(9Lo9i9D): 9 Things I Love about My "Mom Van"

Today's list is a list of 9 things, in no particular order, that I love about driving the big blue Mom Van!  Yes, I still miss driving the Camaro (can't say I miss the Sentra much), but the van is so much more practical and suits my life much better right now.

1. Lots of space for bumper stickers!
2. I get to sit higher up off the road.
3. Extra seating for trips with friends.
4. Changeable number of seats and variety of seat positions for different purposes.
5. Pretty decent gas mileage.
6. Easy to spot in a parking lot.
7. TONS of cargo space!
8. Easy to keep organized.
9. Very comfortable, even on longer car trips.

What do you drive?  Do you love it?  Hate it?  Why?

(9Lo9i9D): 9 Best Movies I Have Ever Seen

Today's list is a list of 9 movies, in no particular order, that I would say are the best I have ever seen.

1. Children of Men
2. Cold Mountain
3. Gattaca
4. Breakfast at Tiffany's
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6. Lost Souls
7. Singin' In the Rain
8. The Stand (Yes, I know it's 8 hours, but I love it.)
9. The Brave One

What are your favorite movies of all time?  Are you willing to admit them publicly?

(9Lo9i9D): 9 Pairs of Shoes I'd Love to Own

Today's list is a list of 9 pairs of shoes, in no particular order, that I would love Love LOVE to own.  Sadly, most of them are not in my budget.  If you see a pair you like, too, click the link/caption under each pic to be redirected (in a new window/tab) to a site where you can buy them for yourself—or for me, if you really felt like it.

↑ Get them here.

P52, Somewhat: Week 9, "Distance"

This week's post topic is "distance."  I could think of plenty of distant objects the photograph: a setting sun, a tree in a field, a storm looming on the horizon, a boat heading out to sea.  And any of those shots, along with a multitude of others would be great practice for a photographer using this photo-a-week challenge to bolster their photography skills.  I, however, am not a photographer; and while I may see some improvement in my amateur photography skills by the end of this project, it is not my primary motivation for participation in this challenge.  Rather, my motivation for attempting this was to help bring some added variety and diversification to my blog and give me a chance to further build and exercise my writing skills.

So rather than deciding on what photo to write about, I decided instead to write about something that I could find a photo to complement.

What comes to mind when I think of the things in my life that are meaningful yet distant?

Jack.  Of course.

Friendships worth having require a great deal of shared work and mutual responsibility to keep them healthy.  And maintaining such relationships over long distances grows exponentially more difficult.  For it to work, you must care enough to work for it.

Frequent readers of my blog will already know who Jack is and how we met.  (If you missed that post, you can catch up here.)  Jack and I share a relationship that neither of us quite know how to properly label.  We are friends, for certain, but there is more too, and it is the addition of this "something more" that makes our friendship so valuable to us both.  And even over the 10,122 miles (16,290 km) between here and Jack's current home in Japan, that "something more" gives a reason to stay close.

(9Lo9i9D): 9 Foods I Could Eat Every Day

Today's list is a list of 9 foods, in no particular order, that I never seem to get tired of.  I would say I could eat them every day, but I would surely double my weight in a matter of months if I were to do that!  Nevertheless, these are foods I surely enjoy!

1. Chocolate (preferably Hershey of Lindt)
2. Mac & Cheese (preferably as a leftover)
3. Egg salad sandwiches, my own egg salad recipe on plain ol' Bunny Bread
4. Steak & cheese baked potato from Steak Out with butter and sour cream
5. Pasta Roni's Parmesan cheese angel hair pasta with added shredded Colby Jack cheese
6. Jimmy Dean chicken biscuits with cheese
7. Reese's Cups
8. Sonny's baked chicken
9. Olive Garden bread sticks with alfredo dipping sauce

What about you?  What are the must-haves in your daily diet?

(9Lo9i9D): 9 Places I Enjoy Shopping

Today's list is a list of 9 places, in no particular order, that I can actually say I enjoy shopping.  No, they may not be the only places I ever shop, but I sure wish they could be!

