Avec plasir...

The other morning I woke up wanting pain au chocolate (can you tell I am doing a detox program right now?)For that reason I have put some French songs on the blog. They are either ones that we heard last time we were in France or just songs that I love. Enjoy!

Akela say...

Despite all of my expectations, I love cub scouts! It is one of the great surprises of my life (besides straightening irons and my new found love of yogurt). I never knew that you can plant flowers and play Twister for an hour and have that count as your church duty. It is fabulous!

Last week was my first pack meeting where the den vouched for me and introduced me to the pack. I was up front in a shirt about 15 sizes to big with an Indian headdress on, banging a drum. It looked something like this...

I can paint with all the colors of the wind.

Thank you.

Death is a Dialogue between

The Spirit and the Dust.

"Dissolve" says Death—The Spirit "Sir

I have another Trust"—

Death doubts it—Argues from the Ground—

The Spirit turns away

Just laying off for evidence

An Overcoat of Clay.

Emily Dickinson

PhotoBucket Phun!

My cousin's wife came up with a cool thing on her blog so I thought I would be completely unoriginal and do the same thing. The rules are:

1) Answer the questions below
2) Take each answer and type it into Photobucket
3) Take a picture from the FIRST PAGE of results and post.


So here goes!


1. How old are you next birthday?






2. Where would you like to travel?











3. Your favorite place?

4. You favorite food?











I love cake in all it's varieties. It is truly ambrosia. And carrot cake and spice cake are not cakes.

5. Your favorite animal?










6. Your favorite color?














7. Where you live?








Odeley, vato.

8. Name of a past pet?













And he was this scary too.

9. Your nickname or screen name?











ophelias_posy

"There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies. that's for thoughts... There's fennel for you, and columbines: there's rue for you; and here's some for me: we may call it herb-grace o' Sundays: O you must wear your rue with a difference. There's a daisy: I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died: they say he made a good end,--"

10. Your middle name?























That my Aunt Lynn with an e next to her. Hence "Lynne".

11. Last name?












12. Your first job?















13. Your grandmother's name?


I actually am one of the few to have two grandmothers.













My grandmother was amazing opposite Rock Hudson.
















My other grandmother's name is one of my favorites - Noel.

14. What you miss the most?





I will leave you with this mystery - is it college that I miss or is it Bluto? Try not to stay up at night wondering about this!

Great Honk!

The Joneses had a really nice MLK weekend. We celebrated the triumph of civil rights in America by going to movies, taking long naps, and eating way too much. And speaking of seeing movies, holy hannah did we see a movie. I got up my annual spurt of courage (have I mentioned I don't do scary movies?) and went to see "Cloverfield" with Nathan on Saturday night. Okay, if I think about it rationally it is completely irrational to be afraid of a giant lizard attacking New York. I mean, we've seen it before, right? WRONG! It was terrifying! I have perfected my technique of sticking my fingers in my ears and pushing my thumbs as hard as I can into my eyes while muttering "Um-mm, um-mm". Nathan asked why I do the eye thing to which the answer is that my eyes can't close enough on their own. They could accidently flap open, letting in something that would keep me awake for the next three nights. Let me say, the movie was amazing. The effects were cool, the way it was shot was innovative, and the monster was uuuuuu-gly. It was produced by the same man who does "Lost" so there are tons of questions left when the movie is over which is fantastic! So I guess what I am saying is if you are in the mood for a scary, but not too scary, action packed flick - give it a go.

I don't know why I was so afraid in the movie. I am invincible, and I have the proof. On CNN the other day they showed a clip from YouTube that shows an intersection in India. Nathan and I decided that the white car at the top that drives into oncoming traffic must be Muktar, our old driver, since he did that on a regular basis. As you will see after watching this, if driving in India didn't kill me, no forty-story tall monster eating New York City can either!

Bethany's Book Club

My sister bemoans the fact that I love sad books. What can I say? I love putting a book down after reading the last page and thinking "How tragic!". (If I was a Backstreet Boy I would say "How tragical!") So with great sadness (remember, that's a good thing) I recommend Possession by A. S. Byatt. You might remember that this was made into a movie a few years ago with Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart. Please do not let the movie (good but not great)deter you from reading the book. I will warn you ahead of time that it is not easy to read, but this is one of the things I found so fascinating about it. The story is of two modern day academics who are studying the secret lives of two Victorian poets. Not only does Ms. Byatt write the prose of the story, but she also writes poetry in the voices of the poets. Now some of these poems are long and flowery in their language, but the way they give insights into the history of their authors is really quite amazing. I have spent the last week reading way too late into the night and then waking up to read some more early in the morning. As I said, this is not an easy read so don't take it on vacation with you but if you have a yen for something that requires some investment give it a go. As my pile of books next to my bed is diminishing, I would love any suggestion on a good book to read. I am planning on starting Atonement by Ian Mcewan tonight and my goal is to not picture Kiera Knightly's razor sharp clavicles once. Wish me luck!

Oh dear.

The other night I heard something of TV that shook me to the very core. The commercial said, "Coming to ASU's Gammage Theater, 'Camelot' starring Lou Diamond Phillips!". I am not kidding. Witness for yourselves...

You may want to get the kids out of the room.

Bethany's Celebrity Playlist

I was on the iTunes store awhile ago and started browsing through some of the celebrity playlists. Who knew Jim Carey and I share so much of our musical tastes? So I thought it would be fun to occasionally post my own celebrity playlists. As you can see on the right, you can also listen to the songs I pick and nod your head in agreement as to their spectacular-ness. So here goes!

