This kind of says it all for me today...

"I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty." - Imelda Marcos

Giving up the Gossip

Heath Ledger's death. So sad. So very sad. I don't know much about him and have only seen a few of his movies (hey, I was pregnant when Brokeback Mountain came out and could barely handle the emotion of the previews, let alone sit through the movie...I did read the short story it is based on though, so there!) , but look at him (right). If anything, a beautiful specimen. I mean, look at that smile.

I've always had an intense aversion and fear of drugs and now that I'm a mom, it freaks me out even more to hear of young people with young kids dying, particularly in a way that might have been prevented somehow. Not that I'm particularly young, but oy vey. I think of my son and the heartbreak the world has in store for him. So, on that downer note, I'm trying not to read too much about it as I know that the truth won't ever really be known…and everyone has their own perspective…particularly the media.

I've been thinking about the media and our consciousness a lot and I just read a thought-provoking post on a blog I read about Ambien and I tend to agree with Maggie. I too, am "having a hard time believing that it's possible to "accidentally" take a lethal overdose of Ambien." And, I didn't realize so many folks were having such a hard time getting to sleep, but it I can't say it surprises me.

I think all the media that we're exposed to is a major culprit. Jonathan and I gave up TV just over a year ago and that (combined with getting treatment for our sleep apnea--another post waiting to be written) has given us a much better quantity and quality of sleep…even with a toddler in the house. I never thought I'd be able to do it as I love entertainment in general, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Occasionally, I catch an episode of Grey's Anatomy or Ugly Betty, but really, internet TV viewing is very unreliable and who can go to sleep after an episode like this anyway? We sleep more, talk more, and see movies we couldn't get around to watching when we had TV. We average about one DVD viewing a week and don't really miss the TV…or the commercials. In fact, I can always tell when he's been spending too much time zoning out on his computer…he starts sleeping poorly.

We're well on our way to being totally uncool.

So, this train of thought brought me back again to one of my current goals: to avoid gossip.

It has been just over two days since I clicked on Perez Hilton and boy, have I missed it. I used to be a magazine addict and I substituted magazines with daily visits to PH's site in hopes of saving a little cash and consuming less paper. Granted, I learned about some great music via Perez (Amy Winehouse, James Morrison, etc.) but the negativity and highlighting of a lot of society's ills via the doings of various celebrities…well, it was starting to get to me. The tragic, minute-by-minute updates on Britney Spears were getting toxic (pun intended, but seriously), to say the least. So, I chose to remove the site from my bookmarks and go cold turkey.

This decision happened to coincide with my "reading" (listening to the book on CD) The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz. The first Agreement is to "Be Impeccable With Your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love." I'm betting that Perez is not kosher. Oh, well. If I gave up TV, I can give up Perez and hopefully, someday, gossip.

"So. Damn. Talented."

Sometimes, I just have to click on this during my workday. It makes me smile.

Xander Loves Chili

Poor Chili! What cat wants a two year-old toddler in love with her. Not our cat!

Okay, he doesn't really love Keyser Söze...

...but he did say that he did. Really. Just the other day, while he was playing with his trains, he said to himself, "I love Keyser Söze." I think he just likes the way it sounds. He is only two, after all. He's also saying, "California" and "somebody's house" when we drive past houses. He seems to be using his imagination and forming opinions: when his dad drive he often says, "whoa! Slow down puffing down care, daddy!" (a Thomas and Friends reference). This is not to say that his father driving too fast is in his imagination.

So, when trying to think of a name for my blog, Xander saying, "I love Keyser Söze" kept coming back to me. It cracks me up. I have no idea if I can change the name of this blog later. I am a novice blogger. So, there it is.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering, how in the heck does a two year-old know about Keyser Söze? Or even, what the heck is a Keyser Söze? Well, Keyser Söze is a character in one of the best films ever, The Usual Suspects. If you haven't seen it, you should. I think Xander knowing the name, comes from our (read: Jonathan's) twisted humor. Xander, can you say, Hyundai Entourage? Xander, can you say, antidisestablishmentarianism? Xander, can you say, Keyser Söze?