1. Publix - Yes, I know it's only one of the many grocery stores in our area, and I am also aware that they are not the cheapest...they're not Walmart.  But they are pretty much comparable to Winn-Dixie or Food World price-wise, and the people who work there are so very polite and helpful.  The stores are cleaner than any other grocery places in town, the selection is great, and they always have some awesome specials and sales running.
2. Shoe Station - DO you like shoes?  I do.  I love them.  And this store has the most amazing variety of any shoe store in Pensacola.  I can always find something beautiful to love there, which is why I never allow myself to go unless I am prepared, financially, to make a purchase.
3. Lane Bryant - For plus-sized women, Lane Bryant is the clothing store equivalent to Mecca.  This isn't a store that sells skinny-girl clothes in "bigger" sizes too.  This is a store that sells clothes exclusively for plus-sized women like me!  And wanna know what makes it even better?  When one of my skinny-girl co-workers raves about a new shirt I'm wearing, I can smile and know that it isn't made in their size!
4. Tuesday Morning - If you haven't been to this store, you really ought to go pay a visit sometime.  There's one here in Pensacola in the same shopping center as TJ Maxx and Shoe Station on Davis Hwy.  It's a bit of a variety store, and not always immaculately organized, so don't go if you're in a hurry.  But they always manage to carry some of those items that I see and immediately can't figure out how I've lived without!
5. TJ Maxx - This is another store I never visit when I'm in a hurry, and never with the intention of buying anything but clothes (although they do carry home goods as well).  But it's a bit like panning for gold...you find more pyrite (junk) than real gold.  But that makes the real gold no less valuable!
6. The Old Path Natural Herbs - This place is run by people with some rather wacky religious views.  However, I'm sure they'd think the same about my views, so I can't complain.  I've never purchased their "famous" tea (approx. $50 per gallon!), but they have very high quality dried herbs which come in handy for a wealth of other things that do fit into my spiritual practices.
7. Barnes & Noble - Books are wonderful.  Affordable books are even better!  When I have the funds to purchase my books new, this is where I get them.  When I am in the market for used books, however, I make a trip to Hawsey's Book Index on Navy Blvd.
8. Staples - I have a [probably unnatural] love of office supplies.  Shhh, don't tell anyone.  And now that Pensacola has a Staples, I can feed my addiction on a smaller budget.  I even own my very own "Easy Button."
9. Ross - I first shopped at Ross when I was married and living in San Diego, and I loved it!  Several years after moving back to Pensacola, we got a Ross here (several, in fact) and I was happy to have that retail option back in my shopping life again.  Personally, I prefer the Davis Hwy. location, but they all have great deals!

What about you?  Where are your favorite places to shop?

(9Lo9i9D): 9 Things I Adore About Kaleb

Today's list is a list of 9 things, in no particular order, that I adore about my son, Kaleb.  You know, I love him because he's my sweet little boy, but some things that he does just make me adore him that much more!

1. He wakes up happy every single day.
2. He is always happy to see me every morning and every day after school.
3. When he gives a hug, he really means it!
4. He's not at all self-conscious.
5. He may not know all the words to a song, but that doesn't stop him from singing his heart out!
6. He still thinks I'm the smartest person on the planet.
7. He smiles at everyone, and at the drop of a hat.
8. He gets really excited about little things.
9. He learns something new and amazes me every day!

Are you a parent?  What are those sweet things you adore about your own children?

(9Lo9i9D): 9 Things About Middle Schoolers that Confuse Me

Today's list is a list of 9 things, in no particular order, that I have observed about my middle school students.  These are things that I find absolutely confusing, and I am unable to understand them.

1. They think it qualifies as "dating" even when they can't drive OR pay on their own.
2. The boys don't seem to know their proper pant size OR the location of their waists.
3. The most popular kids at this school are also the one smost likely to end up in jail one day.
4. Boys think words are worth fighting over.
5. Girls think boys are worth fighting over.
6. They wear $100 shoes, but don't bring a pencil to school.
7. "He was looking at me!" is still a valid reason for anger.
8. They expect to pass without doing any work.
9. They don't understand why the staff keeps telling them what to do!

What about teens confuses you?  Were you the same way when you were their age?

(9Lo9i9D): 9 Things I Do After Kaleb Goes to Bed

Today's list is a list of 9 things, in no particular order, that I do (sometimes or every day) after Kaleb goes to bed each night.

1. Catch up on the day's news.
2. Eat Hershey Kisses.
3. Have a glass of wine.
4. Listen to music of my choosing.
5. Skype chat with Jack!
6. Write blog posts.
7. Respond to emails.
8. Do dished without a 3-year-old underfoot.
9. Watch occasional funny videos on YouTube.

Are you a parent?  What are the things you enjoy doing after your kids go to bed each night?  How do you spend that time?

