Mr. Blue Sky Vs. The Monsters Under the Bed

Minion: So what's the plan, sir?

Megamind: I have no idea!

After the little one went to bed at just before 8:30, Dan and I started watching Megamind. I don't always like computer animated movies, but this is one of my favorites. Funny and sweet, the bad guy decides to do the right thing and changes for the right reasons.

Megamind movie poster, from Wikipedia, here.

ELO's Mr Blue Sky is featured in Megamind. ELO made a new video for it last year, in 2012 for some reason - the original came out in 1977. I've always liked it and have always thought I heard a dog panting in the song. Having seen the new video, either I'm right about the dog, or the animator mis-hears the same thing, because a doggie is animated in at just the right spot. Sweet, right? 

2012 ELO Mr. Blue Sky

The previous video of Mr Blue Sky was a more straightforward performance piece by ELO. From the marvellous and much-missed era of huge 'fros and rockin' mullets, it's neat, but in a different way.

Original video, ELO, Mr. Blue Sky

About an hour after we started watching the film, the little one came down crying. Fast forward another 40 minutes, and we sent her back to bed, still a little upset, but mostly calm. Now I'm upset, too.

Mr. Blue you did it right
But soon comes Mr. Night
Creepin' over, now his hand is on your shoulder
Never mind, I'll remember you this, I'll remember you this way
Lyrics from Mr. Blue Sky by ELO

She couldn't sleep because today at school, when she had a moment to read, she picked up a book called More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (link goes to the Amazon page for the book). Tonight, in bed, she had plenty of time to think about the stories, and when she came down, she was terrified. I have the feeling that she may have picked this particular book up because it has a horse on the cover. She loves horses.

I'm actually not upset about the book. In spite of the title, it seems to be age-appropriate, from what I can see. It simply was not "our child" age-appropriate, but the teacher would have had no way of knowing. Additionally, I'm not one for censorship. Still, I know my child, and could have foreseen this. But I wasn't there. And she wasn't here.

For half an hour or so, we talked to her, and I held her & her pony and gave her tight hugs. Dan told her about a scary movie he'd seen when he was little (he'd seen Jaws) and how he'd had a hard time sleeping when he saw it, but how now he knows that movies and books can't hurt us. When she was calm, but still a little worried, we sent her to bed.

Jaws movie poster, from Wikipedia, here.

Normally, when she's scared, we'd sit up and talk and maybe find another book to read or do something to replace the scary ideas she has swirling around in her mind. We'd take the time until the issue was resolved, even if it took a while.

But we can't sit up for another hour or so.

Sending her to her room is a rude reminder of what "going to school" means.

Hey, you with the pretty face
Welcome to the human race
Lyrics from Mr. Blue Sky by ELO

She has to get up early in the morning for school, and I had to tell her that she had to go back and try to sleep.

Now I'm sitting here, sad and frustrated that I couldn't do everything I felt called to do because of time constraints. We did what we needed to do to calm her and get her back in bed and hopefully  to sleep. With school looming,  though, there is no time to find stories to give her new things to think about, or to have a talk about why we sometimes like scary things and how they aren't always bad.

She asked to stay home tomorrow, right before she went back to her room, and I had to say "no". School is something to fully commit to and attendance is important.

I desperately wanted to say yes.

Taking the time to talk and spend time with her and to fix things is how we've always done things. We both miss that right now.

I feel like crying, and I didn't even read a scary book.

The Friday Five from The Women's Colony...

...coming to you live, on Saturday morning. 

We had a pretty quiet week after a bustling, super-busy Halloween weekend. As soon as I'm feeling a bit better, I'll post photos of the costume I made for Clementine. It took much longer than normal to make, the better part of a week, mostly because I felt so icky. October 31st is Clementine's birthday as well as Halloween, and this was the first year we've let her go to more than just the two or three houses in our immediate neighborhood. For the first time, we allowed her (with Dan as her brave escort, of course) to trick or treat at a few dozen houses. For all those reasons, I really wanted to make her costume special.

