Ezboard has crashed and burned

I'm sure most of you have figured out by now that Ezboard pretty much short circuited sometime between yesterday evening and this morning. And it's not just TWBB or JPC or Rotation or The Wagon (or any others you may frequent); it's pretty much all of them, from what I can tell. I did manage to get to the help forums and post about the two boards I am admin/co-admin of, but now I can't get back to check on it. Joy.
Currently feeling: disconnected

I have seen it....

... but I'm not ready to talk about it yet. Perhaps later, perhaps never. We shall see.

Currently feeling: cinematic

Two sets of tags

Okay, so I've been tagged too many times to count for two different items (and there's no one left to tag, so don't be looking for any more). The first one is on reading, the second one (as promised) is about wishful thinking, "If I could...."

1) Total number of books I’ve owned: Oh, goodness gracious! I couldn't even begin to imagine. 1000 easy. Seriously. And that's not counting the additional several hundered that I have borrowed from the library or friends, or the ones that live at my parents' house (Dad has more than I do).

2) The last book I bought: Geez, um.... Well, today I bought The Foot Book, by Dr. Seuss, but that wasn't for me, so I'm not sure it counts. (Actually, it was for me in a way, as I'm tired of reading the same 3 board books to Luke in the mornings.) And I recently bought two other books as a birthday gift for a friend. The last "real" book I bought for me was, er, uh ... I seriously can't remember! It's been that long since I've read something, much less bought a book, thanks to having a baby. I still need to pre-order the new Harry Potter and the new Diana Gabaldon.

3) The last book I read: Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand

4) 5 books that mean a lot to me (not those I think are the best, but ones that have a special place for me):

• The Harry Potter books, by J.K. Rowling, because they reminded me what it was like to see the world in a more magical light
• The Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon, because those characters are so very real to me
• The Dragon Prince trilogy by Melanie Rawn, because as stupid as it sounds, I learned a lot about love from those books (I was a teenager when I first read them)
• Memnoch the Devil, by Anne Rice, because I love books that make me think about religion in a different way
• The Deep Sea, by Joseph Wallace (long out of print), because after becoming fascinated with it as a small child, discovering this book at Sam's Club as a teenager (LONG before the movie) rekindled my interest in the RMS Titanic (leading to a collection of over 30 books), and also introduced me to the world of deep sea archaeology and marine biology that has fascinated me ever since (adding an additional 10-15 books to my collection, many by Dr. Robert Ballard, discoverer of the Titanic *and* the "black smoker" hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor)

5) Tag 5 people and have them fill this out on their blogs: Can't! Everyone I know has already been tagged! Oh well.
------------------------------------------------------------

Second one:
Choose 5 and complete the sentence...

If I could be a scientist . . .
If I could be a farmer . . .
If I could be a musician . . .
If I could be a doctor . . .
If I could be a painter . . .
If I could be a gardener . . .
If I could be a missionary . . .
If I could be a chef . . .
If I could be an architect . . .
If I could be a linguist . . .
If I could be a psychologist . . .
If I could be a librarian . . .
If I could be an athlete . . .
If I could be a lawyer . . .
If I could be an inn-keeper . . .
If I could be a professor . . .
If I could be a writer . . .
If I could be a llama-rider . . .
If I could be a bonnie pirate . . .
If I could be an astronaut . . .
If I could be a world famous blogger . . .
If I could be a justice on any one court in the world . . .
If I could be married to any current famous political figure . . .

If I could be a scientist . . . I would be a marine archaeologist and go work with Dr. Bob Ballard studying sunken ships all over the world.

If I could be a musician . . . I would join up with Yanni or Josh Groban so that I could be there to listen to them every night. Or, I would make sure I was a part of whatever orchestra John Williams uses to record movie soundtracks.

If I could be an architect . . . I would live in Italy and study all of the wonders there, old and new.

If I could be a librarian . . . I would spend all day looking at old books, just revelling in the feel and smell of them.

