Momentary Inspiration

There’s a new bobble head in town…doubt he’ll...

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 09:12:51 -0500

There’s a new bobble head in town…doubt he’ll be welcomed.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was listening...

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 16:38:43 -0500

One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was listening to the cassette tape of The Perry Como Christmas Album as we unwrapped gifts Christmas morning. The tape is so old and worn that we have to fast forward and rewind a few times in order to get it to play. Last year, I wasn’t able to go home for either holiday, a first for me. But while Billy and I were shopping, I found the album of the exact Perry Como tape for $1 and I was extremely comforted that I’d have it for that Christmas and many more no matter where I was.

The recipe on the right, of course…

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:12:39 -0500

The recipe on the right, of course…

A rare cute photo of me as a kid. Didn’t expect the...

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:31:25 -0400

A rare cute photo of me as a kid. Didn’t expect the blondeness, did you?

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on Tumblr. On anything that really involves...

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:32:39 -0400

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on Tumblr. On anything that really involves a time commitment really. Part of the problem is my phone also acts as a work phone so most of the time, Tumblr is logged in as work and I don’t want to go through the hassle of signing out and in. But the other part is that I don’t have the patience or, more accurately, headspace.

When your job is wrapped up in social media, there’s a part of you that just doesn’t want to touch it when you get home. For my husband, he certainly doesn’t want me on my phone all the time so I try to be fair and play nice. So things like Tumblr have suffered quite a bit. And I really love Tumblr (especially since we’re doing so much fun things with it at work).

What I’m really trying to get at through the small amount of complaining is that I’ll try better when it comes to Tumblr because I want to post. I mean, I REALLY want to post. I just have to work at it.

"The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries."

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:25:09 -0400

““The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.””

- Kurt Vonnegut

"It’s you I like, It’s not the things you wear, It’s not the way you do your..."

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:37:59 -0500

“

It’s you I like,
It’s not the things you wear,
It’s not the way you do your hair—
But it’s you I like.
The way you are right now,
The way down deep inside you—
Not the things that hide you,
Not your toys—
They’re just beside you.

But it’s you I like—
Every part of you,
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings
Whether old or new.
I hope that you’ll remember
Even when you’re feeling blue
That it’s you I like,
It’s you yourself,
It’s you, it’s you I like.

”

- This song was written by Fred Rogers and Billy and I used it as a wedding reading. I love it so much.

As I go through Pinterest and help my co-worker plan her...

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 10:40:38 -0500

As I go through Pinterest and help my co-worker plan her wedding, I’m reminded of my own wedding and the small touches that we did to really make it ours.

I’ve had this disc for years. It’s helpful for...

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:00:33 -0500

I’ve had this disc for years. It’s helpful for getting the ‘Sanford & Son’ theme song stuck in my head. (Taken with instagram)

I’ll miss you Steve.

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:06:19 -0400

I’ll miss you Steve.

“Wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva, so tweasure your...

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:30:34 -0400

“Wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva, so tweasure your wuv.”

31 days and counting

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:41:03 -0400

It’s hard to believe, but my wedding is coming up fast.

31 DAYS. That’s a January right there. Can I get a birthday gift on the 9th? :)

But in all seriousness, I feel like there’s still so much to contend with and do that I might not get it done in time. Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t. All I know is, I can’t let this month stress me out. I don’t need no stinkin’ stress. :)

'Stand By Me' turns 25

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:44:09 -0400

'Stand By Me' turns 25:

I remember watching ‘Stand By Me’ for the first time when I was younger…maybe about 4 or 5. As I watched it more and more over the years, I had a mega crush on Wil Wheaton, Kiefer Sutherland scared me (but that was probably residual of ‘The Lost Boys’) and the scene with the body stunned me each time. I also had the soundtrack on cassette and listened to it all the time—so much so, I wore it out. I love this movie.

We’re having a heatwave…a tropical heatwave…

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:26:25 -0400

We’re having a heatwave…a tropical heatwave…

"God has a ton of houses. He’s one rich mofo."

