ABC's of Me

My newest Facebook tag....

A - Age: 34

B - Bed size: Queen

C - Chore you hate: Cleaning the bathroom

D - Dog's name: Brandy

E - Essential start to your day item: Soy green tea latte

F - Favorite color: Purple

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5'2"

I - Instruments you play(ed): Yeah, right. Although, there was that classical guitar class that was part of my liberal studies degree....

J - Job title: Fourth grade teacher

K - Kid(s): 25 or so new ones every August!

L - Living arrangements: My own little 600 sf apartment, with my sweet doggy and kitty as roomates

M - Mom's name: Karen

N - Nicknames: Jen, Jenny

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Never

P - Pet Peeve: When people write "could of" instead of "could've"

Q - Quote from a movie: "Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: My little brother, Jeff

T - Time you wake up: 5:00 in the morning

U- Underwear: Depends on my mood

V - Vegetable you dislike: Brussels sprouts - I really think that they were never meant to be eaten

W - Ways you run late: If I'm lost

X - X-rays you've had: Nose, foot, spine

Y - Yummy food you make: Tamales

Z - Zoo favorite: Polar bears

One of my infrequent rants...

At recess today, some of my coworkers and I were discussing President Obama's proposals regarding merit pay for teachers, our statewide standardized testing coming up next week, and how different our teaching experience is in Del Mar versus more impoverished districts around the nation. One of my wise colleagues said, "Take our beautiful school and all of the amazing teachers and plop it down in the middle of Washington, D.C. I don't know that we'd help those inner-city kids do much better than they're doing right now." And that is the fundamental problem, I believe, with merit pay. It won't help. Study after study has shown a direct correlation between parent income/educational level and student test scores. I don't believe that offering monetary bonuses will help teachers boost their students' achievement. Here's what I do believe:

• Standardized tests do not accurately measure intelligence, learning, or problem-solving skills. They do not tell you how well a student will achieve in life.
• All the teachers I know take very seriously their calling to educate all children. Merit pay could lead to a lot of bickering about who gets troubled kids, special education students, or English-language learners in their class.
• Financial rewards would most likely promote competition among teachers. I don't know where I would be without the help of my colleagues over the years. I can't imagine what would happen if that collaborative spirit went away.
  

However, I also believe the system is broken. Children all over this nation are dropping out or exiting public school with very few of the skills they need to make a decent or honest living. Low-income, mostly minority neighborhoods have been caught cycles of poverty and violence for decades.

And I believe there is a path that will lead to success.

In September I was listening to my beloved "This American Life" weekly podcast, when I heard about a man named Geoffrey Canada, who has been running the Harlem Children's Zone program for the past 20 years. And he is seeing real, documentable results. The Harlem Children's Zone operates under the basic philosophy that every child's success begins before birth. Beginning with the Baby College program, HCZ teaches soon-to-be parents in Harlem how to read to, talk to, and interact with their babies, building the vocabulary and experiental knowledge that is the very foundation of learning. Families who begin in the Baby College can continue receiving services and training from HCZ through the college years. I was blown away by the ambition and successes of this program and am excited to read the book Whatever It Takes by Paul Tough this summer.

If our president could take all of that merit pay money and pour it into the establishment of programs like HCZ in cities all over the county, I believe that in 5-10 years, we'd begin to see some amazing results. Problem is, does any government official have the courage to support a long-term solution such as this? It's much more pleasing to the public to offer up a knee-jerk, short term option such as merit pay, vouchers, bussing, or sanctions. There are people out there who are getting to the root of the problem, and it's working. It would be an understatement to say that the "powers that be" ignorance of this is frustrating.

As I think about entering my doctoral program this summer and my career future after that, I am so inspired by the revolutionary work of the Harlem Children's Zone. Where my studies will lead me, I don't yet know, but stay tuned, as I am unable to get this early education idea out of my head.

Monkeying Around

I am so thrilled to present my long-awaited, complete Monkey Socks!!

I made these socks using this free knitting pattern. I've been laboring over these monkeys since late January and I am very proud of them for several reasons:

1. They are my first adult-sized socks. I've made baby socks before, but those are so much less risky as they are tiny and stretchy and the baby will surely fit into them at one point or another. Adult socks need to come out a certain size, and I was a little afraid whether this would actually happen.

