Hormones aren't a girls best friend

This weekend two events happened to coincide. #1, The weather was dreary beyond belief, all weekend. The sun never made an appearance and it was kind of cold and it rained several times. And #2, I was suffering from PMS. Therefore, in general, I was cranky and irritable and mostly wanted to lay on the couch watching movies like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory the Gene Wilder version, not the lame Tim Burton/Johnny Depp monstrosity and Where the Heart is which is the fabulous story where a young pregnant Natalie Portman lives in the local Wal-Mart until she gives birth, and Somewhere in Time because we are going to be going to the Grand Hotel and I need to watch it every time before we go, and also it is a wonderful chick flick that I can get my husband to watch because it involves time travel.

I only got to watch Willy Wonka. There were a couple reasons for this, one being that it had come to my attention that my husband had never seen Fight Club and Netflix delivered, so I had to acquiesce and watch that.

Some social obligations (baby shower and man-b-que) kept us from just staying in all weekend. Also, 14 almost 15 year old boy stayed home again this weekend (I actually cannot remember the last time he went to his mom’s for the weekend). I can’t bring myself to tell him he has to go, but if there was ever a weekend I should have done that, it was this one. He is not a bad kid, but he is 14 almost 15 and he is COOL. Being COOL manifests itself in a variety of ways, the most common involve making comments that are funny to the 14 almost 15 year old but no one else, having aforementioned comment for everything which sound strangely like back talking and playing drums on everything that is stationary. Combine the teenage coolness with my PMS and you have a recipe for “demonstrate to your 14 almost 15 year old that you wrote the book on sarcasm and that if he wants to spar, you most certainly are going to win.”

By the time we started winding down last night, I was feeling tired and blue and dreading coming to work this morning. I started questioning every decision that I have ever made and feeling like nothing in my life is good. Of course, I can step outside of myself enough to know that this is the hormones talking and that in a day or two (or a minute or two!) I will feel better. But I have to ask why this happens. Does anyone else think that hormonal mood swings and PMS seem to be a design flaw of women?

Lake Placid and Really Smart Sharks

Okay, first of all, I so do not feel like cooking dinner tonight. Like I am just sitting here wondering what to make and dreading it and wanting to go out to eat, but not wanting to take the time to go out to eat. Blah.

Second of all, Sam in 13 and he is really into campy horror movies right now. He keeps adding movies to my netflix queue like, "Dawn of the Dead" and "Night of the Living Dead" and "Rise of the Living Dead" you get my point, right? They're gross/funny. You know the kind of movie where the blood looks like red paint?

Well, since I am such a movie lover, I have been filling my queue up with my own favorite campy movies and today in the mail came "Lake Placid" and "Deep Blue Sea". Yes! I love the giant alligators and overly intelligent sharks and Samuel L. Jackson getting ripped in half by the overly intelligent sharks. I can't wait to share these obviously intellectually stimulating movies with Sam.

Do you have a favorite campy horror or cheesy action adventure flick that you love? I'm looking for suggestions that do not involve 70's era zombies!

Tying it Up

Thank you for the kind comments about my stupid job. I really appreciate someone telling me that I am not just a whiner who must be lazy because I don't want to spend every waking hour at work.

I have actually not been to work since last Thursday afternoon when the flu started. I had the last three working days scheduled as vacation because of the kids winter break. Turned out to be a much needed break for me too. That doesn't mean that I am not crying right now because I have to go back tomorrow morning and start it all over again.

I also found out that I have to go to Columbus, OH for another meeting all day on Thursday. I am leaving Thursday morning and driving back Thursday evening, so that should be a fun day. In the company's defense, I could drive down tomorrow night and stay in a hotel, but that would mean 2 things. #1 I would have to go to dinner with all those guys I've been complaining about and I've had enough of them for now. And #2 I just did this last month and I'm not doing it again. I'm a stubborn bitch like that. I might be cutting off my nose to spite me face, but I'm just not up to hotel shit by myself this week.

So, I have decided that something has to give. I'm giving this another month and then I will reassess the situation. Then we'll see. I'm not going to put myself in a mental institution because of my stupid job.

Now on another note. Jro - For a minute I thought that the mayor of San Francisco was commenting on my blog. It was a very exciting moment. Okay, not really, I'm not a big fan of his. I'm glad it was you.

On another note - has anyone every seen View From the Top? I just was remembering it because the used the word "reassess". There is a scene where the Christina Applegate character is reading from the stewardess safety manual and it says to "Assess the situation" but she says, "Asses the situation". And Mike Meyers tells her she put the em-pha-sis on the wrong sy-llable. Ha. I have to see if I can find that clip on YouTube. It was funny.

If you've never seen that movie then you probably think that it's too late for me and I should call the Mental Hospital now.

Or if you have seen that movie, you might think that anyway!

more random thoughts on my drive into work

Why did Drew have to leave the Drew and Mike show? I can't deal with just Mike and this has forced me to start listening to XM Talk Radio on the way to work which results in me being way more informed about politics than I ever wanted to be and as a direct result of that, I have become very negative and convinced that world is going to end soon.

