We're watching the classic Mel Brooks parody of Star Wars. It never gets old, although the classic Mel Brooks penchant for jokes involving crotches, bodily fluids, and slapstick humor does. Still, it's Mel.
Dark Helmet is playing with dolls. Mary is asleep on the couch, as per usual. It's traditional for her to fall asleep while "watching" a movie at home. The dogs are lying around in a post-prandial doze; they had a good run around the playground before dinner.
Today was a day off, so I took the boy to school while Mary did some work at home before her doctor's appointment; she headed to her office after that. I had a late breakfast (didn't want to make her suffer as she was getting a fasting blood draw), napped on the couch (same one -- it's very comfy), then went shopping. We needed a refill on ink for our new printer (an HP photosmart printer/scanner/copier with wireless printing), some ant bait, bread, kitty litter, and various frozen items from TJs. This necessitated a trip to the mall where I could visit Staples, Target, and PetSmart before driving over to TJs. The only thing I forgot was the ant bait, and luckily we still had some. The ants still find their way into the old part of the house (not the renovated side), and the baits keep them from coming in.
Once the movie's done, it'll be time to check Facebook and then shut down for the night.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Book Review
Over on LJ, there's been some discussion about books by people of color (PoC), and there's lists of suggested books for reading. I like mysteries, so when I noticed a series by Barbara Neely about the amateur sleuth Blanche White, I tracked down a source and got some of them. They're not in print now, so you have to hit the used bookstores, and I've got the second or third in the series (not the first, I never start with the first book except by accident). This one is Blanche Cleans Up, published in 1998.
Blanche White is a black woman with confidence, a business (housekeeper/cook/etc.), and two kids (courtesy of her dead sister). In this book, she is asked to fill in for someone at the home of a rich white couple; in the course of two weeks, she stumbles across a mysterious videotape, several dead bodies, and figures out the murderer as well as solving a few other mysteries along the way.
Barbara Neely is an excellent writer; from the very first page she grabs hold of you and pulls you along. There's all kinds of people in here, from elderly preachers to teens with attitudes. Definitely worth reading, and I hope to find more by this author.
Blanche White is a black woman with confidence, a business (housekeeper/cook/etc.), and two kids (courtesy of her dead sister). In this book, she is asked to fill in for someone at the home of a rich white couple; in the course of two weeks, she stumbles across a mysterious videotape, several dead bodies, and figures out the murderer as well as solving a few other mysteries along the way.
Barbara Neely is an excellent writer; from the very first page she grabs hold of you and pulls you along. There's all kinds of people in here, from elderly preachers to teens with attitudes. Definitely worth reading, and I hope to find more by this author.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Post-Inaugural Update
So, Inauguration involved lots and lots of people in the Metro area. Mary's sister-in-law got three tickets from her Congressman, and ended up bringing one daughter with her to the shindig (the other ticket she returned for some other lucky soul). They came down Monday evening, and we got up early on Tuesday to take them over to the New Carrollton Metro stop. They needed to take the Blue or Orange Line in, so they could get to the proper side of the Mall for their single approved entrance.
We knew it was going to be a crowd when all the Metro garages were filling or already at capacity by 6:30 AM. The traffic started backing up onto Rt 50 Westbound, because of the Metro crowds. We zoomed back home to begin the watch, and to finalize our menu.
Breakfast was an all-American buffet of oatmeal with dried fruit, apple crumb cake, scrambled eggs with cheese, toast, and the choice of coffee or tea.
The news anchors were all reporting live from the Mall, and you could see crowds of people walking briskly by, to get to the security screenings and make it in before they closed (as was threatened). The morning went by in a blur, and the crowds built until there was a sea of people visible from the Capitol Dome camera.
We were spell-bound, and didn't budge, so our lunch was held post-Inauguration.
What did we end up selecting?
We stayed with the all-American menu, and made pepperoni pizza with the choice of beer, soda, or milk. Trail mix, pretzels, and fresh fruit were also offered, along with refills on the coffee/tea.
The afternoon went on, with live feeds of the lunching Inaugural legislators, and news updates. We were somewhat disappointed that the ex-presidential helicopter did not pass over us on its way to Andrews, as we'd hoped to offer one last salute.
The sister-in-law and daughter called to let us know they were finally cold enough to hit the Metro home, and would meet us in downtown (they took the Red Line home). Dinner was ordered from the local Chinese shop and delivered shortly, and we fed ourselves like a hungry horde. They headed out for home, while we watched some of the news and the live reports from the Inaugural Balls before conking out completely.
Waking the next morning and thinking "President Obama" was a lovely feeling.
We knew it was going to be a crowd when all the Metro garages were filling or already at capacity by 6:30 AM. The traffic started backing up onto Rt 50 Westbound, because of the Metro crowds. We zoomed back home to begin the watch, and to finalize our menu.
Breakfast was an all-American buffet of oatmeal with dried fruit, apple crumb cake, scrambled eggs with cheese, toast, and the choice of coffee or tea.
The news anchors were all reporting live from the Mall, and you could see crowds of people walking briskly by, to get to the security screenings and make it in before they closed (as was threatened). The morning went by in a blur, and the crowds built until there was a sea of people visible from the Capitol Dome camera.
We were spell-bound, and didn't budge, so our lunch was held post-Inauguration.
What did we end up selecting?
We stayed with the all-American menu, and made pepperoni pizza with the choice of beer, soda, or milk. Trail mix, pretzels, and fresh fruit were also offered, along with refills on the coffee/tea.
