The Darkest Knight July 19, 2008

The new Batman was, of course, incredible. The more I think about it, the less I remember, which means I have to see it again. And again. I need to see it at least once more in a regular movie theater, then, once the excitement dies down a bit, see it in an IMAX theater. The only one showing it in town is sold out for the next few days.

I was excited to see a trailer for the next Terminator movie, which stars Christian Bale as John Connor. There was also a preview for The Day the Earth Stood Still, a trailer I watched online a week ago. I just don’t know how I feel about it yet. I’m partial to the original. There were also previews for Watchmen, which looks stunning, and the next Bond film, which looks kind of dark.

Our experience yesterday could have been worse. The room wasn’t too packed, but there was a gaggle of teenage girls who laughed, gasped, and shrieked for all the wrong reasons. When they were laughing, I was feeling the hair on my body stand up straight as I watched Heath Ledger’s eerie performance. Perhaps I was being too serious about it, but I didn’t think some of the things The Joker said were hilarious so much as horrifying. Were he still alive, I don’t know if I would have found it quite so creepy. I wasn’t a huge fan of his other stuff, but this is definitely his best work. And whatever it takes to get Christian Bale to come to my house in the batsuit, swoop down from the roof, and swing me to safety - I’ll do it.

Now that I know what happens, I want to watch it more closely, and with less people around. Well, less screaming teenagers, that is. If you’re interested, we might hit Glendale tomorrow evening or Monday.

I’m waiting to hear if they want to make a third.

Putting it Out There July 17, 2008

Hey, kids. The past few days have been strange ones, indeed. Sunday we saw the new Hellboy, which was so-so, tomorrow we see the new Batman, which I am willing to guarantee you will be super-awesome. During those two movies I discovered I was pregnant, and now I am not.

I don’t quite know what to do with the information, because we’re apparently talking about a two-week-old blastocyst. After getting a positive urine test at home after being five days late, I had a blood test at my psychiatrist’s office (he didn’t want me on the Zoloft or anything else if I was pregnant), they determined the amount of the pregnancy hormone in my system was too low, and that I should expect a “heavy” period.

I don’t want to put a lot of negative stuff out there in the Interwebs or the universe, or even on you, my friends, but with my therapist finished with her practicum, and my being somewhat unable to open up to others about something serious without making jokes, I guess I just kind of feel like letting it out and moving on.

I do think there are two things I can take from this: One, I guess I do kind of want to get knocked up. Or, at least, am not utterly horrified at the concept. Two, this wasn’t, perhaps, the best time for me, considering all the medication I’ve been on for this study. My body probably just said, “Yeah, that’s not going to be happening right now.”

The good news is, I recorded Project Runway and I’m going to immerse myself in it now.

Super Chuck Norris Brothers July 14, 2008

I’ve been playing entirely too much Super Mario Brothers and Sonic lately on the Wii since we downloaded the original games, so this made me giggle. I also like all the Chuck Norris “facts” that have been around the Interwebs for years.

Dear Government; July 12, 2008

Since you have taken it upon yourselves to so royally screw up the economy, I was wondering if George W. Bush would be willing to loan me the money Sallie Mae has given me the past three years but is now unable to. Let me know soon. Tuition is due.

Thanks,

Courtney

I Know, I Know July 10, 2008

Where have I been? Post truncated to accommodate exhaustion and lack of cognition.

Full time at work, visiting with Cavan, playing Wii.

Hellyboy 2 this weekend, The Dark Knight next Friday. Tickets ordered in advance.

Last appointment with therapist today, met new counselor. We both cried. It was sad. The new counselor specializes in phobias. Woopie!

Made an appointment for Liz to get her tattoo touched up and some cherry blossoms of her own drawn up.

Audrey and Cavan and Molly love triangle. Cavan likes Audrey. Audrey doesn’t like Cavan. Molly likes Cavan. Cavan doesn’t like Molly. Am I in middle school again?

Student loan funds cut. Disbursement some time in August, but not nearly as much as I’d expected. Ouch.

Health insurance at work should kick in August 1st. Free teeth cleanings!

Embroidering my little heart out.

Time to do it all over again tomorrow.

How Old Am I? July 7, 2008

A reminder of just how old you are.

The idea is to mark the items that pertain to you with an X … Feel free to add a few at the end.

