What can you learn from a pork chop?

Everything in life is there to teach us something, right?  How did Julie learn her sense of self from from a pork chop when she was growing up?  Listen and she'll explain.

It's the beginning of a new audio series we call Satellite Sisters Uncommon Senses. We will be posting a new installment every Monday on the home page of the website.  You asked for more stories from us about how we grew up.  You got 'em.

Listen to our newest feature: BookSpot!

Every Wednesday we'll be posting a special new feature on the home page of our website: BookSpot!  We love books and we know from our email that you love books, too, so once a week we'll get together and talk about what we are reading.  To listen to the premiere of BookSpot, click here.  Today, Lian talks about 2 books by 2 authors: Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman  co-wrote the best-selling Literacy & Longing in L.A. and their latest A Version Of The Truth.

Lian's normally a little suspicious of the whole dual author thing when it comes to novels.  Does she recommend these works?  There's only one way to find out. 

What are you reading?  Post your recommendations here.

Lian's Chaos Chronicles: The Birthday Party Manifesto

My son Colin turns 10 on Saturday. Yes, he is a Groundhog Day baby, a fact of which he is very proud. And, he is turning double-digits, another point of pride. But I had a hard time this year pinning him down on any birthday party details this year. What do you want to do? Who do you want to invite? Should I ask Grandma to make a cake because Mom can’t bake? Colin just couldn’t make up his mind. Maybe, he is just over the party thing. Oh, don’t get me wrong, he enjoys the present thing, but maybe after 9 years of themed events, he is out of ideas. He’s a kid that loves a costume so we’ve had a Barnyard Friends party (he dressed as a farmer), a Superheroes party (The Green Lantern), a St. George and the Dragon Party ( St. George, of course), and Football Frenzy party ( Brett Favre). All of these have taken place in our backyard with relay races and theatrical productions and spider web treasure hunts, but, just so you know, the only outside entertainment I hired was Aunt Liz and Aunt Sheila and they work cheap. Mainly, the party crew has been me and me with the occasional helping hand from my husband if the activities include sporting and gaming.


As a modest but successful thrower of children’s birthday parties, I have a couple rules of party-giving for the under 12 set that I feel it is my duty to share:

1. I believe that my child’s party should not be your problem. No tricky directions, long drives, or inconvenient hours. No additional equipment, permission slips or protective gear will be necessary for your child to attend one of my parties. Just drop off your child and go to the movies. In fact, please don’t stay. Then I won’t have to make “grown-up” food or try to talk to you when I am corralling a half dozen kids to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

2. I believe that a goody bag filled with candy and small plastic toys is a waste of money and fossil fuels. When you come to my house for a party, you get a single item as a parting gift. It is usually a playground ball that I buy at the grocery story for 3 bucks each. I write your child’s name on it and hide it in the back yard. So not only is it a goody gift, it’s a game.

3. I believe the cake should be tasty first and fit the theme second. I promise no elaborate cakes that taste like plaster of Paris because there is so much frosting holding the whole operation together. In fact, this year I am making chocolate fondue instead of cake, at the request of the birthday boy.

4. I believe that no gift should cost over $20 or be bigger than a 36 inch plasma TV. I am begging you, no more giant plastic toys. So, please, feel free to bring a single book or a big, new box of crayons and some paper, that’s great. That’s what I give. And nothing beats a crisp ten dollar bill. Kids love money.

5. I believe that once a child is in first grade and up, it is okay to invite only their friends and not every kid in the class. Yes, that is what I believe, even if it sounds mean. I mean really, enough is enough. It’s a birthday party and it’s supposed to be fun and you shouldn’t be forced with cut cake with kids who are mean to you in class.

6. I believe in starting on time and ending on time. I have been to parties where the festivities get going about an hour and half in and the cake cutting is done long after the birthday child has lost interest/patience/his mind. Move it along, that’s my party giving motto. And slumber parties ? Overrated. More fun in theory than practice.

What do you believe when it comes to party giving? Go to the comments and add to my Chaos Chronicles Birthday Party Manifesto! Cheers.

LOST 3 seasons in 8 minutes! - Catch up LOST

Monica: Ready to Get Lost

The countdown to the season premiere of Lost, which airs Thursday night, began weeks ago. I rewatched the entire third season of my favorite show which I had saved in my DVR. I did keep the season finale "Through The Looking Glass" for viewing tonight.

Then, I started reading the Lost message boards and listened to a favorite Lost podcast just to refresh my memory on where we left off last year-questions asked and questions answered. I even drove out to SE Portland to find the ficticious Oceanic Airlines billboard that was erected and vandalized in a marketing move by the shows creators.

In case you have not seen this, I have posted the cheeky video "Everything You need to know about Lost in 8 minutes and 15 seconds".

Sheila: Blogging, Brooklyn and More!

Sheila here and I have to apologize for staying away from the blog for a bit. Last week was such a sad time due to the death of Heath Ledger. Thank you all for writing in and sharing your thoughts. On Friday, while I was in the check-out line at my local Vons, I got into a conversation with a complete stranger about how lost we both felt. From everyday people to stars, Heath's death was considered nothing less than a tragedy. I want to acknowledge Daniel Day-Lewis for giving up so much personal airtime and allowing himself to be so vulnerable on national television. First Daniel broke down on Oprah on a pre-Oscar show she taped and he then saluted Heath eloquently in his acceptance speech for Best Actor at the SAG Awards, and dedicated his award to him. Good for you, DDL.

