Monday, November 30, 2009

Rain/Colbert Dance-off

Pacatrue reminded me of the Stephen Colbert show's episode with Rain from last year. The background on this, for those who missed it, is that last year Stephen Colbert came in 2nd behind Rain on Time's 100 most influential people in the world. So he challenged Rain to a dance off. Even if you don't like Rain, you gotta love this skit.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Rain Dance-Off
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorU.S. Speedskating

Ninja Assassin

Just saw Ninja Assassin this weekend. Bloody awful gorefest with some sickening violence that even made me flinch and squirm. But it was all worth it to watch Korean pop singing sensation Rain in his first Hollywood lead role of a major film. Da Man hit me a couple of times when my drooling and deep breathing got a little out of hand.



But then my friend sends me this picture of Rain at Dulles airport in DC.




I'm sure those flowers are for me...

Monday, November 23, 2009

Am in a Monty Python Mood

I remember watching Monty Python and the Flying Circus on PBS growing up. This was my absolute favorite sketch next to Spam and the Ministry of Silly Walks sketches. And I don't know what would have happened to my sense of humor if I had never seen The Holy Grail or Life of Brian. I wouldn't be half as funny without their influence.

Pete Dudley just linked me up to USAToday articles celebrating their 40th anniversary. Thanks Pete!

Congratulations to the Monty Python troupe for celebrating 40 years of the funniest shows and films ever made!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Lost in Inertia

For the past few months my blogging activity has been sporadic and my google reader has been set to 1000+ but is more accurately over 5,000 which makes me want to roll up into a fetal position and suck my thumb. I've not been really making rounds to my blogging buddies because it's been feeling a bit overwhelming. Too many posts to read. Too many people to see. Too many things to do. I should just overcome it and attack my google reader but inertia has set in.

So I've been pondering this, wondering what's going on. Used to be the highlight of my week was making the rounds and reading everyone's blog entries. And I know it isn't that I don't care anymore. I'm still intensely interested and I'll find myself clicking over for a quick read here and there. But I'm not commenting a lot, feeling like I don't have much to say. I'm just not as active as before and I don't know if it is laziness or something else.

The more I thought about it, the more I came to a realization that I'm feeling a bit lost. In part it's because I've been trapped in revision purgatory for a year, with this continual feeling of 1 step forward and 2 steps back. I just haven't had anything good to report in so very long. Yes I'll blog about something funny every once in awhile but making the rounds is a conversation. And my conversation has been one note. I can't even say I'm almost done or I hope to be done soon, because I've thought I've been done before and found that I wasn't.

So this is where I'm at. Not bad, but not great. Feeling trapped and wondering if I'll ever get free. Anyone else feel like this? Lost and a bit helpless? And it doesn't help that we are coming up on to the busy holiday season and the busy final season at school. Usually around this time I feel like I'm treading water and I know I'll be busy til the New Year. But until I can finally say I'm done revising and the MS goes back out on submission, I think I'm going to continue to feel trapped in limbo.

But it wasn't all bad. This revision process has been the greatest learning experience of my life. Working with my agent, my wonderful freelance editor, and my crit buddies, I've grown so much as a writer. My MS keeps getting better and better with each revision. I still love it. I can't even say I'm sick of it. I love it cause I basically created the kind of story that I want to read. Mythic, historic, magical, violent, brutal, tender, tragic and uplifting. I'm hoping that one day others will read it and love it too, but until that day, I just have to keep working.

Oldest had to work on her story for her 5th grade writing class the other day and she said to me, "Mom, revising is the hardest part of writing." I said, "You're absolutely right, but revising is where you take your lump of coal and polish out your beautiful diamond." I've been seeing my diamond shining through the coal. I still have a layer of black to polish through, but I know I'll make it. I just have to.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Random Funny Things My Kids Say - Part 35

http://acplteens.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/twilight-movie-poster-omfg.jpg
I finally caved to all of Oldest's pitiful pleading and allowed her to watch Twilight the movie. The caveat was she had to watch it with me. So I have to admit to finding the movie cheesy and entertaining all at the same time. I think it will be less painful than I thought to watch the next in the series. But there were several points in the plot that I could see Oldest getting squirmy.

Me: What's the matter?

Oldest: It's so much creepier to see it.

Me: See what?

Oldest: He's watching her as she sleeps and she doesn't even know it. That's so creepy. Plus he's wearing pink lipstick.

Me: Yeah, how embarrassing - especially the lipstick part. In fact, I think I have that exact lipstick shade. How embarrassing for me!

Oldest: I would hate having someone staring at me while I sleep. It's too weird and creey.

Me: Not to mention uncomfortable. What if you snore or fart in your sleep?

Oldest: Or pick your nose or scratch your butt or drool all over your pillow, like Angus.

(both of us begin to giggle madly before we are silent again.)

Oldest: Hey Mom, can you do me a favor?

Me: Yeah?

Oldest: Can you promise to never talk like this in front of my friends, ever?

Me: Oh no, are you saying I embarrass you now?

Oldest: Yes, but don't worry, you're not alone, all parents are embarrassing.

Me: I'm hurt.

Oldest: Get over it, you're a grown up.

Me: (sigh) And clearly so are you.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Random Funny Things My Mom Says - Part 3

I used to date a boy that worked in a pizza parlor.

Mom: Who are you going out with?

Me: Tom

Mom: Pizza boy?

Me (annoyed): At least he's Korean American. Dad threatened to disown me if I didn't date a Korean boy.

Mom: Yes. (long pause) But he's a pizza boy. Why can't you go out with a doctor or a lawyer or ... Well, a doctor or a lawyer.

Me: Sheesh, you're so prejudiced!

Mom: That's not true! I said a lawyer is ok! And you know everyone hates lawyers!

Me: Nice to know how you really feel about lawyers. (I was in law school at the time.)

Mom: They are an unnecessary evil.

Me: Uhhhhhhh, never mind.

Mom: You should have been a doctor.

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