My Dance in October

Here's the link to buy tickets and get information on times and places. Please come! More information as the performance date nears.

Visit to the surgeon

The surgeon we have for E seems really great. My friend A who has had 2 children with cleft lip/palate recommended using The Cleft Palate Foundation to find teams in our area. So the doctor my OB/GYN recommended happens to be the head of one of the AZ teams. Hooray! R and I met him this morning and he seems great. The nurse talked to us as well, mostly about breastfeeding issues, and we got a special needs feeder from her to try and get used to.

So E will have the lip surgery around 2.5-3 months (10 weeks or so), and he has to weigh 10 pounds. I think there is a rule of 10s: 10 weeks, 10 pounds, 10mg (?) of hemoglobin. Then, the palate surgery will be at 6-7 months. Both surgeries are overnight stay, and I think he said that the lip surgery was about 60 minutes of anesthesia. I'm not sure if the palate one is longer, so I'll let you know when I find out. E is due January 1st, so that puts him in surgery around March, which they said is good because RSV season will be about over.

That reminds me: I'm publicly announcing that I'm not taking E anywhere for the first 3 months. If you want to come over and see him you must wash hands and not be sick at all! I may even keep some face masks available. Not kidding. I don't want him catching anything on top of everything else. So, y'all know :)

I'll keep you posted on any new information. The next bit will probably come after the ultrasound next week. Fingers crossed that everything looks great in there!

Speechless, or not.

So, Radiohead. Need I say more?
They played everything I wanted to hear with the exception of one song, they sounded amazing, I was able to wear my Vans and a sweater (I love California!!), we took pictures, we danced and even clapped (which we don't do), and generally felt the love. It was one of the most singularly amazing experiences of my life. I think you might not totally appreciate it, unless you are already a devoted fan. Radiohead, in my honest opinion, takes artistry to a new level. The stage design, the camera work, the sound design, not to mention the music itself, and not to mention the artists themselves, were all perfection. It's transcending! My only missing piece: a Radiohead T-shirt, which I did not want to wait in line for. So I shall buy one on the the website. Okay, pictures:
prior to the concert
during the concert
blue stage
green-purple stage

So, in conclusion: the best thing ever! With my birthday money I have purchased/received 2 more Radiohead CDs: Pablo Honey (which I used to own, but lost), and I Might Be wrong (a collection of live songs). I've also gone a little crazy looking up EPs and b-sides and whatnot. My amazon wish list is chock full.

Second Half of Test Results

Good news: the full chromosome analysis is back and is completely normal. Of course, there's always something more it could be, so they're going to run another test that looks really close at tiny parts of the chromosomes to rule a few more things out. But I don't think that it will be anything that rare.

The geneticist herself said that even though unrelated birth defects usually indicate an underlying problem, she has seen this happen before with her own eyes: two unrelated birth defects that just happen. I think E is one like that :) Thanks for all your prayers, thoughts, fasts, hopes, and wishes. I already felt like I dodged a bullet with M coming out perfect, so now I really feel like I'm beating the odds. I think we may just be a family of four after this little scare. Wow.

The plan now:

• See a cranio-facial surgeon next Tuesday. He'll be taking care of the lip and palate surgeries that happen around 3 months old and 12 months old, respectively. When we meet we get to ask all kinds of questions and hear the plan for the first year of E's life. I'm guessing that I will have yet another ultrasound so they can track his development and plan for surgery with as much information as possible. I'll keep you posted on how he looks at various checkpoints along the way.
• Go to my regular OB/GYN checkup next Thursday. I'm assuming they'll put us in contact with a pediatrician a little earlier than usual. I like the one M has, so I may call and set up something with her in a few weeks. I'm also assuming they'll put us in contact with a pedatric geneticist to make sure everything is good at the birth.
• Meet with the La Leche League to gain support for breastfeeding issues that will inevitably come up. Also, try and find "special needs feeder" bottles and nipples made with safe plastic (no pthalates, no biphesonol-A) for E in case he can't latch. (Special needs feeders are specifically made for cleft lip/cleft palate babies to help them eat). Plea: anyone who knows anything about this please share!
• Go to another ultrasound on September 26th to track growth, kidney development, and cleft lip/palate development.

