Tag Archives: family

Beery, beery creative

I have more than one friend and/or family member who records their beer consumption on Twitter.

Why yes, I am very proud.

beer namesThe app shows the beer name, where they were when they swigged it, and how long they breathed — if indeed they did — between frosty brews.

Now, I’m not much of a beer drinker, but I find myself looking forward to this digital diary…and wanting to participate even though I don’t like it!

Luckily I found the perfect way:

The Random Beer Name Generator.

Just click the button, and it generates a way cool beer name.  For example, it just gave me “Irish Elvis Dubble”…

So let’s pretend that’s what I drank this round.

 

Taking to the skies

I stole this image from my cousin’s Facebook page.

crows

She was encouraging her children not to feel the need to follow what everyone else is doing — to strike out on their own.

I couldn’t agree more.

But here’s another thing to keep in mind — not only do we see the lone bird first, it’s far easier to take a shot at him.  So if you take a different route, be prepared to defend your choice.

(Don’t worry — it’s totally worth it.)

Mum’s the word

Did you know the Internet was international? Seems obvious, right?

Apparently not to some.

mothering sunday 3.14Today several UK-based celebs have been wishing their mums Happy Mother’s Day.

Dan Stevens, who played the recently deceased Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey.  Chris O’Dowd of Bridesmaid and Girls fame.  But they were quickly corrected by pushy, ethnocentric Americans that “Mother’s Day is still a couple of months away.”

I was at once embarrassed and entertained.

Cable television and the Internet may make programming and actors from other countries available to us here in America, but it doesn’t mean we’re necessarily going learn anything.

Well…at least we’re predictable.

Be nice to ‘em every day…

Celebrate ‘em today!

women's day

He really is ruggedly handsome!

My sister and her husband stayed home last night — on a Friday night, no less — to watch the sci-fi classic Serenity starring Nathan Fillion.

It was a gift from me.

Castle Captain Mal

Not the movie itself — I’m sure they caught the film on Netflix or Hulu. No, their fascination with ‘all things Fillion’ started during their Christmas vacation with me here in New York City.

I took them to a Broadway show. To Jazz at Lincoln Center. To movies and restaurants and shops. Santa even visited my apartment.

But the gift that has continued to ‘keep on giving?’  An impromptu Castle marathon on the last day of their trip, when we all agreed that lying on the couch sounded like fun.

The day Lou and Chuck discovered the charms of Nathan Fillion.

Now they are catching up on episodes of Castle and learning all about his past as Captain Mal in Firefly and Serenity.

I love to watch an obsession come together!

Jolly good show

Downton_Carla and MatthewHappy Downton Day!

Matthew and I invite you to watch the premiere of Season Three of Downton Abbey in the USA at 9pm ET.

Enjoy it alone, with friends…or with your entire family.

I know I will.

downton abbey carla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did someone ring for tea?

Checking it twice

sock monkey calendarExhibit A: 2013 Sock Monkey Calendar

Purchased December 30, 2012.  Brand new.  Twelve month-themed sock monkey images contained within imaginative and in excellent condition.

Fun year ahead — check.

 

Rory Sock MonkeyExhibit B:  Rory with Sock Monkey

Given to Rory on Christmas Eve 2012.  Brand new.  Ball on Santa hat chewed off within moments of gifting.

Hat destroyed — check.

Relationship with sock monkey secured — double check.

Perspective

I thought I was prepared for The Impossible.

the-impossible-movieI knew the movie was based on a true story. I knew the director had used real water — not CGI — to recreate the 2004 tsunami. I knew the fate of the family portrayed by Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and three child actors.

It wasn’t enough.

The Impossible is brutal — as realistic a retelling as I can imagine.  Watching Naomi Watts and Tom Holland, who plays her oldest son Lucas, being swept away in the tsunami waters is harrowing.  I don’t know how they could have shot those scenes and escaped real injury.

But while it is difficult to watch such personal and physical devastation, the movie is uplifted by the family’s will to live and determination to find each other, despite incredible odds.

Is it the obvious holiday film?  No.  But it does make you realize how lucky you are to be at home, surrounded by family and friends, safe and sound.

Misery has company

I spent my Saturday morning in the dentist chair.

image

I lost a filling. My dentist had a replacement.

This is notable only because my dog Rory is scheduled for dental surgery on Friday.  He has an abscess, and has been dealing with it for a few weeks because the doggy dental surgeon was booked.

I felt bad for him before, and after having a sore, sensitive mouth for only three days, now I feel worse.

My dog is a much better person than I am.  This isn’t the first time I have been painfully aware of the fact.

We’ll make it all better soon, bubba.

And counting…

14 diamonds14 diamonds

 

 

 

 

Apollo14patch 14th flight

 

 

 

14 celebration14 minutes of fireworks

 

 

 

drum 14Drum ’14′ (no clue)

 

 

 

 

Rory Dog 14The best dog on the planet for 14 straight years…

Happy Birthday, Rory Dog!