I got free tickets to Wicked...

and all I had to do was dress like a total freak...

Happy Fathers Day!

What she said...

Happy Birthday (yesterday) Ellie!

PICT0032
Originally uploaded by NKB.

(She's the one on the right!)

Michael likes to take self portraits...

Wedding Weekend (38)
Originally uploaded by NKB.

See?

Schooooool's Out for Summer!

Not that it matters a whole bunch because I decided to be a summer school sucker this year. This would normally be the time I would rub it in to any friends or family who have real jobs. Alas, not this year. Still, I do have a two week break in which I plan to have some quality hammock and virgin daquiri time.

It's in the genes...

ZZ
Originally uploaded by NKB.

This is my great grandma and grandpa Welch. I hope I have inherited her resourcefulness in addition to the other things she has passed down.

In which I talk a lot about my boobs...

I was a late bloomer. I got made fun of a lot in middle school for being "as flat as the wall". So then I just assumed I was. Then I got to high school and I still considered myself flat chested. It shows you how self-aware and self-assured I was that one of my friends had to point it out to me. ("Quit making flat-chested jokes about yourself, you have bigger boobs than all of us." "I do?") Quickly, I sort of moved from one extreme to the other. I remember several times in the next few years I had to physically move a boys face up by the chin so they'd be looking me in the eyes. I was stacked, which was fine at eighteen, but gravity begins to take its toll by thirty.

And then I got pregnant.

OhmiGod! I didn't think they could get any bigger. And I know that they will just keep growing. I swear if this kid doesn't breastfeed properly we are going to have words because the thought of lugging these puppies around for another nine months is sort of driving me crazy. And really, it was attempting to zip the girls into this dress that tipped me off to the impending motherhood before anything else.
Sincerely,
Chesty McKnockers

Some wedding photos I like...

Mary Jane got married...

Hi! My mom's wedding was this weekend. Here is a link to my sister's flickr account. It has 240 pictures from the day posted, but there will be many more to come.

What I'm listening to this month...

Each month I make a new playlist in iTunes and then listen to it almost everyday for a month until I can't stand it any more. Here are some selections from May:

- "Springtime Can Kill You" Jolie Holland (Really great female folk singer with a haunting voice. This is from her newest CD)
- "The Trapeze Swinger" Iron and Wine (Pretty song, pretty lyrics)
- "Everybody is a Star" Joan Osborne (I love the Sly and the Family Stone version, but I also love a female singer with a raspy voice, so this is a fun cover.)
- "Spooky" The Classics (Love IS kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like me...)
- "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" Jewel (fun new single)
- "In a Sentimental Mood" John Coltrane (Joel has me listening to jazz. What is this world coming to?)
- "For Good" Wicked Soundtrack (Every month must have at least one showtune in it.)
-"Fireflies" Rhett Miller and Rachael Yamagata (This is the lead singer of Old 97's... very pretty song.)
- "Kissing My Love" Bill Withers (Each month needs a remind me of Joel song, too. This is May's.)

You're still in the running towards becoming America's Next Top Model...

Wow! I am probably not cool at all because two of the five TV shows I watch regularly are on UPN. You already know about Veronica Mars (though that season finale! Wow! Don't you dare cancel it new station!) But I also watch one of the dumbest shows on TV: America's Next Top Model. Joel heckles me while I watch saying, "Can you feel yourself getting dumber by the minute?" I have to point out, though, that he is usually saying that from the seat right next to me on the couch; he can hate all he wants, I know he likes the show deep down. Anyway, the season finale is tonight. I think I want Danielle to win all the "fabulous prizes", but mostly I watch it because the women are catty. And although, on some levels, it is probably wrong to support this cattiness, it is entertaining. The other three shows I watch regularly (remember I don't have cable) are: Everwood, Survivor, and Gilmore Girls. (I'm done now, though, it keeps getting dumber and dumber). How I Met Your Mother is funny too, I just always seem to miss it. Please don't let my bad taste in TV scare you off entirely, remember that I also have bad taste in movies to contend with as well!

To all the Mom's I've Loved Before...

Happy Mother's Day!

MJ M M T J L S D M S T C M B B P A E L M K N S S B K and anyone I forgot...

The bun in the oven...

So I went for my second Doctor's visit today and since she said I was doing well and free to talk about it...Thelonius Monk Barr (that's a working name) is due December 1st. Now I know all five of you who read this already know, but I still have been wanting to write about it.

So...look forward to the post about my gigantic boobs that I have been holding out on...

Well, I haven't posted in a long time, mainly because I am boring. I have been spending a lot of time outside trying to deal with the mess that we call "landscaping" in our front yard. Joel fired me though because I just Edward Scissorhanded two of our three Holly bushes. Oops. Plus I got all passive agressive with this ratty looking Juniper. I just cut it back to stumps.

