Death of a Cheerleader

Caught one of my favorite Lifetime movies this morning (other than the Shannen Doherty/William Devane movie Obsessed from 1992), Death of a Cheerleader, which is the Lifetime title for the former NBC A Friend to Die For (1994). Tori Spelling, the popular cheerleader, is portrayed as such an a-hole that, as Chris said, "You almost hope Kellie Martin gets off."
Which is good TV, but what about the real case this was modelled on? I would hate to see this movie if that was my kid who got murdered! I looked around on line and found some information on the real case. Here is one good site for info on the real life girls. Here's another good one.

Have you seen this movie? What's your favorite Lifetime timewaster? If you don't remember the name, tell me the basic plot. Why are these movies so freaking fascinating? Is it the bad acting? Over the top titles?

Check this out.

Go read Taylor's blog. She is a former student of Max's and I always thought she was an outstanding girl. Now she's a fantastic, outstanding WOMAN! I feel old. And I totally wish I had moved to Charleston that one time instead of Columbia. What the blank was I thinking?

A Day of Surprises

Yesterday was interesting.
Got to school and my first period threw me a "surprise" baby shower. They were so cute. I saw them sneaking in a cake and holding presents down by their sides. I pretended I didn't see. They seemed pleased that I was "surprised." Last week when a kid asked me if I would be at school on Wednesday, I said, "Yes, I plan to! Why wouldn't I be?" That made me think, Okay, either they are planning to shoot me or throw a baby shower...hmmm... I got a lot of sippy cups from them--bless 'em. Poor little baby won't need a sippy cup for quite some time. I love my students. I took pictures--you'll see them soon.
*****
Second Surprise: Grading a student's senior scrapbook and the "Someone Special" page was dedicated to his mom, who turns out, was someone I knew relatively well as a kid--she played softball with me. I was like, "Oh my gosh! That's Angela!" Crazy that I didn't know that until now, almost the end of the school year!!!! He's a good kid, and the funny thing is, he seemed "familiar" to me all year and now I know why...Sometimes it's really cool to teach at your alma mater and stuff.
*****
Third Surprise: Luke chasing Reggie (aka "Freggie") on the driveway yesterday afternoon and falling flat on his face, scraping his knee and elbow. Screamed bloody murder. It upset me and Chris as much as it did him. Chris was rushing him up the front steps and into the house when I nearly fell going UP the stairs and almost knocked them both over...clumsy, huh? Like mother like son! I can't help it. I was panicking and my belly is causing me to have to reconfigure my balance.

Now for some Luke conversation:
In grocery store, to checkout girl, Luke says, "Mama has boobies." (Points them out)
She smiles but doesn't answer.
He continues, "I have ding dong. No boobies. Her ding dong broke." (Holds his hands out like, "whatya gonna do?")
Always fun to discuss my breasts in public.
***
On the way to daycare this morning:
Luke: "There's poo poo in the truck."
Me: "Huh?"
Luke: "Paw paw."
Me: "Paw Paw poo pooed?"
Luke: "No. Bird did. Paw Paw's truck."
Me: "Ohhhhh..."
Luke: "Dis.Gussin'!!!" (learned that word from Chris.)
Me: "Yes, that's disgusting! Yuck!"
Luke: "Uh huh!!!"
*****
After yesterday's meeting with the concrete,
Luke to me: "I have boo boos." (Pause) "I not chase Freggie no more."

Stupid Stuff I Think is Funny

Today the students were working on their senior scrapbooks (a senior tradition here) that are due tomorrow. I couldn't help but laugh when I heard these two boys:

"Just do it."

"Huh?"

"Just do it."

"Do it. Do it."

(They were talking like Ben Stiller's character in Starsky and Hutch.)

Misc., etc., thus n such

Special thanks go out to Tanner, Crystal, and Dennis who came by the house and bought literary magazines this past weekend. I really appreciate it.
****
Chris has been going around for the past few days quoting the angry Alec Baldwin cellphone message to Ireland, but in reference to things here. Like, "Jen, you've humiliated me with your dirty dishes for the last time!" and "I'm gonna get in a plane and come over there and straighten your ass out! Do you hear me?" and "You're a thoughtless, rude little pig!!!" It's a lot of fun. Try it at home tonight.
****
I finished reading Anne Lamott's Grace (Eventually) today. I found some good stuff in it, but I found myself not relating at all with much of it...the political aspect of it. That's a fault of mine--I tend to hide my head in the sand about political stuff because it hurts to think about some of it, and with some topics, like abortion, I find myself wishy-washy on it, especially since I had a baby of my own...as for Bush hate, yeah I can see that, especially concerning the war...(Just last week a former student came by in his military clothes and told me he was going to Iraq in two weeks. "Don't go," I told him. "Mrs. C, I have to." "No you don't." "Yes, I do. They'll put me in jail if I don't." "So? What about college? I thought you were in college???" "That didn't work out." Sigh.) I'll try another book by her and try her again. I guess I'm just not as liberal as some of my friends. I really wanted to like it, but some of her views...I have a hard time wrapping my mind around. I liked her stories about her son, Sam...