I was also out-of-town and I am just getting back to my beloved blog. I spent the weekend in New York visiting my daughter Ruthie. Don't forget to listen to this week's podcast to hear the dramatic story of how I almost did not make it to the airport. A little drama at 5:30 a.m. always makes for a good trip. We had a girl's weekend in the wonderful borough of Brooklyn where Ruth lives. After spending quality time eating, laughing, and eating some more... we then went to the sold out Kathi Griffin concert at Madison Square Garden. (see pic) It was the perfect 48 hours together! I also discovered that my daughter is now HOOKED on the Korean Day Spa just like her mom. She got to go for a friend's birthday and could not believe how great it was and was equally baffled by the large bowl of milk at the end of the treatment.

Now, time for checking with everyone on the great intra-sister contest going on at our site. The blog naming contest has been great! Thank you for all your comments. As of now, we have a close race between Sisterspot (mine), Satellite Sister'hood (Lian's) and One Cup of Coffee At A Time (Monica's). Cast your votes now, because the contest is still open! I want to share some comments with you and clear up some myths about my name choice! Harriet wrote in and said that One Cup of Coffee At A Time suggests, "wisdom, timeliness, calmness and makes us think of something we are hopelessly addicted to. No, not coffee:) You!" Well, Harriet thanks for that but some of us are addicted to coffee but I am not naming names. Adrian wrote in and said that Satellite Sister'hood is her favorite because "it is catchy and I can imagine it taking on a life of its own. Moms in the 'hood, Let's take it to the 'hood and Come join us in the 'hood." I love the idea of spin off blogs! I also want to clear up some wordplay problems with my name: Sisterspot. Jill and Judy thought my name had questionable connotations. Jill thought it could be confused with sisters & pot. Judy thought my name was "dirty" and so she is voting for Liz! Ladies, we are a family show and my name came from the words sisters and spot..referring to the spot on the web where all Satellite Sisters are welcome. Then there was Catherine who liked the name slog...maybe you are in that camp!

I will keep you posted as the Intra-Sister contest continues...thanks for all your thoughtful comments.

New Show Posted Today: Tuesday Jan. 29

We are LOVING learning the whole podcasting and audioblogging thing. As the days go by, you'll see all kinds of new things posted on the website, at iTunes and right here on the blog.



You can listen or download today's show by clicking here. What do we tackle today?

Julie wonders whether the full protection of her First Ladies desk should be extended to Bill Clinton. Are the rules different if you are a former President? Listen and post your comments here.

Liz weighs in on the ongoing challenges of her homeowners association (Help!) but in better news, spots a major rock god on the treadmill next to her at the gym. Find out who.

And Sheila is back on the Cozy Couch. Yes!!! Breathe, reach and snack, people.

Liz: Would you ever want to be a teenager again?

Ah, the angst. What were your teen years like? And do you think it is harder today in the Age of Paris + Brittany than it was when you were a girl??

Today we posted on the home page of Satellitesisters.com a Special Edition Podcast for Mothers & Daughters. We interviewed four teen girls who posted their very personal and poignant diairies at http://www.doverealitydiaries.com/. With them is Jess Weiner, a self-esteem expert who guided the girls through this process as part of the Campaign for Real Beauty. We've been big fans of Dove's efforts in this area since the very beginning. Give the special podcast a listen, then let us know what you think. (If you are subscribed to Satellite Sisters Podcast at iTunes, this is the show you wil automatically get today.)

Would you want to repeat those years? And how are the teen girls in your life today handling it?

Julie: Major Celebrity Sighting

Big news coming from me that I was in the same space as a major celebrity and could actually identify who the celebrity was.  Liz and Sheila are constantly bumping into Martin Sheen at Starbucks but it is slimmer pickings here in Dallas.  So when I was at DFW's International arrival terminal on Friday picking up my husband, I almost fell over when Eva Longoria walked by.  I dialed Sheila immediately to let her know of my Major Celebrity Sighting ( M. C. S).  Sheila's first question was what was Eva wearing?  Giant sunglasses and very high-heeled black leather boots.    

Unfortunately, nobody was there to pick Eva up so she was cooling her very high- heels boots at the Welcome to Dallas-Fort Worth Information booth which is operated by senior citizens in cowboy hats wearing multiple lapel pins on their coordinating  blazers.  I don't think any of the volunteers realized that they were in the middle of an M.C.S. because they kept trying to talk to Eva who appeared to be ignoring the helpful seniors by checking her Blackberry.  

My question is who was supposed to pick Eva up at the airport?  If it was a limo service, I am sure heads will roll for making a major celebrity wait.  Could it be that it was her husband who was late picking Eva up?  Why was Tony late? Was this situation going to end up in People ?  

Oh yes, I did remember to stop looking at Eva long enough to pick up my husband.  I asked him if he saw Eva on the plane.  He said he saw her trying to learn French on her laptop but he had no idea who she was.  Even when I told him she was one of the stars of Desperate Housewives, my husband was still clueless.  So much for celebrated my M.C.S. with my husband.  

We left Eva standing at the Information booth but somebody must have picked her up because Eva made it out to LA for the SAG awards. 

Julie: International News Round-up

Buckle up and take a trip around the world.

Did you know that two world-class athletes have died in the recent violence in Kenya?
We will also cover the foiled terrorist attack in Spain, and a steamy soap opera in Thailand that has Thai Airways all hot and bothered.
In Vietnam, officials found way too many snakes on a plane and beware of Scottish haggis, it may be coming to a grocery store near you.

Click here to listen to this week's International News Round-up.

All New Podcast Today

• Sheila weighs in on Heath Ledger's tragic death
• Oscar Noms
• Lian's Chaos Chronicles
• Monica's Kitty update

And if you missed any podcasts this week due to the transition, they are all up there now.

