Directors Cuts

Have you experienced the new multi medium of watching DVDs? Not sure if this phenomenon has reached your household or not, but at the James home we have progressed out of the 80's and into the DVD craze. (We have so many DVDs they have become paperweights of my home). The small silver and sometimes colored discs can be found in cases, correct or not, and simply stacked around the multiple players and TVs in the home. Finding the correct case can be a chore worse that matching socks. It seems as though the cases and discs magically disappear. The drier eats the socks, the player must eat the case or visa versa.

Anyways, we have ventured into the directors cut. They match the actors and directors talking and giving us insight into the filming (or at least we hope). Tonight we watched Twilight, and it sparked a conversation of it's poorness (is that a word). The actors spent the two hours watching the movie and giggling. Really they gave us no insight into the movie and left me disgusted. What is the best directors cut you have ever seen? For me it was to the movie "Singles Ward" in this cut they point out the mistakes idiocies and stupid things in the back ground. I like to hear how the scenes were set up and what it took. I watched the directors cut to "According to Jim" the other day and that was fun. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but fun.

What fits your best? Let me know. I would like to watch, and I am sure Jill could spend one of her sleepless nights checking it out.

Vocabulary Test

It is that time of year and so you all need to get out your pencil and paper to take the test. No, I am not talking about the end of the term at school, although the homework lately has been killing me and that is only for third grade. I know that I have been through it some 30 years ago, but it seems to get harder and harder. No... this is not the school vocabulary test it is that time of year again for you to sharpen your pencils and brackets and take the NCAA March Madness vocabulary test.
#1 Bracketology ----- Hmm that is a good first word. The study of something, the study of brackets... where was that class in high school? Oh it was at my locker. That was where I kept the schools bookie operation in check. Do they have a gamblers anonymous for teenagers? Your bracket should be filled out and narrowed down to 16 teams by now. I stand at 9 missed games so far. That is not bad. Bracketology is more than the study of brackets it is a religion. One that I am sure will not lead me to the promised land.
#2 No hitter----- Can you say for the tournament? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity unless your team goes to bat with it's knees shaking so violently the Mesquite police department is placed on alert. Our team was no hit for 3 1/2 games last weekend. At least I got parts of a tan in the third base coaching box. If I could have worn the speedo it would have been great tanning weather. What does this have to do with the vocab test. ??? Not sure, but do the teachers have rhyme or reason either?
#3 Big Dance ---- The barn dance held nightly at the bishops home... No wait that is not this big dance. Since no Utah team is still playing this could be an invitation only affair. I feel like our state is considered the ugly sister at this point. I certainly expect the the music to be cranked up again tomorrow night. What will be playing????
#4 Cinderella --- She forgot her slipper this year. Seeing that Arizona is the closest thing to it I think it hardly applies. Maybe my prince will come and I can be the Cinderella story this year. (I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit). Where is the underdog? Maybe in the World Baseball Classic???
#5 Final Four --- Hmm not a hard definition to come up with. Something to do with 4 being final. Now this is not the final people left on your home teaching list or the final 4 hours before the month is up. It could be the final four drops of gasoline as you coast into the gas station. Or even the final four pieces of bread in the bread bag. (2 sandwiches left and who gets them). No this is what March is all about. So hang on... March Madness is all around. (Do you think it strange that "March Madness" ends in April, or that the October classic now goes until November.) Something is wrong here.
Did you get them all right? If not just stick around I am sure that the definition will change by next tournament. Happy Basketball viewing to all and to all a good night!

Book Review

I finished this one about a week ago and just have not had the where with all to get in a review. I give the book 2 stars. Is it worth your time.... Yes, but it is not one of my favorites ever. Now Jill loved this book, I did not. It was good and had some good and fun advice. It did make me think, what if I was getting ready to die. I am not sure what I would do.

I think the time that I could spend with my family would irreplaceable. He talked allot about the things he had done in his life. My life pales in comparison. I am not a professor nor have I ever been an imagineer at Disney, but I have done some fun things in my life. I consider my career rewarding. The body shop has become part of who I am. I like the challenge of repairing someones car. I feel like I have supported my kids in their activities. Certainly my 2 years as little league president taught me some important life lessons. I learned lots and had the opportunity to help kids play and love baseball.

What this book did teach me is that life is precious and we need to enjoy it. Smile and love those who are important to you.

Journal Jar #2

Ha tonight's was even better....(this is a follow up from yesterday post).

In high school were you in any academic clubs, (debate, deca, speech...)

