I won't.
You're welcome.
I wrote her back and shared the advice that I gave Mrs. Dandy last September - then realized that Peanut is now almost a year old! Unbelievable! And he is so cute, can I just tell you? You should go check out her blog and see. And if you have a baby of your own, you should also check out her baby food blog. I wish it had been around when The Kid was small!
Speaking of The Kid, I'll update you. It's been summer vacation, so not much has gone on of course, but some stuff has.
What The Kid Has Been Doing
Thing one... Derby is now at an end, at least for now. After a particularly nasty, tailbone-jarring fall, we decided it was time to pursue other options. She really loves skating, and Derby culture, but she'll have to be involved some other way - maybe being a ref! Stay tuned, I will *definitely* update you about that sometime within a year of its occurrence.
Thing two... LEARNER'S PERMIT. She has her learner's permit. Holy crap. It's cool, too, and way different than when I was her age! It's a real photo ID, the only difference being that it's sideways for easy spotting of the under-21 crowd. She hasn't been able to practice for a couple of weeks due to my car being in the shop, but yeah. Learner's permit.
Thing three... She's officially dying her hair now. She chose a color called "pomegranate" that actually really suits her. She was always meant to be a redhead I suppose, because even her eyebrows don't give her away. The only tell that she's not a natural redhead is the terrible, terrible streaky coloring that is result of her mother dying her hair for her.
Next time we'll go to a salon. Know thyself.
Other Updates From Mimi's World
I mentioned the car was in the shop. That's because I got rear-ended. In true Mimi fashion, however, I didn't just get rear-ended, I got rear-ended TWICE IN THREE SECONDS. *sigh*
Long story short, I stopped for a fire truck, and the people behind me did not, at least not without my assistance.
The car's almost done at last (3 weeks later), and I'm not paying for any of it thankfully, and nobody was hurt which is most important of all, but still. I am seriously skittish, too, although it's getting better all the time. It doesn't help that I'm driving a beast of a rental. It's sort of grown on me (Ford Edge) but still, it's huge, and apparently at night I have shields up which prevent others from seeing me. Awesome.
Let's see, what else...
TR was away for 3 weeks seeing the final Shuttle launch (amazing) and U2 in Nashville. I got to see them in May, which was amazing. I'd never seen them live before...if you have the chance, try to catch them!
Anyway, while he was gone I watched his cats and house for him. It was weird being in the house without him there, more so than it was when I watched the cats at the apartment. Still, on a hot Saturday it was nice to hang in his cool downstairs, and he very sweetly ordered us remote dinner. The cats were happy, we were well fed, and the house felt full.
This whole summer I've been taking that Intro to Film Arts class I mentioned a few posts back. It's been interesting; the in-class experience has had its positives and negatives, but all in all I will be glad to get back to online-only. My time table is just too weird for the rigidity of Every Tuesday At 6.
Things I've Learned In Film Class
Week 1: Thomas Edison was a bit of a jerk (poor Georges Melies). DW Griffith was a genius, but bat-shit crazy.
Week 2: King Vidor was ahead of his time, but so was everyone else. How did they come up with this stuff?? Vidor, though, was daring.
Week 3: Musicals are still fantastic, and more influential than I realized. We watched Singin' In The Rain, one of my absolute favorites.
Week 4: Orson Welles. You've heard it before, but now I really see it - Citizen Kane was unbelievable! He did things in that film that I'm not sure people have had the dedication to do much since.
Week 5: Russian film after the revolution was terrifying and brilliant and I wanted to see more. We watched The Cranes Are Flying, and all agreed that while we understood the reasons behind the ending, we were way too Westernized to like it much.
Week 6: Television and post-war America radically changed the game, for the better I think, but that's just my opinion. We watched Good Night and Good Luck, which made me angry in all the best ways.
Week 7: German Expressionism has always been hard for me to watch, it's so nightmarish, but now I know why... that was totally the point! Their goal was to be as far from normal as you could get. Nosferatu was weird enough that I still remember the last scene playing on a TV when I was pretty little. Also, Italian Neorealism was really depressing. We watched Bicycle Thieves, which made me really anxious the whole time. I hate chaos in my own life, I can't stand watching it in others' lives. Italian movies always seemed so strange - ever seen Suspiria? - and the reason is that they overdub everything! Fellini was still doing it in the 70s.
Week 8: French New Wave is so far up its own ass I'm amazed they even got enough lighting to finish anything. I appreciate their significance, but... We watched Hiroshima Mon Amour, and I never ever need to see it again. Gah. I get it and everything, but... No.
Week 9: Japanese film is sad even when it's trying to be happy. I think it's the lighting. We watched The Most Beautiful, filmed right before the end of WWII. Kurosawa really was amazing.
Week 10 is tomorrow, the final one for the course. We'll be discussing digital cinema, and watching what from all accounts is a seriously uncomfortable film by Spike Lee, Bamboozled.
The thing I've appreciated most in the whole class is the slice-of-life that old films gave. I hated that French New Wave crap, but it was cool to see glimpses of 1960's Paris. It was amazing to watch the "phantom rides," which were some of the earliest pieces of film, and see Georgetown, Colorado circa 1903. (It looks almost the same, which is interesting.) Even the depressing Italian and Japanese pieces were entrancing because without film we'd only be reading about those places and times.
Film is like time travel that way.
You can see the Georgetown Loop here: CLICK ME!
So yeah! That's what's going on in my world.
Coming Soon
Perhaps a little travel. Could my passport finally get broken in? Maybe!
School continues - Intro to Literature and Intro to Art. I like starting from the beginning with these - as I learned with the English Comp classes, it's not just writing, it's learning how to write for academia in particular. I need to talk to an adviser and make sure I'm taking the right stuff, of course, but it's still early. I waffle now and again on my idea for an English degree, but then I remember all the notes I proof-read in grade school. I was born to edit!
The Kid is starting Sophomore year. Spanish and Art will be new subjects for her this year, and I think she'll really enjoy them!
I'm still on Twitter, by the way... follow me there! Emilio Estevez does, and so should you. No I'm not kidding. Two-Bit is following me, and possibly mocking my pants!
Happy Monday...
