Chili Powder

Catching up

Yeah, it's been a while since I last posted! I have been keeping up with the Brown Socks blog, but have been neglecting ol' Chili Powder. So...what have we been doing in the past 2 weeks..? Nothing crazy really- here's what we've been up to...

• Rock! is literally destroying everything in his path. He has destroyed the hose in the backyard (we found in in 5 pieces), 2 stuffed animals, a Homer Simpson slipper, the corner of the shag rug (which I repaired with a crochet hook), the YARD, Marcel's sock, and 2 blankets. You cant take your eye off of him for a second, cuz all he needs is that long to destroy something. I'm ready for him to grow out of this destroying phase (if Salado can, he surely will)...I'm running our of dog blankets.

• We have been watching some major cable. We went years without it, and we are making up for lost time now. Some of the house favorites include: Intervention, Dirty Jobs, Deadliest Catch (Mar and Zack) and all of my crime and serial killer documentaries. Marcel is really into Iron Chef, and shows his skills with hamburger artistry in this photo:

• Marcel is learning Sudoku. Last week when Zack told him that he had to do some chores, he asked if Sudoku could be one of them.

• This outfit of Marcel's didn't pass the Mom or Dad inspection. It has to be pretty bad to get a thumbs down, but we had to draw the line at the sandal/sneaker combo.

• I finally painted that "accent wall" that I primed a month ago. And the color was totally wrong! It didn't look like the paint card at all and didn't give the room an accent at all. The dining room is a bright Marigold color, and the accent wall was supposed to be 2 shades lighter than Marigold...instead it looked more like Marigold Dreamsicle. So, I had to go back and cover it all up again. I went back to the store and asked what happened to the paint...I basically got a big "duh" answer from the paint dude. So I asked him if he could guarantee me that the next shade lighter (Stucco) would look exactly as it did on the paint card. His answer, "Uh, that stucco has been giving us problems, it keeps shooting out the wrong color". Needless to say, I didn't buy the paint and the wall is back to its primer-y self again.

• As  far as family running goes- Zack just ran a half marathon in San Antonio and on his way back to Austin as I type. He had to run through a downpour for the last 4 miles (as he did for the last race in SA) but stayed focused (as much as he could, he said he couldn't even see in front of him!) was very happy with his time. I am supposed to run a 30K trail race tomorrow, but have been have some trouble with my shin and I'm not sure if I am going to take the chance of making it worse...
• And lastly, our recliner is finally coming today! We ordered it about 10 freaking weeks ago, they said it would take 6-8 weeks. Now we finally have a complete living room, now it is time to tackle the other rooms. The living room needs to be painted and the ugly brocade valence thing needs to be destroyed, so once it is all in order I will post a photo.

Jennifer

Nielsen Family Values

This week we are a Nielsen Family. Well, 2 of us are since Zack is in Colorado for most of the Nielsen viewing week....

(not my hand in the photo- some stock photo that I googled because my vacationing husband has the camera...)

I rarely answer the phone. No one ever calls the house unless they are trying to sell something or trying to scam us into losing a bunch of our hard earned money. It's too bad that it has to be that way...Anyway, anyone who wants to get in touch with us will call our mobile phones. So, I have no idea why I answered the phone when Nielsen called...I answered some questions and agreed to participate. I thought I was volunteering, but I found out at the end of the conversation that I would actually be paid $15. Cool- that's a few Angel Food smoothies from Smoothie King....

So the Nielsen book came in the mail on Tuesday, along with $15. It is totally old school- the diary has a graphic of a television that still has channel buttons on it. I guess without those channel buttons it might just look like a box. And they sent cash- crisp 10 and 5 dollar bills. I think it is so funny, with all of the technology that we have now, I still have to hand write "Skating with Celebrities" into the grid. And, in case I get confused as to whether 7AM is morning or evening, they even included a picture of the sun for the daytime hours, and a moon for the evening hours.

OK, I am making fun of it, but I really love that I get to do this. I remember filling out something like this as a kid (Mom, remember?) and I was fascinated that we were going to be a part of the "ratings". Now, I'm fascinated by how old school this is, and how it doesn't seem like much has changed since I was a kid...But,  keeping it old school with the little suns and moons, cash money, and paper recording makes it all inclusive- it doesn't alienate anyone who doesn't have a computer, a checking account, or who may get confused easily by pages and pages of grids. It's actually nice to see that, as someone who has been creating surveys for the past 4 or 5 years- it is hard to create one that anyone can fill out. I mean really, how many things are still like this- very basic and non-computerized.

When the Nielsen lady called, I warned her that we don't watch much TV and that we only have basic cable. I thought that I would be rejected. But, she said that was cool because they wanted a representation of all different types of viewing habits.  So far, I have a handful of shows that Marcel watches- American Idol, Skating with Celebrities, and some Saturday morning cartoons (I had to have him call out the names of the shows, because I am clueless). And one show for me. Fun stuff.

Jennifer

ye olde va-jay-jaye

Etymology of the va-jay-jay.

Two Words:

Code black.

L Word Quiz

I took the Which-L Word-Character-Are-You? quiz that Taylor linked to on her blog.  What what?!  check me, I got Shane!

Is it weird that seeing Shane now reminds me of bonding with my mother-in-law?  (We watched a few episodes over Xmas...)

Power Rangers is lookin strange...

Anybody out there ever watch these Power Rangers?  The Beane is watching an episode on a DVD right now (while dining on the greatest bachelor food ever, the great Stouffer's French Bread Pizza), and I'm having a coffee while standing in the kitchen watching the show from far, far over his shoulder (if I watch a tv show while standing in the kitchen, then technically I'm not watching the show -- I do the same thing when Jen watches Grey's Anatomy).

