Eight is Great

Just watched the Eight is Enough cast on the Today Show as part of their "Today Show Reunites Classic TV Families" series. It was surreal to see these people, these characters, who I remember watching on days home sick from school. Eight is Enough was on my "B" list of preferred daytime television, falling closely behind Laverne & Shirley or The Brady Bunch but slightly ahead of Bewitched. I loved the family dynamics and the fact that there were so many of them! I was too young to comprehend that Dick Van Patten was a widow with eight children and the magnitude of that situation. I don't even think I knew what a widow or death was at that age. There was a lot of "heavy" subject matter covered in these shows that I watched as a child and when I watch them now, if I happen to catch them on some obscure station at a random, sleepless hour, I will wonder what my eight or nine year old mind made of these situations. The references to drinking and drugs or (gasp!) sex. What does that even mean to an eight year old? I remember how often I would just follow the canned laugh track as my guidance for what was funny. My mother once found a diary entry she had written when I was a toddler. She was writing about her silly girls and how her four year old daughter wanted to "stay up late to watch Jack get naked on Three's Company." Words cannot express how much delight I find in that one sentence from my mother's diary. What kind of advertising had made a four year old want to watch a show about three 20-something singles sharing an apartment? Did I even know what naked meant? I am going to throw blame on my older sister...she was nine at the time and had to be a bad influence...because isn't that the job of an older sister?

Running

Running truly is my therapy. There is no better way to work out frustrations, anxiety, sadness, and every other overwhelming emotion than through a physically exhausting workout. When I am bubbling over with energy (both of the positive and negative variety) I love to hit the pavement and allow the rhythmic beat of my own sneakers soothe and calm me. I did that today and I feel tremendously alive.

Skating in February

Hit the ice today for the first time in ten years! I have so much respect for those figure skaters!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Friday

Last night my seven year old niece was talking about all the boys that she liked. My sister and I asked her what she was going to do about liking all these different boys. She said, "I'll marry one and then break up, marry another and then break up, marry another and then break up, until I've married all of them."

Troubling? Yes

Confusing? Yes

Funny? Yes!

First of all, I didn't think my niece even knew what "breaking up" meant. Her parents are happily married, her grandparents (on both sides) are happily married. Where is she learning about breaking up? And should I be happy that she is such a modern woman at seven who feels no qualms about picking up and moving on to something better?

All I can say is that I was astonished and also a teeny bit proud of her speech last night. She then went on to show me some of the positions she learned in her new ballet class. If there is anything cuter than the serious face of a 7-year-old striking ballet moves, I don't know what it is.

In other news, I watched Life, Unexpected which aired on Monday, but I had it Tivo'd. I think I may already be hooked. It was such a good show! Entertaining, nice pacing, good dialog, great music, what else can you ask for? It stars Shiri Appleby from Roswell and her co-star Kristoffer Polaha (very cute!). It's about a former high school liason that resulted in a baby. It is now 16 years later and the biological parents' (Shiri and Kristoffer) lives are disrupted when the baby Shiri had in high school and gave up for adoption (unbeknownst to Kristoffer) comes looking for her biological parents. Critics are comparing it to Gilmore Girls, a hugely popular show that I am admittedly only discovering now in re-runs. So I will be tuning in to this new addition to my already packed television-viewing schedule!

Speaking of television-viewing, did anyone catch Heidi Montag's two-night interview on Access Hollywood? AND her cover of People Magazine? She's 23 and has already had over 10 cosmetic surgeries! I don't like to speak disparagingly about people, especially when it comes to matters of self-esteem and confidence, but this girl may have some issues that are not being addressed properly. She and her husband are publicity hounds to a frightening degree. It seems they will stop at nothing for notoriety, even if it means completely transforming themselves to the point of no return. While being interviewed for Nightline last night, Heidi said, "My message is about inner beauty." Ju Ju Chang, who was conducting the interview, said, "But that is the exact opposite message you are portraying." I don't know what is going to become of Heidi & Spencer. I hope that there flame is fleeting and that they are not public figures for the duration. Only time will tell.

This weekend I am hoping to get to the movies. Last weekend I saw Avatar in 3D at an IMAX theater. I wasn't even wanting to see that movie but the opportunity arose and I am a sucker for going to the movies. I did, however, get a little motion sick from the 3D aspect of it but it was an incredible movie. I didn't care so much for the plot, it was all about the visual adventure. If you are planning on seeing Avatar, I highly recommend the 3D version!

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

For the Love of a Garlic Press

Tonight I cooked a pasta dish that I learned from Giada (I still think her recipes are some of the best I have found). I typically avoid making this dish for one sad and superficial reason...I hate when my fingers smell like garlic! It drives me crazy because that stuff lasts. No matter how many times I wash my hands, they hold on to the pungent smell. So tonight I made a major change to my cooking routine. Instead of slicing up the garlic and subjecting my fingers to the lasting scent, I put one clove through a garlic press and PRESTO...just enough garlic, minced and ready to go! (Yes, the little things really do make my day!)

Get Your Motor Running!

I don't know how I have done it, but I have run every day of this awesome New Year! 2010 is already leaving 2009 in the dust. I read somewhere that if you do something consistently for at least 30 days it becomes part of your routine. Running is becoming that thing. I started in early Fall and have continued forward diligently. If I'm not feeling well or have any sore muscles or pains, I still hit the treadmill (just not at the same speed and intensity). I think running is becoming my version of prozac. Seriously! It gives me the biggest boost and changes even the worst mood. (And it balances off my love for certain foods!)

Happy New Year

I really wanted to be on-the-ball and post this on January 1, but alas, life got in the way. I hope everyone had an enjoyable New Year celebration and took time to reflect on 2009. This year was probably the most difficult year for me personally, but it was also a time of great growth because with struggle comes strength and understanding. I am looking forward to 2010 and have high hopes for good things to come. I don't want to do a recap of the year, as I am seeing them everywhere and feel that by now we should all have a good idea of what happened in 2009. In a nutshell, too many deaths.

Last night I watched Revolutionary Road with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. I know that this movie received some great awards and recognition, but the movie based on the 1961 novel by Richard Yates, was depressing. I could go into further detail, recapping the poignant moments, the larger themes of being trapped by societal pressures and the strong acting, but really, it was just depressing. I can completely appreciate the need for deep, meaningful, often heart-wrenching movies to help us reevaluate our lives, understand more complex worlds and appreciate how far we have come, but sometimes depressing is just depressing. I have not read the book but have heard it is much stronger than the movie. So if I were you, check out the book first.

Yesterday I spent the day babysitting my seven-year old niece and we baked a cake with her Easy Bake oven (a Christmas present from Santa). I felt like I was having a flashback to my own childhood, as I completely remember the wonder and amazement that came from actually baking my own cake! I felt cynical when I began internally criticizing the makers of the Easy Bake oven for using a light bulb to cook a cake...and not well, I might add. But then I looked at that joy on my niece's face as she pulled the dried out, yellow "cake" from the oven. She was so proud of her accomplishment and wanted everyone to try a piece. Isn't that what life is all about? Those little moments of excitement? Hopefully 2010 will bring more Easy Bake oven moments...and take us down fewer Revolutionary Roads.