“Reality is a sound, you have to tune in to it not just keep yelling.” Anne Carson Autobiography of Red

This was a class project where he gave us quote and we had to use the words in a different order to make our own poem.

You kept yelling
Not having it

Reality yelled
Sounding in tune

Just a sound
Not real

I Need a Tracking Device

Yesterday I took some me time, well not like the really good kind of me time, just errands but I took my time doing them. I get out of school at 1:30, walk with my friend to the car and talk until I don't know sometime after 2. (I talked a lot about my plan!).

I then drove to Barnes and Noble to return a book, at 3 o-clock promptly my youngest calls.

Him: I'm home

Me: Good

Him: When are you coming home?

Me: Not until you get done with wrestling (8 pm). (Just for the record I did tell everyone in the house my plans for that day)

Him: I have to walk!

Me: Yes

Him: Well what can I eat?

So then the conversation ventures off to the fact that I am also going to the grocery store so just find something and telling him that yes he must do his chores before he can go play with a friend.

Now I am still at B & N reading the backs of romance novels, looking at India travel guides, and Indian cookbooks, having the time of my life. I get 4 more calls two from the oldest, and two from the other two. All three seem obessessed with where am I and what time will I be home? Also the question of food come up again and having to walk home from track and to wrestling, though I do assure them I will be home in time to pick them up.

Next stop get the tires rotated, 4 more calls. Where am I now? What am I doing?

Last stop grocery store, but I confess I sit out in the parking lot for 1/2 hour reading one of the romance novels.  3 phone calls, each boy telling me they are going to wrestling (cell phones) and where am I?

Pick the boys up, go in the house, I have dinner ready (did I mention my stove is finally fixed after what 2 months - yeah) and all the boys and the man now ask me where and what I did all day!

I think I have a plan!

You know how some people believe that if you put something out in the universe then it will happen? Well I'm putting something out there. I thought I was going through some mid-life crisis with all the Bollywood movies I've been watching and all the Indian music now on my mp3. Because you see as I walk through campus and I listen to my music I smile, a lot.

So here it is universe pay close attention. I want to go to India next summer and teach English. Then I want to go every summer until the last boy graduates from high school. After that I want to teach full-time overseas. There I said it and I meant.

So if you read this put out some good karma for me because even typing this makes me smile!

Why I Should Avoid Sports that Involve Flying Objects

Sunday was a nice day here in Idaho, a little breezy but still nice. The man and oldest son wanted to go golfing. Great I was thinking, because the other two were off at an overnighter for Young Marines, so I should have the house to myself.

But no the boy had to go and invite me and as I stood there in complete silence for about 5 minutes thinking off all the excuses I could use not to go like:
     
     1) This is time for the two of you to bond, father-son moment!
     2) I have homework (Which I didn't)
     3) I need to clean the house (which I wouldn't have done)

So I went,

It was a nine hole green and I did get a par 4 on one hole but let me tell you it is nothing like playing Wii. Plus I had to carry a golf bag which again no need for one on a Wii.

But that is not the best part of the day. At around the sixth hole, I'm standing twenty feet to the right of my husband and maybe 10 feet down from where he is hitting (sorry don't know the technical stuff). I was standing next to a tree-bush, when all of a sudden I look up at he hits the ball right at me and nails me in my upper thigh. How high, well he thought I was going to be singing like a soporno(sp) but not that high and I'm not a boy, but close. But I was brave I didn't cry, yell or swear, just walked around and told him to leave me alone for a bit.

So now I have a golf size bruise on my leg (literally) and I have a counter attack for when he teases me about breaking the new TV while playing golf on the Wii.

Sunday Movies

How About You - This movie was a nice surprise. Was surfing through Netflix's instant movies and picked this one. It has a great cast - Vanessa Redgrave and Joss Ackland to name a few. The movie is about a retired peoples home and the four residents who make life miserable for other residents and the owner. They smoke pot in this movie and there is some minor language swearing. But overall this is a quirky and funny movie with the idea that at any age you have to choose to keep living a full life.

