I just watched “Pieces of April”. It was really enjoyable. I was amused by both the horrifying and the humorous moments of the film, but wasn’t in love with the movie, until the end. The last few minutes of the film, though happy and perhaps straining believability, really made the film for me. I also enjoyed the way some of the building’s residents really helped April. I want to be the kind of person who would help someone in holiday distress.

The idea that sometimes people can put down their long held resentments and just be real humans who simply love, forgive, or at least tolerate each other, without pretense, bitterness or pain is very attractive to me. That’s why the ending of the movie spoke to me.

The New York Times had an interesting bit on parenting blogs.

Personally, I love reading about parent’s struggles with parenting. I can’t stand the kind of parenting literature that preaches or turns parenting into a three simple steps to success revival. I would much rather hear real people tell me, “It’s really hard, but you and your children will probably survive it.”

When I read about other people’s experiences I don’t feel like such a freak for thinking things like “If an adult bit and hit me the way my kids do, I would open up a can on them!”

I was talking to a friend of Jeannie’s, who said that since her kids were born she had stopped reading fiction and began to exclusively read books on parenting. I get depressed just thinking about it.

• Jennifer Weiner’s response.
• Ayelet Waldman’s response.

I would also like to note that I am uniquely gifted at both complaining and marveling at myself, which makes me the perfect blogger, at least according to the NYTimes.

Ed Emberly writes books for kids which are geared at helping kids learn to draw. His web site has a ton of projects, which can be printed and downloaded at no cost. I’ll try these at home and let you know what I think. I think this will work great for Matthew and Elise.

[Link courtesy of b^2.]

The 2005 Coffeethon ended last night at midnight. In the end, I tied for second with 9 cups of coffee.

The first four cups were delicious. Cups four through eight required a little discipline to finish. The 9th cup tasted fine but didn’t agree with my stomach. I couldn’t even consider another cup of coffee. I’ve definitely renewed my faith in the economic orthodoxy of diminishing returns. The marginal utility of the tenth cup of coffee was indeed quite small.

On the flip side I was quite certain I could leap tall buildings with a single bound and two feet seemed like a safe following distance while driving home at 85 miles per hour.

PostSecret is a web site which collects and posts confessions that people have sent in to the author in the form of a postcard. I love reading this. Some are funny others are scary; the best ones are both funny and scary.

I’m going to have to think up one this weekend and send it in.

How about this confession, “My blog is a secret cry for attention.”

The Coffethon is in full swing today. I’m up to 4 cups so far. You can follow my progress through the day on the results page.

I feel great, btw.

So thanks to MoCo Loco, I was pointed to this site, Office In a Bucket.

Can you imagine your first day of work at the next cutting edge mega-corp; instead of being shown to your office you would be handed and bucket and told, “Just find a clear spot in the warehouse and blow your office up. Be sure not to use thumb tacks to hang up your children’s art projects.” It seems so absurb, I wonder if it’s a spoof.

What next Porta-potty-in-a-bucket?

One of my favorite copyright activist groups takes up the Eyes on the Prize issue.

Seriously folks, it appalls me that copyright law, which is intended to encourage the producers of intellectual goods, serves now to squelch the dissemination of history. I knew when I first read Right to Read that knowledge would eventually be locked up by media corporations. It sickens me to see it happen.

Just a friendly reminder that you have been invited to hang out with me at The Qwest, next Tuesday night, to hear on of my favorite bands, “Bowling For Soup“. See the FAQ I posted for more details.

A co-worker named Larry had a box in his office yesterday for an item that his wife wished to return. It was some sort of “cropping station table” that people use in their pursuit of scrapbooking.

We were both amused by one of the bullet points on the box.

So in a huge font it says.

Infinitly adjustable to ANY height

But in wee letters it adds, Between 20″ and 40″.

1. I love the spelling of “infinitly”
2. I love the fact that this thing can be adjusted to ANY height as long as it’s between the minimum and maximum. By that logic my height is infinitely adjustable between 5′ and 5′ 10″, depending on my slouch.

I should have some fine print tattooed somewhere on my body disclaiming anything that I might have said.