Saturday Night Dances

So, I work with teenagers (and tweens) at my day job (so much less formal than a courtroom, though, much heavier on the drama), and this Friday we are having a Dance Party. They requested it and I agreed to host it.

I've been planning a playlist--because no, I will not let them be in charge of it. Heaven forbid. It would be rated R for Raunchy.

Tonight I purchased some songs that I loved to dance to as a youngster (and that I think they will willingly dance to...I thought they were too cool for some of these songs, but surprisingly, they have made references to some of them, and just yesterday one of the "coolest" kids busted out the macarana for no good reason. Yes. I love tweens.) Just listening to the songs has taken me back to those awkward, yet very anticipated Saturday Night Stake Youth Dances. Wow. I loved those things.

Here's a few of my favorites:
The Electric Slide
500 Miles
Cotton Eyed Joe
YMCA
Chicken Dance (so utterly annoying, but you get to act like a chicken!)
Macarana (though it's never been a favorite, just hearing it takes me back to those dim cultural halls of my youth)
Dancing Queen (yeah, I thought the song was about me).

Maybe you have some suggestions, songs I've forgotten...I'd love to hear what they are (even if you've never attended a Saturday Night Stake Youth Dance, surely there's some song that when you hear it you think of a Rhythmic Ceremonial Ritual you attended in your youth.
--Lu

This American Life Favorites

This is short but informative---
I've been listening to the favorites from the NPR affiliated This American Life program, and I highly recommend them, at least the ones I like:

thisamericanlife.com

Go to "Our Favorites" there at the top. Some recommendations of shows to start with are:

Giant Pool of Money
The Watchmen (found on the main home page----one of the follow ups to Giant Pool of Money)
Teenage Embed, Part Two (and Part One)

Moo

Froot Smoothie

check out my refreshing summer treat over at lufoodstorage. --Lu

Movie Recommendations

My dad took me and The Rock to see Up for my belated birthday present (I love getting a trip to the movies as a birthday present, but there wasn't anything out back then that I wanted to see. In fact, The Rock's birthday present to me is still on hold because it seems that HP6 will NEVER make it to the theaters. Does anyone else feel like we've been waiting way too long for that flick?!)

As a warning, if you are a bawl-baby like me, you'll probably have a few teary moments during Up. (who would have thought it would be that kind of show). Also, there are a few things that are slightly annoying and/or cheesy in a grin(grimace)-and-bear-it kind of way. But those elements didn't detract from the good parts of the movie enough to make me regret seeing it. I love a movie that makes me laugh (and cry, too, if it's for a good reason.) This one did both.





If you haven't yet seen Love Comes Softly, may I recommend that too. I think the book might be even better, but it's been so many years since I read it, I can't give a reasoned opinion on it right now.

It seems that I appreciate more and more stories that depict what I consider to be real love. Love based on something beyond instant attraction or an irresistible, fatalistic pull toward someone else. Maybe it's because I don't buy into the notion of fated love, or love that sprouts from an unknown source, undying and unyielding no matter what. That would be too easy. And I have yet to see an example of that kind of love in a relationship in the Real World. I'm happy to be pointed toward such a relationship, though, if you know of one.

That isn't to say that I think all relationships in the Real World are painful or unhappy. I know that's not true. For instance, so many things about being with The Rock come naturally and easily. But it didn't just happen out of thin air. Both of us have characteristics and personalities that allow us to get along easily with each other. And when I was making the decision to marry him, I looked for those things. As much of a hottie I think he is, that pales in comparison to Who He Is. Who a person is (their character) is what you look for when you are thinking about success in the long term. Jane Austen was all over that principle--just read Pride and Prejudice again if you don't believe me.

So when a movie or a book has characters that actually love each other because of the kind of people they are, I love to immerse myself in the story. Which is why I appreciated Love Comes Softly--it feels real to me in a way that most romance books/movies don't.

Book Cycle and My New Favorite Book

Just when I thought I wouldn't find another book I loved, I found one. This is all part of a cycle--and I know it's a cycle so you would think I could wait it out until it hit the upswing again, but...it can be a long wait at times.

This is how it goes. I find a book I love and want to read again and again. Usually, I find two or three at once (it seems that good books come in groups). This inspires me to read more books in case I've managed to miss other good books. Because I'm still under the thrill of the good book, the fact that I'm reading some not so good books doesn't get me down. I keep thinking back to that good book. Wow. It was amazing. So I skim it again and keep searching for more. Sometimes, I feel so contented by the good book, I don't want or need to read another book for a while because I feel satisfied. I love that feeling.