Last Chance Harvey - The first 30 minutes of this film Dustin Hoffman's character made me uncomfortable. He is so strange and unconfident that I just wanted him to be quiet. I suppose that's a sign of good acting. He does get better later in the movie. Emma Thompson is nice as a counter balance to his character, though at times shes a little off as well. The funniest person is Emma's mom, she thinks her neighbor is a Polish serial killer. Funny now that I think about it this movie also speaks to the fact that in life you have to take risks in order to life a full life.

Ninja Assassin - Ok I didn't watch this one, but all my boys did. Myhusband watched it first because it's rated R. But according to all the males this is a great movie. Very bloody but in the way 300 was bloody and unreal, so no nightmares. They liked all the ninja fighting moves and super skills. So if that's your thing then here you go watch this one.

Defendor - This stars Woody Harrelson and again I didn't watch this because well not a big fan of his and I don't watch stupid humor movies. Again 4 men/boys watched it and it got mixed reviews. The big man said it was very good but the three smaller men didn't even finish watching it and said it was boring. That's the best review I can give it, I was in the other room watching foreign films, go figure.

Swades - I love this movie because it gave a lot of background to the India behind the song and dance. It showed the cast system at work and how it can cuase the ruin of an entire family. It also shows hoe culture and religion while a good thing can hold people back because they don't see change or how maybe some culture and religious values are outdated and maybe not a good thing anymore.

Rab Na Bana Di Jodi - I think this is my favorite love story I've seen come out of Bollywood yet. I think what impressed me most was the strong male character who is willing to do anything to make the love of his life happy, even give up his identity. At the same time he has some great lines about how he wants her to love his soft, quiet heart and to see him for those qualities. This movie made me laugh a lot and also reminded me that when you fall in love it should be because you see something greater than yourself and your ideals in them.

Sunday Movies

It's movie review time again and I am sad to say that out of four movies only one is really good, one is entertaining and the other two are so bad just seeing the movie jackets at a movie rental business would make me gag, so enjoy!

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - I am a minor Nicolas Cage fan but if this was the only film I ever saw him in, well I'd tell him never to act again. This movie has no reason to be made, not even just for dvd sales. He is a bad cop, drugs, bribes and gambling, who is just well bad. My husband agrees that this has to be the worst movie he's ever made.

Brothers - This is the good movie. Very moving and perhaps it hits too close to open as to what happens to some of our soldiers out in the field but is never talked about. Toby Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman all give outstanding performances. This is a heavy movie and is rated R, so I would recommend mature audience only, though it is a good platform for some great conversations with older teens, my older son watched it and since he wants to join the military, his dad talked with him about some of the situations. 

The Men Who Stare at Goats - Who doesn't like George Clooney? Well not in this film! The only thing funny is the trailer. We watched this movie thinking any minute it will kick in, uh never. There are a lot of well known actors but it doesn't help, ever. Save yourself and don't see this film. Peaceful warrior monks who have been trained by a druggie who has found enlightment, yep that about sums it up. Even Kevin Spacey couldn't save this movie.

 Dhoom 2 - Ok so if you watch this foreign film remember they haven't quite caught up to Americans in realism yet, but they are working on it. This is Pink Panther, James Bond film. Probably suppose to be more James Bond, but refer to sentence one. Two of my boys watched this with me and they at least thought it was funny and that the over the top stunts were cool. They even liked the dance scenes. The speak some English but it's not hard to follow the subtitles. Again this is for entertainment value only, no life lessons in this one, just good looking actors and actress, some cool stunts and gadgets and very nicely done dance numbers. Go Bollywood!

The Rewards of Honesty

Yesterday my middle son (he's 13) and I were just finishing dinner and we were putting our dishes away when I asked him some questions about something or other and he replied "Would I lie to you?". Now normally I would have flipped out some reply like "Sure all the time or Yeah every chance you get", but without giving it much though I just said "No".

You could have heard a pin dropped (at my house that's considered a miracle). He stopped and just stood there, I thought he might cry and then he said, "That means the world to me and I will always rememeber that you feel that way. When I say that to my friends they all say yes and other statements, it hurts my feelings because I think I am a very honest person."