...

Joel rarely makes fun of me. (I assume because I am near perfect, right?) But today, he breaks out into this impersonation of me at lunch. He uses a valley girl voice and says, "This is sometimes how Nora sounds: 'Blah, blah, blah, Veronica Mars, blah, blah blah, Entertainment Weekly, blah, blah, blah Showtunes'." All the while making goofy looking gestures. I was so proud of him! I knew if I just waited long enough my catty, sarcastic sense of humor would rub off. Payoff is a bitch though because I have to take him to this jazz concert for his birthday on Friday. I'm sure there will be no end to hilarious "What's with the sausage fest? and Only geeks like jazz fusion" jokes.

Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails...

One of my favorite things about being married is living with Joel. We always have the best time just hanging out at home.

One of my least favorite things about being married is that it means you have to live with a boy. And sometimes boys are gross!

Happy Birthday Jennifer Juniper!

In other news...sorry for the lack of posts. I have been reading such negative responses about blogging lately it has left me a little gun shy. Here are the two problems people seem to have with blogging and my commentary:
1. Some people use a blog to air their dirty laundry about work. This seems like a really dumb idea that will get you fired. There is even a blogger word for getting fired for your blog: "Dooced". Named after a popular blogger who got fired for this. (Though I have never heard anyone use it.) Plus that Chicago Public School teacher who did that...like you weren't going to get caught??

2. Lots of people say bloggers are losers who are totally self-involved and need to get a life. Now I might be self-involved, but I have a life, darnit! (This may be true, but this started out as something for me, for fun, and to learn how to do some new things on the computer. To the five people or so who happen to read it once in a while, cool. That's all.)

And... this weekend I watched Everything Is Illuminated. I liked the book, but actually liked the movie better. It wasn't reviewed very well though. Still, very touching and uplifting. I finished this month's book club book Babylon Sisters. I really loved it and read it in about three hours. You get sucked in. Lately though, I am embarrassed to say I have been reading a lot of very cheesey romantic comedies. If you are a fan of this sort of beach read, try Julie Ortolon. They're good "suck you in" kind of reads. (If you aren't a romance fan... you probably won't like them.) Joel's been teasing me about my latest selections so I may have to revisit Charlotte Bronte or something soon.

Thanks to my sister, Jennifer, I learned that my pirate name is the one listed below. Unfortunately these days the most appropriate part of the name is the RACK! Yikes!

My pirate name is:

Calico Morgan Rackham

Often indecisive, you can't even choose a favorite color. You're apt to follow wherever the wind blows you, just like Calico Jack Rackham, your namesake. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

I think most women have spent some time worrying over the choices she has made. Lately mine have been (and they're not very original, mind you) will this house on the very Eastern fringe of a safe neighborhood and perhaps the southern fringe of a not-so-safe one be a good place to raise a family? Will another extreme repair in this big old house send us, shame-faced, to bankruptcy court? Did we make a horrible decision in light of recent Dan Ryan Expressway hell? Happily, on such a sunny, Sunday April morning, looking out the window and watching the birds in the yard investigate the Lillies and Peonies, or walking down the creaky stairs as the morning sun shines on the poorly-stripped and unpainted hallway, making them look sort of pretty for once, is a strong sense of certainty that this was the right decision for us. I absolutely love it. (I will, however, check back with you when reality comes crashing down after our next inevitable visit from the plumber.)

Reading List

Below is a list of what the book club I am in has read since I joined three years ago. The stars are for the books that I really loved. The others are interesting reads as well, but the ones that are starred are the books that sort of reached out and grabbed me.

The Crimson Petal & The White Michael Faber
Beginner’s Luck Laura Pedersen
The Riders Tim Winton
*Me Talk Pretty One Day David Sedaris
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Dai Sijie, Ina Rilke
*Man and Boy Tony Parsons
Liars & Saints Maile Meloy
*I am Madame X Gioia Diliberto
*The Other Boleyn Girl Philippa Gregory
*Cane River Lalita Tademy
*Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides
Love in the Time of Cholera Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Three Junes Julia Glass
*Devil In the White City Eric Larson
**The Time Traveler’s Wife Audrey Niffenegger
Running With Scissors Augusten Burroughs
The Photograph Penelope Lively
Caramba! A Tale Told in Turns of the Card Nina Marie Martinez
A Secret Word Jennifer Paddock
The True Confessions of Max Tivoli Andrew Sean Greer
The Book of Salt Monique Truong
The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
We Need to Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver
*Rich Part of Life Jim Kokoris
A Painted House John Grisham
*The Wife Meg Wolitzer
When the Messenger is Hot Elizabeth Crane
*History of Love: A Novel Nicole Krauss
The Secret History Donna Tartt
Cast of Shadows Kevin Guilfoile
*The Cape Ann Faith Sullivan
The Glass Castle Jeanette Walls
*Crossing California Adam Langer
*Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden
Bel Canto Anne Patchett
A Million Little Pieces James Frey
*In Cold Blood Truman Capote
*The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. Sandra Gulland
Babylon Sisters Pearl Cleage (This month)

I've Come A Long Way Baby...