So there you go. Updates. Finally! I've been pacing for the last few days, and now I'm just going to chill, do some yoga, have some reading time, and watch the Sopranos with R. Phew.

First Half of Test Results Back

The geneticist called just now and said the major chromosomal problems have come back negative. So that means there's no Trisomy 13, 18, or 21 (Down's), and the X and Y chromosomes are in tact. Now we wait for the testing to come back for any partial chromosomal abnormalities. The geneticist sounded hopeful though, so that's a small relief. More news to come late this week or early next week, to rule it ALL out. We're still praying and fasting.

Please

Anyone who is reading this and is willing to give some time over to praying and fasting for my little baby can consider themself welcome.

The ultrasounds we had last Thursday and Friday show that E has cleft lip, cleft palate, but also what is called a "horseshoe kidney". His kidneys never separated into two separate kidneys. Each of these defects isn't deadly, and though they require surgery, we feel like they are something we can handle. They can be fairly benign.

Something we are not sure we can handle without spiritual support is this: they did an amniocentesis on Friday as well, because it's possible he is sicker than he looks. We're praying that the problems stop with what we know, but the results from the amniocentesis aren't coming back until Wednesday (for various Trisomy syndromes, etc.) of this week, and another week later for the rest of the testing. They are doing a full range of genetic testing that we are hoping come back completely negative. We pray that his brain and all his mental faculties are in tact, and ask for anyone's help who's willing to give it. Fortunately, his body looks pretty strong and normal in every other way. We only are asking God that his problems end where they are. I'll update information again when I can. Please help just by thinking of him.

Ultrasound Verdict

So the verdict is in, and my maternal intuition is...wrong! It's a boy! I figure now that I know I'm always getting the opposite of what I think, I can still predict accurately what will happen :) I'm going into another ultrasound next week to rule out the possibility of cleft lip. I'm genuinely not worried about it even if the little guy ends up having a cleft lip. The treatment isn't bad (surgery) and isn't life threatening. Plus, my doctor wasn't sure it was there, she's just being careful. I'll post an update next week. Also, they moved my due date earlier since the little guy measured 2 weeks ahead of schedule. So now it's January 1st. Happy new year!

I'm so excited to have a boy! I would've been equally excited for a girl, but the thing that was so surprising today was that I really thought they would see girl parts in there. R was shocked too. We love the idea of two little brothers romping around. We haven't decided on names definitively like we thought, but here are some front runners: Eli, Leonard, Aidan, Dillon, Elliott, Finn, Ian, Oliver, Marley and River. There's more than that too so who knows what we'll end up on. R and I still really like Eli. I like Finn and Oliver, but R's not crazy about Finn. River is also one we both like. Anyways, it's up in the air. Feel free to vote for your favorite!

It was only a matter of time

I have started swelling. I'm only 18 weeks pregnant and I have to put my feet up all the time. I wish I could hover in a "feet up" position while I got things done. On the plus side, M is starting preschool on Monday and it's a 4-day-per-week program. He gets Wednesday's off, and on those mornings we have gymnastics. Lest anyone worry about the poor Boy: he needs this. He would probably happily run around outside/with other crazy kids for 4 hours a day, every day. In fact, I need to think of more things to get him into! Perhaps a swim class or a play group in the afternoons. Anyways, such is the life of the mother of a hyper blend of R and me (he never really had a chance against those genes).

We're down to the last 5 days before the ultrasound!!! I just know it's going to be a girl, if only because I bragged in an earlier post about how we were so decisive about names, and now the girl-name list is growing day by day while the boy-name list stays at pretty much one: Eli. The girl names were just Edie or Zooey, but now they include Grace (Gracie), Ksenia (said Kassenia, shortened to either Senia or Kassie), or Natalie. I suppose we've also considered Leonard for a boy. So this isn't good. By the time the kid is born I'll have top 20 lists with me in the hospital and be asking every nurse that goes by what my child "looks like". Sheesh.