You know how all roads lead to Rome?  Well, I think all fetishes lead to the Power Rangers.  This show has everything for everybody!  Surely I'm not the first parent to notice.  I mean, in the course of a single episode you have space vampires, red haired women in bondage, furries, lizard people, a buff Asian in a pink wifebeater, a litle girl in pigtails that get abducted in an elevator by aliens in black capes that are moaning I sh*t you not, a buff black guy in a cowboy hat, a stranger walking up to a little girl crying in the park and the stranger pats her leg, an Amazon princess in a leather trenchcoat and latex pants -- I mean, just pick one and run with it!  There's something here for everybody.  Plus there's all these swords and smoke for the guys who go to the park and hit themselves with big QTips.  I didn't see any bear leatherdaddies with fu manchu mustaches, but there's always episode five tomorrow. 

What the hell is up with the Power Rangers?

Deep Jungle

You gotta check this program out on PBS-

Deep Jungle  part of the "Nature" series.

Absolutely fascinating.  There is a moth in the jungle that has a 12 inch tongue. And a bird that does the moonwalk.

Let's speed it up

We have dial-up and basic cable.

Back when we were looking to trim our budgets, we got rid of Road Runner, and the digital cable with HBO (and OnDemand).  It was after we got rid of the cable that I finally got my ass out the door and started running.  My cable weaknesses: any show on serial killers, anything on HBO (especially Six Feet Under, Curb your Enthusiasm, Ali G and Real Sports), any VH1 show on 80's music, autopsy shows, and re-runs of Beverly Hills 90210.  Basically you can find one of those shows on at any given time of the day, so I could sit on the couch for hours.  I miss cable once in a while, but now you I can watch my favorite shows on DVD through Netflix... Or when I go home to Syracuse I can veg out in front of the TV every night ordering shows from IControl. So, we miss it, but know that its probably better that we don't have it.

At the same time, we also decided to go to switch to dial-up. This is long before we ever started this blog, before we started reading blogs. At the time we figured it wasn't worth paying for a service we barely used. And, for the most part, it has served us well- until the past few weeks.

Last week, it took me over an hour to get all of the photos loaded up for my Brown Socks photo essay post. And, that was after I had spent 30 minutes on it, and lost the entire post. I did get some laundry hung up in between loading each photo into the post- but GEEZ, that is not gonna fly.  So, I have Time Warner coming out next week to get us hooked back with Road Runner.  Once we get that taken care of,  you will be seeing more posts on the blog...Because each one will not take an hour to write...

Anchorman

My Dad works at a television station, and has all of my life.  I grew up playing amidst various props from different locally produced shows and I used to watch them produce the evening news on occasion.  Today, Marcel got to go over to Papa's work  and get the tour. Papa brought him into the editing rooms, the "breaking news" rooms, the control room, and Marcel was fascinated- hanging on every word.  Before we left he got a chance to watch the noon news live.

Central New York's newest anchorman- Marcel at the News desk (with Papa off to the side).

Papa showing Marcel how the news cameras work.

Marcel wants to work in television now.

Jennifer

Cry For Help

Help me!  Help me help you!  You must listen to me now.  Place your ear on the monitor and hear my stern paternal tone:  You must immediately consult your local PBS listings for the next showing of Spy.  Please watch Spy with me!

I caught the 4th episode by a fluke Friday night after watching Conan.  I was turning the TV up to the WB for Marcel's Saturday cartoons and I happened to go past KLRU, the Austin PBS station.  Spy happened to be on and I was totally hooked in five seconds.  The 5th episode airs a few times this week.

About the show:

Spy is a new 10-part series that will blow the lid on the secret world of intelligence and espionage. The programme gives ordinary people the chance to inhabit a world they have only ever read about or seen on screen.

Undergoing rigorous training parallel to that of intelligence operatives all over the world, eight candidates have the chance to leave their old lives behind, relocate to a new city and assume a whole new identity...

This week's episode:

Its time to learn how to extract information and manipulate strangers without their knowledge.

Whether it's gaining confidential information from a hotel receptionist or getting a total stranger to look after a sensitive document for them, the recruits will need all their skills of charm and persuasion to pull it off.

zack   

Teenage Crush

Flashback to 1987: 

I was 13.  I saw "Can't Buy Me Love" and I was in love- with the movie and with Patrick Dempsey.  How could you not be? Dorky, but cute lawn boy is transformed into the coolest kid in the school by paying the most popular girl in school to date him. He captures the heart of the popular girl but lets his popularity go to his head, and almost turns into a big jerk. But, he reverts back to lawn boy, and rides away into the sunset on his lawnmower with the popular girl. Has there been a more perfect teen movie ending ever?

So, after flying pretty low on the radar with smaller roles in Scream 3, Sweet Home Alabama, and Iron Jawed Angels (and some others I am not familiar with) Patrick Dempsey, my teenage crush, is back in Grey's Anatomy, every Sunday night! I'm hooked. Even if the show were crappy, I would watch it because Patrick Dempsey is on it.  I have talked to other girls my age about this and they all feel the same way. They watch Grey's Anatomy for Patrick Dempsey.

 

I had tons of teenage crushes that involved movie characters- Duckie from Pretty in Pink, Ponyboy from the Outsiders, Corey Haim in the Lost Boys and License to Drive, Eric Stoltz from Some Kind Of Wonderful.....but I really wouldn't care to watch any of those guys on a Prime-time show in 2005. Even before my teenage years I loved Ricky Schroeder from Silver Spoons, but never cared that he resurfaced on NYPD blue (or whatever show he was on). Nope, only Patrick Dempsey will cause me to drop everything I am doing at 9:00 PM Sunday night.

Zack knows that I am writing this post, and he has threatened post his version of his teenage crush-"Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful" Kelly LeBrock ....Yuck.

Jennifer