DAngie

The Birthers May Be on to Something

2010-08-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

Today I was thinking about the birthers (those who think Obama was born in Kenya). Of course, there are many who think that the Birther movement is completely absurd due to Obama having provided more documentation of the circumstances of his birth than any other presidential candidate in history. However, the more I think about it, the more it becomes clear to me that we really can't "know" the circumstances of Obama's birth. As any faithful viewer of "Days of Our Lives" will tell you, almost no one was born under the circumstances that they and their loved ones believe. For example, take one of my wife's favorite characters on the show. He was believed by his mother to have been conceived when Elvis Presley visited her in the hospital and impregnated her. However, it turned out that it wasn't Elvis at all, but Stefano Dimera in disguise. When one considers this irrefutable evidence, it seems extremely unlikely that President Obama is the product of a union between an eighteen-year-old white woman from Kansas and a Kenyan college student. I consider it much more likely that he is, in fact, the son of Elvis Presley and an African-American woman from Georgia by the name of Gertrude Jones. Elvis, of course, engineered Obama's false upbringing, having anticipated that in the monarchy-averse United States, people would be reluctant to vote for the only male heir to The King. As such, president Obama's true identity has remained a mystery, but I believe it will all be revealed after his presidency in the best selling book, Dreams from my Father II: I Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog by Barack Hussein Presley.

I'm Published

2010-07-02T15:40:00.001-07:00

Okay, published is a strong word. The outdoor clothing company Patagonia has a blog called “The Cleanest Line”. For Father’s day, they asked for submissions about outdoor experiences their readers had had with their dads. I submitted a story and they accepted it. It can be seen here.

Livin' the Twilife

2010-06-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance for beating this dead horse some more, but I can't resist.

A friend won tickets to this early showing of Eclipse and invited me to come along with a couple of other friends. These are folks I like, so I figured, what the heck? I'll go. I considered wearing the Twilight shirt Deb gave me, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do it. Apparently, I have a problem with pride that I should work on. All y'all might think I couldn't keep my opinions to myself, but amid all the Edward and Jacob paraphernalia, I mostly held my tongue. I sensed the danger. Though when the guy came out and, in an attempt at humor, welcomed us to the special showing of Toy Story 3, I couldn't resist saying, "You mean we get to see a good movie?" Luckily I suppose, not too many folks heard me, and I think those who did were confused. Anyway, before the movie started, there were some prize giveaways, and I got to watch people attempt to catch black shirts emblazoned with muscular werewolf chests and sensuous vampire stares. I didn't manage to catch one, nor did I win a replica of Bella's special ring or bracelet in the raffle, but I'm dealing with the disappointment admirably. After the fruitless round of prize giveaways, I enjoyed some previews before being plunged into the world of sparkling vampires and lovesick werewolves. I will not say I wasn't entertained. In fact, this may be a movie I'd give "better than the book" status. Mainly because there were real people playing the roles and that was enough to infuse these mostly blank characters with at least some semblance of personality. Okay, not all of them, but I kinda liked Charlie. Also, there were some lovely forest and snow shots. But then there were these ridiculously computer graphic looking werewolves running around, and when a completely fake looking werewolf Jacob came up to be scratched behind the ears by Bella, I was not the only one who couldn't repress a snigger. Then there were vampires breaking like ice, and it appeared their bodies were solid. Where do they keep the sperm? And Carlisle just looked weird. Jasper looked almost cool, except with that milky white skin, those ruby red lips, and those shiny, curly locks, I found myself wanting to put him in a blue petticoat dress and a straw hat with a big bow on it and stick a shepherd's crook in his hand. Somehow I just couldn't get into the drama of Bella's choice to become a vampire when I knew she wouldn't actually have to give up her humanity (such as it is), bearing children or hanging out with her parents. And every time the tortured Jacob laid his heart before Bella's clumsy feet, I just wanted to shout, "It's not her; it's just one of her eggs you're after!" Then there was the co-dependency of Bella and Edward, portrayed just as nauseatingly as one could hope. Honestly, when I get a hankering for over-the-top melodrama with a hefty dose of sexual tension, I watch "Days of our Lives" or listen to Air Supply. I prefer my cheesy melodrama straightforward and unpretentious. I find it less insulting. All in all, I can say this movie lived up to my expectations with flying colors.

A Rant, A Tooth, and Some Birthdays

2010-02-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that school district in Rhode Island firing all the teachers at a failing high school? Nice job narrowing down the problem to . . . every single teacher at that school sucking. Hmmm . . . sounds plausible. Probably had nothing to do with the low socioeconomic area, the lack of parental support, or the administration. Maybe the superintendent of that district, Gallo, should consider firing herself. But then, she's a politician. Good job not pointing the finger at yourself or your cronies or the parents or the students, Gallo. Stick it to those lousy teachers who actually spend some time with the students and might have a clue what's really going on. Of course, the teachers are to keep their jobs for the rest of this school year. They should walk without warning tomorrow and let the superintendent deal with it. The only reason this thing is feasible is this bad economy in which people are taking what they can get. Still, I wonder how easy it will be to replace the teachers. And I wonder how well it will go next year with a new staff of teachers having no experience with the students, who will most likely be clueless or desperate if they're willing to take a difficult teaching job at a failing school under an unsupportive superintendent and school board. That school will not improve next year. If it looks like it has, you can bet it's been jerry-rigged to look that way by teachers who are afraid and an administration trying to keep from looking bad for a poor decision that increased the unemployment rate and did no good. It's also possible that this is just a scare tactic to get the teachers to accept, with little compensation, the extra demands the district wants to place on them. Either way, it's a raw deal. Here are a couple of things that might actually do something to improve public schools in this country: smaller class sizes and alternatives, such as trade schools, for kids who don't want to receive the education being offered (surprisingly, these things aren't on the Secretary of Education's plan for improvement---as expected, he's got some garbage that sounds good but won't actually help). To fund smaller classes and alternatives, we might have to cut administrative costs. Big loss, because those guys at the district offices work so hard and have so much to do with the students, right? Oh, we might have to cut some teacher training costs too. Again, big loss. The teachers might have to use the time they would have been "training" to make lesson plans, read up on their subjects, grade papers. Forgive me the rant. I'll be getting my sappy on shortly.

Anyway, Bennett finally lost a tooth. You might have heard the trumpets sounding in proclamation of this monumental, long awaited event.

PICTURES FROM VALENTINE'S DAY (with descriptive titles):

Valentine's Day Finery
The Good Valentine Man Strikes Again!
I Gotta Tap Into My Inner Steve Tyler Here. I've Already Got Three Pieces of Chocolate in My Mouth. Jonathan Keeping These Two from Getting Us Thrown Out of the Preschool Party.
JASPER,
You are so good natured. So cuddly. So forgiving. So patient. I love to watch you running with excitement. I love the way you bring me my shoes and yours when you think it's time to go somewhere. I love that you screamed when Grandma Moore walked out the door, until I called her back so that you could tell her "Bye, Gamma!" and then shut the door with satisfaction. I love to listen to your language emerging, even though your favorite word is "no." I love to listen to you say "Hi!" to everyone we pass at the store. I love to wake up to "Hi, Mommy!" (Well, I love the "Hi, Mommy!" but sometimes the waking up is painful.) I love it when you answer my "I love you" with your "Yawyoo!" I love your face.I love it when you're so happy to be with a pal (that is, when you're not trying to take away whatever toy said pal happens to have). I love how you exclaim, "Yay!" and dance around with your treat when I give you something you think is yummy.
I love to find you in this chair. Doing this. And it happens all the time.
I love that even though you're only two, it seems like you've always been here.
LARAINE,
Though it can be painful when you start windmill legging me and shrieking at the top of you lungs, I love your feistiness and your pouts. I love that even though you're feisty, you ask for hugs and kisses, and they really do make things better for you and for me. I love to hear you humming in your room. I love those moments you realize that you love Jasper and I hear you telling him, "Come on, Jasper" and then I hear you teaching him how to make believe. Even though I often try to get you to wear pants more often, I love that you only want to wear dresses. I love your big brown eyes.
I love it when I find something like this when I go to clean up your room.
I love that you and Cole danced to "Puff the Magic Dragon" again and again and that the story makes you sad but you love it anyway.
I love to see moments like this one.
I love that you wanted Dan to wear this bowtie to church on your birthday.

