Ah, the plight of the not quite-upper lower-class: living from paycheck to paycheck. Well, we didn't quite make it this time, so we had our cable/internet shut off over the weekend. We knew it was coming, so it's not like it caught us off guard. We were prepared, mentally prepared our child, had plenty of DVDs at the ready, and simply shrugged when we found that we had a little "This channel is not available" message when we turned on the TV on Friday.
Personally, I thought this might be a nice little break from being so "connected." We have the tv on far too much - basically all the time, and most of the time we're not even watching anything that we're interested in - we go through the guide over and over just to put on something that we can tolerate just for "something to watch" and still just sit there in the living room doing nothing. Also, throw in the fact that we would have no internet, so there would be no hours of facebooking to "kill time" We would actually have to do things like play games or read or clean or *gasp* go somewhere.
The cable was shut off on Friday and the internet on Saturday. Because of this one night gap, the boys were still able to stream Netflix all night, so they were basically unaffected. Saturday was the day I was waiting for. I got up, took my walk/jog, made coffee, sat in the silence and enjoyed it. That is, until my son got up, remembered he didn't have to be online in order to play video games and commenced slaughtering some Nazis. Not long after that, the hubby got up and decided to tether the laptop to his cell phone so he could still get internet.
Hold the phone here...no, no, no...no internet. If we're gonna be shut off, let's be shut off! Apparently he didn't feel the need for this little break from cyberspace, so he spent a good amount of time online watching millions of episodes of Farscape streaming on his large laptop screen on Netflix. Sigh.
I filled my days by reading (though every time I did, I'd end up falling asleep), walking, making lists of movies that we own, getting the guys out of the house from time to time, and constantly checking my BlackBerry for emails and facebook updates. Okay, okay, I didn't do too well either, but I found I could tolerate the lack of cable. It was the internet that seemed to be the tough part.
So, we've come to the decision that we're going to get rid of cable tv and rely on the internet for any of our television viewing. It's going to be a bit of a change for us, but at least it's a step. It's also going to be saving us a chunk of change every month (remember the paycheck to paycheck thing?) and maybe it might get us out of our "watching something for no good reason" habit. Once we get that accomplished, maybe we'll get working on the "killing time doing nothing on the internet" habit. Well, maybe we'll have to see about that. One can only hope!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
august's educational post (just in the nick of time)
If you've read the book or seen the movie "Angels and Demons," you might remember that Robert Langdon was following the "Path of Illumination" that was found in clues left in the art of Gianlorenzo Bernini. When I read the book, long before the movie came out, I was so excited that someone else was mentioning the art of my favorite artist of all time - I couldn't put it down. So, I thought I'd share a bit of info (and many pictures) on this man who many people had never heard of before Dan Brown decided to feature his art in a book...
"Bernini, Gianlorenzo (1598-1680): Italian sculptor, architect and painter. He was the son of a sculptor and studied with his father who also helped him gain early patronage. Apollo and Daphne shows Daphne trying to escape from the pursuing Apollo and turning into a laurel tree as she does so. The observer must walk around the sculpture to witness Daphne's transformation, thus denying a unitary viewpoint. This type of multiple viewpoint was common in Mannerist sculpture, but in works such as David, Bernini goes a step further and shows David in the process of slinging a stone at the imaginary Goliath, who seemingly occupies a place behind the observer of the sculpture.
Virtuosity of design and conception was complemented by a willingness to use different sorts of marble, as well as both painting and architecture to enhance sculptural form. Bernini's facility drew him to the attention of Pope Urban VIII (Barberini), who made him the principal architect for St. Peter's in 1629. In this capacity, he contributed both the Baldacchino (1624-33), with its mingling of architectural and sculptural features, the Cathedra Petri (Throne of St. Peter) (1657-65) and the oval colonnade surrounding the forecourt. He also produced for St. Peter's the tomb of Urban VIII, with its rich mixture of materials. Bernini also contributed fountains and churches (e.g. S. Andrea al Quirinale) to Rome, and with Borromini, Cortona and others, he helped give Rome a Baroque aspect.
Urban VIII's successor, Innocent X, was less impressed with Bernini's ability; but Bernini was not short of commissions and during this time, he produced the Ecstasy of St. Theresa for the Cornaro Chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria (1645-52). He also produced a number of portrait busts, which revealed his facility for capturing character. In 1665-6 he went to Paris following the invitation of Louis XIV, who wished to make use of his skills as an architect. However, the trip was not very successful and resulted in little but an elaborate portrait bust of Louis XIV. Bernini was best known for his blending of media, which gave his sculpture the fluidity of painting and his architecture the plasticity of sculpture. His popularity declined after his death and he was an anathema to generations of academic artists who favoured a more classical style."
