Use Good English!

I hate it when people use figures of speech incorrectly by changing the wording or spelling. My husband is always complaining about people saying "The proof is in the pudding" which is a completely ridiculous thing to say. We've also talked about "I could care less." However, I've run across several more in the last few days reading things on the internet (I'm in a holding pattern at work waiting on my next project to get going). So, here are the offenders I've found as well as a few I've heard in actual conversations in the not-so-distant past.

We'll burn that bridge when we come to it.
Water over the bridge (perhaps this is why we have to burn it - flooded bridge and all)
Tough road to hoe (especially these days when we pave all of our roads)
Pre-Madonna (clearly the prima donna writing was likely a young thing referring to us old things who remember things pre-Madonna)
For all intensive purposes (these must be dire and critical purposes)
With baited breath (ewwwww)
Mute point (no point at all, I suppose)
A shoe in - such as "he's a shoe in for the position"
Wade in - such as "he wade in on the situation"
Would of, could of, should of instead of would have, could have, should have

One misspelling of the week (at least I hope it was a misspelling) is "An exercise in fertility" which, of course, is a whole different sort of exercise from the futile one he was referencing.

And my favorite misspelling of the week: "Wallah!"

Movie Reviews

Because I'm caught up on all of my TiVo items that Doug doesn't watch and I need to wait for him for all of the others, I've been watching movies until all hours of the night lately. Here are the ones from the last two weeks or so.

Wendigo - best to start with the worst of the bunch. This is running on IFC right now and immediately caught my eye because it stars Jake Weber who I love in Medium. I didn't love him much in this. He stars as a father who switches from asshole to loving father to wimp once too often for me. The movie was a good idea that was poorly executed. It is the story of a family on vacation for the weekend - a vacation that goes horribly wrong. The son believes it is the Wendigo causing the problems. Is it? By the end I really didn't care. The idea behind the story was good but it was like the writers started off with a clever idea then forgot that idea half way through writing and just decided to try to make a scary movie. It failed.
Two stars - not a complete flop but not one I'd recommend.

Notes on a Scandal - Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett are both really good in this but the story fell a little flat for me. Again, I just wasn't sucked into the story enough to really care about the characters. The premise is good, the performances are really good, the story just never quite got "there" for me though. Three stars - worth watching if you can see it for free.

Mrs. Henderson Presents - A stellar cast (including a very small part for Christopher Guest who I always love seeing) - Mrs. Henderson, recently widowed, decides to buy a run-down theater and have performances running continuously. The war takes its toll and people aren't going to the theater as much anymore until she decides to make the shows nude revues. The government forbids it. She claims it is art. A compromise is struck. A touching story with elements that don't turn out as you had expected at all. A nice surprise and based on true events. Includes a great quote from Dench's character:
I am bored with widowhood. I have to smile at everyone. I never had to smile at everyone before. In India, there were always people to look down upon.
Four stars - thoroughly enjoyable and, for all you men, a movie full of topless women.

The Man Who Wasn't There - Coen Brothers. Film noir. Billy Bob Thornton. What's not to love about that? This is almost a parody of film noir but there really is nothing funny about it. Billy Bob plays a barber who is nondescript and noticed by no one until a series of mishaps and misadventures puts him on everyone's radar. A definite must-see for anyone who digs film noir. Clever film. Nice supporting performances by Frances McDormand and James Gandolfini.
Four stars - nicely shot (definitely a great tribute to noir), good script, great characters.

We love our football in the South

Saturday morning my son suddenly announces he doesn't want to read books or play with me anymore. He wants to watch a movie. We spent 15 minutes picking out the movie (because it is a very important decision to him). I turned on the TV and heard this sharp intake of breath from J followed by a near-scream, "Oh! Oh! I want to watch football!!" I looked up and realized it was the Alabama game. I said fine and put the movie down. However, I regretted my agreement just a few moments later. He's watched too many games with his grandparents.
He starts yelling, "No! No! No! Get him!" This would be fine except I asked, "Who are you cheering for?"
He said "The guys in white."
"NO!!" I yelled. "Those are the bad guys."
He replied simply, "No, Mommy. Last week we cheered for the guys in white. The guys in red are the bad guys."
It took me at least 15 minutes to convince him that the guys in white last week were Auburn players. The guys in red last week were Arkansas players. This week they are Tennessee and Alabama players and the color alignments for good and evil have shifted. I thought he had finally grasped this when he turned back around and said, "so which ones are Arkansas then?" I started my explanation over until I was satisfied he knew Tennessee was the devil incarnate and he started yelling at the television again.
I now know why women leave men who are obsessed with football. All of the screaming at the television was making me want to throw something at either the television or an innocent three-year-old. He continued to scream and holler until a commercial came on. He stopped cold, turned to me and asked, "Mommy, is that the end of the game?"
"Yes, baby. Yes, it is." I answered, quickly flipping on the DVD player and putting in the movie he wanted.
"Who won?" he asked, believing my lie.
"The good guys," I replied. Thank goodness that turned out to be true later. I have Alabama to thank for making me less of a liar.

