Kerri Arista

BARRACUDA

2008-06-27T14:52:00.004-05:00

Today I played at a very, very cool place called Motopia. It's a bike shop (motorcycle) with a cafe. But it is NOT what you might imagine. It is NOT a "biker bar". I didn't wear leather pants, I didn't get a tattoo before I showed up, and no one referred to me as their HogBitch. I didn't see anyone that looked like they belonged in a biker gang either. Instead, Motopia is a modern, European coffeehouse that also has food. It has a very "lounge-y" look, and they have Wi-Fi there, so there seem to be lots of business types there on their computers. It also has a glass wall that divides the cafe from the area where they work on bikes. It's a very unique place.

Channel 8 news happened to be doing a story on Motopia while I played today. Eventually, the reporter came over to me and said, "Um, we're doing a story on Motopia today and I'd like you to play something with more of a driving beat- I'm thinking "Barracuda"- Can you play "Barracuda"?"

Ok, I LOVE Heart! When I was a young girl, I was very inspired by them- I loved it that WOMEN where the leaders of this band. I owned all of there albums. And I've played some of their songs even. But BARRACUDA??? Is that me? At all?

So, no. I didn't play Barracuda. Or Magic Carpet Ride. Or Born to Be Wild. That might have fit right into the whole Biker Bar mentality. And if that reporter thought that was fitting, I think we viewed the place quite differently.

Coincidentally, this afternoon, after I returned home, I flipped on "Ellen". Josh Grobin was on and he and Ellen played Guitar Hero together. And guess what song they played????
BARRACUDA!

Thirty Nine and Feeling FINE

2008-06-24T18:02:00.008-05:00

I am so mature these days. I'm older, I'm wiser and I am not trying to hide or deny my age anymore. I'm 39 today. I've got one more solid year in my flirty thirties!

I can remember when I turned 30 and I stayed in bed until about 11, then got up and looked in the mirror at my little bitty wrinkles and thought, "I am so old". What the hell was I thinking? I was a child then.

Then when I turned 35 I remember thinking, "Oh my- I am just as close to 50 as I am to 20 now." And that really wigged me out.

Well, this year all I have to say is, "Lord-Y, look who still isn't 40!" No, as you can guess I've got much more to say than just that.

When I was a young girl (younger than I am now even!), I thought that once I was well into my 30's (VERY well) I would have life all figured out. I wouldn't be concerned for what anyone else thought of me. I'd be a WOMAN, and you'd be able to hear me ROAR. I seriously thought that.

Of course I don't have it all figured out, as I naively thought I might by the wise age of 39- but what I understand now that I didn't way back when is that I don't even want to have it figured out! I think if and when that time ever comes, well... time just might be up! And although I still care probably too much about what others think of me, I mostly care about what I think of me.

Overall, 39 feels just as young as 29. Well, okay, just as young as 32. Since I'm married to the man I started dating when I was only 19 (TWENTY YEARS AGO!), and we've looked at each other daily, we haven't noticed each other's aging. So hey, it's sort of like I'm still 19! I'm purring, not quite roaring yet, but I think I'm getting there. Although still a little unsure of myself, I think I'm gaining not just in years, but in assuredness.

I feel mighty fine about his number 39, as a matter of fact! Life is still sprawled way out in front of me. I still feel like the world is my playground. I still feel young- very young in fact. And maybe I AM a little more comfortable in this skin each year. Maybe the wrinkles have loosened things up and I'm starting to feel more comfortable... And I know now, that in a few years I'll think back to this day and think, "What was I thinking? I was just a child then...."

Grandfathers I Never Knew

2008-06-23T15:00:00.001-05:00

My mom died when I was 35, and obviously, I felt a little ripped off. I expected to have my mom in my life for much longer than that.

The other day while I was at lunch with my dad and some friends, it came up that he lost his dad at a very young age. My dad said he can remember being called out of class when he was in junior high school, and being told that his dad had suffered a fatal heart attack. His dad was in his 40s.

As a kid, I just knew that I never had a grandfather. (My mom's dad had also died when she was just a teenager, and he too was in his 40s) I knew that sounded like a really young age to die, and I knew my parents were just kids when they lost their parents.

But it seemed I was taking in this information as an adult for the first time just the other day when my dad talked about it a little at lunch. I can't imagine how my dad must have felt... And how my aunt, who is my dad's big sister, must have felt. And how sad and scary it must have been for my grandmother to be widowed at such a young age. Talk about ripped off!

I didn't ask my dad a lot of questions (yet) because like I said, we were at lunch with some friends. But I will. I realize now that my mom is no longer around, that maybe I've lost some of her history already by not asking her those same questions to her. The very little I've heard about their dad's as a kid barely sticks with me now. It was hard to connect to it back then and I guess I didn't feel a loss over men I never knew. But as an adult, I can now feel empathy for my mom and dad, and their families over that kind of loss. Because now I've had my own experience with loss.

