7 Quick Takes: Dallas, Stokke, Pot Roast

1. Jennie and I went to a screening of TNT's new show, Dallas, last night.

The invitation said business casual but there were women there in floor-length gowns with sequins, men in very nice suits, model/reality television types in obviously styled outfits whom I FELT like I should know, but I did not because I just don't watch a lot of TV. It was very pseudo-fancy, is what I'm saying. There was a red carpet, which was hilarious because they told US to walk on it, and HA HA HA this is the silliest event I've ever been to, and I have been to a lot of schmoozy, uppity events with self-important people.

As you might imagine, we had a great time people-watching and making comments to ourselves.

The show is terrible, by the way, and I wonder if they had the premiere in Dallas on purpose, to keep it away from Los Angeles and its far more critical eyes. I mean, I will watch almost anything with bemused enjoyment (after all, I was out on the town away from my kids!) and this was just terrible writing, terrible acting, and even the production was uninspired. It was boring. I wanted to go home.

It felt disjointed and trite at times, with two characters meeting at Cowboys Stadium, on the field, on the star, to discuss their evil plans. That's...not really a place you go to discuss evil plans, all casual-like. I get that you wanted to show the stadium in the pilot (and I am SURE Jerry was ALL OVER THAT IDEA), but perhaps ten more minutes of creative thought would have resulted in something more believable/natural/organic. It feels like there was a lot they could have done with the amazing story they already had and they turned it into something really boring. I mean, even the clothes were BLAH. It was not for me.

It started later than scheduled and we left half-way through the screening. Yo, we live in the suburbs. Some people have to get home at a reasonable hour.

2.  The baby was waking up at lot at night because she was losing her binky through the crib slats. I put the bumper back in and then next day she slept until 830. Today she slept until 7. Oh, crib bumper, you are my new best friend.

3. We've had some high winds here and two days ago I backed out of the garage and found this:

Yeahhhhhh. That's half a Bradford Pear tree in my front yard. We called the tree guy and he said that the split had weakened the remaining branches a great deal and the tree was not salvageable. If we left it, and it split again (which it would) it would fall on the house. On his recommendation, we had him take the entire tree out and now my front yard is very strange looking. That makes two trees we've cut down this year, leaving only the scrappy Magnolia.

4. I'm making pot roast for dinner.

5. I am going to buy another Stokke high chair, because Charlotte is getting to an age where she can sit in it and I would be VERY EXCITED to take this piece of shit Chicco Polly to the curb (SO HARD TO CLEAN OMG). Now, we already have one Stokke Tripp Trapp, that used to be mine when I was a kid. It's kind of a natural/cherry color. A smart person might get another one in the same hue, but I kind of want this green one.

Am I crazy? I mean, I expect to have this chair for....the rest of my life. These chairs last forever. My grandchildren will eat at them, just as my mother's grandchildren do. It matches the color scheme I'm going for in my kitchen these days. I just...I dunno, I like the green! I think it would look fun! I dunno, what do we think? Crazy? Imprudent? Or, Very Stylish and Brave Of Me? I have not mentioned my green chair idea to Chris yet, but I'll bet he votes Safe, Neutral Color Chair. What I'd REALLY like to do is buy TWO green chairs and send the neutral one back to my mom's house, so she can have two matching chairs and I can have two matching chairs, but I am not sure I feel like spending $400 on TWO CHAIRS FOR MESSY CHILDREN OMG. We'll start with one.

For comparison, the Neutral Chair we already have. (Boring! It's so boring!)

6. I know I already told you I love my Jack Rogers sandals, but two weeks later I STILL LOVE THEM. They're really comfortable and I'm not having any wearing-in issues AT ALL which I expect when I spent $100+ on what is basically a shiny flip-flop. I've been wearing them almost every day and they are certainly elevating my (rather extensive) collection of Old Navy dresses. I'm already dreaming about other colors I'd like to own.

7. I took this picture a few days ago and it makes me laugh so much.

Comments

[Lolly]

Get it in green! It's a lovely color, I don't think you'll get bored by it.
Are you guys going to replace your tree?
P.S. Have you ever seen the pilot episode for the original Dallas show? So awesomely hilarious, it starts out with Bobby and Pam at a DISCO!

[Life of a Doctor's Wife]

Ooooh! I love the green! Such a cool chair.

And your girls are super cute.

[Holly]

I might go with another color than the natural because.... ten bucks says the "natural" they're selling now is going to look *just* enough different from the one you have now that is, ahem 30+, years old and has been exposed to the real world. It would drive me more crazy to have them looking slightly off than the obvious one green chair, one natural chair. Though I do like your thinking of sending the one back to your mom, then buying TWO green ones. Nice rationale.

[Mom]

I have been following dallas on twitter, waiting anxiously to watch the new show. The original season1 was just 5 episodes and it was not great...bad Texas accents...but season2 was much improved. Hope this one will too. FYI...in season 5 JR drives right into the Cotton Bowl, parks on the track and walks onto the field. Then Dusty's helicopter lands on the 50 yard line. In season 8 JR takes Mandy on a first date..lunch at his Texas Stadium Box. So it is not surprising that JR would have a meeting at Cowboy Stadium.

[HereWeGoAJen]

Get the green. And then wait another couple of months and get a second green.

[K]

Your mom's comment on "Dallas" made me laugh out loud. Loved it.

Also, what is there NOT to find funny about a small child getting a shot of water to the face?! I mean, I laugh every single time it happens to one of my own children. In fact, I'm snickering now.

[Natalie]

I didn't t know that those high chairs have been around that long. My friend on FB was selling a black one if you are interested. I wanted my FIL to make me one but the plans loom pretty complicated.

Ask Jennie about putting pacis all around Kyles crib to keep him sleeping through the night. She wanted them to be in reach at all times in the crib!

[Meaghan]

I love the lime, but would probably get white or natural. Because you might not always want a citrus kitchen and since you plan on having it forever....white would bring the lightness that you like while still staying sort of neutral long term.

Being old sucks. I hate having things like a regular tree guy or a plumber or a appliance repair guy.

[Mel]

Larry.Hagman was the keynote speaker at the Omni grand opening gala and it was AWFUL. They did an out-take reel of old Dallas shows and it was poorly pieced together, too long, not really funny and he just wasn't a great speaker. Also, randomly? A guy I grew up with who is now a country singer posted that he performed at that Dallas premiere event. So if you saw a country band you like there, that was him. RANDOM.

I love the green! It is nice to go crazy every once and a while. And it is a very stylish shade of green.

Bradford Pears sure do SUCK. The end.