Dear Blogger,

While I do adore you and your cute polka dots, I am sorry to tell you that I am going to have to move on. So this is it. Goodbye, Blogger. It's been real.

You can visit me now at:

www.sliceofpink.com

There just comes a time when you've gotta go fancy.

Love,
J

Movie Mania

It's Spring Break and we are on a movie binge. We don't usually go see movies and we don't have cable TV, so we miss almost everything that comes out. I made a list of everything that I wanted to see and we got some deal at Blockbuster in which we can check out as many movies as we want in April for the bargain price of $10. We've seen Motorcycle Diaries, Closer, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Supersize Me, and Garden State. We saw Because of Winn-Dixie and Be Cool at the theater. So far, every movie has been good. How often does that happen?

Today we are taking a break from the TV to go to some museums. But tonight, it's back to Blockbuster. I want to see Maria Full of Grace and Will wants to see Friday Night Lights.

Any other suggestions?

Our Crowning Glory

As most of you know, I am an adult adviser for an awesome youth organization, The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. We just returned home from our 5 day annual convention in Fresno, Ca. I was so inspired by one of the events that I thought I'd share it here.

Last year, the Rainbow girls were asked to start growing out their hair for Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that makes wigs for children with long-term medical hair loss.

So the girls (and many adults) started growing their locks and in the last few weeks they have gone from having long, flowing manes to short, cropped hairdos. Some people had their hair cut prior to coming to the convention, and brought their hair in plastic baggies. Some had their hair cut as part of the "Locks of Love Hair Cutting Extravaganza."

At the appointed time, all those having their hair cut formed a giant heart on the convention center floor. The Guinness Book of World Records was present to document the event and see if it qualifies for a place in the Book of Records. The people who had their hair cut at the convention did not have professional hair dressers doing the job. Best friends, mothers, sisters, and daughters yielded the scissors that cut the hair into misshapen and uneven bobs.



They originally planned on 85 people having their hair cut on the floor, but people began pouring out of the stands to join the extravaganza. In the end, about 135 people cut their hair as part of the extravaganza.



Before the additional 50 or so people joined the crowd, they totaled the hair at 4,709 inches valued at $276,500. There is not yet a count that includes those 50 additional donors.





Isn't this incredible? 4 of my girls donated hair. I'm thinking about having my hair cut into a smart little bob and donating some of my own hair to the cause. What do you think? Does short hair suit me?

Messy Closets

"It's an irony that with house sizes nearly doubling since the 50s, and family sizes being smaller, you have the enormous rise of commercial self storage."

--John de Graaf, Seattle based producer of the PBS documentary Affluenza

In Which I Yell in Capital Letters

The Schiavo Case is really, really, really, really, really on my nerves.

People are outraged. People are picketing. The news is plastered with Schaivo updates. This is some serious stuff. This is critical.

Here's why this is making me angry:

Every year 15 million children die of hunger.

One in twelve people worldwide is malnourished, including 160 million children under the age of 5.

One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.

Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger.

It is estimated that some 800 million people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition, about 100 times as many as those who actually die from it each year.

Where is the hoopla for the 160 million undernourished children? Where are the non-stop, breaking news stories on the 10 people who died of hunger since you've been reading this? Where are the picketers for the 1/3 of the world that is starving?

Does Jeb Bush have his team of lawyers scouring the books to find a way to save the children?

To continue with the pukefest:

For Methodist minister Robert Schenk, who's kept a steady vigil outside Schiavo’s hospice, religion is the central theme of this debate. His side says the focus should be on saving human life.

WHAT IS MR. SCHENK DOING TO SAVE THE STARVING CHILDREN? HUH? WHY DOESN'T HE FOCUS ON SAVING THAT HUMAN LIFE?

Why? Because, it isn't news worthy. Mr. Schenk and all his fundamentalist cronies want to be where the issue is. Not to be confused with where the publicity is. Money is. TV spotlight interview is. Riiiiiight.

Latte Art

Round Up Again

I am home, exhausted, and counting the days until spring break (7). The convention I attended was fantastic and I will post photos as soon as I have a chance to upload.

I am assigned to bring a salad to Easter Sunday. I think I am going to bring a simple Insalata Caprese, which is one of my favorite foods ever, ever, ever. Yum!

In the 5 days I was gone, Carrie created a whole barrel of monkeys!



Happy 40th Birthday Sarah Jessica Parker! I think she is just fa.bu.lous.



TGIF. XO.

Round Up

I'll be out of town, without my computer, for 5 long days. No internet. No email. I'll miss my husband most, of course, but I'll miss my iBook second.

Diversions:
S. Britt
A Dancer's Journal
Vintage Hair Archives

Calendar These Fun Things:
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at UCLA. This year the festival will be held April 23rd and 24th. Celebrate books through readings, signings, lectures, music, demonstrations, discussions, and of course--shopping! Plus you can get Diddy Riese in Westwood after the festival.

The Brewery Art Walk is May 14th and 15th this year. Artists open their studios (and homes!) to guests at the "world's largest art colony" and it is a lot of fun. Plus, I should point out, they serve yummy polish sausages for lunch.

Dip Is It, Part II

My mother is bugging me to go to a family reunion next weekend. She sends me this email:

I really hope you and Will make it out to the reunion. There are so many members of our family that have never met you. My cousin is coming from Canada, and your uncle is coming from Florida. There will be about 40 people or more all related.

Okeedokee. So I am going to the family reunion. I am only going to know 4 people at this whole shindig, which is just fine. I can work a room. I can mingle with 36 strangers. I'm a pro at this actually, with years of mingling practice. It'll be like a bad Chamber of Commerce mixer:

"Nice to meet you, too!" (Fake smile)
"Uh-huh" (Acting interested)
"Really?" (I am soooooooo very intrigued by everything you are saying....)

My main question in regards to all this hoopla is: How important could these people possibly be if I lived a quarter of a century without ever even knowing their names? In fact, as I write this, I couldn't tell you one of the 40 or more related people that will supposedly be present (except the Canadian cousin and uncle from Florida).

My other main questions is: Will there be chips and dip? And will it be good dip? Not that bullshit store-bought ranch dip in a tub. I'm talking about 7-layer dip. Onion dip. Homemade guacamole.

I can deal with the not-really-family family. What I cannot deal with is bad dip.