my city life

Red Tails- movie review and thoughts

2012-01-22T20:18:00.002-05:00

We saw Red Tails last night as part of date night.

One of my Air Force buddies panned the movie, saying it was plotless, had wooden acting, and stereotypical characters. He also had a problem with points of military protocol the movie got wrong.

At the risk of torquing off someone who I still want to call "Sir," I disagree.

Did the movie make protocol errors? Yeah... For instance, Hat ON while IN the building and OFF while OUTSIDE, generally speaking, not in regulation. For me salutes done improperly distract me (probably because I did it wrong for a while, and worked hard to keep my head still) so it distracts me for the moment it is done but I quickly move on. Now you could chose to get hung up on these issues. But the idea is to follow the story, not tally up demerits for errors.

Did the dialog come across as wooden- yes at times. But I also noticed the entire film was done as a period piece. This was not Saving Private Ryan. The movie was filmed to look and sound like you were watching something much, much older. The effect might be missed by someone looking for a modern take on things. If you take into consideration that the film is a period piece, then you can see that the actors were likely working to make the characters' interactions come across more like a movie decades old. They wanted it to have a campy feel.

Are the characters stereotypical? Somewhat, but there is something more, if you look.

The flight Captain as an alcoholic - hell, even today flight squadrons often have their own bar. Back in my folk's day, if you didn't drink regularly you stood out like a social pariah. I can only imagine what the drinking was like before their time. So is it a stereotype to have the Captain have a drinking issue? Or is it representative to a time when it was not unusual for people in high stress situations to take to the bottle?

The hotshot with an eye for women? Is that a stereotype? There are some people for whom the rules only apply when it suits them. When it doesn't, they work around the rules or ignore them. I think I have posted before about my dad when he was an active duty Marine. He didn't just break the rules, he flaunted them...I'll try to find the link to that post, for now, just know that he vandalized government property because he could and wanted to get back at a commander who was being a jerk to his people...and in the same week my dad took the base commander's mistress to a party where the commander was present with his wife. There are people like that in every generation of our military. Some are glory hounds, some are bored with trivial assignments, and some are just crazy enough to flirt with the line between lauded leadership/awarded bravery and disorderly conduct/court martial. So is the hotshot character stereotypical, or representative of a type of person one can find in any generation of active duty military?

There were some characters I felt were a little off the shelf, but I don't think they detracted from the story. When you have a two hour movie, you can't exactly spend a lot of time giving characters a lot of depth.

This is a story about a unit given crapy equipment, assigned tasks deemed insignificant, and basically set up to fail. How anyone could say the movie had no plot is beyond me. They have to prove themselves time and time again just to be given an opportunity to be treated as worthy. At the beginning of the movie, a bomber squad is torn apart because the caucasian pilots couldn't keep their egos in check long enough to remember their job was to protect the bombers. We used to chant "fire and steel on target on time" and referenced "bombs on target" so much it was etched into your mind. A major plot point was when the Red Tails stuck to their assigned task to make sure those bombers got to their target and back. They earned the respect of the pilots and crew of the bomber units they escorted. During the arc of the movie, they made a difference and helped changed mindsets. How is that not a plot line. Does it need more than that and a beginning, middle, end?

This movie is one that you can watch and feel good about -triumph over diversity- and one that should get you thinking.

How awkward was it to be fighting bad guys who interred people based on race/skin color, and religion, when our own country interred people based on race (the Americans unlucky enough to look like our enemies), our countrymen treated non-whites like sub-humans, nor were all Americans, or even most Americans, all that open to non-Christian religions? There was real tension in how the Tuskegee Airmen dealt with the racism they faced, which was another subplot of the movie. The flight leader and the hotshot employed very different approaches in dealing with the institutional racism they faced in the AAF. The flight leader's standard mo was to excel on the part of the field where he was allowed to play, and overcome the racism by being so competent that the majority would be unable to ignore his equality to them. His wingman, on the other hand, felt any accommodation of any kind, however temporary, was beneath his dignity, and fought back every time. This was a widespread tension among African-Americans at that time; particularly those few who were taking those first, tentative steps over the color barrier. The movie's portrayal of this was subtle, to be sure, but it was there if you knew the history and paid close attention.

The Tuskegee Airmen were all officers- but do you think life was easy for them even with a degree in hand? When they came home, it was still years before they saw anything close to equal treatment. Those who found love overseas, do you think it would be as simple as to come home with your Caucasian wife? Until Loving vs Virginia in 1967, interracial marriage was illegal, and I know even after that ruling there was plenty of trouble.

This movie is worth seeing if only for the historical context and the conversations you can have afterward. If you walk out of there with nothing more than what movie trailers looked good on your mind, you've missed an opportunity.

What is it with cravings?

2012-01-17T18:33:00.001-05:00

Cravings are an expected part of pregnancy. I get that.

But there is nothing quite as annoying as constantly craving what you cannot have. Case in point, I would love love LOVE a Waffle House waffle. I found recipes online that claim the same results, but it's not about making a close second. I want the real thing. I've already tried making other things I craved with disappointment the result. E keeps saying it sounds like a great road trip but I can't see driving to...what, North Carolina?, to the nearest Waffle House.