And I want to know about my grandfathers. Because altho I never knew them, I would've really liked to.

My Father's (Birth)Day

2008-06-16T18:00:00.001-05:00

My Dad turned 70 this weekend, and it also happened to be Father's Day.

We had a last minute surprise party for him. We invited about 25 of his closest and oldest friends. We called them up about a week prior to the date. Other than those that were out-of-town, every one made a great effort and showed up, promptly at the specified time to yell out, "Surprise!" as the Guest of Honor walked in to his big bash this past Saturday night.

We pulled off another surprise party for him ten years ago. That time we captured the big moment of his surprise on video so it's quite evident he was pretty shocked. It was so goofy, and so funny. Seeing someone so caught off guard in a great moment is such a fun thing to witness. But I think he had a few sneaking suspicions this time around.

Maybe he got a few extra birthday phone calls the day before the party, even from some who don't normally remember the birthdate. Maybe he just expected some bit of fan fair as he rolled into another big decade. I'm not sure what gave it away, but it didn't seem to be such a shocking surprise.

But still GREAT. We had two big tables full of faces from his present and past- All people that love Dad.

I not only loved his party and seeing all those people, but I even sorta liked making those phone calls when I invited his friends. It's wonderful to be told by others what a great guy your dad is- I was literally exhausted from it after my hours worth of phone calls.

Happy Birthday, and Happy Father's Day, DAD!

Bigger, Faster, Stronger

2008-06-10T14:35:00.004-05:00

This weekend I saw the documentary showing at the Magnolia called "Bigger, Faster, Stronger" or "Harder, Bigger, Louder", or something to that general effect. You get the idea. It's about steroid use in America and why we as a nation are so drawn to enhancements.

It's hard to find a documentary that seems as un-biased as this one. The film maker who conducts different interviews and provides the commentary is from a middle-class American family. He and his two brothers grew up idolizing iconic figures like Arnold, Sylvester Stallone, and Hulk Hogan. As kids they thought, "I want to be just like HIM!" So when they finally found out these real life super-heroes used steroids to rise and stay (at least for a while) at the top, they decided it only made since to do the same. The film maker no longer uses steroids, but his brothers still do. He's not judging those that do, he's just trying to shine the light on all sides of it. Both from those who advocate and oppose.

It was so interesting. Most steroid users aren't athletes or bulky movie stars, as you may suspect, but instead just average gym rats. But it's interesting to wonder why people who don't "have" to use steroids in order to compete do it- And, is steroid use really any different than other things that help people do better at what they want to excel in? For instance, many public speakers use beta blockers to be more poised during their shining moments. Ultimately, isn't that really the same thing?

There was one scene in the movie where the mother of these three men find out about their past steroid use (or at least the one who was willing to admit that he USE to do it) and she is so saddened by the whole thing. Saddened to try to figure out how come they didn't feel like they were "good enough" as they came, in their original package.
It made me sad too. Sad because I know lots of people who clearly must not feel good enough. There are all types of enhancements people use to make statements. And steroids is just one.

I complain about some of my own "parts",but ultimately, that's what Mom and Dad gave me, and really I AM good enough.

As long as I don't look at women in magazines, on tv, in movies, and sort of most places around Dallas.

"Try Being More Creative"

2008-06-02T16:36:00.003-05:00

I was just updating my website thru Dreamweaver. Very simple stuff. I just put my June calendar up, and updated my opening page. Same thing I do at the beginning of each month.

After I hit the button to "push" the new stuff out into the cyber-universe I had an error message, and after the error message number it stated, "Try Being More Creative". What kind of an error message it that? I've never, ever seen that as an error message before. And it just seemed so weird for my computer to be judging me like that. When it comes to Dreamweaver, I know only enough to get by. If I want to get creative, I gotta get in touch with my web designer! Or if I really want to get creative, I need to get OFF the computer!

But the cyber-universe spoke, and it told me to get more creative. So I sort of shook my computer a little, pleaded with it, "C'MON!!!!", and tried pushing it through again.

And THAT was apparently creative enough for today. Yay. And now, I need to get off the computer...

Learning to Read

2008-05-28T20:50:00.002-05:00

I can vaguely, VERY vaguely, remember learning to read when I was a young girl. I can remember struggling and slowly reading word by word- or actually more like sound by sound. I'd meet with my reading group and my teacher and practice a few times each week. One day, all of the sudden, I started reading with ease. And I can remember thinking, "Oh my God- I'm really reading. And the words are adding up to sentences, and the sentences are adding up to a story!"

