New Guitar Hero 4 World Tour 2008 Commercial: Ad Feat. Kobe, Phelps, A-Rod, and Hawk

My house is full of Guitar Hero nuts...rock band nuts... and now I know what they want for Christmas.

Check out Michael Phelps on the sofa! Claie that's for you!

Darius Goes West: The Vehicle

Are you feeling disgruntled about life? Are you the parent of a teen or have get to hang out with teenagers at all? You NEED to watch this movie. What an amazing story. A story of friendship, of young men who are making a difference. A story of hope, love and a little goofiness. You will not be sorry.

I work in a high school. In our high school there are 4 young men who suffer from the same disease as Darius. One is our class. Today we watched it as a class in lieu of our community trip. Talk about hitting home... In December the Darius Goes West crew is coming to our school. We just have to convince the English Department chair to "strongly encourage" the english teachers to show this movie before the rally. They all really need to see this. THEY can make a difference in someone's life and by doing so, they may learn that that person has changed them.

Let's hope it all works out. Let's hope that there is room among the QCC's, standards, goals and NCLB rules to live outside the box, students and teachers alike.

The Part where I reveal I have the mentality of a 12 year old

OK, so I have a brain filled with useless knowledge, or so I thought until I tried playing the movie quote game. What I thought was so OBVIOUS, because these 10 things come up in conversation quite frequently in my insane household, were not so obvious. And vice-versa. T had me stumped -- and I did want to cheat. I may still over #9.

Here are my titles -- and strong recommendations to head back to the 80's and 90's and watch some good flicks and have some harmless fun...

1. She's Having a Baby -- despite being a John Hughes classic, makes me cry at the end EVERY TIME. This movie seemed to have a long run on TNT and I remember for a while it played every Sunday afternoon. This just happened to coincide with a good family friend, a priest's, visit everytime. I swear he thought we were nuts crying over this movie again and again. Kate Bush's This Womans's Work is an awesome song.
2. Moonstruck -- Most of you got this one
3 Waterboy -- Kathy Bates + Adam Sandler add some cajun fun and football...
4. Stripes - classic. It doesn't help that I have relatives in Wisconsin, and hubby says this EVERY time the great state of Wisconsin is mentioned.
5. Cheaper by the Dozen
6. Mr Mom-- I can never look at carpool the same...
7. Caddyshack
8. & 9. So I Married an Axe Murderer a family classic, Mike Meyers at his best, a MUST see for anyone with scottish roots.
10. A Fish Called Wanda still makes me laugh, everytime...wait what was that middle part?

Movie Line Meme

Another fun post-- I have been so NOT creative these days... Here is a challenge by Shelly at Keeper of the Keys. I just can't resist a quoting contest!

OK, check out my answers Shelly-- won't post them in your comments less someone find themselves in the near occasion of sin and feel they must CHEAT:
1. Planes Trains and Automobiles 2. Mystic Pizza (?) 3. Mr. Mom 4. Great Outdoors? 5. Happy Gilmore 6. Over the Hedge 7. 16 Candles 8. ??? 9. Breakfast Club 10. The Jerk (also one of our FAVORITE quotes!)

Here we go...these are probably too easy, but I am tired:

1. "...it's grouper. I try to make you happy and you mock me!"
2. "La luna, la bella luna"
3. "...well a snake don't really have parts. I guess you could call it, the knee."
4. "Wisconsin? I got my ass kicked in Wisconsin once."
5. "You soaked his pants in meat? ... You have a gift, a dark gift"
6. "...you're doing it wrong. North to pick up, south to drop off."
7. "where did it go? Right in the old lumberyard."
8. "Head, pants, now!"
9. "Piper down! Piper down!"
10. "Don't eat the green ones, they're not ripe yet."

So ladies, take the challenge! See if you know all my movie quotes and come up with 10 of your own and tag a few more people. I tag:
Julie,
Lori,
Bridget,
Colleen
T and
Rachel

You can leave the answers in my comments or put them on your post. Don't forget to let me know how you did! My quotes are much easier than Shelly's!

Tag you're it

So after a busy day of Special Olympics Bowling, carpools taxi-ing, laundry and an orchestra concert, I am finally ready to confess about bad hair.

