Memorial Day Movie Madness - Midnight In Paris

A big, wet French kiss from Paris, answering that fantasy question - Why don't we live here? And if we did - why not do it in the 20s?

Hey Jealousy

Shana's ex BF wants to date one of her current friends/future (August) roommate. And the feeling's mutual. Shana said no. What are the rules? She says it's not about jealousy. Says it's about right and wrong. Ethics. Just shouldn't go there. And I believe her. She's moved on. Got a new guy. Even made it Facebook "in a relationship" Official the other day. But she's the one that dumped the old guy. Twice. Broke the kid's poor heart over a year ago. Even after that they have been able to remain friends. Isn't that against the rules? I've been married so long sometimes I guess I forget. Forget the bad break-ups, pushing instead for the always works "I have some bad news. Today's your last day" speech and being able to move on, focus on the good times and live the rest of your life unscathed. Is that possible? Shana says my rules include supporting her no matter what. Being on her side always. And I am.

But after part-time mom-ing the ex for a few years, I'm rooting for a little happiness for him too.




Favorite Gin Blossoms song - Hey Jealousy

Much Ado About Movie Madness NIGHTS

Shakespeare in Scottsdale on another perfect courtyard Sunday night with Louise and Jaye and petite ya yas Kenzie and Shana for a pre-show much ado about drinks and tapas and blood tests and FICO scores and somebody else's flirty fiance. Who would have thought that we would get all the way through May with sweater-weather, open-windows nights? Ol' Will kept us laughing as cute men in billowing white shirts, beautiful women in corsets, breasts heaving, ran around in the beautiful Italian countryside. Even bad boy Keanu was there to try to ruin the day. Way back when, way before Speed, way before he got all Matrix-y, I used to have a little crush (mostly due to his overwhelming acting abilities). I recall even driving all the way to LA one weekend to see his really bad band Dogstar play (he touched my arm!!) But love prevailed on the big screen and we all left smiling.

Ice, Ice Baby

Hopefully we all weren't too late to the party to -  Save the Icehouse!

Music, food and art, art, art!
The Ice House used to be, get this, an ice house. It's where the trains heading to the east coast loaded up with produce got the ice to keep everything cold for the journey. Brings back East of Eden memories...


Shana, Xandi and I headed downtown to support the magnificent Maggie (there they are under her incredible portrait of her niece, a great singer - talent just oozes out of this family).

The cool building was full of some wild art and lots of fun people.

Then we downtown girls cruised Central Ave for an uptown din din at the always fave Pane Bianco.

Goodbye Wasilla, Hello Scottsdale

Welcome to the desert Sarah P. I think I can see your house from my backyard.

Tortilla Espanol

Look! Shana went to Spain and they taught her to cook!

Toilet Mist

The world didn't end on Saturday as predicted, so I'd like to bring up another danger - Toilet Mist. Bacteria and germs fly out of the toilet when you flush, landing on the ceiling and the walls and your clothes, maybe even your mouth. Gross, right? Sitting at Discount Auto today I read all about it. So close the lid, flush with your feet and run out of the bathroom. Or else.

Movie Madness - Incendies

1 + 1 = 1. It was that kind of movie. My third movie in three days, Incendies was a brutal search for the truth beyond the grave, barely adding up until the very end.

Two other movies never did add up. Bridesmaids. I wanted to hate it.

 I saw the reviews, the four stars, the cast, including one of the only reasons I still watch SNL, Kristin Wiig and my beloved Sookie from Gilmore Girls. But it looked so dumb. It was dumb. I loved it. Maybe it was being surrounded by a bunch of my peeps, cracking up at every scene, some three times too long but still funny in a perfect Saturday afternoon get-away.

Next up was Johnny in a Sunday night with Swashbuckling Shawn escape.

I wanted to love it. I saw the bad reviews, but, like some Pavlovian response built over decades, when Walt Disney walks by, seems all I can do is throw some money at him. But Pirates was dull. I fell asleep. Sorry, Johnny.

Pandora Festival

Let's hear it for the girls! Pandora Festival by Arizona Women's Theatre at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. Wow! Incredible short plays from a nationwide competition. Hilarious, poignant, original. Can't wait 'til next year.

Lipstick Lunch

With a bag like this...it's a lipstick kind of day. Pita Jungle patio, Bar North, Ocean Club, Spence patio with the pool nymphs - somersaults on the grass to the breathless boogie woogie wonderland. TGIF.

Testy

What's with all of the testosterone floating around lately? Arnold and the IMF doing the cleaning ladies?

Chaz Bono putting even more of it out there into the world?