Somewhere a Feminist Theory Professor is submitting the paperwork to revoke my Women's Studies minor...

Spring at the farm...

Here are some pictures from this past weekend... (Flickr was being fussy a few days ago when I tried to post.)

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Congrats mom on a successful court date!

Calling all you lurkers...

Alright, I am asking for advice again. Last time I got two recipes, so thanks for that; now I have other questions:

1. Will a Dogwood tree grow in Chicago? 'Cause I never see them around and I totally love them, but don't want to waste money on a tree that will die. If not, any other suggestions for pretty flowering trees that will grow in Chicago, and

2. Has anyone worked with a local landscaper that they have been happy with? (I know I can look on B.A.P.A., but we had bad luck with our first foray into their trade referrals.)

In which I shamelessly solicit donations...

I really hate asking people for money. (Ask my mother who more than once chipped in on neighbors' newspaper subscriptions because I was too humiliated to go ask for the $1.25 cost of the subscription.)

I am, however, participating in a Walk-a-thon fundraiser for Autism. (This is no three day walk, it is maybe 5k, but the point is that all the money goes to Autism research.) This cause is important to me, not only because there are a few people I care about dealing with Autism or some other diagnosis on the same strand, but also as a teacher I see how issues of the brain affect, not only the students, but families and schools. I don't pretend to be an expert on the subject, but I want to know why the number of diagnosed cases of autism increases every year.

Anyway, if you want to donate there is a link on the left of the screen which says "Donate to Cure Autism Now". This is my homepage. If you donate through that link they do not sell your name, but you will receive ocassional emails from them. (Once a month). Otherwise, you can donate to me or someone in my family.

Also, please feel free not to donate. As I said before, I hate asking for money and promise this is the last time. Enjoy your day.

You've bewitched me body and soul...

The title is from my favorite line in Pride and Prejudice. If you haven't seen it yet and you like that sort of thing, go to the video store now! (Sigh) Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy..

That is the best of several new movies I have seen lately. I also highly recommend The Squid and the Whale . Being a child of parents who divorced in the mid (I guess technically late) eighties it struck me as particularly poignant, but I think most viewers would enjoy. (Though maybe not for the prudish.)

I just finished The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B, which I was reading for my book club. The verdict there is that I really love historical fiction, but enjoy it more when I don't read too much of it all together. I also enjoyed Family and Other Accidents. A well-written novel about families that makes me glad I am not a man. On a side note, why do all books that come out now have the title, a colon, and then the words "a novel"? Really, if you look at 90% of the fiction published in the last three years you will see this. It is really annoying because, well, duh. Imagine lacing up your shoes and getting ready for a walk and seeing New Balance: a sneaker. Ridiculous. (and did I really just write sneaker? Am I like 80?)

Anyway, I am on spring break so I am looking forward to more reading and movie watching ahead. Feel free to make recommendations.

I am an artiste....

On Thursday I start taking a stained glass class at the Beverly Art's Center with Kristin and Aunt Colleen. I am sure with my unparalleled artistic abilities I will be reproducing Van Gogh in a matter of weeks. I think there is still room in the class if anyone is interested...don't let my mad skills threaten you.
My goal by the end of the month:

Hooray!

Yesterday I finished and shipped the portfolio for National Board Certification. Hooray! I am finally finished. Now, hopefully I won't be such a raving lunatic any more! See you soon.
NKB

This is a picture of my sister-in-law, Margaret, wearing one of Joey Cheek's medals in Turino last month. How she ends up in these random, extraordinary situations, I'll never know. But I sure love to read the emails.

Have you missed me?

I am almost ready to return to the land of the living since I am just about finished with the nightmare that is National Board Certification.

In the meantime, here is a picture from my cousin Erin's wedding. Isn't she beautiful? Congrats Erin and Tom! (See more photos by clicking on the flickr badge below. Edited to add: There are two album sets from the wedding. If you click on the albums in the right column you can see the images as a slideshow. View one album and then the other if you want to see all.) Also, if I have mortified anyone by posting a picture of their hilarious dance moves, please let me know. (Don't know if I'll take it down...but maybe.)
NKB

Best...Game...Ever...

So addictive. If you have any photos saved on your computer go here and do the celebraty look alike thing. It is really fun. And interesting to see how with different pictures you have different matches.

