Category Archives: Media/TV

7 Quick Takes: Things I’ll Be Doing This Weekend Instead of Going to See “50 Shades of Grey”

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7 Quick Takes

I’m pretty sure that dissing “50 Shades of Grey” is going to appear in most peoples’ Quick Takes this weekend. There are already some interesting posts on the subject here, here (warning: some swearing which makes it NSFW), here, and here.

— 1 —

Letting Kelly pick my Lenten discipline. I’ll be giving up Coke, doing some extra spiritual reading, doing some extra praying, and then one more thing that Kelly (our Quick Takes hostess-with-the-mostess) gets to pick. She has until 11:59 PST on the 17th to tell me what it is and get supplies for said discipline to me.

— 2 —

Trying to learn all the words to “Baba Yetu” (and how to pronouce them). The utterly amazing Peter Hollens and his friend Malukah covered Christopher Tin’s Grammy-winning composition “Baba Yetu” which is the theme to the computer game Civilization IV. It’s the Swahili translation of the Lord’s Prayer (or at least most of it). It’s amazing but I do have to work on how to pronounce some of the words. (I’ve learned from previous experience that Swahili is not a language that flows from my tongue well.)

— 3 —

Putting together valentine’s for Daniel’s class. I actually am almost done with these valentines from a free printable created by Amy of Living Locurto. (Go check her out. She is crazy talented!) My thanks go to Ann of House of Estrogen who featured them on her blog 4 years ago.

— 4 —

Reading Unvirtuous Abbey’s Twitter stream. If you haven’t read the Twitter stream of Unvirtuous Abbey, stop whatever you are doing and click on their name!!!! They are irreverent and funny in ways that only Canadians can be.

— 5 —

Listening to David Wesley. If you’re a fan of Peter Hollens, check out David Wesley. He does amazing acapella mixes of popular worship songs. My props to priest’s wife who introduced me to him.

— 6 —

Bonding with family. My sister-in-law Joanna, her son Patrick, and her mother-in-law Margie are coming up tomorrow to spend the afternoon with us for Valentine’s Day. I need to put together the Valentine’s Day present I have for Patrick — I’ve got some squeeze pouches of applesauce from Trader Joe’s and I’m going to put a wrap on them with his picture and some heart stickers. On his picture will be some text that says, “You are my main squeeze.”

— 7 —

Dreaming of the pedicure I’ll be getting with the present Jon gave me for Valentine’s Day. Jon has two weddings on Saturday (and probably turned down ten more) so we did “date tea” instead of doing a date night on Saturday. We went to $tarbux and Jon got lunch (a grilled cheese sandwich and passion tea lemonade) while I got my iced vanilla latté and some marshmallow dream bars. His present to me was a gift certificate for a mani-pedi which will probably be a pedicure with extras given that regular nail polish doesn’t stay on my fingers well. (My present to him was some special coffee and moscato from Trader Joe’s.) It will be nice to be able to have some pampering that isn’t usually in the budget these days.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: Latin Woes, Why You Should Not Watch the Jordanian Pilot Execution Video, and More.

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

I despair at the state of our public education system. An eighth grade girl in Vermont suggested that Vermont adopt a Latin motto and the Senate minority leader of the state decided to take her suggestion up in the state legislature. Things go horribly awry as various Vermont citizens flip out about adopting a state motto in “Latin” because *gasp* it might have something to do with Latin-Americans, also known as “illegal immigrants”. Reading some of the comments made my inner grammar Nazi convulse.

— 2 —

New Year’s resolution update: plank challenge. As I mentioned last week, I didn’t get to finish the plank challenge and I am not able to hold a plank for 5 minutes straight. However, I am still able to consistently plank for more than 60 seconds each and that in itself is pretty amazing. I might repeat the challenge again later this year and see if I can do better then.