At the risk of scaring anyone about my testimony, I'm still going to point out my new links on the left side bar of my blog (see "linky links"). Please don't feel obligated, as I know many people feel strongly against my political leanings. It's just that this is my genuine feeling right now, and if anyone agrees with me I want to make the information I have available to them. In short, I do not support Prop 8 in California, in spite of what the Church has said lately. I feel that the separation of church and state is violation, even though they mean very well. I think if you are like-minded to me, you will find the sites helpful in finding your voice. If you disagree, still take a visit and get familiar with the other side. I think it's a valid response, and the websites I have listed are very respectful while also in disagreement with the Church's stance. I feel very respectful of both sides of this issue as well, so you all know. (Soapbox complete.)

Gender

So at the risk of sounding like I'm prophesying I am going to come right out and say it: I think I'm having a girl. I am willing to say it finally. Ever since I found out I was pregnant I have thought I am having a girl. But I haven't told anyone. Not even R until today. And now all of you know :) I haven't had any dreams, and I haven't had any impressions. I just think it's a girl. Now the fun begins, because we will see if I'm right. On August 21st I'll have the answer and we'll see just how intuitive I am with my belly.

On the other hand, even though I really do think it's going to be a girl, I want to have a boy. It's not an issue of unhappiness if I don't get what I want, it's just that if I could pick, I would check the boy box. There's no specific reason, even though it was be nice to have more boys in the family on R's side (M is the only male grandchild out of 6, and there's one more on the way beside mine, so if those 2 end up being girls then he'll be seriously surrounded.) Also, we have boy clothes. And a blue room. Plus I already have a boy, so I feel slightly prepared for another. Like I said, we will see...

Pants

Now it's really official, because I'm wearing my maternity pants. They don't have a panel or anything, but they are stealthily elastic-banded in the back to give this wiggly kid some more stretching room. I'm only 16 weeks, so I'm a little bummed that I'm already into the wearing of big clothes, but it also makes it a little more real. And that much closer to the January due date! I can't wait to find out if we're having a boy or a girl either. My sis-in-law is due in a few weeks and she's not finding out until the kid comes out, so I'm pretty excited about that. She's brave.

I'm very impressed with my ability to feel the baby kicking this early. I didn't feel M until about 20 weeks, and I felt this little person last week when I was only 15 weeks. So, skillz.

In unrelated news, we've moved! I love our new place which while being a rental is much nicer than anything we've lived in before. We love the location, the layout, the garage, the space! We have 3 bedrooms which is good since our family is growing, so I guess the move is somewhat related to pregnancy. I think we'll stay for 2 years or so and then look to swoop in and buy a house for an excellent deal. We were kicking ourselves 4 years ago when we were moving to Michigan. We kept thinking how we would be screwed with outrageous prices on houses in Arizona after graduating. Thanks crappy economy! We appreciate it.

A New Line

So my sister's hubby is a pretty awesome guy. For those of you who don't know him, we lived in Provo at the same time while going to school, and my roommates and I hung out with him and his friends for a long time. We went to shows and saw The Aquabats!, Spitball, Chump, etc. It was sweet! Anyways, he ended up marrying my sister and now we get to be friends for a long time :) So B has decided to start a new clothing label and I just went to the website. I thought I would give it a little plug here on my humble blog. It's www.solostars.net. I'm thinking that M needs a little skater T-shirt to bash around in. Go check it out when you get a sec!

Well it's official...

...I'm pregnant and allowed to tell people. I'm hitting 12 weeks on Wednesday, but today I had my appointment and the Doppler thingy picked up a heartbeat. Phew! I haven't advertised this, but I miscarried last November and so I was nervous that I would again this time. However, this time there was happy news :)

We will find out what we're having in August sometime. If it's a girl: Zooey Lyn or Edith Lyn (Edie for short), or if it's a boy: Eli James. We're quite decisive. Surprising, I know. No jokes about if I'm still considering "Pencil" or "Seven (Evan for short)".

Symptoms: tired all the time!, nauseous some of the time, dizzy almost all the time. Craving: Taco Bell bean burritos with lots of red sauce, nectarines, zesty pickles (such a cliche, but does this count as a craving if I eat these regularly?), and various soups. Telling M: he sometimes thinks he has a baby in his belly, and he sometimes says he wants to poke/hit the baby. Yikes! When I'm due: January 16th, but I had M 10 days early.