I wanted cherry cobbler for several weeks before I went looking for ingredients-which shockingly enough, I didn't find. I didn't shop around mind you, but all I could find was lite (bleh) canned cherries in a brand I am not familiar with and I wanted to use the kind I knew I would like. I ended up getting a frozen pie. And disciplined myself to not eat that all at once. It wasn't exactly what I craved, but at least I'm not fantasizing about cobbler anymore.

I am dreaming about home fries like my mom makes. Lots of places make home fries, but no one makes them like my mom. Even I don't feel like I can duplicate her magic, and it's not like I don't know how to make them.

There is a place out on the beach called Bird On A Roof that has these super thin, super delicious pancakes- I always get mine with blueberries. Believe me when I say I have tried to replicate these seasonal delights to no avail.

Some people like to say these pregnancy cravings are a sign that your body is lacking something (crave dirt, need iron; crave oj, need vitamin c). I think it's just another way pregnancy messes with you. So much time has been spent fighting nausea, that when there is something that I can eat and want to eat, it would be nice to fill that craving.

Ah well, only 3 or so more weeks of first trimester. Things got better quickly with my first.

Picture of Ranger and question about thank you notes

2012-01-13T22:02:00.000-05:00

I don't have anything blogworthy to say, and don't want y'all to think I slid right off the face of the Earth or something. So here's an Instagram of Ranger. I have few posts percolating that may or may not ever get written...

And since I have you here, I've got a question. Do you send thank you notes to people you've already thanked over the phone or on email? I know the "it doesn't hurt" rule applies (it doesn't hurt to send them). But I also hate repetitiveness, and don't have much task specific time available (by that I mean, from I wake up until Ranger sleeps, getting anything done without his "help" is at best a challenge).

Guest post: virtues of an "unpopluar" childhood.

2012-01-03T21:26:00.002-05:00

Given that I am pretty exhausted from first trimester (no to mention queasy- really looking forward to that being over), I am letting my husband write a guest post. Sometime ago I wrote a post about some of my memories of being left out and unpopular, but I never thought of my experiences in the way E does here:

For much of my childhood, I was unpopular. The reasons for this need not be analyzed; those readers who know me know the details of my childhood all too well, and those who do not know me need not be bored with those details. Suffice it to say that, for a variety of reasons, none of them good, I was, during my first 18 years excluded from activities, ostracized by my peers, and ridiculed for various "deficiencies" large and small. However, I would not trade my experience for any other, and I have no significant regrets. Let me tell you why.

Although I did not understand this then, during the entire time of those first eighteen years, I had intrinsic value as a human being; just like everyone else. Regardless of how I talked, dressed or behaved, regardless of my interests or what I cared about, regardless of whether I was good at sports or "athletically demented" as one quite eloquent "popular" kid once put it, I was a person. I mattered. No one, no matter what they did had the right or ability to make that untrue. That my worth was devalued was no failing on my part; rather, it emanated from the greed and cynicism of some peers, and the indifference of others, and some teachers. My bad experiences were caused by bad actors, bad policies, and failures of leadership. While these problems, which still plague too many childhoods, can and should be corrected, that they were not soon enough does not reflect poorly on me.

On the other hand, my conduct in my childhood reflects well on me, because in the qualities over which I actually had agency, which made up my true character, there was much to admire :

--I was honest

--I was fair

--I was kind

--I was ethical

--I was curious

--I was productive

--I was respectful

--I was friendly

--I was loving

--I took risks

In short, I had no control over whether I was "popular." It was for want of nothing intrinsic. Devaluing me with was just a cynical tactic that people with less to offer used to conceal their own deficiencies. But in everything that mattered; everything that was in my control, every core element of my being, I excelled. And I did what was required of me at the time with determination, perseverance, and dignity even in the face of exclusion and sometimes outright scorn. I was courageous--I got up every day, went to a place where people ridiculed and ostracized me constantly, -- and got the education to which I was entitled, and which was my duty to obtain. There was nothing not to like about me, and everything to admire. On the flip side, the "popular" kids, in order to achieve their popularity often had to resort to being everything I was not. Today I sometimes wonder how these individuals face that reality (assuming they ever achieved the self awareness and genuine honesty to grasp it).

Ironically, my intrinsic qualities, whatever their impact on my reception by my childhood peers, have made all the difference to my success as an adult. I attribute to them much of my success, both in my professional and in my social life. My wife loves me in spite of or perhaps because of, the fact that I didn't play football, smoke dope out back, or get laid, and I'm a good lawyer because I am kind of nerdy and, frankly, thinking and acting outside the crowd is precisely what genuine success in this world takes.

I was unpopular, to be certain. But I'm proud of the person I was, because I'm proud of the person I am. As I sit here today, I the people I feel sorriest for are the popular ones, especially, that subclass that decided I was "unpopular" and labored with such alacrity to make me unpopular. In addition to having to live with knowing, as adults, that they behaved in ways that demeaned them far more than their behavior demeaned me, many of them are now largely irrelevant; by dint of the qualities they possessed and developed in order to be "popular". I on the other hand, get to bend the arc of the universe every single day, and I can sleep at night knowing I earned my success, and did so at no one else's expense.

Three years

2011-12-28T21:11:00.002-05:00

I started this blog three years ago.

All I can say is wow.

I look at the post that started everything, and my resolutions for 2009, and can't help but notice I am horrible at making resolutions. Really.

