Even though Pearl Harbor was bombed 63 years ago, we should still remember it today.
***National Geographic|http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/***
***Another History Page|http://www.ccdemo.info/PearlHarbor/PearlHarborDayRemembered.html***
***Lots of Navyish Links|http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq66-1.htm***
Blockbuster is desperate. So desperate that they keep mailing us free movie rental coupons! And on top of that, some of the movies have a “return the next day for a $1 credit” benefit. So, we can rent our three free movies, get $3 credited to our account and rent a fourth for like a dollar. What a bargain!
Anyhoo. We rented ***A Day Without a Mexican|http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002VEZ3U/102-1893849-9321735?v=glance***. Having heard of this little flick a while ago, we were happy to have a chance to see it. It played in a very small number of theaters back in the spring and is now getting a wider audience since coming out on video.
This movie promised a tongue in cheek, mocumentary of what would happen if all the Mexicans disappeared from California. It delivered. I can’t say that the acting was fantastic, or that the plot was all that great, but it was a decent social commentary.
The state of California becomes paralyzed when all of their Mexican citizens (legal and otherwise) suddenly disappear. Crops go unharvested, restaurant tables go unbussed, the Latino newscasters don’t show up for work and the streets of California become covered in trash.
Moral of the story is that we should appreciate our Mexicans while they’re here. As one main character said, “The best way to make the invisible visible is to make it disappear”. How true, and deep.
You may have noticed a couple new names in the ‘Friends’ links, Laura and Johnny. You may remember in October I ***mentioned|http://prwdot.org/?p=archives/002071*** that we had dinner with them before they set out on their cross country adventure.
Well, they’ve left Maryland and are blazing a trail across the southern US. To keep friends and family informed of their whereabouts and to share their experiences they have made themselves a blog! You too can join me in pretending to toss aside your humdrum lives, buying a trailer and exploring this great country.
Check them out at their website ***Living in the Slow Lane…|http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=DimbyRVin***
{added note for those of you who weren’t in Mr. Goldberg’s 5th grade class…}
Crunchy = the name of a character in one of Laura’s stories… and a nickname she aquired for herself
“Crunchy”= an oft used term referring to those who live simply, off the land and eat granola. Synonym- tree hugger.
Do any of you out there know how hard it is to find a decent bathing suit at the end of November? Very hard! There are some out there for all the skinny minnies who are headed to the Carribean on a cruise, but none for me. argh.
“But why do you need to buy a swimsuit?” you may ask. For my new job. “say what?!?”
It’s true. I have finally found the perfect use for my ability to stay in bodies of water for unhumanly long periods of time. Swimming Instructor at the YMCA. I love kids, I love swimming, what could be better? And it pays a teensy bit more than what I was making watching ‘ER’ reruns on my days off.
Remember, reach and pull, kick kick kick, reach and pull, kick kick kick!
One of the best things about reading is the chance to see the world from another’s point of view. I can know what it is like to be an Ace Spy or a 12 year old boy or a hiker in the Grand Canyon. And I don’t even need to leave the couch!
Although each of the main characters in these books are unique, they tend to sound similar. Last week, however, I read a novel with a very different kind of protagonist. A 15 year old boy with ***Asperger’s Syndrome|http://users.wpi.edu/~trek/aspergers.html***. Christopher Boone has no problem with higher math, but has to work very hard to discern emotion in other’s facial expressions.
aaa|The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time|1400032717|aaa by Mark Hardon is, by the narrator’s defination, a murder mystery. At least that is how it starts out. In reality the mystery is just there to lead Christopher through a series of other life defining discoveries. He makes it through family crisis and standardized tests and deaths, and comes out scratched, but definately triumphant.
This books is an interesting look into the mind of an Asperger’s patient. It offers clear discriptions of how Christopher thinks and why he reacts the way he does to other people and situations. The book got mixed reviews on Amazon.com, but I would still recommend it to anyone. It was a quick read (Peter and I both finished it in a day and a half–total) and very enlightning.
Thank you to my Aunt Gabi for lending it to us and to her nephew Alex for recommending it and for bringing it across the pond from England!