I then went on to be a 1st grade teacher for several years and I got to teach lots of kids to read. I think for a teacher,it couldn't possibly get any better than that. The power that reading gives us is enormous!

When I learned to play the guitar, I never learned to read music. I've played music just by goofing around, and using my ear. (AND my fingers!) But a year or two ago, I got a book and started learning to read music. I felt sort of like I did at the beginning stages of reading back in 1st grade. Lots of starts and stops. Very choppy. Not very pretty. And without a teacher, or friends beside me, I didn't feel all that motivated to consistently spend time practicing.

But a few months ago, my friend Diablo and I started working thru a book of duets. After practicing a few times weekly, after only a few weeks, the reading is starting to come with ease. The notes are adding up to phrases. And the phrases are adding up to songs!

We have come a long way together in a short amount of time. We get so excited and we hoop, hollar and high five after our best songs. It's all very exciting and reminiscent of learning to read as a kid. There is something to regular practice, and to sharing that practice time with a friend, and then practicing a little on your own. The power reading gives us is, once again, enormous.

AguAHH

2008-05-25T22:29:00.006-05:00

Every day of my life, I drink water. And I usually don't (or pretty much never) even think about how thankful I am that I can drink it right out of the faucet without the risk of getting sick.

I just returned from 8 days of vacation in Mexico where I was advised by a hotel employee not to drink the water. Showering was okay, just no brushing my teeth while in there, and no swallowing any of that water. It sounded easy enough because you can buy bottled water pretty much anywhere. But there's really nothing like ICE COLD water when it's 95 degrees outside with about a 200% humidity level- and in Mexico,
that idea is pretty much a pipe dream.

During my visit, I'd buy a big bottle of water at least once or twice a day- ranging anywhere from $1 to $6 dollars- but it usually wasn't very cold. And if it started out that way, it didn't last long. It became "room temperature" (and by room, I mean a hot steam room) within about ten minutes.

I got sick of drinking warm water. (But not THAT kind of sick, at least!) And I got tired of having to carry around a bottle all the time. And I had to remember to keep some clean water by my toothbrush, and when I ran out, I had to immediately buy a new bottle.

Aren't those bottles making an awful lot of waste in Mexico? And really,isn't it dirty enough already?

Here at home, I've taken clean drinking water for granted. But I return from Mexico with gratitude that I can just turn on the faucet and and VOILA: clean, fresh water. And if I want it cold all I have to do is add a few cubes of clean, fresh ice. I can brush my teeth and gargle, without any concern. I can even drink out of a public water fountain without too much concern. I usually don't, but I CAN.

AHH. Nice, clean water...

MeatHead

2008-05-08T10:18:00.004-05:00

This morning at my gym, I overheard a trainer's conversation with his client. His client was a slightly older woman, (slightly older than me, that is) and it seemed to be their first session together. She didn't look like a woman who had done much lifting in the past. After she did a long set of shoulder presses and sighed an exhausted "whew", he went on his crazy sales pitch. Which went something like this:

"See? Long sets with light weights, that's how those ladies get rid of all their body fat. You're gonna do this a few times a week and then in 2 months, you're done! It only takes 90 days to reshape your body. Zero body fat. That's what I'm saying."

Really? That's what you're saying???

I'm not claiming to be an expert here, but c'MON! Besides the trouble he must have with day to month conversion, he seems to be a bit confused on his health facts. I cannot believe a trainer would say this to someone. Zero body fat? 2 months and your DONE? He gives trainers a bad name.

Sometimes You Need a Rocket Scientist

2008-05-03T13:45:00.007-05:00

My new acoustic guitar amp made its debut last night. I had messed around with the settings and had everything sounding just like I wanted it earlier in the week at home. But of course, everything changes with a new environment.

I played out on the patio at Cafe Lago last night. The new amp sounds so different than my old one, and I am always behind my sound so it's very hard to know what it sounds like "out there". My friend Diablo was there and he kept telling me I needed to turn up my vocal mic. I'd turn it up and he'd say the same thing. As if I hadn't even adjusted things. I felt myself getting irritated with HIM. I'd adjust it, and then think it sounded better and then I'd say, "Ok! Here we go"...but then I'd start singing again, and see Diablo giving me the thumbs up- not the good kind, but the kind that says, "Turn it up!" Finally I had the mic volume turned nearly all the way up.

Two hours later, when I was finished with my second set and most of the customers had gone home, Diablo suggested I do a post-performance sound check, which yes, I know, is a little backwards. But to appease him, I agreed.

He discovered I had plugged things in all wrong. When I thought I was turning up the volume on my vocal mic, I was really doing absolutely nothing at all. Yay me! All those starts and stops of me saying, "Here we go!" earlier that night were really just teases.