Curtis Sanchez and I were in our senior year and just trying to coast through. I had quit playing baseball in the spring and was just getting going on the 18 and under fast pitch softball team. Mrs. Allred (she was hot) begged us to participate in DECA. I had no idea what that was nor what they did. besides I was a Senior and beginning to get trunky, seniorites etc. The Deca region competition came and went and Curtis and I did not participate. We were too cool. 2 days before the state tournament her and Tammy Kershaw (she was hot too btw) came and said that 2 of the people that had qualified for state could not go and we "needed" to fill in for them. BUT we could not use our names we had to be them for that competition at Weber State. Curtis and I finally said OK and the day before they told us how it would work. I got the automotive marketing school and my name was Travis _____. I just had to do the marketing questions and an interview with the judge. Ok, I was nervous, but I could try. So "Travis" went and goofed around the entire time. I went and did the deal. At the awards luncheon that afternoon Curtis and I joked that it was sort of fun. Anyways they are naming the state champions and handing out the trophies. It was fun because there were lots of girls in the fashion categories etc. They got to the Automotive catergory and they anounce Travis..... I sat there not thinking too much. Then Tammy and Mrs. Allred turned to me. "Get up there!" I won state in a competition that I was no where near ready for. Curtis won his category too. We had to go to the National competition (it was in SLC so no big trip, but we did stay in a hotel). To this day 'Travis' name is on the state championship trophy at West Jordan High School.

Journal Jar

Just as a preface, I have begun to run out of things to write about. My life is not on the exciting side. In fact I am pretty much what you would call.....boring. Anyway, I have been writing in a journal for years as some of you know. In the last 8 months I have become enamored with a new journal tool. It is called www.ldsjournal.com I started typing my journal in word sometime ago, but I found this new tool and it is easy to use, and I am all about easy....Ok ladies hold yourself back. So in writing on ldsjournal.com they have a thing called journal jar that gives you ideas and topics to write about. Tonights topic is interesting:

Describe your yard as a child and did you help with yard work?

You are looking at the neighborhood groundskeeper. I mowed the Lister's, Shosted's, Terry's, Grandpa's, and our lawns on a regular basis. Not that I was that good at it, but I did. BUT I also have the worst hay fever alive. My Mom was evil and tortured me in to doing moore and more. (just kdding mom). It gave me something to do during the summer so I could still play baseball. I do not remember getting paid that much. In fact I do not own some yard care business so it must not have been that lucritive.

My yard was the chavez ravine of the neighborhood. We had the set up for Football in the fall and winter and hockey in the driveway and baseball in the summer. My parents live in Dixie Valley in West Jordan. Our house backed up to what was then the airport #2 property. We had the perfect homerun fence. Now they built homes back there. I am sure they found quite the collection of lost balls in the field. Why we did not just climbe the fence and play the games back there I do not know. Dad always complained that home plate was always in the same spot and we were wearing a place in the grass. My yard hosted the Dixie Valley Football League. That was the 2 on 2 league that myslef and Kevin Olson developed. We were budding commisioners. That lasted until my little brother quit my team and I threw him down the basement stairs and broke the back door. See Carl was a quitter and I needed to teach him a lesson. Besides how was the Atlanta Circle James gang supposed to play if we were short 1/2 the team.

Dad has a great yard now with tall trees and shade for the grand kids, but this was the place of my youth, the place where I develpoed into.... Oh I do not know some sort of geek that just blabbers about. Thanks for listening.

Well....

It has been a bit, nothing much going on here in the James home. The weather has been beginning to break a bit so the kids are getting spring fever. We are going to St George for the baseball tournament in a couple of weeks. The kids are going to drive me crazy. "Is St George in Utah?" "Do we drive or fly". "Can we go to Vegas too". We need to go on vacation more often. I just have a hard time breaking away from the norm. The thought of packing and travel causes my stomach to ache. I am going to call it "travel phobia". It is not that I do not like to travel or relax. I just am a homebody.

On a lighter note, Kate hates me. She took my tooth brush and purposely dropped it down the bathroom drain. I know that she planned it. What am I to do? Do I dig it out and clean it off??? Yuck, Do I use one of the other family members'? Yuck. Tonight on the way home from mom's I announced that I was using one of their toothbrushes until tomorrow when I can get to the store and buy myself a new one. Yuck. What choice do I have? Kate did find me one that she had in her bag she took to camp last year. She claims that she never used it, but do I trust the plotting teenager? What to do???