Television Addicts Unite!

Calling all television whores!



Ali from Cheaper than Therapy wrote a post awhile back asking people for suggestions as to what shows to watch. It totally inspired me to write up my own personal recommendations. After all, I've spent a goodly portion of the last few years watching TV (er, well, my life, actually..). I'm something of an expert. Sad, but true.



So, if you're bored with the summer line-up, click on over to Playdate and see what Mama Drama recommends to chase away the TV blues.

All I Want for August is my Two Front Teeth..

We're Through

Dear Snotty Moms from my Moms Group:

It is with great regret that I must inform you that I am no longer in need of your services. The past few years have been a most interesting experience - one that I will not likely be capable of duplicating.

I came to you, alone and bewildered, seeking companionship and advice. Although it must have been difficult for you to accept an outsider into your ranks, you made certain to advise me on the correct way to do just about everything child-related. When I went astray, you issued almost subtle reminders to stay the true path. When I tried to make connections beyond our weekly appointments, you urged me to stay strong and self-reliant in my independence. At times, I thought I was being rebuffed, but now I know that I was simply being over-sensitive. You surely had my best interests at heart.

I feel just terrible that I didn't get to speak much with any of you at the "1-year-old Party". I was too concerned that my newly walking child would topple and hurt himself. At the "2-year-old Party", finding myself with no one to talk to, I simply played fun games with your children while you chatted amongst yourselves. I hope you didn't find it rude that I'd rather hang out with your kids than you. It didn't come as much of a surprise to me that I ending up only hanging out with my boys at the "3-year-old Party". The baby was young and needed tending. And no doubt you felt a disconnect, as we hadn't had a decent conversation for several years.

I'm not sure why I chose to go to Niagara with a bunch of you awhile back. It sounded like fun, and a chance to get away for the weekend. I didn't miss having a roomate at all, actually. I really don't like to share a bathroom unless absolutely necessary. And, I got a good night's sleep. That alone was worth the trip.

It really was my fault about joining the Book Club. I knew full well that I don't like being told what to read, and how fast. I chafe at the bit. In this, if nothing else, I am a free spirit. I was a little ticked off when - for months - not one of my book suggestions was even considered. When the group finally came round and agreed to read my proposed novel, it was certainly a coincidence that the group simply didn't meet that month. And never spoke of the book again.

Please understand that it is, to be utterly cliché, not you - it's me. I wanted connect with friendly women. When you couldn't be those women, I should have left. I persisted. I wanted playmates for my son. I wanted him to get to know some of the kids he would eventually go to school with. Knowing that some of you are destined for the PTA, I didn't want any bias against me to affect him. I tried and I tried. And then I tried again.

I'm tired of trying. I'm tired of being snubbed in the street, the coffee shop, and the park. I'm tired of being ignored. I'm tired of caring about being ignored. I'm just really tired. So, when you see me in one of those places and I don't say hello, please don't be offended. I didn't say hello because I simply didn't see you. If I had seen you, I would have come over, made pleasantries, and then made my excuses to leave. I was, after all, raised to be polite. Bitter, but polite.

Yours truly,
Nomo

Can Adults Go Back to Kindergarten?

Because I really think I need a refresher. I swore that I would do everything differently the second time around. That I would finally be "the perfect parent". Yeah, and that's going to happen REALLY SOON... Just wait for it... Ok, anytime now.

The only thing that's different this time around are the mistakes I make. (Hey, at least I'm not make the same mistakes as before! That's progress, right??)

Moving right along. It's Thursday! Go on over to Playdate and read about the timely lesson I received from reading a kid's picture book. It's never to late to learn.

C'mon. Show Mama Drama some love.

Not all Starbucks are created equal

Just back from Blog Friends Fest, and everyone is writing such lovely recap posts. I did, in fact write a nice post about it, and you can read it here. Or here. But I've got a bee in my bonnet, and I need to let it out.

Mr Earth calls me a "glommer". I glom on to insignificant, ultimately unimportant details, and my head just keeps spinning that one little tiny fact around and around. There's a lot of space in my head, and the little factoids have plenty of room to move. Heck, they could do a line dance in there. Anywho..I thought I would do a heretofore uncharacteristic purge of the glom so I could move on to mulling over the fabulous time I had this weekend.

Saturday morning, 9am.

I've been up for hours. The Little Guy is not such a big fan of sleep. I've fed him and pumped milk for his cereal. I went down to the fitness centre and used the treadmill amongst a couple of older, muscle-bound men. Strong, silent types. I wisely kept to myself and watched the early risers in the pool. I went back to the room and had a shower. I knew that I would need coffee before the session. So I took my book and myself over to the Starbucks across from the Hilton. (Note: this is why I have coolest husband in the West End - he let me have coffee and reading time BY MYSELF. He knows the way to my heart, he does.)