[X] I’ve been to a drive-in movie theater.
[ ] I saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.
[ ] I voted for or could have voted for Ronald Reagan.
[X ] I was in a Christmas pageant in public school.
[ ] I remember what I was doing when John Kennedy died.
[ ] I used to watch Star Trek during its original run.
[X] I know what 45 and 33-1/3 describes.
[X] I’ve ridden in cars that didn’t have seat belts.
[ ] I used to watch Romper Room.
[ ] I belonged to Future Homemakers of America.
[ ] I’ve gone to an Elvis Presley concert.
[X] I own/used to own an 8-track player.
[ ] I used to wear a hat, doilie, or handkerchief on my head in church.
[ ] I’ve bought a McDonald’s cheeseburger for 18 cents.
[ ] would go to sleep while or just after watching Johnny Carson.
[X] I have watched a black and white television.
[ ] I have/used to have a leisure suit.
[ ] I’ve been to a tent revival.
[ ] I attended Woodstock.
[X] I’ve been to a state fair and looked at the animal barns.
[X] I could spin a hula-hoop around my middle.
[X] I’ve been spanked at school by a teacher/principal.
[ ] I’ve been to a Cher concert.
[ ] I watched The Sonny and Cher Show during its original run.
[ ] I looked forward to hearing Guy Lombardo play “Auld Lang Syne.”
[X] I called adults “Sir” or “Ma’am.”
[ ] I’ve had a smallpox vaccination.
[X] I used to watch Dick Clark on American Bandstand
[ ] I’ve been to a rodeo.
[ ] I’ve competed in a rodeo.
[ ] I scheduled my evenings around Dynasty.
[ ] I’ve sold Girl Scout cookies.
[X] I am/was in a fraternity/sorority.
[ ] I’ve eaten breakfast at a Sambo’s Restaurant.
[ ] I had a poster of Farrah Fawcett on my wall/door.
[ ] I had a crush on Ricky Nelson.
[ ] I watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon.
[X] I had an aluminum Christmas tree and a color-wheel lamp.
[X] I have/had a fondue pot and use/used it.
[X] I’ve used a rotary phone.
[X] I remember when African-Americans were called “colored people” in polite company.
[ ] I’ve been to West Berlin before German reunification.
[ ] I had a paper credit card.
[X] I played with a Water Wiggle.
[X] I danced all night to Donna Summer and Whitney Houston.
[X] I’ve driven/ridden in a Pacer.
[X] I’ve stayed up all night playing Risk.
[?] I saw the original Star Wars movie in a theater. [Does it count if I saw the second and third ones in the theater?]
[X] I’ve taken group showers with members of my junior/senior high school class.
[X] I remember when HIV was called HTLV-IV.
[X] I watched The Simpsons when it was a short on The Tracy Ulman Show.
[X] I had to install MS-DOS on my computer before I installed Windows.
[X] I have/had a Sony Walkman.
[ ] I modeled my hair and clothes on people in Beverly Hills 90210. [I could have, but had better taste]
[X] I’ve played PacMan.
[] I have put on a suit and tie/dress to go shop at the downtown department store.
[ ] I saw Top Gun in the theater more than six times.
[X] I’ve read Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses.
[X] I’ve used a Jane Fonda workout video. [My mom even had the cassette tape!]
[X] I remember when Michael Jackson was black.
[X] I know who shot J.R.
[ ] I owned a pet rock.
[X] I have/had a Betamax VCR.
[ ] I burned a bra and/or draft card.
[ ] I’ve ridden in a double-decker bus.
[X] I’ve ridden in the back window of my parents’ car.
[X] I’ve edged the grass in a yard with hand clippers.
[X] I had a television aerial outside my house.
[X] Watched Captain Kangaroo.
[ ] Watched the Howdy Doody Show.
[ ] Remember Rin Tin Tin.
[ ] Watched Sky King.
[ ] Wanted to be Penny (or Clipper).
[X] I rode in a Pinto.
[X] I watched the Electric Company.
[X] I had a crush on a Hardy Boy or Nancy Drew.
[X] I watched the original Battlestar Galactica when it originally aired.
[ ] I watched the first season of Staurday Night Live when it originally aired.
[ ] I remember gas rationing and fueling up based on the odd/even system
[X] I saw the Star Wars Holiday Special when it originally aired

My New Obsession July 7, 2008

I’ve been glued to the television playing old-school Mario Brothers, Sonic, and the Wii Sports. My “Wii Fitness Age” - calculated by your strength, balance, and stamina, was 57 the first time I tried it. I was secretly glad to see Charlie’s was 63. So then we had a little competition going. I trained Saturday a little bit with all the sports, then tried it again Sunday afternoon. My age had gone down to 30! Younger than I really am. So that was pretty cool. I guess the best you can get is 20. Charlie, however, tried it again and was 43. I’m still kicking his ass.

