Goodness, a bunch of things on my mind. I've had tabs and tabs in my browser open for days and days, waiting to post. When it rains, it pours. Let's start:

• Saw The Host and Talk To Me. c and a-, respectively. Really, really enjoyed Talk To Me, though I found some of it a bit odd structurally.
• I'm enjoying American Gladiators still, which is something I shouldn't be admitting publicly. But it has filled that gap in my life where, once a week, I like to have a couple of drinks and yell horrible things at the TV. Kid Nation was also primo for this and, surprisingly, AG has filled that gap nicely. Although, some people believe the old version of the show was better.
• There is someone who is watching all the Criterion movies and blogging about each one. It's interesting and many of the reviews are quite fun to read. But oh, how I was delighted when I cam across Armageddon. Seriously, I always forget this and The Rock somehow snuck through. Oh, and at the bottom of his review for Rushmore (which Roxy has never seen!) is a nice in-joke about Armageddon as well. Highlights from this review:
  

  • There's an entire commentary track with the "science advisors," a NASA employee and a former astronaut, who tried to make the movie as scientifically accurate as possible. Listening to these guys talk about their constant battles to get Michael Bay and company to make the film at all relate to the world of science (for example, when Mir explodes, it explodes, like it's in an atmosphere) is a case study in cognitive dissonance.
  • The Armadillo, the drill car they drive around on the asteroid, has a chin mounted chain gun. You might wonder when NASA started putting weapons on their vehicles, or what they were expecting to shoot at on an asteroid, or even how they expected bullets to fire in a vacuum. But in fact, this wasn't NASA's decision so much as Mattel's; there was a toy version of this car, and toys with guns sell better. I'm not kidding; plot points were decided on by the toy company.

• Cola increases the odds of kidney issues/problems hugely. Though I don't drink much cola, so that ain't my issue. But seriously, time to give this shit up. Tea, coffee, water, maybe juice and milk. That's all you're allowed to drink.
• Finally, Hank, I expect a full review of: Strawberry Cheetos, salad flavored water and cucumber pepsi. And if you can pick up a few of those masturbation cans*, that would be cool. Oh and I won't be sad if you can find a similar haircuttery to this:

  [via: the consumerist, fimoculous and joey devilla]

• Finally, and perhaps most exciting, a new Gnarls Barkley track has been spotted. Released. Leaked. Anyway, it's call Run and now you need to go grab it.

Seriously, this is from the FAQ:
"7. Is it safe to drink the lotion inside the cup?"
Who are these people who think its ok (or a good idea) to drink the lotion that comes inside a sex toy?

There is this major storm hitting the Bay area — it began yesterday a bit, is slamming us today with more rain to go until at least Monday. This is all fine — I love rain and storms.

But we are crossing over into something else here. The wind is the catch here, the detail to watch for. I'm on the train (doctor appointment this morning — wait til I post my sigmoid photos) and the clock at a station says 11.08am. I'm at Hayward Park. I caught the train in Palo Alto — I'm roughly halfway to the city now.

And every stop, the wind has picked up. I've watched decent sized drainage ditches flow muddy water faster and deeper than any creek or stream. I've seen lightpoles swaying in the insane wind. Branches are down and everyone is waiting for trees to start falling. The conductor just told some people to watch the trees as they waited under a shelter. When the train doors open, all I can hear is wind whipping through three, the trees bending at wrong angles.

It's a weird storm — it doesn't feel like much looking at here at a glance. But it feels more sinister in the back of my mind; if I glance away, it will attack. This might be the perfect weekend to stay bundled up inside.

christmas was grand and lovely. now, two days after, my family is starting to make me insane. i have not had a single moment until now by myself and i am going out of my freaking mind.

more later, once i am not ready to gnaw my own limbs off.

Who then was the being whose blond hair inexplicably became wrapped around Peter Khoury's penis?

via warren ellis

Amy’s been traveling for the past four weeks. It’s been pretty…um…hectic seems a small word. Imagine a room—your kitchen, say—that is filled with dragonflies and bees, all in a frenetic state of excitement. These are your thoughts. You’d like to capture some of them, as on an individual level they’re really quite fascinating. But *damn they’re scattered everywhere and just as soon as one enters your field of view, it’s gone again. What was I thinking?

Oh. Yeah. And every once in a while, one thought you forgot resurfaces to sting you in the ass.

That’s what having two young children is like on the brain.

Just prior to Reed’s birth, Tripp was convinced I wouldn’t post anymore. He’d seen it happen before so I guess he had grounds. That was three years ago.

But, shoooo-wee, having two kids is not twice as much work as having one. It’s exponential. Childrearing squared.

Thankfully, right now she’s home. I swear, when she comes through the front door, it’s like a blanket of calm falls over the house.

Reed is learning how to become a boy, how to function within the world. It’s halting for me at times as a parent; he’s so advanced in some areas it’s easy to forget how young he is. But then, I suspect it will seem like only a day or week has passed from now and I will find myself saying how easy I forget how old he is. Sigh.

Beka is growing, too. She’s doing her job of eating, sleeping, pooping and growing quite well. And it is so beautiful to see her face light up every time attention is focused on her. She sees you and lights up like she hasn’t seen in ages but there you are!

They really are wonderful.

It kinda makes the craziness and dementia that goes along with parenting seem worth it. But that’s probably just the dementia talking.