That story I mentioned, the one "so close" to ready- experienced a major rewrite that altered several aspects of the plot and deepened the characters to the point that much of it is painstakingly and slowly getting rewritten or heavily edited. Not that I'm spending a lot of time on writing. It's not like I can just say, Write more! Because exactly when can I find the time (especially since Ranger pushes my office chair -with me in it- away from the computer since it means he doesn't have my undivided attention). So that leaves "in my spare time," which usually falls sometime after 8pm, when I'm so exhausted that it takes me five times to type exhausted properly (ehx...exau...exhas).

And the take better care of myself resolution, as in Go to the gym 2-3 times a week?

ha.

I like my gym (New York Sports Club here in Forest Hills). I like that there is daycare service so I can work out and know Ranger's having a nice time (he likes their toy selection, and is able to get along with the other kids well). But the last time I tried a class, I left feeling good about the physical exercise but iffy about the instructor. Her motivation style was a little too military training instructor, when I prefer something that mixes a "it's your workout" with "try a little harder, then keep trying" and I know instructors like that are out there. They are just not in the time slots I have available to me. I don't get much out of going on my own and putzing about the equipment for 45 minutes, and I'm not quite in the range of ability to pay for a weekly or monthly trainer (who would then likely tell me I'm not doing enough on my own).

Now, with regards to the other part of that resolution, I do a pretty darn good job of moderation on the food intake and eating good for me stuff. I am very proud to say I fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans around a year after Ranger was born, and was even having some difficulty with that size being just a touch too loose (but not loose enough that I needed the next size down). Given that I had the whole ankle mishap serious of events (injury followed later on by corrective surgery and all that goes along with the healing process), I can't complain about my sizes. (I'd be lying if I said I never complain about weight, but that's not my standard measurement of health- I long ago decided that using pant sizes and my vital stats such as cholesterol and blood pressure etc was a better guide for how I'm doing. That doesn't mean I love stepping on the scales, or hearing it from the various people whose job it is to tell people their weight doesn't conform to their height.)

When I wrote that first post, I really wanted to be a mom. It's not like we had been trying for long, but it FELT like a long time, and it would be another three months before things worked out in that aspect. Now I am a mom. And since I lost my job there at BIG INC four months after Ranger was born, I get to spend every day experiencing being a mom. I would be lying to you if I said it was all sunshine and roses all the time with glitter on top. But it is wonderful, and at the moment I like it better than I liked sitting behind a desk wondering if I was using the proper Excel formula in the proper place with the proper cell references.

So. Three years... in which we had a baby, I lost a job, we moved to Queens, I overcame ankle surgery, came to some hard emotional understandings about the *mere prospect* of mortal parents, and now...

Recently we had the joy of seeing the flitter flutter of baby number two's heart beat. It will be a while before I we can come up with a cool name like "Ranger" for baby 2 (right now we're calling it 2Gs, because we're nerdy like that). Anyhow, this pregnancy is hitting my energy levels hard (post a blog or nap? Sew that pattern that I really want to make or nap? Write on the story or nap? Any guesses as to what my standard choice is right now?). So if I don't post as much, you'll understand why.

We're on staycation this week. Hopefully I'll get to nap more since E's home to tag team.

I hope everyone had a great and happy holidays, and that a healthy and happy new year.

Saying goodbye to Zipcar

2011-12-19T09:35:00.001-05:00

We love our car sharing service, Zipcar.
We can pick from several types of car, usually have no trouble getting the car we want, and it's reasonably priced.
But.
Lugging a car seat to and from each time we needed a car was getting to be a hassle. A car seat isn't something you can toss in- you really need to get all the parts into place properly. So even when E picked the car up and picked us up (rather than lugging the car seat), there was still the matter of installing the seat. Our block rarely has open spots for parking, so that meant double parking. Usually there is enough room for a car to pass by, but a pick-up? A van? Anything larger than a car can't get by, which meant honking horns while we installed the car seat. Or removed it. (I could write a whole post on how our residential street is used as a pass through and how people get all honked at for loading and unloading on the street they live on by people in too much of a hurry. Not bitter, no. Mostly.)

Any how, this weekend we took a ride out to Glen Cove (eastward from our location on Long Island) and test drove my dream car. We had engaged with a closer dealer, but I guess they didn't think we were serious, because they gave us some excuses as to why they didn't have a car available and never called us back. We had also gotten with our awesome bank, which has a car buying service but THAT would have required us to go to Hoboken, NJ. So Glen Cove Subaru let us have some fun driving an Outback (my dream car!) while my in laws watched Ranger.

Thanks to the lovely people at the dealer (they tacked on a discount for us as veterans) and to E's negotiation skills, we signed papers to buy a chocolate 2012 Outback at our price point.

It will take a few weeks to get the car (the dealers here don't have large lots, so if you want a unique color or feature combination they have to find a dealer that has it and transport it). In the mean time we've arranged for a parking spot in our building's lot.

Only a few more weeks of lugging that car seat. I love Zipcar, but I'm going to love even more our Outback.

Party

2011-12-11T17:07:00.001-05:00

We invited Ranger's friends over for a Rock Star party this weekend. Everything went splendidly. E and I have a pretty cruddy hosting parties history (family gatherings excluded) so I think we were both 1 amazed that people actually came (one party we threw, a super bowl party, two people showed up and stayed thirty minutes, and then no one else came- we ended up watching a movie and eating the party snacks ourselves) and 2 surprised that we had a good time. Maybe it's because this party was about the two year olds, maybe it's because we've both mellowed a bit since our failed attempts.

