Gotta Like It

Saw a bumper sticker the other day that I really enjoyed.

Never Say Never

Okay, I've done the unthinkable, I've joined Facebook. It's not as bad as I imagined though. So, in the end I have to totally stick by everything I've ever said about Facebook. Although, I will continue to abide by a few simple rules that allow me to sleep at night.
1. I will facebook my husband, grudgingly...are you kidding me? He's sitting right here!
2. I will not facebook my kids.
3. I will not facebook my kids' friends.
It's kind of fun to tease my boys and threaten them by speaking in third person that I'm going to update my status with random stupid crap. That makes me think of my blog...hmmm? Anyway, this whole Facebook thing is an interesting creature. Here's a fun little story from awhile ago that you may not have heard about on the evening news: I especially enjoyed the comments.

Little Miss Sunshine Souffle

RECIPE

Ingredients (6 fragile people)

• 9 step self-improvement program designing father, destined to fail
  
• 1 heroin addicted grandfather banished from Sunset Manor for Seniors
• 1 mom who's trying to keep it all together while family goes bankrupt
• 7 year old, four-eyed Olive that participates in LMS Pageants 
• 1 Nietzsche reading, jet pilot wannabe teen, lightly seasoned with a vow of silence
• 1 suicidal, gay uncle with a dash of Proust
• 2 porno mags
• 1 fag rag
• 6 heaping cups of love
• 
  
• Pre-heat oven to 350° butter and flour a broken-down, yellow, VW van, preferably with a damaged horn.

• Prepare your basic roux (allow dad to have a complete meltdown in the dining room, add mom and Olive—whisking constantly—until it just begins to turn into a big yelling match about going to a pageant.)
• 
  
• Heat suicidal, gay brother until hot, but not boiling. Add a small amount of heroin snorting grandpa into the mix, then add silent son. Surprise! You now have the basic foundation for a dysfunctional family meltdown in a Little Miss Sunshine Souffle.
• 
  
• Add intense heat to each person. Whisk a small amount of porno mags, fag rag, and weird motorcycle cop into the mixture of the emotionally fragile family, then add stress of a beauty pageant back into the sauce, continuing to beat the hell out of mixture.
• 
  
• Warning #1: Once you have mixed in the dead grandpa and the son's freak-out on the side of the road, you must be very careful to keep the overall mixture at a low temperature! Otherwise the family will have either a mottled texture or the consistency of a mysterious plastic petroleum by-product. Once dad drives over sidewalk and through landscaping to get to the pageant, almost on time, increase heat to the highest setting with a bitchy pageant worker and a totally over-sexualized pageant, competing children until warm enough to continue total and complete meltdown.
• 
  
• Slowly add love, Rick James, and mix until family melts into a creamy, saucy dance. Bake for 1 hour and 41 minutes. Surprise! You now have a basic American family and a delicious Little Miss Sunshine Souffle!

Turn up the volume on this poor copy of the English version

Or watch a higher-quality German version!

If you loved this song as much as I did back in 1983 then you will totally love this video. I'm new to the "literal video versions" but it looks like there are a few out there. It makes you pause and wonder what in the world was she thinking?!

Silly Parents, Facebook Is For Kids

Okay, I think by now it's pretty clear that I'm not a big fan of Facebook. It just seems so, so, white, middle-class, and for lack of a better word, high school. So one can make the formal and logical leap that the following is my official stance on Facebook and...high school:

Facebook is like high school

I did not like high school

Therefore, I do not like facebook

Amazingly, there are a ton of blogs out there dealing with the good and evil of Facebook and other social networking sites, so, I will try and refrain from beating a dead horse but I need to give it one last good whack!

This was a "rule" that I found on some site, I don't even remember where now but I do remember that it was Rule #34 - Don’t friend your child’s friends. Friending your child’s friends is like intentionally calling them on the phone just to chat.

I concur.

Facebook: Now It's Official!

Facebook has made the list in this awesome book as #106 on the list of Stuff White People Like. If you're like me and you hesitate to buy the book and your library sucks enough that they don't have it, don't fret, just link here and you can see the top 100 plus a bunch more...nice!

Can you take a look through this list and not find a couple of things you're guilty of liking? Personally, I know that I'm guilty of a bunch, including #91 and #124, I so agree on those!!

What Are People Thinking?

Check out this link...'Nuff said!

In the Books

We visited San Francisco back in January and I've finally completed and ordered our photo book with over 290 photos marking each step and turn of our little adventures. I love going through the photos and think that some of them are fantastic. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, especially if you've been to this beautiful city...you may recognize a few places.

San Francisco ...

Steve and Lisa's E...

By January 2009

Book Preview

Do You Live In the Land of Facebook?

The Low-Down on the Pat-Down

I will continue to search for all things anti-facebook. They are hilarious and point out the pointlessness of this mind-numbing but socially acceptable "anti-social" behavior.

Oh Crap!