If I could be a professor . . . I would teach beginning computing to older adults, because it is such an important skill in today's world, and I've been told I have a "knack" for it.

Currently feeling: geeky

Six month portraits

I picked up Luke's six month portraits on Friday, and they turned out so well that I just had to share them.





Currently feeling: photogenic (for Luke; I most certainly am not)

On the move (and my first animation)

Guess who is officially crawling? I took the following sequence of pictures without moving from my spot. (And this is my first animated image!) He's not very fast yet, but he's definitely mobile. And amazingly, our floor is suddenly very clean. Gee, go figure.



Currently feeling: unprepared

The universe is mocking me

So, we're sitting at Wendy's, minding our own business, enjoying an inexpensive dinner out. Two girls (well, late teens) come in and sit down at the booth next to us. Naturally, Luke starts flirting. LOL Then, one of their cell phones rings. Here is the conversation we overheard:

"Hi, watcha doin'?"
[pause]
"Nothing planned, why?"
[pause]
"Well, which movie?"
[pause]
"No thanks, I don't like Star Wars."

???!!!!!! Say what? Here we are, doing everything in our power to stop ourselves from trying to go see the film, because we know Luke wouldn't sleep and/or sit quietly through it and we don't want to be cut down by the lightsaber of a fellow audience member, and you're turning down an offer to go see it opening weekend?! Do you realize the opportunity you are wasting? I can see my argument is unconvincing. In that case, care to babysit so that *we* can go see it with your friends?

5 more days....

Currently feeling: envious

This will be a day long remembered

It is finally here. The day many of us have been waiting six years for, and some of us have been waiting a lifetime for. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is now playing in a theater near me (though it will be 9 more days before I can see it). I've been contemplating this as a blog post for a while, and some of you have seen the majority of it in a BB post. Am I excited? Yes. But there is so much more to it than that. It is the end of the Star Wars film saga, for better or for worse. The cinematic juggernaut that has existed for practically my entire lifetime (it opened 10 months almost to the day after I was born). I do not remember my life without Star Wars being a part of it. Excited, yes, but sad as well.

Needless to say, the original three are practically part of my DNA. There are no words to express the excitement I felt at the thought of a second trilogy that I would get to see in the theater as an adult and be able to tell my grandchildren about. "Yes, I saw Episodes I, II, and III in the theater!" I was disappointed with Episode I when I first saw it, but I will admit that it has grown on me dramatically over the years (geez, has it really been 6 years?!). There is something about Liam Neeson that lends credibility to the film and keeps it grounded in some sense, much as Sir Alec Guinness did for Ep. IV. Episode II was admittedly a huge disappointment. It should have been so much better. As my husband likes to say, as a film, I prefer Episode I, but Episode II is much better in terms of the information you receive and how it begins to tie in with IV-VI. Too bad the acting was so bad! But the echos of what Episode III can be are there, and I think it will definitely be worth seeing.

It's not going to be a happy film. How can it be? We all know what has to happen. There's something to be said for a film that everyone wants to see despite knowing most of the plot. I feel that so many questions will be answered (though not all, from what I hear), and the story itself will be compelling, if heart-wrenching, to watch. Do I think it will be the best film ever, or even of the six? No, but I do expect it to be the best of the prequel three. All of the pieces will come together, and we will finally *see* the moment we have all wondered about: how did such a sweet and promising child turn so wrong?

I am also intrigued to see how a few other things play out, particularly the Republic becoming the Empire and the beginning of the Rebel Alliance. Plus the tangible links to IV-VI will surely be established, such as Obi-Wan placing Luke into his uncle's care and the wiping of R2's and C-3PO's memory. Visual and auditory links will also be there. I will never forget seeing the painted ceiling of the kitchen set of Owen and Beru in Episode II. It was like being punched in the stomach; such a powerful image, such a subtle yet unmistakable connection. And I will never forget the hair on my neck literally stand up as Anakin went off to find his mother, and the brilliant John Williams deftly switched from "Luke's Theme" to "Duel of the Fates." I have no doubt that Episode III will be filled with many more of these kinds of moments, be they beautiful or haunting.

