Sly Lie, Lasers up the Woo Woo and SG1

On Monday I go to get an upper GI. I am hoping that Cheeze please has created a song for me by then. When I had to get a laser up the woowoo to combat kidney stones she created a song that she and Moo sang while I was undergoing the procedure. It is a comfort to know that people are making fun you when you are knocked out with the potential to never wake up.

Because of the impending procedure I had to steal my mom’s cosco card. You see, I have an addiction. Its name is SG1. I have a love/hate relationship with SG1. SG1 began its life on Showtime, we have never subscribed to the “extra” channels on cable, even when they are free we never find anything we want to watch on them. Then came the DARK TIMES. This is when the Sly Lie (Sci Fi) channel cancelled quite possibly the best television show that has ever been produced; Farscape. They cancelled Farscape because it cost too much to produce and then bought SG1. I decided to boycott the sly lie channel even though it was my favorite station out there. I boycotted the station for several years, until one fateful March when I came home with a new baby and quite frankly had no idea what to do and was suffering from post partum. So I sat on my couch for a couple of weeks, snuggling with my newborn son and not being able to do much of anything else, when I happened upon…a SG1 marathon. I fell in love.

Now 3 years later with a self inflicted mandate to not read any new books unless I have blogged about the ones I have already read (I have 5 or so to do). Since I have a almost 2 hour commute to and from work, I needed something to do. When my mom and I went shopping at Costco and I walked past the DVD section I knew it was a sign when I saw all 10 seasons there. So I bought the first 2 seasons. That was just a few weeks ago and I have watched them all. I sneak them at lunch, I watch them while Spotty is playing, I stay up late to watch, not that I have an addictive personality or anything.

That has left me in a bit of a dilemma, I will be home without child all day on Monday, so on Tuesday I stole my moms card and ran to grab season 3. Guess what? The only season they did not have was season 3. #$$#@@#$%%#@## . So I picked up season 4 and 5. Then I grabbed Buffy season 1.

I never got into Buffy, not because I didn’t want to but when it premiered, we were already watching 2 Star Treks, X-files, Friends, Millennium, Farscape, (and the other shows on the Sci Fi Friday lineup) ER and the Simpsons. Back then we were taping shows every night I think. We used to take days off work so we could stay home and catch up.

Back to the dilemma, I walked out of Costco with a heavy heart, I was happy I had Buffy, but I really wanted to wallow in SG1 and there was no way I could watch season 4 before watching season 3, that’s just crazy talk. As I was driving back to my parents house I passed….BEST BUY. I ran in, they had 1 season 3 left. I grabbed it and then noticed the price $40! At Costco it’s $20. I stood there deliberating should I or should I wait. Then I slapped myself, who was I kidding? I wanted it; if I waited I would get cranky. Was there any need for that?

So on Monday when you are all working, sing me a song of the esophagus and go over to the sly lie channel, frelling SG1 should be on at some point.

Have you ever had one of those “DUH” moments?

I like books, Spotty likes books, and I am always on the lookout for new books for the boy. I recently got The Red Book by Barbara Lehman (Houghton Mifflin Company) for him and we love it. Funny enough it only took me 5 or 6 times of reading it to think to myself “hey it’s a Caldecott book, maybe I should look to see if there is a list of them. Then I found this site and after about 2 minutes I was hyperventilating. There are just so many books out there that are incredible. I also found 2 books that my parents used to read to me when I was young; Mei Li by Thomas Handforth the 1939 winner and Umbrella by Taro Yashima (Viking) a 1959 honors book. When I read the titles I knew immediately that these were stories that were once read to me and that I would HAVE to read to Spotty. I am so psyched that I found them, and I don’t really even care if they become Spotty’s favorites. I had favorites, and I remember them being read to me. Hopefully Spotty will have the same fantastic memories that I have of being read to.
I stayed up until 1:00 reading about the stories and the next day after work I HAD to go out and get a few (Nannie needed new books too). I also realized that we had several medal/honor books already.

Here is a partial list of the books I got
The Funny Little Woman, illustrated by Blair Lent; text: retold by Arlene Mosel (Dutton)
One Fine Day, retold and illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian (Macmillan)
Always Room for One More, illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian; text: Sorche Nic Leodhas, pseud. [Leclair Alger] (Holt)
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (Viking)
Umbrella by Taro Yashima (Viking)
Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young (Philomel Books)
Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book, illustrated by Tom Feelings; text: Muriel Feelings (Dial)
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (Viking)
Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young (Philomel Books)
Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky (Dutton)

Not all of them are appropriate for his age, or at least they are too long and don’t keep his interest, but that’s ok. A former client of Boy toy’s gave us an enormous collection of books that she loved reading to her son when he was small. This was one of the best gifts we ever received because the age range was from newborn to 8 – 10 years. I periodically pull out a “new” book to see if it keeps his attention, if it doesn’t it goes back in the bin to wait until he is ready. Several of these are Caldecott winners/honors as well.

I had been beating myself up on how many videos Spotty has, but when I really thought about it and realized that he has 2-3 books per video (I refuse to actually count them in case it is closer to 4-6) I don’t feel so bad.