Death Cab For Crappy

I don't know who listens to Death Cab For Cutie, but if you do then you may have considered going to their concert. They are currently touring with their new album Narrow Stairs. I think I should have paid attention to these thoughts from the day of the concert:

• I don't love the new album (I really like Plans and I like most of Transatlanticism, but I only dig about 3 tracks on Narrow Stairs)
• it occurred to me that they're a pretty chillin' band that I listen to for driving in the car or other such semi-paying-attention-type tasks
• the tickets were $32 each, and the fact that I wondered if it would be worth the money before the concert should have told me to sell, sell, sell
  
• they don't play the most difficult music ever, it's pretty straightforward
• I considered selling our tickets all the way up until we arrived at the concert entrance
  
• it's not like they're freaking Radiohead*, what could I expect!

So clearly, R and I should have listened to ourselves. Maybe we're a little too familiar with opportunity cost due to my limited background in economics and R's majoring in economics, but we just couldn't get over the fact that it just wasn't $32 worth of fun. Not to mention that we now get a babysitter, so there's another $20. They weren't bad, they just weren't worth the money. Sad! Unfortunately, it's now kind of ruined their music for me. At the very least I need a break, but the mediocre live performance might hang around in my head for a long time.


*Radiohead is truly my favorite, and maybe it's not fair to compare other bands to them. I have to mention here that I AM GOING TO RADIOHEAD IN SAN DIEGO COME AUGUST!!! I cannot tell you how momentous an occasion this is. I've never been to Radiohead even though I have adored them since high school and OK Computer. I cried when the Hail to the Thief came to Salt Lake City and Ryan and I were so poor that we couldn't go and so I bought the CD and we drove around listening to it. This has been a long time coming. You'd better believe that I'm going to be writing about this again, and again...

The Last Two Days

First, my last post was my 100th post, and I forgot all about it. I looked today before posting this very moment, and there it was, 100 posts. We've been through a lot together, huh guys? Sniff.

Secondly, M was quite ill yesterday. He had woken up during the night to throw up, or frow up depending on the person you ask, and we thought that he would be okay afterwards since he had no fever and fell back asleep. Well, we need one of those ear thermometers, obviously. After that next morning, I promptly sucked it up and paid $30 for one.

In the morning, I was washing all his bedding and then I gave him a bath. And he just started shaking, and crying, and generally acting angry and strange. This is significant, because even when he's sick, he acts pretty normal, and this was abnormal. He was burning up and had chills that scared. the. crap. out. of. me. So I freaked out, didn't even check his temperature, we did Tylenol, and then I called the doctor. He said he could see him right then or I would've gone to urgent care or the emergency room or something.

By the time we saw the doctor, M felt a little better, but he was still acting really weird, like asking me to hold him, which he NEVER does. (I always have to sneak up on him and hug him before he runs away.) So they take his temperature, and he's had Tylenol mind you, and it was 102.9. Yikes a little! I kept my cool because there was this scare once when he was 1 where we got to the doctor and his fever was 105.3, and THAT was scary. But this was scary too, because he was acting so strangely on top of the near 103 temperature.

He has a bacterial infection that is only in his sinuses and nose, not the ears thanks to the tubes or it would've been even worse. So he's now taking Motrin and Tylenol and his Azithromycin. I'm generally not medicine woman, but thank goodness for people who know more than me, and have prescription pads ready and waiting. He's much happier today, but not allowed to swim in the 105 degree weather. Mean mommy, huh?

So, while all this was happening, I was supposed to be at the dentist getting a sore tooth checked. I called them in the middle of my freak out (after we were driving to the doctor) to reschedule for this morning. That brings us to today. Finally! We get to talk about my teeth.

Beware, I'm a little obsessed with my teeth. It's because they are not so great and I must brush (with a Sonicare), floss and rinse with Listerine at least twice a day, sometimes adding more brushings in between. And yet, I still get cavities and more anxiety about "what will they find this time!?". I have an intense fear of the dentist, but I make myself go every 6 months like you're supposed to. In my defense, I think my fear of dentists would be markedly worse if I didn't face up to it twice a year. I tell myself this so I feel better about the anxiety that I DO have.