One of my favorite stores at the mall is our local ***Williams-Sonoma|http://www.williams-sonoma.com***. I love to go in and look at all the neat seasonal items like turkey shaped butter molds, spice cake mixes, and Christmas cookie cutters. All of their products are so unique and high quality…. I want one of everything. Therein lies the problem. Somehow, entering any W-S turns mild-mannered, make-do-with-what-you-have Becky into SUPER NEEDY CONSUMER Becky. She is not so mild-mannered. When I see those cute, pink, nesting mixing bowls I am convinced that I also need the Silicone spatula, Pink KitchenAid Stand Mixer, and anything else that even remotely coordinates. Yikes! Luckily I know I can’t afford much there, so I always walk out empty handed.
In the car today I was assured that the Christmas season had truely begun… The radio played “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.” [NOTE: Quitadamo clan… maybe this is a good Christmas Eve to pull that video out again…??] As if that wasn’t enough, all I’ve heard about on the news is how much the retailers made on “Black Friday” and the following weekend.
I seriously considered participating in ***Buy Nothing Day|http://www.ecoplan.org/ibnd/ib_index.htm*** this year. (also mentioned by ***DrJames|http://drjames.blogspot.com/2004/11/bought-something-on-buynothing.html***) Don’t get me wrong, I like a good bargain just as much as the next gal, but waiting in the cold outside Wal*Mart at 5am seems a tad bit extreem to me. I’ve also found that most stores are still offering pretty good deals at times when the shops aren’t packed with crazed shoppers.
Despite my desire to keep my money to myself, I did find myself at Building 19 purchasing a few super cheap items. Also, I needed some grocery items, so off to Market Basket I went. I counteracted this spending by bringing three bags of gently used items to the Salvation Army. I’m hoping that I can make this a yearly tradition. Not only would I not be contributing to world wide commercialism, but I’d be actively working against it.
So, I know it was a week ago, but I still want to tell you about the lovely weekend I had last week with Miss ***Jennifer|http://junefourteenth.blogspot.com***.
I drove down to New Jersey on Saturday morning and zipped all the way to Jenn’s house with only one detour… at ***Baylor Massacre Park|http://gallery.prwdot.org/visiting_jenn_20041120/IMG_9578*** in River Vale. I’m a sucker for small, local historical markers 🙂
That evening was the obligatory visit to ***Ikea|www.ikea.com*** and dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. Yum.
Sunday was drove down to Jersey City, where Jenn was performing in Iolanthe at the (currently being restored) Historic Loew’s Theater 🙂 ***Here’s|http://gallery.prwdot.org/visiting_jenn_20041120/IMG_9580*** the marquis pic.
Lots of fun was had. And also a large quantity of “Oriental Chicken Wraps”. yum yum. The complete gallery of pics can be found ***here|http://gallery.prwdot.org/visiting_jenn_20041120***
Yesterday while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, my Mom told me this story.
“You know, Bec, we spent your first Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa Lowe’s house. The boys (Dad, Grandpa, and the Uncles: Dave, Steve, Pete and Tom) had gone to the high school football game and Grandma was in the kitchen. You and I were watching the Parade in the other room. At the end of the parade, Santa came rolling into Hearald Square. As his float came to a stop he stood up to wave to the crowds. As he did, his red pants fell down around his ankles.” 🙂
Poor Santa!
Every few years Corey’s birthday falls on the same day as Thanksgiving. He is a turkey all year round, but it seems more obvious today! 🙂
ppp||ppp
HAPPY 24th, Corey!
So, I can’t believe that I’m the only one who’s noticed this. There must be tons of other history scholars who have seen the glaring error in the most recent Capital One commercials.
Here’s the scenario: A family spends $120 on snacks and souvenirs at a football game. As Mom expresses her concern about the credit card’s high interest rates a horde of “HUNS” comes bursting through the stadium. (We know that they are Huns because they are apparently playing in their home stadium and signs are everywhere.) Dad says not to worry because he will use his Capital One card, with its low interest rates.. Problem solved. Huns are defeated.
There is one problem with this ad. The Huns are actually VIKINGS! Say what? The ad leads us to believe that Huns are invading the stadium. The ***Huns|http://www.mrdowling.com/703-huns.html*** were an Asiatic tribe of mauraders and pillagers. They did not wear Metal Horn helmets. However, the makers of the commercial seem to think they did. My guess is that they were thinking of another group of mauraders and pillagers, ***Vikings|http://www.regia.org/vikings.htm***.
*shakes head* What would Attila think?