I love this.

If You Need Help Parenting, I Know a Guy

2010-02-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

Me: Bennett, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so mad.

Bennett: Well, I teach a Good Parent class, and I don't have any students, so you can come to my class.

On the review blog: 40 Years of Sunny Days

Fa-la la la la-la la-la la (Yeah, I know , it was a month ago, but I'm helping you keep Christmas with you all through the year.)

2010-01-22T15:01:00.000-08:00

Today I've fished a tea set out of the trash, and I've fished trash out of the toilet twice. Once it had been thrown in along with Laraine's unflushed #2, so that was extra pleasant. Still, I thank you, Jasper, for not flushing the trash, at least I hope you haven't. I don't have a good segue, but pictures from the past month follow.

Here are the kids and our little tree. This way, Jasper had a harder time reaching it to destroy it. Also, it was cold and rainy and I just wanted to cut one down and go home.
It snowed. Jasper was confused.

Bennett was ecstatic.
Laraine thought it was pretty cool too. Okay, this isn't a picture of her on the snowy day, but she pretty much looked like this. Only with snow around.
Christmas! It was a grand time, and I disagree with all y'all and your "we shouldn't load kids with presents, three presents were good enough for Jesus" (one WAS gold and the other two were also pretty pricey, by the way) ideas. I remember Christmas being magic and exciting and waiting for a slew of toys such as was never seen on any other day, and I don't think it diminished the spiritual nature of it for me either. My dad was a teacher with five kids, but Mom and Dad, thanks for managing those magical Christmases. That being said, all y'all are probably right, and I spent more than I had on Christmas presents this year, so maybe you've got a good point, but what can I say? I'm materialistic.

New Years Eve. 11:45 p.m.

On the review blog: My Little Pony

How to Win Friends and Influence People

2010-01-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

Dan was sitting with the kids in the lobby at church. A stout gent came out of a classroom and walked up to Dan and the kids. He looked at Laraine and expressed his admiration for her beauty, how he'd been enjoying her beaming smile as he sat in class. Laraine looked at the man, pointed at Dan's belly and said, "My daddy's fat too."

A couple other endearing (less insulting) lines from Laraine in the past little while:
"Sometimes I look in the mirror and my face is sad."
"At night, the airplanes are stars."

On Dangie Reviews: Sherlock Holmes (2009 film) and Avatar (2009 film)

Happy Thanksgiving (and Halloween too)

2009-11-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

NOVEMBER:
Pilgrim flirting with scarecrow:
Peek-a-boo:
Hiking:
OCTOBER:
Kids with knives. All kinds of fun.
The troops trick-or-treating:
No children dressed as lions were harmed in the making of this photo:
Cinderella and the fairy godmother:
The zombie (he's utterly obsessed with zombies---he wrote a parody of "Birdhouse in Your Soul" called "Zombie Eats Your Brain" or something):
It's been a wonderful fall. I'm thankful.

On the review blog: Free Dance Lessons

2009-11-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

Dan,
It's not your birthday, and it's not Valentine's day, but I want to say something to you. Maybe this is something I should just write in a letter to you, but I guess I want to shout to the world how I feel about you, and this is the closest I can get. I'm thinking of that line I told you about from War and Peace, "My dear fellow, one can't everywhere and at all times say all one thinks." This is the crux of it. I believe we all long to do just that. We want someone to know us, to listen to all we have to say. Usually Andrei is right though; we can't say all we think. But I have you. And with you, I can. And I do. If ever a profound thought manages to fight its way into my head, you hear about it. And all those trivial, banal things that I think about, you hear about those too. I have no filter with you. With you, I can explore all of myself, body and soul, and you help me do so. I hope I do the same for you. Thank you for knowing who I am.

2009-10-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Poe Party 2009, I think, was a success. I had a good time anyway. Thanks to all who attended. I didn't think to take pictures during the party, but aren't these the coolest stamps ever? I gleefully stuck them on the invites. I found them last year right after Poe Party 2008 and had been chomping at the bit to use them. It was fulfilling, despite the fact that the price of stamps rose, and I had to add 2 cent stamps.
And this was the door prize. I'm ridiculously proud of it, because I'm nerdy that way.
The kids also got to have a Halloween party this year.

We finally went to Disneyland a few weeks ago, despite Dan's moral opposition to the "Mecca to Consumerism." I think he even managed to enjoy himself. Thank goodness Therese came along though. I think without Grandma being there, it would have been a lot more stressful and a lot less fun. Since we were embracing the consumerism, we went ahead and paid for dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. Jasper didn't love Minnie . . . or Goofy . . . or Pluto, and he really, really didn't care for Stitch.
Laraine loved them all, but she was most fond of Snow White.
And here we are, in front of the temple to materialism.
Really? He's not rightwise born king of all England. And I was sure Moore was just the current spelling of Pendragon.
I'm glad they take after me where teacups are concerned. No nausea. Just happiness.
All in all, a good time was had by all, despite a meltdown over a Buzz Lightyear gun and some negative feelings toward the "invisible snowman." Maybe taking Laraine on the Matterhorn wasn't the best choice. Maybe we should have just purchased the gun in the first place.
The next day we hit the beach with Brian, Karene, Cole and Weston. It was grand. The kids loved it. Dan loved it. Therese loved it. Though I learned I'm totally incompetent with a boogie board, even I loved it. And it was free, which is good because we'd spent all our money at Disneyland.
The day after the beach, we went to an aquarium. It was free too.
And I'm just throwing this picture, taken by Bennett, on the end here because I think he really captured a certain Dan-ness.
On the review blog: Jasper's Mullet and Julie and Julia

Hodgepodge

2009-09-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admit it, the truck has been useful. I bought the clearanced floor model of a large, plastic play house at Kmart, and Dan brought it home in the truck. Of course, the truck hasn't been working for a couple of weeks now, but at least Bennett has a new climbing toy.
Kids and hoses. Bennett and Laraine kinda run away and run back hesitantly. Jasper just wants to hang out in the steady stream.

Forlorn Jasper at the Bracken cabin. This is the only picture I actually took. I saw Beka had a camera and figured I'd get copies from the master. Yes, we invited ourselves. Yes, we got vomit all over their cabin. But we had a grand time. Thanks again, Beka and Jake.

Bennett has now discovered books and flashlights in bed after the lights go out. It makes bedtime easier for him and for Dan and me. Sometimes Laraine joins him. The flash kinda messed this up, but you get the idea.

Laraine and her three Fuzzlies. Now and then she wakes up in the night screaming that she doesn't have one of them. Then we have to search the house trying to find where she dropped it. What a look on her face.

The fair. A good time was had by all. Mostly.

Dan and I recently hiked the Subway with the Hainses. Can you believe the cruel things we do to Therese? She was stuck with the monsters all day. She's a saint. We love her. So I learned I have a bad knee. It was kind of a depressing shock. See, until this Subway hike, I haven't actually done anything that might test my knee since before I was married when I went on that backpacking trip with Dan, when I was still letting him think I'm into that sort of thing (I actually had to purchase a backpack and a sleeping bag for that excursion). Anyway, if I hadn't hiked the Subway a few weeks ago, I'd still be in happy oblivion about my knee (three cheers for inactivity!), but actually, it was a lot of fun.