Book Review – Wolf Captured

Wolf Book 4
Derian, Firekeeper and Blind Seer have been drugged and are trapped on a boat in cages designed by someone who knew their strengths. And that’s the good news. Their old pal Waln Endbrook is back and seems to be holding a grudge. Firekeeper shows that she is in fact not able to ignore all discomforts; she seems to suffer from seasickness. That doesn’t prevent her from kicking some major ass. But unfortunately when you are stuck on a ship with another on the way there isn’t a lot that you can do.

Harjeedian, who I envision as Avery Brooks portraying Hawk in Spencer for Hire, is their captor. He is bringing them to his teachers who want something from them. Things really start to get interesting when they get to u-Seeheera “the first city”. There are animals everywhere and more importantly Royal Animals. Here they finally learn what it is that the leaders of this land want. Firekeeper is to teach them how to speak to the Royals.

Derian really shines in this story. He meets up with the keeper of the horse and moves in at the Stable to learn more about this new culture. While there he meets up with a Royal Horse and is offered a ride, which is of course unheard of. I almost got ready to slap him a few times as he and the minstrel start acting like 16 year olds over a woman. But if I slapped every be man for being a man…I would be very tired. Meanwhile Firekeeper and Blind Seer have gone to the islands where most of the Royal animals live. They learn many new things; some are almost too incredible to believe. Some are, I am not going to say disappointing, because we need to see how it is written. I think she may have the chops for it. I hope so, I hate getting invested in a great story and have them turn it into a soap opera.

Oh, don’t forget love…apparently it’s what makes the world go round.

Dear Spotty Chop you are 37 months old today

Because we are in the car so long everyday I have bought several books on CD and you really seem to like them. Your favorites right now are the Pixar Cars/Toy Story/Toy Story 2, no surprise there, but what I do find fascinating is that you have no interest in the movies themselves. You want us to “be” different characters while we drive and you add extra commentary to what is being said on the CD. I really like the idea of the CD’s because I think (hope) that it is more engaging than watching a DVD. Watching is so passive, I am hoping your synapses are firing and your imagination is running wild.

You have been hitting us a lot, especially me, whenever you are frustrated; we have started taking away videogames and movies. This is working out great, I can see you trying not to hit, especially when I remind you. I am also making a conscious effort to lessen the amount of time the TV is on. The other night I said we are turning off the TV. When you started to get upset about it I told you that I wanted to sit and talk with you. “Ok mommy” was the answer. You never cease to amaze me.

Nannie’s ankle is getting better and you have been going back to their house on Tuesday’s. You give Nannie’s foot a kiss whenever you see her to make her feel better. Papa left work early the other day so he could come home and play with you. The 3 of you apparently took naps together. You all seemed very happy. You are the light of their life and I am so glad that you are able to spend time together.

You have started “reading to us”, and your memory is so phenomenal that it really seems like you are reading. Sheep in a Jeep and Corduroy are the ones you are reading currently. You even seem to use the same inflections that I do. The first time you did this your daddy and I were so blown away that all we could do is sit and stare at you in amazement. Now we just giggle.
I can’t wait for the nicer weather to start. I need to get you outside and running around. You recently discovered the joy of rolling down a hill, and I want to make sure you get as much of that as you want. Maybe you will want to learn how to pedal a bike? We will see. I have moments of concern when I realize that your cousins (and school friends) all seem to be playing on sports teams and wondering if I should be signing you up for something, but as you are happy, healthy and smart. I think I won’t worry about it. So what if you don’t play baseball at an early age, you can own the team.

Scrapbookapalooza

Auntie D and I went on a scrapbooking adventure!!! The Creative Memories national scrapbooking day; 12 hours of nothing but scrapbooking. Yes it is perhaps the DORKiest thing you can ever do, but by god did we have a friggen blast! We have been giddy like school girls talking about it for the past few weeks, “what are you going to bring, what are you going to do…” and trying to find all of our stuff because apparently life has gotten in our way and we have not scraped in forever.

I actually got Auntie D addicted to scrap (which rhymes with crack for a reason) several years ago when I was holding my first “party” and a newbie backed out, she graciously filled in and it turns out is as big a geek as I am. There is something so immensely satisfying in putting photos, words and thousands of dollars of stickers and paper together.

We were scrapbooking FIENDS, Auntie finished EMT’s baby book, and now that he’s 19 she only has….18 years worth to catch up on. I did a book for the Bride. It has all our pre-wedding adventures in it and ends on the big day. I hope she likes it. In fact I am hoping I can get her to cry so I can make fun of her for crying over a scrapbook.


Our consultants brought up that if we had a good time that day, in November they were doing a “weekend of scrapbooking down the cape”. Our boys aren’t control freaks, but they had a hard enough time with us doing this for one day, we have been trying to come up with how we can convince them to let us go and have them not be whiney byotches. We think we may have to be prepared for the “ultimate sacrifice”, and as my girlfriend A said "it's like cleaning a toilet, no one wants to do it, but it has to get done, no one looks forward to it, but after it's over you will feel better".