The boys (coincidental that all of Ranger's friends are boys- his first year all his friends were girls) are all around two years old, and all of them have great personalities. Not that there weren't some tears- these are toddlers we're talking about- but there were no melt downs.

I mostly left out toys for them to play with; musical instruments, a tunnel and ball tent, crayons at a the kid table (train table covered with that brown craft paper). Once everyone was there and somewhat settled, we made t-shirts together. That lasted perhaps ten minutes, then the boys went back to playing. We set up the train table- that was hugely popular. The cat came out and was gracious enough to let some of the boy pet him, and the parents had a nice time chatting and snacking. I used a hair dryer to dry the paint on the shirts, peeled away the freezer paper,and ironed the result to set the paint. I wish I had had the thought to put the shirts on the boys and take a photo, or take more pictures in general. Oh well. Next year I will remember to take photos!

We gave each boy a "position" in a made up band, hung signs with concert themed concepts (consessions, swag), and even made a flier for their "performance" (I might have had a blast thinking of ways to spread the theme about the house).

toddler apps- what we like, what we don't

2011-12-06T20:14:00.001-05:00

It's been some time since I last posted a batch app review. But Ranger recently had a birthday, and with that came some new apps....plus like I said, there's been some bit of time between my last review and this. In case you missed them, I did review Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App and Zoo Train (both are favorites).

Winners (apps worth the purchase) somewhat categorized by type

ABC Food and ABC Go - What Ranger likes about these apps is the number of examples given for each letter. AND I learned about an Xtropolis, which is some sort of train. Of course his favorite part is the imbedded YouTube videos given with some of the words.

Alphabet (by piikea st) is along the same lines as (but not quite as awesome as) Alpha Tots.

First Words Vehicles - Ranger is totally into anything that goes. This app has letter tiles the user matches under the image. The idea is similar to another app Ranger likes (the BOB Magic books), but much simpler.

Tally tots Let's count to twenty! Ranger and I both like this numbers app (just like the Alpha Tots is tops in our app list). The only complaint I have is number 13 drives me nuts, which I suspect Ranger enjoys. It asks the player to tap the 13 eggs to hatch chicks, and each chick chirps, and continues to chirp, until all 13 are found.

Goodie Words I found Goodie Words through a site that reviews kid's apps (the link here goes to their site). The app presents concepts such as strength, balance, and dreams, and explains the concepts before providing a related activity. I am not sure how much Ranger gets from the explanations, but he clearly enjoys playing the app, and the new app from the same developers: (for which I cannot find a link- sorry) Gazilli Shapes

Make it Pop is a newer app for us but based on the number of times Ranger has played it since we got it a few days ago, I'd say it's a hit. Shapes, Letters, Colors, and sizes are presented in interactive and entertaining ways.

Things that Go Like I said, Ranger likes things that go. This app is basically a book. I also think Ranger likes it because there is a bird involved. It's one of the words he's got down pat ("burd!") so he likes being able to point out the "Burd" on every page.

ClickySticky Trains Ranger should have shirt that says "I heart trains" - because it's nearly at obsessive levels. Ok, not really. He takes breaks from playing with his train set/watching train Youtube videos/playing train iPad apps/reading train books/playing with a strip of cardboard as though it's a train to do other things, like chase the cat or rough house with me.

More from the "Talking" friends- Talking News Ranger just likes seeing the dog and cat annoy each other. And that probably doesn't make him any different from any other user of this app, regardless of age.

Elmo's Monster Maker with this app you can start with a base monster and put on headgear, eyes, and a nose, then have it interact with Elmo (interactions are preset). I have a half million images on my iPad from Ranger using the "take a picture" feature where the newly created monster is pictured with different backdrops.

Kid Mode this is an app that gathers up kid friendly Youtube type videos and puts them at your kid's fingertips. You don't have to worry that an inappropriate video might slip in, and unlike all the other filtering systems I've tried, it doesn't slow down the video feed. (Updated: The Kindle Fire also has this app, with a modification that I find somewhat annoying. They mixed the videos with games so it's harder to find your favorite videos).

Here are some books that Ranger has liked:

You can pretty much bet that anything by Sandra Boynton is going to be a hit: Red Hat Blue Hat and Barnyard Dance

Pete and the secret of flying- a cute rendition on how birds came to fly.

Monster at the end of this book and Another Monster at the end of this book - just. fun.

BB Magic (BOB Books) #2 - we loved the first one, wished for more, and got our wish. The minor complaint I have on this one is that the names they give the characters can be confusing to someone just learning to read, for example, naming a boy Red when the user is just learning colors is a little confusing.

Little Engine that could- there is another one listed below in the not worth it list- make sure you get this one or another that makes it clear the original storyline is intact. Unless you're looking for different.

Apps Ranger likes that he wont/can't do on his own

Elmo loves ABCs my son absolutely completely totally loves this app, but is not at the point of tracing letters, so he needs my help. That doesn't stop him from going through each letter while in the car seat where I can't help him out, or from playing through each of the alphabet renditions.

Memory Train (by piikea st) train. 'nuff said as far as Ranger is concerned. But the memory portion is a bit more than he's ready for (which is actually why I got it, for him to grow into).

Go George Go Ranger really likes this app, and can do the first half no problem. I imagine he will eventually be able to navigate the maze on his own- he is starting to try, but doesn't quite get the concept.