Time passes. I'm still reading, but I start feeling disgruntled because I haven't found a truly good book. I get annoyed. I dread going to the library because when I do go, I can't seem to see anything but books I've already read, and hated. I go to bookstores, hoping that new releases will provide some comfort. The sense of dread only increases then, because...well, have you looked at the new releases in the young adult section of the bookstore? Disgusting. But, I still go, just in case.

And that's the source of my problem. I don't give up hope. I know there are authors out there who are putting out quality literature. Or, at least, I hope it so strongly that I convince myself it's true.

The next step in this cycle is that I find a really good book. It happens. It always has so far. Sometimes it's not even a new book, it's an old one that I've missed. No matter the means, inevitably, I find another good book.

Waiting for that moment is difficult because the timeline can stretch out indefinitely. And I'm not the best of waiters.

I've been in the dearth section of the cycle for a while now. So, two weeks ago, when I was in Town, I stopped by the library and started pulling books off the shelves. Anything that looked remotely readable. I narrowed the pile down to eight books, and left the rest for next time.

And it turns out that the first one of the eight that I read is...perfect. A gem of a book.

It's...a fairy tale. I think that's the best way to describe it. But, it's not a fairy tale you've ever heard before. There's the romance of a fairy tale (don't let the cover fool you-- it's not a bodice ripper, in fact, it's quite tame), a little adventure...but mostly, I love it because of the ideas it approaches, some of the truths it touches. You can read the synopsis on the front cover and decide if you're willing to give it a go. I hope that if you decide to read it, you enjoy it as much as I did.

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

Latest Food Fetish

check it out at lufoodstorage.

A prize to the first person who tries it at home. --Lu

Recent Excursions

Last Monday we went hiking in the Out. (Out. Meaning, outside of a confined space. As in, The Boov who was locked in the freezer said, "Can I come into the Out now?" ---see, The True Meaning of Smekday for further context).

We found so many tadpoles one wonders if a plague of frogs is on its way in the near future. To my great dismay, none of them had sprouted little legs yet, they were all in the squirmy wormy stage. They can wiggle themselves through the water at a fairly fast pace, though, I managed to catch several of them.


And where there are tadpoles, there must be frogs, though usually they are harder to find. Not so where we were hiking:




(He looks like a sluggy bum of a frog all smooshed up in that hole in the rock.)

(I love how they sit on their hands... and his eyes are incredible. Can you see that his skin is iridescent?)


While we were standing at the side of the stream, The Rock noticed a humming bird had come unusually close to us, so we were watching it hover and then...it plopped itself down in a NEST that was Right In Front of Us!

It looks so regal. You should have seen how the branch bobbed and swayed when the wind blew. The little bird didn't seem to notice at all.


We found a snake in the pond, probably enjoying the plethora of tadpoles. And then later in the week, I was with some friends who caught just such a snake in a similar pond. This one, though has a fabulous red and black tongue:




This weekend we mountain biked in Prescott and came across a TON of these:





And one of the oddest looking things I've seen:

This guy has legs like a lizard, but moves like a snake (and seems to be in the process of sprouting a new tail...or maybe he's just dang ugly all the time).

His skin was really shiny too. Like it was slick from being wet. But he really wasn't near any water we could see.



Not all our run-ins with wildlife have been pleasant. Last night it seemed like every animal outside of Prescott had a death wish. We almost hit a chipmunk, a bird, a big dog (or coyote) that was already dead in the road, and a black cow (I was so startled at the sight of the cow...it came into view as we rounded a corner, and it was dark and the cow was black and for a moment I actually thought it was a Huge Dog. I cried out, "IS THAT A DOG?!" The Rock, who was driving and had expertly avoided the animal, said in a calm voice, "No, that's a cow." Duh.)

But those were all the anmials we Didn't Hit. A large jackrabbit wasn't so lucky. In fact, he was plain stupid because he stinkin' ran INTO the side of our car. Crunch. Bump. (I don't have a picture of that...)


Let's end on a happier note. These were in bloom last weekend:



and I jumped out of the car several times to get pictures. Ironically, my favorite shot was taken from the car, by The Rock.


I love springtime in the desert, don't you? --Lu