Smut Month at GGG Book Club

April 30, 2010

This evening, the GGG Book Club met at a public venue for our meeting to “discuss” our Harlequin Romance novel-reading experiences. We all had a few books to read – some of us managed to finish more than others.

I should explain, a couple of us are friends with a Harlequin employee, so we have connections and can get free books. We also have a certain amount of knowledge about Harlequin’s different lines of novels: they range from family-style “no kissing below the forehead” books, to chick lit, to all-out raunchy no-strings-attached sex with lots of dirty talk. (I’ve read just one of that last line, dubbed “Spice”, and it was very low on plot. And character development.)

The books we had this month were in the middle, with titles like Taming the Texas Tycoon and Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress. The “Super Romance” line was not raved about tonight, because there just wasn’t enough sex in it. Who wants to wait for page 156 to get to the action? Or, in the case of my book, skip it altogether? (They’re kissing, the word “carnal” is used… and then it’s the next morning?!) Some said the same about the “Intrigue” line, which all have plots with mysteries. Tracking criminals is evidently not a substitute for sex either. Smut month = not smutty enough.

Generally, the few “Desire” and “Blaze” novels we had in our group were up to snuff in terms of sex content, but I’ll admit I didn’t bother to read past the middle of mine because I wanted the two main characters to have personalities, but they didn’t – just luscious curves, rock-hard abs, high cheekbones, silky skin, dark tousled hair, blah blah… and a private plane and a yacht. I guess I’ve been spoiled by too many awesome books. Well, and Nora Roberts.

Near the end of our meeting at the cafe, our server came up and said, “Sorry to interrupt your book club, but can I get you anything else?” She had cleverly gleaned from our conversation that it was book club, so one of the girls felt the need to tell her, “Just so you know… we don’t read Harlequins every month! Most of the time we read good books!” (We were at the Bookshelf Cafe, which is partly a bookstore – a place where one doesn’t want to seem literarily shallow.)

Our server smiled and told us she used to volunteer reading books to seniors at an extended care facility, and read lots of Harlequins. I guess now we know where to donate our barely-used romances!

the perfect lover 188x300 Smut Month at GGG Book Club

The first sexy romance I ever read - and re-read. My sister and I have exact quotations from it ingrained in our memories. Ah, Hannah and Rook - those characters had personalities!

Pin it

Categories: BANG Book Reviews, Rants - Why I Don't Love.

Tags: books, opinions

Capitalism: A Love Story

April 29, 2010

Today, Sean and I watched Michael Moore’s most recent documentary, “Capitalism: A Love Story”.

Now, maybe I live under a rock (well, a baby I rock), but I wasn’t even aware this film existed until Sean brought it home. It’s possible that buzz about the movie was squelched a bit… but I don’t want to jump to conclusions.

It’s about the housing crash and economic crisis. In fine Michael Moore style, the documentary combines vintage and new footage, some graphic, some funny, some simply shocking; Moore finds the threads of horrifying secrets and consequences and weaves them together into a tapestry of atrocity; he goes right to the sources and gets turned away and kicked out of many of them. The audience learns about awful, heinous things done by big, “respectable” companies in the name of free enterprise (many of them the same companies known, by those who care about it, for doing other unsavoury things… Nestle, Procter & Gamble, WalMart, etc.). We discover, along with Moore, that certain “important” people have consciously committed acts so sneaky, so duplicitous, so appalling, that we almost don’t believe it. Almost.

It’s fascinating, in a nightmarish way. And it gets you thinking, as Michael Moore always does.

It got me thinking about something that’s been on my mind a lot during my maternity leave, as I ponder those women in the U.S. who get mat leaves of six or eight weeks (twelve is a generous one in the States, apparently). The term I use for this system, which offers mothers the choice between this pathetic amount of leave and quitting their jobs, is barbaric. I could go on and on about this, but let me sum up by saying this: a two-month-old baby is supposed to be with its mama.

Back to Capitalism: A Love Story. Moore starts off with a sequence that fits right in with my thoughts and questions. It’s a vintage film clip about ancient Roman civilization and what it was like, and what parts of it we would supposedly consider primitive or cruel by today’s standards. He inserts, at key moments in the narration, clips of modern-day American society that illustrate how far we haven’t come.

My question is this: what makes a country civilized? The United States of America is supposed to be the cradle of democracy, the Mecca of freedom-seekers (how do you like my ironic use of a Muslim term? ;D), a place of hope where any Joe Schmo can make it if he tries. One would think it’s supposed to be a civilized nation.

I’ve looked up “civilization” in four different online dictionaries today. The recurring definitions:

an advanced society with a high level of culture, science, industry, arts, written language, social organization, and government
people or nations that have reached this state
intellectual, cultural, and moral refinement
the act or process of being civilized
cities or populated areas
modern comforts and conveniences, made possible by science and technology

When you watch C:ALS, you start to question all these things in relation to America, or at least in relation to the people and systems who have been controlling it recently. You start to think the word “civilization” doesn’t apply. Well, okay – I’ll admit they have the cities and population thing going on… but what about the rest?