(9Lo9i9D): 9 Things That Never Fail to Make Me Smile

Today's list is a list of 9 things, in no particular order, that can bring a smile to my face pretty much any time.

1. Watching Kaleb "read" books to his stuffed animals when he doesn't know I'm watching.
2. Skype chats with Jack!
3. Hanging out with good friends like Sharra & Matt, Richelle & Jeromy, or Tom.
4. Getting through the register and finding out the total is less than I expected.
5. People riding motorcycles who slow down beside me to wave at or entertain Kaleb.
6. Watching people in my rear view mirror laughing while reading my bumper stickers.
7. "You know what, Mommy? I love you!"
8. Finding forgotten money in a pocket, even though it's rarely more than a dollar.
9. Getting to sleep past 8a.m. on a weekend morning.

So, what are the things that make you smile?

9 Lists of 9 in 9 Days (9Lo9i9D)

So, to finish out the month of February, I've decided to post a series of 9 Lists of 9 in 9 Days.  The first list will be posted today, with another list posted each day for the remainder of the month.

Here is a list of the 9 Lists of 9 I will be publishing over the next 9 days:

• 9 Things That Never Fail to Make Me Smile →
• 9 Things I Do After Kaleb Goes to Bed →
• 9 Things About Middle Schoolers that Confuse Me  → 
• 9 Things I Adore About Kaleb  → 
• 9 Places I Enjoy Shopping  → 
• 9 Foods I Could Eat Every Day  → 
• 9 Pairs of Shoes I'd Love to Own  → 
• 9 Best Movies I Have Ever Seen  → 
• 9 Things I Love about My "Mom Van"  →

This is going to be fun, and my readers are welcome to make their own additions to each list in the comments section of each post.  I look forward to reading what you all might add!

Calling All Writers (or Wannabes)!

Back in January, I set a goal for myself to find more quality writers to guest post on my blog from time to time.  I'm so excited to announce that I have made some arrangements with my first new guest blogger just this morning!  I'm looking forward to bringing that post to you soon, but in the meantime it has occurred to me that I might have other friends/readers who'd be interested in writing a guest post or two!

Do you have a blog of your own and want to get some of your material in front of new people?  A guest post might be just the trick!

Do you enjoy writing, but don't have the time or desire to maintain your own blog?  Sounds like you ought to guest post on my blog sometime!

So, if you or someone you know are a writer (or if you'd like to try your hand at it), feel free to let me know!

Previous Guest Blogger Bios here.

Previous Guest Blogger Posts here.

P52, Somewhat: Week 8, "Color"

This week's post topic is Color.  Color is something that has always been important in my life.  As a natural redhead, I can even go so far as to say that color—specifically the color red—has been a defining force in my life.  So, when a friend suggested that I might want my photo this week to be a red-centered photo, I agreed and set my mind to deciding what to photograph.

Red hair?  Red shoes?  Screen photo of this very blog?  There are hundreds of red things in my life.

However, the "red" I see most routinely and noticeably lately are the glowing red numbers on the display of the digital alarm clock on my bedside table.  These glowing red numbers are the first thing I see every morning when it's time to get up and start my day.  More importantly, these glowing red numbers are the last sight I see before going to bed each night.

Many times I sit in bed, blogging too late into the night, watching the time ticking past on the clock and counting down the hours and minutes until I'll have to wake back up....using the time on this clock to determine how much longer I can allow myself to stay up writing and still get enough sleep to function as a mother and at work the following day.  It's not uncommon for me to see the time change from one day to the next before finally satiating by writing needs enough that I can get some sleep.

Embracing Your Most Genuine You

Everywhere I go, it seems, I meet people who refuse to accept who they are or who are trying desperately to be anyone but themselves. People live in denial, convinced that they are something or someone they are not, or that they are still something or someone that they were in the past but no longer are. Let me tell you, folks, neither of these is going to put you on the path to a happy life.

What do I mean by this? Let me explain.

First, accept that everyone is good at something, but no one is good at everything. We all have talents as well as limitations. If you are a good singer, and everyone tells you so, false modesty—or worse, genuine self deprecation—is useless. When you are complimented, accept the praise and be happy! On the flip side, if you are not good at something, do not pretend to be! Sure, keep working to improve if it's something that matters to you. But do not offer to design the bridesmaid dresses for a wedding if the extent of your sewing experience is replacing missing buttons.

