Oct. 8: Shifting the Sun

My friend Laura shared this poem with me on Facebook this morning. Since I lost my dad, I am drawn to poetry about fathers; I especially appreciate how this one doesn’t suggest that death shouldn’t change one’s life—and yet, it’s uplifting at the same time. Very nice. Thank you, Laura.

SHIFTING THE SUN

When your father dies, say the Irish
you lose your umbrella against bad weather.
May his sun be your light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Welsh
you sink a foot deeper into the earth.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians

When your father dies, say the Canadians
you run out of excuses.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Indians
he comes back as the thunder.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Russians,
he takes your childhood with him.
May you inherit his light say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the British,
you join his club you vowed you wouldn’t.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Armenians,
your sun shifts forever
and you walk in his light.

by Diana Der-Hovanessian

The analogy of sinking “a foot deeper into the earth”—I can certainly relate to that. But my dad’s “club” that I vowed I would never join? That’d best be described as the Republican party, and yeah, um, that ain’t happenin’. I wish I could honor his memory by voting Republican, but he’s gonna have to count on Kathy for that one. Sorry, Dad!

Otherwise, I think this is beautiful.

Oct. 7: Influential men?

AskMen.com has released their 2009 list of Top 49 Most Influential Men. In doing so, they’ve made me feel a bit like I’ve been living under a rock all year. Sure, there were some no-big-surprise guys on the list, like Tiger Woods and Steve Jobs. But #48? Jenson Button? Who the hell??? I have neither seen nor heard of this guy and they’re saying he belongs on a list of people I not only should have seen and heard of, but possibly even respect and admire?

The men of the Top 49 span multiple industries and countries; through their achievements, both personal and professional, they have inspired everyday guys in a variety of ways. They’re the men we look to as role models, and history will remember them as those who best embodied the way men aspired to live in 2009.

So again, I ask: Jenson Button? Huh? Is he anything besides a guy badly needing a barber? (OK, click that that link and you’ll see a much better picture—he looks kinda like Prince William—but OH MY WORD, he was born in 1980 and I remember 1980. Well. Gah.) In order to look least idiotic, I’m not mentioning the other athletes I’ve never heard of that show up on this list, but there are many.

Amazon is probably my favorite store these days, and I was pleased to see Jeff Bezos on this list (#40). Have you heard his laugh? He has the biggest, fullest laugh and when you hear it, you almost can’t help but join in. Although this video makes him look a little bit like crazy, I remember seeing this interview and it was amusing to hear the audience’s reactions, as well as watch The Delightfully Charming Jon Stewart try to interview him.

P.S. I want a Kindle.

Hugh Jackman is at #32 and although I haven’t seen many of his movies, the guy certainly stays busy so I suppose he deserves to be on this list. What I do like is how he’s looking especially non-Wolveriney in this photo. Rowr.

I’m sorry, but I have to disagree with #29, Harvey Levin. He just seems like a total slime.

Kath, you’ll love this one: Seth MacFarlane wasn’t on last year’s list, but he shows up at #27 for 2009. I love this pic of him. Pretty good for a guy who makes his living writing fart jokes.

No. No, no, no. The fact that Kanye West is at #26 is a good reminder of how little these lists really mean. If we’re talking role models, Kanye West belongs nowhere near a list of admirable people. This guy has an ego that’s way, way too big for his talent.

Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is #23. Dude.

Am I the only one in the world who thinks Brad Pitt is a terrible actor? I hate the sound of his voice. Sure, he’s dreamy to look at (though this picture makes him look old and also like he’s not aging as well as his buddy George Clooney), but I think he’s incredibly overrated. Same with that creepy brother-lover Angelina he’s with. [shudder]

Speaking of George Clooney, he’s next at #20. Yes, please! I’ve loved him ever since The Facts of Life. Nowadays, he rocks the grey hair and good suits—dig that classic look of his, so much like his dad. Loved his Aunt Rosemary too.

Ugh, Ryan Seacrest, #19. Another overrated celebrity. A mimbo-wannabe. Sure, he can speak in complete sentences, but otherwise he seems like the least talented or interesting person, like, ever. I don’t get the appeal. The fact that he’s about to take over Dick Clark’s throne is a travesty, IMO.

Oh yes, I loves me some Conan. He’s #16 on the list.

Personally, I don’t see the appeal of Quentin Tarantino. I don’t like his movies, I can’t stand watching him in interviews, and he’s getting too close to that Kanye West-like ego for me. Still, I understand why he’s on this list. Most of his movies do well, and he’s incredibly artistic—a visionary. Just not my type.

