Mmmmm...strained carrots.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Baby Blogging: The Joys of Solid Food
Preston's been eating solids for the past couple of months. The great thing about feeding him "real" food is that it makes for entertaining pictures like this one. The drawbacks are that his diapers really stink now. Pfew!
Mmmmm...strained carrots.
Mmmmm...strained carrots.
Seen "Over There" Yet?--Don't Bother
For some reason, my husband recorded the premier of "Over There," a show about our soldiers in Iraq now playing on FX. I hadn't intended to watch since I could tell from the previews that it was going to being the usual anti-war Vietnam-cliched crap from Hollywood. But since I could watch it sans commercial, I thought I'd give it a chance since the creator, Steven Bochco had claimed that it wouldn't be political.
Well, my instincts were correct. It was filled with every stereotype from every anti-war Vietnam movie ever made. None of the soldiers except the token dumb white-boy from the South wanted to be in the military. Most of the characters were either super-whiny and obnoxiousm (Mrs. B) or gung-ho crazy (Sgt. Scream). The officers were depicted as incompetent fools or oblivious to the needs of their men. I have never been in the military, but several of my family members have been, so I know a little bit about how the military does things.
The biggest error I could see was that none of the soldiers fighting together seemed to know each other either. They kept asking each other how they got their nicknames, which got very annoying. From what I understand, soldiers are deployed in units, so they've been training together and thus know each other well which allows them to work together efficiently. The soldiers in "Over There" were portrayed as bumbling idiots that were basically abbondoned by the rest of the military. Plus, the show was boring due to a weak plot and poor character development.
Of course, the show had to open with a gratuitous sex scene (thank heavens for fast-forward), which is a pet peeve of mine. I'm ok with sex (obviously since I have a kid), but I think it is a private and personal thing. I'm so sick of Hollywood liberals that say that what people do in their bedroom is their business and then constantly plaster up bedroom scenes all over the big and little screen. Ok, so Bochco wanted to show the newlyweds with the husband shipping out to Iraq. I think it could have been done a little more tastefully. Sheesh!
I'm not the only one who though "Over There" was horrible. Milbloggers like Blackfive and deployed soldiers interviewed in the Seattle PI had similar reactions. When is Hollywood going to get clue? I though HBO's Band of Brothers was very well done. I'd much rather see "Over There" modeled on that show than on Platoon.
Well, my instincts were correct. It was filled with every stereotype from every anti-war Vietnam movie ever made. None of the soldiers except the token dumb white-boy from the South wanted to be in the military. Most of the characters were either super-whiny and obnoxiousm (Mrs. B) or gung-ho crazy (Sgt. Scream). The officers were depicted as incompetent fools or oblivious to the needs of their men. I have never been in the military, but several of my family members have been, so I know a little bit about how the military does things.
The biggest error I could see was that none of the soldiers fighting together seemed to know each other either. They kept asking each other how they got their nicknames, which got very annoying. From what I understand, soldiers are deployed in units, so they've been training together and thus know each other well which allows them to work together efficiently. The soldiers in "Over There" were portrayed as bumbling idiots that were basically abbondoned by the rest of the military. Plus, the show was boring due to a weak plot and poor character development.
Of course, the show had to open with a gratuitous sex scene (thank heavens for fast-forward), which is a pet peeve of mine. I'm ok with sex (obviously since I have a kid), but I think it is a private and personal thing. I'm so sick of Hollywood liberals that say that what people do in their bedroom is their business and then constantly plaster up bedroom scenes all over the big and little screen. Ok, so Bochco wanted to show the newlyweds with the husband shipping out to Iraq. I think it could have been done a little more tastefully. Sheesh!
I'm not the only one who though "Over There" was horrible. Milbloggers like Blackfive and deployed soldiers interviewed in the Seattle PI had similar reactions. When is Hollywood going to get clue? I though HBO's Band of Brothers was very well done. I'd much rather see "Over There" modeled on that show than on Platoon.
Monday, July 11, 2005
10 Ways to Tell if Someone You Know Is the Mother of a Small Child
10. They accidentally refer to themselves in the third person—often as “Mommy,” e.g. “Mommy likes cheese on her sandwich.”
9. They can’t resist telling you what their child’s last bowel movement was like.
8. You hear them humming or outright singing snatches of “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or “The Wheels on the Bus” in a public place.
7. Their shopping cart is loaded to the brim with jars of baby food, formula, diapers, diaper wipes, and baby clothes 2 sizes too big for their child.
6. Every article of clothing they own has green, yellow, or orange stains from either spit-up or splattered baby food.
5. Their once-thick hair has thinned considerably from being constantly tugged on.
4. They appear to not have showered since last Tuesday and smell faintly of sour milk.
3. Said small child is permanently attached to their arms or legs.
2. They have dark circles and bags under their eyes the size of Ohio.
1. Every new feat their child performs, no matter how obnoxious, is immediately deemed “precious” or “adorable,” e.g. “Little Timmy threw his strained peas all over the wall today—isn’t that adorable?”