Liz: Where DID I put that $7.2 billion anyway???

I love the business pages. Who's up, who's down, who's got some new trick plays. It's like sports with LOTS more money involved. Today, there is a doozie, a news story so juicy it made it on most front pages around the world. I would title this story:

Zut Alors! You Think YOU Had A Bad Day At The Office?

We've all made bad financial decisions but you can feel good that you've probably never made one this bad: one lone French banker, a 31-year old trader named Jerome Kerviel, gambled away $7.2 billion in secret trades at his job at Societe Generale in Paris. Somehow this guy lost all those billions by making what the L.A. Times called "disastrous bets on European stock prices through a series of unauthorized and wildly outsized transactions." Not surprisingly, Jerome is described as " low-level" and "single and a quiet type". He reportedly "worked late-into the night burrowing into Societe Generale's computers."

My policy is that no matter how late you work, you should not be able to lose $7.2 billion.

Apparently, he used to work in the back office and had learned how to evade the systems set up to prevent such things. Here are two details I enjoyed from the Wall Street Journal coverage of the scandal. First, the bank's co-chief executive Philippe Citerne called Jerome "mentally weak." Really? Not so weak he couldn't outsmart you, Monsieur Citerne.
Then investigators said that Jerome had not earned a dime for himself on all of his transactions. Nothing in it for him? Okay, maybe that's the mentally weak part. What WAS he thinking?

I am sure we'll be hearing a lot more about Jerome Kerviel because he eclipsed by a mile the old record for Massive Trading Losses Incurred By Quiet Guys Who Work All Night. You may recall the previous title holder was Nick Leeson who sank British bank Barings in 1995 with losses of a mere $1.3 billion.

Can you imagine what a really really bad feeling that would be? Besides being criminal, of course. I have trouble falling asleep at night when I lose my ATM card for a day or two.

Lian's Chaos Chronicles: And I was Worried about the Spelling!

My 7th grade son Brookes just starting IMing with his friends. Other mothers in his class tell me that they are amazed that I held him off as long as I did. Their kids have been IMing for at least a year. But Brookes never asked me for an email account and I never offered. My passive plan worked until about a month ago. But then he asked and we discussed the rules and the restrictions and off he went into cyberspace with a group of his friends in their own chat room. One of the rules I established was that I could stand behind him and read the IMs at any time. The hope was that he wouldn't be involved in any conversations that he wouldn't want me to read. When I tried out the first few times, I was shocked, shocked! Not by the content, but by the spelling! My gosh, on a good day this kid can barely spell and now he’s involved in a form of communication that favors the sound-it-out method, initials, shortcuts, and overall poor grammar. All the years of reviewing the rules like “change the e to i and add ng” down the drain. As I leaned over his shoulder and say him type, ‘c u tomaro”, his plummeting SAT scores flashed before my eyes.

Then I went to a talk at his school by a young woman named Vanessa Van Petten (www.vanessavanpetten.com) who is an author, speaker, life coach, teen counselor, parenting consultant and 22 years old. Seriously, 22. The talk was about Gen Net communication (my kids) from the perspective of Gen Y’er (Vanessa). Did I mention that Vanessa was young? Well, that’s a good thing because she was able to illuminate the appeal of cybercommunication to a bunch of Gen X and Baby Boom parents who were clueless. Because she was only a few years away from her teen years herself and very articulate, her talk made more sense than the many articles I’ve read entitled, “Keeping your Teen Safe Online”. Vanessa showed us her Facebook page, reviewed the many ways complete strangers can comment on or ruin your reputation with a few lines on “your wall” or a compromising picture. She explained Twitter, taught us some of the lingo, informed us that every kids knows how to get around the controls, and patiently answered questions like, “What percentage of kids never use Facebook or mySpace?” from hopeful parents who wanted to believe that their child preferred books to keyboards. (Vanessa estimated just 1 in 10 kids will never use online networking sites and I think that number was a little generous but she didn’t want to totally squash this mother’s hopes and dreams for her child.)

About half-way into the presentation, one of the older, second-time-around dads asked the question that summed up the parents attitude. “Why?’ he asked. “Why do they need to do this online?” Right, I was thinking, can’t kids just have these inane conversations on the phone or at mall like my generation? Vanessa explained that today’s kids use the web to create their identity, like our generation used hair, clothes, music, choice of friends or anything else we affected because we thought it made us look cool. Essentially, your Facebook page is you. This is how kids communicate today. Their method may be high tech but their reasons are simple. They are trying to create who they are. And they are reaching out to other kids like themselves. According to Vanessa, social networking allows you to maintain hundreds, literally hundreds, of superficial (her word) friendships, something that would have been unheard of in our days.

So, off I go, into the ether with my middle schooler. Wish me luck. He is creating his identity which I guess, as his parent, I am supposed to applaud. But I’m pretty sure that identity won’t include “Super Speller”!

Monica:Alpenglow

The views of Mt. Hood from downtown Portland have been gorgeous all week with the cold clear weather we are having. I tried to get a good blog shot at sunset last night from the west hills. Seems like I need to work on my camera technique.

Monica

Sheila: A Sad Day

I just heard that Heath Ledger, age 28, was found dead in New York City. One of my favorite actors of his generation, Heath was nominated for an Academy Award for "Brokeback Mountain." For a year on our show, I talked endlessly about his performance, so much so that my sisters were pretty tired of me talking about him. The truth is, that Ledger's Ennis struck something so deep in my psyche that even now, it is painful to think about because Heath is no longer with us. I am stunned, sad and angry. I am stunned because news like this, of a young actor dying in an apartment alone is shocking and never news that one can prepare herself for. I am sad because he is a father, a young man, a great talent and not much older than my daughter Ruth. And I am angry, that another gifted and talented man is gone...and so much of the speculation points towards a drug related death.
I am sorry for his family, his daughter and all the lucky souls that got to work with him in his short 28 years.