My friend Sara has challenged me along with Rachel, Shannon, Kalynne and Big Mamma to describe our worst hair disaster. I bet you have been there. Well, most of you. It always happens when you crave a change. I have to say my sister-in-law has had the exact SAME hair since she was 8 (42 years ago). She looks the same now as she did at 17... long, BLOND, parted down the middle, silky smooth hair. Maybe it has varied in length by a few inches over the years. Hair disaster for her? Oh no, they cut 1/2 inch too much!

Me on the other hand? No, as Sara put it, she has seen me with lots of different 'dos in the 10 years I have known her. My personal philosophy? Go for it! It's just hair, it will grow back.

So to play along, I decided to take a trip down memory lane looking for my best disaster. Out came the photo album my mom gave me a few years ago as a Christmas gift. It is full of all the old pictures of me. What a trip! I know, you want to see them, all of them, pictures of hair from hell. However, in good conscience, I can not post forever to the Internet the horror of my mushroom-cut in 1990 (+ a 50 lb pregnancy gain... beautiful). Nor can I share the myriad bad perms of the 80's-especially the spiral perm I had just a week before my wedding. I won't share the poodle-perm short cuts of the late 70's or "chick-mullet". That was a personal best. After a few years of having my ponytail freeze in the morning after swim practice and before school, I began my super short pixie days. Easy maintenance!

This also made my mother happy --- her personal mantra for all of us, "You look so much nicer with shorter hair..."

I finally ran across this lovely picture. Me at 12 years old. See how smart I looked sporting these rocking glasses? I was so proud of them. This picture represents the end of my who-cares hair days and the beginning of my gooberhood. I was on the edge of cool for so long. This was 1977, there was no "product" then... just a little Breck or Flex Shampoo and you were done.

What a great horror pic to post.

Then, it hit me, holy shit!! I have the same haircut today! Proof positive? A picture of me taken at TONIGHT's orchestra concert. See Sean hiding behind me? He's invisible isn't he? All 6'3" of him. What goes around comes around I guess.

We'll discuss the grey later, and my recent decision to go natural (see how my hair is now at least 3 colors?) and maybe a little philosophy on self esteem too...




So now I tag:
Bridget, who also "looks so much nicer with short hair..."
Julie, a sister from another mother...
Lori who has a great hair cut now but I know has a secret or two..
the other Sarah who might take a break from her thoughtful, cerebral posts to share a story or two...

Thank you

Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers. There is not much you can say or do at a time like this, but get busy and pray. I have been mentally working on writing something about last week, about the years to come for my aunt. And it just won't come out coherently, yet. It will.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Mary and Martha-- and a woman's struggle for balance between to two. Somehow, though I think if you are a Mary you don't sit around wondering how you could get busier... I am pretty sure most of us Martha's are hoping for just a little touch of Mary.

Maybe tomorrow.

Sometimes life is more than not fair. I can't even put into words. But lately words have been my solace.

Tonight I just ask for your prayers.

My cousin Desha was killed in a car accident last night in Portland. She left behind a mother and 2 sisters and an amazing boyfriend.

Dear Jesus, please keep them in strong. Hold them in the palm of your hand. Let them KNOW your love, feel your strength. Mary, as a mother who knows too well the grief of losing a child please bestow your grace on Maureen.

Mayberry? No, just Roswell

Most people who read this live within a 5 mile radius of me. But for those few who are a bit farther, I must preface my comments with a little explanation.

As my sister puts it, people in Atlanta are the biggest "panickers". We once had school cancelled because they THOUGHT it was going to snow. It never did.

This week's month's panic involves gasoline. Here in Atlanta we are definately a commuter town. We drive everywhere. But now we have to look at this...photo Mark Humphry AP

There is an issue with pipelines, hurricanes, state emission regulations. Bottom line, shortage=panic. People will wait up to 2 hours and pay premium prices to get gas. The search for gas permeates conversations, facebook status and dreams. It is on the news and the radio, and since CNN is based here, the national news sometimes.

Really, it sucks. It is an uneasy feeling when you live in an area dependent on cars. It is amazing how many things we I have taken for granted.

But, there is a silver lining. Saturday, we took the two young ones and walked for our weekend splurge coffee. Tonight on my way home from my 2nd to last carpool run the sidewalks were full! Families walking up to the grocery store, people on bikes. It almost feels like Mayberry. Rhett takes the train more for his 26 mile commute to work, and has read 3 books!

