Not recommended for the light of heart....

So, I went and saw one of the Academy Award nominated films earlier this week.

It must've been slim pickings this year; either that, or they Academy just feels that they have to give George Clooney a nod for everything he does.

The Descendants, was boring and mildly irritating.
Frustrating even.

There were some cute moments, but overall the idea that a family could place so little value on another family members life - is mind blowing.

I get dysfunction, I get teenage angst -- I don't get a complete sense of disconnection.

And while George gave a mild and nice performance, I didn't see anything that was Academy Award material in anything outside of cinematography.

Am I alone in this school of thought?

Home sweet home....

You know what I love about my house?
That I have a big ol' jacuzzi in my bathroom.
Totally big enough for two adults.

Tonight, the Princess Petunia and I may indulge in it.  We do have a hot tub in our backyard, but truthfully I haven't had the opportunity to test the PH, and that's not something you can mess around with. 

So I have a glass of wine, and even though it's a jacuzzi and not a hot tub - the little one and I are going to relax inside of it.  Bathing suits in the house are perfectly acceptable, don't you agree?

Definitely a nice way to end the week.
Definitely.

Inna gadda da vida baby...

So, when the Patriots won this past Sunday - G and I toyed with getting tickets to go to the Superbowl.  We said we'd "definitely go" if they were in the Superbowl, but seriously - it's almost impossible to get tickets and a hotel for under $7k per person.  Per person!!!  It's really very hard to justify spending that kind of money to go.  I mean, it's not like it's in Miami or Tampa - where we have family to staycation with.   So, home we will be.... truth be told it will be more fun to watch here than freezing our butts off in Indy.  Or at least I keep trying to convince myself of that....

Today we had a private wine tasting with a former Patriot, Drew Bledsoe - and Chris Figgins of Leonetti & Figgins Wine.  Drew has a wine called Double Back, which was actually my second favorite wine of the day that we tasted.  It was at Grill 23 and the only thing that was a disappointment was that there was no lunch that was served.  Who books a tasting from 12-2 and doesn't serve lunch?!?

(G is much more photogenic than I am... and look how happy he is!  Truthfully, I wasn't much of a Bledose fan and was thrilled when Brady was put in from his first successful play on the field.  But, give credit where credit is due....Bledsoe was one hell of a QB. And quite the gracious mentor.  I just hated that he was constantly getting sacked.  But I digress....)

So the countdown to the Superbowl is on!
Are you partying that day?  And are you cooking....or ordering out?

Free your mind...and the rest will follow.

I'm really disenchanted with the Republican party these days.

It's not that I dislike our current President, because I don't; he's a very eloquent speaker, seemingly a kind and nice person - I just find him to be less than effective and not necessarily on the same page as I am on certain topics that are important to me at the moment.

Basically, my vote is up for grabs.  And there is no one that the Republican party has suggested that can really get me to say "okay, I'll go with you...".  

I don't trust Mitt Romney.  He's a flim flam, flip flop man.  Poll watcher, talking puppet, "let me tell them what they want to hear" kind of guy.  It's unfortunate too, because I liked when he was Governor of Massachusetts.  I believed in what he did, and I like that he's a conservative business guy financially because that's the type of person you need in a time of financial disarray.  However, he has completely changed his views on many social issues in order to get the nomination and that I have a very difficult time with.  Listen, I don't have to agree with everyone - but I can respect you if I believe that you believe in what you say.  I don't have respect for him because he wavers depending on who he's talking to. 

Newt Gingrich, I just don't respect.  'Nuff said.

Ron Paul.  Here, I struggle a bit.  If he wasn't so extremist he'd stand a shot because he's fiscally conservative and socially liberal,  (Hello Libertarian, totally my kind of concept!)  But unfortunately, he's so radical on many of his views that no one with any real brains can vote for him with the thought that he'll actually be President. 

Who is the other guy again?

Speaking of our President -- I completely and whole heartedly disagree with Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas on refusing to meet with the President yesterday.  First of all, that speech I assure you was not written by him; I doubt he would be able to put together political thoughts of such depth and clarity - and communicate them as such.  Secondly, this was not a political roundtable -- not the time nor the place to make a protest or stand.  It was a friendly, non-political gesture by the President to publicly acknowledge the team for winning the Cup.  Regardless of partisan lines, how do you not agree to disagree and accept the honor of being in the presence of a world leader?  We're not talking about Ahmadinejad here. 

Here's a concept:  maybe afford the opportunity at that time to voice your opinion, should the moment arise?  But to avoid the trip, release a corny and overblown press statement - well it just screams "overdramatic" to this girl.  But hey, you're the one that lost out....

Today's post is brought to you today by the actions of others.....

Inconsiderate
Insensitive.
Ignorant.

Self Centered.
Selfish.

Lazy.

Hi, I'm Rebecca, and I'm addicted to....

Reality television?!?!
No, not really.

But I AM enjoying a lot of guilty pleasure television.

I love, love, love MobWives.
I started watching it via On Demand, not realizing that the second season was starting; I started watching because my other guilty pleasure "Housewives of Beverly Hills" was taking a break between episodes, so I needed something to watch and the title caught my eye.  Well, hooked I was -- and literally, the day I finished the last episode I was happy to see a promo on VH1 that the second season was starting the following night!