— 3 —

There’s sane and then there’s Kelly. I’m sure many of you have seen the 23 tips for sane eating, right? Kelly of This Ain’t the Lyceum decided to add a few of her own. 🙂

— 4 —

New Year’s resolution update: Bible reading. In the Old Testament, I’m through Genesis and into Exodus now which means lots and lots of information on the various commandments and laws being put into play. (My reading on Wednesday had to do with the priestly garments and how to make them as well as the various specifications of the altars and the sacrifices offered.) In the New Testament, we crucified Jesus. Definitely not the most uplifting reading! On the plus side, we got to resurrect Him today and I’m loving all the Psalms I get to read.

— 5 —

Pick my Lenten discipline for me. I’m raffling off the right to choose my Lenten discipline for me. Click here for more information. The only rules are that it has to be doable (bread and water is not as I’ve got health conditions that preclude that) and I have to be able to do it around my schedule with Daniel. Otherwise, BRING IT!

— 6 —

Got picky eaters? Here are 32 kids who are hilariously picky eaters. Scarily enough, I know some adults who are worse! I’ve had co-workers who will not eat foods that are touching other foods on principle.
*

— 7 —

Simcha nails it again! I really recommend the piece by Simcha Fisher where she talks about the dangers in watching the execution video of the Jordanian pilot and ties in the watching of Fifty Shades of Gray. She mentions this post by Marge Fenelon and I agree wholeheartedly with it. There is no good that can come from watching it.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

#FiveFaves: Miscellanea (XXVII)

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#5Faves

One

Dr. Scholl’s Massaging Gel Insoles. The commercials for them are pretty lame but those suckers are incredible. I felt like I was walking on air this morning. Now if only the scraped-up toes would heal…

Two

Every State Described by a Single Sarcastic Line from a Bitter Resident. The one for Montana is painfully true. Go read it here.

Three

NCIS: New Orleans. It’s not quite as good as the regular NCIS but it has definitely grown on me, especially the team of Pride/LaSalle/Brody. I’m also a fan of Sebastian.

Four

People who vaccinate their kids. Dead serious here… every time a parent takes their unvaccinated kid out in public, they put Daniel and my father-in-law at risk of whatever preventable diseases their kid has picked up. Measles is not a joke. You and your small podunk town in the Midwest might have gotten off lightly but those of us who live in places with actual populations actually know real people in our lives who have suffered some kind of complication from it.

Five

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. I love anything that can buy me 15 minutes of time to take a shower and comb out my dreadlocks. It’s also not the worst thing to have to watch if you have to engage in some screen time with your kiddos so you can get some rest.

Go love up Jenna and the others.

7 Quick Takes: NFC Championship Game, Police Lip-Syncing, and

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

NFC Championship Game. I was watching the game in Seattle with my extended family which was pretty entertaining because Green Bay was shutting out Seattle until almost the 4th Quarter… and then came back to win in OT. I think it’s probably for the best that my long-suffering sister-in-law (she’s married to my evil twin) wasn’t watching the game with us — she’s a Green Bay fan and there would have been some good-natured abuse directed at her.

— 2 —

Crocheting. The yarn for Daniel’s big boy blanket arrived just as I was leaving on Friday so I stuffed a couple skeins into my laptop bag and started the blanket while flying to Seattle. I’m almost two skeins in and had to order more because I’m pretty sure that the 5 skeins I have are not enough. Oh well… I’ve got about 2.5 months to get this done and I can catch-up on all my TV stuff while I work on it.

— 3 —

Apparently, some people think I’m “sheenazing”. Click on the image to vote for me in the “Best Blog by a Non-Papist” category. Please and thank you. 🙂

I'm Sheenazing.

While you’re voting, I’d really appreciate your votes for Mary of Passionate Perseverance in the “Most Inspiring Blog” and the “Miss Congeniality” categories. She deserves to win both this year purely because of how much encouragement she gave to us other moms of special needs kids while she was watching her daughter Courtney slowly die. She is honestly a bright spot in the Catholic blogosphere.

— 4 —

Totes amused. I have relatives who are in law enforcement so I’m finding this pretty awesome. 🙂

I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that I know a Taylor Swift song…

— 5 —

This is pretty cool. A Massachusetts teacher won $150,000 and donated it all back to the school. Ellen had her on the show and gave her a few surprises. This video seriously restores some of my faith in humanity and it also makes me love Target even more.