2. They do actually fit!

3. Besides being my first socks, this is really the first wearable garment I've ever knitted for myself. I tend to knit a lot of blankets and other square objects, and I've made baby and dog clothes, but for the first time, I have created something I will actually proudly put on. And go out in public. I promise!

Who knows where this momentum will lead me...maybe I'll make myself a sweater next. At the rate I've been going, it should be ready just in time for winter!

Summer Movie Preview

I just received my Summer Movie Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly in the mail: my favorite issue of the year! I get all excited about summer blockbusters, beginning with the intense trailers around Christmas time. I'm looking forward to the warm weather as well as Johnny, Christian, Shia, and Hugh on the big screen and in surround sound. Here's my "to see" list for the upcoming months:

• May 1: Wolverine
• May 8: Star Trek
• May 21: Terminator
• June 5: The Hangover
• June 19: Year One
• June 24: Transformers
• July 1: Public Enemies
• July 10: Bruno
• July 15: Harry Potter
• July 31: Funny People

Then, on August 14, a film version of The Time Traveler's Wife will be released. This is one of the most incredible books ever written - it's my favorite love story in print. Now, some of the books I adore have been made into marvelous movies: Like Water for Chocolate, Harry Potter, Field of Dreams, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Color Purple to name a few.
But, based on the poor reviews, I never saw the movie versions of Beloved, The Kite Runner or The DaVinci Code. I thought The Joy Luck Club and Interview With a Vampire movies were just okay, and I really did not like the screen versions of Memoirs of a Geisha, Hannibal, and most everything written by Stephen King (of course Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption are notable exceptions).

What's more, The Time Traveler's Wife will star Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, two fairly one-dimensional actors in my opinion. So, since I don't want this narrative ruined by a crappy movie, I think I'll leave The Time Traveler's Wife off my must-see list for now, with an option to revise my list should it receive really stellar reviews!

Cute One!

Funniest Blog Ever

A couple of weeks ago, we had a little bridal shower at work for Stephanie. Unfortunately, the cake decorator was a little confused and wrote "Congratulations, Staphanie," on the top of the cake. I thought this was pretty hilarious, but it's nothing compared to Cake Wrecks.

This blog cracks me up big time. The commentary makes me laugh until my stomach hurts. Check it out at your own risk, and be sure to swallow your beverage first...

50 Questions

I got tagged on this one today by both Stephanie and Jen....

1. What color is your toothbrush?
Lime green and white.

2. Name one person who made you smile today:
Linda - we had breakfast today and it seems her career is really coming together!

3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
I was on my way to the Hash House for breakfast.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
Sadly, I was at work!

5. What is your favorite candy?
Reese's Pieces.

6. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Um, yeah.

7. What is the last thing you said aloud?
"Bye, Donnie!" as I was leaving work.

8. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Quarterback Crunch.

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?
SmartWater.

10. Do you like your wallet?
Yes! It says "I'm bad and you love it," which is a daily reminder that I don't have to always be good ;-)

11. What was the last thing you ate?
Shrimp Scampi/Pasta from Dream Dinners.

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
I went through some hand-me-downs from Meg and added to my wardrobe.

13. The last sporting event you watched:
Tuesday night's Padres game.

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
Regular flavor, I guess.

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?
Jared.

16. Ever go camping?
Sure, but not in a long time.

17. Do you take vitamins daily?
Yes.

18. Do you go to church every Sunday?
No.

19. Do you have a tan?
Hahahahahaha....no.

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza?
No, I prefer pizza.

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
Yes, at restaurants.

22. What did your last text message say?
Uhhh....I'll keep that between me and the recipient.

23. What are you doing tomorrow?
Knitting group, lunch at Karla's, dinner with my boy.

25. Look to your left, what do you see?
The wall. It is white.

26. What color is your watch?
I haven't owned a watch in years.

27. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
My high school boyfriend.

28. Look up-what is there?
Jeez, who thinks of these questions?! I see my popcorn ceiling.

29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Drive-thru.