1. To Be Suprised (Sondre Lerche) - I cannot state this emphatically enough. I LOVED "Dan In Real Life". True, I could attribute this to my love for Steve Carrell, but then I think of "Anchorman" and I realize that I can say no to him - except for the gang fight scene. "Wow, that escalated quickly." Classic. I also loved the soundtrack (back to "Dan In Real Life"). I think this song is the perfect blend of a sweet message and fun music. I highly recommend the whole album.
2. Business Time (Flight of the Conchords) - I first heard this song five years ago and about wet my pants from laughing so hard. So funny, so true, so sexxxxxxx-ay...
3. Fall At Your Feet (Crowded House) - I am a huge Crowded House fan. Interesting lyrics+ cool music= Happy Bethany. It was hard to choose just one. Good thing I can change my playlist whenever I want!
4. Have You Seen My Love? (Rosie Thomas) - Nathan and I saw Rosie Thomas open for Jewel at Royal Albert Hall in London. Rosie blew Jewel's doors away. She has the most beautiful singing voice which is funny since when she talks she sounds like Minnie Mouse.
5. If I Ever Leave This World Alive (Flogging Molly) - Great Tune! I love that this song is so distinctly Irish. P. S. Go see "P.S. I Love You".
6. Starlight (Muse) - Muse, along with The Killers, hearkens back to darker sound of late Depeche Mode/The Cure that me likey so much. And with that in mind...
7. All These Things That I Have Done (The Killers) - "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier". 'Nuf said.
8. Fell In Love With A Boy (Joss Stone) - What can I say? I think she was still a fetus when she produced this album but MAN! Girl's got chops!
9. Shelter (Ray LaMontagne) - Just enjoy.
10. Gone, Gone, Gone (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss) - I love interesting duets. This reminds me of "Portland, Oregon" with Loretta Lynn and Jack White (Maybe that will be on a later playlist). I also love the rockabilly feel to it. I think I secretly want to get tatted up and wear my hair in pincurls.

Enjoy!

"One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other." - Jane Austen

For those of you who feel about Jane Austen the way I do, you will be thrilled to see this...



So get your husband out of the room and enjoy!

Our Deepest Sympathy

I'd like to take this opportunity to send my thoughts and prayers to the nurses of the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

This is what socialized medicine looks like. Swan-kay!

Nathan's poor sister, Emma, has not one member of her family currently residing there, but two. Her husband, Ryan got a mysterious leg infection on Christmas Eve and has had to have surgery to remove it and the surrounding tissue. They have left the wound open to keep an eye on whether it comes back. I, who have a stomach of talc rather than iron, find the thought of this rather gruesome. Also, Ryan's daughter Gabbie (my beloved niece) had surgery today to remove an infected tooth. When we spoke to Ryan and Emma yesterday Emma sounded shattered. I send my sympathies, though, to the staff at the hospital because Emma and Ryan bored is not a good thing. I am picturing the scene from Jurassic Park with the kids in the kitchen cornered by the raptor. My advice - run like heck and don't forget the ladle!

Happy New Year!

The Joneses are safely home in the warmth of Arizona, but man we had a great Christmas. The whole family was there, we got to play with Hank, and we ate ourselves sick. It was perfect. I have to say, happiness is nieces and nephews. They are so much fun and when they are not someone swiftly takes them from you and apologizes for their behavior. I love it! Henry is one seriously cute kid who is happy all the time. Even Nathan, who once told Hank that he would pay him attention when he brought something to the table, was hooked. I don't know why but we really have the funnest niece and nephews in the world and I will get into a gang fight "Beat It" style with anyone who says different. Oh, I'll cut ya'.

We went and saw the mighty Tri-Cities Americans trample the Everett Silvertips in the clash of titans that is the Western Junior Hockey League. I love watching hockey live. I think it is the perfect pairing of grace and agility matched with raw power. What I don't get is grown men stripping off their shirts and twirling them around to the dulcet tones of "Cotton-Eyed Joe". I guess you have to be Canadian or Eastern European to really understand.

We also went and saw a few movies. National Treasure, while fun, failed to live up to the first film. Also, what was Helen Mirren doing in it? She is aware that she has an Oscar now, right? She plays second fiddle to NO ONE! We also saw "P.S. I Love You". I love the song, I loved the movie. I will admit to tearing up a bit a few times. I think it's because I don't want to think of a world in which Gerard Butler doesn't exist. Tragedy.

I think one of the more comical moments of the week was when we were opening presents and I opened one from Nathan. It is the box set of every episode of "I Love Lucy". For those of you who don't know, I really do love Lucy.

I was thanking my husband profusely when I looked at my parents who disappointingly said, "I guess you have two". So now I have 68 discs of 1950's hilarity. That may be a little over the top.

We flew out of Las Vegas so we had to drive home. It was not nearly as unfun as it sounds seeing as how we drove in my new toy -

That's right folks. the Joneses are driving grown-up cars now! We decided to get something that didn't require more planning than the Apollo 13 mission to bring anything larger than a shoebox home. I love it. As it is an Explorer, I have decided to name it accordingly. Therefore I have christened it Lord Shackleton. That way Nathan can call it Shaq and we are both happy.

Anyways, I hope you all had a lovely holiday season and that this new year is one full of joy and happiness. Just don't talk trash about my niece and nephews. PEACE!