I Love Netflix

Tim and I resisted Netflix for a while. We borrowed DVDs (free) from the library for a long time. That worked well until the library instituted a $1/day late fee (we’re not great at, ahem, managing our library materials) and the DVDs were often so scratched that they were unwatchable. So, when I went back to work a couple of years ago, we decided to get Netflix.

I’m so glad we did – I love it! Tim and I don’t watch a ton of TV, but one thing I like to do is find a series I like and watch it all the way through in a series of marathons. The first one I watched was Friday Night Lights. I watched all four existing seasons in three weeks.

Tim has a knack for picking series that we like. After Friday Night Lights (which Tim didn’t watch), we moved on to Dead Like Me, then Pawn Stars, which was our “Sunday night laundry folding” show.

A few weeks ago, we started How I Met Your Mother. I’d never watched it before Tim suggested that we watch the first few episodes, and it has become one of my favorites. It reminds me a lot of Friends. I believe there are 150 episodes on Netflix, and lately I’ve been watching them at a rate of 5 per night while I do other things after the kids go to bed. Seriously, tonight I couldn’t wait for the kids to go to bed so I could turn the TV on.

Do you like Netflix? How do you watch? What’s your favorite TV series that you’ve caught up on via Netflix?

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Being Disappointed Doesn’t Mean Being Angry

I’ve mentioned several times here that Duran Duran is my favorite band of all time. A couple of years ago, I saw them in concert for the first time ever. It was better than I could have imagined. My friend Amy and I had third-row seats on John Taylor’s side of the stage, the band was awesome, etc.

But it wasn’t enough. We wanted to go again! So when more concert dates were announced and one was within four hours’ driving distance, Amy and I decided to take a road trip. We got third-row seats again (!) on John Taylor’s side of the stage.

The concert was set for August 28 (the day after my birthday), and we got the tickets in April. So we four fun months to plan and anticipate our road trip.

Then … horrors! A few days before the concert, keyboardist Nick Rhodes got sick. First one concert was canceled, then another. At 10 p.m. on my birthday, I read the Facebook message saying that our concert was canceled. I was heartbroken. I cried. Dare I say it – I was disappointed. I posted as much on Facebook and Twitter, even using the word “disappointed … ”

… and was scolded by other fans! It wasn’t Nick’s fault, they said, and his health should come first. People had no right to say they were disappointed.

Well, duh. Of course the band’s health comes first. I wasn’t angry that the concerts were canceled. Obviously I wanted Nick to get better. But I was hideously disappointed that the concert was canceled. Not angry – just disappointed.

Anyone else find that – the idea that one can’t be disappointed without being angry – rather absurd?

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More Opportunities

There are plenty of great places to have a birthday party when a certain girl turns 7.

We’ve got many terrific zoos and science centers within easy driving distance.

And closer to home, there are tons of places to play. Jenny and I came across this little hidden playground on a warm day in late October, when the big boss had sent everyone home at 3:00 to enjoy the 70+ degree day. I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do than play with her.

Until, of course, it was time to pick up Allie, and then we played on the school playground for another 15 minutes. (Tim picks up Adam, or they’d have been there playing with us.)

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A Wealth of Opportunities

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how lucky my family is to live where we do. There are so many opportunities for us, especially for the kids.

For instance …

(More later when I figure out how to insert pics more easily with WordPress. They’ve changed it since my last pic-heavy post.)

Allie can take gymnastics with the parks & rec department in the morning …

And then see an Olympic gymnast (Sam Mukalik) compete that evening. Free!

With the whole family.

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