For a non-christian, I sure have fun at this time of year...

[stoney321]

Emily (who is three) is singing "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" and repeating over and over (and over and OVER) in a monotone voice:
"You better not shout, you better not cry, you don't wanna shout, just don't wanna cry..." It's like the nurse at the asylum passing out meds at 5 to rocking and drooling patients... Merry Christmas!

On a second note, I'm sad in my heart about Lemony Snickett having Jim Carrey in the Count Olaf role. Shoulda been Jeremy Irons with really bad and obvious disguises. It would have been more true to the books and funnier in a less obvious way.

This is what my neighbors and in-laws are getting: terrariums!
To buy:
Glass cookie jar with lid (Target has glass cookie jars SOOPER cheap right now, or you could try any large glass container with a lid.)
pea gravel - colorful
potting mix
2 to 3 terrarium plants, or any tropical (and small!! = cheap) house plant. Pothos ivy is too big. Try small maiden hair ferns, bonsai plants, miniature dracena and mix up textures like an upright, a cascading, a bushy...

To make:
Layer pea gravel on bottom, just enough to cover.
lay down some potting soil, just enough to cover gravel
arrange plants in the container, giving a few fingers' width of space between walls and plants, and plants and each other.
fill in gaps with potting mix
layer the top with pea gravel to make it decorative
slowly water the container until you see the water BEGIN to pool in the lowest layer of gravel - be careful to not over water!
put the cover on and place in sunny spot

Write out a card with the instructions to : "Water plant when the top 2 inches of potting mix is dry, keep in sunny place with lid on" if you feel adventurous, write out the plant names or makes plant labels. They look so clean and bright...

Gotta finish my gingerbread men today and prepare for the kids to come storming home hyped up on sugar. More karruhls later! Cordy and the Cordettes have a song for everyone...

Comments

I Wanna Hear Emily and the Monotones!

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

I stare enviously through your misted, holiday windows, shivering in my leetle finger-less gloves.

They're tearing down the wall behind my desk today (I made a Reagan/Gorbachev "Tear down this wall," joke and someone got it. Made my day.) I went to sleep at 9:30 last night and woke up - a whole new Sue! I had some sort of freaky bi-polar fic/Christmas thing going. It made amusing reading for Carrie last night...anyhoo...back to life, back to reality.

Karruhls...woo-holiday-hoo!!!!

Re: I Wanna Hear Emily and the Monotones!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Ha ha ha! "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! We wnt to sell a bunch of shit to the Germans!"

Man, I have been going to sleep super early lately, so I missed the fun. I just got back from decorating my MIL's tree for her, so I'm playing catch up. I cannot BELIEVE the story in the post below.

Have I told you yet that I heart ewe tonnes? cuz eye dew.

I <3 Jeremy Irons!

[vincitveritas.livejournal.com]

Jim Carrey makes me nervous. He craves too much attention. He was really good in Sunshine blahblah though. I can't say anything about the "Unfortunate" casting (I am so punny!) because I have yet to read the books. Are they good? Should I see the movie first and then read them so I won't be disappointed during the first viewing? I trust your advice.

Monotone carols are the best way to go. That way you don't sound too excited. And it's better than the crap they play in the mall.

Mmmm gingerbread men *drools*

Re: I <3 Jeremy Irons!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

have to say I love the books (and just recently figured out there was a code in them all!) but am very nervous about the movie. Local paper gace it a C because of JC, but said the kids were terrific. Hmmm. Unfortunately, my kids will want to see the movie over the break, so I'll get suckered in, I'm sure. I just loved the books, and kind of think it should have been animated by Ed Gorley (is that right?) or at the very least directed by Tim Burton.

Re: I <3 Jeremy Irons!

[mskakaako.livejournal.com]

Edward Gorey? He dead. But, that would be very cool wouldn't it?
The 'The Gashlycrumb Tinies' are so cool. I saw a calendar of it once and coveted it for my classroom, but thought it might send the wrong message. Heh.

