch of dudes
i'll sit right down on your face and take a s**t!

Hook guy –
Natalie you are a badass bitch (hell yeah)
and i will pay for your dry cleaning when my s**t gets in your shoe (what)
as for the drug use, well i can vouch for that
my d**k is scared of you, girl

Interviewer - Okee doke, Natalie one final question, if you could steal a smooch from any guy in Hollywood, Who would it- (Interrupted by a chair hitting him in the head.)
Natalie – No more questions!
WHAT!

I just stumbled upon this site. Saskabush is not updated very often, but from what I can see, it's content is well worth the wait. This is from an article titled "Alberta Residents Celebrate "We're Not Saskatchewan" Day"

Family Day, as it is officially called, is a statutory holiday enjoyed by residents of Alberta. The day is spent like most holidays with families going on sojourns such as ski trips, going to movies, and just basking in the fact they do not have to go to work like their Saskatchewan counterparts. Additionally, many former Saskatchewan residents now living in Alberta also take the time to act like arrogant pricks towards their neighbors to the east.

“Yeah, I phoned my cousin in Regina and reminded him that I have the day off simply because I live in Alberta and am an Albertan,” said Lorne Rita, a refridgeration mechanic in Calgary, “I used to live in Saskatchewan so I know all about having to go to work when it's colder than my wife after a disagreement.”.... ....Continued Rita: “So, my cousin's like 'screw you' and I'm like, 'well, if you move to Alberta, you won't have to listen to me brag about the day off' and he's like 'but I like being a failure and I'm queer' and I'm like, 'well, i'm off to roll around on the pile of money I made this week from our prosperity cheques'.”

Other Alberta residents decided to not be as prickish.

“I just phoned my parents to wish them a happy family day,” said Marlene Olater of Red Deer, “We had a nice talk about the days when I lived in Saskatchewan and how much more successful I am now that I'm in a province with an free market economy not controlled by unions.

For what it's worth, Saskatchewan has considered adding a mid winter holiday of it's own that would be similar to Alberta's. While not finalized yet, leading suggestions for naming the holiday include, “We're Not Manitoba” Day.

Freaking hilarious if you ask me.

I'm sore, but I'm alive!

Well, it hurts...A LOT, but I'll survive. Travis has been so sweet to me today. He made me soup, Which he let me slurp because I can't really eat properly, even though he HATES slurping!!!

He also bought me ice cream to help with the "no hot foods, no solids" stupid rule.

But I have the good drugs!!! The good Dr. gave me some really potent narcotics, so I'm ready to get high this weekend :-)

Oh.. and someone mentioned mashed potatos?!?!?! :-)

Avoiding Sleep

So, it's 2:25 in the AM, and I'm surfing the internet hoping that I can discover a magical cure-all for my dental anxiety.

I've read about what to do if God calls you, crazy f-ing car commercials, the paralyzing fear that you have failed a test (admit it, we've all been there) (and girl, I feel for you!!!), giggled at trampoline fun, read all about puke, found a cookie recipe so I can take some over to this on Sunday, and that is just my "local blog roll".

I've been to all of the sites that I've ever seen in the whole wide web, and I'm still not ready to go to bed...

I'll keep y'all posted on the outcome of today's painful (and drug-filled) day.

Confessions

Last night I went out for supper to a new-to-me place: Keo's Kitchen. Really neat. I had some kind of vegetarian rolls and then ordered the Thai Beef. Full of goodliness. :-) Supper was spicy, but then again, so was the dinner conversation.

Why do secrets weigh so heavily on the soul? It's hard to share a secret sometimes, but once you tell it, it loses some of the power that it had on you. You are able to function at a normal level once again. But the flip side of sharing a secret is that once you have unburdened yourself, do you then burden someone else with it? Do they suffer under the weight of your problem?

As I wrote that last sentence, I realized the answer. It does burden the friend somewhat, but that's what friends are for. They help us carry our loads further down the road of life. You can get to a better place more easily if you have help with the heavy stuff.

I wish that I was braver, and could come clean about all of my transgressions, big and small.
Maybe someday I can. Not today.

Driving home music

When I went home for Easter, I had a long drive ahead of me. I went and picked a few cd's that I hadn't heard in a while. What a memory lane flashback!

I bought this disk in September of 2000, right after a strange summer at home with a boy who had moved to Saskatoon to go to the UofS.

I lived the lyrics of this song for too many days and nights for it to have been forgotten for as long as it was. I vowed that I would never let myself be treated that way again...But he did it to me again and again... I could tear up just thinking of the line "Often I'm waiting on the one That maybe won't come. Waiting."

Weakened State
Sarah Harmer

From the minute you saw it
By the time it left my mouth
I knew you wouldn't want it
But I had to have it out

I saw your smile, I felt it
Now I just can't believe
There was no knowing deception
Underneath

All that time
Did it pass while you were
Looking back waiting?

I asked for the truth
Everytime
And now the ugly details
Are stuck in my mind

And there's a preminition
I keep putting off
And the more time passes
The more I get soft

I'm standing up there
In a weakened state
And it's not great

All that time
Did it pass while you were
Looking back waiting?

