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First off, it's humid as balls out there. I don't mind heat too much but between humidity and bugs summer and I don't much get along. :P
Despite this, yesterday and today managed to be good and productive and fun. It may also have been full of the instaspam. Starting to wonder if this iPhone nonsense was a huge mistake - I swear half my posts across various social media is just Instagrams. I'm kind of ashamed, lol. On the other hand part of the whole reason I wanted this damn thing was so I could take pictures willy nilly. Careful what you wish for, I guess.
But anyway. The weekend, in pictures, where applicable:
Lil'Beast, as always, wanted to go to the Jones Library. Kidzilla, not so much. Understandable because all Lil'Beast wants to do is hang out by the train table in the kids room and being 8 (going on 14 I swear sometimes), it's a bit of a young crowd for her. So we split the party, and she and I walked up North Pleasant Street instead, where I introduced her to The Toy Box (my second favorite local toy store behind A2Z) and then both of us decided to check out Glazed, the new doughnut shop in the Carriage shops.
That perspective is only a wee bit forced; that monstrous cinnamon bun was about as big around as her face. And yes, we split it. And OH MY GOD that may well have been the best cinnamon bun I have had in my LIFE. We met up with the gentlemen at FroyoWorld, where more sugar and photogenic kid moments ensued.
After Froyoworld, it was off to Cinemark for Monsters University. I was unsure what to expect, as it was the first time all four of us have gone to the movies, but Lil'Beast, other than one instance of forgetting where he was and starting to chatter at his sister, behaved himself admirably. As for the movie, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Monsters Inc is not my favorite pixar movie and other than the second and third Toy Storys their track record with sequels is kinda ehh, but I was thoroughly charmed by MU. It managed to be a prequel without seeming like one (the callbacks to the original movie were there, but not oversold, and the final tie in to the original movie was handled a fantastic montage right before the credits), and for being a G-rated kids cartoon, I thought it captured the utter ridiculousness life descends into your first year of college rather well. I also found myself charmed by the fictional Greek organizations of MU, and unsurprisingly was rather taken with the sisters of HSS to the point where I was looking up merch for them upon arriving home. May need at least a t-shirt, lol. Why don't goth sororities exist IRL?
In terms of surprises, I left the movie caring and rooting for Mike Wazowski by the end of the film as opposed being irritated by his character in Monsters Inc. I do feel like the two movies work well as companion pieces - while Monsters Inc is very much Sully's story, Monsters University is wholly Mike's and by the end you not only know why he is the way he is in the original movie, but it makes him far more sympathetic.
While Monsters University. was a solid, enjoyable bit of entertainment, I was utterly blown away by the short that preceded it, The Blue Umbrella. First of all, it is gorgeously photorealistic. Second, it it yet another example of the CURSE YOU PIXAR FOR MAKING ME CARE ABOUT INANIMATE OBJECTS AND THEIR FEELINGS phenomenon. Lastly... I was impressed that they managed to get an entire adorable little love story out of a giant excuse to play with pareidolia. I love that there's a word for the quirk of seeing faces in everything, because I do that, especially on highways with the taillights of cars and certain kinds of center median road lights. And this is an adorable movie all about that! Eee. (i might have cried at the end.)
Post movie![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cell23 managed to coax Lil'Beast into getting a haircut while Kidzilla and I went to Claires, where we both got earrings (clips for her), and then we went home and had dinner at Frontier. Not a bad opening to Summer Vacation at all. And eee, hot dog earrings.
Oh and hey, Lil'Beast has ears! I forgot! I hadn't seen 'em in so long!
Today was significantly lazier (and hotter) but some productiveness was accomplished in that I finally managed to get to Annies to get gardeny stuff and spent about an hour or so putting in the truncated version of this year's garden. The two big pots are now home to cherry tomato plants (one black, one red) with a companion planting of purple basil. The basil in the window boxes are also back, though since I'm starting it from seed it's gonna be a while before it looks like anything in either location. I also now have habanero starters in one hanging basket and have sown pea plants in the other.
Meanwhile Spidey and the strawberry plant are recovering nicely from their frost scare a couple months ago.
So yeah, not nearly as ambitious as I planned w/r/t green things, but I am working on limited time and money this year. Just glad I have something in finally, and I await with baited breath the emergence of the basil and the peas.
Today continued to win - work on the Giant Bead Thing progresses, and I made a pretty decent pasta salad which passed muster with both picky kids. I did kinda want to get to the Mutton & Mead Festival this year, but ultimately I'm glad the kids didn't want to go - cell23's car is making a hideous grindy noise when braking lately and we've opted for keeping her off the road for now until we can get it looked at. Besides, with them here for a few extra days, I'm already hemhorraging money, and a ren faire on top of that would have just been overdraft central. So... next year. I'm good with that. Am now chilling and resting a wee bit on my laurels (and having some ice cream while I do so) before I run around the bedroom and pick it up a bit before Mysterious Work Stuff needs to happen tomorrow, but right now... breathing and happy that the past couple days have been the proverbial Good Days as preached by Ice Cube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ_jDNXN8U4
Despite this, yesterday and today managed to be good and productive and fun. It may also have been full of the instaspam. Starting to wonder if this iPhone nonsense was a huge mistake - I swear half my posts across various social media is just Instagrams. I'm kind of ashamed, lol. On the other hand part of the whole reason I wanted this damn thing was so I could take pictures willy nilly. Careful what you wish for, I guess.
