Viewing the first few episodes I was cynical, after all they start exactly the same way: Allison Dubois has a dream and wakes in a sweaty panic, enter opening credits.  I am impressed with the number of pajamas she owns.  I don’t think she wears the same pair twice! But despite the repetitive opening sequence, I find each episode fresh and quite creative.  And just when you think you have the whole thing figured out, they throw in a wrench and you suddenly know nothing.  It’s a formulaic show, with a tight structure that runs through all episodes, but it works.  With each show, I look forward to see what the writers come up with.  I tend to be attracted to shows featuring people with ESP, because although I am not a religious person at all, I do believe that there are people who are intuitive as I’ve experienced just a few tiny episodes myself (and wish I would have more…  hint hint hint universe…).  So if you’re looking for a fun little show on the tube, Medium’s got my vote.

I’m going on a journey to embracing a healthy lifestyle.  I’m starting in baby steps.  My first step is I’m going to learn, in-depth, how the body works and how what I eat affects it.  I’m reading Dr. Oz’s “YOU:  The Owners Manual.”

Stay tuned for further developments…

My love of horror started when I was very young, probably around 9 or 10 years old.  It started by my watching “Thriller Theater” on TV every week where they would show mostly Hammer films, but sometimes they would throw in some Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing.    And then I started reading Stephen King and I was hooked.

So without further ado and not in any particular order since they all have their own qualities and it’s hard to rank them, here are my favorite horror movies:

1.  The Shining – Kubrick, Nicholson, and Stephen King (although revised).  What a combination!  And those twins still creep me out.

2.  Suspiria – I really hate it when your ballet school is actually a front for a coven of witches.

3.  Thirst – I also really hate it when you’re kidnapped by a cult who think they’re vampires and then proceed to try to brainwash you into thinking you’re one too.

4.  28 Days Later – Ah.  The movie that introduced me to dreamy Cillian Murphy.  Easily, for me, the best zombie movie ever made.  I also love the soundtrack and listen to it often.

5.  Shaun of the Dead – The second best zombie movie ever made.

6.  Halloween – John Carpenter version, not the Rob Zombie version although I do like his version as well.

7.  Halloween II – Again, John Carpenter.  I haven’t seen the Rob Zombie version yet.

8.  The Changeling – Not to be confused with the Angelina Jolie movie (although I did like that movie as well and it’s definitely not a horror movie), this is a ghost story. A very very spooky ghost story.  Freaked me out.  Good times.

9.  Scream – The first time I saw this film, I thought the opening was brutal and unexpected and it really made me uncomfortable.  I loved it!  It had me at hello.

10.  Scream II – Not quite as good as the first, but it didn’t disappoint.

11.  Scream III – Loved it!  Never saw the ending coming.

12.  Final Destination – When death has your number, what can you do?

13.  The Ring – Damn creepy.

14.  Theater of Blood – Vincent Price classic where he’s an actor who decided that he had one too many bad reviews.  So along with his daughter (played by Diana Rigg) he exacts his deadly revenge against all the critics who panned his performances.  I particularly enjoyed the creativity in which they did away with each one.

15.  Dracula – I call this the “hot” Dracula version – the 1978 version.  Yes, Frank Langella was quite the sexy young Dracula…  and that voice!  Hotcha!

16.  Grindhouse:  Planet Terror – Any movie that replaces a leg with a machine gun on a stripper is on my list.

17.  Evil Dead 2 – I know a lot of people thought Army of Darkness was the best one, but I have a soft spot for Evil Dead 2.  Better than the first one, and not as polished as Army of Darkness, but it has a certain charm.

18. Poltergeist – I saw this again recently and it still gave me chills.  One of the many many reasons why I don’t like clowns.

19.  The Omen (original) – When your child ends up being the son of the devil, bad times lie ahead.  Why aren’t there support groups for these sorts of problems?

20.  Psycho – I have just one word :  classic.

21.  Rosemary’s Baby – This one is a little unsettling to watch after having a baby.  But I still like it.

22.  The Sixth Sense – This scared me in the theater and to this day, I can’t watch it at night.

23.  Frailty – This one’s sick and twisted and I like it.  It’s about a father who with his sons, kills demons hiding as people because God told him to.

24.  House of 1000 Corpses – This is the movie that made me a Rob Zombie fan.  I’d like to have a drink with him one day and talk horror movies.

