July 19, 2008

The Avatar

I don't usually write about this show, but I've been watching it since the beginning. It is a lovely American-made, Japanese inspired cartoon and has some very good messages about responsibility and life. I have really enjoyed watching the last few years...

And tonight we all sat down and watched the end of the show. The kids love this show, even to the point that we own some of the series on DVD so they can watch them, and they were very exciting about the 'last show'.

I won't spoil it, but it was an excellent ending that treated every character with respect and didn't have any single one of them responsible for totally saving the world (except for the Avatar - Aang). They all had to work together...

But I'm going to miss the lame jokes and silliness that the show mixed with serious messages and pulled off so well (what does a cabbage seller use to fix his stand? A cabbage patch!!). I'll still watch the series when an episode comes on, and I really hope they make some room for a spinoff or two.

And, may I just say, it is wonderful to watch a show that has characters, character arcs, and -for once- CONCLUSIONS! The show was only three seasons, but they made it count and they made it special.

Watch it if you have a chance, and have Nick, or maybe you should go out and buy it on DVD.

Posted by 10lees at 09:55 PM | Comments (5)

July 12, 2008

Saving Gas & The Environment

The other week we went to see Wall-E and there was a commercial at Regal before the show began which promoted saving gas. Wonderful, new ideas to save gas or get more miles per gallon.

However, this was a little more ridiculous, especially as it was targeted at kids and wanted them to help save the environment. They said that kids should urge their parents to wash and wax their car, because it would created 7% better gas mileage.

That's right, driving a dirty car apparently creates 'drag', I am not sure how. I guess I can see it if I took my car through a mud park and compared it after I washed it...

But in order to be fair, I have decided that my last fill up will count as my 'standard' gas milage - and when I fill up next I will wash my car (and waste gallons of northwest water). I will then compare my miles per gallon. My car hasn't been washed in almost two years, so it should be a good comparison.

(For the record my husband says this is not scientific, because I can't guarantee I will be idle, using air conditioning, ect, for the same amount of time. However, I believe I drive similar enough over the course of two weeks for everything to wash - and it takes me about two weeks to use my entire tank.)

So look for an update - I will let you know if I get 7% better gas mileage... or (more expectedly) not...

PS Sorry I couldn't find a link to the commercial, apparently it hasn't horrified enough people to be posted on YouTube.

Posted by 10lees at 04:50 PM | Comments (12)

July 10, 2008

Vacay-cion! Now What Do We Do?

We are still at a loss of what to do for our vacation next week (that right, I have a whole week off!) Last year was easy, since my mom & step-dad were going to see my brother & family - we tagged along and it was very enjoyable! However, this year we are at a loss of what would be fun, and close to home (and cheap). We are thinking of going digging for fossils, which could be a lot of fun. Or perhaps going to the Olympic National Forest for a few days. Either way could be a fun vacation, all we have to do is get around to planning it out!

Tomorrow is my last day at work for a week, hopefully I will have some pictures when we get back from our vacation!

Posted by 10lees at 07:21 PM | Comments (3)

July 06, 2008

Bears Are Going Down

I figured I should start the smack talk early since I am a season ticket holder. That means I have an obligation to root for the home team (that's the Seahawks in case you didn't know).

So on August 16th, the first home game (preseason), I will (hopefully) be bringing you an exciting post after the Seahawks beat the Bears. Maybe there'll even be some pictures.

Oh, we did lose our very (beloved or hated?) Sonics to Oklahoma, everybody was pretty ticked (until Clay Bennet bought off the city of Seattle with 45 million). It's hilarious that the NBA told us Key Arena could never be a good arena for any team and now they are saying if we remodel they'll let us know about any teams for sale, expansion plans, etc. Nothing definite - really we have to put millions into a renovation and then MAYBE we'll see another team. I've already solved the problem - I'm rooting for the Trailblazers, or at least I would if I cared about basketball...

Posted by 10lees at 06:25 PM | Comments (4)

July 04, 2008

Newsweek Proves it Can Teach Me Something New

Newsweek Magazine (online, of course, I don't get it delivered) proves that they CAN teach me something that I didn't know before. Ok, I'm being a little overly-intelligent, they usually teach me something or expand my horizons.

This article is great and about how we use Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture as our own, even though it is about the Russian's defeating Napoleon in 1812.

And if you'd like to hear the song, check out YouTube, they have some good renditions.

Happy Fourth everybody! Yay for Independence!

Posted by 10lees at 01:34 PM | Comments (2)