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:00:30 -0400

“God has a ton of houses. He’s one rich mofo.”

- Billy and his powers of observation are amazing.

"Things learned this weekend from my mother and sisters visiting and playing Apples to Apples with..."

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:15:13 -0400

“Things learned this weekend from my mother and sisters visiting and playing Apples to Apples with me: Michael Jackson is more brilliant than Thomas Edison and Running a Marathon is more unnatural than the Electric Chair.”

- Happy to be back, folks.

Watch the front paws. Original theme song for Radio written and...

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:15:25 -0400

Watch the front paws. Original theme song for Radio written and copyrighted by Billy Wilcosky.

Let's hear it for the girls. Please.

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:45:53 -0400

*Note: I originally posted this June 2009 and a few things have changed: it does not include Up (which still makes the point I’m trying to make), ‘Newt’ has been shelved and ‘The Bear and the Bow’ is now ‘Brave’, where the trailer truly looks WONDERFUL and they did away with Reese Witherspoon. Yay. And, yes, Pixar is still light years (see what I did there) ahead of Disney when it comes to female empowerment. But still.

On Friday, in some sort of stoned state, a thought popped into my head at work: Why aren’t there any strong, female lead characters in Pixar films? Pixar films really focus on the formula of buddy comedies and somewhere along the way, females seemed to be discounted or thrown in. I’m not saying that all Pixar males are gay which is what one of my co-workers thought I was saying (Roger…)–I’m simply saying that whether they’re strong or weak, intelligent or dim-witted, popular or unpopular, the focus remains on these two male characters and their unlikely friendship because they’re (usually) ALWAYS polar opposites. Typically, it plays out that there is a female counterpart to one of these two guys be it romantic or friendly.

I chalked it up to me being overly analytical, but this afternoon, NPR had a blogabout this very topic. The blogger makes an incredibly good argument for a strong female lead that isn’t a princess (which, surprise, surprise is the theme for the 2011 movie. At least progress is being made). She has one particular great line:

“Well, the whole big world has a lot of little girls in it, too. And not all of them are princesses — and the ones who are princesses have plenty of movies to watch.”

Needless to say, I’m happy to see that there is someone out there on the big media stage at least saying something about it. Sure, there won’t be any grand hoopla surrounding this point of view or anyone who’ll really think about it too much past this month since Up is now out, but it’s out there. And, being who I am, I’m going to exacerbate the crap out of it. With a complete and total breakdown of the movies. (Note: I have not seen Wall-E or Up, so I’ll leave those out. I know, I need to catch up. Not all movies play on the buddy comedy formula so there may not be a second lead.)

1) Toy Story (1 & 2)
Lead Character(s): Woody and Buzz
Female Counterpart(s): Bo Peep and Jessie

The first and classic Pixar movie to hit the big screen had a heavy focus on the growing rivalry turned friendship between Woody and Buzz. In the first movie, Bo Peep served as Woody’s romantic interest but rarely was used as the rest of the supporting characters (Hamm, Mr. Potato Head, Rex, etc.) were pushed more for the comedic relief. In Toy Story 2, Jessie was (literally) Woody’s female counterpart. She was all sorts of rough and tumble kinds of fun, who showed her fear of abandonment soon after being introduced. Eventually, she was taken in by Woody to be a part of Andy’s room and Buzz’s subsequent romantic interest.

2) A Bug’s Life
Lead Character(s): Flik
Female Counterpart(s): Princess (GASP! REALLY?!) Atta

Flik is in charge of replenishing the food supply for the crickets and he’s trying to prove himself to his unrequited love, Princess Atta. Princess Atta’s constantly on his case and is something of a worrywart about fulfilling her duties once she becomes queen. And, of course, in the end, Flik gets his girl. Because that’s how ALL stories end.

