Harvey Milk

This trailer doesn't do justice to Sean Penn as Harvey Milk. It was a great performance. I never cry at movies and I cried twice--because thirty years on and kids are still calling in the middle of the night "I'm gay and I think I'm going to kill myself." And because some big-hearted people--gay or straight--are generous enough of spirit to care.


Go see it.

Money Money Money Drug Money

This properly belongs on my psych blog, but I'm having problems posting there, so here it is: a review of the tight, mutually beneficial, and corrupt relationship between medical practitioners and the pharmaceutical companies. Sit in any doctor's waiting room for an hour and you'll observe a visit by a happy drug rep bringing presents for everyone in the office. Some corruption is so brazen that it is hard to believe what you see with your own eyes. Ambien (Diovan, Lexipro, Abilify, etc. etc. etc) anyone?

Northern Face of the G.O.P.

Boyd and Mary Ann's (from Anchorage) Christmas presents to us:

Kitty Update

Our cats relax, on this winter Sunday evening, Hero as usual neat and pretty in the middle of the largest couch and Claudio stretched out like a giant furry slug in front of the fire.

An Action Figure You Can Believe In

Dave and Devon's Christmas present to us:

Grandma E's Birthday Party

So we're slogging through the parties one at a time. Today was fun with the local families over--but it was the first time some had been since we got our cats. Bad news for our asthma/allergy afflicted family. Maybe we'll have to have the rest of our parties in the summer. It was fun to visit with G&G for awhile after everyone else went home (sniffing and wheezing).

Merry Christmas, Sweeties

We've had a fun day with John P. and Janet, Grandma Gene, R&N and the babies, and Nicolle's sister Mackensie. Here are a few photos (light on text, heavy on pix lately--but those are my favorite blog entries anyway).

John was up first, of course, fixing breakfast and getting the ambience right with Christmas music and lighting. We open presents in the front room, a much quicker event than in previous years. Here are Janet, Sergene, and John P.:

and Chris of course:

Our naughty kitty Hero participated from her habitual place in the Christmas tree. Next year I'm leaving off the candy canes (because of Johnathan) and the glass bulbs (because of Hero). We'll have a totally non-breakable and inedible tree.

Chris got a 120 gb iPod, and began instantly loading it:

And we had a Christmas dinner, orchestrated by John and prepared by everyone but me. John cuts the ham in his cool Christmas vest, and we eat.

We talked to Dave on the phone and Amy on Skype. All the grownups went to Benjamin Button and the kids and I stayed home and played. Good times! Now Nicolle and I are going out to watch Twilight, since I really do need the vampire research.

Another Party on The Farm

So John stayed in SLC to pick up Janet and John P. from the airport, and Chris and I drove down to The Farm for the usual Christmas Eve thing. We were late (as usual all day) and missed the Christmas Pageant, as Aisake now calls it, but were there for a story from Grandma E,
a piano solo from Justin,and the eats. Now home to bed.

Early Christmas

We planned a family party with B&B at R&N's on Monday, but it was too snowy, so we did it today. The main attraction was the animatronic pony, which was a giant hit with Colette.


"It's my pony," she said, "Grandma, Butterscotch doesn't like you." Although Johnathan was disturbed by Butterscotch at first, he finally agreed to sit for a photo.

Generally Johnathan prefers trucks.
Brett gave Chris a refurbishing on his first guitar, which was a big hit with Chris (he's been playing it in his room all evening).
Nicolle's sisters Michelle and Mackensie were there.

Bruce!

OK, I'll stop with this one, but it's got to be my favorite. Not that great of a video, but it's live, and that's most of the fun.

Come On Come On

I'm learning how to make a mix! Technology will not defeat me. Here's my favorite Mary Chapin Carpenter--a slow version of a slow song:

Fun with the Babies

We watched the babies over the weekend while Rob and Nicolle celebrated their anniversary. Here are Johnathan and Colette at breakfast:

here they bundle up to play in the snow:

and here Grandpa takes them out in the garden--oooh, cold and white!

The garden swing still works, even in the wintertime.

Tena's Party

A few pictures from the party at The Farm last night:
Brett gave Rob his Ninja outfit (but I think Nicolle appropriated it--maybe to wear when she's driving her cool new black car):
Grandpa John and Johnathan:

Grandma and Grandpa E:

Kelli, Damien, and Elias:

Colette and her incredibly cool Brattz Baby with unicorns:

Karma Sue is back...