This amp is pretty straight forward. It doesn't really take a rocket scientist to figure things out. But in this case, that's just what I needed. A rocket scientist! Diablo once told me that was his major in college- Aeronautical Engineering, also known as Rocket Science!

The Secret History

2008-05-02T15:22:00.003-05:00

On my website, I use to have a page for this blog, and a separate page for all of my insightful movie, music, and book reviews. But I decided to combine it into one big happy blog...Movies, music and books are such a big interest and influence in my life, it seems only fitting.

So today, readers, I wanted to tell you about a book I just read by Donna Tartt called The Secret History.

My friend, Diablo, saw it at the bookstore a few weeks ago, and remembered reading it and loving it when it first came out, so he bought it to read again. And due to our mutual love of a good story, and the fact that he was currently reading another, he sweetly loaned it to me first. As he gave me his brief synopsis of the book, and compared it to one of my favorite true crime books, Bully. I then grabbed the book from him and ran home to devour it.

Let me say, this book was no Bully. But it did share the common element of a group of young adults killing one of their friends. Usually truth is stranger than fiction, but not in the case of this book.

There is a strange click of friends, all in class together at a small college, and they are all way too into Greek classics. They interact only with each other, this odd group of 5 friends. In the beginning of the story, 4 of the friends tell the fifth friend of how they accidentally killed a man. Oops. They aren't really sure how it all happened. (WHAT?) But they fear their story might leak out. The guy in the group that seems most likely to spill the beans they then murder so as not to leak the story about the first murder. There isn't one character in the book that's a "good guy". No one seems to feel bad about the murder. It's more about not getting caught in the aftermath.

The book is very long. 592 pages! And parts of it never make much sense. But somehow, I kept reading. The best parts of the books come after the murder- I'd say the last quarter of the book. When I finally got to the last page, I was just as baffled as ever.

So I asked my other avid-reader friend, Glitzy, if she had read the book. She had, when it first came out, and she, like Diablo, also loved it. So although I read it,and was sort of enthralled by it, I never loved it. I didn't even like it. But I feel like I was supposed to, and I feel guilty to admit that. Did I just not get it? Hm.

Junior High Diaries

2008-04-23T17:50:00.006-05:00

I am now a woman who keeps a journal. Back when I was a young girl, I kept a diary. It's pretty much the same thing, only the word "journal" sounds slightly more mature than "diary". Like the diaries of yesteryears, my journals of today are loaded with self-doubt and worries that I may not be good enough.

Since getting word that an old Jr. High School crush of mine had died of an overdose, I decided to get out my old diary from about 8th or 9th grade when he had such an impact that his name appeared on that particular diary's COVER. He was sort of "Boy of the Year". His name was Chris. Hearing the sad news about him made me want to read my childhood memories of him.

I discovered he was actually one of about 1,000,000 crushes I had. It seemed the main criteria for becoming one of my crushes at that tender and awkward age was to show me the slightest bit of attention, but not too much. Once I had more regular contact with my crush, I lost interest. So even though I went to my diary hoping to read anything I had written about Chris, he only appeared in a few pages.

I called Kelly, my best friend back in those days, and fortunately still my best friend these days. We spent a couple of hours on the phone laughing our way through my diary. All sorts of memories came up. And as I read all my ramblings about everything from pressuring myself to trim weight off of my whopping 98lbs frame, to whether or not the boy I liked liked me back, to why Kelly and I were in a fight on that particular day, to how annoying my parents were, I was struck by how hard it was (and I'm sure, still is) being a teenage girl.

I'd say the bulk of my readings that day on the phone with Kelly were about our love triangle with a boy named Rick who was older than us. He could drive! (IF he'd had a car.) (But I'm not sure he even had parents.) He wasn't a student in school with us. He was instead, a construction worker. Neither of us remember how we met Rick, and the diary fails to reveal this curious bit of information. We also don't know what kind of lies we must have made up to our parents to be able to hang around these type of boys. But in our memories, and as documented in my diary, Rick was Kelly's boyfriend first. I had to hang around with his best friend, Jeff. (Who was my first kiss! Eww. And that first kiss story will be a whole different blog post, coming soon!) But in my diary I wrote daily about how I loved Rick, not Jeff and "Please God, let everyone change places." Well, I ended up "stealing" Rick away from Kelly. It's funny how I sort of glossed over how that might have hurt her. Instead I wrote of my bliss, and how I wished Kelly would just "get over it already".

Paybacks are hell, and Kelly ended up stealing Rick back from me eventually. My relationship with Rick was documented as lasting 3 weeks. I was heartbroken as my longest relationship with a boy up to that point suffered it's demise.