- From The Bulfinch Guide to Art History
Here are a few of my favorite pieces by Bernini:
- From The Bulfinch Guide to Art History
Here are a few of my favorite pieces by Bernini:
Blessed Ludovica Albertoni
Portraying religious ecstasy. Sheesh! This is almost like 17th Century porn...in a church.
The Rape of Proserpina
Bernini did this at the ripe old age of 23! The style is complete mannerism, but check out the detail of his fingers pressing into her flesh. It's hard to believe this is marble.
The Gates of Hell
I love the way the red marble is fashioned to look like fabric against the bronze skeleton.
Okay, there's your bit of art information for a while. Hope I was able to clue you in to some pretty awesome stuff. Now on with the non-educational stuff...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
kissing: an experiment
People always joke about how the frequency of sex dwindles down to near non-existent levels after marriage. I'm not going to comment here as to whether this is true in my own marriage or not...ahem...but here's something people rarely discuss: How often do you kiss your significant other after being together for years? I'm not talking about the peck on the lips to say good morning or goodbye as is the norm, I mean a real, lengthy kiss - maybe even a little tongue (gasp).
Prince - Kiss
This is something that I've been casually polling some of my friends and aquaitances about lately, and I seem to be coming up with the same answers - no time, it's silly, never really thought about it, or as one friend put it, "It's for high-schoolers." Tsk, tsk...
Okay, here's another question: Do you still get butterflies when you're with your significant other? Let's be honest here. I'm guessing the answer is usually no. Nothing against them, you love them, you're still attracted to them, but that newness is gone. Sure there are those times where something's new or they're looking especialy wonderful and that feeling is back, but fleeting. Usually the butterflies arrive when a relationship is new, you're nervous and excited and feeling all tingly, right?
So, try this...the next time you have a moment alone with your mate - even if only for a moment - give him or her a long, lingering passionate kiss. I can almost guarantee you that the butterflies will return. If it's been so long that you haven't even thought about it - it will be like it's new again, yet familiar and right. Make yourself feel like you're in high school again. What's so wrong about that?
Go! Experiment! What's the harm in trying? Let me know how it goes.
Prince - Kiss
This is something that I've been casually polling some of my friends and aquaitances about lately, and I seem to be coming up with the same answers - no time, it's silly, never really thought about it, or as one friend put it, "It's for high-schoolers." Tsk, tsk...
Okay, here's another question: Do you still get butterflies when you're with your significant other? Let's be honest here. I'm guessing the answer is usually no. Nothing against them, you love them, you're still attracted to them, but that newness is gone. Sure there are those times where something's new or they're looking especialy wonderful and that feeling is back, but fleeting. Usually the butterflies arrive when a relationship is new, you're nervous and excited and feeling all tingly, right?
So, try this...the next time you have a moment alone with your mate - even if only for a moment - give him or her a long, lingering passionate kiss. I can almost guarantee you that the butterflies will return. If it's been so long that you haven't even thought about it - it will be like it's new again, yet familiar and right. Make yourself feel like you're in high school again. What's so wrong about that?
Go! Experiment! What's the harm in trying? Let me know how it goes.
Monday, August 16, 2010
the pains of facebook
I've been on facebook for a couple of years now and there are some things that have irritated me since Day One that I just cannot get over. I know many lists of facebook no-no's and personality types have been created, but this is my own little list of things....
1. The people who use facebook like a twitter account. I do not need to know how many hours you're working every day. Seriously...daily posts about how many hours you're working have no point other than to make people think you either 1) have no life other than work, or 2) want people to think you're some sort of Superwoman. I also don't care if you're out going shopping with so-and-so, if you just bought a new pair of boots on sale, what you're having for dinner or that you're driving to pick up your kid from dance class. I admit, I've been guilty of this from time to time, but I soon realize it and delete the dang thing. Now, it's different if it's not all the time or if it's written in a creative or humorous way. I like being entertained...not bored.
2. Cyber "huggggs." This is one of the most irritating things I see on there. Are we supposed to be feeling the squeeze in all of those "g"s? I've seen people say something like, "Hugs to you," or "Sending hugs your way," but this is a "sentence" of its own. Anything from, "Hugggggggggs" to "Hugggggs you tight" to *huggggggggggggs* and don't forget the trendy way of ending it with a z: "Hugggggggggggz," and every time I see it I want to barrrrrrrrrf.