Next, understand that while your "stuff" may tell a story about you, it does not define who or what you are. Wearing exclusively name-brand clothing doesn't make you fashionable; it just shows that you spend a lot of money on clothes. Driving around town in your Porche darting in and out of traffic doesn't mean you're cool or powerful; it means only that you spent a lot of money on a car that you're probably going to drive into a tree the next time it rains.

All Bottled Up

When we are children, we speak everything that comes to our minds with little regard to appearances or consequences.  It's natural for children to be this way, yet it is neither polite nor productive to continue this through out life.  So, as we grow up, most of us learn to guard our thoughts and police our words.  We may be given the freedom of speech by our country's Constitution, but with it comes the responsibility to speak with care.

The problem this creates, however, is in knowing what to say and what to keep back, when to speak and when to remain silent.  Sometimes, the appropriate course of action is clearly apparent—we cannot threaten others and we ought not spread falsehoods or half-truths.  Other times, however, the correct choice is not so clear:

• When those pants really do make your friend's rear end look bigger, do you tell her?
• When you can't stand a friend or relative's significant other, do you tell them?
• When you know information that could get someone into even bigger trouble than they might already be in, do you keep it to yourself or do you share that information?
• When you know something important, that would hurt the feelings of someone you care about, do you tell them anyway, or keep it to yourself?
  

Quest for a New Daycare Has Ended! — Review of Malena's Mini School

Update, August 28, 2012:  Our happy time at Malena's was cut unexpectedly short.  While I still believe that Malena's is an exceptional daycare facility, especially within Pensacola, it is no longer one I would recommend to those looking for daycare for children over 3 years of age.  For an updated review, click here.

Today marks one month that Kaleb has been attending Malena's Mini School on Pine Forest Road in Pensacola.  I am extremely happy with the school, and with Kaleb's progress since he has been attending!

In the first couple of weeks, Kaleb had some behavior incidents.  They were well-documented to provide the information to me.  Both times were incidences of the same type that he had begun to exhibit shortly before we left his previous daycare, things he had learned over time by watching his peers at that previous daycare.  And each of them was Kaleb's learned response to feeling a bit defensive with another child.  But as he has been there longer, he is learning that he doesn't need to be on the defense all the time at Malena's as he was at the "old school," and his teachers are helping him learn more positive ways to work out problems between himself and other students or problems with situations he cannot control.  It's a big step for my little boy, and one that is being handled in a loving-but-firm manner by his teachers, Ms. Amanda and Ms. Richelle.

The 21 Types of Middle Schoolers

What "Type" were you?

When I was in high school, it was very common for one group of students to label other groups of students: jocks, preps, geeks, goths, skaters, pot heads, nerds, hicks, surfers, etc. Right or wrong, we did it, and kids probably still do it today.

But now I'm an adult.

5 days a week, 10 months a year, I spend my workdays with roughly 900 middle schoolers. What I've learned being on the “grown up” side of a public school environment is that the students aren't the only ones doing the labeling. Teachers and other school staff label the kids too. We get to know these kids who are in our keep for 35 hours a week, and we learn their traits and characteristics. And based on what we learn about the kids or what behaviors they exhibit, we group them. Some kids get classified into more than one group, but I have yet to meet a student that defied ALL the labels.

So, here I bring you the 21 Types of Middle Schoolers, in no specific order:

P52, Somewhat: Week 7, "Love"

It's hardly surprising that the P52 topic this week was "love," being that this is the week of Valentine's Day.  I have plenty of things I love: my little boy, family, friends, pets, books, shoes, chocolate....the list goes on and on.  I could think of plenty of things to photograph for this week, from the mundane to the extraordinary and from cliché to unique.  But I couldn't narrow down my options and decide what sort of photo I wanted to take!

To: Minha ruiva! [My redhead!]
Love: Seu devoto! [Your devoted!]
(Brazilian Portuguese [English])

But today, my sweet Jack solved the question for me, sending me a gift with a story.

Most people who read my blog have heard of Jack.  He's my....well, I don't know exactly what to call our type of "us-ness"....but there's definitely something here.  He's my friend; he's the person who knows every single one of my secrets; he's the first person I want to talk to when I've had a bad day, or a good day, or a day that's notable for any reason at all.  I could spend all night extolling the virtues of Jack, but that is not the purpose of this post.