...a little early from Prague, due to an ultimate frisbee injury and upcoming knee surgery. We went to her homecoming/Bennion family Christmas party yesterday out at the new church in Vernon. I tried to get more photos, but I hate using a flash, and a lot of the ones I got are blurry. People watch the white elephant event,

Johnathan contemplates his options while eating a chocolate chip cookie,

and John models his Christmas vest with attractive action figure accessory. And Chris eats one of "about twelve" rice krispie treats.

And here is Karma Sue as her true self:

Buffy Anxiety

We're almost through with Season 3, and I just read this:

...even though I loved Buffy, after she started sleeping with every vampire in sight and morphed into Buffy the Vampire Layer, it became harder to watch.

Tell me it ain't so! I realize that vampirism is on some level a stand-in for sex, but it isn't only about sex, and it's a lot more fun when the sexual tension etc. is sublimated and disguised. Like flying dreams are "really" sex dreams--except they're not--if you're going to have a sex dream, just have a sex dream, but let the flying dreams be about flying. If you're going to have vampires, let it be about vampires, not porn of whatever degree of disgustingness. Or let it be vampire disgustingness at least.

I [Heart] Austen

OK, so now you know I've been surfing the net all afternoon instead of working on case notes and novel revisions. But I really like this. Check it out, English majors. It's an early valentine.

I [Heart] Krugman

Here's the link if it's too hard to see. And here's the link to the Shrill One's blog, FYI. We're all economists now!

Chris Sings

Chris sang with his school choir at the mall the other day (he gave me about 30 minutes warning that he was supposed to be there). The sound quality in the clip is about what it was at the mall. I hope we get to hear him in a more favorable venue--he has a beautiful and versatile voice, as well as being a great musical mimic.

For My John

..because he's such a hippie.

News in Brief

Chris is off to California for a cross country competition, and won't be back until Sunday night. It's too bad that John and I are so busy we will hardly have time to see each other while he's gone. We look forward to Tena's party on the 19th, and we're trying to figure out which day will work for John's family's party. When should we have Mom's birthday party?

It's always amazing how much work partying requires (not that I'd trade it for not partying). There are our three writing groups, various student groups, my office partners, and the ward party to consider, to say nothing of friends we want to see.

Is everybody ready for Christmas (ha)?

I've been blogging instead of doing my case notes. So much more fun to be a fake psychologist than a real one. I bought Dreamweaver so I could manage my website by myself. I've watched the "user friendly" training video several times, and I still have no idea what they're talking about. Hopefully I can hire Rob to show me what to do.

Do you think having a blog/blogs is a good enough reason not to send cards with the usual Christmas newsletter? I'm such a show-off though, I actually like sending the newsletter. We want to keep the PO in business, afterall, during this economic downturn.

Here's Me...

Thanksgiving II

Brett and Betsy came over for another turkey dinner, and John and I had a lot of fun making it. I forgot to get a photo of the dinner, but here are the pies: apple, lemon meringue, pumpkin, chocolate cream, and cherry (5/6ths of a pie per person). We played games and visited.
John and Chris put up the Christmas lights yesterday (it hadn't even snowed yet!) and we turned them on for the first time tonight. Now I have to get the tree up. This will be our first Christmas with kitties. I have a feeling they might be as much of a challenge to low-hanging ornaments as grandbabies are.

Skype

If your monitor doesn't have a built-in camera, you can buy a webcam for about $35. It takes organization to make sure you're both signed in to talk at the same time, but it's free, and the most fun thing (for me) is how it makes me feel like I'm living in Isaac Asimov days. Or the Jetsons. Amy and I talk for fun, with Jamison hovering in the background, and Betsy and I do business meetings on it, since we can call up files and email etc. at the same time. Google it. Obey your mother.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Grantsville

We are thankful for family who invite the poor bereft three of us to dinner when the rest of us are elsewhere. We are thankful for genuises to be with.

We are thankful for video games.

We are thankful for Bill's Africa room, which Alan shows off here. It is simply indescribable.

Farm Animals

Liz and Alan have some very pretty and furry cats, unlike our cat Claudio, who is more like a dog. He is sitting under my computer gnawing on my toes right this minute, as a matter of fact. Liz and Al also have some chickens, including this rooster, who Chris says looks like an 80's rocker. Note the straight, bleached, shoulder-length hair (with shorter topknot); the velvet-and-leather jacket, fringed at the elbows; and the beak of a nose. You have to imagine the strutting and the headbanging type motion. I remember in Chicago seeing a dance company do Mick Jagger's Little Red Rooster as a rocker, and it was hilarious.