Harold and the Purple Crayon - just like the book, but interactive. Ranger hasn't been able to "get" the interactive part, which is sort of like coloring in the lines. He does like me helping him with it, and will often pop in and out of the tutorial on his own, as though he might some how figure it out.

Apps that weren't worth it
Little Engine that Could - you might like the changes to this classic. I didn't.
Rise of the urban eagle - spoiler alert- they kill off the dad pigeon.

Donating my Chai Latte to a good cause

2011-11-30T01:26:00.000-05:00

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while know I love love LOVE Starbucks' Chai lattes.

For the month of December, I am donating the money I would use for Chai Lattes to City Harvest. This donation will help feed hungry New Yorkers- children, families, possibly people I see every day, possibly strangers I pass without seeing.

The month of December we spend a lot of time thinking about what to gift the people in our lives, what we might be getting, where we have to go and when to get deals, to be with family, to fit work in with the holiday chores and cheer....

I am taking a simple pleasure - Chai Lattes, and donating it to people for whose worries in December are about getting enough to eat.

I encourage you all to find a little something you can donate to someone in need this month. I know I can spare my Starbucks trips. You might have old coats and warm sweaters, you might have extra time to give a helping hand- you might be able to pick up toys for the many toy drives.

If you would like to donate to City Harvest, I have placed a link to the City Harvest donation page on the upper right hand side of my blog page.

Playdate at the American Museum of Natural History

2011-11-29T08:34:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Ranger and I met up with some friends for some fun at the museum. I love that we are members and can get our friends in on our membership.

Even though we have seen the frog exhibit, it was like a perfect place for the two little ones to run about while the two moms got to chit chat. LittleG and Ranger had a blast looking at all the frogs. The poison dart frogs offered the opportunity to point out colors both boys have started to recognize recently.

From there we made a winding way to the fourth floor, my favorite dinosaurs (primarily because there is good space for little boys to run around).

Afterward we hit Shake Shack, where I couldn't find my wallet. While the others stayed to eat, I went racing around to the lost and found, called my bank to cancel cards, and generally beat myself up for losing the thing. I rejoined the gang after my efforts and had a cheeseburger.

Despite the craziness, I had a great time. My metro card and rail ticket had not been in my wallet, so after we parted ways with our friends, I got to Penn station with about five minutes to sit before they called what track we would need (it used to make me quite anxious, not knowing what track would be the one we needed, but they announce it ten minutes prior to departure and we have a "secret" spot to wait where I can still hear and see the announcement, and get to the elevators, all without dealing with any crowd congestion. I sit on the floor and Ranger plays with the iPad and time passes quickly.) While we were waiting I discovered I had not lost my wallet, it had just ended up in a nook in the diaper bag, and being so small a wallet had all but disappeared in the bag.

Frogs, dinosaurs, Shake Shack, AND not losing my wallet- I'd say the day was a success!

Coming up on a big week

2011-11-26T19:13:00.001-05:00

This week Ranger turns 2. In the next two weeks we'll have a family party and a friends party. I am especially excited about the friends party. We've invited a handful of Ranger's friends over for a "Rock Star" party. Everyone is going to get to paint a shirt to say "Rock Star" using freezer paper as a stencil. I have music instruments gallore (shakers, bells, a keyboard), and will have inflatable guitars for each kid to take home. Oh, and bubbles! It's not a rock party without bubbles!

I'm not having a big cake- instead I'm having cake pops and cake balls, along with little snacks like pretzels and cheese bunnies (like goldfish cheese crackers). Nothing that can get too messy, nothing that needs forks. :)

All of this will be in our apartment because renting spaces around here for parties is expensive. It might get tight with all the parents, but I figured we'll be part of the playing part too, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Thankful

2011-11-23T20:49:00.001-05:00

I am thankful for a lot this year.

I am thankful for my family.

I am thankful for my health.

I am thankful for the opportunity to live where we do.

I am thankful for the challenges we faced that have made us more fiscally sound, and for the challenges that have brought us closer together.

I am thankful to those who have worn and still wear the uniform of our military.

I am thankful for leaders who care more about getting their jobs done than the next election.

I am thankful for the people who video trains and post them on YouRube (seriously- half my day is spent cycling through these videos and listening to Ranger play with his "train" -a piece of cardboard about two feet long."toooootooooo!")

I am thankful for smiles and giggles and laughter and play...and yes for crying and tantrums and up all night struggles- I am thankful for having my little boy.

I am thankful for friends near and far.

I am thankful for the people who make the city go- the bus drivers and subway engineers and the others we don't see hard at work because they're repairing the tracks in the middle of the night.

Giving thanks should be an everyday thing, but Sometimes in day to day life we can get bogged down in the things we feel or that we want or need or don't like. This is a great time to reflect on what is good and wonderful- even about tantrums (my boy is developing his own desires).

Small business service in the big city

2011-11-23T10:08:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I walked past our locally run pharmacy on our way to Gymboree. I paused for a moment to think if we have any prescriptions due for refills, and continued on my way to class. I figured we would swing back to the pharmacy on our way back.

A few minutes before class, I get a call from Stan. He is our pharmacist. He had been parking his car, running late to open, and was concerned I had been waiting for him to open or otherwise inconvenienced. I explained I had not at all been troubled by his late open (had just figured he opened at the top of the hour) and wasn't even sure if we had refills due. When class was over we swung back by his shop and he had everything ready for us, along with more apologies for running late.