New Podcast Today

• The Lab Rats are back testing Protein Drinks!
• Sheila and Monica review their review of the Golden Globes
• Lian loves the Men of Jane Austen (click here to see!)
  

To Cloverfield or Not to Cloverfield, that is the question

Hi all! It's your Satellite Mister John Ramos,

Well, a couple of nights ago my wife Suzanne and I decided to head out to the movies for a night out. Our daughter Cera stayed with my sister. I had received a pair of special preview passes to see the new J.J. Abrams movie, "Cloverfield." Well, we dropped Cera off at about 5:30 then headed out to Century City which is about 10-15 minutes west of Downtown Los Angeles. The it is another 15 miutes from where we started from...so a total of half-hour. However it's about 30 minutes on a good day. This was rush hour at 6:00. Needless to say it took about an hour and 15 minutes to get there. When we arrived at about 7:00 for the movie which was supposed to get started at 7:30m. The passes did say arrive early because the movie was first come first serve and no one would be admitted after 7:30pm.

When we actually arrived at the theater doors it didn't look too bad. There was a line of about 30-40 people which was promising to me, although I still was a bit skeptical. Suzanne asked me to ask one of the ushers when they were going to let us in, so I walked over and said "Is this the line for the screening of "Cloverfield?" She said "yes." Then I said "do you know when they are going to start letting people in?" She said "we already have-- it's like capacity in there, I doubt you will get in." I was like: WOW! Look, I know it said to arrive early but I work, Suzanne works and it's not like we got there at 8:45 p.m!

Why do they hand out more tickets than they can fit? It wasn't like there was 200 more people out there it was like 30 people. There were some upset people there but all they(the studio peeps) could say was: sorry. Well to make a long story short we did not get in, was Suzanne and I upset sure, will we still go see the movie ya sure it looks good and we did get a night out even though it was not exactly as we planned it.

Has anyone out there seen "Cloverfield" yet? What did you think?


Till Next time...John

Julie: The First Ladies Desk

My sister Liz from her tricked-out living room complete with two t.v.s, a dvr and two laptops is monitoring the 2008 Presidential Election for the Satellite Sisters.  She even has a name for her new domain: LizLand.  In her self-appointed position, she is commenting on all election-related things that need to be commented on.  You can hear reports from LizLand on the fresh Friday Satellite Sister podcasts.  

 

I certainly don't want to crowd her commentary,  but in my long-established and award-winning role on the First Ladies Desk, I feel compelled to comment on the rash of critical reports this weekend about the spouse of a presidential candidate who is showing his temper.   The battle cry of the First Ladies Desk is " "To leave the ladies alone".  When political pundits commented on former President Clinton's show of anger on the campaign trail, I wanted to jump to his defense.   I support, in a bipartisan manner ,the right of candidates' spouses to pursue their own career interests and do whatever they want.  But, what if their career interests are politics?  What is the First Ladies' Desk to do when the spouse of the political candidate is the former President of the United States and is making critical comments about other candidates?  Does the First Ladies' Desk umbrella of protection extend to spouse who wants to enter into the political fray and argue Nevada caucus procedures? 

I have been mulling these questions all weekend.  It would be simpler if President Clinton decided to go to med school or took up a singing career after his eight years in office. The First Ladies' Desk would have gladly backed these pursuits.   It is confusing that President Clinton, as First Lady, wants to continue to pursue a career in politics.  I have more questions than answers at this point.  Such as, will this be President Clinton's role if Hillary is elected? Does it matter?   How is Hillary affected by her husband's comments? Does it make her seem more or less presidential?  Should she fight her own battles?  Will other spouses feel the need to enter into the fray?  

It is a whole new world at the First Ladies Desk and clearly I don't have all the answers.  But I will be watching and listening and would love to hear what you think.    

Today's Podcast

(Original Broadcast date: 01/22/07)

• Suzanne Schlosberg, co-author of The Fat Free Truth: Real Answers to the Fitness and Weight-Loss Questions You Wonder About Most and The Essential Fertility Log: An Organizer and Record-Keeper to Help You Get Pregnant. >>>Click here for more.
• Monica’s dramatic sports tidbit: Wife induces labor early so husband can watch the Bears game.
• Celebrity Sightings from Ojai!

Monica:How I Wasted my Saturday Morning

I started corresponding with an old friend of mine via email last week. I noticed that all of her replys came to my email box as forwarded messages. She said that my personal email address was so long that it did not fit into her address book. Do I have a shorter address somewhere in cyberspace? That reply prompted a chain of events that kept me tied up, wasting time on the computer for two days.

I realize that my current email address is very cumbersome-to put it politely. 30 letters long to be exact. Honestly, when I chose the address 10 years ago, I did not think anyone would ever write to me. Little did we know, that every future electronic and written correspondence you will make in your life requires an email address. When I recite my personal address to people, they usually roll their eyes and say"you have to be kidding".