3) Monsters Inc.
Lead Character(s):Mike and Sully
Female Counterpart(s): Boo and (to a certain extent) Celia

Mike and Sully make the perfect team. They’re best friends, they hold the record for most screams and life’s perfect. Until Boo comes into their lives and Sully befriends her and takes her under his care. Boo serves as a wedge in Mike and Sully’s friendship for most of the movie but inevitably that cuteness just has to win out. As an aside, there’s also Celia, Mike’s overly annoying, terribly stereotypical jealous girlfriend. She redeems herself slightly by helping Mike and Sully out near the end, but she’s not what I’d call a strong female lead.

4) Finding Nemo
Lead Character(s): Martin and Nemo
Female Counterpart(s): Dori

All right, I can hear you now: “No way was Dori not a lead in this movie! She totally stole this movie! She was the best!” And I’m not disputing that. But the focus of the movie is on the relationship between a father and a son. When we’re with Martin and Dori, the focus is on his behavior in trying to find his son. At least, they try to push the focus onto Martin. Ellen DeGeneres as the voice of Dori completely and totally steals the show and does serve as Martin’s counterpart to the buddy comedy aspect. But once father and son are reunited, Dori makes a quick little appearance at the school in the end and that’s about it. There’s even some allusion to the idea that Martin and Dori could totally be something more. Dori’s that funny, goofy sidekick in the movies where the main character is trying to find his son/himself/a puppy/etc.

5) The Incredibles
Lead Character(s): Bill/Mr. Incredible
Female Counterpart(s): Helen/Elastigirl

Another movie with a pretty damn strong female semi-lead. In my opinion, Helen/Elastigirl is the strongest female character any Pixar movie has seen. She’s independent, she takes care of her family and she builds her husband back up after he fears he’s not strong enough and goes through a mid-life crisis. She’s not perfect, but she doesn’t have to be. She’s a kickass female who’s not afraid. Helen/Elastigirl may actually be a pretty accurate portrayal of what we grown up bandaged up knee girls want to see. But again, the focus is on Mr. Incredible and his actions and how he feels about not being a Super anymore. Give me a movie anytime when Elastigirl is the focus and not her husband.

6) Cars
Lead Character(s): Lightning and Tater/Doc Hudson
Female Counterpart(s): Sally

Pixar’s return to the buddy comedy shows hotshot Lightning becoming unexpected best friends with Tater and an unexpected padawan to Doc Hudson. There, waiting in the wings, is Sally who goes from business like lawyer to all giddy schoolgirl at the idea of Lightning liking her. Please.

7) Ratatouille
Lead Character(s): Remy and Alfredo Linguini
Female Counterpart(s): Colette

Once again, another strong female who happens to fall for the bumbling idiot of Linguini. Don’t these girls have standards? And, if anything, Colette is gruffer and more career-oriented at first, but leave it to Linguini to soften those rough edges.

———————————————

Looking at the description of Pixar’s first female oriented movie, The Bear and the Bow, I’m almost hopeful as I read it:

In Scotland, Merida (voice by Reese Witherspoon which means she won’t be Scottish AT ALL and she’ll just be southern), a member of the royal family, decides to give up her family name for her dream of becoming an archer. Merida makes reckless choices, resulting in the destruction of her father’s kingdom and her mother’s life. Merida then struggles to set things right.

Hm. Maybe not as hopeful as I keep reading it. And the movie following The Bear and the Bow titled Newt seems interesting enough:

Newt and Brooke live in a community college science lab and don’t care for each other, yet as the last remaining blue-footed newts on the planet they are forced to mate and save the species. Writer and Director Gary Rydstrom explained “Newt is smart but he’s never had to think for himself and is pampered. Brooke on the other hand is streetwise and not to be messed with.”

Then again, Pixar could easily go the safe route and have Brooke change.

I have nothing against Pixar and I truly love their movies. But, please…give us a great female lead who’s not a princess, unwavering in her standards/beliefs/values/actions and isn’t afraid of scraping her knees.

A small big distraction for the past month: our new, sweet boy...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:08:16 -0400

A small big distraction for the past month: our new, sweet boy Radio. And yes, he has a Super Mario blanket.

I have been playing L.A. Noire and they actually reference the...

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 10:06:19 -0400

I have been playing L.A. Noire and they actually reference the Black Dahlia murder. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give the photo this treatment.