Smart move, putting Jon Stewart on this list. The Daily Show was good with Craig Kilborn, but Jon Stewart (#13) made it great. He’s smart, sexy, hilarious, and if you ask me, the best thing about Comedy Central (Stephen Colbert is a close second). Jon Stewart’s first show after 9/11 was an honest, raw, emotional reaction to the terrorist attacks, and one of the best of all the late night hosts’ post-9/11 shows. Regardless of your political views, if this thing didn’t make you cry then you are most certainly made of stone, my friend.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
September 11, 2001
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

Not sure what to think of Don Draper in the #1 spot on a most influential men list, but I can totally live with it because Jon Hamm is a bit of alright. So how do they justify putting a fictional character at the top?

Draper illustrates old-school values even though he often fails to meet them himself. His human flaws are what make him so relevant to men today. He is by turns a chain-smoking, drinking-in-the-office emblem of a bygone age, and an unusually real, earnest human being who illustrates the struggles modern men know all too well.

Back to the less controversial issues of the day…

Oct. 6: I’d love a nap, thank you

Sheesh, I just started writing another bulleted list. What’s worse, one post after another of bulleted lists, or meme after meme after meme? I don’t know.

There’s just all this stuff going on right now. It’s too boring to share every single thing, so you’re just gonna have to trust me that it’s a lot. And it’s getting a little overwhelming. I’m doing my best to keep my head above water, to not be consumed by the weight of it all, the daily-ness of it all, and if going through the motions is what it’s going to take, I’ll do it. For now, anyway.

The sucky part of feeling like this is finding the tiniest little thing setting me off. Example? Katie’s homework today was European geography; she had a list of quiz questions she was to answer using a map that was almost 20 friggin’ years old. Seriously—this map clearly had West Germany and East Germany drawn as separate countries. One of the questions was “how many countries are in Europe?” How exactly is a kid supposed to answer that with a shitty, outdated map that doesn’t even identify all its countries? GAH! It wasn’t just Katie’s doubt in my ability to answer geography questions on a fourth grade worksheet, the whole thing really made my blood boil.

See? Not a huge thing, but I reacted as though it was. I scared myself a little.

The kids have been after us for days to put up Halloween decorations. Finally (FINALLY!), tonight we all went out front and hung our candy corn lights and bat garland, banged the decorative stakes into the yard, and tried to stretch one of those fake spiderweb things across the posts on the porch. Did that work? Ha. Have you ever tried to do one of those fake spiderweb things? You know it’s impossible to make them look realistic, don’t you? But ours didn’t even look like a bad fake spiderweb. It looked like we tried to stretch a big wad of cotton from one porch post to the other, which is, well, exactly what we did. We gave up and tried to pull it all down again, which took as much effort as trying to get it to look like a decorative spiderweb. It kept getting stuck in my rings, and I cursed.

My Internet connection has been dropping unexpectedly. I suspect it’s my wireless card and I just don’t want to deal with trying to figure it out right now.

Plus, so far Saturday Night Live has totally sucked this season.

I could really, really use a good night’s rest. All I need is one. I think it would make a world of difference. I wouldn’t mind a handful of Xanax to go with it. Just enough to make Jen feel like Jen again.

Oct. 5: I predict Random Sunshine™

You know Sunshine, my very cool new friend and PTO peep I’m always mentioning lately? Here’s a picture of Sunshine and her sweetie that I stole from her Facebook album:

They be cute, huh? Kinda like you-almost-wanna-hate-‘em-cute. So to even things out, here’s a picture of Sunshine’s hand holding toilet paper with bongos nearby:

She’s got mad skillz, yo. Here’s another picture of Sunshine. In this one, she’s totally not wearing a witch’s hat.

And this is Sunshine receiving her Mother of the Year award after that time she pureed many vegetables:

Ah, good times.

Such good times, in fact, that we here at Stuff Jen Says have decided it’s time for Sunshine to have a special trademarked name, which she has chosen her very own self: Random Sunshine™. Please note this in your records for all future use. Thank you.

Oct. 5: Monday a.m. quickie

Gotta million things to do today. Just some update-y tidbits:

