WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Maurice Sendak is my all time favorite children's book author/illustrator. From the moment I opened the pages of 'Where the Wild Things Are' and read the story of disobedient Max to my preschool class in 1980 I was hooked!
Following WTWTA I discovered many other Maurice Sendak books including Really Rosie, Chicken Soup With Rice, Pierre, In the Night Kitchen...all amazingly illustrated and dealing with real kid issues. I love these books, the illustrations and their messages!

And now, 'Where the Wild Things Are' comes to the BIG SCREEN! And not some animated Care Bear like version either! Oh no...this is a film with really truly human actors!!!

So where will THIS wild thing be October 16th??? Darn right! At the opening of 'Where the Wild Things Are'. After all, whats a Wild Rumpus without some Wild Things in the audience???

WATERLESS URINALS and OCTOMOM

I arrived at the office this morning to find the Ladies Room CLOSED. OUT OF ORDER. NO ENTRY. Why? Because the company has decided to install WATERLESS URINALS in the MENS ROOM! WATERLESS URINALS. I don't know about you, but the only thing that comes to mind when I think about WATERLESS URINALS is....EW.

Per the contractor overseeing the job these urinals are all the rage in Australia and Europe! And GRAVITY is what makes these WATERLESS URINALS work. They are made of high quality PORCELAIN and have a FILTER that must be changed once a month. ONCE A MONTH! EW! I will get back to you in a month or so to report the condition of our outhouse er I mean office. And did you know that Staples Center and Nokia Center both use these gravitational pull waterless urinals? Wow! Does that mean that the Lakers and Britney will be by our office soon? Oh, and they are planning on changing out the valves on flushing mechanisms on the toilets too! The new valves will assure that just the right amount of water is used for the particular flush job! Press #1 if you did #1, and press #2 if you did #2.
It isn't easy being GREEN.

OCTOMOM! THIS WOMAN IS NUTS! Crazy. Stupid. Self absorbed. Selfish. Attention Whore. Did I already say crazy and stupid? Firing the Registered Nurses that were training her nannies and readying her home for her babies FREE OF CHARGE. She fired the VOLUNTEERS that were helping her! Can you really be fired if you are a volunteer? I guess you can! And now Gloria Allred (you gotta love Gloria Allred) is involved on behalf of the Nurses! LOOK OUT OCTOMOM! Even Dr. Phil (who caved when he had Nadya Suleman on his show) has a hard time standing up to Gloria Allred! Go Gloria!

FOURTEEN CHILDREN! Eight of them newborns! What is this woman thinking? She states that she felt the Nurses were 'spying' on her and telling HER paid nannies (She pays the nannies? With what?) to 'spy' on her and report her to Child Protective Services. In fact one of the Nurses did file a report. But unless I am mistaken, Nurses are MANDATED REPORTERS and if a MANDATED REPORTER thinks something is amiss, they must by law, REPORT!
I wish I could just shut off my curiosity about Nadya Suleman and her fourteen children. But I can't. Because deep down, my heart breaks for all of them. For her children and for her.I believe she needs more help than just nannies and free diapers and a bigger house. She need professional help. Of the psychiatric variety.
And the children? I am fearful for what the future holds for the children. So, I will stay tuned. To Crazy Stupid mom and her fourteen beautiful yet at risk children.

WINE COUNTRY WALLACE

Last Saturday David and I drove out to Temecula's Wine Country where we joined our friends Laura and Terry for a wonderful day of wine tasting!
Our first stop was the Maurice Car'rie Winery and after tasting six (6) different varieties (you don't want to miss their Pineapple Champagne, Cody's Crush and Heather's Mist) we took a bottle of chilled Heather's Mist and a sourdough bread bowl filled with warm brie out to the lawn and completely fell off the healthy diet wagon!

After we ate the last crumb of the sourdough bread and drank the last drop of wine, we loaded up in the car with David as our designated driver and headed to our next stop.... La Cereza, the sister winery of Maurice Car'rie . Much to the delight of the men, La Cereza had a cigar bar! Their Raspberry Champagne and the winery 'mascot' Girlfriend Graciella made this stop delicious and memorable!


At Winery #3, Wiens Winery, I was able to bottle my own bottle of wine! 7 Brothers! I labeled it, filled it and corked it(then drank it!) Dave Wiens, one of the 7 Wiens Brothers, signed my bottle.



Winery #4, Ponte Winery, was where we decided to stop for dinner. As we waited for our table to be readied, Laura and I watched a beautiful wedding taking place on the grounds. The vineyards and mountains created a stunning backdrop for the wedding and it took my breath away. As we were dining the wind began to pick up and it became quite cold! Our waitress noticed were were chilly and provided warm and cuddly blankets for us. It was the perfect way to end a practically perfect in every way day.

WEIRD WALLACE

The weirdest things happen to me. Or maybe I do the weirdest things - I am not really sure!
Here is the short list of some of my experiences...you decide...is it me? Or is it some cosmic energy flowing the wrong way through me....

I have been run over by large women in ECV's several times at Disneyland. ECV - Electric CONVENIENCE Vehicle. Emphasis on CONVENIENCE. Was not so convenient for me.
I have a tendency to fall UP the stairs. At work. With food or coffee. The most recent incident was YESTERDAY!
When I was in the first grade, I had a wart on my top lip. You KNOW that is weird.
I noticed a man peeing on himself in public and then he followed me into a theater. Security removed him.
I once backed down a freeway overpass ramp because I had an anxiety attack.
Walter Knott's grandson was present during my labor with my 3rd baby. Yes, he was in my LDR Room. True story.
My toothbrush mistook Monistat for Crest and I brushed my teeth with it. Don't ask.
People talk to me in community restrooms - fellow employees hold me hostage, prospective bosses continue with questions and custodians stand at the door telling me to "Take your time! Don't rush! I am in no hurry!" Really????
My butt has a magnet that seems to pull children into it...that must be it...right?
I get lost on practically every road trip I set out on.
I found a dead rat on my bosses windshield. Of course I screamed bloody murder!
Batteries of all kinds seem to have short lives with me....camera batteries, watch batteries, phone batteries, car batteries...am I sucking the energy out of them???
My bedroom TV started changing channels ALL BY ITSELF! No help from me! I even took the batteries out of the remote (because of my history with depleting the energy from batteries) thinking that might be the problem! Nope. Channels just kept changing....finally after two days the husband unplugged the TV and plugged it back in. Voila! The channels stopped surfing on their own and returned to being remote controlled. Weirdness.
When I play my Beatles albums backward they say "Paul is Dead". Weird.

BECKIE'S BEAGLES

I LOVE MY PUPPIES!!!

















JUST JACK AND ZUZU'S PETALS