The True "F" Word . . .

Kids say the darndest things.

My family had a get together this last week.  Usually all the kids sit at the kid table, that dratted kid table (I spent too many years at that table), but this time there was an extra seat at the adult table.  My oldest niece joined us.  She's still very much a kid, but she has really grown up this last year, and is such a good big sister.

So we adults are talking, and the conversation turned to streaming services.  The increased price of Netflix.  Their billion+ debt to bring about original programing.  How expensive it is subscribing to so many.  Apparently Star Trek Discovery stole the plot from an indie game, but none of us want CBS Access, anyway.  Back to Netflix and how there isn't a good balance in new programming.  It's either super kiddie or toooo adult.  My sister-in-law Krista said she watched a rated M show once and will never do that again.

And then I said: There are so many shows I want to watch, really interesting shows, but there are so many "F" words all over the place.

This peaked my Niece up, who was just listening.

Niece: You know what the "F" word is?

All of us adults paused then, looking at her, a sudden silence.  Does she really know what the "F" word is?  What is she going to say? Oh no  . . .

And then she leaned across the table, finger pointed in confidence to emphasize her point.

Niece: Fight!

We all laughed then, in relief.

Honestly, kids don't just say the darndest things, they can be pretty wise, too.

The Cheese Aisle at a French Supermarket

The above aisle is the cheese aisle.

If you love cheese, a French supermarket has such a great variety.

My mind was blown by all the options.  Where do you start??!!

I have such simple American tastes.  I love me some cheddar and pepper jack.

This supermarket is in Issoudun, the center of France.

It was fun going up and down the aisles, buying some French music and Kinder Eggs, among other things.

This one time Patou wanted to cook my Mom and I chicken enchiladas, because she loves Mexican food.  Finding the right cheese was such a trail!  What would be a good substitute?  Then, right when we were about to give up, I believe my Mom found a bag marked "Tex Mex Cheese," pre-shredded cheddar.  There were no blocks of cheddar, which is the best, especially if you need to melt the cheese.  (Pre-shredded cheese is coated in potato starch).  But the Tex Mex mix worked just fine.

So what did we do after buying gloriously healthy food?

Eat at McDonald's. :P

Rethinking My Blog

I've been contemplating the idea of starting two new blogs, one focused on travel and the other movie reviews, only to rethink some things.  What is it I want out of life?  What do I really want to accomplish?  What would happen if I tried to manage three blogs at once while working on other things?

And then I realized, my music, the games I'm working on with my brothers, and the fictional stories I'm working on is more than enough, and more important.

One blog, for now, is more than enough.

I was tempted to start the other blogs simply because the eclecticism of this blog may prevent me from gaining a bigger audience.

So what does it come to?  I like to write, take pictures, think about stuff, experience, and share.

And when certain projects are ready to share, I'm going to enjoy writing and posting about these dreams turned reality.

This blog needs a little more focus, but in an eclectic way.  I Just Like Way Too Many THINGS!!  Ah!!!!!!!

So I've been working on a form:

Movie Mondays
Travel Tuesdays and Thursdays
Whatever Wednesdays
Fun Fridays

Though Wednesdays could also stand for Work, Wisdom, and Writing (when I start posting poetry again, or short fiction).

Friday could also be Family and Fantastically Random, because it's Friday.  Friday's should be random, but no day of the week starts with an "R".

And I'm thinking of not blogging on Saturday or Sunday, using those days to prep for the week.  The main goal is to aim for 5 blog posts a week, but 4 minimum, and if I miss a day it will be a Wednesday, to keep it balanced.

So lets see how this goes!!

Oh, and when I start getting music going to where I'm ready to share again, Monday will be Music Monday, and my movie reviews will be bumped to Theater Thursday.  Because, why not?

This is the plan.

#10YearChallenge

 Usually I don't get into online fads, but this one, comparing pics 10 years apart, was fun to put together.  The first picture to the left was posted on Facebook on July 5th, 2008.  Where it was taken, I'm not sure, but I have this memory of taking it (gasp, it's a selfie, possibly the first I ever took, and since I don't take many it's one of the last as well), at BYU.  I was graduated by this point, so not sure why I'm mentally thinking this was where I was, but it could be elsewhere.  The second picture was taken at the end of August, 2018, on top of a Hop On/Hop Off bus in Bath, England.  I love Hop On/Hop off buses, they're fantastic, and the ultimate tourist thing to do.

Between the two pictures there's not too much of a difference. I'm showing a little age, definitely gained some weight, which I'm working on, but not too shabby.

The profile pic I use for this blog is from 2011.  Yeah, it's kinda old.

The pictures below were taken during a trip to Ventura/Santa Barbara/Cambria CA in March 2008, only a few months before the top left picture, and yet I feel I look a bit younger.  A part of this is because I went to a salon to color my hair to match my roots.  Chestnut brown, I was told.

I've been coloring my hair since I was a senior in High School and was done with it, wanting to stop.  But then my hair started to grow out and I noticed how many white hairs there were (I got my first when I was 24, funny memory), and realized I was going to color my hair regardless, might as well find a new color.

Anywho, I hope to keep looking fab 10 years from now.

Here's to growing old!!  :D Heh, :P

Visiting the Paris Sacré-Cœur, April 2016, and Surrounding Area

It's taking awhile to blog about my trips to France.  On this day in April, 2016, my Mom, Tata Patou, and I visited the Sacré-Cœur.  We meant to visit this cathedral earlier in the week, but a marathon changed up the bus schedule and we couldn't get here.  Patou called up the people we were renting the apartment from that week and asked if we could stay an extra day, and they said we could.  This was a beautiful day, and the view of the city up top is amazing.

 This pigeon pooped on my Mom while we waited for the single use circle toilet.  It was really sad!  Thankfully it was on her jacket and easy to clean, but it was still gross and a mess.  Beware of the pigeons.  Just sayin'.

 

 Photos by Sarah and Robin Stufflebeam