Doing homework with Bennett. It can be time consuming. Understand, Nine is the greatest of those numbers, so it has to have a crown and a throne. Four and Five are lowly servants. They're holding trays of food for Nine. It's good to be Nine.
On the review blog: (500) Days of Summer

2009-08-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

For the past eight years, I have believed my husband to be comfortable with his manhood. I looked with some contempt at other men who seemed to need muscle cars, SUVs, and big trucks to compensate for something. Then Dan bought this:
But, hey, it was cheap, and it nicely increases the whole white trash look we've got going in the back yard.
_________________________________________________________________

Bennett made a haunted house. Here are the ghosts:
He told me, "They don't run away when you turn on the light because they're made from non-scaring paper.

A conversation between Bennett and Dan:
B: Daddy, let's play a game.
D: What game?
B: We stare at each other and try not to blink, but the one who blinks first wins.
D: Let me get this straight: the one who blinks first wins?
B: Yes.
D: Well, what's the motivation not to blink if blinking first means you win?
B: That's what makes it so hard.

What a difference a severed head makes...

2009-07-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

The property manager of my house in Vegas sent me some pictures of the house, and I'm pleased that it appears as though the tenants are keeping things in good shape. However, this picture was a shock to me:
There is not a single painting on the walls, but severed heads, yes . . . plenty of those! And that was my pretty room. Wow. Still, I'm glad they pay the rent; they don't have to agree with me in matters of decor or hunting.

On the review blog: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (film)

2009-07-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

The Culprit:
The Crime:
The Remedy:

Born in the USA

2009-07-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

Another 4th has come and gone. We had family in town, and it was a lot of fun, despite Bennett and his cousin, Cole, taking on a toxic plant and learning the consequences, which thankfully only consisted of a couple of days of vomit and misery with no lasting effects. (It was almost darling to see them huddled together over the toilet trying not to hit each other's heads with vomit). It was too bad they were out of commission for two days, since they love spending time together, wreaking havoc and whatnot. Is this picture symbolic of their relationship?Call it tradition or call it masochism, but as I have done almost every year, I joined the throngs for the fireworks display at the Sun Bowl. This year, sadly, no speech from Independence Day was played to get the crowd into a patriotic frenzy under threat of fictional alien invasion, but I wasn't completely let down---I was again treated to the sound of Springsteen shouting "Born in the USA" as I watched the fireworks. Last year I noted that I didn't think the planners of the St. George fireworks show listened to the lyrics before putting this song on the line up. Yet it's been on the line up every year that I can remember, and I wonder, can they be that dense? This year I've got a new theory. I think it could be that they're brilliant, and maybe they really have caught what should be the spirit of the 4th of July. I've decided "Born in the USA" is an incredibly patriotic song. Yes, it's an angry song about war and the plight of veterans coming home, but this is a country that allows complaint and protest, and that is, perhaps, its noblest attribute. Sure, on the 4th we should spend some time being grateful to live here, humming "God Bless America," but we should also spend some time thinking about what mistakes we've made, how we can avoid repeating them, and what we can do to make this country better. Wouldn't it be swell if being born in the USA didn't ever have to mean being sent toting a gun to a foreign land? If patriotism is gratitude and love for one's country with a desire to make and keep it a good place to live, and if nationalism is the belief that one's country is better than anyone else's with a blind defense of the nation's mistakes, let's keep it patriotic. I worry that we indoctrinate our children with nationalism. Bennett came home from school after the "USA" unit telling me how America is the BEST. Dan remembers asking his mother, who spent many of her young years in France, what it was like to live in a country that wasn't free. He was shocked to learn that the USA isn't the only free country. Anyway, in case you've never really listened (or if you just want to watch the part where Bruce Springsteen shamelessly displays his well formed butt in a pair of blue jeans (what's more American?), I give you "Born in the USA" (I love The Boss even more than Meat Loaf):

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA @ Yahoo! Video

And for your benefit, Stefani, Bennett's new favorite song---Bruce Stringbean and the S Street Band's version (though their "Born to Add" is actually better---you can also find Kermit singing "Dancin' in the Dark," complete with Piggy's stellar interpretation of Courtney Cox's role):

After the fireworks:
And this is how we amuse ourselves in my family. Hey, Glitter Ball Table Hockey is the coolest game ever around 1:00 am:

Bwahahahahaha!

2009-06-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm actually documenting an event less than a month after it actually occurred. The Mad Scientist turned six! Here he is in his lab coat wearing, mouth full of chocolate cake glory:

Watch out, Megan and Beka. I think those two may have come up with some new molecules. Let's hope they're not radioactive:

Makin' slime!:"Don't strike till you see the whites of its eye!" Oh, how Dan loves a chance to get in a good one liner. However, despite all of the well timed striking, the eye remained in tact even after all the kids had taken several whacks. Dan had to bring in the muscle:
After Dan had his way with it:
The birthday boy holding the fruits of Dad's labor from the bowls of an eye shaped pinata:
Enjoying a gift from Grandma:

On to Father's Day. I was sick that morning. The kids started their banter around 5:00 am. I whined at Dan to please get up with them. And I got breakfast in bed on Mother's Day. Poor Dan. He did, at least, get to go trekking through Pine Valley with Bennett:
Also, Dan turned really old. Warning: Mushiness will ensue---you might want to get a barf bag or skip this paragraph. I am so very glad Dan was born, and that I had the good fortune to cross his path, and that we managed to get through the most awkward courtship ever and actually end up married. He is so much better than I deserve. Truly I didn't even know a relationship could be this good, and I honestly feel sorry for everyone else, because I'm certain I've got the best marriage. Dan makes me feel beautiful (even when I'm not). He makes me feel like he thinks he got the good deal in this arrangement (which he didn't). We talk about everything, and he always gets me and never thinks I'm crazy. Okay, well, that's not true, he thinks I'm a nut case, but he loves me, even the craziness (okay, that's not entirely true either...but most of the craziness anyway).
I hope this next bit isn't crossing the line. Laraine will someday tell me I shouldn't have made this public, but I can't resist. She came and told me that she's "a mommy." She's got two little ping pong type balls in her dress. Is this based on how she sees my endowments? Should I feel insulted that she didn't at least go for tennis balls? I comfort myself with the knowledge that she could barely fit what she's got down that dress. Here's a "cleavage" shot:

Jasper's trying to get the balls out of her dress in this one:

On the Review Blog: Dan reviewed Up (movie, not preposition---is this joke getting old?)

Thanks to Elizabeth for taking the pictures at Bennett's party.

I Would Do Anything For Love....

2009-06-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today's subject: Embracing the Shameless Melodrama
Sometimes I like to pretend I'm classy. Then I remember how much I love Meat Loaf. But how can you not love a guy who makes this his album cover? Yeah, sometimes I worry that there may be way too much Goth Dork in me.
I guess it's even more Jim Steinman than it is Meat Loaf. His rock anthems sometimes make me weak at the knees. Seriously. I love the soaring, passionate, crashing nature of his melodies---and his lyrics, screaming with emotion, yet barely making any sense. I love Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, and *gasp* even Celine Dion if they're singing Steinman's stuff. Jim Steinman is the KING of melodrama (when it comes to melodrama royalty, his only real competition is Emily Bronte), but he knows it, and he pokes fun at it even as he wallows in it. I love this guy. I mean, he writes titles such as, "Life is a Lemon and I Want my Money Back" and "Good Girls Go to Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere)." Check him out here performing "Hot Summer Night/The Wolf with the Red Roses"---it's brilliant (Meat Loaf singing "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" follows---and what can you say? Meat Loaf is awesome, but you'll probably only watch the whole video if you're really looking for enlightenment):

For your amusement, here's my list of Top Steinman lyrics---really just about any Steinman lyric is over the top, but here are my picks:
-"You're burning up in your bed, you got a fever of love/And there's not an antibody in sight"
-"Will ya cater to every fantasy I've got?/Will ya hose me down with holy water---if I get too hot?"
-"We're living in a powder keg/And giving off sparks"
-"And the last thing I see is my heart/Still beating/Still beating/Breaking out of my body and flying away/Like a bat out of hell"
-"We were doubly blessed/Cause we were barely seventeen/And we were barely dressed"
-"She used her body just like a bandage/She used my body just like a wound...But I can see her rising up out of the back seat now/Just like an angel rising out of a tomb!"
-"Oh I know you belong inside my aching heart/And can't you see my faded Levis bursting apart?" (Is that line really as bad as I think it is? I hope I haven't offended anyone, but how could it not make the list? Yet it actually comes from one of my favorite songs.)
-"I want you/I need you/But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you/ Now don't be sad/'Cause two out of three ain't bad"

Here's to the genius of Jim Steinman!