I haven't had breakfast yet, and I don't know what, if any, food will be at the meeting. (As it turns out, there was food and it was so expensive we should have gotten a lap dance along with it for the price..) So I check out what this Starbucks has to offer. Despite my sweet tooth, I prefer healthy-ish breakfast, so I pass by all the pastries, and opt for the only somewhat healthier muffin. They have a bran muffin, but I only like bran muffins if there's fruit in it. This one looks barren. I look around for someone to ask, but everyone is ignoring me, eventhough I'm the only one in line. Finally, a barista finishes her coffee and approaches the desk. So I ask:

"Does that bran muffin have fruit in it or is it just bran?"

"Um, I think it might have raisins in it."

Another barista comes over and says, "No, it's just plain. No raisins."

"Oh, um, er..." I reply, my face scrunching in indecision.

The second barista opens the case and starts taking out a bran muffin.

"Oh, I'm not sure what I want yet thanks." Why she couldn't see that, I don't know.

She throws the muffin back down in the bin, slams the case shut and walks away. A little taken aback, I quickly choose a banana muffin and a Grande NonFat Bold Misto.

The other barista says, "That'll be $7.01."

I stare at her blanky. "How much was the Misto?"

"$3.25."

"How much was the muffin?"

"$2.95."

I stare confusedly. This is the same order I get every weekend after my run. I only take a five dollar bill with me, and I usually have change left over.

The sulky barista comes back from her tantrum and volunteers, "This is not a corporate Starbucks."

I turn to the other barista to clarify, "So it's more expensive."

"Pretty much," she offers sheepishly.

I was floored. I've never heard of a renegade Starbucks with the ability to charge whatever they so desire. They are a Starbucks. They are using the logo. As far as I'm concerned, they are therefore bound by practices of all Starbucks. Aren't they?

Of course, I had already ordered and the drink was made, so it was too late to walk away. I coughed up the money reluctantly, and went to sit down to enjoy my VERY EXPENSIVE coffee and a muffin. Be sure that I was going to eat every last crumb and drain the cup to the dregs. But it left a bad taste in my mouth.

We were going to stop at Starbucks on our way out of town, but opted for Tim Hortons instead. If you're in Niagara and want a coffee, I suggest you do the same. Unless you've got money to burn.

We're BA-ACK...!

And man, am I ever tired. And the house is a mess. And I have to do a LOT of laundry. But it was well worth the worrying, packing, stressing and overspending. What a great bunch of bloggy buddies I have. I wrote about it over at Playdate because Ford sponsored our little road trip....

I was a little hesitant about going to the Blog Friends Fest. Not only am I incredibly shy in large groups, but I didn't know how everything would work out bringing the baby along. A weekend of drunken debauchery with a baby on the hip is sooo Britney.

Over eight months and he still won't take a bottle come hell or high water. Sigh. It's just as well - I'm not sure that I could leave him for a whole weekend right now. Luckily for me, I was able to call in the reserves.

Keep reading..

So Long, Farewell

We're off to the Blog Friends Fest in Niagara Falls this weekend. I'm so nervous I could puke. When participating in group activities, I either blurt out atrocious oddities, or can't think of anything to say - at all. If you see a faux redhead carrying a twenty pound baby, please take pity on me. Offer to carry the baby. (Hey, he's really heavy!)

Actually, I'm so worried about whether or not I packed everything, that I don't have time to be nervous...yet. I think I may have overpacked (stop rolling your eyes, Mr Earth..) Lucky for us, the fine people at Ford offered to sponsor BFF and the family gets to drive to the Falls in a Ford Flex. It has a refrigerator! It has a built in DVD player and satellite radio! You can unlock the door without the key! I may never leave. And when the Boy finds out that there's a TV in the car, his head is going to explode from the excitement.

Check in with Playdate to hear about the trip.

I want to join the Evil League of Evil..

Hey, it's Thursday! That means I'm over here:





(BTW, doesn't Motherbumper make the purtiest buttons? You rock, MB!)

For anyone - like me - who's already bored with the lack of good television during the summer, I think you're really gonna like this post...



Here's the thing: I love summer. I really do. I love the sunshine. I love watching the wind blowing through the leaves. I love that I don't have to hunt around for hole-free socks in the morning. What I don't love about summer is the dearth of good television available. Yeah, sure, there's TV on DVD (how parents of small children survive without this, I'm not sure), but we jumped on that bandwagon ages ago, and we're running out of shows to watch. I'm starting to get the shakes. Thanks to Joss Whedon, though, I can cure my summertime blues and satisfy my lust for *MORE! SHINY! NEW!* programming...on the Internet.



Keep reading here..

Mr Sandman Send me a Dream

What happened to the "Hundred Days of Hell" theory anyways? You know the one - the whole sleep deprivation sucks for about three months, and then things start to work themselves out? Well people, we're on Month 8 now, and there is no rest for the weary here at Casa Earth. If you're wondering why I don't post more often - or why all my posts are pictures without text - it is because I am TOO TIRED TO THINK. I know, I know, my life is horrible....wah, wah...suck it up.

