Saturday, February 24, 2007

Life of Jim #3




[click for a better picture]

Friday, February 23, 2007

Sunset Over 565


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Monday, February 19, 2007

Top Ten Signs of Getting Old

10. Grey hair.
This has been going on for some time now.

9. Clothes are for comfort, not looks.
I can't even think of a reason not to wear this old ratty t-shirt with my pajama bottoms to the grocery store.

8. You begin to realize that you're old.
You pass a pretty girl, and think, "She's cute." You wonder if she's thinking, "He's old." Then your wife brings you back to reality with, "You're not even on her radar."

7. You can't eat what you used to.
I love dairy. I used to live for dairy. I could drink a 1/2 gallon of milk, or polish one of those giant blocks of cheese in one sitting. Now I have to pour soy milk on my Crispix. As one of my older family members is wont to yell out in restaurants: "Can't have cheese!!"

6. You can't do what you used to.
I used to could stay up all night (you can tell I live in the south now). Now I'm starting to nod off about 9 pm.

5. You start to think about life.
Starting to realize that this life is the means, not the end.

4. The world around you starts to fade away.
I can begin to see it now. I'm in the car or in a store, focused on what I'm doing, nigh-oblivious to what's going on around me. I hope I can reverse the process before I'm like the guy in Toys R Us this past Saturday who waited until he was at the cash register with a line behind him to have a conversation with his grandson about whether or not he really wanted the DVD he was buying.

3. You have strange and unexplained aches and pains.
I can't get out of bed or stand up out of a chair without limping around.

2. You open your mouth and your parents' voice comes out.
Don't make me come in there! I don't care who started it! Settle down! Go ask mommy...

And the number one Sign of Getting Old:

1. Someone mistakes you for a grandparent.
I'm in Martin's in Florence, AL not long ago with my daughter on my shoulders. This worker - who was probably in her 60's; not some kid half my age as I'd expect - says, "She's cute. Your granddaughter?" Wonderful. My daughter's 4 going on 14; I'm 35 going on 53.


Quote of the Day
Did you have a good world when you died? Enough to base a movie on?
-Jim Morrison

Friday, February 09, 2007

Out of the Mouths of Babes

The other night, we were sitting, eating dinner, and my daughter told me she knew what I was going to say before I said it.

How, I asked?

Her response is the:

Quote of the Day
I can read your brains.
-Julianna, 4 years old

*Update: I have since been corrected; I guess I have bad memory in my old age. Since I don't have time to post anything else, I'll just note that Julianna's actual quote contained the word brains, not brain. As Krista noted, the actual quote is much funnier.

Friday, February 02, 2007

El Laberinto del Fauna


Guillermo del Toro never ceases to amaze. I specifically didn't read or watch too much about Pan's Labyrinth - I didn't even know it was a Spanish-language film.

Taking place in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, it's a fairy tale with a touch of horror and a bit of violence. Extremely intense. It draws you into another world, and by the time it's over, you feel like you need to come up for air.

And there's the fascinating allegory of denying self, defying what you're supposed to do (as expected by everyone around you), and following your true nature. At least that's what I got out of it.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Quote of the Day

Hell hath no fury like a vested interest masquerading as a moral principle.