Creature comforts are hard to find if, for example, you get hit by a hurricane and your government sits on its butt.
If you have large swaths of your population living in survival mode, they are not likely to contribute to things like art, culture, science, and intellectual thought – they have more pressing concerns.
If your countrymen cannot afford to visit the doctor or hospital when they need to, what is the point of all the technological advancement?
If people in your country live in trucks while whole streets of houses sit empty, it indicates a dearth, not only of moral refinement and justice, but of any kind of logical sense.
And if these situations are not only allowed, but deliberately manipulated and encouraged by the people in power, how can we possibly call that civilized? How is it any better than Louis XIV building a palace of gold while the peasants died of starvation? How is it better than the rich leaders of those “terrorist countries” whose downtrodden populaces have no recourse when they suffer abuses?

By the end of this film, you’re so happy to see Barack Obama that you practically cry. And there are some wonderful stories of human strength and solidarity that remind you that civilization can continue to spring up all over a nation, despite the best efforts of its (former) authorities.

Also, it seems that some of the villains of the story have been getting their comeuppance since the documentary was made. I’d like to see the follow-up, a little epilogue that shows that the poopy people got what they deserved…

But I guess we’re still working on that. Michael Moore is, anyway.

Pin it

Categories: BANG Movie Reviews, Ideosophy, Politethics.

Tags: happiness, health, humanity, opinions, politics, questions, secrets

Having a Bad Mom Day

April 28, 2010

It’s not my proudest day of motherhood today. Not that anything horrible has happened – I’m just off my game. Baby E got to bed late, thanks mostly to my lack of time management today, and this after he had eaten for dinner, among other things, some kidney beans that actually were a little over-funky (I accidentally left them out overnight but didn’t realize because they got put in the fridge in the morning). Sigh.

The worst bit was this afternoon – E had been napping for an hour and a quarter, not making a peep, when I suddenly heard a thump, an ominous pause (during which I was running for his room), and a wail. The day has finally come when he can get over the crib rail – admittedly we don’t have the mattress level down as far as it can go, because he’s never been ambitious about getting out before. As I’ve mentioned, he’s not doing much climbing yet. But today he must have woken up with a newfound drive, not bothered to fuss at all, and just got right down to business… and fell right out.

He was unhurt, it seems, but was pretty scared and cried seriously for a bit. Poor sweetie. I don’t completely blame myself for that one – but I should have known it would happen sometime. You can imagine how I feel. Parents feel bad enough just when things almost happen – like the time E almost fell off the change table head first, on Daddy’s watch, but Daddy, with his grocery-store reflexes, caught him in mid-air. No harm done (unless you count Daddy’s nerves).

Or like the other evening when I was getting E mellowed out for bed, and he was feeling a bit nutty: after zerberting my chest for several minutes, leaned over and bit my arm. (He’s normally not an arm-biter – typically it’s still just noses.) It hurt and shocked me enough to yell “Ow!” quite loudly, which of course shocked the little guy, and then made him cry fit to break my heart.

Anyway, it’s all water under the bridge, there’s no permanent damage (so far… I hope!), right?

For times like this, Sean discovered the perfect pick-me-up. If this wonderful creation doesn’t bring a smile to your face or a tear to your eye, or both, I’ll eat my shorts. Ze Frank… a guy with extraordinary talents and ideas – and now you’ll want to give him a hug.

Pin it

Categories: Bébépourri, Foughts and Theelings.

Tags: baby, love, pain, parenting

Staying Hydrated

April 27, 2010

Here’s number 2! I’m getting the hang of this.

Sean discovered this technique out of the blue one time and E still enjoys it occasionally. It’s always good to have fun options for drinking.

By the way, that’s Raffi I’m singing to at the end there, I haven’t just lost my marbles.

Pin it

Categories: Bébépourri, Uncategorized, Videoposts.

Tags: baby, experience, health, parenting

Cute Baby Learnin’ Skills with Daddy

April 26, 2010

Yay, it’s video day!

Actually, it took quite a while to find success with this… I’ve had to venture into the world of YouTube so that my huge, HD videos can be accessible to y’all. I’m going to start with just one, and if it works, there will be another one tomorrow. Okay?

This one, from April 20th, demonstrates how much fun and learning can happen during potty time.

Pin it

Categories: Bébépourri, My Hubbibi, Videoposts.

Tags: baby, family

Top Six Moments from Today, in Chronological Order

April 23, 2010

E’s insistence, during potty time, on seeing Mama’s bellybutton and then launching himself forth to give zerberts;
E’s shifting expressions of confusion, incredulity, and delight when, just for shiggles, I put the cap from his bottle on my nose;
E’s shifting expressions of confusion, incredulity, and disgust when presented with a rice rusk that had been tragically (and accidentally) rinsed along with the lettuce (rice rusks are not known for their strength or integrity);
Having dinner outside, in a sunbeam, at our mammoth picnic table, and watching E enjoy the weather and proclaim the conclusion of his meal by delicately dropping peas off his tray into the grass;
An early evening walk, taking pictures of flowers to the sounds of birds and baby commentary;
My adorable hubby getting mixed up while trying to do “Eenie meenie miny” and somehow only coming up with “Eenie miny mosby… eenie miny… wait… what is it?” (Yes, we’ve been watching How I Met Your Mother, so I think it was gonna be a joke, but turned out much funnier than that.) Just like his son, he’s just so DARN CUTE when he’s confused.

