9 to 5

I made some $5 bargain DVD purchases at Target the other week, including "9 to 5". I think that it was made in 1980 and stars Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Dabney Coleman. I was curious to see how well it held up over the almost-30 years since it came out, so I bought it.

While certainly dated in the styles and overt sexism, I am sorry to say that there are still some fairly relevant situations in terms of corporate America that go on today. Of course, it is masked a bit in today's society as we are far more aware of what does and does not count as sexual harassment, but some undertones do remain. It holds up well enough, in fact, that it is a Broadway show with Allison Janney in one of the lead roles (Violet, played in the film by Lilly Tomlin)

It is not going to be one of those movies that endures the decades to find itself on the "50 most influential movies of our generation", but it is kind of amusing in a "I am in the mood to lounge about and just be entertained" kid of way.

That is probably how it found it's way into the $5 discount bin at Target AND a Broadway musical!

Driving Miss Daphne

It would appear that Daphne not only believes that she should always sit in the front seat, she has taken to the belief that she should drive too.

I am waiting for the day that David gets pulled over for letting the dog behind the wheel without a permit!

Summer Solstice

Back on the blog!  It feels as if I have been underwater for the past week or so, and to some degree (figuratively speaking, of course), it is true!  We had a big giveaway event at work last week, which took a full 2 weeks of planning to execute..suffice it to say, I am glad that it is over, and it was a big success.

Life has gone on and I've got my usual observations and activities to report on!

June 20th was the Summer Solstice Parade in Santa Barbara, an event that draws out all of the local color!  I had the good fortune of being stationed at the front door of our store at the corner of State and De La Guerra, so I had a front row seat for all of the floats, music, dancers and cute kids parading by.  

We got seriously busy as soon as the parade ended, so I was glad for the brief bit of time that I was able to peer out the door and snap a few photos.  

Who knew that the celebration of summer could be so garishly loud?

Danger!

I offer this warning as a community service message. Either sunscreen is a dangerous product, or Holly is trying to kill me, or both.

Sunday brought on a church family picnic and softball game where the youth challenge the adults. Schnoogs busted out her mitt and skills from her middle school years when she played in the Conejo League, loaded up on sunscreen and set off.

About 20 minutes later, I came flying around the corner in the entry way for some reason or another and fell flat on my backside...the floor was as slick as ice!

It would seem that Holly liberally sprayed her spf 30 in the hall/entry way, leaving a nice film of slippery sunscreen in her wake.

That stuff should carry a warning label!

Zen

In addition to doing work on the front yard, David also worked on the patio area and really spruced things up.  The evening of graduation was unfortunately a bit too cool to really enjoy the fruits of his labor, but we will enjoy the space as we sit out there throughout the summer.

One of the elements that were added was a fountain; actually, TWO fountains.  The first was one that we have had for quite some time and often requires some amount of repair to either the pump, a tube or a leaking joint.  David spends a ton of time on it every season.  I have suggested that we replace it once or twice, but he seems determined to make it work, which he does (at least for a week or two),

The second fountain, as pictured here is now outside my office, so I can open the window and enjoy the zen sounds of water splashing. It is very nice and relaxing and I rather enjoyed it for the 15-minutes or so until David asked me if I thought that the shape of the fountain looked like a toilet.

Now I have to go to the bathroom!

Keeping up with the Newton's

Props to David for making the front yard a very nice place to view.  

When we bought this house (in 1993), one of the selling points for us was that the only thing that needed work were the yards; the rest of the house had just been remodeled.  Given the fact that David is a Landscape Contractor, it seemed like the perfect fit...except of course for the fact that the LAST thing he wants to do at the end of the day or the end of the week is work on our yard.  

In all fairness, he has done some major work on things over the years, such as putting in an entire sprinkler system, lawn and several trees, but we have never had everything done together.  The looming (and now past) graduation had me asking (without nagging, of course) if things were going to get done.  

With exception of the pilasters (artfully cropped out of the photo and promised to be done by the end of summer), I'd say that big points go to the big guy for making the front yard a beautiful place.

Our neighbors across the street have said that they certainly are enjoying the view.

Celebrity II

The Newton women continue to dominate the world of media, this time in print.  Granted, it is not as much coverage as Shadow recently received on Groomer Has It last month, but it is some print media for...yours truly.

I showed up to the MIMs practice today and was immediately hounded for autographs.  Well, maybe not hounded and maybe no one asked for my autograph, BUT there was a stack of the June edition of Los Angeles Sports and Fitness Magazine and I did learn that I have a picture and a dialogue box with my answers to some questions about women in fitness featured on page 21 (just in case you are reading along at home).  There is also a nice feature on the Moms in Motion on page 23.

I am sure that this is going to be a collector's edition!

Graduated!

It is done...the Schnoogs has graduated.

I have to admit that while there was a lot building up to the day, it was actually pretty smooth and not overly emotional once we got there.  It was exciting, tender, a little sentimental but mostly just a lot of smiles, happiness and pride as we watched our only child take that step into the next chapter of her life.

There was actually one emotional-almost-meltdown moment on my part in (of all places) Trader Joe's, but we got through it and things were fine after that.  The thing that tripped me off was less about the fact that Holly is growing and leaving and more about the fact that she is a great person with a truly kind spirit...it makes me proud and grateful to know what a good kid (young adult) she has become.

The graduation itself was fun and moved surprisingly well given the fact that her class was slightly over 600 kids; that is a lot of names to read, let me tell you!  We sprinted back to the house where we had a really nice evening with about 25 family and friends, many of whom travelled quite a way to celebrate with and tell the Schnoogs what a special person she is.  We took around 150 photos...here are 17 of the select poses to enjoy!

Time to take a deep breath and enjoy the short summer before it is time to pack up and leave for college!

Let the Celebration Begin

It is here.  I blog in anticipation of the big day.  It has certainly consumed much of the text in this space of late, and has been quite a focus around the house too.

We are doing the BBQ dinner at the house post-graduation and at last count, Holly reported a group in excess of 20, maybe 25.  Good grief, I'd better get to shopping!

Enjoy another shot of our Sunday on campus, much to Holly's chagrin!

Twelfth Grade

We have arrived.  Senior year.  This not only means that we have made it through the school years photos, but it also means that graduation is upon us.  Time to sum it all up.

Holly's senior pix came out great.  She was very pleased with herself in her clothing options and I have to say that the photographers did a good job of capturing some nice shots.  They saw me coming a mile away when it was time to preview and select/pay for the photos.

Jack Johnson playing softly in the background, the photos all arranged on a cute little DVD slide show, multiple poses and backgrounds.  Yep, I went for the big package. 

I think that senior year was a big year for us all.  Hard to believe that here it is, 13 years later from the day that the very little Schnoogs flopped back on the couch and asked me how much longer she would be going to class.

Now the college journey begins.  First, let's get through the commencement ceremony.