Brad’s Neighborhood

Blogging these days at glchoate.com.

What is the biggest lie you've told?

I've never lied.  ;-)

If you could leave notes for the future, what message would you have left in the past for today?

"Stop gritting your teeth."

Before stepping into another universe, lie quietly on the carpet, the rough, itchy kind that's good for cat naps, and scratching shoulder blades. Dreams are not a jury for the day's blame. Few dream of spite because they actually despise anyone, or perhaps they do. Me, I only want to dream in Spanish, Michel Thomas and I will tour Madrid and the French countryside. He'll have pasta; I'll have a good piece of fish, and I will convince him to tell me his true involvement in World War II. But when I swim back into this universe, I remember that Senor Thomas is quite shapeless, after 3 years of rot in the grave. I may hang a while, floating in the milky whey between these two worlds, where I can steal from the will of my subconscious, sharpen the dream to a point, and bring an old man back to life, until my eyes are open.

What was your random act of kindness today?

I did not knock my kids' heads together. (Not that I've ever done that on any other day, or that I ever will.... ;-)

Seth asked if he could help me. Hmmmm, a chance to put him to work. I suggested he get a wet wipe and clean all the door knobs, because they get food on them sometimes. (Y'all remember I have three little ones.) This apparently made him think he needed to clean the remote, offering to run it under water. When I told him no, we'll have to throw it out if you do that, son, he explained he'd gotten cheetos on it because he'd used his "cheeto hand" watching his They Might Be Giants podcasts. So I've cleaned the Cheeto schmear off of the Mac mini remote. I've done something with my day! :-( I think he should clean the door knobs as punishment.

A few minutes later, Seth said, "Grapes please!" because I sat down, forgetting to get their grapes. I sighed when I got up, mostly from the demand in his voice. And he knew it. He knows my sighs. He ran into the kitchen after me, and before I could finish saying, "Go sit back down." so he wouldn't be underfoot, he hugged me and said, "I love you more than grapes. I love you to the universe and back."

Today is our 16th wedding anniversary :-) We will celebrate with the kiddies this year, a late matinee to see Kung Fu Panda. (They don't know yet :)

Brad surprised me yesterday with a set of speakers that I can mount my iPhone in. It's playing Dylan in the kitchen right now. He took pity on me 'cause I was walking around the house with my iPhone in my back pocket.

He's getting apple strudel with a dollop of ice cream :-)'

Show us the loveliest flower in your garden.
Submitted by Allio's blog.

How does one choose?

Savannah, Arwen, and Seth in Santa Cruz

There are few movies I can watch again and again; Unbreakable is on that list. M. Night Shyamalan was at the top of his game then. He's still young and I'm sure has a lot of good creativity in him. It makes me sad when the critics crucify a filmmaker. That must take a strong spirit to endure a fan's being let down, and telling you in detail just how badly you've let him down.

"Seeing a Shyamalan has become this horrifically abusive relationship where I desperately cling to the belief that if I keep loving him, he'll stop hitting me." Collider.com

I'll watch it anyway, just like I'd watch anything of Wes Anderson's, knowing I'll probably never see another Rushmore. And I may even watch The Happening in the theater, just to support his next film in the hope.....