Slainte...

Yesterday was the Southside Irish Parade. Since Joel had never been we decided to go. Mostly we just hung out at my aunt's house and people watched. Here are some pictures:

Hooray!

Do you think the weather today means it's spring? (Of course not, this is Chicago.) Still, what a beautiful day.

I was all set to give a very snarky post-Oscars post, but then they were super boring and I didn't have much to say. I tried relying on General Sarcasmo (nephew Donovan) for some facetious quotes, but he said, "I am way to busy to make any comments for my aunt and her blog." (Imagine smart-aleck thirteen year old making quote marks with his fingers where the italics are.) So... I will piece together what I am left with:

-Ugliest dresses: Charlize Theron and Naomi Watts, though Hillary Swank's was doing a great job yanking her boobs down to her stomach.

-Jon Stewart- Really funny, too bad most of the audience doesn't have a sense of humor. I totally loved the Gay Cowboy Montage...

-Nicole Kidman looks more and more like a hairless cat


-I loved Walk the Line and Reese as June Carter Cash, still her speech irked me. I just sort of get the feeling that if you went to school with her you would have hated her. And maybe her role as Tracy Flick in Election was not that much of a stretch.

-George Clooney is dreamy and charming and perhaps the only actor present with a personality.

-What was up with all the interpretive dance?

-Dolly Parton is scary.

-The female producer of Crash totally had a fall on. Go fake hair!

My sister Jen wants to add: maybe Larry McMurtry was wearing jeans (odd!) but did it seem to you like maybe Diana Ossana washed down about 10 mg of valium with 4 dry martinis after having a double treatment with botox? I mean she was talking slowly and weirdly...

And I loved Crash, but I am not positive about best picture. I just watched The Constant Gardener and thought it was incredible. Also, again, Walk the Line was great. But, what do I know? I did, after all see most of these on DVD, and as the Academy was kind enough to point out multiple times, you can only really experience a movie in the theater.

In which I got to go out...

Yay! I finally ventured to the north side. I hadn't seen Liz and Ellie in a month and a half. It was fun to go out again. I love some Margaritas! Emilio's isn't my favorite place for Tapas, but it was nice to eat out. Also, I hadn't been to Black Rock in a while and they played great music. All that and a surprise visit from Beth and Mike.

Carry Out Queen

I used to be good to Joel. I would cook him dinner. He would then turn around and cook dinner for me. Lately, we are the king and queen of carry out. I am looking to break this bad habit, but I just seem fresh out of ideas on what to cook. If you know of any dinners that aren't too complicated and involve meat and veggies please give me some suggestions. You could put it in comments. Our waistelines and budget implore you.

Nora

I was here...

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.





create your own visited countries map

I love a good human interest story...

Ok Team Hot Feet... go check this out. Make sure you watch the video!

March is non-fiction month for Nora!

So I have about a million papers to grade tonight which is why I keep coming back to the computer and posting inane messages, and so here is the latest:

I haven't posted any book reviews/ suggestion in a while because I haven't been reading very much as I near my final yearbook deadline. (What I have been reading is of the very bad chick lit sort that can be checked out of the library .)

I usually read strictly fiction. Who wants to deal with reality? This month, however, both grown-up book clubs that I am in are reading non-fiction. (I also moderate a student book club at school, but we read young adult novels about whether or not boys like them) I have alsofound a few non-fiction books on my own that I want to read as well. So hear is the list if you are interested, I will check back with you when I am finished.
In Cold Blood
Pullman : An Experiment in Industrial Order and Community Planning, 1880-1930
Not Buying It: My Year without Shopping (as if)
Money, A Memoir : Women, Emotions, and Cash
Bungalow Style : Creating Classic Interiors in Your Arts and Crafts Home

I doubt I'll get to all of them, but this is what I'm interested in this month. Then, I will be returning to fiction with Ahab's Wife . A recommendation from my sister, Jennifer.

I don't like...

when people use the phrase "bring the funny". I've been hearing it used more and more often lately. If you are using this phrase you have never in your life actually done what the phrase implies.

I also don't like the phrase "touch base". It sounds dumb. It sounds worse when people try to make it plural, as in "touch bases". No good. The worst part of this one is that I've actually said it. Then, the inner Nora scolds me for saying such a cheesey, over-used phrase.

There are plenty more, but I don't want to be a Negative Nancy.

R.I.P. Mr. Limpet

We used to watch Family Classics on WGN a lot when I was little. Two of my favorites were The Incredible Mr. Limpet and The Apple Dumpling Gang. I really liked Don Knotts. He also appeared in my favorite childhood cartoon (pathetic, I know, but it was Scooby Doo.) And he was the best thing on the Andy Griffith show which I had to watch with my dad maybe a million times. Anyway, sad.