This may not come as a surprise for some of you, but I'm having issues, more specifically, with Facebook. Jeez, everybody and their grandma have a Facebook and that's my issue...everybody as in, "anybody". Both of our boys have it and I felt fairly comfortable in knowing that they were connected to friends I know and family members...but there's the rub.

Some of our friends and family members are adults and have their own group of friends and as a result, my boys can see some of the crap that other adults write. The whole thing where you have adults and kids socializing in a realm where people let down their guard and better judgment just really CREEPS ME OUT!

I'm cringing right now as I type this. So, I've given my youngest son a heads up that I am getting to a point that I'm becoming very uncomfortable with Facebook and that it might go bye-bye. What happened to the good old days when you could just email a specific person or group of friends and send a message? Now, you just randomly mention what you're doing and hope that someone comments? It's kind of like fishing (trolling) and you are never quite sure who you're connecting with even though it's someone you know.

So, I am going to be looking into this further and doing a little more research. For now I found this hilariously inventive website on which some kids who are a little fed up with their parents, family members, and adult non-friends interaction on Facebook called, Oh Crap. My Parents Joined Facebook. This is chock full of reasons why I would not want to Facebook.

Another site that has more serious and specific thoughts

for parents who are concerned about the safety of Facebook and their children is, Facebook for Parents.

I, at this point, am not totally on-board with this website yet because one of the things he recommends for parents wanting to understand Facebook better, is to get an account. I don't think so...for now.

Exercise For Your Brain

This morning I saw an interesting new business idea in San Francisco. It is called VibrantBrain. Just think of it as a health club for the mind. Many of their clients are younger than you might think. It comes down to one simple thing, we all need to exercise, even our brains! This particular program is pretty pricey so check out these alternative free sites for some fun push-ups for your brain. 

• Brain.com
  
• Top 11 Brain Games
• Braingle

PhotoPeach

Okay, I just came across the most awesome program online called PhotoPeach. Load your photos - easy, pick a song - easy, email your slideshow - easy!! It has now taken the place of Photobucket easily. I absolutely adore the music that is so easily placed along with the slideshow. It also will be a wonderful tool for kids to use in writing stories, reports, whatever! It is totally awesome and I don't revert back easily to this type of 80's speak but I totally have to for this, for sure!

After the Storm on PhotoPeach



Avalon Ponies on PhotoPeach

You're Only As Old As You Feel!

With my husband having just celebrated his 37th birthday, I thought I'd do so in a more public way and post his picture for the world to see...awwww...isn't he adorable? Happy Birthday Steve!!

Don't Tell Me I Can't...

There are people in this world who are simply amazing. I do not happen to be one of them and so I am very impressed when I come across them. With my older son playing on the high school golf team this year, we have spent A LOT of time up at the golf course and there is one person that everyone knows because he is up there a lot as well. What makes this gentleman special in the area of golf is that he is working with a true disadvantage in this traditionally two-armed sport. Yep, the guy's got one arm. He adjusts and is actually a really good golfer. What a blessing to find something that you enjoy and not allowing your physical limitations stop you from participating in life. This is a lesson I will take with me and try to apply to my life more often.

The Message Is Clear

The media today is non-stop, in your face, and often times we don't even notice it...or do we? The power of subliminal messages is amazing and none of us are immune to it. What makes us think that our kids are? I came across this video and while I've seen an English version as well, I like watching this one in another language, and having the point be just as loud and just as clear. We've got to watch out for our kids!

OMG Morrissey!

Flipping through the channels just moments ago I came across Jimmy Fallon, which I have to say is losing a little bit of his awkwardness, but retains some degree of his charming immature little boy humor, when I caught a repeat of his guest, Morrissey performing his new song, Black Cloud. Morrissey starts singing his new song, surrounded by his little black t-shirt encrusted boy toys, banging their gong. He sounded great, as usual, but he looks so, so, middle aged!!

All I can say is that it was a huge shocker. I really don't mind getting older but I really do not enjoy having my memories of being a young 20 something totally shattered by other formerly young 20 somethings! What is happening?! AAUGH! I feel like Charlie Brown right now - I went for the kick - and missed!

For those of you who are Morrissey fans also, here is a video available on YouTube from a Jimmy Kimmel show. Bon Appetit!

Christmas in May...No Way!

Wow, I'm a pathetic loser! Just kidding but it is pretty pathetic that the pictures from Christmas have not really been looked at since then. I also promised Randy that I would send him the pictures of his awesome tattoos! Here are just a few of those photos...enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day

We had our family pictures taken and had a lot of fun seeing the results. We went up to Bellingham where we were by the water and some train tracks. It was a little breezy and chilly but all in all it was a great day.

I absolutely love the picture below of Steve and the boys. I think it captures them perfectly!

This is Where I Walk...

Each morning I rise at the crack of dawn to take my son to driver's ed. I then come back and walk while he's in class. I go to a nearby baseball field surrounded by an old chicken farm. Having just recently received my new camera, I took it with me to record my surroundings. Here are a few of those sights.