Love my girl Drita.  She's someone I think I'd have really liked in "real life" if she was a Boston girl.  She's tough, but she's real.  There's no BS to her, no flies on her - and I just really, really like her.  She's basically the only reason why I watch the show.  She's probably the most "normal" of the bunch - though truly, are any of us really and honestly "normal"? 

Define normal and let's see if we can actually find someone who fits that bill.

Things that make you go "hmm???"

When did people start thinking it's okay to talk about another person that is in the room - as if they're not?  Especially when it's not positive conversation?

I'm not sure what kind of a difference one exit makes, but it blows me away the difference in the aggression of drivers just one exit further North on 93 from where I lived before.  It's like Russian Roulette pulling onto the highway now.  And road ragers....like nothing I'd ever seen before.  I swear I've almost been wiped out twice in the last week.

What part of no -- means yes?

A little bit of this....a little bit of that....

Yesterday I saw the first grown up movie I've seen in a long time.  And while it wasn't my first choice, it ended up being a very good choice.  "My week with Marilyn" was a very well done movie, and Michelle Williams gave the best portrayal of Marilyn Monroe that I have ever seen.   It was sort of like when watching "Walk the Line"...while Joaquim Phoenix doesn't neccessarily look exactly like Johnny Cash, he personafied him so well that at times, you could find yourself saying "my God, that's Johnny Cash!".  That's how good she was in this movie.  She really looked like her, and played her so incredibly well.  I definitely recommend it, and it was a refreshing change from the always overdone action movie, or contrived suspense thriller - or mindless "girl wants boy, girl loses boy, girl gets boy" romance movie.

So, we got our new washer and dryer today.  The LG HE front loaders in Cherry Red.  Oh yeah baby... I'm washing my first load in it as I type and I'm curious to see how clean the clothes look, smell and feel.  It's so weird because you barely see any water when it's washing!  And I'm dying to see how quiet the dryer is.  Thankfully, as soon as I finish this post, it should be ready to be switched over and I can see just how good it actually is.

I wonder why it is that my daughter just never seems to fall asleep easily at night?  Or wake up readily in the morning?  I suppose with two kids one of them was going to have a tough time with bedtime....why not her? 

I'm trying to grow my nails out on their own again.  No, I didn't write it as a resolution, I know....but I'm doing it anyway.   It's working thus far, I hope I can sustain from making a mess of them.  I hate being a slave to to acrylic manicures.

Today was day two for the kiddies in their new school - and they still love it.  We're feeling good about our decision to change school districts and we're pretty happy with what we're seeing thus far from not only our kids - but their feedback and impressions.  They've been warmly received and have made friends already - and that was our biggest concern.  We knew they were going to a better school system so education isn't the concern, outside of their following the rules with homework.  Social changes were the big concern and so it's great to hear that they're getting off on the right feet!
It definitely makes us feel better after they're dropped off in the morning!

Winning isn't everything....but wanting to win is.

So it's time to think of the New Year's Resolutions.  I don't have too many, but I am hoping to stick to them.

I always set attainable goals - and truly, they're actually things that I typically do anyway, but often lose sight of throughout the year.  So it's a good time to regroup and try to stay on track with them.  And then I always throw in something new.  It's good to shake it up - and it's always good to have something new to strive for.   It's all about personal growth -- these resolutions aren't just promises we make to ourselves for the sake of doing it; they're truly little self motivation goals to get us to feel better about ourselves.  We want to be better organized so we feel better after a long day at work....we want to lose weight so that we feel better when we see our reflections in the mirror.  We want to be comfortable in our skin, and there is always something that we can work on to improve ourselves and make that happen.

So without further adieu, here are my goals for the upcoming year.  Some will be followed, some unfortunately may not due to a lack of time.  But they are on my radar and I hope to accomplish them at least some of the time....

1.  Back to my yoga mat.  Twice to three times a week - no excuses without injury.
2.  Back to running in the spring - but until then, the elliptical, three times a week.
3.  Complete the Spartan Race in August.
4.  Start a small book club to meet at my house monthly. I need to read more, and I'm completely overwhelmed on what to pick when I go to Barnes and Noble. ( My house because a.) it takes the pressure off everyone else, and b.) I don't always have time to go to other people's houses, but I always have time to have people here! )
5.  Practice more patience

It's just another New Year's Eve...another night like all the rest. But when we're through, this New Year's Eve -will be the best.

A toast to the year that has just passed - and a welcome to the one rolling in....

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”

Prior to raising my glass this year, I gave some thought and reflection to the year gone by.
It was better than the previous year...but hopefully not as wonderful as the one to come.

Alot was accomplished, both personally and professionally - though this year, I prefer to have less balls juggling at once.

On a personal level, continuing my journey of self awareness, my own personal spirtuality, and the constant growth as a parent are the key goals to this upcoming year.  While I'm always growing as a parent, my own interests and goals waned a bit.  I put them on the back burner and I think everyone suffered as a result.  My patience level is lower, my optomism waned (yes, even me with the rose colored glasses felt frustrated and less than optomistic from time to time) and I felt less than energized overall.  So to focus on a little more time for me to find center and balance is win-win for all.

Life is a journey, not a destination; and that couldn't be any more true.
I love the journey that I'm on - even when it doesn't exactly go the way I'd hoped at times.  And every day is another day to have a good day.

The same goes for the new year.
It's a clean slate, a fresh start and a new time.
And while we get a new chance each morning, there's something about the psychology of a new year that makes us feel as if we can accomplish anything.

And I raise my glass tonight to celebrate not only my own goals - but yours as well.