"The circle is now complete." I, for one, can't wait!

Currently feeling: darth

The URL Alphabet Meme

Snitched from The Weather Goddess.

Instructions: Press each letter in the address bar of your browser and list what the auto-complete function jumps to first.

A - Absolutely Paper (from hunting for Christmas cards!)
B - Baby Center Newborn to 2 month development
C - mostly my hard drive; first real URL: Candy - Microwave Pralines (I love this recipe, BTW, but I just make it on the stove using a candy thermometer)
D - Dark Horizons Star Wars III synopsis (not a film review, just brief plot summary, and no spoilers to anyone who knows anything about the franchise)
E - Elfinlady's Forest (Cris's blog)
F - Fandango, where I get most of my movie times
G - Geek Links (dang, I can't even tell you the last time I went there!)
H - Hackenslash review of a Star Wars game (sequel to KOTOR, doing research for DH)
I - Google Image Search, great for finding emoticons
J - J.K. Rowling's official site (text only version)
K - KnitPicks Simple Stripes Yarn
L - LEGO Star Wars game (come now, you're not really surprised are you?)
M - M&M's Chocolate M-pire, with great destop wallpaper
N - Needlecraft Corner, one of my most favorite online shops
O - Online Conversion, mostly used for F to C temp conversions for my "foreign" friends
P - The Wagon BB (pub095...)
Q - Quilt Block Coloring Pages (no, I don't quilt, but I'd love to learn)
R - Recipe Zaar, my favorite recipe site
S - mostly search results; first real URL: A Needle Pulling Thread (Terri's blog)
T - Taggies blankets (I'd love one for Luke, preferably the 18-inch one, but they're so expensive! I have contemplated making my own though, and I had the idea before I found Taggies)
U - IMDb News, which I try to read daily
V - Wandering Cross Stitcher (Ginny's blog)
W - Baby Blues Comic Strip (via the Washington Post)
X - Using PHP or SSI "includes" (love the idea, but I need to learn more CSS to use it, I think)
Y - Yahoo
Z - Nothing

Currently feeling: clever

I know I'm "it"....

... and I appreciate everyone who has tagged me. I will get to it, I promise. I'm just not up for it right now. Had a miserable night, and I didn't get to go to sleep until after 5 AM. I'll get to it when I'm up to it.

Currently feeling: exhausted

If I had $1000....

... and a baby-sitter, I could be seeing Episode III tomorrow. ::sigh:: Atlanta is one of the 10 cities that were chosen for a charity screening a week in advance of the official opening. $500 gets you a general admission ticket. $1500 gets you a reserved seat. Uh-huh. I probably would have gone alone, but this is a movie I *really* want to see with DH, so not only do we not get to see it tomorrow, we don't even get to see it a week later. We'll just have to wait until Memorial Day weekend. $1000 is all it would have taken.

But I don't, and I don't, so I'm not. And even if I did have that kind of (spare) money laying around, I seriously doubt that is what I would spend it on. There are so many other things we need, and even more that we just want that would be a much better use for that kind of moola. But a girl can dream.

Currently feeling: wistful

Belly Dancing

I do believe that true mobility for Luke is not far off at all. For the last couple of weeks, he has been rolling to get to what/where he wants. Pretty standard. But for a few days now, he has been using his tummy as a sled. He arches his back and pulls up his feet, then propels himself backward using his arms. He even stops every couple of pushes to look over his shoulder! He isn't very fast doing this. He only moves 3-4 inches at a time. But it's enough to have the kitties giving us "you didn't tell us he'd be able to chase us!" looks. LOL But in the last couple of days, he's become very adept at getting up on his hands and knees. He can't move anywhere like that yet, but his belly is completely off the ground. He just hasn't quite figured out how to move an arm or a leg without falling to the floor again. Soon enough, though, I'm sure. Remind me again why we didn't baby-proof the house before he got here? (You know, like all the books said to!)
Currently feeling: encouraging

I vant to sahk your....