9. They can’t resist telling you what their child’s last bowel movement was like.
8. You hear them humming or outright singing snatches of “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or “The Wheels on the Bus” in a public place.
7. Their shopping cart is loaded to the brim with jars of baby food, formula, diapers, diaper wipes, and baby clothes 2 sizes too big for their child.
6. Every article of clothing they own has green, yellow, or orange stains from either spit-up or splattered baby food.
5. Their once-thick hair has thinned considerably from being constantly tugged on.
4. They appear to not have showered since last Tuesday and smell faintly of sour milk.
3. Said small child is permanently attached to their arms or legs.
2. They have dark circles and bags under their eyes the size of Ohio.
1. Every new feat their child performs, no matter how obnoxious, is immediately deemed “precious” or “adorable,” e.g. “Little Timmy threw his strained peas all over the wall today—isn’t that adorable?”
Friday, July 08, 2005
And Again…Terrorist Attacks in London
I sent my husband off to work yesterday with a prayer for his safety and that the Lord would be with the British people right now as they recover from the terrorist attacks that occurred yesterday. I think many of us here in the blogosphere have been expecting new attacks on the U.S. and her allies in their home countries at one time or another. It was just a matter of when they would occur.
My reaction to the bombings in London is mixed. I feel sympathy and sadness for the victims of the blasts who were just going to work so they could provide for their families. I can’t imagine the terror they must have felt. I’m sure that after the physical wounds have healed that many of them will suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome, and my heart aches for them. Events like this show just how small my problems are in comparison with those that have had loved ones murdered or maimed by terrorists in cold blood. Yet, I admire the pragmatic steadfastness of the British. They have experienced terrorist attacks before (via the IRA) and the citizens and emergency workers worked together quickly and efficiently to aid the wounded. None of the people that were interviewed after the attacks were hysterical or even crying. They seem quietly resolved that these attacks would not force them to change their way of life.
I also feel, quite predictably, anger towards the terrorists that committed this gruesome attack. Call them Koranimals, Islamofascists, splodeydopes, or whatever, I prefer the term evil-doers (a term used by the POTUS). For they quite simply are doers of evil. I don’t care what their motivations or justifications are, they are murderers. I think it’s quite disgusting that leftists (e.g. those found in the fever swamps of Democratic Underground and Indymedia) are already blaming the victims and/or the Jews for the attacks. Oh, if only you’d been nice to the wittle terrorists and left them alone in Afghanistan and Iraq instead capturing and killing them. Yeah, we see how that attitude worked out.
My life has changed considerably since 9-11. At that time, I was still in graduate school and we had no children. I also was less aware of how liberal our media is. I was listening to NPR in fact that morning (as I usually did) when the attacks occurred. Since then, I can’t listen to NPR. I was disgusted with all the attempts to “understand” the motivations of the terrorists, and the virulent anti-Bush rhetoric. The bias towards the Palestinian terrorists as they murdered Israeli civilians was also more than I could stomach. I turned to talk-radio as a forum to vent my feelings, to hear that I wasn’t the only American that felt our government, with its lenient immigration and transportation safety policies had let us down, or the only American that felt that the media was too often blaming the victim—Americans—rather than blaming the Islamic terrorists that had perpetrated the attacks.
I became quite the news junkie. What’s funny is that despite my ignorance at the time, when I heard that not one, but two planes had crashed into the WTC I knew Bin Laden and Al Qaeda were responsible. I had read a few articles in Time magazine or something about his group and their involvement in the Embassy bombing in Africa. Now I’m totally what you would call a Security Mom. I had voted for Bush in 2000, but I kept it a secret from my left-leaning coworkers and friends. But after 9-11, I had no qualms about defending my views and defending the President. I think he has been an outstanding war-time President. I do have a few problems with many of his domestic policies right now, especially the issue of illegal immigration, but that’s a discussion for another time.
These attacks in London have also caused a sense of fear to re-emerge—not fear for my own safety, but for that of my family and friends, especially my son. It’s amazing how strong the bond between a parent and a child is—the desire to protect them at any cost. It is similar to a mother bear defending her cubs because I feel that I would do anything to protect Preston from harm.
I’ve never been into guns, but recently I’ve become interested in learning how to defend myself and my family with them. My husband is from Arizona where one can carry a gun in public in the open, and he learned how to use guns in the Boy Scouts. This year for my birthday, I’m taking a gun training class this Saturday. It's good to know all the legal ins and outs of using a handgun if I am ever in the situation of having to use one to defend myself. Hopefully, that will never happen. I now believe that it’s a good idea for all of the law abiding citizens of the U.S. to own at least one gun and know how to use it properly. Like in Switzerland and Israel, I see it as a civic duty to be able to defend myself and my family from crime and terrorist attacks if the need arises.
So I guess now I’m an official member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (VRWC). Vote Republican? Check (until something better comes along)! Like and use guns? Check! Listen to conservative talk radio? Check! Watch Fox News? Check! Conservative Christian? Check! Rich, evil capital list? Check…er wait. Not rich, not evil. I guess I don’t qualify then.