A few weeks ago he called to ask if he could call the doctor and get permission to dispense the generic version (the doctor had written dispense as written, otherwise the pharmacy has to give the generic).

This folks is not what I ever thought I could expect from a pharmacy, and certainly not what we could get in the city. We had moved our prescriptions to this store when it opened figuring anything would be better than Duane Reade (a Walgreen's type store found only in NYC).

Whenever possible we support locally run businesses, and this is why. Our pharmacist knows us by sight, calls us, talks Ranger up, and is generally a kind guy.

Testing new blogging app

2011-11-22T08:42:00.001-05:00

This is just a test of a new app for blogging.

This is a test of the paragraph feature.

This is a test of the photo feature

Cookies and Muppets

2011-11-21T21:46:00.001-05:00

Every year around this time I make cookies. Making cookies is part of my nostalgia for the start of the holiday season. I kid you not when I say one year I made, in one day, 8 types of cookies, baked every batch, and passed them out to neighbors. (True story, I had met a guy in passing who clearly lived in the building, but didn't get even a name, so my plan was to deliver the cookies door to door- only I chickened out after all that work and just Left the plates with the cookies outside each door, with a short note. This was years before I met E. and the only thing that came out of it was a tea with an old lady)This year I am behind! I have taken with a miserable cold (me and Ranger both) and even on days when I had energy and felt reasonable, my rule of thumb is no baking when sick. Today I think I am past the worst of the cold, but lost my voice when everything migrated to my lungs. I hardly had enough voice to order my chai latte! That's serious y'all!Yesterday I felt great in comparison! We even spontaneously met up with friends and their son (same age as Ranger) and took the subway to the Muppet exhibit at the museum of the moving image. For some reason I thought it would be more kid friendly, but it's a no touch no photography exhibit. Still, the boys had fun and we had lunch at Five Napkin Burger across the street. When we got home we still had half the day to chill and rest and mind my health. I was sure I'd wake up and feel even better. Bah. Pa. I am writing this in a new app and can't figure out how to get paragraph breaks in. I apologize for the visual block of words.

Glazed Donut Monster

2011-11-18T20:38:00.000-05:00

So the other day on Facebook, I made a specific reference to an old Bill Cosby skit (my son has a cold- see post title). You can listen to it here.

My family used to quote Bill Cosby skits at every possible occasion. In fact we didn't consider it family time unless someone quoted one of his skits. I find myself quoting his skit on forgetting kids names. I might be misquoting, but it after calling one kid several different names, the mom asks, "What's your name, and don't lie to me I know where you live." I also like the newlywed skits- there's one with a lizard...although my all time favorite is this one. I was particularly bad at spilling things at the table, so when ever I knocked something over, we brought up this skit and had a good laugh.

I don't remember all of the skits we quoted- or rather, I remember bits and pieces "my uncle had a hat attack, his hat, attacked him!" "kid went crazy jumped out the window" "hey ma, next time let me pull your finger"....

The point is I was reminded of how much those skits meant to us. They gave us a lot of laughter as a family, and that's not something that can be forgotten.

I know he still does stand up, and if I were able (as in he came to NYC) I would really try to get to one of his shows. I hear he's still a hoot.

What?

2011-11-16T08:59:00.001-05:00

Y'all, Thanksgiving is next week! As in, eight wake ups from now!. I have birthday parties to plan, and some to go to. Ah! Where did the time go!

Speaking of fast moving time, guess who turns two on the first.

From the archives 5 ways you know you're a NYCer.

2011-11-15T07:02:00.000-05:00

5 ways you know you're a NYer.

You know you're a New Yorker when you can walk home after dark and think nothing of it. My mom has said that the very idea of me walking home by myself after dark gives her gray hair. I'm not walking alone, I say to her. There are always throngs of people with me. Even on the residential blocks, there's always a ton of people. And it's not like I'm walking at 3 am or anything. We're talking 7pm. Sheesh.
You know you're a New Yorker when you use the "walk/don't walk" signs as guidelines. There are some intersections where it is a very very bad idea to jaywalk, and one or two where you'd better give it a second even on the walk signal. But otherwise? I'm not waitin'.
You know you're a New Yorker when, on the rare occasions you do drive, you understand those signs and lane lines are guidelines. Here's one area that E and I make horrible NYers. We won't block the box, we signal when we change lanes, we don't cut people off, and we don't speed (the city limit on all roads in the city is 30).
You know you're a New Yorker when you know what "curb your dog" means. I guess it sounds better than pick up that poop.
You know you're a New Yorker when you can squeeze onto a packed subway car and keep your footing without holding onto a bar. I don't LIKE to squeeze in, and prefer to wait for the next subway train if it's packed (or walk), but if I HAVE to, sure, I can cram myself in and steady my feet so I don't cause a domino effect by falling.