I want to read the books. I've heard that they're better than Harry Potter.

'Terraniums' is a funny word

[cityphonelines.livejournal.com]

Y'know, for the longest time I didn't think I liked Jim Carrey, then I realized it was because "Ace Ventura" did nothing for me and "The Mask" was annoying. Now? I kinda wanna date him. Jeremy Irons would make the mostly frighenting Count Olaf. Good or bad? Not sure yet.

Monotone rocks!!

Re: 'Terraniums' is a funny word

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I have a crush on Jim Carrey and have for years. But everyone wants him to be "Jim Carrey!!" in a movie, and the books are more sinister and less in your face with Olaf. A quiet, evil Brit would have been better, and the disguises should look obviously fake, since the kids ALWAYS knew it was Olaf within seconds. It would have been funnier to have Jeremy Irons with a toupe (obvious toupe) and constantly adjusting his fake mustache, you know?

We'll see. My kids will drag me to it over the break, I have no doubt.

Terrariums is a completely serious word and you should cry redemption and forgiveness, but in opposite order so it makes sense.

[mirasol.livejournal.com]

Us Brits aren't all quiet and evil.

Some of us are Hugh Grant.

*goes off to silently read "How to be an Super-villan" by Levinson, Meers and Wells*

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

You know that is meant as a comliment... By which I mean: Brits are the better quiet/thoughtful actors in villian roles, where most US "villians" are the in your face BOO! kind.

So. To make a movie better, it should be a Brit.

Somet of you are Jude and Paul Bettany, too, which is absolutely lovely.

[mirasol.livejournal.com]

Paul Bettany...
...makes me want to write Master and Commander slash.

Just think, we Brits get to see these guys before you. Actually, just the other day I saw "Sharpe's Waterloo" on TV - Sean Bean, Paul Bettany, Alexis Denisof...

*warm fuzzies*

Re: Satan, and a misinformed child on Christmas...

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

"our satanic powers will stop you!" And the Omen music in the background.. Ha ha ha!

Your neice is fucking crazy. Hee! Her thing today is monotone, but really LOUD monotone. What a weirdo.

[anelith.livejournal.com]

The Boston Globe gave the movie a very good review, even had good things to say of Jim Carrey. I'm taking Evan to see the movie this weekend -- he's finishing up the book right now. We have a rule, gotta read the book before seeing the movie. Although, since this movie encompasses the first 3 books, we've relaxed that rule; we aren't reading the second or third books. I don't know if Evan will make it through the movie though, he's only seen one other movie before. He has a peculiar problem -- gets very scared when he sees kids about to get into trouble with authority figures. He does not get scared of other scary situations, though, like physical or supernatural danger. Strange boy, my Evan.

It really surprises me when kids like these books. I think they have a very adult sensibility; I liked the first one, but didn't feel compelled to go on and read any more. I know I would enjoy the rest of the books but figured they would be more of the same so I'll wait until I'm in the mood for that -- I'm not compelled to read them to find out what happens next to the Baudelaire orphans because I know it will be something awful, just like in the first book! But the humor is just not what I would expect a kid would like. What do I know? Obviously kids find something to enjoy here -- Evan rated it at least a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10.

The terrarium idea is so very cool!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

And the terrarium is CHEAP!!

I absolutely LOVE the Lemony Snickett books. Every character is based on a real life 19th century writer, poet or artist, and that is just terrific. The first book was by far the darkest. Children's books typically are, though. Just read the first ten pages of Anne of Green Gables. Or The Red Pony. Or Sounder. Or Where The WIld Fern Grows. I remember my thrid grade teacher calling my mom because I wouldn't stop crying when the hound dogs died. Old Yeller? Jesus Christ.

