It's on my list of stuff to do: Change my blog. So here i go.

Menu of the Day:

iTunes: "The Freshman" by Verve Pipe

I feel good about: cleaning out my frig. (It took over two hours! ) It was also on my list of stuff to do.

Still Reading: "The Reader". (Still like it.)

Looking forward to: next weekend is out with my galpals, Julie and Sarah. Food, wine, talk, puzzles, walks, DVDs.

Best DVD i've seen lately: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". It's a GOOD Woody Allen film.

Mood: Healthy, happy & relaxed.

1. Probably my favorite Woody Allen film of all is Annie Hall. I remember i wanted a white Volkswagen convertible beetle after seeing that film.

2. I also liked Hannah and Her Sisters. I seem to remember a funny scene when Michael Caine is holding a vinyl record album and he is having a passionate conversation with Barbara Hershey (who i think was his lover) and while making a gesture with his hands, the vinyl record album flies out of the sleeve across the room. But i'm not sure if i remember that correctly or not. I think I also remember the vinyl record he was holding was some really cool classical piece.

3. I used to so want to be Barbara Hershey. She's so beautiful. Of course, equeyaya relates, because Barbara Hershey is Sayid's girlfriend in real life.

4. One song i never ever get tired of: Celtic New Year by Van Morrison. We put this song on my parent's 50th wedding anniversary video that Brian and i made. But even though we had to listen to it over and over as we made that video i still love that song. It came on today when i was cleaning out my refrigerator and i could still imagine the photo images from that video as the song went on.

5. Where is Kylee? And where is ummagumma?

6. Here is a photo i took of my husband today. Instead of going to his regular $8 barber, I made him an appointment with my own stylist because i knew he would like her (and he did). He was doing that Rudy Guiliani thing and not liking it and it took someone new to get him to take the plunge for a near-buzz cut. I like it so much better and does he.

7. It cost him $32 more than his usual haircut cost, but he didn't mind. He told me there was a lot of hair on the floor but i am not exactly sure how. (Even so, i didn't laugh when he said it, but i kind of wanted to.)

8. As we get older i appreciate that there is a balance between the genders: Men have to worry about their hair loss and women worry about their wrinkles.

I may come back and add a #10 through #15. But right now i'm tired and i just wanted to be able to cross this off my list of stuff to do. I think the only thing i have left on it is to clean out my linen closet and write a letter to my aunt.

OK, please write and tell us what is on YOUR LIST of stuff to do?

Let's try this one more time...Menu of the Day

Menu of the Day:

Music: Counting Crows "Los Angeles".

Good Book: Revolutionary Road. It's about a sad and angry marriage in the 1950's. But even thought it's of that era it still feel real to anyone who has been divorced. At least i think it would.

I am so pissed: I just posted a whole new blog post. Got it all proofed and everything. It took nearly an hour and when i went to post it a big old blogger error came on and all was lost. So i'm afraid it will happen again, but i'll do my best to recreate it.

Barb, you are a genius! Thank you. I forgot to look into the Dashboard under DRAFT! They were both there.

What i did today: Is better described by what i DIDN'T do, which is i didn't do my taxes. Instead i watched four episodes in Season Four of The West Wing. And in watching the episode called "Red Haven is Burning" i wrote down this scene between Toby Zieger and Sam Seaborn. Sam Seaborn is played wonderfully by Rob Lowe. His character is an altruistic and honorable idealist who has left his job as White House Deputy Communications Director of the White House to run for Congress in California. Toby Ziegler plays his principled curmudgeon of a boss (I LOVE Toby's character too!) who has come out to take over the campaign. I had to keep rewinding the DVD to get this down, but i did. Here's the scene which brought me to tears. So much of what The West Wing is about is loyalty, friendship, and standing up for what you believe that it often brings me to tears and like i always say, "I'm no cryin' woman". In this scene they are in a bar and Sam is getting ready to give a speech that he doesn't believe will do anything to help his campaign. (It took me awhile, but i actually found the photo that went with this episode.)

Sam: "You have me preaching to the choir."

Toby: "Yeah."

Sam: "Why?"