I am a veteran

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am a veteran.
And yet, when people talk about veterans, I don't think of myself as one of those talk worthy ones. I didn't deploy. I was never sent away from my family (seeing as I was young and single at the time).
Still, I am a veteran. I served during all the operations after 9/11. I was on a base learning to do my job on THAT eventful day. I wore a uniform, participated in exercises and knew the possibilities for deployment were there. I even volunteered to "go" when I was in the USAF Space Command. I was informed Lieutenants of my specialty didn't get deployed, at least not from Space Command. Not everyone can be the pointy end of the spear. I was a support function. I never had to see my friends injured, or worse. I never wore 80+lbs in gear for protection or dealt with mind melting noises and heat. I spent my first three years in the Rocky Mountains...no where like the hell holes some of my fellow veterans passed their time.
I am a veteran. I am even a disabled veteran. There are things I just have to live with- wear and tear does that after a while. And when you're young and overly eager to show just how ready you are- how willing you are to be fit to fight even when there is pain that indicates an injury...that wear and tear leaves lasting impressions.
I am a veteran. But I don't feel like one. I am sure that there are others out there like me, who once wore a uniform but would not fit the "image" of veteran. Chances are they, too, are uncomfortable with any thanks or accolades.
But here it is, Veteran's day.
I am proud to have served. But humbled by the service of those who served in less hospitable environments. Humbled.
Here I am going to jump into something political.
Every year we say thank you to those who served.
Instead of words that are said and then vanish like any others, I urge you to ask your House representatives (the Senate voted on this and passed it yesterday, now it is the House's turn) to get behind that which will be of more benefit than thank yous (specifically the American Jobs Act). I already know where my representatives stand (I follow them on twitter, of course).
Because even though I don't always feel like a veteran, I am one. I will step up to any line to help my fellow veterans. I am thankful that there are leaders also stepping up to the line by circumventing the all too usual posturing in Congress to help veterans- so far there are 500K job postings for vets in the newly created Job Banks, helped along by Linkedin and Simplyhired with more to come.
I wish I could do more. But for now, using my voice through social media and voting are the ways I can help my fellow veterans.
/very respectfully
Theresa G
USAF 2001-2006 UPDATE: The VOW veterans jobs act has been signed by President Obama. Thank you.

2011-11-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to the USMC. I have two Marines in my life and one of them is likely to get a "birthday cake" for the occasion.

How to make neat homemade card designs with your toddler

2011-11-07T21:52:00.001-05:00

I like to send out home made cards for the holidays. This year I thought I would involve Ranger.

Recently I discovered how to use freezer paper to make stencils that stay put- thus making it the perfect tool for a toddler to use! In this video (my very first attempt at an instructional video!) I show how I go about involving my two year old in making our annual card design.

November

2011-11-07T14:40:00.001-05:00

Y'all, I just can't spend more than thirty seconds at the computer before Ranger finds me and demands either I pay attention to him or he get his turn on the computer immediately. If you've ever dealt with a toddler you know there is only one way to avoid a scream fit: avoid the computer until nap time. Of course, sitting at the computer during nap time is somewhere at the bottom of my priority list (right behind sleep, nap, rest, and doze). All this to say I sure miss y'all and wish I could do more posting. I do get time to tweet (much easier to do while at the playground) and I upload pictures through twitter, so if you feel like it you can follow me there, or check the left side of my blog for recent tweets.

E and I had our fifth anniversary this past weekend. So there was a lot of reminiscing going on. Our wedding itself was lovely, but neither of us really remembers it. Instead we were remembering the almost to the day year before our wedding day when E proposed. And all the days between when we first happened across each other in the hallway that summer day in 2004. We were still active duty Air Force back then. It seems like a different life time, and understandably so. We live a completely different life now. And we went through a Lot of challenges (For instance, and not in order, i had three surgeries, was fired, had a baby, we've moved three times...).

Add to those changes, the changes in technology and 2004 feels quite a LONG time ago. 2006, when we left the military and got married, also seems very long ago.

And since having Ranger, well, it makes even 2008 seem a long time ago.

Isn't it something, how time goes by, and how we perceive its passage?

From the archives: Taking the bus

2011-11-05T07:16:00.001-04:00

Taking the bus

I admit it- for the first two years I lived in NYC I avoided taking the bus.

I reasoned this behavior with statements such as: They don't go very fast- I've seen them stuck in traffic; and- There are crazy people* on the bus (there are crazy people on the subway too, but on the subway you can get out at the next stop and step down to the next car and get back in); and various other excuses along the same lines (It's too confusing...the waits are too long...)

I don't remember why I did it, the first time I got on the bus. I think I just happened by 57th st and saw the bus stop and, having heard from E how amazing the M57 bus was, stood in line. IF the bus had not come quickly, perhaps I would have walked away...

Boy was I missing out. First of all, unlike the subway, when you're waiting for the bus, you're not standing at the edge of a platform- so there's no need to deal with the recurring fear of somehow tumbling into the pit of despair doom. Second, I have yet to see a rat on the streets of NY (unless you count the one that had been run over and was plastered to the street). The bus stops I wait at never smell of urine or other body wastes. If a crazy person happens by while you're waiting for the bus (I haven't had that happen as of yet), you can walk to another stop or decide to walk home altogether). And, if I happen to miss the bus by a few seconds, I can walk quickly the three blocks to where it will stop again and catch it there (this might not be true on other streets, but I've noticed on 57th that the traffic slows the bus down more than say, west end blvd).

Granted, there is still the whole, crazy person on the bus problem, but so far that's only happened once, and he got off soon after I got on. I figure, if I am on a bus and a crazy person gets on, then I can always get off and wait for the next bus or walk home.

I am sure glad I tried the bus that first time. And it takes Metro cards just like the subway!