• The Fun Run on Saturday morning turned out to be really, really Fun with a capital F. It was cold, but never rained and we had a good turnout. Some of the kids went all out on the school spirit thing—we even had face painters. I knew what Katie’s reaction would be because it was the same as mine: “That’s kinda creepy.” But one of the face-painted girls won a big ol’ feast at California Pizza Kitchen for best school spirit, so who’s laughing with her mouth full of pizza now, hm?
• My favorite moment while manning the water station was when a guy stopped at the table, took a cup of water, and said, “Oh good, I can rest for a bit. Good time for a smoke break too!” I found out later it was Sunshine’s father-in-law. Funny guy. Gotta love the mental picture of smoking while running a 5k.
• My second favorite moment while manning the water station was when a guy who was running shirtless yelled “GIMMEE ALL YOU GOT, RIGHT HERE!” as he ran toward us. Victor tossed two glasses of water at him, but was too close, and it all splashed right back on Vic. The guy hollered, “Thanks!” and kept going. At least he was refreshed. For the rest of the day I teased Vic because he got Naked Sweaty Dude’s B.O. all over him.
• Yes, I’m kind of a meanie wife.
• Wellington and Darlene are gone for a couple weeks, so we don’t have one of our lovely days/nights off for a while. I’m not whining. I appreciate their help so much, but we do kinda get used to it and miss them when they’re off traveling somewhere. Retired people… when do I get to be one?
• Today is my friend Christina’s big day. Happy birthday, young thang! I hope your celebration got more fun after your birthday flu shot, because that’s a really sucky gift.
• I worked on our Christmas CD a little yesterday. I chuckle while I promise it’s gonna be a good one this year, oh yes.
• Buncha PTO duties today. Work tomorrow. Bye.

Oct. 5: Ye be warned

Jen E alerted me to this one.

Oct. 4: Stuff Jen says about Stuff Jen Says

Found this fun one at Momma Blogs a Lot this morning and had to play along. I hope all my bloggy friends will too—I’m looking at you, Sherilee and Sunshine and Kath.

This blogging themed meme came my way via Jen @ Our Daily Big Top who found it at Life In The Carpool Lane.

1. Where are you blogging right now?
   At my desk in the family room.
2. How many unpublished posts do you have in your ‘draft’ box?
   None right now. I rarely leave posts unpublished. If I decide not to post, I delete.
3. Whose blog inspired you to start your own?
   No one’s. My students encouraged me to start my own web site in 1999. I had been teaching a bunch of web design classes and every day students would ask what my personal site looked like. I finally got embarrassed enough about not having one that I created manullang.com. Not very many people were calling them “blogs” back then, but looking back, that’s exactly what it was.
4. When do you usually publish your posts?
   I tend to write in the morning. Some days I post all day long. Occasionally, when Victor gets home and says something I have to share with the world, I write in the evenings. I guess my answer to this question is “whenev.”
5. In your guesstimation, how many blogs do you read?
   I’ve got 66 RSS feed subscriptions in Google Reader. Of those, 20 or so are blogs. Seven are subscriptions to blog comments. There are a handful that may or may not be considered blogs.
6. How long have you been blogging for? 
   Since 1999—so, um… let’s see… that would be… ten years. And people say I can’t do math.
7. Why did you start blogging?
   See answer to #3. But more specifically, I was pregnant when I started our web site in 1999, so I was looking for an easy way to share photos and news of the new bebeh with family and friends. Mission accomplished, and then some.
8. Why do you keep blogging?
   A few reasons… first, it’s still a great way to share photos and news of the fam. Secondly, writing is therapeutic for me, and it’s also just plain fun. Lastly, I love the people I have met in the blogosphere. [singsong voice]: Awesome!
9. If you could only recommend one blog to a friend, which one would it be?
   I can’t pick just one. It all depends on what that friend is interested in, and what their sense of humor is like. If they want insanely funny and occasionally very weird stuff, go to The Bloggess. If they’re interested in starting a blog and want to see the trolls that appear when one opens up their life to others, check out Dooce. If they’re like me, I’d recommend my friends’ blogs, of course. And if they want to read a blog that rarely gets updated, I’d point them to my sister’s. (I’m not allowed to link to it because of her stalkers, but I mention it in the hopes of shaming her into writing once in a while.)
10. If the internet was “turned off” for one month, what do you do with all the time you used to spend blogging?
    Cry without ceasing.

I gotta add one more thing about blog software. When I first started blogging, I’d write updates on a regular HTML page in Microsoft FrontPage. Eventually I moved over to Blogger (Google’s blog software), primarily because it did the archiving for me. I usually composed the post in Microsoft Word and then copied and pasted it into the Blogger window—Word did the pretty little curly quotes and apostrophes, em dashes, and Auto Correct, and Blogger didn’t. But I didn’t love Blogger’s layout preview—I couldn’t see the true layout of a post until I published it, so I had to publish and edit and re-publish until it looked right. Argh. Then I ran across Windows Live Writer, and my life improved considerably. It takes a template of your blog and lets you create a post within it, so it’s as close to WYSIWYG as can be. Me likey. Me recommend.