Kelly and I have spoken (and laughed) of the Rick Triangle often over our hundred year friendship. But as we read my diary, we were able to live it thru my 14-year-old perspective. I wish I could talk with my younger self and let her know some things I know now. I'd tell her not to worry about all these boys. And altho 3 weeks can feel long and serious, really, it isn't! She'll eventually meet the right man. Not only will she love him, but he'll love her back. Real grown up love. I'd tell her weighing 98 lbs. is really just fine and to stop obsessing over getting the scale down to 93. And I'd tell her that Rick Zuppa is going to be nothing more than a funny story, but Kelly is going to be her friend forever. But I know this little girl...and I know she wouldn't have listened anyway.

Field Trips

2008-04-15T17:15:00.005-05:00

Lately, Zoe's and my favorite thing to do together is get in the car,drive to the lake and go on a long walk. She loves riding in the convertible. And she looks pretty cute I think!
She's been quite the trooper during this whole thing of Scout's surgery, recovery, and rehab. She's managed to stay relatively calm and not doing anything to set Scout off that would would make her run around, or jump and hurt her healing bone.
I spend lots of time alone with Scout. Taking her on those slow 10 minute walks several times a day. Doing her stretches. And I feel like she's really loved the time when it's just the two of us. I have a pet psychic friend who had told me about 6 months ago that Scout wished she had more alone time with me. I don't think having to endure surgery was part of her wish, but that's the way it worked out. As far as I know, Zoe didn't have any such wishes about getting her alone time. But all the same, it ends up that lately, she gets it too.
Since Zoe and Scout are littermates, they have rarely been seperated. In fact, I can't recall a time, other than a few overnight stays at the vet after one of them had surgery. I know how much they love each other. So I never think to spend one on one time with them. But much like children, I think they feel pretty special when they get it.
I think these pictures show Zoe's feelings...

Save Your Receipts

2008-04-14T15:19:00.002-05:00

My mom use to always tell me to save my receipts, and rarely did I heed her advice. I'm a girl who hates clutter. And receipts are clutter, aren't they? Well, no. I learned my lesson today.

A month or so ago, my husband was getting something out of the closet in our garage that holds our water heater. He noticed some big cement pipe had blown off the top of it and was laying on the floor. Just today, we finally got around to having our heating and air guys out to check on it.

The first guy that looked at it sort of gasped and said, "Have you guys been having headaches or getting really tired?". Apparently, that pipe on the ground is what keeps the CO2 from killing us. I don't think we've felt the effects, I guess because the water heater is not in our house,but in our garage. But the power of suggestion is so strong, that soon after hearing his words, I became quite headache-y, very tired, and my eyes became itchy. He said he wasn't "the man" for this particular job, but he called in and requested "the men" that are.

When they arrived they went out into the garage. One of the men picked up the pipe on the ground and said, "This is an abestos pipe". HOLY SMOKES. I know that word abestos. And I know that isn't good. He told me those pipes (clearly) haven't been used in years. (and years) When I told him it was his company that installed it only a year or two ago, he called in to find out who did the work.

There records showed that someone at our address had a new water heater put in in 1998. I didn't even live here then. And my water heater has a label on it that says "1998".

I began to feel very Twilight Zone-y. I started to doubt if I had replaced the water heater. But I KNEW I did. But how was I going to prove it anyway? Me, the girl that thinks receipts are clutter...

The A/C men left my house to go "pick up a part". So I walked back to our file cabinet saying my prayers. "Please let that ONE effing receipt be there."

Apparently, God or Mom or both are on my side on this one. I found the receipt! I had my proof. I purchased a water heater from this company 2 years ago. I called the A/C company and they sounded quite surprised by the information I was giving them. Maybe they had a A/C man installing old water heaters and installing them badly. And maybe I just blew the whistle on him.

As I type this, I'm still waiting for the men to return. I'm still waiting for a call back. The problem hasn't been taken care of. My eyes are still itchy, I'm still headache-y, and drowsy. But I've got my receipt.

This Year I Will...

2008-04-09T10:45:00.003-05:00

Okay, I am reading the best self-improvement book. It's called This Year I Will... by M.J. Ryan. I only started the book 2 days ago, and last night I was referring to it and telling friends how great it was, but then realized I had actually only read the introduction and the first little chapter. Perhaps I was jumping the gun. But now I'm a good solid 1/4 the way through the book and it's still worthy of last night's praises.

It's not about breaking old habits necessarily, as much as it is about creating new and better ones. (For example, instead of breaking the habit of smoking, you're creating the new habit of not smoking.) According to the book, inside our heads are 3 brains, not just one. The reptilian brain (instinctive), the emotional brain, and the thinking brain. The emotional brain is all about keeping us comfortable and happy. And sometimes this goes against the thinking brain. And the emotional brain pretty much always wins. So, when you're trying to break a bad habit, or start a good one, things can get a little uncomfortable. And then the emotional brain tries to take over and get everything in a happy state again. Which isn't always the best thing.