♫♪ Let's start at the very beginning....♫♪

In December of 2002, I was married to a guy in the Marine Corps and we were living in Ramona, CA just north of MCAS Miramar where my then-husband was stationed.  Several of the other kid-free military wives in our apartment complex had begun volunteering at a V.A.-run recovery center in downtown San Diego where a number of recently-wounded Marines were living while undergoing extensive physical therapies for a range of injuries.  The other wives invited me to come along with them, and it sounded like a worthwhile cause, so I went.

Duh, Mommy.

Alright, so maybe Kaleb doesn't actually know the word "duh" yet, but that doesn't mean his eyes don't say it from time to time.  Today was one of those days.  Today, for the first time, I got a glimpse into the inevitable future where Kaleb will think I'm an absolute moron—as all children think of their parents for a time—and I will be unable to comprehend how he could think of me as such.

Today when I got to Kaleb's daycare classroom to pick him up, there were several "artworks" in his cubby.  Among them was this:

The other works of art were vivid, neatly-scribbled coloring pages, so this one stood out as being very different.  This was something original Kaleb had created, something his mind told his fingers to do.

I asked him to tell me about the colors, and he correctly identified them as green and purple.  And the paper was white.  He's got his colors pretty well learned now.

I turned the sheet around and around, examining it from all angles, hoping ti see some small detail that would give me a clue as to what (or whom?) Kaleb had been attempting to create on his paper.  After several minutes without finding an answer myself, I knew I would have to ask him and hope for an answer I could understand.

"Kaleb, what is this?" [pointing my finger at the largest spot in the middle of the paper]

He looked up at me, and I saw that flash of thought in his eye that said "Mommy, you're a plumb idiot!"

Luckily, Kaleb doesn't talk that way.  Yet the answer he gave me was no less deflating.

"It's PAINT, Mommy!"

Duh.

Humanity & Poetry: My Ordinary Day

My day to day is generally
Fairly ordinary
I come; I go; Sometimes I stay a while
           in between.
Perhaps because I'm a writer, though
I see instances of poetry
In my ordinary day—
Not that perfect letter poetry
As might flow from the soul
          of one more literary than I,
But a style of poetry with a different soul
          and a life of its own.

I awaken most days
To a wet nose or furry tail
Tickling my cheek.
Then a musical "Good Morning, Mommy"
Follows soon after.
Through a rush of hair brushing
          and shoe finding
          and and the gathering of essentials
I move in routine to the soundtrack
          of a groggy cat
          and an impatient little boy.
And in those moments,
My movements make rhythmic poetry.

Give Kids a Smile 2012!

The EscaRosa Dental Society and Pensacola State College are gearing up for the 2012 Give Kids a Smile Day!  The information is being passed out at the school where I work, but I thought putting the information here on my blog as well might help spread the work to people who might not know about this great event.

Give Kids a Smile is an annual day where local dentists team up to provide FREE dental services to underserved children.  Each year, Escambia and Santa Rosa counties team up to provide one great day of these very helpful services to families in the 2-county area who might not otherwise be able to provide for their childrens' dental needs for a variety of reasons.

► Who is eligible?

Children aged 4 to 18, whose families cannot otherwise afford dental treatment are eligible.

Review: Sparkling Ice

It's rare that I stumble across a product that I like enough to write a review, but thanks to a "10 for $10" sale at Publix, I have discovered a wonderful new—new to me, at least—tasty beverage!  Let me introduce you to.   Sparkling Ice beverages!  I wouldn't necessarily call them "health food" drinks, but they have zero calories; are  gluten free and caffeine free; and they're sweetened with Splenda.  When you're in a no-need-to-be-healthy mood, their website also has recipes for cocktails that can be mixed using the various flavors of Sparkling Ice.

Sparkling Ice are sold in various sizes, but I find the 17oz. bottles to be the perfect fit for any cup holder.  And I have a feeling I will continue to buy these drinks even after this spectacular sale has ended!  I've tried all their flavors as well, and I find the Kiwi Strawberry to be the perfect blend of flavors with the superb feeling of the tiny bubbles that give this the beverage the title of "sparkling" rather than the more standard "carbonated."  Seriously, you should check this stuff out!  ► Sparkling Ice Website ◄

[This review expresses only the thoughts and opinions of the blog author.  It was not paid for nor solicited by the company/product/entity being reviewed, nor do they offer any endorsement of the opinions contained herein.]

