Yesterday's Activities

So, yesterday was Holli's birthday. She turned 30 years old. She was a little apprehensive about the big 3-0, but in the end we had an absolutely terrific day.

No one should have to wake up early on their birthday, and since we have the three kids it was my turn to wake up at dawn's early screaming to make sure the little ones got fed and stayed relatively quiet. This is not always an easy task, especially when you've gone to bed at 0100 hours the night before (or actually, that very morning.) But the kids were actually really great about giving Mom a nice morning. They helped clean up the whole house without griping. The ate the food I gave them and then helped make Mom's special breakfast (a vegan eggs benedict with bearnaise sauce). And they were even pretty quiet for most of it. By the time Mom woke up and came downstairs (at about 9:30) the house was cleaned up, the dishes were put away, and the house was quiet. So far, so good.

After eating, Holli decided we should all go out to the movie theater. We ended up going to see the new animated Dreamworks movie "Monsters vs. Aliens." It was the very first showing of the day which was convenient around nap time for Benjamin, and the theater didn't have much of a line. We had just eaten, so we didn't pay a mortgage payment for any snacks, and we walked right in. The movie was great. Seriously, really funny. There were a couple of moments that seemed to drag out a bit, but that happens in pretty much any movie I've ever seen. The comedy ranged from the usual slapstick for the youngest child to the subtle political rhetoric that Steven Colbert would use. The story line was adequate for adults and kids. Predictable? Of course, but in a way that you didn't mind. The characters made up for the lack of originality in some parts. All in all, a very good flick. It certainly had a Pixar-esque feel to it, but it didn't get quite as artsy and some of the lame movies Pixar has been putting out lately (a.k.a. Ratatouille and Wall-E.) What were those movies for anyway? (By the way, can I just say how lame I think it is that one production company seems to copy another. Don't we have more than one production company so that we have some diversity? I don't know. Maybe it's the writers' fault. For once, just once, can't we not beat the horse to death? How much would it suck if they made a sequel to Ferris Bueler's Day Off? Sorry for the tangent, but it just kind of pisses me off.)

Anyway, we got home from the movie and gave the kids some lunch. Then, Ben went down for his nap while Bradley had quiet-time and Savanna did her thing. Holli updated her blog and I messed around with our old computer. (I keep trying to resurrect it, but, alas, I don't have sufficient techno-nerd points to score a win. Anyone local want to take a crack at it? Email me. I'm kind of out of ideas.) So, then I gave Holli a back massage as we watched some reruns of Full House on TV. That is still one of her favorite shows. So, we had a totally laid back afternoon. Once again, so far so good.

The evening was really what we were looking forward to most of all. We had plans to hit up a pizza place in San Luis Obispo called Pizza Fusion. It is a new age place claiming to be totally green and recycled and stuff. Plus, they have vegan and vegetarian options. I know. Vegan pizzas? Isn't there supposed to be meat and cheese and stuff? Yeah, well, as weird as it sounds, the food was really good, and they have "normal" pizza options as well. I got a BBQ chicken pizza on a 5-grain crust and Holli got a custom pizza with soy cheese, red onion and white crust. Both the options were fantastic. We also got a couple of side salads, a Boyan Black Cherry soda and a brownie that was ridiculously good. Let me repeat that: The brownie was RIDICULOUSLY good. Don't go there unless you get a brownie. So good. So dinner makes for a good triple play.

Right after dinner, we headed out to Oceano for a show at the Great American Melodrama. The Melodrama is one of truly great treasures of the Central Coast. This was only the second time we had ever gone there, and this time we went with our great friends Zach and Steph Wasil. And so, in a great place and with great people, we saw a great show. Another triple play. The show we saw was called "The Nerd." Definitely a must see. Very funny and a great cast of characters that both shock you and amuse you from start to finish. It came in three acts and two intermissions. The first two acts comprised "The Nerd" and the third was their usual Vaudeville reprise that always follows in a similar, comedic vein. This time the Vaudeville part took the form of cats, dogs and mice "going international" singing spoofs of old Standards. And that made four for four. 100% Happiness Achieved. Even Holli said, "This day was perfect," on the drive home from Oceano.

The night ended with a foot massage and book reading and finally falling asleep again at close to 0100 hours. Definitely a long day, but definitely a perfect day along the Central Coast and with the Wyett Family. We still can't believe we live here.

Acceptance

This is a poem that I wrote over ten years ago. Somehow, it seems complete to me. At various points in our lives, we feel constricted. Maybe our life in reality doesn't match what we picture as our life subconsciously. The battle waging within ourselves can cause much lamentation. This is a description of the end of confrontation and the beginning of emergence and fulfillment. I hope you enjoy it. I hope you all have something to say and contribute.


“ACCEPTANCE”

As day lazily drifts
Into obscure darkness
I sit alone in my cell
And savor the effects
Only caused by a serene Spring night.

The whole picture
Soaks into my enchanted solitude
And perpetuates a joyous freedom.
I feel that I can fly
And free myself from this detention.

The clouds become dazzling apparitions,
Beckoning me to their loftiness.
A cloud staircase appears before me.
I spread my newly-spawned wings
And awake from my captivity.

As higher and higher I fly
The lighter I become, and
The more I see.
I am an eagle’s majestic piercing orb
Peering at the world through a magnifying lens.

The clouds open to greet me.
Surrounded by purity and cleanliness,
I invite the clouds to close around me.
And through the dense obscurity of fading light
At last, I find myself...acceptance.

Just Getting Started

So, now I've gone and done it. My blog, "According to James," is up and running. Somehow I feel way behind all of a sudden. Do you ever have that feeling? The one where you're playing the game, but you're not really sure of all the rules? Yeah, that's where I am. I'm just hoping that no one else knows the rules any better than I do. But one must begin, right?

My primary ambition for this blog isn't so that other people can keep tabs on me and what I've been doing. Frankly, I don't think it would be very interesting to hear about just me. At any rate, we have a family blog at http://www.wyettfamily.blogspot.com/ for those that want to hear about the family exploits. We are always running around doing stuff. So, as a family, we're pretty interesting. I'm just a cog in that wheel.

The real reason for this website is so I can voice my many opinions. Share different things I've written. Give an honest book review or movie review. Pass along what I may consider wisdom...or at least nuggets of info that I may have just stumbled upon and found interesting, beautiful, or inspiring.

I've been writing short stories, poetry, critiques, news stories and "verbal pictures" for many years now. Not many people have read them, but I would like the opportunity to express myself in these ways by exposing them to anyone interested. I would love the same honest, loving, scathing critique of my own works that I freely give to everyone else's. Believe me when I say that I am not shy. I can take a harsh blow to my creative ego. The hope is that one day, I'll be able to deliver something that is great. So, bring it on! Let the pen fly! I am grateful that you may take an interest in my little project.