Here are a few of the side effects:
Testosterone can cause jaundice (yellow skin), and alters cholesterol levels, which may lead to high blood pressure and heart disease. Users have also experienced difficult urination due to prostate enlargement, acne, greasy skin, edema (swelling of the feet and ankles), weight gain, excitability, increased aggression, depression and headaches. Sounds fun.

Maybe we need a little more estrogen instead.

So Vein

Veins have always freaked me out. Just the thought of having my blood drawn pushes me over the edge. Throw in a big jugular on a movie screen or an old big, blue veiny hand and I can't even look. In my twenties, after several years of standing in retail jobs, I got an ugly half dollar sized dark splotch on my thigh. Shawn was working in a Dermatology office and his boss injected it. The shots hurt like hell, but in a few days the splotch disappeared. I figured I was home free. But now I'm covered. Big veins popping out of my hands and feet. Blue lines running down my legs. Seems like every time I look, something new appears. I hear they don't even do the injections anymore and the latest thing is vein stripping. Vein stripping? Just thinking about that one makes me nauseous. New solution - quit looking.

No vein, no vain.

NYT - Now You're Through

Times are hard. About a month ago The New York Times started charging for reading the paper online. You can read the front page for free and have access to twenty articles a month before they cut you off. I tried not to think about the creepiness factor of how they know who you are, what you read and how they tally each click and just read my share. Then I got greedy. They found me out on the home desktop, so I moved to the iPhone. Then I had to go to the office to finish reading once I filled up that quota. I'm pretty sure I haven't gone through sixty total this month, but they say I have. Cut off 'til June.

OK, I give. Handed over the credit card this morning.

Book Club - Cleopatra: A Life

Well, the book sucked, but Cleopatra Maggie saved the day in her Egyptian (or Greek? the book said Greek) for the night themed CenPho home. The Mediterranean feast kept coming - the falafel, the grape leaves, the tzatziki, the olives, the grapes, the tabbouleh, the tahini, the pita, the Caesar salad, the baklava - yum, yum, yum, as the ominous clouds parted and we snuggled under the billowing scarves and the palm fronds and the hanging lights as the Nile-like wet patio sparkled.

Another Goodread this month:

stunning Southern drawl trip through some incredible lives. Heart still pounding. Amazing.

Walk On The Wild Side

While we still could, we took advantage of the cool day and walked to Chompie's for a little semi-retirement half day Wednesday lunch. Walked, ate, felt like we were in some faraway place and happily got rained on all the way home.

Culture Shock

I was rocking out to the latest Nicki something or other song and shouted to Shana, "Don't you just love this part?" She said, "Never heard of it." She's been out of touch. That's what she gets for skipping town for a few months. She missed the music, the bed, the Elizabeth Taylor, the weather, the food, the car. Once home, she realized she didn't miss the tipping. Or the US drinking age. I missed the ditching work to go mother-daughter brunching, walking to the lake, pedicures, snuggling, movies, opening her door to see a bunch of kids piled in her bed. She taught me some new Spanish dance moves as I played the new song louder and it was just like old times.

Left Right Left

At the beginning of yoga class, it took all my brainpower just to go up when everybody went up and down when everybody went down. But somewhere in the middle the brain went away, the body took over and when it was over, all I could do was get in the car, open the sunroof, roll down the windows, listen to the silence and follow the full moon home.

Movie Madness - The Border

A bunch of Arcadia High kids (including the Director, a member of the fabulous Miller family!) give us their viewpoint of Arizona border issues. Very good piece of work, lots of differing opinions, a little help from Mr. Da(d) Harkins and a lot to think about. Go Titans!

Took a couple of old Firebirds and learned a little something.

PURSE PARTY!!

Calling all bag ladies

   

Another wine-y wild afternoon surrounded by jewels and goodies, long-lost ladies back from Spain and Nepal and Florence, lots of mother-daughter pairs going out of the matchy-matchy box, away from the regular black, pushing the limits, Hollywood shades, a boy model, from preppy to hippie chick to does this bag make me look fat?
Poof - you're a bag lady, too.

Who's your Daddy?

Tuesday's the long day. The one day at the office we push through the afternoon snoozies, past the  worn off caffeine and stay open late. And as I watched Dr. Everythingwillbealright getting more and more frustrated as the sun started to fade, I realized something - we have Tuesday Trend. As, one by one, tired moms brought in their kids, the ones with lots of notes from the principal, the anger problems, the teen pregnancies, the drug use, the not even thinking about filling out a college application and the I give ups, it hit me, there are no dads around.

Not one Tuesday afternoon dad in sight for as long as I can remember.

We do have dads at other times. Lots of dads. Actually, there's something kind of sexy about a dad sitting in the waiting room, smiling at the kids, taking care of business.