30. What is your favorite number?
Twenty-three.

31. Who's the last person you talked to on the phone?
Jared.

32. Any plans today?
I'm done with my tasks for today, so I'll spend the afternoon reading and relaxing.

33. How many states have you lived in?
Just the one.

34. Biggest annoyance right now?
It's raining and I really wanted a sunny spring break!

35. Last song listened to?
It's by Coldplay, but I don't know the name. The one where he says, "So you take a picture of something you see....."

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
Yes, but not very fast.

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house?
No, I can generally handle these 600 square feet.

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Flip flops - I buy new ones about as often as I get my hair cut.

39. Are you jealous of anyone?
Nope. I am so grateful for what I have!

40. Is anyone jealous of you?
I don't think so.

41. Do you love anyone?
Yes.

42. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes.

43. What do you usually do during the day?
Play with fourth graders.

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now?
No.

45. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
I think I'm more of a "hi" person.

46. What color is your car?
Dark gray.

47. Do you like cats?
Yes.

48. Are you thinking about someone right now?
I wasn't, until I read the question!!

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Yes, Magic Mountain.

50. How did you get your worst scar?
I have one from foot surgery and one from my cat!

501 Must-See Movies

I've only seen 140 of the movies from the book 501 Must-See Movies. Guess I better get busy...

Action/Adventure and Epic
[] The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
[] The Iron Horse
[] Napoleon (France, 1927)
[] Cleopatra
[] The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
[] Alexander Nevsky (USSR)
[X] Gone with the Wind
[] The Sea Hawk
[] The Treasure of Sierra Madre
[] The African Queen
[] The Wages of Fear/Le Salaire de la peur (France/Italy)
[] The Seven Samurai/Shichinin no Samurai (Japan)
[X] The Ten Commandments
[] War and Peace
[] The Vikings
[] North by Northwest
[] Ben-Hur
[] Spartacus
[] Lawrence of Arabia (Britain)
[] Zulu (Britain)
[] Dr Zhivago (Britain)
[] The Charge of the Light Brigade (Britain)
[] The Lion in Winter (Britain)
[] Waterloo (Italy/Russia)
[] Aguirre: The Wrath of God/Aguirre: der Zorn Gottes (Italy/Peru/Mexico)
[] The Poseiden Adventure (1972)
[] Enter the Dragon
[] Papillon
[X] The Towering Inferno
[] The Man Who Would Be King
[X] Raiders of the Lost Ark
[] Fitzcarraldo (Germany/Peru)
[] Gandhi
[X] The Right Stuff
[] Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
[] The Passage to India
[] Ran (Japan/France)
[] The Mission
[X] Top Gun
[] The Last Emperor (France/Italy/Britain)
[X] Die Hard
[X] Speed
[] True Lies
[] Braveheart
[X] Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/Wo Hu Cang Long
[X] Gladiator
[X] The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
[] Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
[X] Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
[] Troy

Comedy
[] Safety Last
[] The General
[] Show People
[] Duck Soup
[] It's a Gift
[] Modern Times
[] Nothing Sacred
[] Way Out West
[] Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
[] Bringing Up Baby
[] Midnight (1939)
[] His Girl Friday
[] Sullivan's Travels
[] To Be or Not to Be (1942)
[] Road to Morocco
[] Kind Hearts and Coronets
[] Born Yesterday (1950)
[] Les Vacances de M. Hulot/Mr. Hulot's Holiday (France)
[] Some Like It Hot
[] Move Over, Darling
[X] The Pink Panther (1963)
[] The Fortune Cookie
[] The Producers (1968)
[X] The Odd Couple
[] Harold and Maude
[] What's Up, Doc?
[] Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex*But were afraid to ask
[X] Blazing Saddles
[X] Monty Python and the Holy Grail
[X] Animal House
[X] Airplane!
[X] Tootsie
[] Trading Places
[X] All of Me
[] This is Spinal Tap
[X] The Breakfast Club
[X] Ferris Bueller's Day Off
[X] A Fish Called Wanda
[X] The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad
[X] Big
[X] Home Alone
[X] Groundhog Day
[X] Grosse Point Blank
[X] Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
[] The Big Lebowski
[] Le diner do cons/The Dinner Game (France)
[X] There's Something About Mary
[X] Meet the Parents
[] Amelie/Amelie of Montmatre (France/Germany)
[] Lost in Translation