.... well, never mind. We are talking about my 7 month old son, and I'm trying to keep this a PG blog. However, I *do* have photographic proof of the new teeth, even if it was gained accidentally (i.e. while taking pictures of him doing something else, and yes, there are a bunch more in the album). No Mother's Day recap yet. I'm just too tired. Maybe tomorrow.



Currently feeling: sleepy

Sleeping like a baby

I remember several months ago when I read this entry from my buff maternal friend. And I distinctly remember rolling my eyes a little bit and thinking "how silly; why would you think she's dead? you should just be happy she's sleeping peacefully!"

I was still two months away from having a little one of my own. Oh, how stupid I was in my non-maternal ignorance. Thankfully, Luke breathes fairly heavily, and moves quite a bit, both of which I can usually hear over the monitor. But there are mornings, and sometimes evenings, when I absolutely have to get up and check on him. Virtually every time I wake up before he does, my heart catches slightly in my throat, and I cannot go back to sleep until I see for myself the rise and fall of his rib cage.

They say SIDS peaks around 3-6 months and that the risk tapers off from there, dropping to very slight by the first birthday. It is also a higher risk for boys than girls. I keep hoping that once he gets a little older, I'll stop worrying so much. I am still rather new at this, after all. But reading the comments attached to that post, well, I may never grow out of it! I guess there are worse things in life.

Currently feeling: paranoid

No more carrots!

I think my child is now permanently stained orange! Thankfully, it didn't get on his clothing, and it is barely noticable around his mouth, but his hands and nails are decidedly "peachy," and no amount of scrubbing seems to be getting it off. Even the spoon is stained. I wish he didn't like them as much as he does. Maybe I can get him to wear gloves....

Currently feeling: exasperated

Baby Scarface

Yes, he had a good nap. Why do you ask? LOL Note the "sleep marks" on the left and the spiked hair (neither of which shows up nearly as well in the pic as they did in real life). And the grin. *Definitely* a good nap!



Currently feeling: smitten

Diaper bag woes

I really couldn't have said it better myself, so I'll just point you to this particular Baby Blues strip and let you have your own laugh.

Currently feeling: bemused

Thank goodness it's... Monday?

I know, that has to be one of the strangest statements you've ever read, particularly coming from me. But, I pretty much had a crappy weekend all the way around. I guess today wasn't bad, but Friday and Saturday weren't so much fun. Friday involved lots of pain and angst brought on by the electronic world in which I do most of my communicating, be it BB or email, partly of my own doing and partly of someone else's (depending on which incident we are referring to). I think that I, at least, am now all good with the two ladies I was in direct contact with (waves hi since I know they read my blog), but the situation did not make for an enjoyable day, I must say.

But Saturday was to be better, as we had a birthday party to go to for a good friend. We have had to decline several invitations to socialize with her and her spouse and the rest of our little group of late, mainly because they wanted to do stuff on weeknights after they got home from work (so, starting around 7 PM), and that's just not really feasible with Luke in tow. (Yes, all of our other friends are childless; why do you ask?) But this party was set to be about 15 people, including some other babies and children, and it was scheduled for Saturday at 4 PM. Great! We can actually make it, yet still leave early enough to keep Luke's evening routine intact. And, it will give him a chance to interact with other babies, as our ped has encouraged us to do. And lastly, it will get me out of the house for some VERY much needed adult interaction. (Not that DH isn't good company, but a little variety in the form of face-to-face adult time with someone else is in order on occasion.)