My brother showed me this the other day. Videos for Jim Steinman music are really good fodder for this kind of thing. I admit to being most amused by this:

And if you're interested in what might get my vote for cheesiest video ever...ah, it makes me grateful to have grown up in the 80s:

Okay, moving on....
It's been an age since I blogged, so here's a bit of what's been happening:

Big sigh of relief for my parents. They managed to get us all married off. Laurie and Dave are now living happily ever after. He's a pretty good guy. I like him, even though he likes the Next Generation more than the original Star Trek. (I always find myself questioning whether people with that opinion have souls, but I guess that's overly judgmental, and Dave appears to have a soul. Cool thing about Dave: His favorite book is Moby Dick. No, really.)
Here's an attempt at a photo of the family. Yeah, attempt.... Bennett appears to need the restroom.
Bennett graduated from kindergarten. Why can't colleges figure out how to hold a proper graduation? The kindergarten knows what's up. Graduation ceremonies should consist of less than a half hour of the graduates singing things like "The Wheels on the Bus" and we'd all be spared a lot of agony.
Bennett likes to make signs. Here are some examples. Dan was given this first one after displeasing Bennett in some manner.
I found this one on the bathroom door. Yes, folks, our bathroom is for the use of both genders.
I threw Laurie's bridal shower.

And some images from Easter:

Today's Reviews on Dangie's Reviews:

Taken (Past Participle, not movie) and
Star Trek: Beginnings

And I'll end this long and meandering post with a Dannism: "You know you're a Runner Dad when you've got My Little Pony Band-aids on your nipples." (In case you're confused, his shirt chafes him there.) Hmm...My Little Pony Band-aids on bleeding nipples....I'm thinking Jim Steinman could go somewhere with that...

DAngie: A Comedy of Errors (and a Leprechaun Story Too)

2009-03-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

Dan and I went to Made in Brazil, one of those they-bring-you-lots-of-different-meats/buffet type restaurants. We were having a lovely time. The food was quite delicious, and we'd both nearly stuffed ourselves, so we wandered over to this little table next to the long buffet table with a selection of desserts on it, figuring we'd enjoy dessert and be on our way. I picked a blintz kinda thing and Dan picked flan. We took our desserts back to our table and sat down to dig in, or at least to try to dig in. I found myself needing a steak knife to cut my blintz and thought, "This doesn't seem right." I asked Dan, "How's your flan?" He responded that his flan was chewier than his past experience with flan would have led him to expect. At this point, I realized we had foolishly erred in thinking that this place included dessert for the 18 smackers and that we had taken floor model desserts. We sheepishly called our waitress over to apologize for being imbeciles and ruining the models. She said, "It's okay, but they're a lot better when they're fresh. They are an extra charge, but would you like fresh ones?" At this point, we'd have felt even more idiotic refusing, so we said yes, we'd like new ones and sorry again about destroying the models. But here's the upshot of this somewhat embarrassing narrative: when our waitress brought us the new desserts, she informed us that they were on the house because she felt bad that we'd been confused. So, here's just another bit of evidence that being a moron pays off. Dan and I got four desserts for the price of none (though the second set was much better). My advice to you when dining at Made in Brazil: try to eat the floor model desserts.

Pictures of kids:
Above is the illustration to Bennett's leprechaun story, which follows:

"'Twas the night before St. Patrick's Day, and not a creature was stirring, except for me and Laraine setting booby traps for leprechauns so that we could get their gold. When we woke up we had a big surprise. We found a leprechaun trapped, so we shook him like crazy saying, 'Where's your gold? Tell us no lies.' He said, 'It's at the end of the rainbow outside.' So we went out and got his gold." After I transcribed the story, Bennett wrote a 15 on the bottom of my transcription. I asked him why and was informed that it's rated PG-15, which seems somewhat excessive to me, but I guess there's that violent leprechaun shaking in there. I should also mention that the morning this story was composed I did indeed wake up to find that Bennett and Laraine had set up booby traps all over the house in hopes of catching leprechauns. The traps consisted mainly of boxes propped up by blocks. Clearly, had any leprechauns had the misfortune to enter our home that day, it would have been to their peril.

They're jammin' to some Buddy Holly. My kids have good taste.

The review today: Taken (movie, not past participle)

Don't You Just Love it When...?

2009-02-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

I take two months to post, and now I'm posting again already, but here's a Don't You Just Love It moment. My visiting teachers came by for the first time today. I enjoyed their visit. Then right after they left, I looked down at my shirt and found that one of my children had kindly wiped a large and conspicuous booger front and center. Nice.

Christmas, Birthdays, Valentine's Day, and a Woofie

2009-02-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, I must be penitent about that little rant on the last post. Dan and I spoke in church last Sunday. Guess what topic they gave me? Lift Where You Stand...hmm.....you think this had any thing to do with my reaction to being called to nursery?

Now that I've been penitent, here's another little rant: people who build their houses on the very top of hills/mountains. Maybe this is a weird quirk in both me and Dan and this doesn't bother most people, but we often lament the many houses on the hills around our house. I don't mind building near hills, even on the way up hills (if it doesn't involve carving a big ugly gash out of an otherwise lovely mountain...I think all you folks who are familiar with St. George know what I'm talking about). I love the red hills around my house, but I am annoyed by having my view of the skyline tainted by people's huge, pretentious houses sitting right, smack on top of the hills. Sorry to anyone who has such a house. I'm sure many otherwise lovely people have houses on hilltops.

Now a little bit of what's been going on in the last two months....
Laraine turned three. She's very into "Frincesses" right now, so we had a Princess Party. She certainly is our "Fritty Frincess." I adore her. I love to hear her say "Frana" or "Franta" (Grandma, Grandpa). I love it when she runs up to hug Bennett when he gets off the bus after school and then holds his hand as they walk back to the house. I love listening to her play make believe with Bennett and hearing her say things like, "Superman, save me!" I love it when she brings me a book, often "Fancy Wancy" (Nancy). I love it when she wants to carry a purse. I love it when she introduces people to her baby brother, "Jastor." I even love her roar, to which I'm often treated when I've displeased her.
We spent a ridiculous amount of money at the Bear Mill for Laraine's birthday. Here she is with "Eunice."

This is Bennett and "Safari Sweetie."
And here's Jalen with "Pink."

Jasper turned one. I love our Doodle Bug. I love how he flaps his arms. I love his easy smile. I love it when he gets hold of a comb and tries to brush his nearly non-existent hair. I love the feathery little plume right on top of his head. I love his crazy lopsided crawl. I love his sweet, open nature and that just the sight of him makes me feel like laughing.

Here are a few images from Christmas. We had a wonderful holiday.

She did insist on wearing the princess dress from Grandma and Grandpa for probably 2 solid weeks.