Drama
[] Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
[] The Grapes of Wrath
[] Citizen Kane
[] Children of Paradise/Les enfants du paradis (France)
[] The Lost Weekend
[] The Best Years of Our Lives
[] Great Expectations (1946)
[X] It's a Wonderful Life
[] Letter from an Unknown Woman
[] The Bicycle Thief/Ladri di Biciclette (Italy)
[] All About Eve
[] Sunset Boulevard
[] Ace in the Hole
[] On the Waterfront
[X] Rebel Without a Cause
[X] 12 Angry Men
[] The Seventh Seal/Det sjunde inseglet (Sweden)
[] Sweet Smell of Success
[X] Vertigo
[X] To Kill a Mockingbird
[] 8 1/2 (Italy/France)
[] A Man for all Seasons
[] Belle de jour (France/Italy)
[X] The Graduate
[] Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
[] Easy Rider
[] The Last Picture Show
[] Sleuth (Britain)
[] Nashville
[X] One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
[] All the President's Men
[] Rocky
[] Kramer vs. Kramer
[] Raging Bull
[] The King of Comedy
[X] Fatal Attraction
[X] Dangerous Liaisons
[X] Rain Man
[X] Do the Right Thing
[X] Raise the Red Lantern/Da hong deng long gao gao gua (China/Honk Kong/Taiwan)
[] Glengarry, Glen Ross
[] The Player
[X] Forrest Gump
[X] The Shawshank Redemption
[X] Apollo 13
[X] Shakespeare in Love
[X] The Truman Show
[] All About My Mother/Todo Sobre mi Madre (Spain/France)
[X] American Beauty
[X] Traffic

Horror
[] Nosferatu, A Symphony of Terror/Nosferatu, Eine Symphonie des Grauens (Germany, 1922)
[] The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
[] Freaks (1932)
[] King Kong (1933)
[] Bride of Frankenstein
[] Dead of Night (Britain)
[] Les Diaboliques (France)
[] Dracula (Britain, 1958)
[X] Psycho (1960)
[] Peeping Tom (Britain)
[] Village of the Damned (Britain, 1960)
[] Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
[X] The Birds
[] The Haunting (Britain, 1963)
[] Rosemary's Baby
[X] Night of the Living Dead
[] Deliverance
[X] The Exorcist
[] Don't Look Now (Britain)
[] The Wicker Man (Britain, 1973)
[] The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
[X] Jaws
[] The Omen (1976)
[X] Carrie
[] Eraserhead
[] Halloween (1978)
[] Dawn of the Dead (1978)
[X] The Shining
[X] Friday the 13th (1980)
[] The Fog (1980)
[] An American Werewolf in London (Britain)
[] The Thing (1982)
[X] Poltergeist
[X] Gremlins
[X] A Nightmare on Elm Street
[] Manhunter
[] Evil Dead 2
[] Angel Heart
[X] Child's Play (1988)
[X] Misery
[] Tremors
[X] The Silence of the Lambs
[] Scream
[] Ringu/Ring (Japan, 1998)
[X] The Sixth Sense
[X] The Blair Witch Project
[X] The Mummy (1999)
[] Audition (Japan)
[] The Others
[] 28 Days Later

Musical
[] 42nd Street
[] Gold Diggers of 1933
[] The Gay Divorcee
[] Top Hat
[] Show Boat
[] Alexander's Ragtime Band
[X] The Wizard of Oz
[] Strike Up the Band
[] Yankee Doodle Dandy
[] You Were Never Lovelier
[] The Gang's All Here
[] Meet Me in St. Louis
[] Easter Parade
[] The Red Shoes
[] On the Town
[] An American in Paris
[] Singin' in the Rain
[] The Band Wagon
[] Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
[] Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
[] A Star is Born
[] Oklahoma!
[] High Society
[X] The King and I (1956)
[] Funny Face
[] Pal Joey
[] South Pacific
[X] West Side Story
[] Viva Las Vegas
[] A Hard Day's Night
[X] Mary Poppins
[X] My Fair Lady
[] Les parapluies de Cherbourg/The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (France)
[X] The Sound of Music
[] Funny Girl
[X] Hello, Dolly!
[] Woodstock
[] Cabaret
[X] The Rocky Horror Picture Show
[X] Saturday Night Fever
[] New York, New York
[] The Last Waltz
[X] Grease
[] All That Jazz
[X] The Blues Brothers
[X] Fame
[X] Little Shop of Horrors
[X] Dirty Dancing
[] Moulin Rouge!
[X] Chicago

