Blah, blah, blog!

C.P.R. for my blog

Helloooo....is this thing on?

I don't blame you if you have long given up on me.  Seriously.  This blog has become boring. 

I've tried four times to slurp this thing into a Blub book, but with 1300 pages, it kept timing out on me.  Guess I might as well keep on posting.

So what have I been up to?  I've been LIVING at my computer!  Really!  I've been averaging two to three photo shoots a week and spending a whole lotta time working in Photoshop.  I've build TWO (2!) complete websites in the past month, AND I've managed to start the Twilight series.  Saturday morning, I even managed to sneak out to meet a friend for a 10:30 AM matinee.  LOVED IT!

Since my LOST fix is still a couple of months away...I've discovered Twilight podcasts.  Imprint is my favorite.  It really makes the tedium of housework so much better....

The only problem with reading the Twilight series is that my preteen daughter keeps pushing me to finish up.

Whatever.

Summer Nights at the Drive-In

I have a card in my Idea Rolodex reminding me to take the kids to a drive-in movie.  Last night I made good on that idea.

I read an article in Sunset Magazine a couple of months ago about the rise and fall, and now, the revival of the American Drive-In Movie Theater.  Did you know that at one time, our country had over 4,000 Drive-Ins?  Today, fewer than 400 remain in operation.

Maybe I'm getting old, but realizing that such an iconic slice of American pop culture is endangered served as a call to action.

We are fortunate to have the retro cool Mission Tiki Drive-In close by.  For years I have passed this landmark shaking my head at the urban blight of the area, dismissing it as a place that once was.  I remember going to this drive-in as a kid.  I remember the grainy car window speaker, the dancing cartoon popcorn and candy commercials before the main feature, and the anticipation as night fall arrived and the movie began.

I wanted my kids to experience that.

I made dinner while T washed his truck and packed up lawn chairs, blankets, and our trusty ice chest.  The kids were giddy with excitement.  The kids ate their veggie stuffed panini and I popped popcorn and T filled his thermos with hot chocolate.  We loaded up the pick up like the Griswolds, and off we went!

I was pleasantly surprised with how crowded it was.  We actually had to wait in the car lanes for about 20 minutes, inching up, to get in.  We were definite novices, as we had to figure out backing in, positioning our truck over the hump for best viewing, and we didn't bring a boom box radio to tune in to hear the movie. I had to smile at the cool dad in his '66 convertible Mustang cruising in like a pro with his kids just as the movie began.  Now THAT is the way to go to the drive-in!

We had a pretty good set up. We got cozy, the balmy summer night breeze felt great, and I even enjoyed hearing the freight train interrupt the soundtrack as it shook the tracks that ran along the theater property.   Thankfully, Wall-E  didn't have too much dialog. The kids protested, and even cried when we departed before the second feature, Kung Fu Panda, started at 10:30 PM.  They LOVED the drive-in.  They were also fast asleep before we got halfway home. 

Go check out Drive-Ins.com  or Drive In Theater.com and find an outdoor theater near you.  I bet you'll be surprised at how much fun it is.  Just don't forget your boom box.

Be sure to click on this link and watch the short YouTube video about Drive-Ins.  It will make you want to go!

If Adventure has it name, it's Indiana Jones

Cue music:  Da da da daaaaa!  Da, ta da!  Da da da daaaaaaa!  Da ta da da daaaa!!

My parents took us to see all of the Indiana Jones movies when we were kids. Growing up, movies were a special occasion kind of thing and I have very fond memories of all of the biggies: Star Wars, E.T., Rocky, and of course, Indiana Jones.  Just hearing the opening notes of the Indy theme song brings back that visceral excitement.

My son has a theatrical side and a very, very vivid and focused imagination.  For months, he has been play-acting Indiana Jones.  He is reading the trilogy, assembling LEGO scene sets, swinging on ropes, and even declaring that he wants to be an archaeologist when he grows up.

I started gathering pieces for his Indy costume more than a month ago.  I found all of the right pieces among hunts at the local thrift store, military surplus store, and the Lucas Films website for the authentic fedora. My friend Wendy went so far as to buy him a real bull whip on a shore excursion in Mexico last week, but cruise security confiscated the whip and declared it a weapon.  Bummer.

He was absolutely thrilled when I presented him with the outfit.  He was glad that his army messenger bag was just right for holding his glasses, because, after all you know, "Dr. Jones needs his glasses when he reads and teaches."

At the theater, he cracked his whip (thrift store braided leather belt, with an electrical tape-wrapped handle), hurdled boulders, and posed for pictures for adoring movie goers.  Without a shy bone in this kid's body, he loved the attention.

We waited in line for popcorn and he watch the ginormous Jumbo-Tron preview screen above the concession stand.  Watching his wide-eyed wonder with his mouth gaping open, I just had to take in all of his excitement, all of his anticipation, and all of his sweet, sweet imaginative, adventurous, enthusiasm for life. 