Pin it

Categories: Bébépourri, My Hubbibi.

Tags: baby, family, happiness, love, nature

From the Pages of Mini-Di, Earth Day Edition

April 22, 2010

I know this might be overload on the Mini-Di… but this one has to be today, since it’s Earth Day.

Here’s what Dilovely journaled in honour or Earth Day, 1990 (age 11, almost 12):

When I got home I told N [my best childhood friend - about the idea to go litter-picking]. She thought it was a good idea (especially when I mentioned we could go to Mac’s) and we got plastic bags and set off. (My bags were biodegradable.) Our first litter was at the entrance to the woods. I carried a bag for recyclables, and N carried a bag for trash. We picked our way up to the opening, and went along, filling our bags.

Then came the young idiot-nincompoops. A bunch of boys, about our age, passed us. They said, “It’s the garbage-pickers! Look at them!” One spit out his gum and said, “Here’s something else. You gotta pick it up, it’s Earth Day.” I’m surprised he even knew. Those guys belong in N’s bag – they’re not even good enough to be recycled. They were darn rude. Oh, well, some things you can’t expect guys not to do. At that age, counter effort is a big thing. [!! Future teacher, perhaps?]

Before we got to Mac’s, N had emptied her bag twice, and filled it again, and my bag was about to overflow. We dropped them off at Hendry Lane so we could pick them up later. At Mac’s, for 43c I got a Popsicle and a whip of licorice. N got gum and a Crunchie and Starburst (one of which she gave me) and I don’t know what. She was happy. Junk food does that for her.

That evening we watched an Earth Day special on TV. It was about Mother Earth, as a person, dying. Everyone was scared and trying to help, except some bad people. People gave speeches about energy and pollution and litter and planting trees and flowers, and saving water, etc. It was good. At one part, the proffesser [sic] from Back to the Future showed some people a film of ghastly clips of pollution and dumping and oil spills. The one I thought most horrible was the one with skyscrapers with their lights on that you could hardly see because of the ugly brown smog. And someone said, “So this is what the future will be like?” and he said, “No, my friend, this is the present!” Awful! [I still remember this image. It made a big impression on me.]

That night I was all gung-ho and rip-roaring to conserve. But all that enthusiasm – well, not all of it, but quite a bit – was gone today and yesterday. And what about all those people who don’t care or even know? What about people who try to be contrary, like those guys? What will they do to the rest of us?

Naturally, I’m wondering what my 11-year-old self would think of the way things are going. These days, there is a lot of talk about the environment, and there have been some amazing innovations and initiatives that I count as positive progress for “Mother Earth”. Maybe Mini-Di would be impressed by those… but I think she might be disappointed that even now, more individual people don’t take conservation and sustainability seriously.

Twenty years sounds like a very long time when you’re eleven – like an amount of time in which you could turn everything around and do miraculous things – and we haven’t done that. Why haven’t we? Why don’t we have our act together better? If we could be suddenly face-to-face with angry, high-minded pre-teens from twenty years ago, what would we have to say for ourselves? What would I have to say for myself and to myself?

Pin it

Categories: Foughts and Theelings, From the Pages of Mini-Di, Nostalgiapalooza, Politethics.

Tags: health, memories, nature

Baby Milestones and Inevitable Comparisons

April 21, 2010

Had a mom-date today with a friend of mine and her son, who is a month younger than E. It was a fun day – watching them interact was fascinating, just trying to imagine what they’re thinking.

That being said, it was impossible not to compare the two blond, blue-eyed little boys. Baby L, although younger, is literally leaps and bounds ahead of my E. Okay, not quite literally, but this kid is physically accomplished. Firstly, he crawls the “real” way, but that’s the least of it. Soon after arriving, he crawled over to me, climbed up my knees, and held onto my shoulder with one hand and balanced, standing up. I mean, he’s practically walking. It was crazy – E is nowhere near doing anything like this. (I told him to take notes.)

I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised – L is a baby who rolled over for the first time when he was barely two months old. His mom, my friend, commented that E sure does get around efficiently [with his gimpy crawl]; she also pointed out how long he is, how much more verbal his sounds are and how much more luxuriant his hair, and that he seems, in her words, more mature and “with it” socially. (She was impressed when he waved bye-bye. Yeah, baby.)

Neither my friend nor I is overly concerned about the timing of the “baby milestones” – we are pretty laid-back and assume they’ll get there when they get there. But comparing is inevitable – and only natural, I suppose. In any case, it was a very interesting experience, watching these two boys interact. We laughed ourselves silly at L trying to grab the cup that E was holding, and E simply gripping harder, not a trace of concern on his face. They reached out to each other, stared at each other, as if they were different species to be investigated. They were so cute.

We spent some time in the backyard, where E demonstrated his aversion to grass: you put him on it, and he rolls onto his side, keeping as much of himself off it as possible. Stand him up on it and he’ll pick up his feet so they don’t touch it. We’ll have to spend some time getting used to that.