I read an article the other day about Stephen Hawking. Among other things, he was asked about the most joyful moment he's known, "I would go back to 1967, and the birth of my first child. My three children have brought me great joy." After all he has accomplished, that's what he said. After today I can count at least four more kids that will never have that. 

I'd like to think that I could have raised a pretty cool kid on my own, one that's calm and sweet and sensible and bright and wants to change the world for the better in her own way. Go Girl Power and all that. But as I watch Shawn and the moms walk in and out of exam rooms, kids trailing behind, discouraged, not a lot of joy, I realize that an hour here and there of some testosterone, some goal making, some boundary setting and some med adjusting probably isn't enough to make up for an absent Baby Daddy.

'til next Tuesday...

May Day May Day

Remind me of this day in August. Cool. Windy. Fluffly clouds. Perfect.

Jungle Love Lipstick Call

In honor of Mother's Day and patio weather and Diva withdrawal and smokin' Happy Hour deals - quit monkeying around and swing on over to Pita Jungle on Shea Wednesday at 5.

Mother's Day Merry-Go-Round

Mom always says, "Ride more merry-go-rounds."

Happy Mother's Day!

Hola Nino

She's bbaaaaaacccckkkk!

Mothers Who Read

Mothers Who Wrote will be Mothers Who Read tomorrow at Scottsdale Center for the Arts at 2.

In-N-Out

Five months out of the country and you'ld think Shana would want to stay in. But after a few hours of sleep, she's heading back out. Hitting the road to Tucson. Something about peep withdrawals. Needs to get in on that last Wildcat weekend before summer. Mom can't compete. Even Mom on Mother's Day can't compete. I'm behind the friends. I'm even behind the food. It's out with the tapas and home cooked Spanish meals, in with the high fructose corn syrup and American grease. First stop after Sky Harbor, not fluffy bed, not adorable animals, not a good-bye cold and wet, hello to the warm, dry desert ground kiss. Nope. There's just one request.

In 'N Out Burger.

TGIS!

Thank God It's SHANA!!! On the way home. Cruising somewhere over the Atlantic. Scheduled to rendezvous with Amy at a food court at the Newark airport to pass some time, then HOME!

It's All Greek

Heads are spinning in spin city.  During a particularly newsie week, I ventured outside my calm NPR, New York Times middle of the road box and tuned into the fringe. First up on the left - Ed Schultz. Usually so cool, fighting for the little guy, full of facts and common sense, Ed. But this week he lost it. Should have renamed show Begging for Barack. Screaming. Pleading for some respect for the Prez, a little credit, folks. Instead of giving out any actual news, it just felt creepy, like I walked in on some clandestine locker room manly love fest. As an Obama groupie, this was too much even for me. I wondered what could be going on on the other side to push this guy over the edge. Then came Fox News. Stuck in a Coffee Plantation waiting for a friend, there was a post-debate "focus group." OMG. The interviewer kept asking, "Do you believe Obama is a socialist?" OK, everybody raise your hand if you think Obama is a socialist. Socialist. Socialist. Socialist. Scrolling at the bottom of the screen...Obama is a Socialist. And what about Bin Laden? Does anybody here really care about that anyway? I mean, we all know Dubya was the guy that got him. Right? Raise your hands, people! Up, up, up. Let's see 'em. The world is watching.

I got home and opened the next book on the list - Cleopatra - inside quote by Euripides.

Man's most valuable trait is a judicious sense of what not to believe.



Looking Up

Things are looking up for Linda. Her book was published! Here she is signing my just finished copy at a mini Mothers Who Write lunch. It's great. So rich with history and humor.

Couldn't put it down!!

Daily Decades Dose

The old Arcadia, Ingleside, Hopi days catch up at the Daily Dose, like I haven't seen you since back in the 80s days. The dork fest, the woulda shoulda couldas, the naked coach in the shower, the after lunch drunk teachers, the hubby number three, the dealers, the car crashes, the rolling on the grass, the remember hims, the first kisses, the he left me for a guy, the I left him for a girl, the new boobs but same old big smile, the were we friends back thens, the first jobs, the upcoming ITK (I Tappa Keg) party in the desert, the college days and the thing that will never change - better get home before you get in trouble.

Movie Madness - Exporting Raymond

Hilarious look behind the scenes as a lost in translation, culture gap turns American sitcom into Russian ratings gold. The gals loved it!

Justice Tonight

Billy Elliot

Great show at Gammage tonight! The adorable kids! The amazing dancing! The thick accents! The Elton John songs! All the bad words!! And they killed Bin Laden during intermission!! Yay!

I just love a good musical.