The Wright Stuff

There's a wonderful family that has devoted their hearts to helping orphans, elderly and any other person in need in Kyrgyzstan. The Wrights have done amazing things in Beck's home country and now they would like to return to Kyrgyzstan on a more permenant basis as full time missionaries. Please visit their blog and witness the amazing things they have done for people who otherwise would go without.
www.actofkindness.blogspot.com

Thank you to the Wright family for their selfless giving.

Mala Needs...

Super chick Lori posted this entertaining little time waster on her blog and I thought I'd give it a try.

Here's what you do: You put your name and the word 'needs' in quotes in the google search box and see what pops up. I thought for sure there would be nada, but come on, this is the world wide web we're talkin' about. So here's what, according to Google, "Mala needs":

Mala needs no introduction - Why, thank you. Really. I'm blushing.
MALA needs what I need - Ummm, OK. As long as what you need isn't a good arse kickin'.
mala needs to be removed with sand paper - CRIPES! That hurts just thinking about it!
MALA Needs Referees - Yeah, I guess I would agree with that.
MALA needs lot owners to take care of any dead or damaged trees that could fall into road - Hell Yeah! Damn dead trees.
Mala needs to do a better job of providing better access to on-site management - O.K.
Mala needs a mention as Does Skull Disco and everything they release - No, no really. No need, but thank you.
mala needs to be removed from time to time with soft cotton. - Whew, that sounds way better than the sand paper alternative. thankyouverymuch.
mala needs re-stringing - Aint that the truth!
mala needs a cleaning slave! - Oh I like this one. Seriously I'm not making these up!
mala needs a lot of pepper corn and dried chilli - Apparently I'm spicy!
Mala needs a wife to sew skins - Ummmm, that's odd
Mala needs some spring. - HELL YES!
Mala needs further treatment but not prison - and wine! More wine!
Mala needs to film it without me noticing - WHAT?! OK this is getting weird. Game over

Seeing Double

I'm on the left, Thomas Pimentel is on the right, Mr. Dee
is in the middle. Just for clarification.

Last summer Mr. Dee and I were hired to do some stunt work for the film "Indiana James and the Lost Shaker of Salt", a Jimmy Buffett meets Indiana Jones spoof. The job required me dressing up as a guy and galloping after a crazy pirate ship shaped bus culminating in a scene where I jump off Mr. Dee onto said crazy bus. It was a lot of fun, really. My mother was on set just in case however, sprouting new grey hairs and planning for the rearing of my orphaned children.
So here's the rough cut of the scene. Mind you, it's not at all finished. In fact it's missing a great fight scene on top of the bus with Capt'n Jack. Much to the director's credit it's hard to tell when it's me and when it's the real actor, which of course is, well, depressing on my part. Sigh. No, no, it was just the work of a fabulous make-up artist. seriously. Yeah, that's it.
Anyway, to help you all figure it out, it's me on the horse, except for the 2 scenes when you actually see Thomas' face.




Click here for the full screen version.

Mr. Dee is now insisting on this outside his stall door. There will be no living with him now!

Broadway Bound?

It's FREEZING here today and I'm so over it. So I'm taking a stroll down memory lane (turning the way-back machine all the way to.... 2 weeks ago. sigh)
At the end of the cruise the kids put on a show in the Walt Disney Theatre. It's kinda a big deal, being up on the big stage in front of all the parents with the big mouse himself.
Obviously Beck was the only one who paid attention to the choreography lessons.

Party Pooper

Or just plain pooped!

This is from our recent Disney cruise, poor Beck was done in! But who wants to call it quits! At one point he makes a hearty effort to bob his head to the music (Disney Karaoke no less - yeah, you may want to turn your speakers off).



Or maybe he's just doing a great impression of what Grammy's does at 7:15PM every night while watching TV!

Dude, Where's My Parking Space?

As if I need another excuse to avoid the gym, the parking situation is horrendous! Oddly enough when I joined the gym they were really trying to sell me on their valet parking (which of course they now deny even exists). I couldn't help but think, WTF it's a gym! These lame asses can't walk the extra steps from the far end of the parking lot?! Hello?!!!! Of course now I often feel like driving up to the front door and chucking my car keys at the little size 1 behind the counter!
Right now a big problem is the fact that half the parking spaces are occupied by 6 feet tall snow banks. OK, I live in New Hampshire, snowbanks are inevitable. Sure, it would be nice if they hauled that nasty stuff off considering the parking lot is already too small for the number of members they need to accommodate, but whatever. But then you add the fact there's always a few asshats that, in order to avoid others parking too close to their overly-expensive cars, park in 1 2/3 spots. Ugh, it's all I can do to not key their car!
And of course it doesn't help that I drive the S.S. Land Hog. I love my monstrous black truck, but finding a parking space that I can squeeze into and not have to shimmy out my window Dukes-of-Hazard style is a challenge when I'm surround by people who can actually park properly!
So my recent attempts of getting to the gym has started, and nearly ended, in me circling the parking lot 10 minutes before my Hip Hop class starts. IF I find a spot it's usually next to some jackass who's parked directly on the white parking space line, with a car that screams "I don't have insurance and I don't give a crap!". So I circle again, attempt the parallel parking space between the 2 cars that must be driven by blind people because again they're taking each a bite out of the spot I need. So I circle again! There's the asshat parked diagonally across two spots.... Hmmmm, I could park my truck ON his little car. It's 2 minutes before class, my heart is racing, I'm cursing like a sailor, sweating like a one-legged jockey, throwing my truck in 4 wheel drive and driving it up onto the top of the snowbank!... seriously, who needs the workout in the gym!

