Just drug Michael to see Invincible and he actually enjoyed it.

Reminded me how much I used to enjoy watching football–except that there really is a difference between watching it on TV and being there, and Invincible really made it like “being there.”

And once again, I was surprised by how good Mark Walburg was.

Only negative was that the hair and clothes were spot on. (shudder)

Michelle: You can also pick up the empty cat food bag from the floor.
Michael: I’m leaving it there for the cats to play with.
Michelle: No you’re not.

Is this a male thing, thinking that a giant, empty, cat food bag makes a good cat toy? (Mind you, the bag wasn’t gaping open. There was only a small opening to pour out the food. Most likely too small for a cat to enter.)

Or is it just an excuse for not bothering to throw away the trash?

Great post over at Bookseller Chick on people who use cell phones in public (especially bookstores).

Let me tell you , I’m not sure anyone understands the full horror of cell phones until they’ve spent time on a university campus, surrounded by people who Do Not Care that you can overhear Every Damn Word of their conversation.

I think that iPods and mp3 players are a natural reaction to cell phones–the only way to block out conversations you really don’t want to hear.

For those who actually know Andy’s brother Daniel, there is an eerie resemblance between Daniel and Edward Norton in “The Illusionist.”

See the following picture.
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If you listen very carefully, some time two or three days from now you’re going to hear a lot of yelling–all associated with my name.

We just bought my grandmother a cell phone with a local Baltimore exchange. I just charged the battery and entered all the phone numbers I knew. It’s going to be shipped off tomorrow, and should reach her at my aunt’s house relatively quickly. Then the hollering will begin as she gets mad that I spent so much money on her.

Funny thing is that since we just added her onto our plan, it’ll probably be cheaper than her land line.

Someday, someone is going to remind me why I thought it would be a good idea to have a job working with computers.

Additionally, that person cannot be someone who calls my house for free tech support.

We finally watched New World.

We found it somewhat frustrating, because we didn’t realize that the pace would be glacial. PLUS I think Colin Farrell is creepy looking. Once we realized that the movie was going nowhere quickly, AND once I didn’t have to look at Colin Farrell anymore, I found the movie more interesting.

Well, also I think Christian Bale is very fine to look at. That helped a lot.

Weirdly, the bits that I remembered from the preview were not actually IN the movie. Which is very disconcerting. I’m not sure I comprehend the idea of putting a bit in the preview and then not putting it in the movie. I spent the whole movie waiting for Christopher Plummer’s character to say the line something like, “let not this new world go wrong in her first hours,” and waiting for the actions that went along with that line.

But it never came.

Which made the whole thing even more surreal.

Just got back from seeing The Illusionist.

I don’t know about anyone else, but Michael and I both really liked it. Even though Edward Norton at times looks eerily like Daniel–Andy’s brother.

Got my e-mail from Things from Another World listing their Star Trek sale items.

This is both funny and frightening.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Health Sciences cafeteria.

But some of the things they serve have the most unappetizing names.

Take today’s menu for example.

Groats sounds particularly unappetizing–like something having to do with goats.

Not that “hulled oat kernels” sounds particularly appetizing either.

While watching “The Wild Wild West” Sunday, the bad guy said,

“Silence Wretch!”

That’s my new phrase.

For those who are not students of history, Labor Day in the United States exists to celebrate workers in the United States, and hopefully to pause to consider how worker rights have improved.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Child Labor in the United States

But we should also pause to consider the state of Unions in the US, and the status of laborers. By this I don’t mean lawyers and CEOs, but the people who do the work in the service and manufacturing industries: slaughterhouses, commercial farms, coal mines.

Also consider that for those at the bottom, wages have remained stagnant or decreased with inflation, rates of health insurance coverage are falling (while health costs rise), and workplace safety is again becoming an increasing problem.

Bureau of Labor Statistics
National Agricultural Workers Survey
US Department of Labor

And I’ll chose the wrong way every time.

Today’s tasks included scrubbing the deck so it can be painted (since we finally have a deck and parking space!) and moving muddy rocks. I scrubbed the deck first–and then second–so when the weather clears up, we can paint it.

Then I played in the dirt.

Then I walked across the clean deck.

Then I cleaned the deck again.

Spelling test

I missed 16 out of 50. Which means I got 34 right.

All I have to say is thank goodness for spell check.
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