The book also states that things we do over an over (habits) are like deeply worn trenches in your brain circuitry. 90% of the stuff we do is routine, and we end up sort of sleepwalking through it all. It explains why behavior can be so challenging to change.

I love it that this book isn't just talking about the discipline of making positive changes in life, but that it talks about the brain and human behavior. It's filled with what I've found to be interesting little bits of information. And I'm only a quarter way through the book!

So it you really want to make some kind of positive change in your life, anything from losing weight, to finding a mate, this book can offer some great information and tips.

Puppy Mills

2008-04-05T10:04:00.005-05:00

I watched Oprah's show last week exposing the horrible world of Puppy Mills. I had no idea! I watched the footage with my hand up to my face- It was hard to watch. The puppies are in crowded, uncomfortable and very dirty cages. The poor females that are there to reproduce spend their whole lives having way more puppies than any dog should ever have- They're bred every single heat cycle. And they said these dogs have never been outside of the cages. In fact, when they rescue some of them, the dogs can't even walk normally on grass. They have all sorts of health problems and, I'm sure, emotional problems.

So what can we do? Well, they talked about adopting from rescue shelters. Even if you're breed specific, you can find who you're looking for. (The last place you should ever buy a pet from is a pet store!) Also, spay and neuter you pets- Even if you think, "Well, MY dog doesn't need that because he/she stays inside, or in the yard." Boy dogs will jump fences when they smell a girl dog during that time of the month. And, it's actually good for their health to have that quick and simple procedure done. Bob Barker was right all along! PLEASE,SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS!

I looked at Zoe and Scout- so happy for the life they have, and grateful for the other life they never had to experience. They didn't come from a puppy mill but instead they've always gotten lots of love and attention, they have a big yard to roam around in, pillows to lay on, they go on fun walks every day, and they get regular check ups...The simple things that ALL dogs deserve.

AFI Film Festival

2008-04-04T11:00:00.002-05:00

The AFI Film Festival has been going on here in Dallas for nearly two weeks. And being the movie buff that I am, it seems astonishing that yesterday was the first day I actually went and checked out some movies. It's only going on a few more days and I feel sad about what I've missed out on.

My friend and I went and saw 2 films yesterday. They were both shown at a theater I go to all the time. I'm so glad we went to two because it made me feel a little more official. And it made it feel more important than just the average day at a movie. This was instead an above average day at two movies! But apparently, we were not as official as some of our fellow attendees. One lady we talked to had seen 16 films over the past week and a half. She also had brought her little bird with her, so the bird had also seen 16 films. I spoke with a guy who had what looked to be a backstage AFI pass around his neck. I knew he must be important. So I asked. His dad was important- Board of directors or something like that, so there's no telling how many films this kid had been to.

Oh, but next year.,..next year I'm dedicating myself to that festival. I jumped on the wagon a little late this time around. But I'm determined to get to more movies next year than that lady and her bird could even imagine!

My $5.30 Dress

2008-03-27T17:36:00.005-05:00

A week or two ago, my sweet husband passed along $50 worth of coupons toward a purchase at Macy's to me. Today was my 3rd and final day at Macy's trying to spend that money.

Isn't that just the way the buying/spending thing goes- When you've got money to burn you can't find a thing?

The first day of my dress-hunt was madness. I'm not much of a mall shopper. Last time I shopped at Macy's, it was Macy's at the Galleria. But the other day I found myself in a very different sort of Macy's. Things have changed since Foley's at Northpark became Macy's. And by changed, I mean: Nothing about it wows me. I found a couple of "ok" dresses priced around $90, but kept telling myself I could find better crap at Marshall's for $19.99. I tried on a few things, but nothing made me want to spend not only my coupons, but throw down a credit card to pay the balance.

The next day, I happened to be at the mall for something entirely different, so I showed my friend the dresses being considered, but he wasn't so wowed either. And again, I walked away.

Today I made the decision, "I WILL find something to buy. And I'm going to love it."
Right as I walked in the store I found a very cool purse. I decided the purse could be my plan B. If there was no wowing-me-dress out there on one of those crowded racks, there was always the cute purse!

This time, I saw all these dresses I somehow missed the other day. $80 dresses I might find at Marshall's for more like $29.99. So I tried on about 5 dresses while my friend, Michael, waited for me out in the little room where I think Mom's usually sit while their teenage daughters try stuff on. I came out and modeled all of the dresses. We didn't agree on any of the 5. I didn't really care, and I was happily off to buy the purse, and forgo any of the dresses.

But then, a saleslady and my friend spotted a dress up on the wall I hadn't yet tried. And it wowed all of us. The saleslady told me I'd be the "hottest mama" in Mexico if I bought it. (I'm going to MX in May.) And who doesn't want to be the hottest mama in Mexico, honestly?