I would include a picture of these two adorable babes, but I haven’t requested permission yet… so you’ll have to settle for just one. I hope you enjoy this contemplative shot of E on our walk today. Kickin’ his legs and eatin’ cheerios by the river. With his frog hat on crooked, resembling a sou’wester.

Pin it

Categories: Bébépourri, Photoposts.

Tags: baby, experience, goals

From the Pages of Mini-Di: Homeschooling Haiku

April 20, 2010

Okay, since I’m perusing, here is another taste of the writings of a smaller, less abashed, more exuberant Dilovely.

Apparently in the Homeschooling days of early spring of 1986 (I was 7), I was taught about Haiku, poems of three lines with syllables numbering 5, 7, and 5. In a tiny spiral-bound notebook (white cover with diagonal turquoise lines on it), I wrote some Haiku in painstaking cursive. My nerdiness knew no bounds… I just wanna tousle this kid’s hair and watch her be inspired by every little thing.

The first two were under the heading “Mystery Hicu”.

Sweet Flower!

Very sweet smelling,

It’s lavender in colour,

I love that flower!

Gently Swaying.

Gently swaying tree.

Oh! Softly waving branches.

My, what a nice thought!

This next one is actually dated: 20 Apr. ’86.

Smoke

Small dancing ringlets,

Sometimes gray and sometimes white

So interesting!

By the way, amongst these Haiku I find a list of “Pretend Phone Numbers” (folks on the list are Me, B.F., Jackie, Her B.F., Clarissa, Margret, Francess, Kerry, Miranda, Taffy S., Tiffany, and Taffy Z. – for the record, I had no friends by those names), as well as a list of “Boy-Girl Names” (Kim, Sam, Terri, Nicky, Jean, Billy, Joe, Laurie, Chris, Pat, Robin, Bobby, Francies, Tony). Like I said, compulsive list-maker.

Pin it

Categories: From the Pages of Mini-Di, Miscelliterature, Nostalgiapalooza.

Tags: memories, writing

From the Pages of Mini-Di: “Minimal Attributes for Guys”

April 19, 2010

As I think I’ve mentioned, I used to be a prolific diary-writer. I had journals in all sizes, mostly supplied by my dad, and wrote oodles about everything, from the very shallow to the almost-philosophical. Sometimes I look through these volumes (29 and counting, plus supplementary quasi-journals) and am amazed/embarrassed/taken aback/reduced to tears of laughter by the things I wrote.

Here is a classic example, written in July of 1992 (making me 14 years old). It really shows off my dorkiness. I must add a disclaimer: this is not a list of requirements for a boyfriend, since by that time I had only had one pseudo-boyfriend and did not assume myself likely to have another any time soon. This was just a list of requirements for me to like a boy. I don’t even think I followed these guidelines – I’m certain I never consulted this list when considering my next crush – so we just have to chalk it up to Dilovely being a compulsive list-maker from a young age. I have not abridged it, in spite of strong urges to leave out the most cringe-worthy bits.

Here we go…

Minimal Attributes for Guys (I think I meant “minimum”)

can’t smoke, do drugs, etc.
can’t be prejudiced in any way [whoo! tall order]
can’t vote PC [good grief, kid, you're 14!]
can’t be stupid
must be smart [ohhh! I get it now.]
must like cats
must care about environment
can’t be occupied [transl. = taken, ie. if you have a girlfriend, I don't even like you!]
must have a sense of humor [sic]
can’t stink
must like hugs
can’t be a yuppie [this is my parents' influence - didn't suffer yuppies gladly - what did I mean? I think I meant can't be overly materialistic]

Would be nice if he

has dark hair
is taller than me
gives kisses to trolls [remember trolls? They were cute. I think some guy I knew had kissed a troll in my presence and obviously it made an impression.]
has good taste in music
isn’t a slob
doesn’t wear a baseball cap
has Quaker beliefs
can dance
goes to Camp
cares about animals

I’m proud to say, my husband rates very high on both these lists! Way to go, honey! I totally scored. Except for that troll-kissing thing – and that can be remedied.

TrollNakedPinkHair From the Pages of Mini Di: Minimal Attributes for Guys

I love their li'l bellybuttons.

Pin it

Categories: Dreambition, From the Pages of Mini-Di, My Hubbibi, Nostalgiapalooza, Photoposts.

Tags: goals, memories, writing

Baby Bits XV

April 18, 2010

We’ve got a few new and newly honed skills for Baby Bits!

What E is doing these days:

waving bye-bye like a pro – he can do the open-and-close wave or the arm-shake wave, at appropriate times;
extending this skill by combining the arm-wave with his expert finger-point – it ends up looking like he’s scolding you;
complementing his head-shake with nodding – not quite in context, but people always feel the need to nod back so he’s encouraged;
stiffening himself to stand when you go to sit him down;
bouncing and twisting in his exersaucer, especially when there’s music on;
eating cheerios with record speed (and cranking up the drama when he runs out);
zerberting parents and other handy people;
enjoying people’s belly buttons (your finger fits in there!);
leaning over and cocking his head to the side with a smile, as if he knows “This is how I be so cute that no-one could possibly resist me.”