25.  The Devil’s Rejects – The sequel to House of 1000 Corpses.  I like that it was done in a totally different style than the first movie and focused on the killers.

26.  An American Werewolf in London – I can’t hear “Bad Moon Rising” and not think of this movie.

27.  The Nightmare on Elm Street – “One… two… Freddy’s coming for you….”

28.  Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – I love the London Tim Burton created; dark and gloomy with a hint of twisted.  Oh ya – Johnny Depp’s not bad either.

29.  April Fool’s Day – This film has a fun premise.  And I liked the song at the ending credits.  Still haven’t found it to purchase though…. maybe I should try itunes?

30.  Fright Night – My favorite vampire movie from the 80s.  Again, I also liked the soundtrack.

31.  From Dusk ‘Til Dawn – My favorite vampire movie from the 90s that made me really wish I looked like Salma Hayek.  I also have to imagine this has one of the highest body counts of any vampire movie out there.  You can tell it had to be a blast to make.

32.  Interview With The Vampire – I was one of those people not convinced that Tom Cruise was the right one to play Lestat.  I was hoping for Julian Sands.  But Tom did okay.

33.  Quarantine – scary.

34.  Willard – the original version.  This one was on “Thriller Theater” quite a bit.  It should serve as a reminder that rats may act like your friends, but in the end, they’re soooo NOT!

35.  The Others – excellent ghost story with a twist.

36.  The Craft – I don’t know why, I just like this movie.

37.  Tales From The Crypt:  Demon Knight – This movie introduced me to the bald Billy Zane.  He is one man who absolutely should not have hair!

38.  Sleepy Hollow – fun.

39.  Cat People – good soundtrack with Malcolm Macdowell in it.  Good combination.

40.  The House on Haunted Hill – the newer version.  It’s a lot sicker than the original.

41.  The Haunting – the original.  Scarier and made more sense than the remake.

42.  The Amityville Horror – I also read the book and it scared me so much I couldn’t allow the title to show from the bookcase so I put in backwards.

43.  The Rocky Horror Picture Show – I LOVE Time Curry!

44.  Carrie – I like this one because it’s actually pretty sad if you think about it.  All Carrie wanted was to be accepted, but she had a crazy Mom and telekinesis… what can a girl do?

45.  Joy Ride – Be careful what you say to truckers for fun over the good ‘ole CB radio… you never know what they’re capable of.

46.  Jeepers Creepers – when you see someone dump what looks like a body into a well, call the police and get the hell out of dodge.

47.  The Silence of the Lambs – This came out at exactly the same time I was considering a career as a psychological profiler for the FBI.  I decided that if I had to carry a gun to work, the job was probably too dangerous for my liking, even though I would totally love to study psychotics.

48.  The Descent – This movie reminds me that I’m making the right choice by not getting into spelunking as a hobby.

49.  Something Wicked This Way Comes – I enjoy this one for sentimental reasons as it scared me as a youth.

50.  Psycho II – of course not as good as the first one, but it held its own.

I have a lot I want to focus on through the coming year: being the best wife I can be to Martin; being the best Mom I can be to Lark; getting back down to a healthy weight and completely change my eating habits so I can teach Lark how to be healthy; learn Photoshop; improve my photographic skills; quit worrying about anything and everything and have some fun.  All worthy goals, methinks.  

So here’s to another year older and wiser… cheers!

Lark is now 6 months old and has grown a ton since my last entry!  At her last Dr.’s appointment, she was exactly 17 lbs, I think 26″ and her head circumference is still around 90%, so she’s on target to achieve her super genius potential.