I have the best niece and nephews...

Donovan is thirteen, and doesn't think we are as cool as he used to think we were. Still, he is so good to his cousins. He carried Rory around all weekend and took her bossing very good naturedly. And, we have promoted him from Admiral Sarcasmo to General Sarcasmo. This is, in part, because he punctuates everything he says by doing the two fingered point. Heeeeeyyy!
Iain is just so smart we don't know what to do with him. But he is also really giggly and good natured (unless we make him mad). And, he will still curl up in your lap and hang out while watching a movie. He is a very good big brother.
Rory is so funny and will wear anything that you put on her head. (Hence all of the pictures of her wearing ridiculous hats.) I can't believe how much she is talking and will be said when she stops calling me Nor. She also decided the holes in my bedrooms where there used to be radiators are poop holes. All weekend when anyone would visit she would bring them upstairs to see "the hole where Mr. Giles poops". Thanks for spreading those poop rumors about my house, Ror. I guess I'll forgive her because she also thinks the Swiffer is the best toy and took care of the downstairs and the upstairs for me. (Child labor laws? Ha.)

Anyway, it was a very fun weekend, and the best part about being the aunt is that when everyone left, I got to go back to bed.

To all the moms...

Check this out.

My Funny Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day. I got some home improvements for Valentine's day! (So far, Joel hasn't been terribly home improvement minded...mostly he wants to hire people to do things for us, but I'm cheap.) Anyhow, our tub has been draining rather slowly lately so he used this: to remove something from our drain that looked like this: Maybe I am easy to please, but I was pretty psyched about this, and no more nasty water lingering long after the shower.

In other news...have fun in Florida Ellie! I am so jealous I might go hang out in my bathroom with the heat lamp on and my eyes closed. And have you seen this? I am dying to know!

If you like Obsession You'll Love...

On the days where I hate my job I like to think of other jobs that I have had that have been crappy. And I have had a few bizarre jobs. Maybe not of the ultra- difficult variety, but the character-building, ridiculous kind.

One of those was at a kiosk in Ford City Mall called Similarities Fragrance Company. I was a senior in high school so I was most offended by the ugly jacket I had to wear and that my former beauty-queen boss kept attacking me with her red lipstick saying, "You'll just look so pretty with a little splash of color."

In between tracks on the Basia CD my boss insisted be played, it began to dawn on me that I did not have a bright future in sales. (Basia: cheap Enya imitator) The only thing that stuff smelled similar to was butane. Old ladies and pre-teen girls would come up to me and ask, "does it still smell like White Diamonds/ Eternity/ CK One after an hour?" And I would say a definitive, no. I think I earned maybe five dollars of commission.

The most pathetic part (and therefore hilarious to me now) was my one big, rebellious day. My high school boyfriend had broken up with me an hour before I had to work and my seventeen year old heart was just shattered to pieces, y'all. So I refused to play Basia that day and instead brought in the soundtrack to The Bodyguard. I put it on repeat and stared vacantly out at the crowds of shoppers, (none of whom were shopping for fake perfume, icidentally) and wallowed in my sel-pity to the tune of "I Will Always Love You". Teenage girl angst in all of its lame glory.

So, although my job as a high school teacher can have its soul sucking moments, I don't ever actually have to be a high school student (or a sales person) ever again. Oh yeah, and tomorrow's pay day. I can deal.

Best...Show...Ever...

Oh my god! Did anyone see Veronica Mars last night? My sister doesn't like it, but I totally disagree. The writing is great, the twists are usually surprising, and there is good character development. There were a million things going on last night, yet they all tied together at the end. There were also about four points in the show where I was like, "no way...". So that's good.

Anyway, I am headed to my mom's farm this weekend for wedding planning. (Hers.) So no posts at ungodly hours in the morning. Sometimes I am even able to sleep in when I am there.

Happy weekend. (almost)
NKB

Should I stay or should I go?

A friend sent me an evite to a college reunion hosted at a bar close to my house in a few weeks. I haven't decided if I will go or not yet, but it does have me meandering down memory lane.

Mostly I feel like I am so lucky. I really had, for me, the perfect college experience. I had so much fun (of the virtuous and not so virtuous kind). I learned stuff too. (Nice work English Education department because I felt really prepared to handle teaching when I entered the work force.) I also had some bad times of the clench your stomach, fall on the floor in a ball and sob your eyes out variety. (In retrospect over nothing, but those sorts of things build character, right?) I even had a few scares from crazy professors, sketchy guys, and evil women. So, I think pretty well-rounded over all.

But I wonder if the eight (holy shit!) years that have passed since graduation have served to put a fine gloss over it all, and when seeing all those people who I used to see on a regular basis but now haven't seen in almost a decade will reduce me to the insecure person I probably was back then. And I don't really like Bourbon Street.