P52, Somewhat: Week 6, "Texture"

Monday, January 23, 2012 marked 9 years since I met my friend, Jack.  As he does on many holidays and special days, Jack had a gorgeous flower arrangement delivered to me at work.  I kept them at work to show off and admire all week, then took them home on Friday afternoon to enjoy them longer (they usually last a couple of weeks).

It was nice to have the flowers at work all that week, giving me something to jump-start happy thoughts during the occasional low points in my days.  It struck me how many of life's situations we tend to describe using "texture" words.

• Work was tough today.

• This car has a smooth ride.

• Marriage is a bumpy road.

• Single parenting is rough.

Friendship is another situation we describe with many words, and the descriptions can change over time.  The friendships that last the longest seem to be the ones that make it down the bumpy roads, past the rough times, and into a smooth comfortable closeness...never giving up when the going gets tough.  I have been lucky enough, in my life, to have had a cherished few friendships like this.  I have some amazing friends who have shared the good and the bad with me, and who have remained my faithful friends though it all.

Red! Blog: New Features & 2012 Goals!

This past week has seen several changes to Red!, and I wanted to tell you all a little bit about them as well as my goals for Red! during the rest of 2012.

The Red! Main Blog

This is where it all started. Things are basically the same, but I'll be posting much more frequently this year than in the past.  I've been on a bit of a blogging spree so far this year, and even if it wanes a bit, my goal is to maintain at least 2 posts a week.

Red!'s Family-Friendly Recipes Blog

In August of 2010, I began to notice that around dinner time every night my Facebook news feed would be filled with friends who had run out of new ideas for family dinners and fallen into a rut, eating the same old tired foods over and over again every night.  So, I launched this recipe blog to facilitate the sharing of family-tested and -approved recipes.

Quote of the Day has replaced Red!'s Life Lessons.

Life lessons started out as something that really excited me.  I had planned to micro-blog each day, telling of the lessons I learned each day just by living my life.  Unfortunately, my days tend to be more routine than I realized, filled with quick lessons specific to my life that were not noteworthy enough to blog.  Because of this, that blog went dormant after only about a half-dozen posts.  But something I do hear each day is at least one quote worthy of sharing, hence the new—and much shorter—Quote of the Day format.

Stepping Back Into Sanity

Kaleb is home from a fun sleepover night at my mom's house, and I'm in much better shape than I was when I dropped him off at daycare yesterday morning.  Things had been a little tough lately, and I'm so thankful to have had a day to focus on me and to do some mental and emotional housekeeping.  As anyone who's a parent already knows, you can't be as good a parent if you yourself are falling apart!

A Rough Start to 2012

Back on New Year's Day, I resolved that 2012 would be my Year of Acceptance.  What I have discovered is that accepting things as they come my way means that I am unable to ignore them and simply hope they will go away.  Life has shown me that ignoring problems rarely solves them, and I'm also learning that facing problems head-on is both the most-productive and sometimes the most-painful way to handle them.  And I don't know about you, but I would rather just bite the bullet and get things over with than try to draw them out and deal with that dull ache over a prolonged time.

Several weeks ago, I had to take Kaleb out of the daycare he had been attending since he was only weeks old, a daycare that I once loved and highly recommended to others.  We've found a great new place, but Kaleb's adjustment to a new environment and my adjustment to an altered morning routine have been a little bit stressful.

Of course, there's also the ever-present stresses of parenting, not at all diminished by my being a single parent.  I love my son, and I love spending time with him, but it was begin to wear on me when I'm with Kaleb every waking moment that isn't taken up by work—except for the shorts drives back and forth between my work and his daycare.

Enough With the 3-D Junk Already!

I believe that Hollywood has officially run out of new ideas.  No, I'm serious!  Instead of making new movies from new ideas these days, filmmakers are instead spending all of their production dollars to re-make old movies and turn them into 3-D monstrosities.  And on the rare occasions someone does have a new idea, they turn it into 3-D as well to cover up the fact that they're turning bad ideas into movies.  But what is this fascination people have with 3-D?  Is it that people assume that the 3-D movies must be exponentially better simply because the ticket prices are double those of "old fashioned" 2-D movies?

Why do we seem to need EVERYTHING to be 3-D?  It's not just the occasional novelty movie anymore!  Lately, it seems like nearly a third of new movies are being made in 3-D, and that's not counting the movies that everyone from Steven Spielberg to Disney is re-making into a 3-D format.  Add to that the books, magazines, and posters being printed in 3-D and the craze begins to grow to ridiculous proportions.  They are also making hand-held video games in 3-D (although for the stupid amount of money you pay, they recommend that you only use the 3-D feature for a maximum of 15 minutes at a time).  And if all that weren't enough, you can now buy a 3-D television for your home and use it to watch 3-D movies and television shows and play 3-D video games!