Despite the fact that the Little Guy stopped wanting to breastfeed through the night ages ago, he is still up about four times or more screaming and having to be put back to sleep. If you give him the soother and rock him in your arms, he will go back to sleep, but he may be up for twenty minutes, or he may be up for an hour or more. Mr Earth and I take turns soothing the savage beast, and it's taking it's toll. We muddle through as best we can, but how long can people survive on about four hours of (interrupted) sleep before they start to go a little nutty? I've always said that I can handle just about anything if I get a good night's sleep. I can't seem to handle ANYTHING without sleep. I'm crabby. I'm snappish. I'm mean. I don't like hanging out with me, and I can't see why anyone else would want to, either.

I know I could keep dealing with the lack of sleep, as long as there is, in fact, an end in sight. But in the wee small hours of the night, I feel like I will end up with a teenager that needs to be rocked back to sleep several times a night. He certainly feels as heavy as a teenager sometimes. And a minute can take a VERY LONG TIME when you're staring into the darkness wishing you were in the comfort of your own bed.

Can someone please remind me that this will pass? I could really use that right now.

An Affair to Remember

I'm really having a hard time putting it into words, it all comes out a-jumble. A senseless smattering of sounds that is infused with a multitude of emotions, but makes no sense to anyone else but me. I simply can't get enough of him. My eyes light up when I see him. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't do anything but watch him. His smile makes my heart soar, and I can do nothing but echo his grin, beaming from ear to ear. I want to do everything he does. My legs won't move the way I want them to, and I flail about in despair. I resign myself to sitting, and staring. When he comes near, I reach out with both hands and cup his face indelicately. I want more. A shirt collar or a lock of hair eludes my grasp, as the will-o-the-wisp floats just beyond my reach once again. If only he knew how much I long to be with him, to share every single moment - every smile, every laugh, every joke - perhaps he would be less inclined to leave me behind. Perhaps if he understood how much I admire his love of life, he would sit still long enough for me to catch him. As it is, I will have to satisfy myself with moments. Waiting for the day that my legs will finally obey me and we can run together wherever the wind takes us.

Let it be soon, brother.

Fringe Après Kids

When buying a house, the Husband and I decided that we wanted to stay in Toronto, rather than moving out to the 'burbs. A lot of factors went into that decision, the most obvious being that we work downtown, and didn't want a long commute. Beyond that, we both do theatre, and the majority of the gigs - the good ones, that is - are in the city. But we also knew that we wanted to raise our (eventual) kids with easy access to all the arts and culture the metropolis has to offer. We didn't want every trip to the museum or the theatre to be a Major Outing.

Ha, ha. Enter two kids and EVERY trip is a Major Outing. Heck, just getting out the door sometimes is difficult enough. So imagine my surprise and delight when a bright shiny flyer fell into my lap as I was perusing The Little Paper one day.

Keep reading..

Robustious Periwig-Pated Fellow

For Wordless Wednesday *

*brownie points for the person who can identify the origin of the title

It's gonna be legen...wait for it...dary.

Last night we had our first "official" rehearsal. Well, technically, it wasn't a rehearsal at all - just a meet and greet and a read-thru of the play. I think that the director was concerned that since rehearsals don't actually start for FIVE MONTHS, that everyone would go their separate ways and forget about the fact that they'd been cast in a show. It is a good idea to get everyone excited about the project, so that they don't find something else "better" to do. (I'm all about "quotations" these days, even when they're not really necessary...).

They were going to schedule it for 7pm. I was like, uh, NO, I have an 8mth old baby who won't take a bottle and that is exactly the time that he wants to go to bed. In fact, "bedtime" (those damned quotations again) usually is a drawn out process that lasts until 8:30pm. They told me to bring him, but, yeah.....NO. I don't want a screaming baby at the rehearsal, and I doubt that anyone else did either. So they agreed to move the rehearsal to 8pm. Good! I thought. So, when I roll in at 8:15pm, I won't be too late. THEN they had the BRILLIANT (apparently, I'm liking CAPS too) idea to make everyone else come for 7:30pm, so that we would be ready to go at exactly 8pm. Of course, I was late. The read-thru didn't start till 8:27pm. I know, I looked at the stage manager's notes.

It went pretty well, all told. I think that it's going to be a strong show. Knock on wood. The girl who plays the lead is much better than I thought at the audition. Her only downside that I can see is that she is very real. Normally, that's the best thing that you can be, in my opinion, but on stage you need to compromise a tiny bit of the reality to make it dynamic and interesting. All told, though, it's not a bad fault to have and hopefully one that she can overcome easily. I bet she's awesome on film.

The dad is interesting. GREAT look. At times, I almost thought he looked like Anthony Hopkins, who played his role in the movie. He read the lines rather slower than I would like (I'm sleep deprived, and I really wanted to get home to my bed), but I think it's because he was really trying to invest some meaning in them, even at such a preliminary rehearsal.

The guy who plays Hal was quite good at first impression. I'd like to see what he does with the role to improve it.

As for me, well, I realized just how much of the play that I'm NOT in. Read-thrus are tough for the smaller characters. I have some great scenes, though, that I'm really excited to do. AND, when we start rehearsing for realz, I'll just be back at work with two small kids at home. I think a role that doesn't require me to be at every rehearsal will fit just perfectly into my life, and give me a chance to get my acting chops back up to snuff.

Bring Your Good Times..

Happy Canada Day from Casa Earth!