Genius Like Mine

Dear Treadmill,

I am writing to address our complex relationship. You know it has its ups and downs. Some days, we get along great - but others, well, you've heard me scream and curse at you.

I am writing this letter because I believe that the bad stuff is mainly your fault, Treadmill. Don't try to deny it, we both know your faults. To begin with, your demeanor makes it hard to like you. You're not a warm-fuzzy friend. I would never come to you when I needed to cry and be consoled. No, I actually come to you when I am in some state of irritation or anger, usually after stepping on a scale or trying to squeeze into one of my tiny sisters' outfits. In fact, any time I spend with you is a subtle reminder that I need improving. In that sense, you're worse than a Jewish mother, really. More...

So, I know it's cliched and juvenile, but I've been obsessed with this all day - and despite the fact that the life of an insurance claims handler is always busy, I couldn't shake this train of thought, no matter how many things I was doing at once?

Who would win in a fight with Han Solo vs. Indiana Jones. Seriously. Who would win?

And because I have been pondering this all day, I feel the need to write about it. This is what happens, people, when you give the average person a website and a bottle of Scotch. Blame democracy, not me.

I'm actually going to discuss Solo and Jones, and then expand my hypothetical fights to include other kinds of challenges, with other famous people. Read more to get an idea.More...

So yesterday, in honor of Valentine's Day, Mike and I went out to see a movie. We saw He's Just Not That Into You, and walked out of the movie feeling pleasantly surprised and uplifted - and when you think about it, those are exactly the feelings you want to have when walking out of a movie. Truth be told, we went to see it because it was the only romantic comedy that was playing, but we didn't really have high hopes. But, in spite of the bad seats (we were second row from the front - serves us right for getting there late), we had a great time and both really enjoyed the movie.

Today, I went online to www.rogerebert.com, the website of my favorite film critic - you guessed it - Roger Ebert. Every week he posts reviews for the movies that are just coming out, and frequently reviews the more obscure foreign and indie movies that aren't getting as much attention. Over the years, I have seen quite a few movies on his recommendation, and have enjoyed most, if not all of them. More...

When I was a kid, my overly-zealous father thought it would be a great idea to play the piano, for my "musical education". . I can call him overly-zealous now, because even he admits that proposing piano lessons to a rambunctious 5-year-old might have been a mistake in retrospect. His fantasy: a modern-day Chopin, wowing world leaders with her musicality and cute little-girl pugnacity.  The reality: a five-year-old getting him out of bed every morning at 6 AM screeching: "It's time to practice piano Dad! Kinwe practice, kinwepracticekinwepractice???" More...