Luke, however, was not exactly cooperative. First, after a not-exactly restful night (thank you, fussy baby), we all overslept. As in, we *all* stayed in bed until Noon! Lovely (not). Get him up, get him fed, eat a little lunch, and he starts getting nap time-fussy. It's about 1:45. Good. He'll go down for his regular 2-hour nap (first one after he gets up); that will give us time to shower and get ready for the party. He'll wake up 3:30-3:45, we'll feed him, and we'll leave 4-4:15. That will put us getting there fashionably late, should be just about the time the food is ready, and Luke should be well-napped and well-fed. Despite what will be the frustrations of trying to get him in bed at a reasonable hour after we get home, it really couldn't have worked out better. He is usually happiest right after his 2-hour nap. Perfect!

Um, no. While he was sleeping, I showered, then laid down to finish Luke's nap with him, as I was still really tired for no good reason. DH went down stairs to nap there. Luke functions pretty much like clockwork. Guess it should have been a hint when he didn't follow "procedure" this morning. *I* woke up at 4:15, and he was still out cold! DH and I debated for a bit, and finally decided to wake him up at 4:25. I hated to, but his schedule was already whacked out enough, and I thought maybe we could start to get back on track. Not sure if letting him sleep would have helped or not, but we'll never know now. He woke up in a pretty good mood, though, so I figured he'd had enough sleep. Feed him, change him, and off we go.

Arrived about 5:30. Did I mention it started at 4? Oh well. Food hasn't even gone on the grill, and a few folks haven't shown up yet either. Looks like we're not the only ones running late. LOL It was pretty much a 4 PM-until type thing, so really not a big deal, I suppose. We come in, we meet-n-greet with everyone, especially those we don't know (a bit of a mixed-genre party, including school friends (us), work friends, band friends, family, etc), and Luke is fine. For about 15 minutes. I think he got a little flustered at all of the new faces, and he was already looking a little unhappy. We'd been doing our best to be happy and smile and let him know that everything was okay, but "the lip" kept sticking out on occasion. Add the bark of a 110-pound Great Pyrenees (something I don't think he's ever heard before), and he freaked! He was just hysterical. We finally got him calmed down, but he just wasn't the same after that. He seemed very nervous, very uncomfortable, and exceedingly clingy.

Another couple arrived with their two children; a 3-year-old boy and a 4-month-old girl. Great! They say six months is about when they really start getting interested in other kids, so I thought maybe they could do a little "tummy time" together if the other mother didn't object. They come in, the other mom seems just as happy as I am to see another baby. Baby A and Luke stare at each other for a minute, and he gets all hysterical again. (No clue what that was about. He just looked at her for a couple of minutes, then exploded.) Calm him down again, but he pretty much is whimpery/whiny the rest of the time.

It's now about 6:30, and Luke is starting to act tired. *How* can he be tired?!?! Around 7, I finally get to eat, after getting 10 minutes of "happy baby" while feeding Luke (squash and apples, yum!). At 7:15, Luke goes ballistic again for absolutely no reason (okay, maybe not; I did leave the room, but I left him with Daddy, for goodness sake), and he just will *not* stop crying. Nothing is working; food (in any form), teething stuff, swinging him, tossing him, singing to him, bouncing him, dancing with him, NOTHING! Fine, forget it, I give up. We pack up, hug the birthday girl good-bye, apologize profusely (I'm embarrassed, though no one really seems to mind), and all but run out the door. Still screaming. Get him packed up in the car. Still screaming, so I decide to sit in the back with him (they live about 20-30 minutes away, depending on traffic on the interstate). The car starts rolling, and he's fine before we've gone 3 blocks. Finds his thumb; OUT COLD! Get home around 7:45, he sleeps until 8, wakes up happy as a lark. Remainder of Saturday uneventful. Sunday pretty much standard, despite all of us being more or less grumpy.

I've never been so happy to see a Monday in my life. I can only hope next weekend, my very first Mother's Day, will be better.

Currently feeling: bewildered