I loved When Harry Met Sally so, so much. Naturally I was excited to see that a sequel was in the works. With Helen Mirren! Check out the preview. Hope you’re not drinking anything because you’re going to laugh! (There are a couple of swears. Sorry!)
There is something going on in our family that I haven’t wanted to talk about. It’s been very traumatic for me and I’ve had a hard time dealing with it. But I need to be upfront. I need to get this out in the open.
My husband likes country music.
You guys, I’m from Detroit. I never met anyone who listened to country until I went to college. I always thought that the people who like it are the countriest of bumpkins. (I know this isn’t really true because the hickest people I’ve ever known all liked Heavy Metal.) It was the kind of music that everybody made fun of when I was growing up; the musical equivalent of living in a trailer. And now my husband likes it. Not just likes it but buys it! He even goes to concerts. Since I can’t bring myself to spend a lot of money on music I don’t care for, he has been taking India to concerts with him. And now she likes it! (That plan really backfired on me.) Next think you know he’s going to chew tobacco and buy a pick-up truck.
Oh wait, he did buy a pick-up truck. I thought he was just being practical.
The funny thing is that I imagine that I am embracing the “country lifestyle”. I mean, we live in Texas! By choice! And we love it! But there’s only so far I can go. You can take the girl out of Detroit, but you can’t take Detroit out of the girl, I guess. Maybe I like The Country the way it’s portrayed in movies. All the houses are darling and have pies in the windows and every town has a cute little main street. There is no mention of WalMart, double wides, or people wearing camo with every outfit.
Mister explained why he likes country music. “The lyrics are uplifting. The songs are about things I identify with like being a good person and having a family.” And then he played me some song about a dad whose little boys prays because he sees his dad praying. And it made me cry.
Excuse me for going AWOL. I finally, after months of hemming and hawing, got an iphone. My texting days of pressing the button three times to get an “s” are over. Praise be!
On top of that I had to get a new hard drive for my laptop. All my music was backed up on Mister’s hard drive (which he misplaced for two months!) but it was a complete mess when I restored itunes. I lost all my playlists (because of course my ipod died at this exact moment too). This has been very distressing to me because I spend a lot of times getting my playlists just right. They are finely crafted and the songs have to flow perfectly. I like to base my playlists mostly on my moods. Cheery music (both cheery classical and cheery vintage) and pensive music. I have my Western Swing playlist (Come on, I’m in Texas!), my workout playlist, my sassy playlist, my playlist for when it’s a sunny, beautiful day and I’m just in the best mood, my Jane Austen playlist, my playlist for when I’m making dinner (I have a couple of those). The playlists go on and on.
Have I mentioned that I pretty much only listen to old-fashioned music? (Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong decade/century. But then I think how much trouble I would get in for my smart mouth and how I hate being bossed around which would be my lot in life as a woman a hundred years ago. So then I’m really glad that I do live now.) Yes, I sound like an old grump when I hear those young whippersnappers and their crazy music (is it just me or does every song nowadays sound the same?) But I like what I like and so what if I pull up at the stoplight and have Fats Waller blaring? (Fats Waller is the best, by the way.)
That was a very long explanation for why I haven’t been blogging. Instead of blogging I’ve been trying to get my life in order, musically speaking. And I’m trying to figure out my iphone, which is only somewhat intuitive despite what my husband claims. I got a nice calendar app with lots of alarms since I have turned into a complete space cadet in the last couple of years. And I have the scriptures app so I can pretend to be following along in Sunday School but can really be reading about celebrity baby names (I never brought my scriptures anyway. Why should I? They always read the scriptures out loud.)
I know most of you are not Luddites like me and have had an iphone for years (including Mister who waited in line all night to get the very first iphone back in ’07.) What advice would you give me? What apps are your favorite? What can you just not live without?
P.S. I’m also over at Segullah talking about hating Utah. Sort of.
This is my review of the new movie Inception:
Also, Ellen Page must be a very tiny woman. Like the size of an eight-year-old. And Marion Cotillard looks about eight jillion times better than she did in La Vie en Rose. I kept hoping those two would get in a fight. Why are there no good girl fights in movies? Except in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That had great fights. I loved that movie. I did not love Inception. It’s fine, but I thought it was just trying too hard to be all mind-bendy.