Yes, we have already had to take away the sword.

Dan and I spent more than we should have to go to a Valentine's Day dinner/dance/party. But, hey, apparently it was for charity, and I had to take this opportunity to wear a fancy ball gown. There are far too few opportunities to wear fancy dresses. I dug up a dress from back in the day. We had a grand time. The food was good, the company was excellent, and we danced like imbeciles. As Dan puts it, "Poorly, but enthusiastically." I was asked if I took the precaution of wearing steel toed shoes to dance with Dan. I didn't, but I managed to get by with no major injuries. Our table was shushed by the host during the performance. (I know, can you believe that a table where Dan was sitting could have possibly been shushed? What can I say---I guess I thought the singer was sort of background music.) I noted that the experience turned out to be even more reminiscent of our high school proms than I had expected. Getting in trouble, just like old times. I believe last time it was for dancing in the fountain at the D Day dance. That was the last dance of my high school career, and I'm so glad I went with Dan then and that I'm with him forever now (poor guy).
We added a canine to the family. Meet Diamond. She is a Lab/Border Collie mix with a few more things thrown in as well, I'm sure. She's fantastic. She is sweet and obedient, and she almost never barks. Dan is loving his new running partner, but I suppose I have to accept that my house will most likely be stinkier.

I reviewed Hancock and Hellboy II on the review blog. I've written a few new reviews on Goodreads in the past two months, so I added a link to my list of reviews on Goodreads.

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas

2008-12-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

It's a rare snowy day in St. George, and Bennett's pretty thrilled. Though after playing with Dan in the snow for a few minutes, Bennett suddenly realized he was really cold and that maybe he actually is glad he doesn't live in a place where it's snowy very often.

So I've been out of it for awhile. Buying a house and moving in has been time consuming, though fun and exciting. We're finally settled, and I've even thrown my first party in my new house. Inspired by Stacy, I decided to try hosting a cookie exchange. Dan (A.K.A. BEST husband ever) waitered for the party. I cooked most of the food beforehand. Some of the food flopped, and Dan could have used some help, so there were some kinks, but I had a good time, I hope my guests had a good time, and I certainly got some excellent cookies out of the deal. I forgot to take a shot of the set-up before the party, but here's the aftermath.

And here's my haul. The cookies were SOOO good. Dan, the kids, and I have already polished off all seven dozen, and the party was only two days ago.
This year our family went out and chopped down our own Christmas tree. For me and the kids, it was a first, but it's the way Dan's family got a tree when he was a kid. I would say it was a success. We took Laurie and Dave along, and I think a good time was had by all.

Decorating our tree...
We had an excellent Thanksgiving. I forgot to take a picture of the lovely and delicious Thanksgiving spread, but here are Jorryn and Jasper in their Thanksgiving finery. Jasper, by the way, has finally decided that it is time to join the world of the mobile. He does a funky little drag one leg crawl now.
This picture kind of belongs on the last post, but this is Bennett's Halloween party at school. I was there as a helper, and I took Laraine and Jasper along. Laraine got to sit with the kids and enjoy the Halloween treats.
So a couple Sundays ago, Dan decided to bear his testimony, kind of introduce himself to the new ward....it may have been a nice testimony, but I don't think anyone paid much attention to it. I was sitting in the center pew, third row (our children had already been making their presence known quite heartily), attempting to hold Jasper and control Bennett and Laraine, but when Dan went up to the pulpit, Laraine ran after him. That was fine; he picked her up and went ahead with his testimony. Then Bennett decided he should go up too. Well, it would have been all right if he'd just gone up and stood next to Dan, but no, he grabbed the pulpit from the front and began jumping up and down, trying to see Dan. After a couple of minutes of this, I decided I better get him. With Jasper in one arm, I grabbed Bennett with my free hand. He refused to let go of the front of the pulpit. I got to have the supreme pleasure of struggling with him, front and center, before the entire ward. I managed to pull him off and literally dragged him (he threw himself to the floor and commenced kicking and screaming) to the pews. He grabbed the second row pew. I sat on the third row pew and hung on to his hand, while he stretched (on the ground) across the row and hung on to the second row pew. Finally, he broke free and ran up to stand next to Dan. Dan put his arm around Bennett and finished his testimony while I sat wilted and humiliated in the pew. It was lovely. If I had been a spectator, I would have loved it. The kind woman in the row behind me told me how nice it was for her to see someone's children behaving worse than hers. Anyway, we did, indeed, make our presence known.

Moving on to the rant....

I got a calling last Sunday...guess what? NURSERY! I accepted VERY ungraciously. I think Dan was about to crawl under the chair. When the 1st,2nd? Counselor gave me the news, I turned to Dan and said, "I TOLD you they'd do this to me." (Our first Sunday when I dropped Laraine off at nursery, I learned that there had only been one leader in there for awhile, and I said to Dan, "What do you bet they nail me for that one?") I then said to the Counselor, "I can't tell you I'm happy about it, but I'll do it. It sure is nice to be new in the ward and get a calling that allows me to meet people so easily..." I said some more really inappropriate stuff. Then I said some more to Dan later about my opinions on callings, particularly how it's always mothers of young children in the primary callings, when we're hanging out with young children all the time anyway, and why don't older people get these callings more? (Because old dudes REFUSE---one of my pet peeves---have you ever noticed how it's mostly older women sitting in Relief Society?) I'm pretty sure I crossed the line into sacrilege, but do I have a target on my forehead or something? I've spent maybe 5 months in callings outside of primary in all of my active adulthood. You would think after the display last Sunday, they would find me incompetent to work with small children, but I guess they figured I need more practice.

Dan wrote today's review: Australia

I have been quite occupied with moving, but I finally read a book:

Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

My review

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T17:13:00.001-07:00

Ah, the joys of October....
Here we are in all our glory: Tiger Lily, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Peter Pan, and Tinker Bell
Carving Pumpkins. Bennett carved his pumpkin COMPLETELY by himself. It's the one on the left. I think it's pretty awesome.
I had an excellent time with Poe Parties 2008. It was wonderful to start the tradition with old friends and with family in St. George. It was also a joyful thing to have another party with friends from Vegas, whom I seldom get to see. Thanks to all who attended both parties. I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as I did!
The Spread:
More importantly, good conversation:
Here's a slew of more pictures from October:
Bennett and I decorated a gingerbread house. Here's my side:
Here's Bennett's side:
Bennett was channeling his inner Jackson Pollock. I think his has more personality. And it's definitely creepier. Quick Bennett story: Dan said, "I don't believe in military supremacy. I believe in sound defense." Bennett piped up, "I believe in Frankenstein's monster." Also, while on the subject of Bennett's obsession with Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, a bit of parental bragging: Bennett's teacher sent home a paper about "kid write"---basically, she has the kids write and draw pictures in journals, sounding out words as best they can. For example, "ghost" might be spelled "gost," "gst," or even "gt." I now quote the letter from the teacher: "As the month progressed, the kids did too. I had one of them come up with: 'Frknstin' which is amazing." Yup, Bennett.

I won this ridiculous old-fashioned outfit for Jasper at a Relief Society activity. I think it's darling on him.
All of us in St. George who have been feeling so bereft since Therese left were thrilled when she came home for a visit.
Dan, the kids, and I went hiking in Zion with Dave, Linda, Linda's daughter Stephanie and son-in-law Dan, and their children: Andrew and Nicholas. Bennett and Laraine loved spending time with their step cousins.Notice Bennett holding the map. He was utterly obsessed with it. Often, we had to stop him from running into people because he wouldn't get his nose out of the map.All in all, a lovely October. My favorite month.
Today's review: River Walk in Zion National Park
Book Review Links:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

My review

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

My review

Pictures, Of Course/I Love a Parade/Small Deluge of Somewhat Political Videos

2008-09-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

Bennett was spotlighted at school this week, so I was going through pictures of him to make a poster about him. Here are some of my favorites of him when he was two. I think the pomegranate picture may be my favorite picture of him, but I love the little GQ model picture on the beach too.

