Randomosity
Dec 29, 2008 Randomosity
This is what’s been floating around in my head for the past week. I need to clear it out to make room for more.
***
So it finally happened: someone shot someone else in a movie theater for being too loud. I can relate. I’ve never shot anyone in a movie theater, but I have gone so far as to stand up and yell at someone when repeated looks and shushes had no effect. And I’m not talking about a couple of people talking softly to each other. I’m talking about people talking at full volume all through a movie. It happens all the time.
I don’t understand what’s wrong with people. They’re just completely unaware of what’s happening around them, that they’re bothering people who are trying to pay attention to the movie. There are several types that I encounter over and over:
- Smart woman/dumb man (or vice-versa) – the Mensa half of the couple has to explain just about every plot point to her date so that he can follow along even a little bit.
- The man who knew too much (it’s just about always a man) – the know-it-all who has to proclaim to the theater what’s going to happen before it happens, no matter how obvious.
- Clueless parents (type 1) – I know how frustrating it can be when you have a new baby and want to get out of the house, and either you can’t afford a sitter or you’re breastfeeding and can’t leave the baby at home. But it’s not fair to make the rest of the theater suffer. If you’re not willing to race out of the theater with your screaming baby the moment it starts making noise, then do the rest of us a favor and stay home. A lot of theaters even have special afternoon shows just for you, where you can bring your kid and not worry about bothering everyone else, because they all have their kids. Not the romantic date you had in mind, I know, but it’s better than ruining my date.
- Clueless parents (type 2) – Perhaps you missed the day in your parenting class when they covered where you shouldn’t take your young children. Number one on the list? The latest profanity-laden, nudity-filled, R-rated movie. What’s that? You didn’t take a parenting class? Why am I not surprised. Perhaps I should be happy that your children aren’t paying attention to the movie, and are instead throwing popcorn and running up and down the aisles. That’s probably better (for them) than if they actually paid attention to the very adult content showing on the screen. But it sucks for the rest of us.
- Self-important phone guy (it’s just about always a guy) – You’re important. Know how I know? Because your phone keeps ringing and you take each and every call. I bet you also have a huge penis and drive a big truck.
- Clueless phone woman (it’s just about always a woman) – You’re dumb. Know how I know? Because your phone keeps ringing and even though it’s obvious you don’t want the calls, you never learned how to turn the ringer off. So each time, you fumble and offer up a lame apology to the rest of us. I’m willing to bet that you also respond to everyone when you mean to respond just to the sender, and you have to have your boyfriend set your TiVo every time you want to record a show.
- The small bladder club – you know who you are. Please just sit on the aisle.
- The “I’m in my living room” couple – you’re not even talking about the movie. You’re talking about what to have for dinner tomorrow and whether or not you should go camping next weekend. Shut. The. Fuck. Up.
I’m not condoning even a little bit what this man did. I’m just saying I understand the urge.
***
An acquaintance of my sister sells these adorable hats (there are a bunch of animals to choose from, but I think this lion is my favorite). My sister has seen them in person and says that they’re really well made. I have no direct connection to this company, but I am a sucker for whimsical hats, and these look extra cute!
***
After some tough negotiations, my husband gave me an extra few weeks to get all of my stuff organized. Phew. Because there was no way I was going to finish by the end of the year. Not sure I’ll finish even with the extra time, but I’m going to give it my best shot.
***
Every year at Easter I buy Cadbury Mini Eggs. I buy at least a bag before Easter, and then as many half-price bags after Easter that I can find. I love them. When the last bag is gone I miss them and start thinking about next year’s bags. I’ve often found myself wishing that they were sold all year long, but really it’s probably a good thing they’re not.
Today, my mom presented me with a bag of Cadbury holiday chocolates that taste exactly like the Mini Eggs, but are round, and red and green. Now they’re available about half the year. I’m in trouble.
