If there’s one thing Southern gals know how to do, it’s gab. Silly or serious, all it takes is a glass of iced tea and time. Pull up a chair, kick off your shoes, and make yourself comfy…get ready to dish!
Worst Romantic Movies?
I have to admit to several giggles when reading Kim Morgan’s “Loathe, Actually”–a rundown of the 10 most disappointing, yet still beloved, “classic” romantic comedies. Now I’m not saying I haven’t seen all of these (I have) or fallen for them (yep, cried buckets at several), or don’t own (I taped, bought, or was given half this list), but Ms. Morgan made some valid points about some of them with which I concur. You’ll have to read the whole article for all the reasons why these are...
read moreA Little About Talent
One of my favorite cartoons used to be Kudzu, drawn by the wonderful and infuriating Doug Marlette. Marlette, who died in a car crash last year, had a gift for pissing nearly everyone off with his political cartoons, which means that he got it. I was perusing his website yesterday, doing some research for my AP class, and came across this breathtaking bit of wisdom regarding creativity:Practice, practice, practice. It’s hard to get worse at something if you practice. But talent is not enough. Talent is not creativity, just as a seed is...
read moreDeep In the Mines
I’m always behind in my reading. Always. I finally get around to reading the hot popular thing a couple of years late, when it’s no longer hot and or quite so popular. Harry was staring into the Goblet of Fire when I finally read about the Sorcerer’s Stone, for instance.So of course it’s long past the publication date by the time I crack the cover of Barbara Samuel’s No Place Like Home. Last night before bed, actually. Just finished tonight, in a straight reading session that started when the boys went off to...
read moreGutsy Broad: Angelina Jolie
Let’s just get it out of the way, shall we? Angelina Jolie is not-to-be-believed gorgeous. And outspoken. And bold. Tattoos, vials of blood, marriages, leather clothes, Goth-girl-gone bad and everything. She’s like that girl from high school you just knew would end up in jail. Or pregnant. Or both.And yet, she’s also the cool girl you wish you had the cojones to become. The one who takes flying lessons, who works as a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, who adopts children from some of the most ravaged places on earth and makes them...
read more10 Things to Do Instead of Watch TV
Hey, I love this topic. DH and I actually had our cable cut off a couple of years ago (long story). We went through withdrawal for about three weeks (“What! No CSI reruns on Spike every night?”). Then we got over ourselves. There’s actually plenty to do instead of watch TV. Some choices:1. Read. The best choice, after all, Feeds the brain and the soul. Put away the remote and wail away at the TBR pile.2. Needlecrafts. Needlepoint, embroidery, knitting, or crochet–all of the women in my family could do at least one, but...
read moreBuilding the Perfect Beast
DH and I got into an interesting conversation on our way home from work yesterday. If you could build the perfect president by choosing one quality held by each of the presidents who have been in office since you’ve been alive, which qualities would you pick? I like the question because it takes real thought and discernment to answer. No vilifying of any of the presidents because you don’t like them, even if they deserve it. Here’s my list, starting with Eisenhower since DH was born in 1960.Eisenhower: Military knowledge....
read moreWhy I Hate Microsoft Today
My all-time favorite Microsoft joke goes something like this: Two men are flying in a helicopter in dense fog in the Pacific Northwest. They’re having electrical problems with the chopper, navigation’s shot, and they’re running out of fuel, but they know that if they ditch, they’ll probably die. Suddenly, there’s a break in the clouds, and they see a building in front of them. The co-pilot sees someone in a window and scrawls a message on a piece of paper: “Where are we?” The guy in the window frowns,...
read more10 Things You’d Buy if You Had a Million Bucks
Barenaked Ladies are so going through my head right now…The rules: Ten things you’d buy, no scholarships or altruism, completely self-centered. Ooooookay–since scholarships and college plans are my default in my “win the lottery” plan, this might be tough.1959 Corvette Convertible, Admiral Blue. I love, love, love the look of these cars! It’s a work of art, and it hauls butt. Great two-for-one, huh? $150KA sabbatical. Since health insurance and pharmacy benefits are so out of hand these days, replacing my...
read more$700 V-8 Moment
Remember those commercials for V-8? The ones where the characters realize the folly of their ways and whack themselves in the forehead, saying “Wow! I could have had a V-8”? That was me earlier today. ‘Cept my moment didn’t have anything to do with the USDA Food Pyramid.Today I got the call from the nice man at the data recovery service that has my dead hard drive. Dead it is. Physical damage, thank you very much, not helped in any way from the optimizing process of a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, optimizing the...
read moreClassy Dame: Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren really is a Dame–she was named a Dame of the British Empire in 2003. But it’s not just for that reason that Dame Helen is Classy. She’s smart, and she doesn’t take herself too seriously. She’s a brilliant actress with incredible range–from the evil seductress morgana in John Boorman’s Excalibur to Prime Suspect’s alcoholic Sup. Jane Tennison to Queen Elizabeth II (her Oscar-winning performance in The Queen)–every role she inhabits is multifacted, as if she has some more...
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