3. People who complain about their friends who post items from the games they play. Sure, it can be overwhelming to see 10 items about one person who needs a barn or who leveled up in a game, one right after another, in your feed, but that's why I love this nifty feature called "Hide." If a post appears about a game that you don't care to see anything about, you click on it and say, "Hide i*nsert name of game here*" and then that's the end of it! No complaints, no more feed pollution, and you don't have to try to make your friends feel like idiots for playing such idiotic games. ;)
4. Drama queens/kings. The people who have to announce how miserable they are in order to get people to comment and boost their egos. I've noticed quite a few people like this online. It gets old...fast, and I'm not going to play along. Once I get sick of it, they're hidden and I'll check their pages from time to time just to see if they've decided to post anything positive. It's not something I find very often.
5. The countdowns to Friday. Another one I'm sometimes guilty of. I know what day of the week it is, thank you. I don't need to be reminded of it and shame on me for doing the same thing.
6. People who take it all personally. I know this one has been brought up many times - most memorably on South Park with "You Have 0 Friends." If I don't post a reply to something, LOL at your funny video, or "like" your picture...who cares? Maybe I haven't gotten around to it, maybe I haven't even seen it yet, or maybe...just maybe...it wasn't interesting enough for me to waste my time with.
7. Speaking of "Like, " how about the people who "Like" every little thing you can think of from famous people to quotes to random nonesense. This is usually a teenage habit, which I can excuse, but when people older than me are hopping right on the bandwagon of liking "I WISH I HAD MY MOM I TRULY MISS HER TAKE CARE OF YOUR MOM CAUSE YOU DON"T KNOW HOW LONG YOU"LL HAVE HER," I have to cringe.
Okay...I feel a little better now. I know this wasn't my most original post, but I just had to get it off of my chest. Moving on...
1. The people who use facebook like a twitter account. I do not need to know how many hours you're working every day. Seriously...daily posts about how many hours you're working have no point other than to make people think you either 1) have no life other than work, or 2) want people to think you're some sort of Superwoman. I also don't care if you're out going shopping with so-and-so, if you just bought a new pair of boots on sale, what you're having for dinner or that you're driving to pick up your kid from dance class. I admit, I've been guilty of this from time to time, but I soon realize it and delete the dang thing. Now, it's different if it's not all the time or if it's written in a creative or humorous way. I like being entertained...not bored.
2. Cyber "huggggs." This is one of the most irritating things I see on there. Are we supposed to be feeling the squeeze in all of those "g"s? I've seen people say something like, "Hugs to you," or "Sending hugs your way," but this is a "sentence" of its own. Anything from, "Hugggggggggs" to "Hugggggs you tight" to *huggggggggggggs* and don't forget the trendy way of ending it with a z: "Hugggggggggggz," and every time I see it I want to barrrrrrrrrf.
3. People who complain about their friends who post items from the games they play. Sure, it can be overwhelming to see 10 items about one person who needs a barn or who leveled up in a game, one right after another, in your feed, but that's why I love this nifty feature called "Hide." If a post appears about a game that you don't care to see anything about, you click on it and say, "Hide i*nsert name of game here*" and then that's the end of it! No complaints, no more feed pollution, and you don't have to try to make your friends feel like idiots for playing such idiotic games. ;)
4. Drama queens/kings. The people who have to announce how miserable they are in order to get people to comment and boost their egos. I've noticed quite a few people like this online. It gets old...fast, and I'm not going to play along. Once I get sick of it, they're hidden and I'll check their pages from time to time just to see if they've decided to post anything positive. It's not something I find very often.
5. The countdowns to Friday. Another one I'm sometimes guilty of. I know what day of the week it is, thank you. I don't need to be reminded of it and shame on me for doing the same thing.
6. People who take it all personally. I know this one has been brought up many times - most memorably on South Park with "You Have 0 Friends." If I don't post a reply to something, LOL at your funny video, or "like" your picture...who cares? Maybe I haven't gotten around to it, maybe I haven't even seen it yet, or maybe...just maybe...it wasn't interesting enough for me to waste my time with.