Often I'm waiting on the one
That maybe won't come.
Waiting.

And I'm not saying anything
You think that I forgot
I'm not saying anything
But I'm thinking a lot

Blogging

According to Jordon, Blogging is good for you! Check this post out and judge for yourself :-)

Easter weekend recap

Easter was amazing. I have no other words for it.

I drove home on Thursday night and got in at about quarter to ten. We sat up and had a few drinks, talking religion and politics until almost 2am. Amazingly, no one lost an eye, or anything... :-)

Friday, I went to mass with my family. Since I have been in this 'reflective' state of being lately, after genuflecting towards the cross at the front of the church, I pulled the kneeler down, and said a prayer asking for focus. I asked for the ability to really hear the words being said, not just pseudo-listening, and responding out of habit like usually happens.

When the first reading (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12) was read, I listened to the words and I began to cry. I sat there and cried through most of the passion too. I had tears streaming down my face as one of the ministers stumbled over a name. My brother looked over at me and said "It was funny. Why are you crying?" I couldn't answer him.

So why was I crying? It's pretty incredible that someone loved us all that much, to die as he did. No questions, no objections, no doubts.

Is 52:13-53:12

See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him; so marred was his look beyond human semblance and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man; so shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; for those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it. Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by people, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom people hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. But the LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity. If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him. Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; and he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses.

From an email sent to me by Tara...

Tara is one of perhaps five people I still talk to from my hometown, and one of my best friends ever. She's never judged me or my choices, and she is always a voice of reason (Albeit, a sarcastic and slightly twisted one).

Lipstick in School

According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington recently was faced with a unique problem. A number of12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done!

She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night. To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers, and then there are educators.....

Michiko Kakutani is a real person!!!

Ok, I'm a nerd.

I freely admit it. I have all six seasons of Sex and the City on DVD. I hardly ever missed the show when it was on it's first run. I live my single gal living in NYC fantasy (one that I've had ever since I was a little girl reading the Baby-Sitters Club books...I wanted to be Stacey...more on that later, I'm sure) by watching Carrie Bradshaw's adventures and living vicariously through her.

There are people, places, and things that they mention in the show that an outsider to the City, like me, would not be able to discern if they are real or fake. Certain restaurants, clubs, buildings, etc. For example, In the 5th season, episode "Critical Condition" mentions that Carrie's book is being reviewed in the New York Times by Michiko Kakutani (mee-she-ko ka-ku-ta-nee). Well to my surprise, Michiko is a real person. She IS the New York Times book reviewer. You want to impress her, or else your book may suffer a terrible fate in the bargain bin at a Barnes and Noble somewhere. (In case you are curious, Carrie's book got a rave review but she's bothered by the critic's characterization of her having a life "where the men are disposable." She worries that Aidan, her most recent ex, might also feel that way. Carrie spends the rest of the episode wondering why we only believe the negative things people say about us.)

I am indeed a nerd because when my co-worker was looking at Slate today, I saw the name, and squealed with glee, "She is real!!" And then I had the dubious task of trying to make myself not sound like an idiot, as I explained why Michiko Kakutani was so exciting.

****And if you think that you can stump me on any SATC questions, send them in! I promise not to cheat by google-ing the answers.*****

Blatherings

For some reason, I cannot seem to focus lately. My mind is going a million miles a minute. Perhaps it's because this week, while being a short work week, is one of the busiest ones I've got on record for the longest while.

Monday I had Sparks, Wednesday we are selling cookies door-to-door in East College Park, Thursday I have a dental checkup and cleaning, and then I'm leaving for home for Easter. I'm going alone this weekend. The hubby is going to a Bachelor party for Stan. (He's one of Travis best friends and he's getting married to Margorie on April 22nd.)

I want to get out to the Broadway Theater this week sometime and see What the Bleep? Down the Rabbit Hole. If I don't get there tonight, then I'm hooped! Maybe I can squeeze it in after cookies on Wednesday, but I fear that it would be more like wishful thinking.

I am impatiently waiting for the release of the Dixie Chicks new album, thanks to Becky! She had a link to their site, and I've listened to that song about 25 times since :-) I never would have really called myself a Dixie Chicks fan, but I do have all of their albums, and I would go see them in concert... I guess that does make me a fan! I'll be at HMV on May 23rd to buy a copy for Becky and myself, before Shumon even gets the store open that Morning!

In other news, my wisdom teeth will be going far far away, and I'll be getting the good drugs that go along with dental surgery on the 21st. I'm kinda scared of being put under though. I'm not liking it, because I see all of the people coming down from the oral surgeons office every day, and they look out of it, and sore... I'd rather have pain from removing them, than the pain from living with them.

Amazing Movie : Water

"A widow should be long suffering until death, self-restrained, and chaste. A virtuous wife who remains chaste when her husband has died goes to heaven. A woman who is unfaithful to her husband is reborn in the womb of a jackal."
- The Sacred Texts of Manu

I just finished watching this Movie. It is about a seven year-old girl named Chuyia, who has just been widowed. According to Hindu culture, she is sent to live in a home with other widows. They are outcasts, shunned by the rest of society. There is a scene where one of the women accidentally bumps shoulders with a woman near the river, and the other woman tells her, "You've polluted me! I have to bathe again!".

