Christmas

I love Christmas. I mean I really love Christmas. Celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, making and keeping family traditions, and giving of ourselves.

I confess, I hate shopping. I hate the crowds, the commercialism, the parking and the grumpy feeling I get when I can't find what I need. However I love giving gifts. My favorite is when I am lucky enough to find one that yells out, "I BELONG TO _________!" Hopefully before you have already purchased a gift for that person.

The truth is the gifts I love giving most are the ones I have made. I have made Christmas presents my whole adult life. I wonder sometimes if I make presents because my mother and grandmother made presents. I'm not sure why more people don't make gifts. Maybe it has to do with lack. Lack of time, lack of self confidence, lack of creativity or maybe a combination. Whatever the reason I think we should at least try making a gift from time to time, if for no other reason than to build our talents and to show the people we love that we love them enough to give them a part of ourselves.

I was taught by my Heavenly Father that service is the best gift of all. So if you can't figure out something to make maybe you can figure out something to do for them. Either way there is no better gift than to give of oneself. Maybe this year you can do a little of both. I know I am!

"Fine" The Big Fat Lie

The word "Fine" is defined as - a freedom from impurity - very thin in gauge or texture, not coarse, very small, keen, very precise or accurate, physically trained - delicate, subtle, sensitive, distinct - superior in kind, quality or appearance, excellent - ornate - very well, all right.

Someone you know walks up to you and asks, "How are you doing?" and you automatically say, "Fine." Someone you don't know (check out clerk, bank teller, server, police officer, firefighter, sales associate, etc) asks, "How are you doing?" and you usually say, "Fine." You go to your doctor who asks, "How are you doing/feeling?" and you almost automatically say, "Fine."

Fine is not always fine. In fact it can more often than not be a big fat lie. The truth is does the asker really want to know how you are doing/feeling? I would say no. I would say they like you and I are making small talk, trying not to be rude or establishing a relationship to further converse on the subject at hand.

The truth is that an automatic "Fine" answer is in some ways causing more harm than good. We don't want to burden people with the truth - "I'm tired." "I'm in pain." "I'm frustrated." "I'm angry." "I'm discouraged." "I'm a little lonely." We don't want to bring others down. We don't want pity. We don't want them to feel bad because they might be helpless to change things. But why not be honest? Especially if the person we are talking to we may never see again or better yet the person may be able to console us or lift us up. Wouldn't the Lord want us to allow others to help lift us up?

The worst is when I take my mom to the doctor and her pattent answer of "Fine." In a way the answer negates her getting the help she might need. If you are going to answer fine to a doctor don't expect him or her to take you seriously when you tell the truth about your ailments, pain, new symtoms etc. It has become a pet peeve of mine. Be honest with the doctor!

Better yet the next time someone/anyone asks, "How you are doing/feeling?" try being honest. I am not saying burden people I am just saying be honest. For instance "I've been better." Works for any kind of bad day or ailment and doesen't burden the asker or shut down the conversation. But if you are having a good day share the goodness. If you are happy say so. Why hide behind "I'm fine."? I just don't see why of all the lies we could or should tell we choose to pick "I'm fine."

Yes, I believe sometimes a lie by omission is a good thing. I don't believe it is a good thing to hurt feelings just for the sake of being honest. Like when answering does this make me look fat? Chances are the question was a fishing trip for a compliment.

Fine is not always fine... sometimes it is a big fat lie!

Movie Genre Or Not

There are five basic kinds of movies - kids, family, teen, guy and chick flicks. Kid movies are geared to kids usually without regard to the parents that will attend these movies with their kids. Family movies are like kid movies but have a little more regard for the parents and tend to have humor at more levels than that of a third grader. Teen movies tend to have a more adult theme but with crass humor. Guy movies are filled with action tend to have more gore and be a little more explicit. Chick flicks are generally more romantic even to the mushy side and every chick flick has a relationship (dating/marriage/friendship etc.) involved.