He still does the army crawl rather than the classic crawl, and has not yet pulled himself up to sitting or standing. Hm. But he’s starting to be interested in things on top of tables, and reaching for them, so I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

He does tenaciously climb over the legs of people in his way, and he’ll crawl right through the exersaucer when he’s feeling intrepid. Like a tiny obstacle course.

He has also shown himself capable of crawling with a piece of his stuffed toy train in his mouth, like a dog or a cat – I was both proud and disturbed when I saw him doing this resourceful move.

It seems he has learned something from his Auntie Em putting stuff down the front of his sleeper: today when he was sitting on his potty, he pulled on my shirt to get me to come closer, as he often does – but this time he had a chewy block in his hand and totally went to put it down my neckline. (He missed, but that’s beside the point. He’s got ideas.)

Finally, there were two cool developments today while we were visiting the home of a friend, having brunch with my university housemates.

My friend has a big black dog who was very excited to see company. He barked a lot when we arrived, and E, having just woken up from the long drive-nap, was quite upset. His face crumpled despite my soothing, and for the first ten minutes, he would cry afresh every time the dog came near or brushed against his foot. Half an hour later, he was unperturbed when the dog would come by and nose him; by the end of our visit, he would let the dog lick him without a peep – he would just hide his face in his arms so as not to be face-licked. I was fully impressed by both his adaptability and his ingenuity. BABIES: they’re amazing!
Lastly, this house has a small step down into the den from the kitchen. E, after a lengthy warm-up, finally crawled up his very first step! It was thrilling to see.
P.S. I’m thinking this post begs the question: is it time for Dilovely to get some more perspective? Is she boring her blaudience with baby anecdotes that are simply too banal?
P.P.S. Oh well, I don’t care.

Pin it

Categories: Bébépourri.

Tags: baby, goals, new experiences

My Laminated List, Part II

April 17, 2010

This is all tougher than I thought. Once I finished Part I, I thought of some additions I should make – ones I can’t believe I forgot about. Also, there was a question in the comments I had to answer… so I had to go back and amend.

Then I started Part II, and realized that the women are even harder to narrow down!

But let’s get on with this, Dilovely. We’re looking mostly at actresses, since they’re the ones we watch. I may be straight, but I appreciate the hotness of women. I still feel pretty sure about who would be my type, were I not-so-straight. What I found hard was to draw the line between actresses I just think are wonderful, and those with more… visceral appeal. (I guess it would probably be easier to distinguish if I did swing that way.)

So here are the top 7 (yep, I’m bending the rules, ‘cuz it’s my blog) on Dilovely’s Laminated List o’ Famous Women – I.I.S.T.O.W.:

1. Rachel McAdams – the aforementioned Canuck who is just delicious even when she plays a bitchy character. Appealing voice, gorgeous eyes, lips, and sort of dimply/sculpted cheeks when she smiles.

2. Charlize Theron – totally luscious without being overdone. Like a star from the Golden Age. Prettiest mouth in movies – but she’s not afraid to look ugly in roles either, which is brave.

3. Salma Hayek – classic Latin beauty, and, let’s face it, amazing cleavage.

4. Jennifer Garner – She’s got the super-toned dancer body, but more appealing is the sweetness she exudes. Partly the dimples, for sure. Her smile seems so much more sincere than you expect from a movie star.

5. Maggie Gyllenhaal – There’s something earthy about her, and sassy… and she’s beautiful without being conventional about it.

6. Mila Kunis – totally exotic. If you didn’t think she was hot in Forgetting Sarah Marshall… well, what’s wrong with you?

7. Kate Winslet – She was incredible ten years ago and is no less so now. They say she’s a gal who spends a lot of time naked in her movies… and I have no problem with that. Plus, she’s ridiculously talented.

Runners up include: Laura Linney, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah, Halle Berry, Yunjin Kim, Katherine Heigl, Aishwarya Rai, Catherine Zeta-Jones… and more I haven’t thought of, I’m sure.

And again, a list of a few that I don’t deny are beautiful… but who just don’t float my boat:

1. Sarah Jessica Parker – I have enjoyed her performances but she just seems too pointy to me

2. Hillary Swank – ditto

3. Courtney Cox – too pointy, and also her voice gets a bit of a Roseanne tone to it, too often. Maybe if one could go back to the Family Ties days…

4. Paris Hilton – I know she hardly counts as an actress – but I just have to put her in there, because I cannot see her hotness. I do not understand why she has fans.

5. Angelina Jolie – Again, too hard and pointy – and when your lips are competing with your arms for screen space, the proportions seem out-of-whack.

I know our tastes vary widely and wildly… please, feel free to leave a comment detailing your list favourites! We would all love to know, wouldn’t we?

Update, a year-and-a-half later:

I have to add one! And I know I am lenient with myself about numbers, but I would actually kick out Salma for her: Marion Cotillard. I remember thinking she was goddess-like in A Good Year, but now that I’ve seen Inception and An Evening in Paris, I’m convinced it’s humanly impossible to be more exquisite than she is. She pulls off cute and sexy and powerful and vulnerable all at once… and all with her eyes alone.

***

Pin it

Categories: Humanitrivia, Photoposts, PopCulturalism, Rants - Why I Don't Love, Raves - Why I Love.