I thought about it later that perhaps I am too quick with flip replies without really first hearing the questions or statements being made. And though it may get a laugh it also might hurt someone's spirit.

Stop, Wait, Go

Stop

please reconsider

Stop

you're going to fast

Stop

life won't pass you by

Wait

there's time

Wait

take a slower pace

Wait

life is worth experiencing

Go

forward with no regrets

Go

but arrive safely

Go

appreciate what life offers.

Life Threw Me a Curve Ball

I’m not sure how this post will turn out or even if I will say what is in my heart properly. I have been looking forward to becoming a grandmother again. Even though the circumstances were not what I would have liked for my daughter, I didn’t judge or lecture. We went and looked and crib sets, baby clothes, we went to her first doctor’s appointment and I went with her to get on the WIC program to help her with the cost of food. There were baby names picked out and plans made to use her cradle that her daddy built. In all there were a lot of plans made and they were made together.


This past Tuesday I, my mother-in-law and my daughter were all suppose to go to her next appointment and hear the heart beat of my grandchild. Sometime during spring break the father of the baby and his parents convinced Jasmine to have an abortion. I only found out because I held her phone and there was a text and I read it. When I confronted her she told us that she wasn’t planning on letting us know, she would have let us go to the appointment and then tell us some story later. We begged her to reconsider, that if she didn’t want to keep the baby there were families who would love to have her baby. She went back to campus on Sunday and she would not return any calls or texts. There were a lot of people reaching out to her, I learned on Wednesday from her sister that the appointment was this past Thursday. I sat around Thursday hoping beyond all hope that she would call me and tell me she couldn’t go through with it, but she did.

I didn’t handle it well; I took it very personally, like if I had lost the child myself. I have never felt such sorrow or grief in my entire life. I haven’t spoken to her yet, though since we both go to the same college I will probably see her soon. We planted a rose bush in the backyard as a memorial for the child that as a family we loved. This has been hard on her brothers as well because they too were excited about being an uncle and they were hoping for a boy. I and my family are better today, we talked and cried and just stayed home together this weekend. I wanted to write about this because I need to remember a life that was loved and because the pain is still real.

Sunday Movies

It's been a long week and I have a lot of blog reading to catch up, but that's a post for another day. Today I want to talk about movies.

First up is One Night with the King. This is the biblical story of Queen Esther and her plea to save her people the Jews. Visually this movie is stunning and is a very easy story to follow and enjoy. I thought the king was a bit soft and very feminine, almost too much. The cameos in this movie were very surprising Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole to name a few. This is rated PG and seems to be a close representation of the Bible story.

The Boondocks Saints II - All Saints Day. I don't have much to say because well I didn't watch this the boys and man did. I can tell you they gave it four out of five stars and they are sure that because of the ending there as to be a third movie. I did check the internet but I couldn't find any such plans - darn. Again can't give you personal feedback, just the males in the house really like it.

Avatar. We went to see this at the theatre finally but we are cheap and went and saw it at the dollar theatre. So for twenty dollars, five of us saw a movie and we each got popcorn and a soda, plus the manager paused the movie about half-way through for a bathroom break and gave is free refills on our soda - very nice. Ok now on to the movie, I liked it. Oh, you want more; well I thought it was a beautiful place to live and that the special effects have definently been taken to a whole new level. Also I'll be honest there is a message in the movie about how humans are bad, destructive, incapable of not being greedy and will murder all life for what they want. I'm not saying that history can't proof all those points but to sit through such a long movie and be slapped in the face with the information constantly is uncomfortable and perhaps that is a good thing. We didn't see this in 3-D but I don't think we missed out on anything. I'd see this again, it is very visual and fast paced and you do root for the natives and boo for the greedy white men, so it does its job of drawing you in.

Love Happens. This stars Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart, I thought this was a comedy but it is more like a romantic drama. Since his job is to discuss death throughout the whole movie there isn't anything funny about it. This is a slow story, shot in Seattle. I wasn't completely ever drawn in to the movie; there was just something that seemed old and cliché. Plus I'm sorry but Eckhart's hair drove me nutty, Donald Trump meets a bottle of hair gel, with no shower. Anyway it's rated PG-13 and its just ok, no wow factor or chemistry.