— 6 —

Coming attractions. I tried writing the post on being a Titus 2 woman last night but fell asleep. I’m going to try and get it up this weekend.

— 7 —

New Year’s resolution updates. Today’s plank time was 3 minutes. I am having some bursitis issues so I’m having to do a modified version of it. I tried being up for the whole 3 minutes but had to quit halfway because Jon needed to get into our room to get ready for pastoral meetings. (I was doing the plank on the floor of our bedroom.) Oh well… I can try for the whole 3 minutes tomorrow!

The Bible reading is on track and I’m really enjoying it.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: Let’s Pretend This Has An Interesting Title

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Washington bound! I’m flying to Seattle with Daniel tomorrow to see my grandmother. She’s doing OK right now (for the most part) but she’s 94 years old and my mom and I are of the opinion that it would be good to see her before it’s “too late”. (My mom is paying for our tickets and is going to be watching Daniel so I can spend some uninterrupted time with my grandmother and not have to chase him down the hall.) I’ll also get to see my evil twin and his wife again as well as other members of my extended family who I haven’t gotten to see in a really long time.

— 2 —

Ellen Degeneres pwns a critic. A pastor and self-proclaimed cultural commentator published something in the Christian Post about Hollywood and the gay agenda allegedly espoused by the entertainment industry, calling out Ellen Degeneres for “celebrat[ing] her lesbianism and ‘marriage’ in between appearances of guests like Taylor Swift to attract young girls.” Ellen replies in the video below.

— 3 —

Thankful. My mother-in-law offered to let me take yesterday afternoon for myself while she watched Daniel. I was able to get some prayer time in and get some computer work done before heading to something at church. Thanks Victoria! You are the best mother-in-law in the world!

— 4 —

MapMyRun. Is anyone else on MapMyRun? I’m definitely not a runner but I track my walking mileage on the site. If you are, let me know and I can add you as a friend.

— 5 —

Seriously?!?!?!? Seriously?!?!?!?!? I don’t know how many of you heard about the woman’s funeral that was halted 15 minutes into it because the pastor found a picture of her kissing her partner. This is probably not going to be a popular opinion but… I am seriously pissed off by this.

Why am I pissed off?

Because the church where this took place was founded by the pastor and his wife to be a place where people fighting drug/alcohol addictions and gang violence — it’s a place that was founded to minister to outsiders. Yet, the pastor (who could have refused the funeral up until the time it started) decided that this woman was not worth his time once he found out that she was a lesbian. Seriously dude, she was a child of God and you were being asked to help her family pray for her and remember her, not perform her wedding.

— 6 —

Prayer request. This is related to the first Quick Take. I’m flying by myself with Daniel and would appreciate prayers for good travel, ease in getting through security, and ease in boarding the plane with him. Please and thank you! 🙂

— 7 —

Progress on my New Year’s resolutions. Let me just say that I *HATE* planks and my persistence in doing them is due to stubbornness on my part and not actual stamina. On the other hand, the Bible reading is going well and I *am* making it out to walk or at least do *something* most mornings that Daniel is in school.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

Five Favorites: Miscellanea (XXV)

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Five Favorites

Un

A quiet house. I’m the only one awake right now other than the cats. Everybody in the house (with the exception of Daniel) is going to have a wonky schedule tomorrow so most everyone is asleep and I’ve stayed up changing cleaning pads on the Mints. Once I get all this written, I’m heading to bed because I’ve got a meeting in San Dimas tomorrow for Daniel’s triennial IEP paperwork at 7:30 a.m. (Translation: they have to do some pretty extensive evaluations for students’ IEP’s every three years and I have to go sign the paperwork consenting to this. Oh yeah… IEP = “individualized education plan”.)

Deux

The various NCIS franchises. The original NCIS is still my favorite but I’ve also gotten into NCIS: New Orleans and I’ll watch NCIS: Los Angeles if I need something semi-brainless on while I crochet.

Trois

In-N-Out. I pity those who don’t live near an In-N-Out location (which would be most of the US). I’m kind of meh about their fries but their burgers are AWESOME. They also have a secret menu which is actually not really a secret as much as it is how they will gladly customize your burger, fries, or shake.

