maybe it's a bowling alley!

i won not one, but THREE major awards last night! i don't think i stopped laughing for most of the night, which is a reward in itself....a big karaoke party (i've never karaoked before, if you can believe it!) i won the "i am special" ribbon, the "spirit award" ribbon, and.... da da dahh! female vocalist of the night award! hooray! while i suspect this is a dubious honor, based on what i know of how karaoke is generally judged, but it was people's choice, so the fans love me! :) my humble thanks....

*warning* this post contains strong language & opinions

"australian dad says, 'i was addicted to incest'.". plug your ears if you must, but to this i cry BULLSHIT. how conveinient in our society that anything we want can, in the blink of an eye, become an "addiction". we merrily throw our self-control, morality, conscience and impluse control out the window in favor of self-indulgence and "me me me" ... and if anyone calls us on it, we're "addicted". to shoes, reality tv, starbucks, fashion, tech toys, email, the internet, sleep, cars, whatever. being "addicted" removes any personal responisibility at all - we become "victims" rather than people who made choices. i am not talking here about genuine addiction - i am talking about the things we claim addictions that are just our own craven darkness that we want to absolve ourselves of responsibility for. so to this man, who is sorry he got caught and looking for a way to become a victim instead of a perpetrator, i say bullshit. you are not a victim. you deserve everything the book could possibly throw at you, and then some.

the pond that goes "brwaaahhhk"

the opposite is also true.

don't bother with "beowulf" - we turned it off. well, i think curtis would have watched it through for the animation (he is a tech geek), but it was graphically violent, boring (who knew the two could go hand in hand?), vaguely cheesy, and not much better "motion caption animation" than the regular "computer animation" in shrek. and you know what? the fact that it's "literature" doesn't help it all. frankly, just cause it's an old manuscript doesn't mean it's actual literature, (keep an eye out for snarky comments from vincent .... ), it just means it's old. it may very well be interesting because of that, but c'mon. it was not even worth the 30 minutes of my life i wasted watching it. if it's on your "wanna see it" list, i heartily suggest you cross it off.

in brighter news, it's going to be a gorgeous day & the girls are off early, so sarah and i are taking them to duke gardens to hang out. i'll try to remember my camera to take pictures of all the baby birds, turtles, flowers and other glories of nature! every now and then a day is perfect - i hope this is one of them.

product placement

gather round, children. i have wisdom to impart... or at least, some random recommendations for you!

in the catagory of movies, i've seen three fantastic films lately!

1. eastern promises - this movie definitely earns it's "R" rating, but the story is tight, the acting is fantastic and the ending is ... well, go rent it! it was 4 stars for sure!
2. gone baby gone - this movie got really good critical reviews, so i was prepared to hate it. "nuanced" generally means "boring" and "deft story telling" usually means "pointless". this movie was neither! curtis and i were both glued to our seats - it was gripping & well told & surprising & left us gaping at each other, asking "what would you do?" 5 stars. totally.
3. born into brothels - this is a stunning documentary of the children of india who are born to prostitutes in the red light districts. a photographer who went to document the lives of the women fell in love with the children, and began to teach them photography - and much of the story is told through their own photos of life in the brothels. this manages to tell the truth of their story without leaving the viewer despairing... definitely worth it.

also, i have to recommend clorox 'green works' household cleansers. they are amazing! i don't think i've ever used a product that actually worked as well as it said it would, never mind a "green" product! i am switching over as my bottles run out, and have 3 of them already - they are great! you go, clorox! save the world and clean your bathroom, all at the same time!

learning all over again... again.

“… then I realized my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant – I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet still I belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me … whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health my fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” - david

it's the "yet still" that is so profound. that "yet still", despite it all i belong to him. that "yet still" he loves me. that "yet still" i am a daughter. "yet still...he is mine forever."

mark says....

"smile - it's friday!"

he has a point. not a great one, but a point none the less.

so here's to a change in the weather - both literally & metaphorically.