Oct. 3: Running CAN be fun

Last night I received an email of the setup schedule for the Fun Run this morning. I was surprised to see my name on the 7 a.m. spot because I don’t “do” 7 a.m. Ever. For anyone. Anywhere. I figgered I must have agreed to this start time on a day when I looked like this:

I should not be held responsible for anything I say or do when I look like this:

Twenty minutes ago I got a clarification message from Fancy Lori™, Fun Run Coordinator Extraordinaire, that “7 a.m. Jennifer” actually meant “7 a.m. Jenn K” and I was not expected until later. Even though by the time I got Fancy Lori’s message I was up and ready to walk out the door, it was still a relief not to be needed yet. See, I tend not to be very nice to people at 7 a.m. and I always feel bad about it later. Later, y’know, when I look like this:

The other thing that makes this schedule change not such a big deal is that I’ve been up since 3:30. Couldn’t sleep. Back hurt. Sucks to be me. Later today, when the sleeplessness hits me like a brick wall, I shall turn grouchy and even achier and I will probably want to bite anyone’s head off who talks near me. Until then, I’ll do my best to look and act like this:

Shouldn’t be too difficult. I mean, I’m spending the morning with my best PTO girls and we’re volunteering for this Fun Run with the YMCA and a bunch of really good sponsors like CPK and Peet’s and Cheesecake Factory. Victor, Katie, Jack and I are “working a corner” (heehee)—we’re doing a water station on the 5k route. There’s a Kids’ Dash and lots of fun prizes too. I hope our turnout is good, because the weather isn’t the best so far this morning. (And I know, because I’ve seen it NOT CHANGE for the last four hours.)

We had a good start to promoting the Fun Run yesterday when we put on a show at the school during Friday Morning Meeting—Heather, Fancy Lori™ and Cassie slow-ran to “Chariots of Fire,” while Dina and Sunshine held out a toilet paper finish line. I played official photographer. I put the succession of pictures on Facebook yesterday, but here’s a good action shot for my blog:

When we first talked about how we’d encourage Fun Run attendance, there was really no question that the “Chariots of Fire” theme was the best musical accompaniment to whatever we did. Yesterday morning I told Vic what we were planning for Friday Morning Meeting and he said, “Y’know, the kids aren’t gonna know that music…” but I scoffed because that’s what I usually do when Vic says things. He went on to say that the movie’s way older than all of them, blah blah blah, but I was all I DON’T CARE, IT’S IN FIVE MINUTES SO SHUT UP, MR. NOT-HELPING McHELPERSON. That was in my head, of course. What I actually said was, “Thank you, dear!” On his way out the door, he said, “Have fun doing your old-timey show!” And in my head, I flipped him off. But only in my head.

The thing is, the laugh was on him, because the kids really seemed to enjoy our show! Several teachers said there was a lot of slow-motion running on the way back to classrooms after Friday Morning Meeting. So we’re all high-fivin’ each other, like WHAT AN AWESOME JOB WE DID! And I celebrated right along with the performers even though I only took pictures.

But just now, as I was looking at the photos again and trying to decide which one was best to post, I zoomed in a little on each one and found some chuckles. In this particular photo, look who’s laughing and who’s not:

Yes, the grown-ups enjoyed our show. The kids appear to be more confused than entertained. We care not. We were applauded, and you know kids don’t clap for just anything…

Oct. 2: New song from The Rouge

‘Nother article in a Denver newspaper about The Rouge. They released a new single yesterday called “Prodigal Son,” and you can download it for freesies here. What? You say you’ve forgotten how completely cool they are? All you gotta do is say the word and I’ll share a picture with you.

Chest-barers, all of ‘em. Me likes. Not in the same way my seester likes—Loveliest Lori and I are actually a little scared about how much Kathy likes, and Victor fears she’s going to be their Yoko—but to me, their look goes perfectly with their style of music. Plus I love the guy in the orange kind of a lot because he calls me Auntie Zen.

Big things for these noisy guys. You just wait and see.

Oct. 1: My li’l piano man

Today was The Boy’s first real piano lesson and he didn’t hate it. Wait, I need to say that again.

He didn’t hate it!

I love that Katie and Jack are learning to play the piano on the same one I learned on. (If a piano was purchased from a neighbor in 1970, but stays in one family for generations after, does that make it a family heirloom? Let’s say it does.) K&J haven’t begun to fight over the piano for practice time yet, and while I fully expect they will, Katie has an electronic keyboard so there shouldn’t be a big problem. We shall see.

Katie’s in her third year of lessons now, and doing a great job. I’ve told the kids they need to take at least five years of lessons each, and Jack is all NO FAIR because Katie’s “almost done” (he says) and he still has five to go. It doesn’t matter to him that I promise he’ll learn new instruments faster if he has a piano background, probably because right now the only other instruments he’s really interested in are drums. Sorry, pal. I’m stickin’ to this one.