I'm not the photographer some of you are, but I'm kinda proud of these shots of Laraine. Of course my subject matter here is gorgeous, so I can't take much credit, though this gorgeous subject matter doesn't care to hold still for poses, so I do have to catch her when I can.

Here are a couple of recent shots of Bennett. He adores both of his younger siblings. He loves posing with Jasper. He gets angry with Laraine sometimes, but he adores her too. Yesterday she was having a fit and making things difficult when I went to pick Bennett up from school. I needed to break a $20, so I decided to stop on the way home and get cherry turnovers at Arby's. I said, "I'll get one for you, Bennett, but I don't think I can get one for Laraine because she's being so naughty." Bennett said, "Oh, please get one for my sweet little sister." So I did, and everyone was happy. The picture to the right is him in his UNbirthday crown holding his poster/card from the kids in his class. His birthday is in the summer, so he got to have an UNbirthday, which he loved.

I've got to rant a little bit now; forgive me. Last week was Dixie Round Up, so there were a couple of parades. I can't remember a single time when a parade hasn't been a disappointment to me, but I decided my kids should go to a parade, so I took them on Saturday. As I said, parades are generally a disappointment, but seriously folks, this thing was awful. Okay, there were some school marching bands and a couple of horses and the rich Dean Terry family in a stage coach (I guess they got to be in the parade because they're wealthy and have a stage coach), which were all okay and somewhat amusing. I didn't even really mind the car with some beauty queens on it, though I am opposed to beauty queens in a general sense. What I really thought was simply lousy was that other than the above mentioned, this parade was just cars advertising stuff, including a long line of new cars from Sun Painter Auto Dealers or whatever wanting to show off their wares. There were mainly cars with signs printed on them just advertising stuff. Baja Broadband just drove one of their trucks down the street. What the heck? It was like watching a long and horribly boring commercial with short moments of vague excitement when beauty queens and rich dudes in stage coaches drove by. At least most of the cars threw out some candy, so it was bearable for the children, who were otherwise bored. Still, if I wanted cheap candy, I'd go to Target and save myself the trouble of managing small children at a parade in the hot sun. Look, I figure parades are kind of funded by businesses wanting to advertise. Fine. Said businesses should at least be required to sponsor or make floats. For example, Baja Broadband could've made a computer float or something. Anyway, that's what they're calling a parade?

Here's a video from The Onion that had me in tears with laughter. You've got to cry about it, but at least we can try to find the humor (also, looks like a decent razor):
Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

Here's another one my brother-in-law, Jonathan, found on YouTube; he edited it a bit for language. Anyway, I'm afraid it ain't funny. Let's hope we elect someone who is less trigger happy this time.

Like this guy...

Moving on...Today's review is "Firefly"/Serenity. I've decided to post my book reviews on Goodreads, so there are some links to my latest book reviews below:

My review

Rain, Solid Food, Kindergarten

2008-08-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

Like most children of the desert, I love rain. Last Monday we had a beautiful rainy day. Dan and the kids had fun getting wet, and that was basically our family home evening.

I've been making a couple of small efforts to get Jasper interested in solid food, but he hasn't yet caught the vision. As far as the sweet potatoes went, he did at least go from a look of utter horror and disgust to sort of nonchalance. He's also getting better at sitting, though he still topples.

A long time ago I got tagged, so I'm finally answering that. I got the answers for this from Bennett, who is now officially in kindergarten! Here he is standing in front of his classroom.
1. Q: What does Mom always say to you?
A: Don't get into stuff.
(I had hoped for "I love you" or something, but there you go.)
2. Q: What makes Mom happy?
A: When I give her hugs.
3. Q: What makes Mom sad?
A: When I get into things that I shouldn't.
4. Q: How does Mom make you laugh?
A: When she does this. (He wiggled his fingers, stuck out his tongue, and said, "Blublubluh"---I wasn't aware that I did much of that, but I suppose I should because, apparently, it makes Bennett laugh.)
5. Q: How old is Mom?
A: I don't know. Give me a clue.
6. Q: How tall is Mom?
A: Seventy-six. (Feet, inches, or centimeters---he's off.)
7. Q: What does Mom like to do?
A: Have fun with me.
8. Q: What is Mom's job?
A: To take care of me.
9. Q: What is Mom's favorite food?
A: Broccoli. (You can guess that I've tried to get him to eat broccoli on occasion.)
10. Q: How do you know Mom loves you?
A: She gives me cereal straws. (This is why you only let your kids watch PBS---no commercials. He saw a commercial for cereal straws, and now he's obsessed with them.)
I'm gonna do kind of a cop-out and just tag anyone who wants to do this.
Okay, another Bennettism:
"Mommy, Daddy has a step-mom, but she's not evil, so he's not a princess."
And here are a couple of things he learned at school today:
"Mommy, we all have buckets full of good feelings, but we can't see them because they're invisible, and when someone's mean, it makes you spill your good feelings."
"If you get four checks by your name, you have to go to the principal." Thankfully, he hasn't yet had the experience for himself.

And here's a Laraine-ism:
Dan was throwing Laraine in the air. He told her, "One more time."
She answered, "Okay, one more time first. Then I say, 'More!'"

You know I have to do it---today's review is Breaking Dawn. Just so it's clear what kind of a review this will be, I should say that Stephenie Meyer deserves every penny I've spent on her mediocre literature, because I haven't had so much fun ripping on something since Star Wars Episode One:The Phantom Menace. That being said, if you love these Twilight books with your whole soul and will take personal offense at a negative review, don't read mine. I know some mindless escapist reading can be fun, and I can't claim to have found no enjoyment in reading Breaking Dawn.

Various and Sundries

2008-07-23T20:26:00.001-07:00

It's good to be home. We're happy to be back in St. George, but we miss those who have become dear to us in Vegas. Anyway, I haven't blogged in an age because of all the craziness of moving, but here's a little of what's been going on.Bennett turned five, and he seemed to think that was all right. We also spent some time with Dan's family in Kalaloch, WA.

Bennett, Dan, Laraine, and Erin running on the beach

Back row-Sarah, Jake, Andrew, Isaac, Dan/Middle-Hannah, Eli, Laraine, Robyn, Erin, Ashly, Jasper, Angie,Therese Front-Bennett

To the right, you can see some shots of us in our 4th of July finery. Below: Kids with Grandma Above: Our family with my nephews, Jorryn and Jalen.
We went to the fireworks display in St. George on the 4th. I always enjoy the soundtrack on the loud speakers at this event. They invariably play Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA." This year was no exception. I love the song, but it always strikes me as a strange choice for celebrating the 4th, as it's all about how lousy the Vietnam War was, but, hey, I guess if you only listen to the chorus.... As ridiculous soundtracks for 4th of July celebrations go though, this year they topped "Born in the USA. " They played the speech from the movie Independence Day. This I found truly amusing, yet at the end of Bill Pullman's speech, I too, felt inspired to burning patriotic feelings by a speech about a fictional alien invasion, as the crowd around me cheered.

Dan and I have been abusing his mother as much as possible before she leaves us for the greener pastures of Boston. We left the children with her and went to see Les Miserables at Tuacahn Saturday night. We loved it. I found none of the actors annoying, so it was perhaps my favorite of the performances I've seen of this show, though without the rotating stage, the impact of Enjolras' death is a little impaired. A friend of ours thought the Valjean overacted, but I think I'm of Dan's opinion here. No matter how serious or intense, there is still something ridiculous about a musical, so we don't mind some good overacting.