Used with permission, by seiyastock, from Morguefile^

I've been sick for about a month, with coughing, a sinus infection, an earache; just feeling terrible. I've gone to bed early most nights, exhausted. I ended up going in to the doctor on Thursday morning after I just couldn't justify trying to say that "it'll get better" when it wasn't. Turns out, it's a sinus/bronchial infection. I'm now on antibiotics, and feel some better already. I need to remind myself that when I'm sick, the doctor is my friend.

 Used with permission, by ppdigital, from Morguefile^

Tonight, after dinner, Dan and I watched a movie on Netflix streaming. In the last few months, we've developed a habit of watching bad sci-fi/monster movies on Friday night. Tonight's feature film was Snake Island^, starring William Katt ( the actor from the awesome 1981 series, Greatest American Hero). People stranded on island full of snakes, snakes pick people off one by one. In the end, only the few people who seemed to be decent folk are left. It was pretty much ok as those things go, unless you're ophidiophobic (hate snakes). 'Cause this movie had snakes. Lots and lots of snakes. And lots and lots of bad acting. Sssssss.

Used with permission, by penywise from Morguefile^

Luckily, neither of us fear snakes. I fear clowns (coulrophobia), so I avoid circuses, and try to live a life that doesn't include day-to-day contact with brightly painted creepy people :)

 Used with permission, by mconnors from Morguefile^

Giant from the Unknown^ was our second movie of the evening. Filmed in 1958, in black and white,, it was about an archaeologist father and his daughter who were looking for the bodies of a evil giant who had been part of a Spanish conquistador expedition into California in the 1600's. They're joined by another man, I think he was a scientist of some sort. They eventually dig up the skeleton of the giant, who is then promptly reanimated by a lightening bolt. The giant rants and raves, kills a couple of people, and generally terrorizes the tiny mountain town until they kill it. It was about what you'd expect, i.e., I loved it. 

 Used with permission, by ladyheart from Morguefile^

Mostly, I love it because it gives us a chance to sit together, chat, and just "be" with each other. It's nice to have a weekly date to spend special time with my love. I can't wait until next week.


Without further adieu, the Friday Five from the Women's Colony^:

Used with permission, by alvimann, from Morguefile^

1. Are you a morning or a night person?

Night person. But I bet you guessed that, since I'm writing this at 3:49 AM. Actually, this is late even for me. I wouldn't be up now normally, but I feel better sitting up than laying down.

Used with permission, by wax115, from Morguefile^

2. You’re having dinner with friends. They all start gossiping about another friend of yours. What do you do?

Ask them to stop, possibly correcting anything said that I know to be wrong.

Used with permission, by clarita, from Morguefile^

3. What is the worst job you've ever had?

I don't know. I don't think I've ever really hated a job insofar as my bosses have been nice enough and most co-workers have been fine. I guess I'd have to say "waitressing" because people in general don't really treat waitresses very well. If you feel the need to cure yourself of your love for Humanity, wait tables for six months or so. It'll fix you right up. 

Used with permission, by duboix, from Morguefile^

4. What magazines do you subscribe to? 

Only one, Living Crafts^, a crafting magazine featuring natural handcrafts. I used to subscribe to Reason^, a magazine for libertarians; &; Skeptical Inquirer^, a science magazine for skeptics. I stopped a few years ago when the subscriptions ran out, but I'd like to resubscribe to both someday when I have more time to read them. 

 Used with permission, by Alvimann, from Morguefile^

5. What is your favorite restaurant in your area?

Eating out when you don't eat gluten is really hard, and I'm always concerned that I'm going to get "wheated". A couple of restaurants stand out as places that are easier than most. Thankfully, they're delicious, too. Arharn Thai^ has a really well-labeled menu, is very careful about gluten, and hands-down, has the best Thai in town.

 used with permission, by dantada, from Morguefile^

My other favorite place is Bird Dog BBQ^; they have some of the best BBQ I've ever had (and I lived in the South), and are very mindful of gluten.

Either place, any time.

Until later.

Namaste

Thursday Thunks On Friday Afternoon

Or: Are you perpetually late?
A: Yes, oftentimes.

I haven't done a Thursday Thunks(^) thingy in a while, but this week's was sort of cool, so I'm playing along. Italics are theirs.

