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Featured Blog Posts – June 2010 Archive (19)

You're Despicable

Evil and cute are two things that don’t usually go together. Yet in the charming new computer animated movie, Despicable Me, evil and cute go together like chocolate and peanut butter.

The evil in question goes by the name of Gru. He’s a pointy nosed fellow who looks like the love child of Dr. Evil and Uncle Fester. Gru has earned his place in the world by being mean, evil and well, despicable. He’s the kind of guy who will delight… Continue

Added by Reeling on June 30, 2010 at 9:30pm — 13 Comments

I Scream, You Scream

You know, ice cream is delicious and all, but it sure is high maintenance for something that’s supposed to be a lighthearted summer treat. Seriously. It’s not just a dessert; it’s an event dessert, a destination dessert. We shepherd the kids through long lines and help them sort through the choices – Cone or dish?…

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Added by TykeGeist on June 27, 2010 at 1:00pm — 13 Comments

Transparency

It's what's for breakfast.

Added by The Diaper Pail on June 25, 2010 at 6:20pm — 2 Comments

Name That Kid

The latest top baby names are in, via this article on PBS or directly from the Social Security Administration, and I guess I should not be surprised how much pop culture influences the choice of baby names. From vampires to glee clubs, football players to reality TV stars, ideas come… Continue

Added by Meconium on June 22, 2010 at 10:18pm — 32 Comments

Vietnamistan

In "honor" of the war in Afghanistan last week surpassing the war in Vietnam as officially the longest war in American history, here's Alabama 3 (the band that did the Sopranos theme song), doing "Vietnamistan" (click here if embed doesn't… Continue

Added by The Diaper Pail on June 20, 2010 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Toy Story 3 (a spoiler free review)

Ironically, the original Toy Story marks the beginning of my adult life. It came out the summer that I graduated college. I had moved to a new city and was struggling to adjust to a great many things. I have vivid memories of sitting in a theater with my friends on a Saturday afternoon, surrounded by screaming kids and harried parents. But when the lights went down and the movie splashed across the screen, it didn’t matter how old any of us were—the… Continue

Added by Reeling on June 19, 2010 at 9:45am — 18 Comments

Spontaneous Summer?

Well, here we are. Summer vacation. It’s always such a busload of expectations, isn’t it? There’s more to this season than just a pleasant change in the weather, I tell you. It means something. The school year, with all its frustrations and challenges, simply ends. No more pencils, no more books. The routine we were slave to all those months simply… Continue

Added by TykeGeist on June 19, 2010 at 12:00am — 7 Comments

Dad of the week

At least I am assuming it is Dad. For father's day comes this touching story about a boy with a loose tooth. I can only hope they develop this into a marketable product.…

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Added by Meconium on June 18, 2010 at 9:30pm — 6 Comments

What did you think of Obama's speech?

Consider this an open thread.

Added by The Diaper Pail on June 15, 2010 at 9:39pm — 20 Comments

The Difference Between Christian and Christianity

in a nutshell...

A Florida teacher alleges that she was fired from her job instructing…

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Added by The Diaper Pail on June 14, 2010 at 7:29am — 6 Comments

Thought We Were Leaving Afghanistan?

Not anytime soon.

Added by The Diaper Pail on June 13, 2010 at 6:53pm — No Comments

Boy Scouts: WWOSD?

My soon-to-be-kindergartener recently asked me if he gets to be in Boy Scouts when he's in kindergarten.

I bit my tongue long enough to avoid the diatribe. I drew a little blood. Instead I just told him he could be in something like Boy Scouts, but not Boy Scouts specifically, because they don't let gay people be in Boy Scouts, and I think that's mean.

Inevitably, his next question, "What's gay?"

I told him it's when a family… Continue

Added by Silver Foot on June 10, 2010 at 12:30pm — 23 Comments

The Economist says what needs to be said about BP disaster

At least, in regard to the media shrillness about what Obama "should do" about the spill. (Yes, THAT Economist):

...in this case the issue is deadly serious; it's the public discourse that is puerile. There is plenty of room for…

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Added by The Diaper Pail on June 9, 2010 at 8:59am — 4 Comments

Reeling Q&A Part 2: Remakes

When I trolled for questions, one of the things you wanted to know most was: What’s the deal with all of the remakes? Is Hollywood out of ideas?

The simple answer is: yes.

The more complex answer is: yes and no.

With the shiny new version of The Karate Kid threatening to sweep the leg of audiences, it feels like a perfect time to examine… Continue

Added by Reeling on June 8, 2010 at 5:00am — 9 Comments

Teens With Lesbian Parents Better Adjusted than Most

A new report from the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study (NLLFS), the longest-running and largest study of American lesbian families, has found that the 17-year-old children of lesbian mothers, all conceived through donor insemination, "were rated higher than their peers in social, academic, and overall competence, and lower in aggressive behavior, rule-breaking, and social problems, on standardized assessments of psychological adjustment." The… Continue

Added by Mombian on June 7, 2010 at 7:30am — 11 Comments

Congratulations To The 4th Mrs. Rush Limbaugh!

Yes, readers - though I suspect many of you probably follow Rush Limbaugh's doings (not to mention his words) about as closely as a toddler follows the minutes of the UK Astrophysics Society - yesterday was the day that talk-radio hatemonger Rush Limbaugh entered into his fourth "traditional marriage." You know, the kind he and other wingers always refer to as having all that "sanctity" (as opposed to all those ooky gay ones which lack it)?

Let us take a moment, on this…

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Added by The Diaper Pail on June 6, 2010 at 11:00am — 16 Comments

Parenting Through The Blues

Dear Alternadad:

This question isn't just for me. It's for a lot of people I know who deal with this. How does one parent through depression?

Melancholic Mom

Dear Melancholic Mom:

Assuming that your depression isn't so bad that you need to be hospitalized, it's not really an option to abandon your parenting responsibilities. The one solace you can take is that your kids won't realize you're depressed. When you're weeping on the sofa in the middle of the… Continue

Added by Alternadad on June 6, 2010 at 9:37am — 5 Comments

Meditation

The first meditation class I ever took was a one-off, free-of-charge, two-hour deal through the continuing education department at the University of Washington. I rode the city bus there from my studio apartment one Tuesday evening after hiking home from my office manager job, changing out of my stiff business suit into ripped jeans and a flannel shirt, and wolfing down my standard bagel-and-beer dinner. Only this time, in consideration of the meditation class, I made it one beer instead of… Continue

Added by The Middle Sister on June 4, 2010 at 1:30pm — 2 Comments