Pink Polka Dot Thoughts

Not in the Comfort Zone

The other night was 8th grade night at the football game. All the 8th grade football players, cheerleaders and band members were recognized. The Boy is in band, so Mr. Polka Dot and I went to the game.

We wound up getting there extra early because apparently The Boy was mistaken about what time the ceremony started. As we were sitting there, a man sat down in front of us. I sat there for a moment. He looked awfully familiar. I heard him speak to the woman with him and then it hit me when I noticed his scrubs...

It was my GYNECOLOGIST!!

No, my gyno's kids do not go to my son's school, but apparently they go to the school we were playing and we only have on set of bleachers.

I sat there for a moment and then whispered in Mr. Polka Dot's ear that we had to move. NOW.

He was very confused, but followed me way down the bleachers to a spot where I felt more comfortable and then I explained who sat down in front of us. He said "oh, he looked familiar." HE didn't think it was a big deal, but I sure did.

After that, I found myself wondering why it was so weird. Ok, yes, he's seen things that I try to only let my husband see, but it's his job, right? Ummm...yeah...right.

Then I started wondering how I would feel if Mr. Polka Dot was a Gyno. Would I wonder if every woman I saw in public was his patient? Would I fear that women might be uncomfortable running into him in public? Like at our son's football game? I don't know. I just know the only place I want to see my Gyno is in an office where there are stirrups. Any other place, I don't need to see him. I can't imagine hanging out. Heck, I couldn't even make it to kick off at a football game.

It was just plain weird to me.

Mr. Polka Dot said "He didn't seem to recognize YOU."

Right. That's because I wasn't naked from the waist down! Ahhhh...small town life! You gotta love it.

Paranormal Activity - A Review

I love a good horror flick. I don't mean a slasher movie. I mean a good, old-fashioned creepy scary movie. I don't want to watch Freddy vs. Jason or any of those disgusting Saw movies. I just want to be SCARED! I don't need to want to puke from blood and gore, thank you very much!

That's why when I saw the trailer for Paranormal Activity, I was very excited. I love creepy movies and I'm addicted to shows like Ghost Hunters, Paranormal State, and Ghost Adventures. I can't get enough of those shows! So last weekend, I grabbed The Boy and we went to see it. (The boy is very into the aforementioned slasher flicks. ICK!)

I'm not going to give anything away about this movie except to say that if you go in expecting to be terrified and have the look on your face like the people in the trailer above, you're going to be extremely disappointed. If you expect a fright like you had with The Exorcist you won't get it.

If you go in looking for a little bit of fun and creepiness, this movie does deliver. It's a slow start, and the "scariest" part is the end, but the storyline isn't bad and the actors are ok. I was never truly bored and if I was, the folks behind us in the theater kept me entertained because they were scared of everything it seems--before anything even happened.

I have to admit, however, that I was a little distracted by the underlying theme of the movie. The relationship between the two main characters--actually really the only characters--is a storyline unto itself. I was a bit put out by Micah and the way he made light of the whole situation. I suppose it could be because I know how my own husband would act in such a situation and I'd want to strangle him. At any rate, I found myself wanting to slap him a few times over the course of the movie because he didn't seem to take his girlfriend's fears seriously. I'm sure it made the film more interesting, but it bothered me, personally, a lot.

I've read many reviews online of the movie, both before and after seeing it for myself. They all confuse me because I'm not sure why people have been so frightened by this movie. It was a bit creepy in spots, but I've seen scarier stuff on TV. For real.

Am I sorry I saw the movie? No. I liked the movie. It was entertaining and certainly a whole lot better than The Blair Witch Project which Paranormal Activity has been compared to quite frequently. Do I think it was scary? Absolutely not. You're not going to freak out after this movie unless you think what you're seeing is real.

It's not.

Tonight...

Tonight we got all dressed up--or at least as dressed up as The Boy will get. We had a wedding in the family.

Her dress was $15 online(marked down from $118!) I just love a deal. 
 

I'm too cool for you to take my picture...

Addicted to Drama

Tonight, I was listening to Jane Valez Mitchell tonight and she brought up an interesting topic--at least to me. She mentioned that people can be addicted to drama just as much as they can be addicted to drugs or alcohol.

I'd never thought about it, but I'm going to have to agree with her. There are people who seem to need drama--to feed off drama--or else they just aren't happy.

I don't understand those people because between my husband, kids, dog, work and everything else in my life, I  have enough to deal with without creating more. I don't need a buzz from turmoil, attention or angst.

You know there are plenty of people out there like that though. They're the people who are dying if they have a hang nail. Or they're the only ones who ever had a period. Or maybe they just can't stand it when the focus is not on them.

Maybe it's a psychological disorder. I don't know. Is there a reason anyone would want to have attention focused on them at all times--negative or positive? What is that called? Oh--narcissism. I wonder if those two things go hand in hand.

Maybe the only solution for those people is for something not good to happen to them so they can experience REAL drama rather than the made up crap they put out there on a regular basis. Then they'd realize how much nicer it is to just live a quiet, drama-free life and they wouldn't feel compelled to stir crap up when the focus is off them.

Maybe...

But I think the drama queens are probably here to stay.  Unfortunately, their tacts seem to work on some, so it's easier to just put them on ignore rather than trying to make them change.