Tags: choices, love, opinions

LOL Cats and Other Critters

April 14, 2010

I got this email from a friend with a whole slew of photos, and it made me laugh until I was wiping tears from my eyes. I just had to share a few – my top six.

image2 270x300 LOL Cats and Other Critters

Chuckle if you remember Dr. Evil

image3 300x225 LOL Cats and Other Critters

Go kitty!!

image4 225x300 LOL Cats and Other Critters

Absolutely. I'll kizz it.

image5 300x203 LOL Cats and Other Critters

OMG the longer you look, the funnier it is.

image6 300x170 LOL Cats and Other Critters

And that bucket looks so innocent...

image 300x209 LOL Cats and Other Critters

Can it be real??

Pin it

Categories: Photoposts.

Tags: animals

We interrupt this broadcast…

April 13, 2010

I said planned to do Laminated List Part II next, but these news stories cannot wait. They’re not exactly breaking news… though I can’t deny they’re broken. Sean and I sit here wondering: has the real world traded places with the alternate reality of The Onion?

Here’s Story #1, complete with horrible pun in first line:

An Israeli lawmaker is hoping to butter up voters and pass a law that would limit outrageous popcorn prices at the movies.

Carmel Shama, from the governing Likud party, plans to bring the “popcorn law” for a vote when parliament returns from its Passover break next week, the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported Wednesday.

“We have to put an end to this. The public should not have to mortgage their houses for a soft drink and a snack,” Shama told the paper.

A large box of popcorn usually sells for about five dollars (four euros) at theatre concession stands, more than double what it costs at a supermarket and 10 times more than it would cost to make at home.

Shama said he had support from both the government and opposition lawmakers for the move that would put limits on what theatres and other public entertainment venues, like sports stadiums, could charge to captive audiences.

However, cinema owners slammed the move, saying it was a populist measure that ignored the free market.

Yaacov Cohen, the owner of one of Israel’s largest theatre complexes, said owners made virtually no profit from ticket sales and would be hard pressed to survive if food sales were limited.

“It would destroy the entire industry,” he told Yediot.

Priceless! Ha ha, get it? Wait, now that you mention it… expensive popcorn IS kind of a violation of our basic human rights. And as my hubby points out, Israel really does need to put some resources toward this problem, since it dwarfs the other problems currently facing the nation.

Then we have this – from today in the Post Gazette:

ERIE, Pa. — An Erie County jury has been asked to decide whether a 12-year-old girl was burned and later developed psychological problems when a convenience store clerk allegedly aimed a hand-held price scanner at her face.

Dominica Juliano was 12 when she and her grandmother entered the Country Fair store in Erie in June 2004.

A clerk allegedly called the girl “grumpy” before flashing his hand-held bar code scanner over her face and telling her to smile.

Attorneys for Ms. Juliano and her guardian say the girl was sensitive to light and burned, and later developed post-traumatic stress and Tourette’s syndrome.

An attorney for the store says the scanner uses a harmless LED light and that the child had serious health problems before the incident. The trial began Monday.

HANG that store clerk! No doubt this poor, beleaguered twelve-year-old will develop cancer and multiple sclerosis next, after this kind of treatment. And obviously the radioactive, incendiary LED rays were extremely harmful to her and her guardian, scrambling their brains until they were capable of producing only patently idiotic accusations. What a tragic story.

Pin it

Categories: Humanitrivia, Politethics.

Tags: humanity, politics

My Laminated List, Part I

April 11, 2010

Today, while eating dinner, we were watching Knocked Up, starring Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl. We were commenting – Sean, Auntie Em, and I – on Katherine’s gorgeousness, and Sean mentioned, “Yeah, she might be on my list.”

So I think it’s time to get this one out in the open. The “laminated list” from Friends has become part of pop culture for a certain generation: it’s a list of the celebrities with whom your significant other would concede you could, uh, get jiggy if you had the opportunity. (And it makes the assumption that you never will. I mean, they’re celebrities. Besides, if you really think of it, most celebrities have all kinds of sordid baggage, right? Realistically, do you want to get involved and have to consider drug habits, egos, eating disorders, megalomania, jerkishness, what have you? For the purposes of my list, I leave actual personality out of it. They’re all actors anyway, so who knows what their personality is?)

Here they are, members of Dilovely’s Laminated List o’ Famous Men (they all happen to be actors – and yes, I know it’s only supposed to be 5, but I’m a rebel):

1. James McAvoy – May I just state, for the record, that he is actually in a class by himself. I love him way more than I love the rest of these blokes. In fact, I never knew the meaning of a full-fledged celebrity crush until Atonement. There’s just something irresistible about him. He’s cute even in goat legs. He’s truly talented, and (I know I’m leaving personality out of this but) his colleagues speak highly of him so he might be a genuinely cool guy. Plus, he can do any accent – but his real one is Scottish. Sigh.

2. Jude Law- was first wowed by him in The Talented Mr. Ripley, couldn’t believe he was so beautiful.

3. Robert Downey, Jr. – was first wowed by him in high school when, for once, my girlfriends and I all were fully satisfied by the same movie: Only You. Somehow, he’s even better-looking now.

