Fun with Maureen and Taylor!

Some photo highlights from my visit with Maureen and Taylor last weekend. I wish they lived closer so that I could see them more often!

Good News!

Check it out. Rice Chex is friend to all.

Holiday Medley

Yes, I know. This is turning into a bit of a "Sally" blog lately. But she's just so stinking cute that I can't help it - she must be shared.

Culture Corner Review: American Buffalo

A Chat Confession to Jason
Melanie: Mrs. Los Fitz got tix to American Buffalo and asked if I wanted to go and I said yes
Melanie: i'm sorry, baby
Jason: to you - WHATEVER.....to fitz - the hand right in her face!
Melanie: um, btw - that is totally going in the review if I ever write one

So, now I'm writing my review. Yes, I cheated on Jason and went to see a play with Christine.

First of all - this is what a seat upgrade looks like, bitches!



Now, onto the review. American Buffalo is the third David Mamet play I've seen this year and is probably my least favorite among them. 2 acts, 3 actors and over 2 hours of dialogue with nary a song to be heard. I felt both acts could have lost about 30 mintues (or more) of repetitive dialogue, easily. Haley Joel Osment creeps me out so much. I don't know why. But big time! So creepy. And kind of distractingly bad in this role. Cedric the Entertainer was really good. Understated for the most part, but he really delivers. And John Leguizamo? Though he might have questionable taste in shirts, he was awesome. Bottom line? If you're a fan of these actors, worth checking out. If you're a fan of Mamet, then worth checking out. But if you're not sure what you're looking for - then pass.

Christine says: Very much enjoyed the seat upgrades, the silver fox that tried to pick Melanie up and then changed seats when she rejected him, and the Ike and Tina shout out in the set design. Now for the actual show...obviously JLeg was awesome, and I was surprisingly impressed by Cedric the (they don't call him) Entertainer (for nothing). But Haley Joel Osmont just plain sucked. His portrayal of a junkie was more like a mentally challenged person. Not to mention he's kind of a scary looking teenager. All in all, I wouldn't pay to see it again but I'd pay to see JLeg in just about anything and now might actually watch a Cedric the Entertainer movie. Was I supposed to keep this brief?

Jason says: This show was great! The cast, well, I can't say enough about them and the...oh wait...I wasn't invited to see it!

Somebody's Got Some Splainin To Do!

Bet the girls were super-psyched to hang out with a great-grandpa!

It's Our Problem-Free Philosophy!

This latest entry into the Cute Kid Alert series features both a reminder that we should all remember Hakuna Matata, as well as a rundown of the rules you should follow if you want Santa to come. And I would like him to stop by, so I asked for the list (Sally loses her focus at this part of the video).

1. Good listening (check!)
2. Good manners (check!)
3. Be a nice kid (and check!)

Looks like I'll be seeing you later, Santa! Please don't leave me knives, money and thong underwear in my stocking again because that was creepy!

Culture Corner Review: In the Heights

Musings was well overdue for a Culture Corner segment - and you've got at least two others in the wings. You see, about a million years ago (or in October), Jason, Kristen, Alisa, Kara and I went to see In the Heights.

I feel like a lot of the press on this show talks about how different it is, so I went in expecting something closer to the dearly dparted Passing Strange rather than a fairly standard musical production. I mean - we're talking full-on, stop-the-action-and-face-the-audinence-and-sing-musical. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about that - it seemed a little disjointed, especially for solos - but as the show went on I got more used to it, but I'm still not sure I liked it. However - this kid? This kid was destined to be a star!



Jason says: "When Ken Rosato speaks, one should listen. It was one early morning around 5:30am and Ken spoke to me saying that I should go see this musical (well, not to me personally, but you get the drift). I immediately told Melanie that morning we needed to add it to the list, this new show about life above Manhattan. Though we didn't see it pre-Tony's, it was well worth the wait. An energetic, upbeat look at a life growing up different from my own. I enjoyed every bit of it, well, except for one minor thing...our seats were, how should I say it, 'in the heights' of the theater."

Determination - One Man's Definition

Special thanks to my friend Jaime for providing the following. Not sure what inspired him, but I think it's kind of awesome.

Mayne Street Episode 1: "Fixes"

You know I love me some Kenny Mayne!!! He's not wearing nearly enough make-up and I haven't watched it all the way through, but here it is so you can make your own decisions.

Remembering Veterans Day

Thank you.

For the history of Veterans Day, please click here.

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America