***
Originally posted on Selfish Mom
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Tags: Cadbury Mini Eggs, Creatures 4 Kids, movie, Tivo
Nancy Travis: Mom And Actor
Jul 4, 2008 What's Going On
A little while back I had the privilege of participating in a phone interview with Nancy Travis, whom you probably remember from such movies as Internal Affairs, So I Married An Ax Murderer and The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants, or from her starring roles in the TV series Almost Perfect and Becker. The first time I ever came across her was when she played the baby’s mom in 3 Men And A Baby (I totally believed that she was British).
Now a mom of 2 boys, she’s starring in the runaway hit sitcom The Bill Engvall Show on TBS. She plays Susan Pearson, stay-at-home mom to three typical kids. I, along with some other mom bloggers from the SV Moms blogging group, were able to interview Ms. Travis at length about her life, her family, and her career. I have to say that as a group, we asked some interesting, penetrating questions.
Since I’d always wanted to be an actress growing up, I was very excited to speak in detail with someone who has not only had a long and interesting career on both stage and screen, but who seems to be successfully balancing that career with being a wife and mother. And Nancy couldn’t have been nicer (I hope she’s OK with me switching to her first name – Ms. Travis is just too formal). Her own kids were busy watching Scooby Doo, as were some of the bloggers’ kids. Rich or poor, famous or not, some things are the same all over: need peace and quiet for a phone call? Put on Scooby Doo!
Asked how she does it all with her busy schedule, Nancy started off by saying that a sitcom schedule is pretty manageable: most days she works from 10am until 3 or 4, and can be home with her boys after school. Thursdays are an exception, since that’s when The Bill Engvall Show is taped: her day starts at noon and goes until about 9:30pm. She said that while she still wants to be a feature film actor, she’s come to learn that kids want and need a kind of stability that wouldn’t be possible if she were on a movie set 12-14 hours a day.
Would she want her kids to go into acting? Nancy replied that she is very protective of them and tries to shield them from what goes on in the entertainment industry, but that she would support them if they wanted to be actors. But not if they simply wanted to be famous, which seems to be the case with so many young people in the industry these days.
I commented to her that when an actress plays a superhero or spy or some other fantasy character, she can more easily separate herself from the role she’s playing. But since she’s playing a mom, and she is mom, does she ever see her character as representing something bigger, or is it merely a character she plays?
Nancy answered that she does feel responsible and representative of mothers of teenagers, but struggles with it a little because her character decided to stay home with her kids. So while she does bring some of herself into the role, she tries to stay true to the character instead of just playing “Nancy Travis.” She wants to give credibility and honor to moms who stay home, while not being a stereotype – a housewife character from the 50s.
I asked her if she finds that people expect her to be a better mother because she’s famous and is perceived to have more opportunities than “normal” mothers, or do people expect her to be a worse mother since she’s an actress?
Nancy thought about it for a few seconds and said that she does feel like she’s being watched in a way that wouldn’t happen to a mom who wasn’t famous or recognizable. When she goes to the grocery store people do recognize her and watch what she’s doing, and when she has a “moment” in public she’s always afraid that it will wind up in the tabloids. But she pointed out that sometimes things aren’t what they seem on the outside, that a family can look perfect, but then it turns out that a child is addicted to drugs or something.
As far as her leisure time goes, she says that she’s addicted to American Idol, and gets sucked into Animal Planet with her kids. But mostly she watches news shows recorded by her husband, since she doesn’t know how to work her TiVo. She’s in two book clubs, and recent faves have included The Road From Coorain by Jill Ker Conway, Someone Knows My Name: A Novel by Lawrence Hill, and Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller.
I honestly don’t know where she finds the time to work, be a mom, read books, and keep up with American Idol. But she seems to be doing it all with grace.
The Bill Engvall Show airs Thursdays at 9pm on TBS, and full episodes can also be watched here.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom
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Tags: Bill Engvall Show, Interview, Nancy Travis, TBS, Tivo