*crazy people for the purposes of this post are the kind of people who are not just talking to themselves, but badgering others. I can handle all kinds of quiet passive weirdness, but loud obnoxious interactive crazy wigs me out.

From the archives: There are three main things that make our life in NYC easier

2011-10-30T06:40:00.000-04:00

This is from my first year blogging:

There are three main things that make our life here easier.

The first thing is available everywhere: Amazon.com. The reason why this is a huge asset is because no one really wants to tote around bags and bags of shopping. Since we live in a doorman building, we order everything we can from Amazon.com. At first we just ordered the bigger stuff- like the 20lb cat food. Then as we settled in, we found ourselves ordering just about everything from Amazon. You don't have to carry anything home, and you don't have to worry about forgetting your bag at Starbucks. We still get stuff from the corner store - here we use Duane Reade, which is like a Walgreens or CVS. But normally that's stuff we've forgotten to order and now need right away (toothpaste).

The second thing is probably available in metropolitan areas: Fresh Direct. This is grocery delivery. I thought at first this would be more expensive, but it's no more expensive than, say, Publix. Plus, there's no toting stuff home. Sure, we could get one of those wire cart contraptions like other people do to go grocery shopping, and we'd only have to go a few blocks for decently priced foodstuffs (but the crowd induced chaos in the store gives me such anxiety! Fairway is a great store, but I simply cannot shop there or I will hyperventilate over the organic food section while people are attempting to squeeze by to get down the narrow isle). We go online, order our groceries, and schedule a delivery. They have sales just like a grocery store would, and they have recipes that you can click on and get not only the recipe but also all of the ingredients you'll need. The first time I did this, I was pulling things out of the box that I didn't recognize! (I now know what a celery root looks like). A lot of people feel like they couldn't shop for vegetables or fruit online. I've not really had a problem with it since their produce is high quality, but they do offer refunds if you're really dissatisfied. We've actually saved a good bit on groceries this way, both on time and in money. I usually order our weekly groceries during a slow time at work during the week- no more roaming the aisles looking for stuff. We also keep to our budget this way. There is a tally at the side telling you how much it will be, and since you're not roaming the aisles, there is no real chance for impulse buys.

The last thing that is a huge asset is Zipcar, which is available in loads of metropolitan areas. We pay a monthly fee and have access to all kinds of different cars. We can pick a location and a car, even a truck if you need it, and reserve it for a block of time or all day. The prices range by hour/per day and are different for each car. The gas is included, and so is insurance (we get non-owner's insurance from our bank USAA to supplement what they have). You can get one of these cars in all kinds of locations. We got one in San Fran when we went there and drove it to Nappa Valley. We took one Zipcar from NY to Delaware for our Individual Ready Reserve duty, and then on to DC. We also use them for short trips, like to go to New Jersey or to take big stuff to or from storage. Some months we hardly use it- other months we use it more. And since there are several different car types, Loving husband gets to "test drive" all kinds of models. The reason why this is better than renting is, basically, every time you rent you have to go to a specific renting place and fill out paperwork. There are a ton of locations for Zipcar, and all you have to do is click on the reserve button. We could reserve a car in London as easily as we could one here. Plus, the gas is always included, unlike rentals where you have to specify that they should fill up and over pay. We really like Zipcar.
These things really make life here more pleasant. I wouldn't complain if they put in a Target or Kohls here. And if someone could tell me, why do they have huge advertisements for Target in Times Square, but there is no Target in Manhattan at all!

Updated: where we live now, I have access to Target and Kohls. Score!

Our trip to St. Petersburg, FL

2011-10-28T12:49:00.001-04:00

So I am finally snagging some time to tell you a little about our trip.
We were able to get great rates thanks to JetBlue and their vacation packages. The flight was non stop, which is awesome when traveling with a toddler. We were even able to get him his own seat and sued a special, FAA approved harness instead of a car seat.

We rented a Ford Escape. The drive from Tampa to St. Petersburg was very lovely.

We stayed at the Vinoy Renaissance resort and hotel. It is a historic hotel and very popular for events. Right away they treated us like VIPs. It was awesome.

We had dinner at the outdoor restaurant they have near the pool. It was so good, we went there several other times as well.

At first I took pictures of all the places we ate, thinking I could try my hand at travel blogging, but honestly that's just not my thing. We ate at a lot of awesome places- if you go to St Pete, there is no shortage of great food. One place you might not find on your own is The Hangar. You can have your meal and watch small aircraft take off and land- very cool.

The day after People at Play, we went to the dinosaur museum.

digging for fossils

In all honesty, I found it pretty tame, but I could see Ranger was having a great time, and so were other and more older kids.

On our last full day we visited the St Petersburg aquarium. Ranger had a blast. I was expecting something a bit larger. They had a touch tank- the first one Ranger's seen, but you couldn't put your hands in the water (which is all he wanted to do). We did get to see some really neat critters, like a sea cucumber and a few types of starfish that were really neat.

On our way out of Tampa we got through security so fast it was amazing. Tampa apparently has a stroller lane, and since we know by now what to keep in the diaper bag and what not to, we were through in a flash, which was good because we arrived so early we were able to catch a flight out that was leaving 40 minutes after we checked in. They were boarding the plane when we walked up.

The trip was wonderful, we had a great time. I think we will go back when Ranger's older to take in some of the amusement parks in the area.