Yes, I do have about 3 other very long active addresses that I never use. How many mailboxes can a girl check in one day ??? It has been on my to-do list forever to get a shorter, snappier free address. Step one was getting a new gmail box, which was a breeze. Then I set up my Outlook Express program to collect all of the gmail (quite alot of user testing going on at this point). Thanks to Liz, I have a fairly solid command of the POP/ SMTP server set up. The problem came with receiving and sending gmail through my regular web based email program(the one with the 30 letters). After a couple of emails and phone calls to the website help desk, it seems that gmail is not compatible with my home website. The customer service representative was very patient with me, even when she had to repeat my current address 20 times. She suggested I obtain a new domain name for the web based mail program I have, and all of the mail can come into the old box. She searched the availabilty of some domain names, but I could not make the committment over the phone. I needed time to think.

Next, I deleted my shiny new gmail account, and went searching for a new domain name. The example given on the website was:
jane@janesbagels.com

janesbagels sounded good to me, but it was already taken, as was bagels. Not surprisingly, my other top choices were also unavailable: email, mail, home, monica, monnie, pdx, and doglvr. Then I remembered the time Sheila said she thought "Snoopy" was the most common electronic password used in the US. Guess what? Snoopy is taken too. I am still searching for the perfect 5-6 letter domain name and in the meantime you can write to me at satellitesisters.com

Monica

Welcome to the New Blog

Hi everyone, Sarah the troublemaker here. After 2 weeks of pulling my hair out (I needed a trim anyway), we're back in business. Turns out the new company that I chose to host the website did not play nice with Blogger, so I reverted the hosting of this blog to Blogger itself.

Go Giants!

Liz: Anyone Speak Japanese?

A few months ago, a delightful Los Angeles listener named Nobuko Nabeshima called. She is a big fan of Satellite Sisters and freelances for a Tokyo-based magazine called Precious. She was wondering if she could do a short piece about me for the magazine. Sure! She and her great photographer Edward Duarte came in for the interview in early November and just this week in the mail I received the February issue of Precious with the story + photo in it. All great so far, right? Except that I cannot Japanese. Or even navigate their website. Can you? Give it a try.

Here's a copy of the cover and you can search for me at www.web-precious.com. I am onPage 29 in the print edition but I am not sure how to find that online. I'll post that page as soon as I can figure out how but if you find it first, will you let me know what it says?

New Podcast - Satellite Sisters Podcast No. 103

• New Intra-sister contest announced! More head to head sister competition.
• Liz needs your help! Does anyone read Japanese?
• Julie's International News Round Up
• Lian has the Chaos Chronicles
• Entertaining Sheila reviews "Honeydripper"

Lian's Chaos Chronicles: Monday Night Madness

I am not proud of being overscheduled. I don’t revel in busy-ness. In fact, I usually get kind of prickly when I am accused of overdoing it, because I try to put limits on our family commitments. But sometimes, it just happens, a particular day or night of the week gets jam-packed with after school activities, sports, work, manic carpools. For our family, it’s Monday Night Madness. My husband is coaching one son and has practice at one end of town while I take the other son to a later practice at a high school field 20 minutes away. In between the end of school and the start of practice, there is homework doing, post- school and pre-practice snacking, searching for shin guards, dog walking, and a general sense of a ticking clock saying, “Go, go, go.” In the old days, like 6 months ago, I might have tried to squeeze in some kind of mealtime, you know, a family sitting down together and eating. But this year, in all my wisdom, I’ve punted on Monday Night dinner. It’s every man, woman, child, and dog for themselves. Well, okay, I feed the dog but everyone else is on their own with leftovers.

But this week, I was busted on Monday Night Madness. My father arrived in town for a short visit. He had some work to do in Los Angeles and I provided bed, breakfast, and transportation service. I started to stress out about Monday Night Madness the minute I heard he was coming. This was my little secret, a family going in so many different directions that they barely spoke to each other one might a week. How modern. And something my old-school father wouldn’t understand. My mother got dinner on the table every night at 6 for 10 people. We were all home. No sports practice or after school activity was going to interfere with our dinner. And homework? Homework never became a family issue when I was younger. You did it or you didn’t but my parents never asked about it! But that is not my life. And I seem to have more to handle with 2 children then they did with 8. Maybe, I just didn’t pay attention to all that my mother was doing behind the scenes. ( Ya think?) But now my father was arriving and somehow I had to cover for the fact that no body was really home at my house on Monday night.

I called in some Buffer Guests: Sheila and Liz. Yes, they made the pilgrimage out to my house in the burbs to break bread with my father while my family carried on like crazy people, shuttling here and there, and trying not to make it obvious. Of course, it being Liz and Sheila, I had to do all the cooking, but that’s a small price to pay for coverage. I made broiled salmon ( Sheila did stick it in the oven!) with roasted Mediterranean veggies ( Did that the day before! ) over spinach cous cous ( Only takes 5 minutes!) . Delish. Maybe because the food was so satisfying, nobody but me noticed all the comings and goings during the “dinner hour”.

So while I dashed to practice and back with one son, and my husband appeared home from the office, disappeared to his practice, reappeared to eat dinner, then disappeared again to pick up the second child at the second practice and my children ate , left, and then ate again, my father was none the wiser. He seemed to have no idea that all around him, it was chaos.