Oh, and they found 2 cavities, as per usual. One of them should be a gold crown, because it's a filling that keeps cracking. And I need two cleanings, two! And then I need to be fitted for a guard since I grind my teeth at night. AND, I need to get braces next January. Braces!!! Oh, and I have a crossbite, that supposedly didn't get fixed like it was supposed to when I was a kid, even though I wore that stupid appliance and turned the key in it every day. So the braces are for that, and also other things, like my TMJ, and the fact that I don't put my tongue in the right place when I swallow. Okay, rant is over. I'm just venting a little. A certain husband of mine never goes to the dentist, like not once on his entire mission, and then they clean his teeth and say "looks good, keep up the good genes". Unfair.

Alright, don't worry, I'm not actually as mad as I sound. I'm just a little, well, flabbergasted, you know? I'll go to my cleaning and my fillings over the next couple of weeks, and then it will be behind me. And next year you can all call me metal mouth and I'll have Awkward Adolescence Part II. But I won't swallow wrong anymore, and maybe I'll even have a sweet gold tooth like a pirate.

A Massage, a Sunburn, and Two Filet Mignons

What a weekend! R's firm does one weekend every year in the summer where everyone and their spouses are invited to get out of the valley and drive to stay at a pretty sweet hotel. Then you proceed to eat and drink and play games and swim and get spa treatments and take naps. And the best part is that the tab is on the firm. Hello free massage!

(We went 2 years ago when M was almost 1 (he stayed with Grandma) and it was a blast, but we didn't really know anyone (R was a summer clerk without a job offer yet). And last year we had moved to AZ after R's graduation only 3 days prior to the retreat, so we missed it. But this year M is more than old enough to be without us for 2 days, again with Grandma, and we have no babies currently, plus we know a lot more people that were there this year. It was so fun!)

We drove up to Sedona on Friday at about noon, and it's so beautiful up there. The temperatures are much more mild, and the red rocks are spectacular. We stayed at the Hilton, so we checked in, mingled in the hospitality suite for the afternoon as people arrived, ate snacks, and then lazed around the pool until dinner. Then we walked down the road to Cucina Rustica. Let's just say that it was the best filet mignon that I have EVER had, and they're always pretty good, right?! It was served with this Gorgonzola cream sauce and crispy potatoes and vegetables sauteed in butter...yum! So, dinner was great! Then I went to bed, but R stayed up to watch all the folks that were already drunk at dinner go back to the hospitality suite and keep on going. I'm sure it was quite entertaining, but I was sleepy :)

Saturday was the laziest day I've had in a while. We got up and hiked a little bit in the morning, but it was leisurely and slow. We saw Cathedral Rock, took a few pictures, and got breakfast at the Desert Flour bakery. We laid out with friends at the pool some more and proceeded to get sunburned in the shade and in about an hour (stupid elevation). Then, we ate lunch outside and drank (virgin) strawberry daiquiri's. Around then we put R down for a nap and I was off to the spa. I had my cucumber water, and my book and waited for my masseuse, who then pulverized my muscles for about and hour and a half. I walked back to our room in a daze, collapsed in a heap and then we were off to the hospitality suite again to snack and play cards until dinner. Dinner wasn't as good the second night, but I did have another filet mignon, and it was tasty. I went to bed early again, but R stayed up again, and there was much playing of ping pong and various shenanigans.

M was sorely missed, so we left the hotel as early as we could and sped home to see the little guy. He was jumping up and down when we came in and it melted my little heart! Back together at last :)

Environmental Working Group

I'm on my soapbox today, and it's my latest discovery thanks to a friend of mine. You might not care, but I shall ramble anyhow. I have discovered that my makeups, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, hair dyes, hand soaps, detergents, pots and pans, water bottles, baby soaps and lotions, wipers, sunscreens and the like have possible contaminants in them, depending on the brand. This lovely website lists them and helps you find the safer alternatives. (Hooray! I don't have to do any research!) The point is to have information and make better choices. It's not hard, and it's more of a process than an overnight retooling of life. For example, I haven't replaced any of my makeup, but I did replace my lotions and hair products. I changed M's baby soap and lotion and wipers (but not diapers and pull-ups). It's a gradual shift to a more informed lifestyle. I feel proud of myself :)

www.ewg.org is the main site
this is their database called Skin Deep (search for info on specific things in your house)

This website has given me a new appreciation of the simple life. No more millions of bath and body products, no more wondering if my shampoo has junk in it I shouldn't be using while pregnant or breastfeeding (and therefore, probably all the time, huh?), no more wondering if I'm being as safe as I can without any real information, besides a hunch. Now I have the information! I've suspected for a long time that maybe laundry detergent and baby lotion and hair products could have a few less than desirable ingredients. But I lacked the knowhow of how to find out. Other websites seemed to smack of conspiracy theories, so I didn't trust them. And even though I trusted other like-minded people, it was hard to take their information seriously when I heard from them, and they usually "heard it somewhere".