This movie was an interesting choice for me right now, because of the subject matter: how the "truth" in religion, and your culture can become distorted because our individual personalities make us each interpret the texts and writings that the religion is based on. There was major protest that this movie should not have been made, but I am glad it was. It may not have been a summer blockbuster, but it will make you think a little about the world. In my books, that makes it worth seeing.

On a side note, this movie is the third in a series by the writer/director Deepa Mehta. The first two movies were Fire and Earth, which I am now going to look for in the video store.

It's that time of year again!

I have 36 Cases of cookies in my trunk, and I know how to use them! If you don't start buying cookies, I will have no choice but to send 15 of the cutest five and six year-olds to each of your houses and they will be dripping with sweetness and kindness, and they will be all cute-ified and you will open your wallets and throw money at them to stop the cute overload from distroying all of your homes and communities!

So does anyone want to buy some Girl Guide Cookies? They're only $4.00 a box!

Yeah! I won a star today!

So, I'm browsing the now-infamous Sask Blogger list today, and checking out a few favorites when I come across today's edition of Marc's Name that Movie.
I am now the proud owner of a star!! All of those years during my childhood watching westerns with my Dad and Grandpa Casey paid off!

Study done on the power of Prayer

Slate Magazine has a really interesting take on a recent study that didn't prove that prayer helps to heal.

"It was supposed to be good news, like the kind in the Bible. After three years, $2.4 million, and 1.7 million prayers, the biggest and best study ever was supposed to show that the prayers of faraway strangers help patients recover after heart surgery. But things didn't go as ordained. Patients who knowingly received prayers developed more post-surgery complications than did patients who unknowingly received prayers—and patients who were prayed for did no better than patients who weren't prayed for. In fact, patients who received prayers without their knowledge ended up with more major complications than did patients who received no
prayers at all."

I really have a hard time believing these results. I want to believe with all my heart that prayer helps. I pray at least once a day. I pray for myself, for other people, for my pets, for the world.

If there is no answer, EVER, then It becomes a matter of faith. I have faith in God. And God will answer me, when I finally ask the right question.

My Husband thinks I've lost it.

I am having problems with my wisdom teeth. They are hurting me! I've been taking more than the "daily recommended dose" of my favorite over-the-counter pills for a couple of days now, and I think that last night was the sign that I need to stop.

First, I was itchy all night. Not really a new thing, as I Love love, LOVE to have Travis (or my Mom, or a friend, or a door frame) scratch my back. But when I went to sleep, I had the strangest dreams.

The first was that I was flying a plane, and most everyone I have ever met was on the plane. Our destination: The North Pole. Santa had opened up a 5 star resort there, and we were testing the place out.

The Next dream was at the mall, I was throwing a birthday party for someone, and the mall was all decorated in banners, and streamers. The birthday girl (I have no clue who it was, I saw nothing but the back of her head) (she was a brunette) got to go on a shopping spree in whatever stores she wanted, and get whatever she wanted, and I handed over a huge platinum credit card to each of the store managers to cover the costs of the party, and her spending.

The last dream before I woke up, I was married to Robert DeNiro. Bob and I were living in a penthouse in New York and he had to go to LA to do a movie. He and I had a fight, because apparently, I hate LA, and I wanted to stay at home in NYC. The last thing I remember clearly in the dream is him telling me "I forgive you, but I won't forget this."

Please remember to ALWAYS stay within the dosage guidelines!!!

Just another night at Sparks

We had a wonderful visit with the Zoo Outreach Program at Sparks last night. The girls had a blast with Cathy and the ferrets. Here's a few pictures of the evening.

Movie Reviews

I have watched 3 movies in the last four nights. Brokeback Mountain with Becky and A History of Violence and The Aristocrats with Travis.

Brokeback Mountain was a good movie. To call it "a gay cowboy movie" is a gross over simplification of the plot. The scenery was breathtaking. Makes a person want to go to Alberta for a vacation... Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal were incredible as the male leads. There were places in the film where I thought that it was a little slow, but otherwise it was a good show. (Plus, before the movie Becky took me out for supper to the Saskatoon Asian Restaurant on 2nd Avenue. It was a great meal! I loved the soup...but don't ask me what it was called!)

A History of Violence is a movie that Travis has wanted to see since the first preview hit the tv. It has Viggo Mortenson as the father of a family torn apart by suspicion. Is he a former Mafia hitman, or is it mistaken identity? I won't spoil it for anyone, but it is worth the rental fees. Be warned though, it has some very graphic violence and a couple of sex scenes that are...extreme.

The Aristocrats was...different. No Nudity, No Violence, Extreme Profanity. This documentary tells the story of the joke that comedians told each other. It has a hundred different versions of the joke, and the history of it's origins. I really enjoyed this, Travis not so much. If you are looking for a stand up act, this isn't it. Trav said that he was tired of the joke about half way through the movie, but the premise worked for me.

All in all, a good weekend it was.