Have we all gone 3-D nuts?  Have we all forgotten that we LIVE in 3-D all the time already?  Our world is naturally 3-D!

I don't know about you, but for me the whole reason that television and movies are enjoyable are that they offer your mind the opportunity to spend some time focused on something unreal.  It's like a mini-retreat for your brain.

And 3-D is expensive!  3-D movie tickets can cost twice as much (or more) as tickets for standard movies.  3-D home television sets are expensive and require the additional purchase of battery-operated or rechargeable 3-D glasses for each person who will be watching the shows.  And everyone knows how totally cool you look sitting around in 3-D glasses!

Well, I'm not falling for the 3-D craze.  I will not be going to see any 3-D movies, and I certainly am not going to invest in a 3-D television for my home and all the necessary pairs of "stylish" 3-D glasses and other accessories.

In actuality, I think that this will be a rather short-lived fad.  I think, in the long run, the studios won't end up making enough profit to justify the continued making of 3-D movies and they will return to their previous status as occasional novelties left for the Universal Studios experience.

Red!'s 10,000th-Pageview Red Box Giveaway!

-Artist Unknown, email if you know proper credit-

Red! reached it's milestone 10,000th unique pageview on February 2, 2012 at 3:45p.m., and we are celebrating by launching our first-ever

Red Box Giveaway!

Hurray for free stuff, right?!

Want to win?  Of course you do!  Who wouldn't want to win something free?!  Free is awesome!

And you better not miss this one, because the next Red Box Giveaway won't be until we reach the 15,000-pageview milestone.  It is my current goal to do a giveaway every at 5,000th-pageview milestone, at least until Red!'s total lifetime pageviews hit 6-digit numbers.

"So what is the prize?" you ask!  Well, it's a Red Box, of course!  What the box will contain is something that will not be known until the winner receives their prize!

Ok, so now I know what you're thinking: How many hoops do you have to jump through to enter this giveaway?  Certainly, you have to do something to register, right?  Yep, you're right.

There are 2 ways to enter.  If you do either one of these, you will be entered.  If you do BOTH, you will be entered twice.  There is a maximum of 2 entries per person, one by using each entry method.

Hands Off!

Dear friends & family, you may disregard this message, as it is not directed toward you.

Dear everyone else:

Keep your hands OFF my child.

I realize that I have an adorable kid.  No, really, this is not just my motherly bias talking here; I have a really cute kid.  However, child or not, he is a full person with all the rights that come with such status.  This includes the right not to be groped, rubbed, patted, handled, or otherwise touched without invitation by total strangers.

Legally speaking in the United States, criminal battery (or simply 'battery') is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact.  It doesn't take much force to touch a child, as they don't standardly realize that they are entitled to refuse to allow you to touch them.  However, strangers touching my child is offensive to me.

Perhaps it is made worse in the specific case of my child by his blondish red hair.  Red hair is a rarity, and  people are naturally fascinated by uncommon sights.  But my son no more chose to be born redheaded than I did, and that does not give you automatic reason to touch him.

Yes, my son is a friendly and talkative little boy, often smiling at or talking to complete strangers in the grocery store checkout lines.  But as his mother, I am intimately familiar with the faces Kaleb makes as he reacts to different situations; and he is visibly uncomfortable when a stranger gets close enough to him to touch him.

In short, if you wouldn't reach out and touch an adult stranger, you should not reach out and touch children you don't know either.  And if you ARE the kind of person who regularly feels the need to put your hands on strangers, you may want to learn to stop before you find yourself on the unpleasant end of a criminal misdemeanor battery case.

Help Father Nathan Feed Pensacola's Poorest

A local Pensacola priest, Father Nathan Monk, has spent a lot of time in the public eye lately after his First Amendment rights were trampled by City Council president Sam Hall at a December 15th City Council meeting.  If you somehow missed that entire incident, the previous sentence contains enough keywords to make Google light up on the subject.

But long before he was demanding speak for his remaining 2 minutes, Father Nathan Monk was hard at work building a mission ministry geared at raising money to feed the poor and homeless of Pensacola.  And in the years his ministry has been operating, he has provided thousands of meals to those in need in our community.