Now please don't either dismiss this outright, or read everything and freak out that it's too much. Start small and make some safer choices in the future. It's pretty easy to pick a few things and then feel like you're increasing your awareness and getting healthier.

If you think this is a bunch of overreacting, please read information on the website yourself. You can pick and choose what to read about, and then please let me know your thoughts. It covers chemicals and toxins in foods and also household products. I also just read about how plastic water bottles can leach chemicals into your your everyday water. They recommend getting stainless steel water bottles, or glass (I prefer the stainless steel). I think this might be a good place to buy one if you're interested. I'll probably get mine on amazon.com.

A list of things I switched to:

• For lotion I only use coconut oil, olive oil, Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, Aquaphor, or Eucerin Calming Creme. The two oils are about as safe as you can get, and M thinks they're great!
  
• For shampoo I use Castile Soap from Trader Joe's, because it's cheaper than the real Castille Soap.
  
• For bar soap I use Kirk's Castile Soap, and I use it on my face too (no more Neutrogena face wash!).
  
• Conditioner is hard to find cheap, which may motivate me to cut my hair off again.
  
• For hand soap we use Castile Soap or Trader Joe's Orange Blossom Honey French Liquid Soap.
  
• For toothpaste I use a Trader Joe's brand of peppermint toothpaste that doesn't have any bad stuff in it except flouride, but my teeth suck so I need it I think.
• For dishwasher detergent we use the regular stuff, but we don't shut the little door to lock in the granules. According to the technician we asked, he recommends this anyways, since your dishes still get clean, but the soap is rinsed off twice.
• For laundry detergent we use the environmental one from Costco called Wintree. We also don't use any dryer sheets anymore (formaldehyde) and we avoid spray 'n' wash when possible.
  
• For sunscreen I splurged and bought a really overpriced $30 tube by UV Natural from Whole Foods. I later learned that there is a CVS brand that only has zinc oxide in it, so I'll look for that soon since the swimming season here in AZ has arrived.

So there you go. My big list of things that you might not ever even want to know! Things I was already doing before discovering the website include:

• washing fruits and veggies with produce wash: Fit spray (at the grocery store) or mild Dawn knockoffs like my "Ultra Dishmate" by Environmentally Friendly Products I found at the local Fresh 'n' Easy
• microwaving foods on paper towels or in glass/ceramic dishes, NOT plastic containers of any kind
• cooking with stainless steel pots and pans, baking sheets, etc. NOT teflon, non-stick coated things, or aluminum

So, again, there you go. Soapbox is finito :)

Sudoku and Quotable Quotes

So I love doing sudoku puzzles. Who knew? I flew to California a few weeks ago to see my cousin Lauren get sealed in the Oakland Temple. And to see my sisters and bro-in-law and cutest nephew ever! And also a lot more family and friends. But the point is that I tried my first sudoku puzzle and there's no going back. I now have 3 sudoku workbooks that I'm filling out. Book one is almost filled in. M calls them my number games and occasionally says things like "Mom, put a 6 right here." in perfect bossy-2-year-old fashion.

Can you believe that my child is nearly 3 years old? That he's going to be in preschool in September? That he's potty trained and sleeping in a big boy bed? That does all kinds of things by himself, including but not limited to: going potty, carrying bags, drawing and painting pictures, calling people on the phone, brushing his teeth, eating and drinking things (without help!), playing F-Zero and shutting his bedroom door at night before bed.That he wants a Jupiter cake and friends to come to his birthday party (last year he didn't know what a birthday was!)? I'm freaking out! But that brings me to my next subject: recent M quotes.

• I want to see the mobsters. (meaning lobsters at the grocery store)
• We live on Chandler Booger. (meaning Chandler Blvd.)
• Hi I'm M. I'm 2. On my birfday I'll be free. (meaning three.)