Once it was all said and done with my coupons, and the surprise of an additional 30% off, my grand total was $5.30. C'mon! No discount store would even TOUCH that. With all money saved today, I just might go back and buy the cute purse...

HOT DOG!

2008-03-23T21:06:00.002-05:00

Last night I went to the Spring Equinox MoonLady Celebration here in Dallas. I always think the Moonlady events are fun, and full of interesting people, and it lived up to that expectation again last night.

All I'll say is this:

I saw a man playing an electric harp, while another man with long, long gray hair, wearing pointy-curly-toed wooden shoes (like some weird elf) sang a Cole Porter song with an operatic voice. At the end of their performance a man in the audience was applauding and whistling, clearly VERY impressed with their rendition and then he yelled out, "HOT DOG!!!"

Hot Diggity, I love Moonlady Night!

A Good Day for a Funeral

2008-03-18T18:34:00.005-05:00

Today my Dad and I attended a funeral of a friend of he and my mom. The wife of the man who passed away was one of my mom's best friends. So lots of my mom's friends that she used to meet with every Friday for their "coffee talks" were there. Many of them, I hadn't seen since the memorial service we had for Mom, nearly 3 years ago.

It was a rainy day. Cats and dogs rainy. And it seemed fitting for a funeral. When the pastor was saying something really big and important, there was a loud clap of thunder at just the right moment. Maybe it was the man, Fred, giving a little shout out to his family.

The man's son got up to talk about some great memories of his dad. It was very personal, and very emotional, and it was obvious he had trouble getting through it. And I could so feel his heart in those moments even though I don't know him at all. And as I was listening to his family story, I couldn't help but see the parallels in my own. He spoke of how lucky he felt that he and his brothers never had to worry about "if mom and dad would be there", because they always were. His parents were married for 51 years. And mine certainly would have been, had my mom lived longer. And I too, feel so lucky that my sister, my brother and I came from this solid foundation of good people that loved each other.

This day was about Fred and his family. But it's impossible not to also think of my mom on a day like today. And I am so glad for that impossibility~

The Hype of St. Patrick's

2008-03-15T17:48:00.005-05:00

Today I had a "quick" errand to run. I thought it would take me a round trip 15 minutes to drive up to Guitar Center and buy a new guitar tuner. But I had to drive past the area where the St. Patrick's Day Parade had just ended. And all the drunk people were moving from the parade, to one of the many restaurants on or near Greenville Ave.

Even though there were cops directing traffic, the pedestrians were playing there own versions of Frogger. I got stuck behind a float that's title said something about DISCO, but yet had Sweet Home Alabama blasting from the speakers. But most of the people on the float were wearing afro wigs, and so I guess THAT made it the disco float. One of the ladies in the float jumped off of it into the street (and by street, I'm now talking the Central Expressway service road) to stop traffic so that the Disco Float could cut into traffic. She and her friends thought they were hilarious.

It was all getting even less funny to me when I pulled into the Guitar Center parking lot and found that there were no parking spaces. Finally a group of people with Mardi Gras beads and a couple of beer coolers loaded in the car and pulled out of a space. There were about 3 cars vying for their spot, and I aggressively took it. Being sober at 11:30 a.m. may have given me the advantage.

My drive home was more of the same type of madness. More floats, lots of motocycles, lots of green plastic cups tossed on the side of the road, and way more traffic than there should ever be on a Saturday morning.

I had forgotten all about that dumb parade when I set off for my guitar tuner, and my little errand took me well over an hour. It all made me realize, when you're a part of something like that parade, you think it's really fun, you're funny, you're friends are funny, etc. But when you're not a participant, everyone is just ridiculous and so not fun OR funny.

Note to self for next year: STEER CLEAR of the St. Patty's if you're not participating. (And I won't be. So I will!)

Slap Him!

2008-03-13T15:59:00.004-05:00

I think it would've been so cool and even more, so REAL if Gov. Eliot Spitzer's wife had slapped him as she stood beside him while he announced his resignation after being busted in a prostitution scandal.

We've seen this kind of thing before. The wife of a politician stands by her man when he suffers some sort of public humiliation- When he's had an affair, or announced that he's been lying about being straight, etc. He's apologizing to the public, even though it's really not their business anyway. But his wife is dutifully standing by and we all wonder, "Why?"

I'm sure much of the reason is shock. Sort of like when my mother-in-law told me I looked like I had put on weight. (Although I realize, that isn't as painful as what Ms. Spitzer is dealing with. But in my little world, it had me reeling.) I just sort of stood there like a deer (or perhaps a pig) caught in the headlights. I had no words, no good comebacks, nor did I bitch-slap her. But maybe I wouldn't still be carrying this weight around (HA!) if I had.