****

Told a student to click on the icon for Renaissance Place today in the library. The kid promptly clicked on Recycle. "This is not rocket science," I announced after the tenth kid couldn't input their user name and password correctly (this after I wrote them down on individual Post it notes!)...my pregnancy hormones must be going nuts or something. "You're kinda cranky lately," Chris told me, "I'm gonna get on a plane and straighten your ass out."

Signs

Saw a sign at Sam's Club this afternoon as we were checking out. It was on the ice cream machine. It said:

Ice cream broken
Sorry management

It made me smile. Sorry management broke the ice cream.

Reminded me of a sign the custodian used to hang all the time on the bathrooms at SSHS when I worked there:

DO NOT ENTER MRS. EVANS

I am sure no one wanted to enter Mrs. Evans.

Free Stuff 4 You

If any of my pals would like any of this stuff, contact me via phone or comments or email ASAP. Come and git it!


Pics: 4 helmet plates, full size white metal bedframe, ladies bike.
Also available: Nintendo 64 console, 2 denim chair covers, handheld Dirtdevil vacuum, 2 burgundy vintage suitcases, black phone, duvet cover for queen/full (burgundy), full size box springs

Easter photos

Click here for this year's batch of Easter pics...

Luke's first Easter (2005). What a difference two years makes!

Feel it, feel it!

I don't care what anyone says, this brings back good memories!

These sites are too cool. While only a few of the pictures brought back memories, I'm betting that my parents or inlaws or B'ham residents will love these sites.

Birmingham Rewound and Postcard Birmingham

Rainy Saturday

Sometimes we like to sit and watch the rain and feel the breeze come in the front door.

Luke's starting to enjoy this as well. Frank, well, he's everywhere you want to be, as usual.

Cuz it's on tv right now...

The Timberline Lodge--where the original Shining was filmed. I noticed there isn't anything about the movie on their site...do you find anything about it that I missed?

Stuff

My "other baby", my literary magazine, has been delivered!

It seems to be a hit. I'm pretty happy about it. Next year I want the front to be glossy, I want to have more color artwork inside (only 4 this year), and I want it to have more pages. I need to play around with Adobe InDesign this summer to learn some new tricks for the '08 issue before the REAL baby comes.

In other news, a teacher I see on a fairly regular basis just realized I'm pregnant. Funny, since I'm six months along and (to me) obviously very pregnant. I think people are just scared to ask, "Are you pregnant or have you been hitting the booze and chips?"

Speaking of alcohol, Chris and I went to my favorite C'dale Mexican place last night since Patches was with Paw Paw and Bobbie. Chris got a pitcher of margaritas and damn that pitcher smelled gooddddddddd. My mouth seriously watered from it. Soon soon...

Have I mentioned that it's like trying to dress an egg when you are round and preg? I thought my skirt would fall off me any minute today.

Rainy Tuesday Afternoon

I really should utilize my cellphone camera more often. The immediacy! :)

Monday

I am so glad that The Sopranos is back on. They're like old pals...which is kind of scary. I seriously get so happy when a new episode is on, and after watching it I can't wait to see what others say about it on Television Without Pity. The whole "kid drowning/Janice's daughter" thing kept me on edge the whole time I watched it. The sense of doom/gloom hanging over the episode...beautiful scenery and that FEELING. I couldn't be a mobster. No peace at all. ;)

Easter was good. The Easter bunny visited Luke and left him lots of cool things like Shrek eggs, Superman eggs, and Spiderman eggs. You can imagine which ones he liked the best...Spiderman, aka "BICERMAN!!!!" Luke did his menacing stance towards his cousins Leah, Blaine, and Gracie about a million times after the egghunt at my parents' house. It both cracked me up and irritated me. I was thinking, "Calm down and stop throwing webs at everyone!"

The night before Easter, Luke was whimpering in his room. I went in there and asked him what was wrong. "I don't want the bunny to come in the house." He was scared of the Easter bunny. Ha.

Anyone else think Cousin Keith and Apollo Ono are related? Chris and I always laugh when we see "Keith" dancing on Dancing with the Stars.

Man, I feel like lead today. So tired. I'm not sick anymore and that's a relief, but damn, I just feel worn out. At night I like to go to bed around 8 (or at least lie in bed for a while) and keep my hands on my stomach, feeling the baby move around.

Chris and I saw a show last night that discussed Jack Whittaker, the powerball winner from a few years ago, and we've been reading up on him today. Amazing, how money can destroy some people. You always wonder how it would affect you if you were in the same position. I sure as heck wouldn't be hanging out at The Pink Pony.

Found

How much do I love this site?
I bet you spend more time on it than you'd like.
I love the notes/letters/scraps of paper they find...

I have so much to write about, but do not have the energy right now. We need to talk about the amazing Thomas the Train excitement courtesy of Mimi and Papa, about Nanny's upcoming surgery, about THE BOOGERBEAR OF A VIRAL INFECTION (plus throw in an ear infection for the kid)...

This sickness grabbed our family and shook us for nearly a week. Not fun folks.