We are all looking at our travel habits and actually changing. Small steps... all it takes are a few small steps... by a LOT of people.

The inner hippie in me is coming out.

civic duty completed

So I have completed my civic duty. Jury duty is over. I spent a long day sitting in a big room. 24 people and I were chosen as potential jurors but never made it to voir dire.

I can just see the attorney now, "There are 25 really tired and cranky people up there who have been sitting in uncomfortable Naugahyde chairs since 8 am. Let's settle this now, because you don't want me dragging their tired asses down here at 3:30." I assume that this plea was successful and that the case was pleaded out. At 3:30 the 25 of us were the last to be dismissed.

Here are the top ten FIVE things I have learned about life and about jury duty:

1. Take that lesson you have learned from special ed and KNOW WHEN TO ENGAGE and when NOT TO! This can be very important when the belching, personal space invading, woman(?) sits next to you and tries to explain the economic crisis to you by reading the subtitles aloud for everything on CNN...all morning long.

2. In Fulton County you are no longer needed for jury service if you are 70 or older. You can be president, but you are not qualified to sit in a big room with 300 people. I say, let's fill the room with retiree's-- they have lots of wisdom and lots of time. And, in my dad's case, lots of opinions--ilyt!

3. Suggest to your lawyer friends that they really need to install a mini cam in the waiting room. Who needs voir dire when you can see/hear what people are really like.

4. Everyone else's life is way more important than yours. They will not stop talking about how important they are and how much this is wasting "their" precious time. You and the 298 other people in the room can sit there...

5. I would suggest that lawyers examine the items potential jurors bring with them-- who comes to jury duty sit in a big room WITH ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?? No book? Newspaper? Crackberry? Comic book? Is this the person you want deciding your fate? You know you are going to have to sit there for a long time... come prepared.

I should really sit here and work on 5 more, but Rhett has gone to bed and thinks I am placing my blog before him...

My lesson for the day, I am glad that I answered the call. As I was headed out to lunch the bells were ringing at the Shrine. Who else gets such a personal invitation to Mass? It was nice, a much better way to spend 1/2 my lunch break. I don't get to daily Mass much now that I am working.

I had forgotten it was the feast day of the Archangels. Even better.

St. Michael, pray for us!

Off to bed!

100 things about me for my 100th post!!!

100 things about me

1. I have 3 younger sisters

2. We are all named Mary…. Simply because someone told my dad he couldn’t do that…

3. I get my stubbornness from my dad

4. I went to 7 different schools by 8th grade, we moved a lot

5. In 1st grade (the first half), I went to Catholic school. My teacher’s name was Sr. Joyce and all the kids were mean to me because they thought we were related.

6. In my second half of 1st grade I went to public school in KC. In Kansas we were not allowed to use erasers EVER. I cried every time I thought I made a mistake.

7. I would continue to quietly cry about things in school until 6th grade when I started to cry when I didn’t know the answer to a math question. Sr. Celestine reamed me out in front of the class for being a crybaby and told me never to shed a tear in school again.

8. I never cried in class again.

9. Some people may harbor anger over something like that. I chose Celestine as my confirmation name—guess I wasn’t damaged too much.

10. In 3rd grade I was bullied by a girl named Maria. She made fun of me because I couldn’t shake my fingers and make some weird sound. Daniel came home doing it last spring – the older ones were annoyed because they said it mimicked shaking down a can of Skoal—they can all do it and I still can’t.

11. I considered my best friend in KC the weirdest girl I knew because she ate ketchup on her eggs and liked to fart in her sleeping bag and then hide in there and smell it.

12. I learned to love the Spanish language after I was assigned to be a “buddy” to a young girl who moved to KC from Bogota in 1st grade. I was her ESOL. We would remain great friends for a long time

13. Years later we would both have dads who transferred us to Atlanta. I think she is still here. I should look her up.

14. I love watching “How it’s Made” on the Discovery Channel because it reminds me of the factory visits on Mr. Rogers. That was my favorite part of the show.

15. I was secretly excited to watch Mr. Rogers with my daughter because they were running reruns from 1971 in 1990, and it was like being 6 all over again.
16. I lived in KC for almost 3 years and I never remember it snowing or being cold, I only remember hot.

17. One of my happiest memories of childhood is sitting on the top of the toilet tank watching my dad shave in the morning.

