Now, I hate Keira Knightley - well, I hate her enormous jaw and occasional underbite. But I love Ralph Fiennes and I hear that she can sometimes be an exceptional actress and the movie seems to have been custom made for the demographic of me. I love that time period in Europe - Marie Antoinette (with whom the Duchess of Devonshire was good friends) and beheadings and political upheaval among the classes and fashion and excess - OH! It is just such great stuff. 
Obviously these are not very effective ways in which to rid one's self of stress or dealing with stress in the present. So, as a backup plan, I have a husband who does much better than me. He usually deals with my stress and his so that I can fret in my own fashion, and he can actually DO SOMETHING. This comes in quite handy.
Ah, how I love the characters and wit and vibrant colors. The gist is this: Ned (who grows up to be a pie maker) as a small boy discovers that he has the ability to bring dead things back to life. The caveat is this: once brought back they can live for 60 seconds and then if not put back to "dead" by Ned's touch then someone else must die in their place (it's a random proximity thing). The story is this: Ned brings back his childhood sweetheart, one Charlotte Charles aka Chuck, for good and they begin living in a sort of non-touching domesticity. To earn income they bring back dead people who have been murdered in order to solve the crime and get the reward money.
Yes, they are indeed stuffed pee and poo plush toys
It's universal appeal and lack of ability to offend makes it 100% available for discussion amongst the most diverse crowd. Not to mention that we live in a state with 4 distinct seasons and within those seasons, the weather can be quite elaborate. I talk about the weather because I am always thinking about the it and how it influences my mood/feelings/opinions. The state of my physical body allows for inner reflection and creativity. Sometimes when the snow starts to fall (even though I hate the aftermath) the beauty of it makes me feel peaceful. Or during the summer - I love the heat of a sun filled car. When it rains and the hem of my pants gets wet, I'm angry. The weather makes me feel and makes me interesting.
I pee all the time (see this). I know doctors and other people we're supposed to listen to say that a lot of water is good for the system, but now if I am unable to drink or if I haven't had gallons of water, I'm thirsty. Like, I'm going to DIE if I don't get some water in me right now thirsty. I hate that dry-mouth taste and I hate the feeling of needing a drink so badly. But even more than that, I hate not drinking water until I'm full to the brim. 
And now the craziness is doubled. Not only am I running around, but Tom is also. Yelling out to each other "where is this?" and "where is that?" and "what do you want for lunch?" Then comes the inevitable shutting of the door, only to realize that one of you has forgotten something, and then the inevitable searching for keys to re-open the door, followed by frantic galloping about the house. Grrr.
I, on the other hand, pee like clock work at 3 in the morning. 
Being able to indulge in cultural exchanges and just be your wonderful self and meet other wonderful selves and at the end of the two years you get $6000, non-competitive job eligibility, and a great add-on to the resume.
So I'm trying to look for sweaters that I a) don't hate; b) don't itch too horribly; c) don't cost too much. You see, sweaters are something I have a hard time spending money on. 
If you are a woman between the ages of 18 and 108, may I recommend a bone strengthening regimen of some kind?Of the cases of osteoporosis in the U.S., 80% are women. Yeah, that's us. See, the tricky thing is that you can't feel your bones unless they're broken. Over the years your bones are slowly deteriorating and you aren't even aware of it - unlike other aging processes like thinning hair, thinning lips, sagging breasts, fine lines, and other gems of a long life.
So, in order to kick this problem out the door, you've got to take some action and you've got to take some calcium and vitamin D. The worse thing for your bones is a sedentary lifestyle and a lack of calcium and vitamin D in your diet. Here is a list of ways I'm going to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis:
Sounds like fun! Show your bones some love by treating them right so they'll be sure to treat you right for years to come.
yoga makes me flexible 
bastard) and so my old-school fam and I dove into the car and then out onto the field.
own fat ass out the proverbial door.I love Food Network. I mean, I have always loved it because I love to cook and I love food but now it is seriously out of control. When Giada makes yummy eggplant parmesan with crusty garlic bread - I am totally glued to the screen. When Rachel Ray makes mac and cheese - I die inside with craving. My family is getting sick of Food Network being on all the time. They ask me things like "Why do you torture yourself like this?" or "You don't even cook" or "This is so boring" and so on.
Friends. I torture myself because I'm dieting so I'm always torturing myself. I don't cook because cooking veggies sucks ass. Food Network is not boring - it is keeping me from going insane. I'm logging away all the recipes and tricks so that when I'm finally off my stupid diet I can enjoy life like a regular person. I will cook. I will eat delicious food. End of story.
Seems to me (and others) that some of you out there are reading these "fun" books and not enough of the other sort. You know, the sort that is 80% substance and only 20% fun. And not reading this other sort is handicapping your ability to form an interesting opinion. And then when we try to talk to you about the "fun" books you only say things like: "Oh my god, I love Edward" (or is it Edgar) and "Harry Potter is so good." Sorry.
And honestly, I was in the Enligsh department, and I really really hated those classmates who said "Oh, I haven't read Harry Potter" or "This summer I've been reading Voltaire and I love it" or other noxious sayings that made me barf into my backpack. Reading should be done for pleasure and sometimes it should be for growth - and it can always be for both.
BUT even if you are reading a fluff book - your brain can function and talk about anything in a constructive-criticism fashion. Do so. Immediately. Or I won't be asking you what you're reading.
Okay, not so much, because Cafe Rio is fucking closed on Sunday. What?!?
As the weather is changing, we should do some fally things to cope with the loss of summer:
You've had a long hard day and you want to unwind with your husband on the couch or in bed with some harmless television. Oh, wait, it's October and all the commercial breaks are riddled with scary images. It could be a commercial about "Quarantine" (coming soon to theatres) or a commercial about a newly opened haunted house, but it makes relaxation time none so relaxing. As soon as the scariness begins you have to leap up, looking all around for the remote, find it, and change the channel, all the while averting your eyes and trying to hum to block out the scary sounds. And don't forget that the TV is how the poltergeists sucked the little girl into their world.
And now I hate the word "also" 
bedroom. Was it still watching me? A quick turn revealed that it was. I started going down the stairs sideways - so I could always see what it was doing. If I was always watching it, it could not become real and hurl its bony body at me. I would lay awake in my solitary basement bedroom trying to fall asleep, even though I was fairly certain that a vampire was waiting in the shadows, waiting for my eyes to close, waiting to pounce.