• Lark has developed quite the personality.  She is very inquisitive and examines everything she looks at – you can tell she’s processing all that she experiences.  She loves to move around, she hates to be in one place for too long or if she is just hanging out, she needs to be playing with something (she’s a multi-tasker, much like Mama).
• She absolutely loves to play in her jumper and she can get some height on her jumps.  She could be a natural ballerina as when she jumps, it’s like she’s doing jumping plies. 
• Lark loves Charlie.  She thinks he’s extremely funny and laughs at him often.
• Charlie loves Lark.  He will often give her kisses on her hands and feet.  Once he gave her kisses on the face.
• She’s sitting up pretty well on her own, but not for long periods of time.  She still needs someone behind her in case she falls backwards, but she’s very close to being self supporting.
• She loves to sit up in her bouncer, then hang head down off to the side.  Problem is she hasn’t figured out how to pull herself up after being head down.  She’ll often hang head backwards and down from the boppy on my lap too.
• She’s a couple of weeks into a bedtime routine being established.  She still cries most nights when we put her down, but she usually only fusses for a few minutes now rather than an hour.
• Lark’s teething and I have the sore nipples to prove it (no teeth yet).  Probably too much information .
•  We’ve started her on solids.  She really likes rice cereal and sweet potatoes.  She’s not a fan of bananas.  I tried giving her peas yesterday and she threw them up and gave me the “EW!  Are you trying to kill me” face.  We’ll try those again later.  This weekend, I’ll be introducing the sippy cup.
• She’s a total Daddy’s girl and nothing or no one can make her laugh like Daddy does!  Whenever she hears his voice, she stops what she’s doing and looks for him.  
• She loves the sound of when you put your lips together and make a “pop” sound.  It’s the fastest way to get her attention.
• She likes it when I sing my “Poop Soup” song while changing her diaper.
• She enjoys dancing around the room with Mama.
• She can say “Dada” and “Nana”, but hasn’t put together who “Dada” and “Nana” are… even though while Nana was here last week, she did say “Nana” as if addressing her and Lark also gave her a big hug.  So maybe she has put two and two together… super genius!
• She still talks – a lot!  It’ll be fabulous once she can form sentences and we can understand what she’s saying.  She’s also experimenting with different sounds.  She likes to make the “raspberry” sound and click her tongue on the roof of her mouth.
• Recently, she’s learned that rather than be frustrated that she can’t crawl yet, she can roll to get where she wants to go.  Yes folks, she’s mobile – watch out!  It’s really cute to watch her try to crawl.  She can move backwards, but forwards not so much.  And she often uses her face to try to propel herself forwards.  That can’t feel good.
• She loves eating in her high chair like a big girl and loves to grab the spoon and put it in her mouth to feed herself (with my death grip on the spoon of course).
• She likes to whisper to herself and she’s also discovered screaming just for fun (thankfully, she doesn’t do that one often).
• She likes being read to.
• Much to my husband’s chagrin, she likes watching America’s Next Top Model and looks at the TV when she hears Tyra Banks’ voice.
• She’s a sucker for good looking males.  If there’s a good looking man in the room, she’ll just sit and stare at him.
• She’s just starting to have a little stranger anxiety, but it’s not too bad.
• She enjoys her friends at daycare.
• She loves her toes and loves to put them in her mouth.
• And lastly, she’s still adorable and has huge blue eyes.  She is our little lamb.

I had my first lesson the Wednesday after Mother’s Day.  My instructor reminds me of a cross between Michael J. Fox and Roddy McDowall with a rock n’ roll edge.  He’s been in a few bands over the years and from what I gather he’s a big fan of classic rock.  He mentioned he followed The Grateful Dead on tour.  I think he’s either around my age or in his early 40s – although he could be older than that but due to his Michael J. Fox quality he looks young.  The first week he had me do snare drum exercises.  The book he had me buy was strictly for the snare drum, so I was a little nervous after the lesson that all I was going to see in the next 4 weeks.  I was wrong. 

The next lesson, pardon my French, kicked ass!!!!  He started me on his electronic drum kit.  We covered 2 or 3 pages of a book by Carmine Appice, the drummer from Vanilla Fudge and various other projects.  I fell in love with the drums all over again.  The instructor played the exercises through for me once and I was to go home and practice on air drums since I didn’t have a set.

I went home, grinning from ear to ear as I entered the house from the garage and encountered Martin on the living room couch.  He could tell I had a very good lesson.  ”Honey,” I said.  ”I think I want to go ahead and buy drums.”  And for anyone who knows me, I wouldn’t say those words lightly because drums are bloody expensive and I’m a tight wad rivaling Ebenezer Scrooge.  So I went on the hunt for a set and it didn’t take long before I found “the one.”  The Pearl F2725F Forum Series 5 piece drum set with cymbals and hardware in wine color.  We looked online and got a good idea as to what we could find them for.  Then Martin found them at a store in Midvale for around what we’d found online, only we wouldn’t have to pay shipping so I was sold.  We went to the store, the salesman did a fabulous job of selling them to me, and we bought them!  