But anyway. The weekend, in pictures, where applicable:
Lil'Beast, as always, wanted to go to the Jones Library. Kidzilla, not so much. Understandable because all Lil'Beast wants to do is hang out by the train table in the kids room and being 8 (going on 14 I swear sometimes), it's a bit of a young crowd for her. So we split the party, and she and I walked up North Pleasant Street instead, where I introduced her to The Toy Box (my second favorite local toy store behind A2Z) and then both of us decided to check out Glazed, the new doughnut shop in the Carriage shops.
That perspective is only a wee bit forced; that monstrous cinnamon bun was about as big around as her face. And yes, we split it. And OH MY GOD that may well have been the best cinnamon bun I have had in my LIFE. We met up with the gentlemen at FroyoWorld, where more sugar and photogenic kid moments ensued.
After Froyoworld, it was off to Cinemark for Monsters University. I was unsure what to expect, as it was the first time all four of us have gone to the movies, but Lil'Beast, other than one instance of forgetting where he was and starting to chatter at his sister, behaved himself admirably. As for the movie, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Monsters Inc is not my favorite pixar movie and other than the second and third Toy Storys their track record with sequels is kinda ehh, but I was thoroughly charmed by MU. It managed to be a prequel without seeming like one (the callbacks to the original movie were there, but not oversold, and the final tie in to the original movie was handled a fantastic montage right before the credits), and for being a G-rated kids cartoon, I thought it captured the utter ridiculousness life descends into your first year of college rather well. I also found myself charmed by the fictional Greek organizations of MU, and unsurprisingly was rather taken with the sisters of HSS to the point where I was looking up merch for them upon arriving home. May need at least a t-shirt, lol. Why don't goth sororities exist IRL?
In terms of surprises, I left the movie caring and rooting for Mike Wazowski by the end of the film as opposed being irritated by his character in Monsters Inc. I do feel like the two movies work well as companion pieces - while Monsters Inc is very much Sully's story, Monsters University is wholly Mike's and by the end you not only know why he is the way he is in the original movie, but it makes him far more sympathetic.
While Monsters University. was a solid, enjoyable bit of entertainment, I was utterly blown away by the short that preceded it, The Blue Umbrella. First of all, it is gorgeously photorealistic. Second, it it yet another example of the CURSE YOU PIXAR FOR MAKING ME CARE ABOUT INANIMATE OBJECTS AND THEIR FEELINGS phenomenon. Lastly... I was impressed that they managed to get an entire adorable little love story out of a giant excuse to play with pareidolia. I love that there's a word for the quirk of seeing faces in everything, because I do that, especially on highways with the taillights of cars and certain kinds of center median road lights. And this is an adorable movie all about that! Eee. (i might have cried at the end.)
Post movie
cell23 managed to coax Lil'Beast into getting a haircut while Kidzilla and I went to Claires, where we both got earrings (clips for her), and then we went home and had dinner at Frontier. Not a bad opening to Summer Vacation at all. And eee, hot dog earrings.Oh and hey, Lil'Beast has ears! I forgot! I hadn't seen 'em in so long!
Today was significantly lazier (and hotter) but some productiveness was accomplished in that I finally managed to get to Annies to get gardeny stuff and spent about an hour or so putting in the truncated version of this year's garden. The two big pots are now home to cherry tomato plants (one black, one red) with a companion planting of purple basil. The basil in the window boxes are also back, though since I'm starting it from seed it's gonna be a while before it looks like anything in either location. I also now have habanero starters in one hanging basket and have sown pea plants in the other.
Meanwhile Spidey and the strawberry plant are recovering nicely from their frost scare a couple months ago.
So yeah, not nearly as ambitious as I planned w/r/t green things, but I am working on limited time and money this year. Just glad I have something in finally, and I await with baited breath the emergence of the basil and the peas.
Today continued to win - work on the Giant Bead Thing progresses, and I made a pretty decent pasta salad which passed muster with both picky kids. I did kinda want to get to the Mutton & Mead Festival this year, but ultimately I'm glad the kids didn't want to go - cell23's car is making a hideous grindy noise when braking lately and we've opted for keeping her off the road for now until we can get it looked at. Besides, with them here for a few extra days, I'm already hemhorraging money, and a ren faire on top of that would have just been overdraft central. So... next year. I'm good with that. Am now chilling and resting a wee bit on my laurels (and having some ice cream while I do so) before I run around the bedroom and pick it up a bit before Mysterious Work Stuff needs to happen tomorrow, but right now... breathing and happy that the past couple days have been the proverbial Good Days as preached by Ice Cube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ_jDNXN8U4
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-06-24 01:57 am (UTC)From:It was 90F and humid here, too. Boooo, Midwest.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-24 03:22 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-06-24 04:24 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-06-24 11:18 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-06-27 04:08 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-06-27 04:51 am (UTC)From:On the other, $$$ = woe.
Verdict: Blargh for you. At least it's an easily fixable problem?
no subject
Date: 2013-06-24 03:07 pm (UTC)From:LOVE the hot dog earrings. :)
We just watched Monsters Inc today (my first time seeing it) because we want to see MU next weekend. :) I saw MI and then shortly after, saw a commercial for MU and wow, the animation has come a long way in 12 years.