sunnyside up!

(leave your worries on the doorstep)

catching up

So sorry to have neglected you, my three readers, for so long!  It’s been rather hectic, what with trying to get together our proposal for inclusion in this year’s GoodPitch at SILVERDOCS.  Between reviewing the trailer, drafting and redrafting the treatment, meeting with our lawyer, etc. there’s been little downtime, and what downtime I do find I spend researching the subject:  defending the teaching of evolution in American public school science classes.  I don’t think I need to tell you folks that unless something is done to improve the situation we can expect American children to grow up  greatly disadvantaged to compete in our ever-shrinking world.

Anyway, homework has included re-watching the NOVA episode, “Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial,” which recounts the recent landmark Kitzmiller v. Dover case in which U.S. District Court Judge Jones ruled: “Intelligent design is a thinly veiled attempt to introduce creationism into the public schools and as such violates the Establishment Clause separating state and religion.”

Also, this debate on evolution vs. creationism hosted by William F. Buckley in 1997 on his old “Firing Line” program.  Intensely interesting, but honestly it’s very difficult to watch such super-educated, high-IQ people deny the overwhelming evidence for evolution.  Makes you wonder if there’s any point in trying to debate.

Also, Dr. Kenneth Miller’s book, “Only a Theory.” Fascinating reading it really opened my eyes to the magnitude of the ignorance.

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AW has had time to work on her blog, Pixel Kitchen, as well as contributing posts to the Washington DC MetBlogs.  AW pointed me to this post in the Washingtonian about an “Irish-themed dinner for under $25” that feeds six, with recipes by an up-and-coming DC chef.  She knows I’m a frugal foodie!  My own frugality manifsted itself today in my using my overripe bananas and stale Italian bread to make this banana bread pudding.

the dept of everything else

Watched Obama address the Dept of the Interior today.  He jokingly reminded DOI staffers that the DOI is also known as the “Department of Everything Else.”  I visited the DOI a couple of years ago — I wanted a peek at the fabulous murals throughout the building.  To save myself the duplicate effort, let me point you to a trip report I posted on the Playa.Info forum, a site I pop into from time to time.

humble birthday bash

Yesterday was Paul’s birthday.  I didn’t have a gift or card — and spending money on anything extraneous is really out of the question now that I am officially living off my unemployment benefits: $405/week.  But I figured I could find an inexpensive box of chocolates at the Butcher Block, my local Irish grocery store.  I needed to head down there anyway, having eaten through all the Taytos during my insomnial episode earlier this week.  The trip paid off: the stock boy was swapping out the boxed chocolates regularly featured in the front of the store near the cash registers with the incoming Easter chocolates.  The BB always has great deals when they want to move inventory and I was able to pick up two Cadbury Flake “Moments” for $5 — they normally retail for $9/each.

Birthday dinner consisted of lasagne and a home-made apple pie (well, the pie-crust was left-over from the bag of frozen crusts I bought last week.  I didn’t mind the frozen crust as much with the apple pie as I did when I used one for the spinach quiche).  I  splurged and bought a quart of vanilla ice cream to go with the pie and we did have a lovely birthday dinner.  Also celebrating R Jr’s acceptance to Queens University of Charlotte.  I asked him how he felt about maybe going there, but he says he can’t really say until he sees the schools in Rome.

It turns out that R Jr. will be spending a full two weeks in Rome.  His school planned a last-minute, one-week  exchange with a Roman high school that falls the week after our trip.  Originally, we were planning on having him join  us in Ireland on our way back to the U.S., but now we’ll just extend the apartment rental so that he and his sister can have a mini Roman holiday before his classmates arrive.

memories: you’re talking about memories.

Walking around in a bit of a haze this morning.

I couldn’t sleep last night, and ended up watching Blade Runner on cable.  I have always loved this movie.  To me, the atmosphere of 2019 Los Angeles feels right: the weird climate (always raining, smog-filtered sun barely able to shine down through the ridiculously tall buildings and dense air traffic), the ethnic mix of Latino and Asian folks dominating the dirty and overcrowded L.A. streets, the incredible shoddiness and decrepitude of everything.  Despite all the amazing technologies on display in storefront cloning labs, L.A. still looks like a shithole.

The film is not about memory, but memories do figure into the plot.  Deckert, the blade runner (played by Harrison Ford) must identify and destroy some runaway replicants manufactured by the Tyrell Corporation.  The newest model replicants are implanted with memories which make them unaware of the truth of what they are.

Between Blade Runner – which is so depressing and fatalistic on so many levels — and the film I sat through earlier in the evening, Elia Kazan’s East of Eden, by 2:30 a.m. I found myself emotionally drained and yet all on edge at the same time. I could not stop crying and as a result I became all stuffy nosed and plain miserable.

If you haven’t seen it, East of Eden centers around an angst-ridden teenager (played by James Dean) trying to win his cold father’s approval and coming to terms with his mother’s being a big-time whorehouse operator.  Given the complicated developments surrounding my own family, this was probably not the best thing for me to be watching.  Chasing it with a midnight dose of Blade Runner was certainly a mistake.

It was 3 am before I decided to take one of the Lunesta I have stashed, and it was 3:30 before I could feel it taking affect.  I woke up this morning at 7:30 and I know that is not enough sleep when you’ve taken a pill.

I’m starting to realize that a lot of what I’m feeling must have to do with the fact that I’ll be an empty-nester soon.  So, maybe a few crying jags and a few sleepless nights are to be expected.  I will work on better ways to deal with it than staying up all night watching movies that make you question your existence, your humanity and your parental integrity.  I will certainly not make taking a sleeping pill a habit (note to self: more yoga).

Even if I’ve been dealing with things badly lately, I know for sure I’m dealing with them better than that certain someone who finds it necessary to start all over again with another child.

changing themes

Have I mentioned that I’m way into the WordPress thing?  I’ve decided that while I initially liked the layout of this theme (which is Typebased, designed by WooThemes), I’d prefer to display comments under each post.  I’m going to see if I can accomplish this by tweaking the theme rather than ditching it altogether. I only started studying the WordPress Codex regarding custom templates this morning. In addition to needing to tweak my blog I am also trying to craft some custom templates for NYWC.  My god — it’s just so flexible and beautiful it makes you want to cry!

So… this is just a warning that changes are coming… soon!