Anyway, back to London. Tony Blair and the British government have been valuable allies in the war on Terror, but it seems that they are still treating their homegrown terrorists as criminals, not terrorists. Also it seems the British people have had some of their freedoms taken away from them by their socialist politicians e.g. the right to bear arms and the right to criticize Islam for inciting violence. I hope that the British people will be able to get their politicians to be tougher on terrorism. The mosques that incite violence and preach jihad need to be shut down, and the imams that preach that crap need to be arrested and/or deported.
As a descendent of American “colonials” this Yank wishes my British brothers and sisters that God will bless the British people and comfort them in their time of need.
My reaction to the bombings in London is mixed. I feel sympathy and sadness for the victims of the blasts who were just going to work so they could provide for their families. I can’t imagine the terror they must have felt. I’m sure that after the physical wounds have healed that many of them will suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome, and my heart aches for them. Events like this show just how small my problems are in comparison with those that have had loved ones murdered or maimed by terrorists in cold blood. Yet, I admire the pragmatic steadfastness of the British. They have experienced terrorist attacks before (via the IRA) and the citizens and emergency workers worked together quickly and efficiently to aid the wounded. None of the people that were interviewed after the attacks were hysterical or even crying. They seem quietly resolved that these attacks would not force them to change their way of life.
I also feel, quite predictably, anger towards the terrorists that committed this gruesome attack. Call them Koranimals, Islamofascists, splodeydopes, or whatever, I prefer the term evil-doers (a term used by the POTUS). For they quite simply are doers of evil. I don’t care what their motivations or justifications are, they are murderers. I think it’s quite disgusting that leftists (e.g. those found in the fever swamps of Democratic Underground and Indymedia) are already blaming the victims and/or the Jews for the attacks. Oh, if only you’d been nice to the wittle terrorists and left them alone in Afghanistan and Iraq instead capturing and killing them. Yeah, we see how that attitude worked out.
My life has changed considerably since 9-11. At that time, I was still in graduate school and we had no children. I also was less aware of how liberal our media is. I was listening to NPR in fact that morning (as I usually did) when the attacks occurred. Since then, I can’t listen to NPR. I was disgusted with all the attempts to “understand” the motivations of the terrorists, and the virulent anti-Bush rhetoric. The bias towards the Palestinian terrorists as they murdered Israeli civilians was also more than I could stomach. I turned to talk-radio as a forum to vent my feelings, to hear that I wasn’t the only American that felt our government, with its lenient immigration and transportation safety policies had let us down, or the only American that felt that the media was too often blaming the victim—Americans—rather than blaming the Islamic terrorists that had perpetrated the attacks.
I became quite the news junkie. What’s funny is that despite my ignorance at the time, when I heard that not one, but two planes had crashed into the WTC I knew Bin Laden and Al Qaeda were responsible. I had read a few articles in Time magazine or something about his group and their involvement in the Embassy bombing in Africa. Now I’m totally what you would call a Security Mom. I had voted for Bush in 2000, but I kept it a secret from my left-leaning coworkers and friends. But after 9-11, I had no qualms about defending my views and defending the President. I think he has been an outstanding war-time President. I do have a few problems with many of his domestic policies right now, especially the issue of illegal immigration, but that’s a discussion for another time.
These attacks in London have also caused a sense of fear to re-emerge—not fear for my own safety, but for that of my family and friends, especially my son. It’s amazing how strong the bond between a parent and a child is—the desire to protect them at any cost. It is similar to a mother bear defending her cubs because I feel that I would do anything to protect Preston from harm.
I’ve never been into guns, but recently I’ve become interested in learning how to defend myself and my family with them. My husband is from Arizona where one can carry a gun in public in the open, and he learned how to use guns in the Boy Scouts. This year for my birthday, I’m taking a gun training class this Saturday. It's good to know all the legal ins and outs of using a handgun if I am ever in the situation of having to use one to defend myself. Hopefully, that will never happen. I now believe that it’s a good idea for all of the law abiding citizens of the U.S. to own at least one gun and know how to use it properly. Like in Switzerland and Israel, I see it as a civic duty to be able to defend myself and my family from crime and terrorist attacks if the need arises.
So I guess now I’m an official member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (VRWC). Vote Republican? Check (until something better comes along)! Like and use guns? Check! Listen to conservative talk radio? Check! Watch Fox News? Check! Conservative Christian? Check! Rich, evil capital list? Check…er wait. Not rich, not evil. I guess I don’t qualify then.
Anyway, back to London. Tony Blair and the British government have been valuable allies in the war on Terror, but it seems that they are still treating their homegrown terrorists as criminals, not terrorists. Also it seems the British people have had some of their freedoms taken away from them by their socialist politicians e.g. the right to bear arms and the right to criticize Islam for inciting violence. I hope that the British people will be able to get their politicians to be tougher on terrorism. The mosques that incite violence and preach jihad need to be shut down, and the imams that preach that crap need to be arrested and/or deported.
As a descendent of American “colonials” this Yank wishes my British brothers and sisters that God will bless the British people and comfort them in their time of need.
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