Julia Roberts made her name by playing the "hooker with the heart of gold", why did I like the movie Pretty Woman so much? And what the heck is Julia Roberts doing now? Hmmm, I kind of want to watch Pretty Woman now. Do I have that movie on DVD? I might only have it on VHS. I'm going to have to check when I get home tonight. I know it by heart, I could probably just recite it to myself for entertainment. "Could I get a word other than fine?" "Asshole. There's a word" Oh Lord, I could go on all day with those. I'll spare you.

What is the difference between Communism and Socialism? I thought I knew this, but now I'm not sure. I'll have to research that a little so I can be more informed about politics and feel even worse about the state of things.

I should have gotten a Venti latte instead of a Grande. I don't think this is going to be enough caffeine.

"Bullshit! It's the kill you love! I made you a very rich man doing exactly what you love!" Sorry, I've got Pretty Woman on the brain now.

I wonder if the squirrels will be in the tree again today.

Am I ever going to get the dog poop stains out of the carpet and how much would it cost me to get all the carpet ripped out of the house and replaced with wood floors?

Balls, I'm here.

my random thoughts on the drive into work today

Question: Why do I like jeans so much? Answer: They don't need to be ironed. Or dry-cleaned.

One of the best movie lines ever is from LA Confidential. The Kim Basinger Veronica Lake Hooker character says to the Guy Pierce cop character, "Some men get the world. Others get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona."

Why didn't I get tickets to the Inaugural Ball?

Oh shit, I need gas.

LA Confidential is an awesome movie. I love movies set in 50's Hollywood. Except for The Black Dahlia. That movie sucked. Bad.

Should I have a baby?

Hmmm, Beck Road is icy again. Maybe it could snow some more. Oh God, It's only January 19 there could be 2-3 months more of this weather and we don't have a vacation planned this year.

I wouldn't really have anything to wear to the Inaugural Ball.

Balls. I'm here.

Traitor

I let my husband pick the movie this weekend and he picked Traitor. Hmmm, I think his movie choosing rights are hereby revoked. The movie stars, Don Cheadle as an Islamic Jihad terrorist with a twist (don't want to spoil it). So that right there should tell you that this is not the feel good movie of the year. I mean, I know there are people who hate the USA and want to kill kill kill us, but do I really need to go watch a movie about it when I am supposed to be escaping from reality? Thanks, but I'll pass.

Now Dave likes to complain about my poor movie choices and true, I did once bring home Secretary and I did drag him to the movie theatre on a Saturday night to see The Wedding Date, but he is responsible for Never Die Alone, Next, Gods & Generals (which he maintains is good but is in fact, a major snooze fest) and 10,000 BC.

If you have seen any of those movies, then I think you would agree that I win.

Movies Not to See Unless You Enjoy Feeling Suicidal

I Am Legend (My alternate title - I Love Dogs (that is why I hated this movie))

PS I Love You (My alternate title - Why, why, why, would you put yourself through this? And PS - I hate this movie)

There Will be Blood (My title - There will be boredom)

Beaches (My title - Beach-bawling)

Steel Magnolias (My title - Where can I find a beauty shop like this? )

Terms of Endearment (My title - Seriously, people think watching this is enjoyment?)

One of the best movies. Ever.

Last weekend my mom, Becca and I had a girls night and we introduced Becca to Anne of Green Gables. That movie was an absolute favorite of mine as a little girl and if you have never seen it, I would suggest checking out with your favorite young adult. At 8, I think Becca was still a little young to sit through the entire movie and indeed, she got a little restless the last 45 minutes. We're going to wait a year or two before we show her the sequel. But she did enjoy the beginning where Anne was younger. I also think she loved the idea of a girls night. What the heck, might as well start her young, right?

But, for those of you who know me, I gleaned many useful phrases and terms from Anne, including, "I'm in the depths of despair!", "bosom friend", and "kindred spirit". I might still name one of my children after one of the characters. As you might be gathering, I was a little geeky as a child and never felt comfortable in my own skin or around people my own age. So I thought of characters like Anne and Diana as my friends. Before you shed a tear for me, that's not to say I didn't have any friends, but just a choice few.

So, it was nice to share something I loved so much as a child, with my child. For a little girl who has lacked the motherly attention she has deserved and craved for much of her life, I think it was really good for her too.

Clarification

Lest you think I am a brainless, frivolous piece of fluff without dimension, I feel the need to make some clarifications after that last post. I LOVE MOVIES and have been known to watch anything from Dogma to Tommy Boy to The Constant Gardener to Godsford Park. Also in our collection: The Last of the Mohicans, Hoffa, Good Fellas, The Count of Monte Cristo, Once Upon a Time in America, The Lord of the Rings (all three of them) The Truman Show, and Bandits.

And not in our collection, but previously enjoyed by me: The Apostle, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Highlander (okay not exactly brain food), Memento, The English Patient (why don't I own that), Shaun of the Dead, Wide Sargasso Sea, and I could go on for two hours.

Oh, but I forgot about the 17 seasons of Charmed that I have tucked away collecting dust. And have you ever seen Shining Through? That is a World War II love story starring Melanie Griffith and Michael Douglas. She's half Jewish and he's a spy. She finds out he's a spy and makes him let her go into Germany as a spy too. Even Dave liked that one. It has something for everyone.

Did I mention that we just got done watching all 476 hours of the Ken Burns documentary, The Civil War?