I don't admire Ms. Spitzer, or other women who have been in similar situations, for standing by her man. But I do feel really bad for her. And it would make me feel so much better- and she might feel better too- if she would RAGE on Gov. Spitzer, publicly. That private rage isn't really the public's business either, but now that we're involved anyway, let's really dig in.

People make mistakes all the time. They do things they're ashamed of and they treat people they love badly. I'm not condemning that because I am human, too. But let's all be human. If we're hurt, we can show it! And we don't always have to stand beside our man!

That Is So High School

2008-03-06T07:30:00.004-06:00

Last night was the premiere episode of "High School Reunion" on TVLand. (And I think it re-airs on VH-1 in a couple of days.) I'm not sure it's really interesting for the masses, but for me... OH MY!

Because both my husband and I graduated with all of these people! We're also from the graduating class of Pearce 1987.

And as I watch it, and get so much satisfaction about the train wreck I am watching, I realize that I am reverting back to a high school mentality myself. I am watching with probably WAY too much interest. I know nothing about these people's real lives (although, through the grapevine I have heard a few things-). But yet, I want "The Stud" to fall flat on his face, and I want "The Popular Girl" to look fat in her swimsuit.

And I wonder, if I had been on the show, what would my title have been? Most of these people's title on the show don't seem all that accurate- "The Bully" was really one of the nicest guys around. I'm pretty sure "The Lesbian" has a lot more going on than just her sexual preference. "The Pipsqueak" was not at all the little dork they have made him out to be. And by the way, "The Popular Girl" wasn't very popular at all. However, she apparently got pretty popular after high school, because she has been married 4 times!

I guess to make the show the way the producers wanted it to be, they had to put these people into little Breakfast Club-like boxes. I guess they know what sells. And, even though I know better, I will be buying it for the next 5 weeks.

How To Recover

2008-03-04T17:03:00.004-06:00

As you may know, if you are a regular reader of my blog (and if you are, THANKS!), my dog Scout is recovering from big surgery she had just last Friday. Basically, the easiest fix for a torn ligament in a dog's leg is to break and reset the bone. (OUCH) The vet told us that if Scout were a human, she'd be in bed, not moving around at all the first week or so.

But not my Scout! Today she got her stitches removed and I was given the thumbs up for taking her on very short walks already. I think this is what she's been praying for, if she prays.

Scout has been a model patient. She's done everything you're suppose to do when your body is trying to heal.

She has taken all her meds as directed. She even took all her penicillin until it was gone! She laid in her bed as directed. She got plenty (and I mean PLENTY) of rest. She may have felt grouchy, but she never said a cross word to any of us. She hasn't seemed to worry about how long this situation is going to last, she just sort of took it day by day. She went to her follow up doctors appointment just like she was suppose to. Even though nearly half of her body is shaved, she's not vain enough to care. She knows her beauty is NOT what it's all about right now.

Cesar Milan always says that dogs live in the moment. Yes, it's true. Scout's not worrying about when she's going to run again. She's not feeling sorry for herself. She's not thinking that her age is making things harder. She's still happy when I pet her, happy when it's time to eat, happy to lay on her pillow beside Zoe,...just happy for all the nice moments that make up her days.

I must add, not only has Scout been a trooper thru all of this, but so has Zoe. She's been calm and gentle, she hasn't been braggy about the walks she still gets to take, she doesn't complain that Scout gets to eat cheese (that disguises her pills), and she never once laughed at Scout's new funny haircut.

I Could Never Be Your Woman!

2008-03-02T22:36:00.002-06:00

I recently read an article about how and why some movies go straight to DVD and skip theaters altogether. It dispelled the myth that all "straight-to-dvd" movies suck. (Altho, in my experience, lots of them do.)

Honestly, I can't remember much about WHY decent movies sometimes never make it into theaters, but it had something to do with studio budgets, blah, blah, blah.

What I did pay attention to was the article's mention of "I Could Never Be Your Women", because it sounded like a good romantic comedy with a great cast- Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd, Tracey Ullman, Fred Willard and the young actress from "Atonement", Saoirse Ronan.

I rented it tonight- It was about an an hour and a half of snappy dialogue, a great story about our youth-obsessed society, and lots of jabs at the current TV situation. It was the best romantic comedy I've seen since, since.... well, in a long time. Everyone in it was GREAT. And I have to say, Saoirse Ronan is really talented. Her character in this movie is so entirely different than who she played so well in "Atonement", that it's hard to believe it's the same actress! But I guess that's the thing about good acting- you forget: THEY'RE ACTING!

I think this DVD is a "Blockbuster Exclusive" so if your a Netflix member, it may be time to make a change...