Quatre

Doing some form of exercise while Daniel is in school. I’m back to walking in the mornings after I get Daniel off to school and adding in some core work and weights every other day. I still get plenty of walks with him in the afternoon but the morning is “me time”. It’s also a way to try and neutralize the pound of See’s candy on my nightstand that I discovered when I got home from San Jose.

Cinq

Stalking my online orders on various shipping company websites. I used to work for an import brokerage owned by UPS so I get totally geeky about how my orders arrive at my house. 🙂 Currently, I’m awaiting the delivery of my copy of Kelly’s planner which should arrive tomorrow or Thursday. (Ahem… FedEx!)

Go love up Jenna and the others.

7 Quick Takes: Sad Prayer Requests, Lots of Church Music, and The Big Bang Theory

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Update on my Edda. My princess has been gone for over a week now. The not knowing is the hardest part. I wish we knew if there was any hope of her returning — it would allow me to grieve and get some closure.

— 2 —

Sad prayer request. Please keep Caitlin of Savor His Goodness and her family in prayer. They found out this week that their second baby has no heartbeat.

— 3 —

The Big Bang Theory. I’m trying to get some Christmas crocheting done so I turned on The Big Bang Theory to have something to watch during the brainless parts of the crocheting. I just finished watching the prom episode and am on the one where Leonard has the septoplasty (the surgery to fix his deviated septum). I know I should suspend my disbelief but… they don’t have the gauze on Leonard’s nose the correct way. After a septoplasty, it’s taped *UNDER* the nose to catch the blood dripping out. How do I know this? I had the same surgery in July of 2008.

— 4 —

Church music fun. I’ve been blessed to be part of a choir that has the ability to sing some pretty fabulous music even though we’re a pretty small group (6-7 of us on a Sunday usually).

We did a piece based on a Haydn chorale on November 5th:

This past Sunday, we did a piece by Heinrich Schu?tz (the English translation of it):

This Sunday, we have something more conventional:

Our Christmas Eve music will be the Christmas section of Handel’s “Messiah”. It’s the first time I’ve performed it in 12 years though I definitely have sung along to my CD of it enough times on long car trips. I used to do it with the San Jose Symphonic Choir in high school and college when they’d have their annual “You-Sing-It Messiah” at Christmas and it’s a work I know pretty well.

— 5 —

Regarding “quiet times”. I can’t remember if I’ve shared this link or not but I read a fabulous article on why “quiet times” shouldn’t happen alone. (For non-evangelicals, one’s “quiet time” is one’s personal time for prayer and devotions.) It’s one of the reasons I love being part of a church with a set lectionary — any Scripture I’m reading on my own is read on Sunday mornings in community and it gives everyone a chance to hear and digest it within the parameters of the community so that there is less of a chance of misinterpretation.

— 6 —

I am Scrooge. This is the time of year that makes me more Scrooge-y than usual because I despise the consumerist attitudes that hijack Christmas and make it more about buying stuff and giving the perfect gift rather than it being about the gift of God dwelling amongst us. The signs are already on the street in the Village in Claremont and most stores have all their Christmas signs and decorations up… and it’s only November 21st. We haven’t even had Christ the King Sunday yet, not to mention all of Advent! /rant

— 7 —

I can’t believe it has been a year. A year ago, I was sitting in the sanctuary of Twin Lakes Church in Aptos for the funeral of Gordon Smith, one of the leaders of the college group at the church I attended during most of college. It was great to see people that I hadn’t seen in 12-13 years but I wish it had been a more joyous event. The mother/son duo accused of murdering him goes on trial next March and I still wish they could understand that the man they shot was someone who had given them more chances than humanly possible and who would give them the shirt of his back during a blizzard if they were cold. He chose to work with middle schoolers and college students, two groups where identities are being developed and who need a lot of love. I know he and his wife Joan loved me and stood with me through some of the toughest times in my life and I can hear both his infectious laugh and his very down-to-earth way of telling about the faith he had in Jesus Christ.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.