Genre is a little different than the kinds of movies I listed above. There are a ton of genre - western, thriller, gore, documentary, action, adventure, mystery, romantic, drama, war, porn, cult, silent, comedy, sappy tearjerkers, animation and probably a few I am forgetting. Many of these genre combine to make a different kind of movie all together. A classic chick flick is the combination of romantic & comedy, classic guy flicks combine action & adventure, classic kid flicks are generally animated & comedy, while family movies usually take the edge off and combine the more adult versions of comedy, adventure, mystery etc. geared not to offend anyone particular age group.

Recently there have been movies that combine genres in a non traditional way that make them fall into more than one kind of the movies listed in paragraph one. One combination in particular I find completely amazing is that of action/adventure and romantic/comedy. As a fan of guy and chick flicks they are the perfect combination of both kinds of movies. Making them the best movies for me!

Bet you can tell I'm a movie fan.

Today I watched a movie review TV program. I usually never agree with the reviewers but sometimes I find them entertaining. They also tell me about movies not in my area or not out yet or that I may not have given a chance because I didn't know about them. All good reasons to watch but as I get older I am finding them less and less entertaining or informative. Today was especially frustrating since they spent a while bashing my new favorite kind of movie. Maybe it is because movie reviewers are generally men and tend to bash the romantic comedy anyway. So to all the movie reviewers out there who agree that a romantic/comedy and action/adventure can't be combined think again. There is a place for movies that fall outside the box. I'm thinking the perfect date movie!

Grandchildren

Maybe the title should be grandsons because at this point I only have boys. I expect that to change one day but not too soon.

I have heard the saying, "If I knew how much fun grandchildren were I'd have had them first." In a way I get it but I don't agree. I adore my grandsons. I love spending time with them. Watching them grow and change is so wonderful. I enjoy finding the cute clothes, the best toys and great books for them.

When I watch my son with his sons I know I would never want to miss that part of being a grandparent. He adores them. He watched everything the nurses did to them from the moment they arrived till he and his wife took possession of their sons. He guarded them to make sure nothing bad happened to them. No unwanted moves, pokes or shots. He asked a ton of questions. The nurses were probably just wanting him to go sit with his wife.

This week my second grandson arrived. He is so adorable but I expected as much since he looks a lot like his brother who is so very cute. As I waited to meet my new grandson his brother stood guard at the nursery window pointing out his brother to every passerby. If they were not watching he got louder and more animated to make sure everyone saw his new brother.

I can't wait to watch them for the next few years turn in to the wonderful little men they will be. Will they continue to look similar? Will they be competitive? Will they play well together? All of those questions and more are swimming through my head this week. I also look forward to seeing how their parents parent. Will they do well? Will they do better than I did? I can only hope for the best and pray for them all.

I love my grandchildren.

End of School-itis

It happens every year. The last few weeks of school the kids are itching to be done. They are bored with school, tired of projects, papers & presentations, and want the freedom of sleeping in.

Their behavior usually gets bad so for us subs life is not so fun. We try to keep them focused but usually we just manage to squelch the chaos that they seek.

These students forget what summer is like. They don't see their friends every day. They can sleep in but then what. Boredom strikes and about a month to a month and a half in they have back to school-itis. They really like the structure of knowing what they day will look like and seeing their friends every day.

I enjoy the summer but like the kids I like knowing what the day looks like. I enjoy the interactions with people outside my home. I love the crisp fall weather. Gosh school isn't even out yet and I have back to school-itis. Life is grand!

When I walk into a classroom...

When I walk into a classroom to sub I never know what to expect. I can get everything or nothing. I have been in classrooms with organization and enough work to keep the class going and thinking. I have been in classrooms with only busy boring work where the students and I felt insulted. I have been in classrooms with no plans, no supplies and no hope of learning going on. Luckily I have the kind of personality that can make the hopeless classrooms enjoy moments of information and humor. If you can keep a balance of both it is possible they may walk away knowing more than they did going in.

When I walk into a classroom I am never sure what I will face. Some days it feels futile and other days it is so fulfilling. Today I saw learning going on. I saw successes. I saw kids with a bright start to their future. I saw my part in the learning. Days like this inspire me to continue teaching even as a sub.

What will my future look like?