Now to answer the tag.

The rules:
1. List three items in each category
2. Tag three other people from whom you would like to hear
3. Get to know your friends and family

THREE FEARS:
I decided not to go with the biggies that we all share here, but to use some that are perhaps a little more silly, but nevertheless terrifying to me.
1. I have to keep my closet door closed at night, because, you never know, the girl from The Ring could be in there. I only really worry about her being there at night, when everyone else is asleep.
2. Someone (or something) with bad intentions coming into the bathroom while I'm showering. I think Hitchcock really tapped into something visceral here. We're so vulnerable in the shower.
3. One of my children on a psychiatrist's bench some day talking about mother.
THREE JOYS:
1. Laraine and Bennett causing Jasper to become delirious with laughter.
2. Staying up late with Dan, talking or watching something on T.V., snacking on cheese and crackers. (He won't indulge me as much as I'd like on this one, because of the whole getting up early to satisfy his running addiction.)
3. This one's a bit of a cliche, but I do love it---curling up with a book and a snack; it's always best on rainy days.
THREE OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS:
1. I have a dragon thing.
2. I've had many, many obsessions. Most of them I immerse myself in for awhile, then kinda get over---I still usually love them, but they stop being obsessions...there have been so many....but I'll choose T.V. shows for this. I've had several obsessions with old T.V. shows. I have been obsessed with "Taxi" (is Tony Danza capable of playing a character who isn't named Tony?), "Happy Days" (I have a Fonzie doll), and "All in the Family" to name a few. These I still love, but I once had a brief obsession with "Full House" and watched like four reruns a day (why did they play so many reruns of that show?) for like a week. After that I was utterly over it, and I returned to the saner position I had previously held that it is absolutely dreadful...but, oh, that Uncle Jesse! The really embarrassing thing is that I had the "Full House" obsession in college. Hey, at least I've never been obsessed with "Saved by the Bell," yet I've somehow managed to see a lot of awful episodes. I'm a little obsessed with "Word Girl"on PBS Kids right now. It seriously cracks me up.
3. Dan---this is an obsession I'll never get over. ;)
THREE RANDOM FACTS:
1. Stefani tells me my big toes are "alien toes," but Dan assures me that they are very attractive.
2. I've thrown chalk at my students in the past. I usually missed, but I once nailed a kid in the forehead. This actually (as usual) caused great delight among my students. Luckily, this time, the one who got nailed thought it was hilarious too, so there was no lawsuit. I never knew if he mentioned it to his parents. I guess I inherited the chalk throwing thing from my dad (he's a science teacher). Should I be putting this out there if I ever want to teach school again? I'll try really hard not to throw chalk from now on.
3. Speaking of chalk, I once ate a piece and freaked out my brother and my sister-in-law so much that there was a big blow-up over it. Should I be bringing this up? I think we're all over it now.
THREE GOALS:
Again, these aren't the biggies---I want to become self actualized, become a perfect mother, write a book, etc. too.
1. Make dinner tonight.
2. Write yet another speech for church on Sunday. I don't get to recycle the one I wrote a couple of weeks ago because they gave me a topic this time. I was most displeased. The topic is "Developing Talents"---it seems a little cruel to give such a topic to someone with so little talent.
3. Cut my toenails. I know, again with the toenails.

I tag Stacy, Megan, and Debra.

Today's Review: Ginger Cookies

Astropops Etc.

2008-06-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

So, can you believe the Astropop is no more? Bennett is considering having an outer space themed birthday party, and I thought Astropops would be awesome door prizes, but no---they have been discontinued. Even this picture is not the Astropop of my childhood, which, you may recall, was inverted and had some strange waxy stuff at the base. I guess the point at the top caused some injuries, and some people found the wax disturbing, but see, they changed excellence, and now the Astropop is gone. Ah, maybe someday Spangler candy will realize the error of getting rid of such a fine candy and bring it back. Until then, hang on to your memories.

Bennett is a preschool graduate. Here are some of my favorites of his preschool creations, along with the coveted diploma.

Bennett and Mary Taylor made this lovely garden. I was sorry not to have gotten a picture before Mary left. Anyway, many pears and pomegranates will not reach their potential, as they were sacrificed to the cause, but isn't it a lovely garden?

In other Bennett news, we buzzed him. Here he is sporting his new haircut and sitting next to one of his fine feats of architecture. (He insisted on making that face, by the way.)

Laraine and Dan taking a nap.

Jasper, Jasper. Sweet guy. He smiles if you look at him.

This is Dan with Laurie (my little sister) and her---dare I say it?---boyfriend, Dave, after the 50 mile run Saturday. Dan posted an account of this race on his running blog. (I warn you, there is frequent talk of bowel movements---but they're bound to come up in runs---what a horrible pun).

It's time for some poetry. (Forgive me. I used to teach English.) I was talking about Sylvia Plath with Therese (Dan's mom) this last weekend because Plath had been discussed at Therese's book club. Anyway, here is one of my favorite examples of Plath's poetry:

Sylvia Plath

Mirror

I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see, I swallow immediately.
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike
I am not cruel, only truthful –
The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.

Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me.
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.
________________________________________
So, Ladies (and Men---women shouldn't be the only ones who have to worry about starting to look like "terrible fish"), does it ring true for you? Did Plath already feel that fish coming? She wrote this the year of her death. I believe she was only 30. But I guess beyond looks and age, it's about the mirror reflecting only the truth, and it seems Plath was not happy with what she perceived as her truth (can even a mirror really reflect truth, as what we see as truth is largely perception anyway?). I'm assuming Plath was unhappy mainly because of the whole sticking her head in the oven and turning on the gas thing. Anyway, I've decided I'm okay with aging and that I prefer it to the alternative. What pains me lately when I look in the mirror is that I'm still often beset with an unwelcome reminder of my youth---yes, zits. Oh well.

Moving from Plath to some lighter poetry, one of my favorite poems presenting another frustrating truth:

Richard Armour
Going to Extremes

Shake and shake
The catsup bottle.
None'll come—
And then a lot'll.
------------------------------------
It almost makes you hope restaurants will keep those annoying glass bottles around.

Todays Review: Dan posted his review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (I haven't yet seen it, but I will review the title as the lamest of the four, although the whole "last crusade" thing is kinda defunct.)

Dan

2008-05-27T14:26:00.001-07:00

Here he is proudly displaying a pie he won for singing at a festival in Calico Ghost Town, CA. I found him to be the most entertaining singer I saw that day. (I might have a bias, but a bigger crowd stopped to watch him than any other singer I saw.) He sang a rousing old folk song, "That Good Old Mountain Dew"---a tune about the joys of home brewed alcohol, and though I knew he couldn't really identify with the song, it seemed like he did. He really wants to sing it for an American Idol audition, though he missed the one in Vegas.

1. What is his name? Daniel Bennett Moore

2. Who eats more? Dan

3. Who said I love you first? Dan. He's also the one who cried during the wedding. :) But anyone who's been in his gospel doctrine class knows he's a crybaby. I always make fun of him for crying when Adrian came out of her coma in Rocky II. He can't get through reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas without crying.

4. Who is taller? Dan

5. Who is smarter? I could try to lie, but you all know Dan is.

6. Who is more sensitive? Tough call. I already mentioned that he's a crybaby, but I'm pretty sensitive too.

7.Who does the laundry? Me. He will if I tell him to though.

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do. The left side's dented to fit him.

9. Who pays the bills? I usually write the checks or pay online.

10. Who cooks more? I do...though Dan loves cooking (I don't love cleaning up after him, but I do enjoy his cooking).

11. What meals do you cook together? Lots of things. Home made pizza is a biggie. I don't like to knead the dough, so I make him do it.