I’m so glad we bought them at the store, because if I had to put the drums together on top of all the hardware, that would have been a pain.  But the drums came assembled, all I had to do was put the stands together and with some help from the DVD that came with the set, it was a piece of cake and I was head banging in no time at all.  I’m still fine tuning on getting the drums to sound how I like, but I’m getting close.  So I was able to practice my second week assignment on real drums and I think it made a world of difference.  The instructor told me he’s had students take a year or so of drums without a set to practice on and they did okay without them. I don’t know how people would do it.  It’s much easier to tell when you screw up because you can hear it.  I’ve now had my third lesson and again the feeling afterwards was “this is so freakin’ awesome!!!!”  I’m moving along in the Carmine Appice book and touching on beats I never thought I’d learn how to play.  The one thing that’s hard is I want to play at 1 million miles an hour already and not have to work up to it.  Granted, I can play some beats fairly fast which isn’t bad for a beginner, but there are some doozies that are going to take some practice.  But I’m up for the challenge!!!  The lessons are perfectly bite sized at 30 minutes a week, so it doesn’t take away much time at all away from Martin, Lark, and Charlie.  I can’t practice every day, but I get a little extra time on the weekends while Lark’s upstairs napping.  Believe it or not with the doors closed upstairs you can barely hear it… or so Martin tells me .

The moral of the story is, it’s never too late to do something you’ve always wanted to do.  I encourage everyone out there with an unfulfilled passion for something to just go ahead and give it a try.  What do you have to lose?  And you’ll never have to wonder “what if.”

Lark is a Super Trooper.  She got a little fever after her first round of shots, and she was fussy because she didn’t feel well, but only a little bit.  Most of the time after she vomits, she just goes back to her day and doesn’t think anything of it unless it happens to go through her nose and then she screams, but who could blame her?  Anything coming up through the nose stings.  During her first week of daycare she caught a cold and today we took her to the doctor because she’s developed a cough that sounds terrible and her congestion is back.  But you wouldn’t know by how she acts or looks that she’s not feeling well.  The only hint is her coughing and sniffles, especially at night while she’s trying to sleep.  The doctor said she caught a secondary illness to the cold and she should sound better in a few days.  It’s probably just the start of a long bout of various diseases since it’s widely known that daycares are germ factories.  But on the bright side, her immune system’s going to be very well developed eventually.

I am in total awe of Lark.  Perhaps it’s a result of her rough first week in the world, but she’s turning out to be a tough little cookie.  She’s also extremely curious about everything.  Recently, she’s started to notice Charlie.  A few days ago while hanging out in her bouncer, Charlie was near her and she was watching him with a look of “what is this fuzzy thing?”.  This afternoon, we were all sitting on the couch watching a movie and I sat Lark up so she could see her Daddy and she spotted Charlie and wouldn’t take her eyes off of him.  She was fascinated watching him eat!  I have no doubt that someday they’ll be best of friends.  And she LOVES to talk.  We call her “Chatty Cathy”.  A couple of nights ago, Lark woke up hungry at 1:05am on the nose.  I fed her and she fell asleep on my lap as she often does after feeding.  I put her back in her bassinet thinking she’d stay asleep.  Nope.  A couple of seconds later, she woke up not upset, not wanting anything but to hear herself talk.  We were tired, but it was still extremely cute.  Both Martin and I took turns trying to get her back to sleep, but the first couple of times, she’d fall asleep on our shoulders and wake up talking when she was put back in the bassinet.  Martin persevered and got her back to sleep for a few more hours. 

So yes indeedy, we won the baby lottery!  Hooray!!!!

In case anyone’s wondering, we all survived her first day in daycare. I had a goal of not crying until getting to Bangerter, but I didn’t quite make it.  However, that was the only cry I needed and I was okay the rest of the day.  I did call and check in once though .  When it comes down to it, I feel good about the daycare we selected and after picking her up on Friday, I still felt pretty good about it.  Poor Lark hasn’t quite taken to bottle feeding however, but we’re working on it.  She took one from the sitter last Saturday and her first bottle at the daycare was a good one.  Today we picked up a new bottle where the nipples are more breast-like and Martin said she took to those better.  So we’re optimistic that this week she’ll start to love the bottle.  I mean, there’s a part of me that thinks it’s pretty cool that she doesn’t like eating from anything but Mama and if I had it my way, that’s all she would know until it was time to wean.  But under the circumstances that can’t happen so hopefully this week she will learn to love the bottle AND Mama’s breast.  They don’t need to be mutually exclusive.