Romance
[] Sunrise
[] It Happened One Night
[] Camille
[] Wuthering Heights (1939)
[] The Shop Around the Corner
[] Waterloo Bridge
[] The Philadelphia Story
[] The Lady Eve
[] Casablanca
[] Now, Voyager
[] Random Harvest
[] Brief Encounter
[] La belle et la bete/Beauty and the Beast (France, 1946)
[] The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
[] Adam's Rib
[] The Quiet Man
[] Roman Holiday
[] To Catch a Thief
[] All That Heaven Allows
[] An Affair to Remember
[] The Long, Hot Summer
[] Pillow Talk
[] A bout de souffle (France)
[] The Apartment
[] Breakfast at Tiffany's
[] Un homme et une femme (France)
[] Barefoot in the Park
[] Love Story
[] A New Leaf
[X] The Way We Were
[] Annie Hall
[] 10
[] The French Lieutenant's Woman (Britain)
[X] An Officer and a Gentleman
[] Out of Africa
[X] Nine 1/2 Weeks
[X] The Princess Bride
[] The Fabulous Baker Boys
[X] When Harry Met Sally
[X] Pretty Woman
[X] Ghost
[X] Green Card
[] Age of Innocence
[X] Sleepless in Seattle
[] While You Were Sleeping
[] Romeo + Juliet
[] The English Patient
[X] Titanic
[X] As Good As It Gets
[] Hua yang nian hua/In the Mood for Love (Hong Kong/France)

Science Fiction and Fantasy
[] Metropolis (Germany, 1927)
[] Lost Horizon
[] The Man in the White Suit
[] The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
[] War of the Worlds (1953)
[] Forbidden Planet
[] Invasion of the Body Snatchers
[X] The Incredible Shrinking Man
[X] Jason and the Argonauts
[] Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Britain)
[] Fahrenheit 451
[] Planet of the Apes (1968)
[] 2001: A Space Odyssey
[X] A Clockwork Orange
[] Silent Running
[] Solaris/solyaris (U.S.S.R.)
[] Sleeper
[] Westworld
[] Dark Star
[X] Close Encounters of the Third Kind
[X] Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
[x] Superman
[X] Alien
[X] Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
[] Scanners
[X] Time Bandits
[X] Blade Runner
[X] E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial
[X] Star Trak: The Wrath of Khan
[X] Tron
[X] Ghostbusters
[X] The Terminator
[X] Back to the Future
[] Brazil (Britain)
[X] Aliens (Britain)
[X] The Fly (1986)
[X] RoboCop
[X] Batman
[X] Total Recall
[] Naked Lunch
[X] Jurassic Park
[] Twelve Monkeys
[X] Independence Day
[X] Men in Black
[X] The Matrix
[X] X-Men
[X] A. I.: Artificial Intelligence
[X] Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorceror's Stone
[X] Minority Report
[X] Spider-Man

Mystery and Thriller
[] Little Caesar
[] The Public Enemy
[] Rebecca
[] The Maltese Falcon
[] Double indemnity
[] The Big Sleep
[] Kiss of Death
[] The Third Man
[] The Asphalt Jungle
[] Strangers on a Train
[] The Big Heat
[] Rear Window
[] The Night of the Hunter
[] Rififi/Du rififi chez les hommes (France)
[] The Killing
[] Touch of Evil
[] Charade
[] Goldfinger
[X] Bonnie and Clyde
[] In the Heat of the Night
[] Point Blank
[] Bullitt
[] The Thomas Crown Affair
[] The Italian Job (Britain, 1969)
[] Dirty Harry
[] The French Connection
[] The Godfather
[] Mean Streets
[] Serpico
[] The Sting
[X] Chinatown
[] The Conversation
[] Dog Day Afternoon
[] Taxi Driver
[] Scarface
[X] Witness
[] The Untouchables
[] Goodfellas
[] Miller's Crossing
[X] Basic Instinct
[] Reservoir Dogs
[X] Pulp Fiction
[] Leon (France)
[] Se7en
[X] The Usual Suspects
[X] Fargo
[X] L. A. Confidential
[] Run Lola Run/Lola rennt (Germany)
[] Memento
[] City of God/Cidade do Deus (Brazil)