Bluffmaster. This is a very funny foreign film. If you have Netflix you can either watch it instantly or have it sent to your home. It is about a con man, which gets caught in a con right before his I Do, in front of his bride and family. Then it is about his redemption and well if I tell you more I'd give it away. Very funny and charming, probably wouldn't win an Oscar but it has wit and some very funny acting.

Post It Tuesday's

Midlife Crisis

Its official I am in the process having of a midlife crisis. Here’s how I know:


I never had teenage crushes; you know the kind that you have on singers, movie stars or sports athletes. I don’t have a great memory for the past but I’m pretty sure I didn’t even have posters up of any of the above mentioned people.

I’m here to say I have one now and if I was single I would have these poster blown up and plastered everywhere but I’m not single so having a crush seems dirty! So who is this new fascination, his name is Hirthisk Roshan and I saw him in Jodha Abkar. Here’s how I know this is a crisis, I have watched every YouTube video there is, all his dance moves, TV commercials, and lastly I joined Twitter just so I could see his updates. I am a sad, sad midlife crisis girl.

Good news is my mother-in-law thinks he’s hot too and my 23 yo niece. So I’m not completely out of line. So I just wanted to share my moment with you, I am sure it will pass but if not at least I have made advancement in technology and have a Twitter account now - you can find me at mamawheaton!

Sunday Movies

Surrogates is "I Robot" meets "Gamer". Bruce Willis is good and the concept is relevant for today and the way we are becoming a society that uses computers as our social outlets. The idea is that we can stay in our homes and just use machines to do our everyday activities. The movie is a bit slow, in comparison to some of the other Bruce Willis movies like "Die Hard. Rated PG-13 it is suitable for most ages, some violence that's about it.

Jodhaa Akbar -What begins as a strategic alliance between two cultures becomes a genuine opportunity for true love in this epic romance set amid the opulence and glamour of the 16th century. Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar agrees to marry the Raja Bharmal's daughter, Jodhaa. But he never expected her stunning beauty, fierce intelligence and considerable charms to inspire him to win her heart. Ok so I thought this review summed up what I wanted to say better than the words in my head were doing. This is a long movie over three hours, but it is worth it. The dances and songs are beautiful, the love story is poignant and the acting is very good. This movie is in subtitles but it is easy to follow. The two main characters have great chemistry and they are both beautiful to look at. This is age appropriate for anyone, some violence but nothing seen. Below is a video of just some of the love moments between the main charcters, but men there is war, battles and politics as well.

Last movie is the The Box. Boring, really boring. Acting was unbelievable and since we guessed the plot of the movie rather early it was just well unbelievable. I wouldn't waste my time.

No Sex for Neal McDonough!

Wow I never thought I would hear about a Hollywood actor who had morals and values and then stood by them.  Now I like a tastefully done sex scene as much as the next all American girl but even I have to say that movies and some cable shows have crossed the line to soft or even hard porn to make some money.

I just watch an Indie film that had hot hot chemistry, great bodies and no sex, not even kissing on the lips and it was well worth my time. So bravo to you Mr. McDonough for putting your wife and family and your faith ahead of your career. He was fired recently from a new TV production for not doing sex scenes. (For the record I couldn't even find a picture of him shirtless, I wasn't looking for one it just stood out to me, since he has a great body and whenever I look at pictures of actors there are always shirtless photos, just sayin).

Mama Kat's Assignment

3.) “Sometimes when it’s hard to see with the eyes I’ve been given, I strap on my camera and pray for new ones. I did that yesterday. It helped.”




Yesterday I was doing homework and the house was really quiet because everyone had somewhere else to be, I look out the kirchen window and see these two birds.  Now I'm not sure why but my heart just filled up with joy to watch them. They stayed in the tree for a long time while the wind blew and the branches swayed. It's not like they were eagles our anything but maybe it was the quiet mixed with a  touch of spring storm, not sure, but I know it brought peace for a while just to see them.