I have read that every boy needs a dragon to slay, a maiden to rescue, and an adventure to unfold.  Thank you Indiana Jones for bringing us all back.

Jack's Back

Just in case you didn't know...

Who Pushed Humpty?

My son brought down the house tonight headlining in Who Pushed Humpty? 

The play was an interactive musical whodunit. J starred as Jack B Nimble.

All of the major nursery rhyme players were represented: Little Boy Blue, Little Bo Peep, Mary Mary Quite Contrary and our favorite: Jack B Nimble.

The audience was asked to applaud for the nursery rhyme character they thought was the perp.

When the final performance wrapped and we were cleaning the stage, J was running around, still high from the applause and said, "I just want to get back up there and do it all again".

He loves the stage.....hmmmmm....community theater anyone?

Podcasts

Want to know my trick for making my time spent doing mundane tasks like folding laundry, cleaning the floors or cooking dinner feel useful?  I plug in, tune out and turn on a podcast.  I've long been a fan of spoken word content and podcasting is a great fit for my multitasking mania.

Back in the day (pre-kids) I used to love to tune into talk radio.  My favorites were Dr. Laura with her ethical diatribes and John & Ken, two angry shock jocks from LA who incite and antagaonize the frustrated LA communter and tax payer. Neither show is appropriate for young ears.

Podcasts allow me to select content to suit my mood.  They are free and focused and allow me to listen when and where I want.  How very on demand and 2007!

At this moment, I have 45 different podcast subscriptions (with 877 feeds) active in my iTunes.  I am rarely caught up, but a girl has to have choices, right?

Here is a short list of my current favorites: 

• Lostcasts is my all-time favorite podcast.  I enjoy my hour spent listening to the guys deconstructing and theorizing about LOST as much as I enjoy watching the show. I'm a geek and proud of it and I will follow these Lostcasters anywhere.  They make my week.
• Grammar Girl is a pleasure to listen to and useful to boot.  I love her quick and dirty approach to proper grammar and writing style.  My rusty brain often needs to listen to the lesson more than once, but that is the beauty of a podcast...I can listen as many times as I want!
• More Hip Than Hippie The theme song says it all:  "You're more hip than hippie, you know what that means, your're shaking your ass in a pair of hemp jeans.  You wanna be good to your favorite planet, but tofu sucks!  I'm a carnivore, dammit!  You bought a set sheets made of organic cotton, you used to know why, but now you've forgotten!  You've traded your Suburban for a hybrid car, you're more hip than hippie....you know who you are!!  Dori and Val are a fantastic resource for real life green living.  They are a lot of fun and review a new microbrew and dark chocolate every podcast.  What's not to love??
• Raw Vegan Radio I am not a vegan and I aspire to work my way to a 50% raw diet.  I fall wayyyyyy short of the "raw vegan" this podcast may seek to address.  I am however, an eager student of nutrition and wellness and I lean from each and every podcast they put out.  My favorite so far has been the September 24, 2006 (Episode 23) interview with John Robbins of Diet for a New America fame.  Fantastic information and so very important.  Pure goodness here.
• Vegetarian Food For Thought I almost skipped this one, as it had such a stereotype about it. I thought it had a politcal agenda behind it and was almost turned off.  I am not vegetarian and almost missed what has been one of the most informative, interesting and thought-challenging resources on nutriton and wellness I've found.  I love this podcast and have learned so much from it.  Try it, you just might like it!
• Brain Food - From their show notes: "Einstein said, "Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it". At the Brain Food Podcast, our goal is the pursuit of that wisdom. Each week we will explore fascinating topics from everyday life and use science and mathematics to better understand the wonders all around us."
• Yogamazing - It's like having my own personal yoga intructor offering a customized series when and where I need it.  Chaz is a fantastic yoga instructor and shares his gifts with the world.  Free.  I watch the poses on my iPod video and follow along. 
• Meditation Station I use Stin's guided meditation podcasts when I can't sleep, have a killer headache or just want to clear my mind and R-E-L-A-X.  I haven't had much success with the guided workouts.  For some reason I associate meditation with relaxation but it seems there is a stimulating benefit when combined with intense exercise.  Let me know if it works for you.
• Irish & Celtic Music Podcast I initially subscribed to this for my daughter, as she loves Irish music.  I really enjoy listening now too.  I hope to find more international and traditional music to share in our home.  We are big on Spanish Flamenco guitar and Andean flutes.  I love it for background and dinner music. 
• Camera Position From their podcast description: Camera Position is a podcast about the visual and creative processes in photography, not the technical. Using the enhanced podcast format, these brief discussions favor the "why" of photography over the "how" and discuss the medium's essential qualities from the point of view of the creative photographer.

I would love to learn about your favorite podcast too.  Please share yours in the comments!