Have you just been dying to hear me talk in real life? No? Well, here’s your chance anyway! Mutual of Omaha contacted me to do a tiny, little piece about an Aha moment that I’ve had (they’re going all over the country interviewing people about their Aha Moments). Sadly they edited out all the great stuff I said (it was all so brilliant!) and made it sound kind of lame, but whatever.
P.S. Do I need to mention that I think I look bad and my voice is dumb? If you know me in real life, please don’t agree with that sentence.
The toys every little girl needs. So hilarious!!! (even if they don’t pronounce it the right way.)
I’ve attempted to see Bright Star twice now, but I finally managed to see it last night. Mister and I were a few minutes late for it last week, so we decided to go see something else instead. I’m glad we didn’t stay and miss the beginning because the opening sequence is gorgeous.
I called one of my friends at the last minute to go to it with me. Unless your husband is a big fan of slow, Period romances I would suggest leaving him at home for this one. This is a lot more plaintive than the run-of-the-mill Jane Austen story. I loved it, though.
The story is about John Keats, the poet, and his romance with Fanny Brawne. It’s a beautiful movie, well-acted, and Fanny’s clothes are the cutest you will ever see in a Regency film.
The phrase on the movie poster says, “first love burns brightest”. That may or may not be true, but it certainly applies to John and Fanny. Here’s one of his letters to her:
25 College Street
My dearest Girl,
This moment I have set myself to copy some verses out fair. I cannot proceed with any degree of content. I must write you a line or two and see if that will assist in dismissing you from my Mind for ever so short a time. Upon my Soul I can think of nothing else – The time is passed when I had power to advise and warn you again[s]t the unpromising morning of my Life – My love has made me selfish. I cannot exist without you – I am forgetful of every thing but seeing you again – my Life seems to stop there – I see no further. You have absorb’d me. I have a sensation at the present moment as though I was dissolving – I should be exquisitely miserable without the hope of soon seeing you. I should be afraid to separate myself far from you. My sweet Fanny, will your heart never change? My love, will it? I have no limit now to my love – You note came in just here – I cannot be happier away from you – ‘T is richer than an Argosy of Pearles. Do not threat me even in jest. I have been astonished that Men could die Martyrs for religion – I have shudder’d at it – I shudder no more – I could be martyr’d for my Religion – Love is my religion – I could die for that – I could die for you. My Creed is Love and you are its only tenet – You have ravish’d me away by a Power I cannot resist: and yet I could resist till I saw you; and even since I have seen you I have endeavoured often “to reason against the reasons of my Love.” I can do that no more – the pain would be too great – My Love is selfish – I cannot breathe without you.
Yours for ever
John Keats
*Sigh* Where was I? Oh, yes. If you like a passionate yet restrained romance, don’t miss Bright Star.
York got me hooked on this cute video by the Japanese band Sour. I have no idea how they managed to do it. So simple but so complicated (Plus the song is pretty good too).
I can’t tell you how much I am digging this “all my kids in school” thing. You should know by now that housework is not my favorite thing to do. I’m not one of those lame people who says that and then spends all her time cleaning anyway. No, I really, truly hate cleaning my house. I avoid it as much as possible. I have to tell you, though. Cleaning your house when the kids are all gone is great. Like, super amazingly great.
I turn my ipod up to 11 and get to work with a garbage bag and scrub brush (with a little dancing thrown in for good measure).
Yesterday I gave the kitchen a big fat spanking while I listened to The Ting Tings (highly recommended music for cleaning and generally getting your groove on).
The house actually stayed clean for a whole two hours until the hordes returned. But two hours is good. Normally as I clean there is a wake of people pulling things out and tossing toys everywhere. So you can see how even a few hours of cleanliness is a miracle.
I just saw my favorite movie of 2009 (at least through August). It was the charming, funny, ever so creative and slightly painful (emotionally, that is) movie 500 Days of Summer.
The writing is great, the music is wonderful, and the story is probably all too familiar for every one of us.
Mister loved it too. There are no buildings blowing up, but hopefully the man in your life can handle that for two hours. If not, tell him to suck it up and see it anyway.