Toby: "Because that's how you get them to sing."

Sam: "The story will be it's over." (meaning the campaign.)

Toby: "No the story will be that you had the guts to stick up for what you believe and that you didn't cut and run. And people are going to remember that. I'm going to make sure of it."

Sam: "I'm gonna lose."

Toby: "Yeah."

Sam: 'There's no chance of miracle."

Toby: "No."

Sam: "Then why are you here?"

Toby: "You're gonna lose. And you're gonna lose huge. They're gonna throw rocks at you next week and I wanted to be standing next to you when they did."

The Best Thing That Happened This Week: I tutor math on Fridays to three 4th graders at one of the poorest schools in our district. I was alittle bit late yesterday and could see through the window that the lights were off and the kids were on the floor. I slipped in quietly and assumed the same position on the floor they were in: yoga position, eyes closed, legs crossed and their elbows loosely propped on their knees with index and thumb in a meditating position. A woman in the center was speaking softly to them about sunlight coming out of their fingers and toes and colors. I kept one eye open to watch the kids. I was amazed that they were so into this and well behaved (I found out later it was their first experience with meditation in the classroom) and except for just a couple of kids quietly giggling, they were actually doing it! I could see my kids Jesus and Jodeleine across the room totally concentrating. But Valerie was sitting directly next to me and so she and i kept sneaking smiles at each other. When the instructor was done and asked if any of the students wanted to share, nearly half of their hands shot up in the air. Their big testing is next week and she explained if they did this meditation in the morning when they woke up it might take some of the stress away from them.

I am so impressed when i go into the schools and i also get so pissed off that we mostly don't hear the good stuff going on. And there is a lot of good stuff. Just get out there and you'll see for yourself. It's not all bad.

We are working on double multiplication tables. Stuff like 47 x 56, that sort of thing. And they have trouble sometimes mulitplying in the right order and when they do that i draw little tears on the white board next to the "forgotten" number. They LOVE it.

What i wish: That i could be a teacher of a class size of three. But even so, i think i still want $70,000 a year. I don't know how teachers do what they do.

What else i wish: That Nick from "What Not to Wear" could cut and style my hair.

OK, what's on YOUR Menu of the Day?

testing testing testing.

I have no idea what i am about to say.

Menu of the Day:

What's playing: Ryan Adams "If i am a stranger".

In my glass: another glass of that cheap Australian Penguin chardonnay.

Quote: Saying ‘I’m sorry’ is the same as saying ‘I apologize.’ Except at a funeral.” - Demetri Martin (love that guy!)

The best thing that happened this week: Not much, but i don't take for granted these days that i am healthy, that i have a job & even that i have time to write this blog.

The worst thing: that my friend Sarah got me addicted again to, of all things, the Mary Worth comic strip. (It is so lame, and like Gumbo i broke the tradition of checking it out, until now.)

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1. Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot. (Again.)

2. Is Mitt Romney really the best looking Republican i can think of?

3. I'm thinking ....yes.

4. It's Read Across America week. I'm thinking Bobby Jindal gave his speech last week in celebration of Dr. Seuss.

5. I have no idea why i am writing about political stuff today because i have not even been watching MSNBC since i can remember. (Including Rachel Maddow.)

6. I work for public school unions. For 20 years i have believed in what i do. Until recently. These economic times are starting to make me see things alittle bit differently.

7. Should i buy the new U2 cd? (I heard they were on Letterman ALL week long, which has never been done.)

8. The only music i never get tired of is Ryan Adams.

9. I so hate washing my hair. If i were 20 years old I would wear dreadlocks. I have super thick hair so i think it would have looked cool.

10. Because i can't get into any books lately that i have bought, I think i am going to read East of Eden again. This will be my third time in the past 25 years.

11. I never did finish Edgar Sawtelle. And i am having trouble with the new book by that Broken for You author. And that Broken book was one of my top 10.

12. Some people deserve killing.

13. The above photo is one of me and Kylee taken at Crystal Mountain. I imagine this would be the summer of 1992 or 1993. (I love this photo! Brian took it.)

14. Here is a photo of her taken last month in her Seattle apartment. She's almost 20.