I like that there is a humorous side to the misfortune, that the kids always triumph, that knowledge is the key, and that new words and grammatical concepts are introduced in each book (and repeated three times to solidify the learning.) Can you tell I like the books? :-)

[anelith.livejournal.com]

"New words are introduced" -- you are so right! I got into an argument with Evan over the meaning of the word "literally" because I used it too casually in conversation and he took me to task. He'd learned the meaning while reading Lemony Snicket and was quite vigorous in defending his new-found knowledge!

I'll have to continue reading the series, you've sparked my interest in them.

[elcazavampiros.livejournal.com]

On NPR yesterday, the book's author said that Jim Carrey was on the top of his list for actors to portray Olaf. Myself, I'm going for Abraham Benrubi. Wait, that's another Olaf.

I've never read these books and really have no intention of watching the movie. Maybe on
DVD.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

The books are really a treat, and they are easy to read. I can usually read one within a few hours. If you are at the bookstore and waiting for Sue, you should pick one up and read through it while she searches in vain for vampire porn.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

It's in the "alternate lifestyles" section, which is next to "Women's Studies" and behind the end-cap of marked-down Anne Rice paperbacks. Do you people *NOT* go to Borders...ever???

What? That's not vampire porn...it's just a mis-shelved "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" magazine and James and David just have their arms around each other 'cause they got along well while working on a TV show together and it means absolutely nothing?

Goddamn it....where's the vampire porn????

Unlike most of you, I am not a nut.

[mirasol.livejournal.com]

My brother thinks that I'm a freak. Why today in particular?

Because I saw a poster for the movie and I'm sure that Violet has plaits.

I'll forgive Jim Carrey as Olaf - though we're talking someone who was still recognisable as the Grinch - but Violet with plaits?

That's just plain wrong. It's like giving Sunny a full set of teeth.

Hmmm, maybe he's right.

Re: Unlike most of you, I am not a nut.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Plaits? Do you mean braided hair? She doesn't have braided hair! The promos I've seen have her hair loose so she can tie it up with a ribbon, indicating that sharp mind is kicking into gear.

I stand by my earlier assertion that these should have been animated and directed by Tim Burton.

[mirasol.livejournal.com]

*faints with relief*

It was a poster that I saw flashing past on the way to work this morning - and it put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Only to be made better by the complete and utter failure of the 7,500 word fic I've written to be posted for a ficathon tomorrow to open.

ITA about Tim Burton. To my way of thinking, to be done properly the books are almost unfilmable. I hesitate about going to see the movie. I love the books, and while I know that they are for kids, they aren't. Not making much sense here, I know. Give me a couple of days and I'll be back to writing fics that I want to write, not for blasted ficathons. Then I'll be happier and more with it.

Kidnap the Sandy Claws, tie him in a bag, throw him in the ocean, then see if he is sad

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Lord, I love TIm Burton. I mentioned above that he should have been the fall back, but honestly I would like to have them left untouched. Barring that, if Edward Gorley (am I doing that right? The terrific goth charcoal artist that has a comic book feel to his drawings?) should have done them.

I love love love the books. Did you know the code that exists throughout the books? We just heard about it and my son and I are going through all 11 books this holiday break to find the secret messages.

You are not alone.

Very Foreboding Despair...

[mirasol.livejournal.com]

Please don't tell me things like that.

My copies are, yes, you've guessed it, in storage. The only books I have with me are my dictionary, thesaurus, an encyclopedia of fantasy, and two books of poetry.

Is it insane to go buy them again? Perhaps. Maybe I should just go buy a house so I can take everything back out of storage.

[mskakaako.livejournal.com]

Try a class of monotone kids. Haha, good riddance. I'm free!!!

Jim Carrey doesn't do it for me, although he was very good in ESotSM. I liked him on In Living Color. Vera was funny. I also liked him in Ace Ventura when he knocked out the Monopoly Man and draped him over his shoulders.

Hmmm...maybe I should do terrariums with my class. Cheap and easy, you say. I can do cheap and easy. :D