Suicide, House, neighbors, dogs, PB&J, STD's and accents
Welcome to the December 4th version of Thursday Thunks!
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Berleen, the color sky blue pink and the number 7 (as in the number of days until my birthday).*

1. Have you ever not thought about the possibility of suicide?

Huh? I don't think about the possibility of suicide most of the time. The last time I thought about it was yesterday in regard to Spalding Gray(^) when I heard a Talking Heads song (Love For Sale from one of my favorite movies, True Stories). Spalding Gray plays town leader Earl Culver, who never speaks to his wife. Spalding Gray died almost five years ago and it is still very sad to think about. He was incredibly talented.

2. How many dogs have you owned in your life? What kind? What were their names?
For a dedicated cat person, I've had a surprising number of dogs. Let's see...
a). Two red miniature dachshunds, Hans & Gretchen.
b). A Hovawart names Binky.
c). A red miniature dachshund named Pudgy (named for Betty Boop's dog).

Pudgy (Betty Boop's)

d). A black Cairn Terrier name Josephine (named for the giraffe in Josephine, the Short-Neck Giraffe(^) from the good people who brought us Mister Roger's Neighborhood. She looks like Toto, from the Wizard of Oz and lives with my daughter.
e). A very large black German Shepard named Dennis (he's here in the house somewhere). I can't remember why we named him Dennis, but it was funny at the time. A few days after we got Dennis, someone told me that they didn't like his name because it was the same name as her ex husband. But I'd already had his tags made, so he's Dennis. This is Dennis:

Upside down on the lawn, smiling for the camera.

3. In one word, what do most people describe you as?

Honestly, I have no idea. Whatever it is, I hope it's a nice word.

4. Do you watch HouseMD? Why not?

Used to. Not much anymore. No idea why.

5. What irritates you most about your neighbors?

Nothing at all irritates me about my immediate neighbors. They are all quiet and nice. There is one terribly bitter soul in the neighborhood who is constantly trying to upset people and cause problems, but for the most part, I feel sorry for her and bad about what must be a terribly lonely and miserable existence, but never really irritated with her.

6. Have you ever called someone in for some sort of abuse or neglect on humans, animals or property?

No. Though I did help capture a parrot this past summer and the Animal Shelter came and got it. And one time I called for a possum and another time for a sick crow. Does that count?

7. What color is the sky in your world?

I love that question when it's asked sarcastically with a mock-serious tone, but I'm assuming they really want to know, so the answer is... sort of gray and overcast.

8. Did you see those 2 planets that everyone is talking about this week?

Uh... I have no idea, so I guess not.

9. Would you like to submit your own question for future Thursday Thunks?

Maybe. How many would I have to come up with?

10. Do you have a skin condition? Are you gonna tell us what it is?

No. I used to have this terribly dry, itchy skin, but it was caused by eating wheat gluten due to Celiac Disease. When I found out I had Celiac and stopped eating wheat, it stopped being dry and itchy, and everything has been fine ever since.

11. Have you ever had an STD?

Do children count?

Honestly, no. Not even fever blisters. icky icky icky.

12. Do you do any crafts?

I knit and crochet. I work in felt (needle felting, wet felting, sewn felting); make dolls; and work in all types of clay (polymer and ceramic). I sew, too and do other things as the mood strikes me.

13. Peanut Butter & Jelly - what flavor is the jelly?

Strawberry or strawberry-rhubarb. They didn't ask, but the peanut butter would be chunky and the bread would be gluten-free.

14. Stripes or polka-dots?

Polka Dots.

15. What accent drives you crazy? Is it a good crazy or a bad crazy?

Men with a British accent are sexy, but men with a Southern accent is even sexier. For example, my husband, or Rafael Eledge(^) on Antiques Roadshow. Those would all be good crazy. That Southern drawl gets me every time.

Bad crazy would be a really harsh Northern accent. There is nothing good about hearing that.

Finally (for now), here are two videos from True Stories (see question 1):

Wild, Wild Life (with a young John Goodman)

People Like Us (more John Goodman goodness. This time he's singing)

Namaste.

* Their birthday, not mine.