They Blinded Me with Science

A while back, the SciFi Network became simply Syfy. No, it isn't pronounced "siffy" at least I don't think so. I assume it is still SCI FI just spelled some new fangled way.

To most of you, this might not be a big deal, but as an English major, I am absolutely horrified by this. Why? Because now we're going to have an entire generation of kids who will think science is spelled syence or worse.

The first time I saw it, I thought it was a joke. Then I thought it was a mistake. Then I thought it was temporary. Then I realized it was really and truly the new name of the network that's the home of Ghost Hunters.

SIGH.

It seems as though no one cares all that much about grammar or spelling anymore. In a time when we text things like R U Going 2night? LOL, OMG, etc instead of following grammar rules, it shouldn't be so surprising, but it still bothers me.

Is it another example of the dumbing down of our society? It certainly isn't helping it to look more intelligent. One would think that a channel that broadcasts shows about intelligent life in outer space would also want to keep its own name a little more...well... intelligent.

Sure, SciFi doesn't fit as neatly on a logo as Syfy, but gee...

I know. It's all about the branding...

Right.

We are not alone...

I'm convinced we have a ghost in our house. Odd things have happened lately to lead me to this conclusion.

This past week has been a little mind numbing. My BIL, just 42 years old, went in the hospital on Tuesday for a heart cath. He didn't come home because they found so many blockages that he required 7 bypasses. He had surgery on Friday. Thank goodness he's doing very well, but it's scary to think about.

Over the course of this week, some very weird things have happened. I won't go into them all, but there's a shelf of pictures in the living room. On Friday evening, a framed picture of my mom and dad fell off the shelf. It was very odd because no one was around. It wasn't on the edge of the shelf and there was no reason for it to fall.

A while later, another photo fell and hit my mother in the head. This photo wasn't framed and had just been laying on the shelf. Still, it was an odd occurence--almost as if someone was trying to get our attention. Well, they did!

For these things to happen on the day of my BIL's surgery seems even more odd. I really believe someone was watching over him and this was that someone's way of letting us know.

For those who don't believe in things like that--like Mr. Polka Dot--it's hard to explain. I have a strong belief because of the many, many experiences I've had through the years.

This is just another. Events like this can sometimes shake me up, but usually, they're comforting. It gives me peace. I do believe and will continue to believe that we aren't alone.

And since Mr. Polka Dot doesn't believe me, I've told him that I WILL haunt him and he won't be able to make me go away!

Worse than the f-word to me...

My son has been annoying me lately. He's started using a word that I find most offensive.

No, it's not a swear word.

It's not one that he'd get kicked out of school for saying.

Heck, a lot of people use it on a daily basis, but to me, it's a bad word and I hate it. When I hear it used the way it's used by most people, I cringe.

What is the word?

Retarded as in "That's so retarded."

Maybe it's because I have a child with a learning disability--a child who has struggled her entire life to fit in and to overcome her own disabilities, but I don't like the word one bit.

To say something is retarded is to say something is stupid or dumb. To be mentally retarded means a person has a lower than normal IQ. So, would you call someone retarded to their face? I hope not.

Would you taunt a special needs child with that word? You'd better not in front of me.

Yet, many use the word in their own daily conversations. The word bothers me because it has such a harsh connotation. I just don't like the word, ok? I'm not being "politically correct," I'm being sensitive to the feelings of others. There's a difference.

I also don't like hearing "that's gay" come out of my children's mouths either. To me, those phrases are worse than any profane word they could ever say. The Boy has learned not to say them. It's a hot button for mom and words like those make his X-Box Live disappear for a while.

Here we go again!

Lately, I've been trying to determine whether I'm gullible or just plain stupid. I'm still not sure which it is.

I have the uncanny ability to trust the wrong people--to think that I have good judgement only to realize way down the road that it was a huge mistake. Once again, I've done it.

Is there a big "GULLIBLE" stamp on my forehead? Does it say "USE ME" on my back and I don't know it? I seriously do wonder.

Each time this happens to me, I say never again. I vow to be smarter. I promise to be more cynical.

It doesn't work though.

I seem to have this fatal flaw that forces myself to see the good in people and not see their underlying intentions. Seeing good in others is a good thing usually, but in my case, it's also my worst and best characteristic.

One day I'll learn.

I have to, right?

Dream Dream Dream...

I've been having more weird dreams lately and all of them have been health related. Or at least they seemed that way on the surface.

I've been trying to figure them out with the Dream Dictionary.

The other night, I dreamed that my ear was bleeding. So now I'm waiting on my bad news. I wonder what it will be. Actually, I don't want to know.

Last night, I dreamed that I needed to see a doctor, but I could only see my pediatrician. Apparently no other doctors were in. When I got there, my doctor was Jimmy Carter--yes, the president--and everyone was trying to get him to retire. He asked ME if I thought he should retire. I told him how would I know? I was just a kid...but I wasn't.

Oddly, I woke up as I was getting my records to take to another doctor. I do recall Dr. Carter(oh, I wish it was about John Carter from ER and not JIMMY Carter) telling me that I'd just be fine if I gave it time.

So tonight, I wonder if after I finally drift off to sleep if I'll find out George Bush is a dentist? Of course, I hope I'm smart enough even in my sleep to make him stay away from my mouth!