4. Colin Farrell – he has my preferred eyebrows, and a sexy Irish accent doesn’t hurt either.

5. Joseph Fiennes – he has great eyebrows too, and his beautiful, soulful eyes in Shakespeare in Love are simply unforgettable; he looks equally good with whiskers and without.

6. Ryan Reynolds – He was hot in Van Wilder and Two Guys and a Girl – and he simply continues to be so. Plus: Canadian.

7. Ryan Gosling – incredibly talented but also beautiful; amazing that he can do The Notebook, Lars and the Real Girl, and Half Nelson with equal persuasiveness. Plus: Canadian.

BONUS: I definitely meant to mention Zachary Levi, whom I only know as Chuck – and I’m WAY behind in watching Chuck anyway… but he has beautiful eyebrows. And how can one not be a little smitten by this (my fave Chuck moment so far)?

And, just for fun, a list of 6 male celebrities that other people love and who, no offense, really don’t do much for me:

1. Hugh Grant – he’s got a charming way about him, but his face is too droopy.

2. Nicholas Cage – something about him reminds me of a monkey.

3. Pierce Brosnan – basically good-looking and dashing and all, but… meh.

4. Harrison Ford – yes, he’s Han Solo and Indiana Jones, he’s a legend, etc., but physically – and I know this is sacrilege – I don’t see what all the fuss is about.

5. Robert Pattinson – Yes, I loved the Twilight books, but I had a very different Edward in mind. This one was a big disappointment for me.

6. Brad Pitt – I know, I know! What’s wrong with me? I don’t deny he’s awful pretty, but he just doesn’t wow me. Maybe if he were Scottish.

And now it’s Dilovely’s bedtime, but please stay tuned for the Laminated List, Part II: if I swung (swang?) the other way…

Pin it

Categories: Humanitrivia, Photoposts, PopCulturalism, Rants - Why I Don't Love, Raves - Why I Love.

Tags: choices, love

Eavesdropping and Snow Dropping

April 9, 2010

1. At the grocery store this evening, a cute little family is doing the shopping. Family consists of Dad driving the cart, a girl of about 8 (I guess by size, wardrobe, and status of teeth) who is riding on the front of the cart, and boy of 5 or 6, scuffling along beside, jacket askew. Both have dark hair and eyes I’m supposing they get from their mom.

Dad: So, what else do we need?

Girl (gaze homing in, razor-sharp, on a certain shelf in front of her): Brownies! (Split-second to think) …Mom said!

Boy (picking up the hint without missing a beat): Yeah, Mom said!

Dad: No, no, no.

Kids: Awww, but – Mom said!

Dilovely ducks her head to hide her smile, wondering how many times her name will be taken in vain in the years to come.

2. It snowed on the daffodils today. SO, post-Easter snowfall: CHECK. Okay Spring, we’re good to go. For real.

Pin it

Categories: Humanitrivia.

Tags: family, motherhood, parenting

Ten Months Old

April 8, 2010

Dear E,

Today you are ten months old! You weigh 19.4 pounds and you are 29 inches long. You have eight teeth, that we know of. You are also the VERY BEST BABY that we know of.

This has been an exciting month: you are so proficient at your army crawl that you have no need for regular crawling, it seems. You also like to stand up – with help. Maybe you will skip the classic crawl and go straight to walking.

Today you ate rice and veggies (not pureed!) from your cowboy bowl sent from your Texas relatives. You like eating foods you can pick up, so delicately, with your thumb and index finger: cheerios, green peas, bits of carrot and cabbage, macaroni, peach, apple… Sometimes you get carried away and put too many pieces in there, and then cry a bit because you don’t know what to do – so we help you. You also like having a big chunk of apple that you can gnaw on – it’s exciting having teeth!

You are getting more and more communicative! You say Mama and Dada, although we’re not sure if you get why. You are great at imitating, and Grandma Bevie got you to say “Gamma” recently. Over the Easter weekend, you learned to wave bye-bye. You also had a brilliant conversation:

E: *burp*

Mommy: “Wow, good burp!”

E: “Good.”

Mommy, delighted: “Yeah! Good!”

E: “Yeah.”

I don’t care if it was completely accidental. It was real to me.

A couple days ago, Auntie Em wrote in an email to some relatives, “Sometimes I put things (toys, walnuts) down the front of his onesie and then he pulls the top away from himself and looks in quizzically but today was the first time he actually reached in to get the toy by himself! I almost cried. Now my workload will be reduced by half.”

In fact, one morning I went to change you out of your sleeper and lo and behold, there was a walnut still in there! (Shell on, obviously.) Poor little sweetie. We felt bad but couldn’t help laughing – and you’re such a good sport.

The thing that’s been making us laugh the most is the way you figured out, all on your own, how to zerbert people. The first thing was Auntie Em’s leg, but today you created a veritable symphony on my stomach. It was simply awesome.

Right at this moment (5:11 p.m.) I am watching you truckin’ on into the kitchen with two of your chewy blocks – undoubtedly headed for the cat’s water bowl, which you like to splash in whenever you can get there quicker than we can. (You’ve only succeeded a couple times, but you remember.)

Here you are, testing your legs. Getting pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. It’s a bit blurry because you like to sort of jig about while you’re standing. (And my iPhone isn’t the greatest for shutter speed.)