Avitar & My Favorite New Word

The highest grossing movie ever. So far anyway. I am sure one day something will beat it. I have heard a lot of guff about it but people also loved it or it wouldn't have hit such staggering attendance. I watched it and thought it was a grown up version of Fern Gulley. I loved Fern Gulley. It has a good message and is entertaining to watch. So was Avitar. Okay the costumes were skimpy but the visual effects were so amazing.

James Cameron has vision for sure. I watched an interview before the Oscars when he was talking about the film. He said he dreamed about the visuals when he was a young man. He described one of the scenes as fantasmagorical. I looked it up on the internet and not really knowing how to spell such a word I found it in the urban dictionary spelled fantamagorical and defined as a mixture of the words fantastic, amazing and magical. However I found the word spelled phantasmagorical in the Mirriam Webster online dictionary as "1 : an exhibition of optical effects and illusions 2 a : a constantly shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined b : a scene that constantly changes 3 : a bizarre or fantastic combination, collection, or assemblage." No matter how you spell it Mr. Cameron is right. It was an amazing, magical, fantastic, complex, collection of visual effects that sucked me in to the movie and kept me there.

I disagree with the critics that said it put humans in a bad light. It wasn't talking about all humans being greedy, mercenaries. I disagree with the critics that said it put the military in a bad light. Mercenaries are not the military. Anyone in the military will tell you they are not in it for the money. They are in it to serve and protect the freedoms we all love about America. I love the service men and women and the work they do. I pray that one day soon they all come home safe. I am grateful to those who put their lives on the line to make sure we can continue to live free and that the people they help in other countries as well. Thank you soldiers.

Okay A Little Out Of Order

This is a little out of order cause I blogged on the Oscars before I blogged on the Olympics. Oh well it just hit me that way.

The winter Olympics were so much fun to watch. I have my favorite events but this year I recorded about 8 or 9 hours a day. I know you are thinking that is a lot of watching but not when you watch the way I did.

I watched nearly all of my favorite events, even the qualifiers. My favorite events are figure skating, luge, bobsled, snowboarding, and downhill skiing. I am not much of an ice dancer fan but this year I watched. I would watch other events but usually skipped till the finals or watched the countries that make me smile like the US, Australia, Finland, Russia, Canada, etc. I skipped all commercials and many of the goofy side stories. I skipped the scenery, weather reports and most of the interviews.

I enjoyed the opening ceremonies and really loved the the closing ceremonies.

In the past I usually tried to watch the figure skaters and catch the half pipe but his year I expanded my horizons. I really enjoyed the snowboard cross and the ski cross. I loved the snowboard and skiing down hills. It was awesome to see the bobsledders beat the odds. Shawn White rocked the half pipe. We had a local (Arcadia) figure skater. Bode Miller rocked the medals with one of each. There are just too many amazing and wonderful moments to recount. It was so much fun to watch.

In four years I might just do what I did this year.

Oscars

I watched the Oscars this year. I usually don't. I am a huge movie fan and for years it bugged me to watch the movies I loved go without reward. This year I decided what the heck so I recorded it.

My friend Katrina was watching and tweeting her enjoyment and her frustrations. I loved her tweets. I finally decided to watch when they were about half over. Luckily I recorded clear through the news because I wanted to watch the last Barbara Walters special as well. Everything went over so I lucked out.

This year a woman director won. This year movies I loved were recognized. The year an actress I love won. I am excited!

Who knows maybe I'll watch again next year.

I Think My Version is Better

Recently I read a post online that went like this:

Life is short,
Break the rules,
Forgive quickly,
Kiss slowly,
Love truly,
Laugh uncontrollably,
And never regret anything that made you smile.

My version is more specific:

Life is short too short to waste on worry & regret,
Live within the spirit of the rules,
Forgive openly, fully and quickly,
Kiss with passion and joy,
Love completely and unconditionally,
Laugh uncontrollably and often,
Always remember the people who touched your life,
And never regret the people, things and situations that made you smile.

Inspiring Words to Start 2010

I decided to start off the new year with a few words to inspire me.
Encourage
Challenge
Define
Integrity
Movement
Nature
Intelligence
Miracle
Savior
Love
I find some words just make me want to do and think and be better.