Oh, how I LOVE television!

So it occured to me after listing all the things I am in my previous post that I didn't mention a HUGE one. "Hello, everyone. My name is Sonya and I am a television addict." I don't have any other addictions or vices. I don't smoke. I don't drink often. I don't do drugs. Hell, I rarely even take an aspirin let alone anything stronger. I don't spend money excessively. I'm not generally on the computer outside of work. My scrapbooking is not even an obsession as it is with some women. But, there is one area where I am completely and totally hooked. TELEVISION. I love to watch TV and I love TiVo. Even if I have only ten minutes of down time in an evening, I will watch something I've recorded during that time - knowing I can't even finish it until the next day or week.

My shows I'm currently watching/recording to watch sometime in the near or distant future are:

24
Bionic Woman
Boston Legal
Brothers and Sisters
Crossing Jordan (though this show may have fallen off the network lineup)
CSI: NY
Desperate Housewives
Dirty Sexy Money
ER
Friday Night Lights
Heroes
Inside the Actor's Studio
Kitchen Nightmares
Numbers
Prison Break
Pushing Daisies
The Closer
Top Chef
Viva Laughlin

We also rent on DVD shows we missed or didn't have access to (HBO or Showtime series mostly) and currently are in the middle of or have in our Netflix queue to start soon:

Big Love
Entourage
Oz
Queer as Folk
Six Feet Under
Strangers with Candy
The L Word
The Office (US and BBC versions)
The Shield
The Sopranos
Weeds

I will also watch anything that's on the Food Network if I happen to have the television on without the TiVo. This is rare but has been known to happen if I'm watching something more adult in nature (i.e. any of the shows above) and my three-year-old walks in.

I realize this is too much television for anyone to watch. And this is why we own two TiVo units and one is always completely full. No, the answer to your question is that I do not have time to watch all of these. I've been known to record shows from the TiVo onto videotape to clear out room to record new shows. I then have to watch those crummy tapes later and I don't even care that they are barely viewable. I can't stand to miss a single episode. One saving grace is that I refuse to watch a series if I miss the first episode. This has, on more than one occasion, meant I didn't add a show to my fall schedule simply because I let the premiere slip up on me. Miss the first one - miss them all.

So, what does all this mean? All of this time in front of the idiot box? Many think it is a waste of time. It isn't really as I generally never do just one thing at a time. Television time is also time for folding laundry, going through mail, cleaning off the kitchen counters, polishing the dining room table, dusting, putting away toys, and occasionally ironing when my husband or I have been stupid enough to buy something that isn't wash-and-wear. I'm sure there are horrific repercussions to my addiction but I'll take them any day for those few moments of that willing suspension of disbelief.

Here Comes the Rain Again

Well, it is appropriate for me that the first entry in my blog is the first semi-cool day we've had in a week (upper 70's in Memphis) and we had a hard rain last night. I love cold weather and rain. Summer, with its heat and humidity, drives me indoors seeking respite from the unbearable conditions. I've always believed I was born in the wrong place. I've always longed to live further north or, my ideal spot, in the coastal north west. While I do like the beach, my ideal beach weather is cool and breezy so you need a jacket on in the evening. I am a wimp when it comes to weather (among many other things).

Anyway, enough about the weather. I decided to start this blog because everyone I know is doing it. I mean, isn't that why most kids do things? While I am most certainly not a kid any more, it is nice to be able to use that excuse every now and again. I'm starting this blog because I need a place to put my thoughts. Because I feel disorganized lately with most aspects of my life. But mostly because I am bored. That isn't to say I have any free time or nothing to do. That is a totally different thing.

So, who am I? I am a mother to a wonderful little boy who fills my life with newfound wonder each and every day while simultaneously wiping me out and making me frazzled. I am a wife to a fantastic and understanding man who makes me both thankful and irritated at times. I am a dedicated employee who believes in hard work and loyalty above all else. I am a woman who occasionally likes to think I still look half as good as I once did while knowing I am glad I'm older and wiser than my younger, more naive, self. I am a daughter who finds it more important each year to spend time with my family because they won't be around forever and that breaks my heart. I am a friend who values close friendships more and more but also find it easier to walk away from friendships that offer no value in my life simply because life is too short. I am a scrapbooker who wants to document the special people and events in my life for generations to come even if I get frustrated because I'm not as creative or artistic as I would like to be. I am an organizer who loves to host parties, to organize closets, to sort CDs and movies in alphabetical order, and to store my scrapbooking paper by color and design. I am a student, not at an institution of higher learning, but a student who tries to learn at least one new thing every day because if you aren't, you are wasting precious time. I love the quote from Sarah Caldwell, an opera company director and conductor, "Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did." Oh - and I am a collector of quotes. I have whole notebooks filled with them. I have them typed to sit on my desk. I love them whether inspirational or silly or profound.

So... who am I? I'm not sure I even know that yet. As my dear little one says, "I'm still growing!"