Ha! Anyways, I promise to write sooner next time. Not, say, skipping months at a time.

By the way, in case anyone thought I had lost the dancing bug about the same time I was getting sick of the BYU program, it's back! I went to rehearsal today and had a marvelous time with my pal S. Her choreography is sweet.

Two Movies and a Book

This week I've decided that I can't take any more excellent, yet violent and disturbing, movies. Don't get me wrong, I loved both movies I'm about to talk about. I just need a little less gravity and grittiness for a while. I don't really want any cotton candy movies either, just good movies with a different feel and tone.

On Monday R and I watched The Departed. It's a nearly perfect movie with amazing performances by all, most of all Leonardo DiCaprio, and Mark Wahlberg is hilarious. But still, it was a pretty raw movie, and I thought "that was worth it, but I need a break". Then Friday night rolled around and I really wanted to see There Will Be Blood. Daniel Day-Lewis was purported to be amazing, and I now confirm that he truly was. I could not rip my eyes off the screen. But again, pretty disturbing stuff. It's based off an Upton Sinclair novel called "Oil!", and as R and I talked afterwards he said that the point was probably to show the ultimate capitalist. I agree. It's pretty horrible. I've been thinking of it all day. Yikes. Anyways, see either of these movies if you 1) are breaking the R-rated movie rule and, 2) want to have the crap scared out of you.

As for my book, I did in fact finish Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, and it was great. Please read it. I'm even going to say: if you are Mormon, I think you have an obligation to know you history. Argue if you will, but I have said it. You don't have to read it now, just sometime. Think about it. If you aren't Mormon, but are so very curious about Joseph Smith, please read this history! Richard Lyman Bushman wrote it as a historian but also as a practicing Mormon, so take that for what it's worth. I am now reading Richard Lyman Bushman's diary from the publication of Rough Stone Rolling, which is also illuminating. So.

Alas, I must go and drive to ASU. I'm in my friends S's masters project to be performed in October. A-dancing I shall go. Please come see it in October. It's already well on it's way to be worth experiencing. I shall blog more on it as the date approaches.

P.S. Calling all women: I also just read a book called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility", and would recommend it to everyone. It's all about knowing your body and feeling like you know what's going on. It is for those both sexually active and not, trying to get pregnant and not, and
young and old. Please check it out. If you have a easily grossed-out husband, use caution with what you share from the book! I found this out the hard way, and am still getting teased on a daily basis whenever a talk to a female. (Are you talking about your cycles? etc. :))

P.P.S. Pardon the poor grammar and haphazard thoughts!

Juno

This is an excellent movie, and not just because it was nominated for some Academy Awards.

Here are the reasons I saw it: George Micheal (Micheal Cera) from Arrested Development is in it, Jennifer Garner is in it, Micheal (Jason Bateman) from Arrested Development is in it, and there was an indie rock element to it.

Here are the reasons I would see it again: the performances are excellent, as well as the movie as a whole, but it was also hilarious!

When R and I saw this with some friends a few weeks ago, we had a very entertaining moment during the film. You will probably only think this is funny if you get this premise: I don't know who of you out there (a) share my taste in music and (b) have also tried at some point to get into Sonic Youth, and then failed to see what all the hype was about. There's a line in the film where Juno yells that she "listened to Sonic Youth and it's just noise". R and I both had this same experience in our high school days and after laughing loudly realized that we were the only ones in a full theater who thought this was funny. Then we started giggling because of our conspicuous weirdness, not only to be the only ones laughing but also that we were obviously a certain type of high schooler grown up.

Anyways, go see it. Also, try out some Sonic Youth. Or not.

Gone with the Wind

I'm in love with this book. It's a huge monster book, but I am just plowing through it like it's nothing. Booyah! This definitely goes in the "can't put it down" category, FYI.

Also, I love www.goodreads.com! As I joined in the fun I promptly found lots of friends and book recommendations. I thank M and N for this nudge to join, finally.

I also just finished reading The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler. I would read it if I were you. After I was done with Tourist, I reread Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and the 3 books following it. It was at this point that I decided to embark on my Gone with the Wind journey. Now, as my mood for reading has obviously shifted to the "large, imposing-type books" category, and I feel quite confident in my amount of stamina, I think I'll tackle Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Who's with me?!! I really need a book club...