18. I was an outspoken bull-headed high school girl who ranted and raved about women’s equality in the workplace and then I stayed home for 18 years with my kids—and pouted miserably when I went back to work.

19. I was “Sweet 16 and never been kissed”.

20. I have a horrible potty mouth and am way to comfortable dropping the f bomb.

21. When I moved to Atlanta I couldn’t understand a southern accent, including Jimmy Carter’s…now I don’t ever hear it.

22. My first job other than babysitting was scooping ice-cream.

23. I managed the Pub on campus in college. We were only allowed to serve beer and wine coolers because we were within 100 ft of an elementary school.

24. I was a little sister to 2 different fraternities in college – and not because I slept my way in.

25. I once told a joke that was so funny my friend fell on her face from a standing position (OK, other things may have contributed)

26. My second half of 4th grade was in a split class. I can’t remember if it was 3rd/4th or 4th/5th. I don’t remember anything about that school other than both my friend and I had a crush on Michael Landon.

27. I love to read and spent many Saturdays reading 2 or 3 Nancy Drew mysteries in a row when I was 10 – 12.

28. Bit-o-Honeys remind me of my grandpa who used to keep them in his desk drawer in the basement. He would always sneak me one.

29. I made 2 First Communions – one in KC where we lived and one in Detroit where the family was. I don’t thing my grandparents knew about the first one. I got to wear my dress twice!

30. Despite many years in Catholic school, I still can’t remember the Act of Contrition and get nervous before confession every time.

31. Nothing but a chain link fence separated my house from my school when we lived in KC. We used to climb under the fence to play on the playground.

32. When we lived in Farmington, we had a babysitter that was very heavy. We loved her so we would lie and tell my mom that we ate all the chips and ice-cream so that she wouldn’t get in trouble.

33. I hate Star Trek.

34. I bought a stick-shift in college just so people wouldn’t borrow my car.

35. I am sort of known as the “worst case scenario” person, I don’t think of it as anxiety I just think it is being ready for any situation.

36. In high school I participated as a native speaker in Spanish oration contests and won, even though I am not Hispanic.

37. My bedroom in our apartment my last year in college was actually a sun porch—an un-insulated window-filled sun porch. I coughed through most of my senior year.

38. My friends and I were charter members to our sorority just so we didn’t have to go through rush.

39. I worked in CBD in New Orleans in college and used to walk 5 blocks to the street car ALONE with a ball point in may hand for self defense because I was too shy to ask people for a ride home.

40. For my senior vocation project in high school, all my friends had cool “jobs” like working for radio stations and ambulance services. I worked with a nun in Hispanic Catholic Social Services.

41. I went to speech therapy for 3 years because I could not correctly make the soft “g” “j” or “ch” sound. My maiden name starts with J and I am still self conscious if people ask me to say it loudly in front of them.

42. I loved swimming, and got up at 5 am to go to swim practice before school because our school didn’t have access to a pool. I did this just for HS swimming—never swam year round.

43. My car pool hated me and used to make me walk to the front of our neighborhood (in winter) to meet them – just to be mean. It was the only way to get there so I walked – if my mom didn’t drive me 10 houses down the street.

44. I ended up going to college with some of the guys from my carpool and they still didn’t like me. I still don’t know why.
45. I tore ligaments in my ankle twice in high school, both times by falling down like a spaz I am still a little afraid to wear high wedge heels in case my ankle will turn.

46. I was flashed 3 times my freshman year in college – and I would end up punching my nearest guy friend in frustration just because they had the “equipment”.

47. My second date with my future husband was going to the zoo on a Sunday afternoon. My room mates followed us the whole afternoon with a camera playing spy because they had nothing better to do that day.

48. We never saw them.

49. We got engaged after 9 months of dating. My first answer was “Yes!”…. then “I don’t know, I have to pray on it…. “And I did. Good thing, 20 years later I am still glad I said yes.

50. Unfortunately, Rhett’s grandfather passed away a few days after he proposed. When distant cousins asked who I was, Rhett answered honestly. His sister always chided us for “announcing” our engagement at a funeral.

51. We forgot to choose a wedding song, so the wedding band chose for us…”Cherish” by the Commodores is forever “our song”.

52. My first piece of wedding advice to young couples is to choose a song first!

53. As newlyweds we left a cat at my folks’ house saying we didn’t want to pay a pet deposit but adopted a dog 5 months later. The cat stayed with them. My mom hated cats.