A Letter to a Son About His Father

From VeryShortList.com.

Some DVDs should come with a box of tissues. The gut-wrenching, fiercely partisan documentary Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (out on DVD next week) should come with a mop.

Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne set out to eulogize his friend Andrew Bagby — a 28-year-old doctor who was murdered in 2001. When the killer, Bagby's ex-girlfriend, announced that she was pregnant with Bagby’s son, Kuenne turned his film into an open letter addressed to the boy.

“My movie now took on a whole new meaning,” Kuenne explains in a voice-over. “I vowed to collect every memory for you before they were gone.”

But one shocking twist was yet to come. We’re not giving it away here, but we will tell you to brace yourself — and keep those tissues handy.

Saving Man's Best Friend

Benji has been a member of our family for nearly 6 months and I can not express enough how wonderful he is. He is such a sweet dog. He tolerates the kids dressing him up and parading him around the yard. He is constantly there to offer a happy, wagging tail or a love-filled lick. He even graduated Doggie School with honors. Joe calls him my "white shadow", he's constantly, faithfully by my side. It's hard to believe he once lived as a stray on the streets in Puerto Rico where he probably endured horrible abuse, abuse that most likely caused his broken leg which will forever be bent after healing without medical attention.
A filmmaker recently made a video about the epidemic of stray dogs in Puerto Rico in hopes of educating the people who see the dogs as nothing more than an annoyance. The torture that many of these dogs face is hard to watch but it is good to know there are people who are trying to change the public's view and save these dogs. One of those people is Bonnie, the woman who saved my Benji. She selflessly pours everything she has into saving dogs that most would discard as hopeless. Dogs who, without her, would die unspeakable deaths. I am grateful for what she does. I am grateful that she saved a broken down, unwanted dog named Benji.

Here is Bonnie and others who are trying to make a difference. After you watch the video please visit Bonnie here.

Found on eBay

I think I want one!

Happy Black Saturday!

Valentine's Day, Black Saturday, Singles Awareness Day... or whatever you call it. Hope you all have a wonderful, overrated, Hallmark-exploiting day.

Brought To You By the Letter G

Here are the rules…If you want to play, leave a comment on this post letting me know, and I’ll assign you a letter. You write about ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter, and post it at your place. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain continues on and on!

The Oober Cool Janiece has assigned me the letter G, so here goes:

* Gals - specifically my favoritest of all, Morgan. I'm so lucky to be her Mommy. Other girls that rock, My Mom, The Bev, My chickies from HS, the list goes on and on.
* Guys - topping that list is the cutest of them all, the Beckster. He amazes me every day and I'm certain he'll grow up to be an amazing man. Runners up of course include the guy I married, my Dad, my wackadoo brother, and I can't leave off Ralph Fiennes.
* Guitar Hero - I'm so happy it's possible to burn many calories while rockin' out!
* Gewurztraminer - Mmmmmmmm, fabulous wine! What?! You've never had the pleasure? Well, come visit my shop here and check it out! (shameless plug)
* George Harrison. Love him!
* Gallop! There's nothing better than a nice gallop on a quiet dirt road. It's amazing!
* Grass. NO! Not that kind, thankyouverymuch! Summer, green grass, fresh cut grass! It's intoxicating and of course means it's NOT WINTER!
* Grilling. Yes another affirmation of summer! Although I've been known to fire up the girl in hat and mittens. Mmmmmm, grilled salmon is my favorite.
* Giggles - especially from my kids (even if it usually means they're up to no good.
* Greta, my wonderful Garmin GPS (Woo-Hoo that's three G's - Bonus Points!). I don't totally understand how it works, but I love it!

Some more....

The picture parade continues....

Hangin' in St. Croix







PIRATES!

Pirate Beck gets a birthday surprise!


Did you know Disney frowns upon guests slipping they're stateroom keys to employees? Who knew?



ST. Thomas

goofy


Handsome Lil' Guy





Partied Out!



Morgan and I demonstrate our mad surfing skillz

Pictures, Pictures

We're back and I'm up to my ears in laundry, so for now here's some pictures from our vacation.







Morgan got a Princess makeover at the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique where she had the full attention of two Fairy Godmothers-in-Training. They did her hair, nails and makeup while telling her tales of life as fairies and gossip on all the princesses. Morgan's eyes were the size of pie plates the whole time. To say she was in her glory would be an understatement. The experience is a bit pricey but when they finally turned her around to check herself out in the mirror for the big reveal, it was totally worth every penny!



Now back to the laundry. (Where the hell is MY fairy Godmother!)