General Malaise (or, Come Whine With Me)

1. I am actually writing this post on Thursday afternoon because I had enough caffeine today that my brain is still fairly functional at almost 4 pm and the children need direct chaperonage in the living room while they're playing the Wii. Alex had a bad ride home from school because one of his schoolmates screamed all the way home (he is a sensitive dude and picks up on the emotional currents flowing around him) and Miranda is in the perfect mood to bug her brother. 


While Alex likes the play the Wii, he seems to spend more time creating Mii's, so many that we have to regularly throw a bunch of his creations away, in order to make more room for new ones. 


2. I have finally identified the source the of my malaise: summer vacation is imminent. Now, it doesn't officially start until June 22nd, but the number of new things we will be introducing to our regular schedule is enough to start my habitual panic. So, in order to distract myself from the incoming tsunami, I have been watching a host of brainless, action-heavy movies, which is a time-honored Boyle tradition. In fact, my favorite date activity with my father is still to watch James Bond movies. We started with The Living Daylights (in the theatre in 1987, which is probably why it's still one of my favorites), and while we haven't watched every single consecutive film together in the theatre, we did manage to see the last two together. Daniel Craig is awesome, although I am still fond of both Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton. 


(As an aside, if you are a Bond fan, you should also see the documentary Bond Girls Are Forever, hosted by Maryam d'Abo. It's excellent.)


On Sunday, I watched I Am Number Four (mostly for Timothy Olyphant, but the chemistry between Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron was impressive). Yesterday, I watched Centurion; unfortunately, the director learned his craft in horror films, so the gore and language is rather over the top, but I wanted to introduce myself to Michael Fassbender and it's supposed to be a good companion piece to The Eagle, which I have all cued up to watch tonight. (Yes, like my weakness for Vin Diesel, I also have a fondness for Channing Tatum.)  I also have Taken to watch as well; I've been a fan of Liam Neeson since Nell. And then, on Saturday night, Marshall and I are going out to celebrate his birthday and see X-Men: First Class, which, so far, has excellent reviews. 


Friday morning update: I actually watched Taken last night instead of The Eagle. Adrenaline filled, yes, but it really strained believability past the breaking point. I liked Neeson much better in The A-Team. 


3. And what, pray tell, am I trying to distract myself from?

• End of the school year: Alex, Miranda and I are all people who love having a regular schedule. Life is just so much happier when we know what to expect from day to day. 
• Joining the local pool: We need to get into the habit of getting ready and driving over there in the afternoons. I need to get Alex tested to swim in the deep end and figure out what flotation device Miranda will tolerate using this year. Since each of them had ear infections last week, I was given a momentary reprieve. But, on Saturday, I should really take them over and start getting familiar with the Ramblewood Pool system.
• VBS: We've never been able to attend it at our church due to scheduling and potty training issues but this year, we are all ready to join in on the fun. Supposedly. 
• Alex starts summer school on July 5th, but Miranda, once again, did not qualify because she made so much progress during the school year. Last summer, Miranda was mad at me for (it seemed) the whole summer because Alex got on the bus every morning and she did not. I'm really hoping she is a happier camper this year.
• And then there's our massive trip to San Diego in August. Long plane trips. Unfamiliar cars and house. Two (sweet) dogs, but Miranda is a little dog-phobic at present. Unusual sleeping arrangements. New food (well, probably not for Alex). I can't wait to spend time with my family and spend my afternoons lying around on my aunt's patio, watching my children enjoy her pool. But so many other things about our trip are uncertain.

I hate change. I hate new things. I hate uncertainty. I hate being the responsible adult. I would rather spend my summer reading, sleeping, and stitching. 


Of course, when I told Alex and Miranda's teachers my plans for the summer, they applauded me. I'm doing all the right Mommy things for my children. Opportunities for therapy and learning life skills. 


Hopefully, my attitude will improve. Or I'll just grit my teeth and move forward, regardless of my feelings. And watch lots of action movies. 


4. I finished listening to The Lightning Thief and have moved onto Sea of Monsters. I'm still not crazy about the narrator, but I will endure him to enjoy, once again, the adventures of Percy Jackson. I haven't gone back to Harry Potter, though, even though I really enjoyed listening to the first two books. The details of those novels seem to be burned into the pathways of my brain so well that even though it's been years since I read them and only read them all once, I don't seem to have forgotten much. So I should be fairly well prepared for the new movie in July, even if I haven't finished my survey.


And, Julia Quinn's new book came out on Tuesday, Just Like Heaven. I am off to Borders tomorrow morning to pick up my copy!


5. My DVR is rather full and I've only myself to blame. As I mentioned here, I have difficulty finishing things. Since I've been distressed about upcoming events, I haven't felt up to watching any of the following:

• the season finale of Castle, even though I know what happens since I haven't been able to completely avoid spoilers;
• the last 2 episodes of Hawaii-Five-0, which I was enjoying in a rather brainless fashion;
• the last 2 episodes of Lie To Me, still, which has been canceled. To be fair, this last season was rather all over the place. When compared to something like Justified, which had an amazingly well-planned arc over all 13 episodes this year, Lie To Me was terribly uneven;
•  the season finale of NCIS: LA, which I know is going to end in a cliff-hanger, and I hate cliff-hangers;
• the last 6 episodes of Nikita, which I'm sure is also going to end in a cliff-hanger;
• 30 episodes of Stargate: Universe. I liked the first 10 but then had to wait for the next ones and never got back to watching it;
• the last 3 episodes of The Chicago Code, which was also canceled. And Jason Clarke is amazing in this. Oh, well;
• the last 4 episodes of The Mentalist. Yes, I know what happens at the end; it's just going to be painful to watch.
• and, finally, all of the new season of Doctor Who except for the opening episode, which, after Saturday night, will be 6 episodes. Part of the problem is finding a time when Marshall and I can watch these together. It may wait until vacation, like it did last year. And the year before. 

Perhaps a DVR with hundred of gigs of storage isn't the best thing for me. My hoarding impulses take over.


6.  I didn't get as much stitching done this week as I wanted, but here is the progress picture, nonetheless:

7. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, you can purchase my last remaining copy of the book.

And here's Jen.