7. Speaking of "Like, " how about the people who "Like" every little thing you can think of from famous people to quotes to random nonesense. This is usually a teenage habit, which I can excuse, but when people older than me are hopping right on the bandwagon of liking "I WISH I HAD MY MOM I TRULY MISS HER TAKE CARE OF YOUR MOM CAUSE YOU DON"T KNOW HOW LONG YOU"LL HAVE HER," I have to cringe.
Okay...I feel a little better now. I know this wasn't my most original post, but I just had to get it off of my chest. Moving on...
Sunday, August 15, 2010
recliner of doom
I tried to write blog posts twice this weekend and both times was forced to abandon them because I was having problems forming thoughts into coherent sentences. It's like the recliner I was sitting in was somehow forcing all of the active brain cells that I have into some sort of catatonic state.
I now have two unfinished blog posts waiting for me to get my butt back into my office chair at work.
I now have two unfinished blog posts waiting for me to get my butt back into my office chair at work.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
no time to blog
Ack! I haven't been able to contribute anything to my blogs lately because I've been busy doing budgets at work, and when I come home both of our computers are occupied. Sure, I could kick one of the dudes offline for a while, but I just have to be in the right mode of thought to write a blog. So, dear readers - whoever you may be, I'm still here. I'm hoping to have some time this weekend to get on here and write a few things that I've been thinking about.
Until then, I'll leave you with this:
Until then, I'll leave you with this:
Thursday, August 5, 2010
if i were a playboy centerfold
I'm sure it would be a very low-selling issue. No, I have no desire to have a bunch of nudie pics taken of me, nor have I ever. I wanted to be a Bunny when I was little, but that's really beside the point. I was actually thinking about the silly questions that those girls have to answer, so I've compiled some of the common questions (as found on the internet) and my answers just for fun...
What’s the worst place for a guy to hit on you? Probably while I'm out walking/jogging. I'm incredibly sweaty and have a hard time talking because I'm breathing so hard. Not really feeling attractive at that point. Of course, maybe that would prevent anyone from hitting on me...
What’s the worst pick-up line you’ve ever heard? "That's the finest specimen of ass in the universe." Of course, it was in high school...and I ended up marrying the guy.
What’s the best or most creative pick-up line you’ve ever heard? I don't think I've ever heard a good one. Most of them are so tired...or I've never had anyone creative hit on me.
What approach is most likely to work with you? Total honesty. Blow me away by telling me what you're really thinking, or ask me a question that's something other than small talk.
What signals do you give to a man when you want him to make the first move? I'm a very physical touchy-feely person with guys I'm comfortable with, so much of what I do could be considered a "first move" even if it's not. I don't know that the guy would have the chance to move first.
What are your biggest turn-ons? Honesty, humor, compassion, broad shoulders, strong hands and forearms, long walks in the moonlight...blah, blah, blah...hee hee.
What are your biggest turn-offs? Big egos, ignorance, small-mindedness, copious amounts of body hair, farting in public.
What are your favorite activities? Singing, reading, meditating, daydreaming, laughing, taking long walks outside.
What are your guilty pleasures? Singing in the car, eating fried foods or cookie dough ice cream with chocolate Magic Shell covering it, watching RuPaul's shows on Logo, playing dress up every once in a while.
What are your ambitions? To be an actress or journalist. No, I want to work with animals. No, no....to benefit people, set a good example for those around me and hopefully make the world a little better...even if it's only making my friends smile from time to time.
What are your favorite books? The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, books about hauntings, books about Buddhism
What are your favorite movies? Amadeus, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Ed Wood, Death At A Funeral, The Libertine
What is your favorite TV Show? True Blood, Mad Men, Rome
People I admire: People who aren't afraid to be themselves around everyone, who are willing to be comfortable in their own skin and say "The hell with you if you don't like me for who I am."
Sexiest city in the world? Gee, I travel so much...(not)...I'd imagine probably Rome or New Orleans
Well, that was fun. I skipped the whole age, measurements, eye color, hair color thing because, well, I"m not gonna tell ya how old or chubby I am...but I will say the carpet does match the drapes. Just sayin....
What’s the worst place for a guy to hit on you? Probably while I'm out walking/jogging. I'm incredibly sweaty and have a hard time talking because I'm breathing so hard. Not really feeling attractive at that point. Of course, maybe that would prevent anyone from hitting on me...
What’s the worst pick-up line you’ve ever heard? "That's the finest specimen of ass in the universe." Of course, it was in high school...and I ended up marrying the guy.
What’s the best or most creative pick-up line you’ve ever heard? I don't think I've ever heard a good one. Most of them are so tired...or I've never had anyone creative hit on me.
