Pat Bagley/Politics of Fear

Dear Republicans,

I'm so sorry that you'll have to choose between two liberals this November. Don't worry too much though. The Demos will be in charge for just a few years before the country gets fed up again and you take back Congress. What's really amusing about your choice yesterday is that McCain is the same guy who lost to Bush, a president who has what, like a 25% approval rating? Does that mean McCain will hover around 20%? Yikes. Good luck with that. Or maybe you can vote for Obama, and we might get out of Iraq before 2108. I'm also sorry that the moderates have killed any chances of nominating a real (read: pandering) conservative. Maybe this is all just a cosmic yin/yang balance.

Some wacky news, and my amended top 5 movies for 2007

• A groom's mother thinks there should be alcohol at her son's wedding. My favorite line: " I feel very strongly that it's not fair to expect people to attend a reception and tell them they can't drink." Are receptions really that bad, that we have to liquor up in order to enjoy them? Maybe, if they're not your own, in which case you can get by on just painkillers (from all the standing).

• The Y kicks a baseball player out of school because he only made it to 6 out of 11 church meetings, and he didn't ask for a calling (responsibility) in this ward fast enough. Yikes. What happened is his bishop revoked his "ecclesiastical endorsement," which every student there needs to attend. Could someone have warned this guy after he missed his first or second meeting? I think the bishop needs an "ecclesiastical review." (UPDATE: the higher-ups stepped in and let him back in.  Thank goodness.)

• Never mind that California taxpayers had to shell out 25k to pay for Britney Spears' motercade to the psych ward, she's helping the economy. Every time she does something strange, the revenue of tabloid shows and paparazzi goes up. Sad. But maybe she's helping the economy more than the rebate will.

• Fred Phelps' anti-gay church protested at President Hinckley's funeral, because he was a "gay enabler who suggested that God loved everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation." You know you lived a good life when delusional nutjobs are protesting at your funeral. God loves everyone. Even Fred Phelps.
  

Movies: my amended top 5 movies for 2007...
1 - Amazing Grace
2 - Hairspray
3 - No Country for Old Men - Full of despair, terror, humor, and ambiguity--Not unlike real life.
4 - Once - It will make up for the despair induced by No Country.
5 - Juno - The writing was really good. Not one to see with your mother, however.

Enneagram Personality Types, Marriage, and Parenting

N and I took an Enneagram personality test. After about 40 questions it tells you which of the 9 personality types you are. We took the free version, while the "scientifically validated" version is $10. It turned out to be somewhat accurate, and insightful for our relationship as well as our views on parenting. So here it is. A free and uncalled for look into our personalities, and our marriage. : )

My Personality: #4 - The Individualist
"The introspective, romantic type. Fours are self-aware, sensitive, and reserved. They are emotionally honest, creative, and personal, but can also be moody and self-conscious. Withholding themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, they can also feel disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living. They typically have problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity."

N's Personality: #6 - The Loyalist
"The committed, security-oriented type. Sixes are reliable, hard-working, responsible, and trustworthy...can also become defensive, evasive, and anxious—running on stress while complaining about it. They can be cautious and indecisive, but also reactive, defiant and rebellious. They typically have problems with self-doubt and suspicion."

Our Relationship
Strengths: "Rather than energize each other, when they are healthy, Fours and Sixes tend to support and stabilize each other, usually acting as a sounding board for worries and complaints that they feel they cannot air anywhere else. Fours bring sensitivity, sensuality, and the ability to express emotions openly, including the feelings that Sixes themselves do not know how to express. Fours talk about their inner lives—again, something that Sixes often need to learn. Sixes bring hard work, perseverance, practicality, loyalty, and concern with security to the relationship." Spot on.

Trouble Spots: "Generally, Fours are more interested in self-exploration and self-development and they tend to be more adventuresome in their tastes and in what they allow themselves to think and to experience. Sixes tend to be more conservative and resistant to change and to personal exploration..."

Parenting:
This one was pretty insightful--and good to remember when we're discussing parenting styles. Poor LG, he's going to have to balance all this institutional pressure:
Me: "May demand sensitivity, artistic creativity, emotional depth, and understanding—that their child be a Little Therapist"
N: "May demand dependability, obedience, perseverance, and trustworthiness—that their child be a Little Trouper"

N and I were laughing as we read the descriptions because of how accurate they are. The test didn't really tell us anything we weren't already aware of, but it was amusing to have it explained to us by a personality test.

Cloverfield: What the U.S. Godzilla Should Have Been

Don't let the fact that the above picture isn't shaking deceive you. This is a stomach-pain inducing movie. I went into it knowing that would be the case, and did pretty well until the end when we were walking out of the theater. Suddenly the normal non-shaking world seemed disorienting.

I have not seen the Blair Witch Project, so the home video style was new to me. It was quite effective in making the terror and violence all the more real. I thought it probably should have been rated R for that. [PLEASE NOTE: that is not an endorsement of the MPAA.] The shaky camera may have been a little gimmicky, but it worked well, and it was WAAAAY better than Godzilla (not better than Gojira, mind you, but the 2000 American version).

Thanks to my nephew J for recommending this movie. It was quite entertaining. Also, any movie with references to a guy leaving for Japan gets a few automatic points.

My Rating: B+