We had a little party on Friday. Originally it was just going to be me and Audrey playing, but then Cavan came along, and Molly from work got invited by Matt, who I think was under the impression that we wanted everyone to come. The word on the street was she had spare controllers, but this turned out not to be the case. Still, we had a good time taking turns and being beaten by Molly at tennis.

My muscles are really sore from playing, which is hilarious. I think I’ve already decided I want to get the new game they have called Wii Fit, which comes with a controller that sits on the floor. You can do yoga, aerobics, fitness, and strength exercises. It’s not cheap, but would cost less than a few months’ gym membership. That hasn’t been going so well for me lately. I just don’t like sitting on a bike or treadmill for 30 minutes while a bunch of strangers try not to make eye contact.

Of Course It’s How He’d Want to Go … July 3, 2008

This is the kind of thing that makes me really glad I only chose to live in Indiana, and that I’m not a native Hoosier:

Cremated remains part of fireworks show

If only you’d watched the video of the woman crying and saying she’s honored to be his wife.

And, yes, I’m well aware of how callous this makes me.

The Next Step in Unemployability July 2, 2008

Is that a word?

Well, I had some misgivings about getting this tattoo. That is, I was worried about how it might appear to other people, but I really wanted it. It actually sits up higher than the one on the right arm, so it’ll be easier to cover up. If it comes to that. Yesterday we just did the outline and, as suspected, Megan was awesome. She’s quiet, but smart and funny, and has a really good eye for placement and proportion. I thought the way she ended up putting on the octopus was perfect. I don’t have a great forward-looking shot yet (both digital cameras’ batteries are dead right now), so this is just a shot from the Mac’s PhotoBooth. For some reason, it photographs everything backwards, so the cherry blossom tattoo appears to be on my left arm, and the octopus on the right. I don’t get that. And, no, I didn’t realize my face was pointing up quite that high.

We also broke down and got a Wii. At a game story yesterday to pick up a second controller, a woman with her 12-year-old son was ogling my new tattoo. She pointed at it and told her son to look at it, then asked me why I got it. I said so my body could be easily identified, which the guy working behind the counter thought was hilarious. I told her I’d just gotten it done a few hours earlier, but that didn’t deter her from walking right up to me and sticking her finger on it. I was kind of shocked that she did that. Here, come right over and touch my open wound.

We do love our toys, and the Wii is too much fun. You should come over and try it. Charlie and I determined we would either be the coolest or the brokest parents in the world.

Films of My Youth June 30, 2008

Last night we rented Semi-Pro, which was not worth the time I spent trying to decide if I really wanted to see it or not. I like Will Ferrell, and I have liked the last couple of sports-themed movies he’s done, but they’ve gotten progressively worse. What I really wanted to rent was Simple Men, this plot-less film from 1992 that I rented the summer it came out on DVD about 20 times. I don’t know why I chose to watch it so many times, but Charlie is adamant about seeing it. The actors in the three main roles have shown up in more than a few Law & Order episodes, and my glee over seeing them all together again has just made him all that more annoyed that he’s never seen the movie

I’m also jonesing to see 1971’s Cold Turkey, a comedy about a town that stands to win $25 million dollars if they all quit smoking and the tobacco executives (one of which is played by Bob Newhart) that try to stop them. Dick Van Dyke was the town reverend, who agrees to take up cigarettes again, just so he can quit, to prove to everyone that it can be done.

Tom Poston played Mr. Stopworth, a lush who has to leave town in tears because he refuses to quit smoking. As the reverend is pleading with him to consider how badly the town needs the tobacco company’s money: “My drinking is directly connected to my smoking. Now, when I say ‘directly,’ I mean there’s a thing - a physical thing - that is directly connected from my liquor buds to the smoke pouch in my lungs. If you want me to quit smoking, you would have to cut - I mean, you’d have to physically cut that thing! And when you do, my head’s gonna fall off! Do you understand, reverman? The booze bone’s connected to the smoke bone. And the smoke bone’s connected to the head bone. And that’s the word of the Lord!”

Four years later, Smile was released, a parody of beauty pageants and the first of its kind. I remember one scene where a girl is introducing a Young American Miss contestant and her multiple talents. I think the speaker is played by Melanie Griffith, who says the contestant will play the piano and show her artwork “simulatenously and at the same time.” That line has been stuck in my head for thirty years.

Although some of humor in these two movies is probably a little advanced for the age I was when I first watched them, I always counted them among my top favorites when I was a kid.