War
[] Shoulder Arms
[] Wings
[] All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
[] La Grande Illusion/The Grand Illusion
[] Sergeant York
[] In Which We Serve
[] Five Graves To Cairo
[] The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Britain)
[] Rome, Open City/Roma, citta aperta (Italy)
[] The Story of G.I. Joe
[] They Were Expendable
[] Battleground
[] Sands of Iwo Jima
[] Twelve O'Clock High
[] The Desert Fox
[] The Red Badge of Courage
[] The Cruel Sea (Britain)
[] From Here to Eternity
[] Stalag 17
[] Mister Roberts
[] Attack!
[] The Burmese Harp/Biruma no tategoto (Japan)
[] The Bridge on the River Kwai (Britain)
[] Paths of Glory
[] Ballad of a Soldier/Ballada o soldate (U.S.S.R.)
[] The Guns of Navarone (U.S/Britain)
[] The Longest Day
[] The Great Escape
[] The Train (France/Italy/U.S.)
[] The Bedford Incident
[] Von Ryan's Express
[] The Dirty Dozen (U.S./Britain)
[] Hell in the Pacific
[] Where Eagles Dare (Britain)
[] Catch-22
[] Tora! Tora! Tora! (U.S./Japan)
[] M*A*S*H
[] Patton
[] Cross of Iron (Britain/West Germany)
[] The Deer Hunter
[X] Apocalypse Now
[] The Big Red One
[] Das Boot (West Germany)
[] The Killing Fields (Britain)
[] Come and See/Idi i smotri (U.S.S.R.)
[] Platoon
[] Full Metal Jacket
[X] Good Morning, Vietnam
[X] Schindler's List
[X] Saving Private Ryan

Western
[] Union Pacific
[] Stagecoach
[] The Ox-Bow Incident
[] Duel in the Sun
[] My Darling Clementine
[] Fort Apache
[] Red River
[] She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
[] The Gunfighter
[] Winchester '73
[] Bend of the River
[] High Noon
[] The Naked Spur
[] Shane
[] The Searchers
[] The Tall T
[] 3:10 to Yuma (1957)
[] Forty Guns
[] Run of the Arrow
[] The Big Country
[] The Left-Handed Gun
[] Man of the West
[] Last Train From Gun Hill
[] Rio Bravo
[] The Magnificent Seven
[] Two Rode Together
[] Lonely Are The Brave
[] The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
[] Ride the High Country
[] Ride in the Whirlwind
[X] The Good, The Bad and the Ugly/Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (taly)
[] The Professionals
[] Hombre
[] Once Upon a Time in the West/C'era una volta il West (Italy/U.S.)
[] Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
[] True Grit
[] The Wild Bunch
[] The Ballad of Cable Hogue
[] Little Big Man
[] McCabe and Mrs. Miller
[] Bad Company (1972)
[] The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
[] Ulzana's Raid
[] High Plains Drifter
[] The Outlaw Josey Wales
[] The Shootist
[] The Long Riders
[X] Young Guns
[X] Dances with Wolves
[X] Unforgiven
[X] The Last of the Mohicans

Stephanie and Kayvan's Wedding

Stephanie and Kayvan's wedding on Saturday was just beautiful. It was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon in Marina Village.Stephanie looked so happy.

I loved the flowers - tiger lilies are my favorite, and the green and orange went together wonderfully.

Steph's dress was perfect for her.
Sand dollars for place cards....the centerpieces....and the cake!










This was my favorite picture of the entire night.

Our moment with the bride. Thanks for a fantastic party!!

Tragic

Another "shooting rampage" - is this a sign of the recession? I dread looking at the headlines these days.

Lucky