Entertaining Sheila: El Orfanato (The Orphanage)

When was the last time you literally jumped up from your seat out of shock or surprise? Was it listening to Billy Bush riff to Nancy O'Dell at the Golden Globe "news conference" the other night? I know what you were thinking...I was thinking it too but we need to move on people. We need to get out of the house and go to more high quality films in '08, and that is where I come in. I did a little searching two weeks ago for upcoming, interesting films. Films with a little twist...subtitles perhaps...some fright...some directorial might...and I found the perfect movie! "The Orphanage" is presented by master director Guillermo Del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth") and it is directed by newcomer J.A. Bayona, with a marvelous screenplay by Sergio Sanchez. It is in Spanish, with subtitles, and stars Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo and a surprise appearance by the wonderful Geraldine Chaplin. The last time I screamed and shouted at a screen was during No Reservations...and that was out of apartment envy. I could not take one more shot of that long hallway with Zeta-Jones playing hide and seek with Abigail Breslin in all those rooms! Ugh. As I sat and watched "The Orphanage" in the darkened theatre I was silently screaming from a deep dark place that was tapping into many of my childhood dreams and nightmares. Ohhhhhhhh. I was also yelping from some truly unforgettable (now) film moments, but at the time, they were like freight trains coming at me. Aaaaaaa!!!! It was a healthy catharsis though. Unlike my rant at Zeta-Jones, I came out feeling better for facing my fears in "The Orphanage," and yes, even grateful for my little cozy cottage where I snuggled up with my Cuddle-Ewe that night, safe and sound. I think....
The Plot: Laura (breathtakingly beautiful and exceptionally talented Rueda) returns to her childhood home, an abandoned orphanage, where she and her husband (the solid, handsome Cayo) plan to reopen the home for disabled children. The towering house is both beautiful and terrifying, and sits near the edge of a massive, rugged shoreline. Her own adopted son Simon, played splendidly by the cherubic Roger Princep, displays a heightened imagination, and his make-believe friends soon become source of tension between the parents. As the mother tries to understand her son's needs, she becomes drawn into the search his "friends." We sympathize with this mother, who has an exceptional child in more ways than one, and we watch her grow more frantic as the plot turns inside out, and begins to reveal the ghosts of her childhood. Urrrggggg. It builds to an unbelievable climax before we even realize what really is happening; the layers of the story are so intricate and unexpected. No blood or gore--just highly emotional and atmospheric tension and pressure that is told through the completely engrossing story, the stunning cinematography (Oscar Fuara) and the electrifying performance of the mother, Laura.
The Point: I see dead people. No, that's another movie. How about....believe the kid. No, I am sorry--that is not funny. Here: the point is that there is nothing more terrifying than the nightmares that plague us as children. This movie uncovers that primitive feeling...by walking that line between reality and the supernatural world. Also, there is nothing more overpowering than the love of a mother for a child.
The Perks: Rueda in the lead role showed a range of emotions as big as the ominous Orphanage itself. She was fantastic. So too were all the many cinematic devices and choices by Bayona. This guy knows what he is doing and I want to see more by him. Geraldine Chaplin is truly "other;" I won't spoil the surprise of her role but she is a definitely a perk. The house, the beach, the sky and the wind were all working for me....to conjure up the uncontrollable emotions of the past and the present colliding.
The Pity: Annoying audience members to the right of me. Wanted Saw VII. Could not get with program--this was a quality film! Also, I eat a full dinner beforehand, leaving no room for popcorn, dark chocolate Raisinets and designer soda, preferably in rhubarb. Next time, I'll go hungry.
On a scale of One to Five Sisters: Four Big Sisters, one for each of the special...friends...ooohhhhh!!!! Bring one of your own...you will need someone to keep you company.

Entertaining Sheila: The Globes

As everyone knows by now, the lights were out in Hollywood last night. The Golden Globes were dimmed by the WGA strike, but there was a "press conference" and an "announcement show" on NBC. Monica and I were both utterly confused. Funny how that always happens to the two of us, but never to Julie, Liz or Lian. Flashback to high school when we both were baffled by what table we were supposed to sit at for lunch. We weren't jocks, freaks or geeks. We were just sisters.
So, here we are, thirty years later, still in the dark...but not completely uninformed. Monica and I both love movies and we both saw a lot of the Golden Globe contenders this year. As Entertaining Sheila though, I am going to toot my horn here and comment on a few wins which I predicted. I am also going to get humble, and say I truly made some poor calls on a few movies. Finally, I am going to get mad and say: What Were You Thinking NBC????"
1. Julie Christie and Daniel Day-Lewis. They both won Best Actor/Actress and as I have said, their formidable performances deserved it.
2. Diving Bell and The Butterfly won for Director and Foreign Film. I called this one late, but I called it! Whew.
3. I did NOT like Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There and really wanted Tilda Swinton from Michael Clayton to win Best Supporting, but after I watched some clips from the "awards show,' I was wavering. Cate is pretty great people. Unlike Billy Bush though, I don't feel that "playing a man" (as he put it) should disqualify you from a Best Supporting Actress award. That's when I had to walk away from the television and go get some TCBY.
4. Ratatouille rocked. I called that months ago.
5. In the television category, I heart Tina Fey. In fact, I went to bed laughing to myself about the time on 30 Rock when she wore her tank suit underneath her clothes around the house because she had not done her wash.
6. I don't KNOW what the mini-series "Longford" is, but I need to find it because it stars one of my favorite actresses, Samantha Morton, and she won her category.
That's it from Hollywood. I would love to hear your reactions...as long as you can defend Johnny Depp's win in Best Musical or Comedy role! This week, listen for my review of the super scary movie called, The Orphange. It should be on your "must see with a good friend" list. Go Forth and Entertain!