12. Who is more stubborn? Probably me.

13. Who is the first to admit they're wrong? I try to be good about that, but probably him.

14. Who is more clean? Me.

15. Who has more siblings? Dan--he came from 7, and I came from 5.

16. Who wears the pants in the relationship? Me.

17. What do you like to do together? Just about anything, but I know he wishes I were into running and more hard core hiking. While we were dating, I went on a two day backpacking hike with him and pretended it wasn't an uncommon thing for me to do (in fact, I had to buy the backpack and the sleeping bag for the occasion). I have since been accused of presenting myself in a somewhat false light. Anyway, probably what we love doing most together is just talking.

18. Who eats more sweets? Me.

19. Guilty pleasures? Eating junk.

20. How did you meet? In high school. I was a senior, and he was a junior. It was the first day of school in A.P. European History (we both love history). I remember when Mr. Wegkamp had us introduce ourselves, Dan claimed to be an evil genius who planned to take over the world, so those were the first words I heard out of his mouth. I have since learned that he is neither evil, nor does he have any desire to take over the world, but he is a genius.

21. Who asked who out first? He asked me out...it was his first date---Junior Prom, and if you can imagine it, he was actually shy on that date (his crush was really obvious---he was so cute). He asked me by making a silly little video, which I love and still have. I should post it, but then he'd post my answer, which is an even stupider little video that we also unfortunately still have.

22. Who kissed who first? He was so afraid to make a move. After it had taken him about two hours to inch his hand over to hold mine while we were watching a movie, I decided to help him with the kiss thing after the movie.

23. Who proposed? Dan. He got on his knees, cut off a piece of his shoelace, and tied it around my finger. Yes, a few days later (when we were both done puking) we picked out a ring. (He had the puking sickness the day he proposed, but I had to kiss him after he asked me to marry him, so the next day, I was puking.)

24. His best features? He's pretty proud of his big calves. I'll go with the cliche and say his personality.

25. What is his greatest quality? His kindness towards and acceptance of others---closely followed by the fact that he's not afraid to make a fool of himself (a quality which allows him to win pies sometimes).

Tag? Amanda Taylor (let's get her blogging again), Elizabeth Dover, Karene Hansen, Carmell Asher
(Thanks for the tag, Stacy. This was fun.)

Dan posted pictures and an account of his 38ish mile run in Zion on his running blog.

Stranded

2008-05-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

I've been kind of stranded in St. George this week because our van broke down (I'm glad it got us to St. George---I find the whole "stranded in the desert" thing entirely unappealing). Anyway, I hung around St. George with the kids waiting for word on the van (word is, it's kaput), and Dan took a shuttle van back to Vegas Monday. He bought a van in Vegas and drove it back here Friday, then immediately left with has Dad for Sarah's (Dan's sister) graduation from med school in Salt Lake. It was kinda harsh to have not seen him in days and then have him just stop by and leave again. It has been nice hanging out with my family in St. George, but I think this is the first time Dan and I have ever spent more than two nights apart, and I find I'm really quite fond of having him around. I'm a whiner. I know some of you have husbands who have to go out of town for work a lot longer, but I do not envy you on that one.
Here's the Rant of the day...
Sorry to those who've already heard me go off on this, but it's on my mind since I just had to buy a new vehicle. Why are we still driving automobiles? In many of the ways the science fiction of the past has predicted the future, we have actually exceeded expectations. Check out the huge mono-voice computers on the old Star Trek shows. We have certainly surpassed those. But look at transportation. I don't expect "Beam me up, Scotty" or anything, but I truly believe we should be beyond the automobile by now and that the huge oil and auto industries have prevented progress, which stinks for the environment, which stinks for the preservation of human life. Anyway, Doc Brown, where we're going, we still need wheels.

Today's Review: A wonderful little film that Dan, the children, and I love---Jim Henson's The Frog Prince

2008-05-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been pretty busy. In fact, I wouldn't allow myself to touch this blog until I cut my toenails, as I've been needing to do that for a few days, and I figured it really should be the priority, since I didn't want people to start calling me Talon Toes or Toe Claw Lady or "Hey, are you planning to sharpen those and use them as weapons?" Anyway, today I feel like I've been running around all day long. I had to buy a new pair of glasses for Bennett, as our insurance only covers one pair a year, and Bennett disposes of them faster than that.

Thoughts on current events...earthquake in China....right after that cyclone in what my brother refuses to call anything but Burma in protest of the aforementioned crap government. These things make everything else seem trivial, but we go on as usual. What else are we supposed to do? We donate to victims' funds, and we pray, I guess. Otherwise, we keep worrying about things like clipping toenails, and we hope for the best and try not to spend too much time fearing the worst. Sorry, waxing philosophical....

Okay, art time. Today's exhibit is Rembrandt's The Night Watch. This piece has been on my mind because Amanda was talking about it a couple of days ago. Here's some trivia about this painting. Its true name is not the popularized title, The Night Watch; it is The Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch...yeah, I'm totally sticking with The Night Watch, even though apparently the whole "night" thing is a misconception due to dulling of the painting, and it's actually supposed to be a day lit scene. Anyway, another interesting tidbit, Rembrandt stuck himself in the painting, but I don't think you can see him if you don't look at it larger. You can just see his eye and his artist's beret peeking from behind the shoulder of the standard bearer. Anyway, I give this one a big thumbs up. Rembrandt, you 'da Man!

So Dan's pretty excited about the new Indiana Jones movie. Even though the last two haven't lived up to Raiders of the Lost Ark, he clings to hope.

Today's reviews include Idol Top 3 and Salad Dressing.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

We love our wonderful mothers! Thank you for being great moms to us and fabulous grandmothers to our children.

The Conquering Heroes Return

2008-05-10T20:30:00.001-07:00

Dan and Bennett are safely back from Fathers and Sons (despite the guns, but I know I'm in the minority in this ward with my opinion on this one---don't get me wrong, it's a great ward---I love all you gun slinging loonies). :)
I guess a good time was had by all.

Welcome to DAngie's Blog

2008-05-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

So we're finally jumping on this bandwagon. We're a little slow to catch on sometimes, but it is time to blog! A little bit about us....
Mostly, Dan and I just have a great time hanging around together. I know all y'all think you got the best one, but I know I did. I talk to Dan about everything and anything, and he completely gets me. Must... stop... being... so... cheesy.... Anyway, we have amazing, creative, brilliant, beautiful children. Bennett loves reading books, drawing, building stuff, talking, singing... he's a boy of many talents. He built a ship out of the couch the other day. He's often a pirate. He drew the Jolly Roger himself. The blanket is water. Check it out:Our precious, spunky girl is in the rowboat:
Laraine, Laraine. She's a feisty one (her cousin, Jalen, has been rather terrified by her roar alone), but she's so, so sweet, often asking for loves. She enjoys looking at books, having Mom and Dad read to her ("Pick a book!"), playing with dolls and stuffed animals, and running around with Bennett.
And Jasper...such a darling, good tempered baby. We love his smiles, laughs, and constant wiggling. Bennett is enamored with him and is a great big brother. Laraine loves him too, but she certainly has her jealous moments.

Other things...
So Hellboy II... Is everyone else as excited as we are? Seriously. The first one was surprisingly good.
By the way, for our critiques of just about anything, I've added a link to DAngie Reviews. The review for the day is Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, since it seems to be all the rage. I warn you, I am rather long winded, and I tend to go off on a lot of tangents. And, contrary to popular belief (actually, I don't know really know that anyone thinks this is so), we did not name our baby after the character in these books. We just like the name. I also threw a couple of other old reviews from myfamily.com on there.
There's also a link to Dan's running blog, with which he still hasn't done anything, but I stuck a few pictures on it.

Thoughts on current events...
Let's help out the people of Myanmar. If their crap government will let us. Scary stuff.