What approach is most likely to work with you? Total honesty. Blow me away by telling me what you're really thinking, or ask me a question that's something other than small talk.
What signals do you give to a man when you want him to make the first move? I'm a very physical touchy-feely person with guys I'm comfortable with, so much of what I do could be considered a "first move" even if it's not. I don't know that the guy would have the chance to move first.
What are your biggest turn-ons? Honesty, humor, compassion, broad shoulders, strong hands and forearms, long walks in the moonlight...blah, blah, blah...hee hee.
What are your biggest turn-offs? Big egos, ignorance, small-mindedness, copious amounts of body hair, farting in public.
What are your favorite activities? Singing, reading, meditating, daydreaming, laughing, taking long walks outside.
What are your guilty pleasures? Singing in the car, eating fried foods or cookie dough ice cream with chocolate Magic Shell covering it, watching RuPaul's shows on Logo, playing dress up every once in a while.
What are your ambitions? To be an actress or journalist. No, I want to work with animals. No, no....to benefit people, set a good example for those around me and hopefully make the world a little better...even if it's only making my friends smile from time to time.
What are your favorite books? The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, books about hauntings, books about Buddhism
What are your favorite movies? Amadeus, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Ed Wood, Death At A Funeral, The Libertine
What is your favorite TV Show? True Blood, Mad Men, Rome
People I admire: People who aren't afraid to be themselves around everyone, who are willing to be comfortable in their own skin and say "The hell with you if you don't like me for who I am."
Sexiest city in the world? Gee, I travel so much...(not)...I'd imagine probably Rome or New Orleans
Well, that was fun. I skipped the whole age, measurements, eye color, hair color thing because, well, I"m not gonna tell ya how old or chubby I am...but I will say the carpet does match the drapes. Just sayin....
the kindness of strangers
Hump Day Wednesday morning, I get on the scale, and still no movement. Ugh! Feeling defeated, I took my shower, put together a pretty decent outfit for the day, got ready for work and headed out. As I was crossing the street from the parking lot to my place of employment, someone driving past whistled at me. (I know for sure it was at me because when I turned around to look, he was looking right at me.) So, thank you kind 20-some-year-old Caucasian landscape worker for giving me the ego boost that I needed for the day.
Friday, July 30, 2010
addendum
In addendum to this post where I had mentioned that Anne Rice abruptly stopped her vampire novels when she found Christianity again and started writing about Jesus: Apparently now she's decided she's not a Christian anymore. As she said, "I quit Christianity and being a Christian. Amen." See this link for the full article. Unfortunately, she's still not planning on writing any more vampire books. Oh well...
Thursday, July 29, 2010
more education!
I've recently been turned on to Shorpy which is a great blog archive of old photographs. Today I was excited to see some old medical advice and remedies. I love this kind of stuff.
First - here are some great tips about the prevention and treatment of venereal diseases:
I highly recommend clicking on this link to see the picture up close.
Now, remember stay away from those whores who almost always carry diseases like Old Rale and the Clap. If you don't you could develop blindness or insanity!
If you can't stay away from those easy women, have no fear. There are cures!
Again, you really need to see it up close to get the most out of it.
Remember "the Moral Laws should never be violated, but if you do transgress," try some liquid or gel prophylactic to help prevent the spread of VD, and if that doesn't work for some odd reason, there's always the 3 Days Cure. Ooh - try the Manhattan Injection. After reading the directions on the bottle, I think the alcohol and opium in it should make everything feel better. Just remember it's for external use only! And if you have immense pain, you can always soak your member in hot water - especially during urination. Now, that's a good trick.
Ah, the good old days...
First - here are some great tips about the prevention and treatment of venereal diseases:
I highly recommend clicking on this link to see the picture up close.
Now, remember stay away from those whores who almost always carry diseases like Old Rale and the Clap. If you don't you could develop blindness or insanity!
If you can't stay away from those easy women, have no fear. There are cures!
Again, you really need to see it up close to get the most out of it.
Remember "the Moral Laws should never be violated, but if you do transgress," try some liquid or gel prophylactic to help prevent the spread of VD, and if that doesn't work for some odd reason, there's always the 3 Days Cure. Ooh - try the Manhattan Injection. After reading the directions on the bottle, I think the alcohol and opium in it should make everything feel better. Just remember it's for external use only! And if you have immense pain, you can always soak your member in hot water - especially during urination. Now, that's a good trick.
Ah, the good old days...
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