We love you!

Pin it

Categories: Bébépourri, Photoposts, Uncategorized.

Tags: baby, balance, goals, new experiences, parenting

What to do if you don’t like rain – or if you do!

April 7, 2010

Our lawn is getting luscious already – what a therapeutic sight for sore eyes! Especially since we planted clover. It’s spreading like crazy and greener than green. It’s not shy; it’s butting in (or budding in?) all over the place, more trusting of this warmth than I am.

Here are some lovely words, in case the rain makes you glum. Think about thirsty plants and how happy they are. Then, think about how great it is to see and hear robins, now that they’re back.

The Rain, by William Henry Davies

I hear leaves drinking rain;

I hear rich leaves on top

Giving the poor beneath

Drop after drop;

‘Tis a sweet noise to hear

These green leaves drinking near.

And when the Sun comes out,

After this Rain shall stop,

A wondrous Light will fill

Each dark, round drop;

I hope the Sun shines bright;

‘Twill be a lovely sight.

Robin in the Rain, by Raffi

Robin in the rain,

Such a saucy fellow.

Robin in the rain,

Mind your socks of yellow.

Running in the garden on your nimble feet,

Digging for your dinner with your long, strong beak.

Robin in the rain,

You don’t mind the weather

Showers always make you gay.

Bet the worms are wishing you would stay at home,

Robin on a rainy day — don’t get your feet wet,

Robin on a rainy day!

Pin it

Categories: Humanitrivia, Miscelliterature.

Tags: animals, nature

The Easter Turtle

April 6, 2010

On our way to my parents’ house on Easter, we had a little adventure. Here is what we saw on the side of the road, fixin’ to cross:

Just crossing the street! What's all the fuss about?

It looks small in the photo, but this was definitely one of the bigger turtles I’ve seen alive. (Not that I’ve seen nearly enough turtles for my liking… sigh.) She was at least the size of my six-month pregnant belly (if not seven).

Sean pulled over and got out of the car as this turtle trudged out into the road. It was on a rural road but not that far out of the city, so there was light traffic. My good hubby stood like a flag to let people know not to run over this animal – though there was one driver who was apparently not paying attention and drove right over it, and it was sheer luck that the turtle was between the tires and was safe.

I got out and brought E to see after a couple cars had stopped and people were starting to gather, curious. The turtle (we figure it was a she, crossing to the pond to lay her eggs) had not liked getting almost run over, and was frozen in the middle of things. Sean had lifted her a bit to try to get her going, then quickly let go when she apparently craned her neck around as if to punish him with a chomp. (I’m told she was a snapper.) She also stretched her legs a few times, to rise up and look threatening, I guess.

As my baby and I joined the fray, a guy from the house across the road came out, proclaiming loudly, “It will rip your hand off! Don’t touch it! Trust me, it’ll rip your hand right off! Hundred percent guaranteed!”

He deals with these turtles regularly, it seems. While he went to get a shovel, a lady in a white capri pantsuit nudged the turtle with her foot until she began to walk again. There was a small crowd of us slowly crossing the road with this majestic reptile, including a young gentleman wearing a very festive purple shirt with an orange tie – and a fedora with an orange band. He was particularly enraptured.

Unfortunately, as I say, this photo does not do our Easter Turtle justice. Her back was all mossy, her legs ancient-looking and scaly, her eyes ringed with wrinkles – and they did a funny rolling thing whenever she blinked. Looking at her, you could suddenly envision a direct line to prehistoric times, when this venerable lady had many more scaly compatriots than she does now.

It seemed downright rude of this guy to literally shovel our distinguished creature off the road over the fence (to where the pond was), especially since she’d made it to the side of the road by this time. We all cringed, worrying that he was hurting her with his sharp shovel, and winced when she hit the grass with a thunk. But I guess he knew what he was doing.

We were the naïve ones, asking each other, “How will she get herself flipped over?” Well folks, the turtle has not survived for millions of years without knowing how to turn itself over. This one waited for a minute, then stretched her legs experimentally and proceeded to put her neck out – that is, stretch until her head touched the ground to lever herself back over. Crazy cool!

Relieved, we all went back to our cars and drove merrily away. And that’s the story of the Easter Turtle.

Pin it

Categories: Humanitrivia, My Hubbibi, Photoposts, Uncategorized.

Tags: animals

Easter Sunshineday

April 5, 2010

Blessed Family.

Pin it

Categories: Bébépourri, Photoposts.

Tags: baby, family, love

Happy Holiday!

April 2, 2010

Sorry for my silence the last few days… dearie me, where does the time go?

Just wanted to pop in and say, Happy Special Weekend! Whether you’re

…celebrating the resurrection of Jesus

…recovering from Passover dinner

…hunting for coloured eggs

…doing colouring contests (they still have those, right?)

…partying in honour of Hans Christian Andersen’s 205th birthday

…hiking in the glorious spring weather

…cooking up a storm

…gathering together with your family

…or waiting for a new member of your family

I hope you’re having a happy, lovely day.

Pin it

Categories: Humanitrivia.

Tags: baby, family, food, friends, happiness, pregnancy

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Categories

Let’s write about…

Popular Posts

Recent Posts

Archives