54. I have peed in a parking lot in a bridesmaid dress --- not my most stellar moment.

55. My husband I made a vow NOT to play Pictionary in order to maintain a happy marriage – haven’t played game one in 21 years! (Let’s just say architects and spazzes are not good matches when drawing)

56. My dream house is the Incredible Family’s house.

57. I have a degree in history and know little about European history because I just never cared about it. I have a family that is addicted to the Renaissance Festivals and they are always asking me questions I can’t answer.

58. I am rarely wrong and seldom admit it if I am.

59. I went out drinking 50% of the days during my freshman year in college and I got a 4.0—I wish I could reconnect to that inner intellectual (not the inner drunk).
60. We got pregnant early in our marriage and were both very upset-- it was too early. Then we had a miscarriage and we were so devastated that we got pregnant with Claire 3 months later (Not by mistake!)

61. I hate being late and used to be very impatient when things/people were late. God has put lots of opportunities to perfect this flaw and practice patience--- lots---- and I am now late on bills more than I should be …

62. Sometimes when I get really angry tears come out, I am not really crying, but the fact that it looks like I am crying makes me even angrier and it becomes a vicious cycle.

63. I have always hated brussel sprouts. So much so, that when forced to eat them as a kid I would cut them up in ¼‘s and swallow them whole. My kids do not have to eat brussel sprouts.

64. Chicken pot pies and the smell of Shalimar will always make me think that a babysitter is coming.

65. In college when I was working at Saks and very homesick I followed a woman around the store because she was wearing Shalimar and it reminded me of my mom.

66. I shamelessly quote lines from movies in any situation; especially when the conversation hits a dead spot.

67. I wish I had travelled more when I was young, but wouldn’t trade the alternative (Rhett and kids) for anything.

68. I am personally responsible for my sister Sheilah hating Chinese food because I force fed her nasty bean sprouts from an “a la Choy” dinner when babysitting.

69. I never learned my 12 times tables, I think I moved before we got to them.

70. I am birthday challenged. It is horrible. I don’t want to be, I have gotten all kinds of organizers and electronic reminders to change that, and still I forget. The best is when I buy a card a week ahead of time and still don’t send it. If you are my friend, know that I do think of you on your birthday, I am just incapable of letting you know in a timely fashion.

71. We once spent a weekend reunion with our college friends where we did nothing but play UNO, drink a few beers and occasionally feed the kids. Two days straight of
UNO!

72. I love to refinish furniture.

73. I love NBC t.v. and can’t wait for the new season.

74. I also love the Desperate Housewives of ______ series on Bravo. Sad, but true. The jury is still out on the new Atlanta series.

75. I used to be able to ride a unicycle. I bet I still can.

76. I am a Martha Stewart addict; you wouldn’t know it by my house.

77. I love flowers, and HATE working in the garden.

78. I wear my extended wear contacts WAY too long.

79. I am 100% Irish American.

80. I love to knit, but I can only knit rectangles.

81. When I was 12 I was on a “water ballet” team, and we performed in front of an audience an entire show to the Grease soundtrack.

82. I love IKEA.

83. I HATE matching socks, I have tried every trick in the book to make it easier and I still end up with a basket full of mismatched socks.

84. I love the smell of Downy.

85. When I retire I am going to take advantage of those programs that let seniors audit college classes for free and I am going to go to college until I die.

86. I have never watched an episode of Little House on the Prairie with out crying, even at 11.

87. I work as an assistant in the special ed program in our local high school and love it.

88. I went to school in NOLA and consider it my second home! Red beans and rice, Barqs, Dixie, mufalettas, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest

89. I am a movie junkie, sometimes the stupider the better!

90. I love to cook and my kids hate to eat anything beyond the 10-12 meals they are used to .

91. I really don’t like to argue….

92. I have watched all 3 Lord of the Rings-Extended versions in one sitting, THREE times!

93. I am a giant goober.

94. I am an active happy practicing Catholic.

95. I have 4 kids that I love dearly.

96. I have one husband that I love even more.

97. I am an uncoordinated spaz for the most part. The best part is that I trip, but I never fall.

98. I am a fountain of useless knowledge, sometimes called She Who Knows Everything.

99. I got to see sea turtles hatch and begin their journey to the sea.

100. This was the hardest thing I have done in a long time, but I am glad that I did.
.