The Sisterhood...

Joel and I watched The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants last night. Who expected it to be a tear jerker? Not me. I didn't read the book. We both were reduced to sobs at multiple points during the film. (Don't tell him I told you.)
NKB

Incohesive thoughts on the Golden Globes...

I really like watching the Golden Globes better than the Oscars because everyone is sitting at tables and drinking and so they seem to be having much more fun, plus it is shorter and there is no music between the presenters. Overall, I thought the clothes, were beautiful last night...

I liked Felicity Huffman's dress
Jessica Alba always looks good
Why is Mariah Carey orange?
Geena Davis seems kind of smart; her speech was witty. I was not a fan of the excessive ruffles on her butt.
I heart David Strathairn
Usually Reece is as cute as a button, and she was last night...from the neck up. Her dress was pretty disasterous otherwise.
Chris Rock's jokes are getting a bit tired.
Gwyneth Paltrow's dress was ugly and she looked bitchy all night. But maybe she was pregnant-bitchy in which case she is excused.
I wanted Michelle Williams to win...oh well.
Terry Hatcher is dumb.
Drew Barrymore's dress...beautiful color, could live with out all the nipples.

OK...just like what happened last night while actually watching the GG's... I am bored so I am going to go do something else.

Lovin' Netflix

So last night Joel and I watched March of the Penguins and Batman Begins. Those little penguins will make you cry. And, Morgan Freeman could read the dictionary and make it sound heart-warming. Also, and I know I am probably the last one in America to see it, but Batman Begins was quite good as well. You totally understand the whole Batman story more. And Katie Holmes isn't even annoying because her part is very one dimensional. But did you ever notice her face is really crooked? I remember this from my cheesey Dawson's Creek watchin' days. Sometimes she can look so pretty, and other times she looks rather messed up.

Also, I need a book recommendation. Anyone got one?

The Early Bird...

One sign that I have been at my school for too long: On Wednesday, a student pulled the fire alarm. Twice. As I am trudging out into the cold January day for the second time without a coat, my first thought is… “The students need to find out who is doing this so that they can kick his ass.” Sensitive.

I used to be though. Sensitive, that is. I was an idealist, which is why I am teaching there in the first place. Still, I don’t like this jaded person that I am becoming. But I love most of the students and the time in my classroom. I love my co-workers. It is all the other crap that I can’t stand. Our kids go crazy in the hall and in the lunchroom. Much of the policy and mixed messages that we are given on a daily basis, I can leave behind as well.

One student asked me yesterday, “Mrs. Barr is there a job where you eat a lot, complain all the time, and still get paid a whole lot of money?” Other than the whole lot of money part, perhaps THAT IS my job.

In other news…Look at the ungodly hour that I am posting. I have been awake for an hour. What is wrong with me that I am wide awake at this time on a Saturday morning? I might be good and go work out though. Or, maybe I’ll make some pancakes…

I watched Must Love Dogs from Netflix last night. Diane Lane is beautiful and funny. John Cusack was as charming as always. There were some very witty lines in the movie. And there was a whole lot of crap too. I don’t ask for a lot in movies, just make it somewhat plausible. And I am getting tired of that scene in all comedies aimed at women known as “the wacky singing number”. It may have started with My Best Friends Wedding when they sing “I Say A Little Prayer”. Or maybe it came earlier, but it seems like in any movie now when they want to show that the characters are Quirky! And Fun! they have to have a sing along of some kitschy song from the sixties or seventies to illustrate this. I actually have dorky sing-a-longs with my family on a regular basis, embarrassingly enough… so I am a huge fan of the sing-a-long, and EVEN I am sick of these scenes. I wonder how people who never sing feel about this trend.

Couch Potato

So last night Joel and I had the first party in the house. The "unofficial" Hirsch Holiday Party. There has been some sadness related to our work environment of late, so this was on our mind. Plus there was the usual speculation and a bit of fun gossip. But, mostly it was just fun and I realized how lucky I am to work with such good, kind-hearted, smart people. So, I was enjoying myself too much to remember to take photos, so here are a few of the aftermath.
We went through two of the punchbowls. Cranberry with a Kick rocks.
This is how I plan to spend the rest of today. I feel pretty...

Vacation Reading

I love vacation because it means I get to catch up on reading! Woo hoo. Here is the re-cap thus far: Broken For You. I really enjoyed it. There are a lot of metaphors related to china/ relationships being broken. There is also much discussion on whether or not tiny little details are important. (I am of the mind set that there is beauty in tiny details; I don't think this is the popular vote.) I will, however, warn you that it took a good fifty pages for me to really get into it, so if you can't devote that kind of time, it may not be up your alley.