The afternoon went on, with live feeds of the lunching Inaugural legislators, and news updates. We were somewhat disappointed that the ex-presidential helicopter did not pass over us on its way to Andrews, as we'd hoped to offer one last salute.
The sister-in-law and daughter called to let us know they were finally cold enough to hit the Metro home, and would meet us in downtown (they took the Red Line home). Dinner was ordered from the local Chinese shop and delivered shortly, and we fed ourselves like a hungry horde. They headed out for home, while we watched some of the news and the live reports from the Inaugural Balls before conking out completely.
Waking the next morning and thinking "President Obama" was a lovely feeling.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Inauguration
We'll be "attending" Inauguration from the comforts of our house, since it's very likely to be extremely crowded on the Metro, extremely cold (although perhaps not as cold as yesterday), and we'll be able to eat our lunch while applauding.
The lunch menu is the tricky part. What should we dine on in honor of this historic occasion? Should we aim for a multi-cultural buffet of dishes that represent all the influences upon our country? Or should we go with the patriotic "red, white, and blue" theme? How about basic comfort food? Perhaps the traditional meal of Jews at Christmas (and other non-Jewish holidays), i.e., take-out Chinese? The All-American pizza and beer? Something new, that we've never tried before? Easy food in the slow cooker, so we can focus on the events unfolding before us?
Maybe we should just fast. Y'know, eat afterwards.
I want to hear President Obama's speech. I hope it will be like Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, in which he ended with these famous words:
" With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
For more information on the best places to station yourself, see the Washington Post's insert in the Sunday Section.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
News in the News
Majel Barrett Roddenberry died this morning, at the age of 76. The National Post (Canada) put together the top five scenes with her or her voice -- you recall, she was the voice of the computer throughout all the Star Trek shows and movies. She had just finished work on the new Trek movie, in fact.
She was well known in fandom as a very nice person, as well as a good actress.
She was well known in fandom as a very nice person, as well as a good actress.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Post-Thanksgiving Recovery
We are back home after our trip to NY for turkey and family. We left early Thursday am, with the dogs, dropped them at the kennel in PV -- only just made it before they closed for lunch, too -- got to Mom and Dad's for a quick cuppa, and then we repacked ourselves in Mom's car for the trip to the cousins in Ardsley. The Israeli branch was in attendance this year, so it was a packed house with lots of babies and lots of noisy conversation. The food was great, the house was cozy, and the time flew by. We didn't even need anything later.
Pat and his family arrived Friday around lunchtime. Since Thursday was also his younger son's birthday, we'd brought a few presents, so little B got to open presents from his grandma and his aunties before we had turkey. Lunch was quieter but just as delicious, and this time we had not just Mom's pumpkin pie, but also my pecan pie. We stuffed ourselves and voted on just having dessert later. The boys did what boys like to do: play computer games and run around with the cars.
Saturday we had blueberry pancakes, made by Grandpa, and then everyone trooped off to the park for some exercise. I picked up the dogs from the kennel -- and they were suitably excited to see me -- so they could go to the park too. We threw the tennis ball and took them for a short walk around the senior center, then went back to the house for a last lunch while the dogs enjoyed the hospitality of the porch. The only disadvantage to putting them there is the lack of bathroom facilities for them, so we'll have to come up with something else next time.
The trip home was slow; everyone seems to have decided on travelling early and the highways were congested all the way home. We stopped at Exit 8 for a brief trip to the diner for a potty break (dogs and humans), then kept on going. We did wave hello to Auntie Em before we left though.
We got home late, fed the animals, and put ourselves to bed. It was good to be home. Now it is cold and rainy out, so we are in no rush to go anywhere. We do have to make a fresh pecan pie for our neighbors, to thank them for bringing in the paper while we were gone, and we will consider doing our neuro surgery later, but I have a feeling we won't be inclined to go out at all today. Even though the crawlspace is dry, the weather is nasty.
Hope everyone else enjoyed their turkey, etc.
Pat and his family arrived Friday around lunchtime. Since Thursday was also his younger son's birthday, we'd brought a few presents, so little B got to open presents from his grandma and his aunties before we had turkey. Lunch was quieter but just as delicious, and this time we had not just Mom's pumpkin pie, but also my pecan pie. We stuffed ourselves and voted on just having dessert later. The boys did what boys like to do: play computer games and run around with the cars.
Saturday we had blueberry pancakes, made by Grandpa, and then everyone trooped off to the park for some exercise. I picked up the dogs from the kennel -- and they were suitably excited to see me -- so they could go to the park too. We threw the tennis ball and took them for a short walk around the senior center, then went back to the house for a last lunch while the dogs enjoyed the hospitality of the porch. The only disadvantage to putting them there is the lack of bathroom facilities for them, so we'll have to come up with something else next time.
The trip home was slow; everyone seems to have decided on travelling early and the highways were congested all the way home. We stopped at Exit 8 for a brief trip to the diner for a potty break (dogs and humans), then kept on going. We did wave hello to Auntie Em before we left though.
We got home late, fed the animals, and put ourselves to bed. It was good to be home. Now it is cold and rainy out, so we are in no rush to go anywhere. We do have to make a fresh pecan pie for our neighbors, to thank them for bringing in the paper while we were gone, and we will consider doing our neuro surgery later, but I have a feeling we won't be inclined to go out at all today. Even though the crawlspace is dry, the weather is nasty.
Hope everyone else enjoyed their turkey, etc.
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