the mom gig

Gifted Hands

I'm blown away by how much good TV is on these days.  In fact, it's a miracle that both my DVRs haven't shorted out yet, 'cause they've been used and abused this week.   My newest faves include the 31 Days of Oscar University lineup on Turner Classic Movies (more on that in a future post), and the new Tim Roth vehicle, "Lie to Me," but this weekend I've programmed the downstairs DVR to catch "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" on TNT this Saturday night.

This movie appeals to me for several reasons:  for one, I'm thrilled to see Cuba Gooding in a role that's not the fulfillment of some Faustian five-picture movie deal ("Daddy Day Camp?" Seriously?).   He plays Dr. Ben Carson, a famous pediatric neurosurgeon who overcame poverty and racial prejudice to eventually win the President's Medal of Freedom for his work with children.  In fact, the real Dr. Carson was the first surgeon to successfully separate twins who were conjoined...at the head.  Damn!

I'm also happy to see that in these troubled times, we can point to stories like Carson's as real American Dream success stories.   Carson's inspiring story teaches us not only that we can overcome significant obstacles to reach our goals, but that there are folks out there who can help in our darkest hour.  

And, I'm a sucker for doctor shows, as my obsession with "House" and Discovery Health Channel attest.  They had me at "separating twins joined at the head."

Check it out--it's on Saturday night at 8 on TNT.

Winning the Blackberry War

I don't know why I'm so obsessed with whether President Obama can keep his Blackberry--I guess it's just that I know I'd be lost without mine, and I can barely run a household, let alone the free world.  And truthfully, I've been annoyed that we spend all this time and money on pimping out the prez's ride so it's super-secure, but we won't build a device that will allow Obama the freedom to access info (and Facebook) when he needs it. 

Thanks, Christie, for the good news this week.  My faith in American ingenuity is restored.

  

Obama 2.0

I'm curious to see how President-elect Obama plans to capitalize on his online fanbase once he takes office.  This article from CNN.com this morning suggests that thanks to tools like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, everyday folks like me can interact more directly with our leaders--and they might even listen.  Let's hope so.

Now can you just let the guy keep his Blackberry?  Seriously?

OC Play Parks gets a new look!

 (Photo taken by G-love, age 3)

Definitely check out FunOrangeCountyParks.com--a phenomenal, thorough resource for the best playgrounds and parks in the OC.   The site just relaunched with a brand new design (and a companion site for Colorado Springs), and it's better than ever.

Our fave parks?

Sunset Park in Capistrano Beach
Bluebird Park in Laguna Beach

and our fave beach--the little cove below the Montage in Laguna.  We LOVE the tidepools, and this weekend we learned there's a couple of different ways to access the beach from the resort.

Blogging The Bachelor

LOVE that Chris Harrison is finally blogging about "The Bachelor" --at last, Mr. "It's time for the final rose of the night" has a chance to dish the dirt.  I tended to leave the always-awkward reunion shows wanting to hear more than the occasional under-the-breath snark from Chris.

Blog on, good sir.

PS--Go, Jillian!  The hot dog shtick wouldn't have been my way to make a first impression, but you're our front-runner so far.

Another take on Twilight...

Thanks to Court for sharing Caitlin Flanagan's take on the "Twilight" series and why it totally nails the adolescent girl's psyche.  I think she's right about why it also appeals to so many adult women, too. 

That said, I still think it's kinda weird that these days, tortured romances between alienated teen girls and blood-sucking vamps seem to either appeal more or ring more true than the Lloyd Doblers and Diane Courts  of my adolescence.  I guess I'm just old-fashioned that way.

So long, Sam and Jake.   Buffy and Angel, Sookie and Bill, and Bella and Edward are the new great love stories of our time.

Why Your Daughter Should Date A Vampire

Yesterday my husband and I snuck out of the house to catch a movie, and instead of checking out Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise’s latest pleas for Oscar nomination, we settled in for a deliciously decadent matinee of Twilight, a movie that should be subtitled “Moms, your little girl is better off with a vampire than with the cretin she’s with now.”  

According to the movie (and truthfully, I couldn’t finish the book—it was just too emo for my taste)  here are the top reasons your darling daughter is better off dating a vampire:

• Your little girl could be the most boring person on earth, but an interested vampire with nothing but time on his hands will listen to your daughter prattle on for hours about herself, thereby freeing you from putting up with her angsty silliness.
• He’s rich.  After living that long, he’s probably got himself a nice little nest egg, or at least a cool car.  Side note:  Edward Cullen drives a VOLVO.  What mother doesn’t love that?
• He’s reasonably educated after having attended high school a few dozen times.  At the very least, he can help get your kid through eleventh grade bio.
• He’s old-fashioned enough to formally introduce himself to you.
• You’ll never have to invite him to dinner—uh, he’s got that covered.

And most importantly for the mother of any teenage girl:

• Vampires in love apparently have way more self-control than your daughter’s raging hormones.  They aren’t interested in sex or even making out, so if you can handle the fact that he occasionally swoops into her room at night just to stare creepily at her, she’s probably safe.

Here's hoping that fifteen years from now, my girls will be lucky enough to find a nice boy like that...

overheard from the backseat...

in the pouring rain, at 65 mph on the freeway:

"Mommy, the raindrops on my window look like mermaids swimming up to the surface to take a breath."

Rockin' 35

OCF just posted my list of fave birthday gifts this season.  I know I probably shoulda said something sweet like, "the card my kids gave me was the greatest gift of all," but alas, that's just not true.  I REALLY LOVE my Sephora makeup and fuzzy blanket.

And my husband had better keep me from ever visiting New Orleans.  I'm thisclose to becoming an official Harry Connick, Jr. stalker.

Gobble Gobble

OCFamily just posted my list of what I'm thankful for this holiday season:  Costco, my fave Christmas movie, and online shopping-- you know, the stuff that really matters. 

All joking aside, I'm truly thankful for all of the good stuff that happened this year--I've got two little girls who are finally starting to get along, a trooper of a husband whose new hip will give him a new lease on life, a family who always keeps me grounded, and friends both near and far to keep me giggling.

Happy Thanksgiving!