I also just finished The Washington Story, the sequel to Crossing California, which I shamelessly begged for here. I enjoyed both. My sister did not like Crossing California. So there you are. Make your own decision.

I will probably finish reading Julie & Julia today. I find it a very fun read, but if you aren't a married woman without kids who likes to blog and cook, you might find the author to be a little jaded and self-absorbed.

Next up is Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants. I'll update later. Thanks Darcy for the way too generous Border's gift certificate.

Finally, I am listening to Pride and Prejudice on my iPod and enjoying it immensely. Partially because of the accents. I can't do accents AT ALL. So even the ones in my head as I am reading sound seriously fake. Oh well. Happy 2006.

And also, Liza and Jennifer, I fixed the comments so you can add one without joining blogger. But please don't correct my spelling or grammar.

NKB

TMC

I am suffering from Too Much Christmas. It can happen to anyone, but especially those who have multiple families due to divorce and remarriage. But it has been a great one, and I am so lucky to be part of a family that has such nice (though a tad exhausting) Christmases.

Rory-girl is definitely part of our family. Look at her stealing that mic.

Happy Birthday (yesterday) Liz!

Trying really hard...

not to click on the celebrity news updates about Britney Spears and K-Fed. Just like I try not to click on the ones about Jessica Simpson and Katie Holmes. Usually I fail.

As the Shopper comes home with her presents...

I agree with everyone who says Christmas is too commercial. My sisters and sister-in-law say their kids have enough toys...don't go crazy. It's true; they do. I watch commercials and think there are some ridiculous things out there. And yet...

I think I am brainwashed. I LOVE to Christmas shop. If I was a millionaire the first thing I would do was act like Oprah and go on a crazy spending spree and buy people what they have always dreamed of. (Which is, perhaps, the reason I will never be a millionaire.) I love to think about the most creative thing to buy someone and then I want to out-do it the next year. Joel told me to calm down this year. "We just bought a house," says he, "you can't go crazy like you usually do." And yet...

Am I a victim of the commercial culture? Probably somewhat. I think we all have been marketed to death, but it is so fun to give someone exactly what they wanted.

A few years ago my mom had this nice idea. She asked us to stop buying her presents because she felt that she had more than everything she needed. Instead, she asked us to do one good dead in her honor, write it up, and present it to her Christmas morning. Nicest thing ever, right? Yet for some reason I find this harder to do every year than all of the presents I have to buy. My sisters and I, on a few occasions, have totally bitched* about her behind her back because we forget to do the good deed and then we are left scrambling the week before Christmas. This should be all the proof I need that my Christmas traditions have gotten too commercial. Perhaps I should tell people to give me good deeds instead of presents. And yet...

NKB

*I think that is my first curse word on the blog. Bad.

Over Thanksgiving weekend I saw Shopgirl with Steve Martin, Claire Danes, and Jason Schwartzman. I really enjoyed it. The acting was great; a huge departure for Steve Martin. I had also read the book and thought it an interesting read. One reaction that is worth mentioning though, was that it was quite jarring at a few points in the movie to watch a relationship between Steve Martin, who is, I believe, sixty, and that girl from My So Called Life. Luckily the acting is moving enough to let you deal with that and get past it. Still, a bit embarrassing to watch with your father in law. All in all, however, a very sweet and touching film.

NKB

Favorite Christmas Carols...

(This will be a rotating list.)
Baby It's Cold Outside
O Holy Night!
Blue Christmas
Please Come Home for Christmas
Carol of the Bells
Coventry Carol
Christmas in Kilarney
Mele Kalikimaka
I'll Be Home for Christmas

Reading

I just finished reading Adam Langer's Crossing California . If you grew up in Chicago in the seventies or eighties I think you will really enjoy this book. It was sort of a love song to Chicago the way that Middlesex was to Detroit. Anyway it was quite funny and I can't wait to read the follow up, The Washington Story . (Hint to whichever of my sisters has my name in the grab bag...love you.)

I also read A Million Little Pieces. I have mixed feelings about it. It paints a very vivid picture of one man's experience in rehab. It id a unique experience though. I wonder if there is a backlash from people in AA because the novel doesn't always portray this group in the most positive light.

Anyway, now that Joel and I have returned from the always restful Grand Rapids, I am sure I won't have as much time for reading so that might be it for a while. Sigh. Back to painting.

Wrong Side of the Bed...

Did you ever have a day where you woke up cranky for no particular reason? This is me today. It is nothing hormonal so please don't even suggest it; I am just grumpy. Everything Joel said or did all morning made me cranky. Traffic made me cranky. The two workers in Panera talking to each other and moving at a snail's pace while having the most inane discussion about absolutely nothing... made me cranky. And as all of this was going on there was still the part of me in the bubble floating above my head saying, "Wow! You are so cranky this morning!"