Monica: Golden Globes

The Satellite Sisters love a good entertainment awards show and the Golden Globes is our all-time favorite. We love watching the red carpet pre-show hub-ub, seeing the glamorous stars and the movie and TV executives together at those big round dinner tables carrying-on, and the acceptance speeches. I was fully prepared to be underwhelmed by the scaled back press conference this year, but I feel like I was duped by NBC.
They promised to present the Golden Globes Awards in a TV special. I did sit through the two hour pre-show, which included a very funny piece with Kathy Griffin on why we love award shows. Now it's 9 PM and I'm ready for the press conference from The Beverly Hilton Hotel. Instead, it's Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell standing in front of a two dollar orange and gold set opening envelopes and reading off the names of the award winners. At least we were treated to some short film and TV clips of the nominees. I'm a little bit confused at this point, because the NBC show doesn't look like an official press conference to me. It was only when I clicked over to Larry King on CNN that I was able to catch the tail end of the real Hollywood Foreign Press Associations presentation with Mary Hart and Jorge Camara.
This morning I was thinking how fantastic the night could have been. To see Daniel Day Lewis, Julie Christie and Johnny Depp get up on stage and accept their awards would have been great.
Oh well-there is always next year.

Today's Podcast

(Original Broadcast date: 01/15/07)

• Fitness Expert Liz Neporent shares the Fat Free Truth: Do diet products like diet soda really help us lose weight?
• Sheila and Liz…primping and skimping for the Golden Globes!
• Sheila On the Cozy Couch.

Good To Go

We have blog.

Post away.

Sarah

ALL NEW PODCAST TODAY!

That's right, you're not hallucinating -- we've just posted the first all new Satellite Sisters podcast of 2008. Look for it at http://satellitesisters.com/audio.html (if you have the old audio page bookmarked, you will have to change it).

Look for more all-new shows coming your way very soon (did someone say this Tuesday?)

Today's show is jam packed:

• What unusual item does Julie have in her lost luggage?
• What's happening with the kitty living in Monica's garage?
• Liz creates her own media command center to watch election results!
• Entertaining Sheila reviews Juno
• Lian celebrates her 15th anniversary in this week's Chaos Chronicles
• Julie's International News Round-up returns

And when you're done listening, send us a comment or an email (sisters@satellitesisters.com). We can't wait to hear from you!

Julie, Liz, Sheila, Monica and Lian
Dallas, Santa Monica and Portland

Today's Podcast

(Original Broadcast date: 01/11/07)

• Lian’s new proposal: Let’s buy The Gap!
• Cindy Chupack, Consulting Producer of ABC’s drama “Men In Trees.”
  
• Sheila’s ridiculous situation at Merle Norman.

Dance War-Bruno Vs. Carrie Ann is a war best not fought

Hi all....it's your Satellitemister John Ramos here.

Well, I know we all at the Satellite Sisters are big Dancing with the Stars fans. Even I enjoyed the competition. Unfortunately what's on the air now called Dance War Bruno vs Carrie Ann is just plain BAD, not in a good BAD either.. I said let me give this Dance War show a look, even though when I saw the promo for it a while back I already thought: Uh-oh. Wow! Is this the worst show ever! It looks like my friends and I put it together last night. I mean just stick to the Dancing with the Stars work. Basically it's a rip off of a better show called So You Think You Can Dance on Fox. I would have thought Carrie Ann and Bruno would have known better, it looks like the other judge Len Goodman did. I'll never know why they just can't have 100% to one show instead their head gets too big or they want to "expand themselves." It's like the Ryan Seacrest complex---never happy with that one big thing. Anyway if you get a chance to see this train wreck let me know. ABC could have spent better time with their airwaves and so could have Carrie Ann and Bruno. I like them--don't get me wrong --but this was not a good idea. Well maybe it was a good idea but it's definitely not executed well.

Until next time,

Lian: The Chaos Chronicles

I have written and spoken extensively about my life as a mother, wife, Satellite Sister, community volunteer, dog owner, grocery shopper, team parent, cook and dishwasher, and neophite kickboxer. That would be My Life otherwise known as The Chaos Chronicles. Good news for those of you following along at home ! Every Wednesday here at the blog, I'll have a new posting of this week's chaotic adventures. And listen to our new podcasts for audio installments. ( Yup, starting that up this week. Stay tuned.)

But our new schedule has thrown a wrench in the chaotic calendarizing that has ruled my family's life for years. For the first time in 5 years, I don't have to work on the weekends. As many of you know, our show was live on Saturday morning at 6 am on the west coast. For me, that meant a very early Friday night bedtime( no socializing) , a restless night of sleep worrying that I wouldn't get up on time (every week it felt like I had to make a 6 am flight with all the airport stress that involves) , a very early Saturday morning wake-up call ( 4 am) , a very cranky Lian on Saturday afternoon ( apologies to those who had to interact with me), and then a very early bedtime on Saturday night ( Sorry, honey.) We actually used to have child care issues at 6 am on Saturday morning if my older son had an away soccer game and my younger son had a mid-morning birthday party. Often, Colin got dropped at the studio to hang out with me while my husband shuttled Brookes to the game. While I was at work, my husband and kids were running around having the kind of weekends that you and your family have: sports commitments, play dates, birthday parties, requests for sleepovers, church, homework, the occasional social invitation for the parents. I love my job, but weekends were hardly the respite our family needed. Instead my husband and I spent hours talking through logistics like Command Central. And forget going away on the weekend or planning any large party at the house on a Saturday night, I just couldn't pull it off. And just when I was feeling rested and relaxed on Sunday night, my husband started to feel the stress of going back to work on Monday morning. If you or your spouse works on the weekends, you know what I'm talking about. It's not a complaint , just a challenge. And once again, I say, " I don't know how single parents do it."