I know that I have a million reasons to count my blessings, and most days I am pretty good at that. Today, though, I wish I could just put on my sweatpants and an old flannel shirt of Joel's, curl up in a ball, and bitch about the state of the world.
NKB

Home Improvements

Who knew Joel was such a handyman? (Certainly not me!)

Our literal money pit...

Hi!
Hurray! We are finally in the house. The work we are doing is progressing nicely; the place already looks so much different. Fun!

Now for the bad news...our $2,500 sewer repair became an $8,000 sewer repair in a matter of a few hours. I woke up Saturday morning to a back hoe (Spell?) digging a giant trench in the flower box and yard in the front of our house. I guess we are officially home owners. (Though my first reaction was certainly to call my mother and cry.) The good news... you can flush the toilet without repurcussions next time you come for a visit.

Anyone know anything about landscaping?

-NKB

A fun weekend...

Friday:
Got to watch Barb's band with a few other teachers from school. They were great, and it was fun to see all of Barb's groupies. Look at how cute she is with her guitar...

Saturday:
Our schools football game won the city championship for their division! Go Huskies! Then we celebrated Amy's birthday and watched the White Sox. They are SO going to win!

Sunday:
Thanks Anne for hosting us at the super fun Gap party. I can't wait for my free jeans. Have you tried on the new "curvy" jeans? Wow, most women have hips that are wider than their waist!

I saw In Her Shoes on Wednesday with my mom and sister. This is definitely a movie to see with your mom and sister. I enjoyed it tremendously, and even thought there were a few things I liked more than the book. (The Rose character was more flawed in the movie which made her more believable.) Though, of course, the movie had to leave a few cool plot elements out for time reasons. Afterwards I went to Red Light with the ladies. My sister and my mom did not get carded; I did. Hee hee.

How mad will my youngest sister be when she finds out that we had this outing without her? Well, that's what she gets for moving away and taking my adorable niece and nephew with her.

Barb's band...

So Barb's band is playing Friday night. You can find the information here:
http://www.mirandala.org/Gig.html

Hope to see you there.

Will we ever move?

OK, so here is the latest. The court date between the seller and the tenants was on Thursday. They were given seven days to vacate. Then the sheriff will move them out and the locks will have to be changed. (We were warned that the sheriff gets to come when they want, so it could be up to two weeks before they are moved out.) Still there is an end in sight. My dad has been great, but we are anxious to have our own place and our stuff again.
NKB

I've been on a reading binge lately. Here are some thoughts.

• The Cape Anne- (Faith Sullivan) This was a book club book. I really enjoyed it a lot, although it took me a while to get into it. But then the characters became so engrossing that I then read the sequel...
• Gardenias- Also a good read.
• Faithless- (Karin Slaughter) Interesting if you like mysteries, but if you haven't read any by Slaughter then I suggest you go back and read the first one: Blindsighted.
• Goodnight Nobody- (Jennifer Weiner) I so loved In Her Shoes, Good in Bed, and Little Earthquakes that I wanted to love this too. It was alright...I liked that the main character was a bit flawed; I thought certain plot points were too ridiculous for me. (And I am not terrible picky about plot.)
• Pride and Prejudice- This is the One Book One Chicago selection and my student book club is reading it. Can you believe that I have never read it? All the mysteries and chick lit might be rotting my brain because I am struggling with the language. I need to go back to school!

So not very many new changes on the housing front. Thursday is the eviction hearing. Hopefully we'll know more then.

Is anyone else having a tumultuous couple of weeks?

Housing Update...

Our house situation has turned into something of a nightmare. The tenants have not left. The seller has begun the eviction proceedings through the court. (Although the tenants still keep claiming they have another place to live and are in the process of moving out, it is a bit hard to believe them.) The first court date is next week, so we will know more than. We had to hire a new lawyer; we are living with my dad. At some point we will probably have to make a decision to walk away or see it through the whole court proceeding. (We are looking at what else is out there, but so far are not in love with anything else.) If we close, the seller will cover the cost of our storage and increased fees from the title company. If we walk away, we lose that, plus everything we have put toward our first lawyer fees and the two inspections we have had done. And, we still love this house. Hopefully it will work out in the next two weeks and we will like the house more because we had to fight for it.

As frustrating as the situation is, and it is frustrating, we can't help but count our blessings. It is hard to feel bad about a delay moving into our new home when you watch the news filled with people who are homeless as a result of the hurricanes. Also, I can't imagine having to go through this on my own. Joel has been very strong and supportive. So, I guess it has brought us closer (though we are living in close quarters and we get a bit snappish with each other once in a while).
-NLB