Well, now our new Satellite Sister schedule means that my weekends are free. Free!! For the first time in 5 years, I don't have to go to work on Saturday. And, frankly, it's just dawning on me. All this week, I've been like my German shepherd Mia when I take her collar off to brush her. She gets confused and nervous, like the collar is the one item holding her head on her neck. She is hugely relieved when I put it back on after the brushing. That's me; I'm Mia. I'm nervous about the reality of a whole weekend with no work. I'm unsteady. The one constant in our chaotic lives-- my work on Saturday morning-- is gone. Now what? I look at the soccer calendar and there is no sense of dread! We can make all the games! A birthday party invite just came in and guess what? I don't have to call anyone to help us out with a carpool! I feel 5 years younger. How do I begin to plan our time? Should I throw a party? Plan a weekend away? Get a babysitter and go to movie-- a rare treat for the last 5 years.

I am sure that I will manage to fill the time. But right now, I'm freaking out just a little.

Liz: Do you have a favorite nerdy billionaire?

You gotta give a guy credit for having a sense of humor about himself. Bill Gates celebrated his last day of work at Microsoft by making this video to show at the big Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr5w3X4R8b4

Having revolutionized the software world, and hence our lives, he's off to give away his $37.6 billion and Warren Buffett's $41 billion or so through the Gates Foundation. Again, give the guy some credit.

Anyway, because he won't be working every day at Microsoft anymore, they produced this video about how he might fill his time. It's laugh-out-loud funny and features cameos by everyone from George Clooney and Steven Speilberg to BOTH Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Sex symbol he's not. Thank goodness Matthew McConnaughey stops him from taking his shirt off. Check it out.


The Satellite Sisters have posted a few of our own videos on YouTube but our production value and star quotient leaves a little to be desired compared to Bill G's. You can see ours at www.YouTube.com and we are adding them all to www.satellitesisters.com over the next couple of weeks.

Today's Podcast

(Original Broadcast date: 01/09/07)

• Liz: “The Celebrity Magnet!” Liz reports her latest major celebrity sighting at a breakfast meeting.
• Julie travels around the world and back with the International News Round Up!
• Lian reports on the Mystery of the Middle School lunch.

Julie: Civility Question

What would the Satellite Sister Envoy of Civility,  Dr Forni do? ( WWDFD?) That's what I was asking myself when I sat down at the lunch counter at Freshies on Hwy 40 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I was enjoying  my lamb gyro on grilled pita bread when I noticed a grown woman sitting across the counter from me who was systematically picking out the jalapenos, roasted red peppers and onion from her sandwich and carefully piling these items on a paper napkin in front of her plate and in full view for the rest of us sitting at the counter.  My appetite was definitely spoiled by having to look her pile-o-veggies.

 

What would Dr Forni do? 

(1) Alert the waitress and ask the waitress to remove the pile? 

(2) Scribble a note on a napkin and pass it over to the offensive diner?

(3) Lighten up and look away?

Let me know what you think I should have done.  

Sheila: There Will Be Blood

After many failed attempts to see this film, I finally got an aisle seat at a 8:00 pm showing at The Arclight Theatre in Hollywood. Now, those of you who know me are well aware that 8:00 is past my optimum viewing time. You also know that it is dangerous for Entertaining Sheila to be behind the wheel after dusk. She should be home in the Cozy Couch you say. Well, this is what I say in response: I am indebted to There Will Be Blood's director P.T. Anderson for many reasons and I owe it to him and to you to see all of his films. He, after all, ignited my love of all offbeat leading men...John C. Reilly and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Adam Sandler and now, the fascinating young Paul Dano. Auteur Anderson directed Boogie Nights, Magnolia and the under appreciated Punch-Drunk Love. Daniel Day-Lewis stars in this (bigger, more colossal than an average leading man) with music by Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead and cinematography by master Robert Elswit.

The Plot: Based very loosely on an Upton Sinclair novel, 'Oil!' it tells the story of Daniel Plainview(Day-Lewis) who started out in life as a poor silver miner and ends up as a filthy rich oil man. To get there, Lewis steps on practically every person he meets. He even forsakes family to acquire more riches. The story is told through arresting images and music. Along the way, Plainview finds his nemesis in a young evangelical preacher played by Dano. The final scene is highly controversial and will no doubt spark (no pun intended) heated discussions between you and your friends. Or your date if you are brave enough to sit together!

The Point: Greed kills the spirit. Oil ignites greed. Children need their parents. It is lonely at the top. Lack of trust will ultimately keep you from your fellows.

The Perks: Day-Lewis. He is just like Plainview in his dogged determination to act, no matter what it takes. He says he does it out of joy, but this does not look like fun to me. He is wildly talented and he will leave you shivering in your oil stained boots after three hours. Dano is wonderful. He was the breakout guy in Little Miss Sunshine. He needs to break out more. Day-Lewis' young son was remarkable. The music was supernatural and sublime. Cinematography--some of the year's best!

The Pity: Dano needed to go head-to-head with Day-Lewis more. The repentance scenes in the makeshift church rocked my world and I wanted more. Also, why did we not know why Day-Lewis was such a nihilistic worm? What is wrong with a little back story? Also, now that I think of it, everything you need to know about Plainview we learn in the first twenty minutes when he is crawling around in the mud. It is still a movie though and I would have appreciated more of Plainview's reason for being.

On a scale of One to Five Sisters: Four Big Oil Soaked Sisters. Bring the buckets.

Today's Podcast

(Original Broadcast date: 01/08/07)

• Lian at the Sport’s Desk! Who’s playing underwater hockey?
• Lisa Belkin, New York Times Journalist and host of Life’s Work with Lisa Belkin on XM Radio’s Take Five.
• Sheila steps out of the Cozy Comfort Zone and ventures out of Santa Monica!