Ham Fried Rice

Imagine my trembling excitement as I put in my copy of the new adaptation of Mansfield Park last night, only to find out, after watching it, that it was an edited version from the original UK version. Grrrr! My disappointment, I assure you, was severe. Last fall, my friend MK toted back from London all the new Austen adaptations that are now airing on Masterpiece Theatre. She loaned me the goodies and a region-free DVD player for a week and I watched with delicious delight every DVD at least five times. (I know, I’m pathetic.) And I am sad to say these are not small scenes cut (like sheep or houses,) but fairly significant ones. Mansfield Park from amazon.com/uk runs 120 minutes and the U.S. version has a run time of 90 minutes. Thirty full minutes have been shaved off. EGADS!

So what’s a girl to do? I suppose I will need to invest in a region-free player and purchase my flicks from amazon.com/uk instead of from the U.S. I wonder why the powers that be decide to edit the U.S. versions. Do they think we’re not quite bright enough to enjoy the same scenes as the Brits? Or do they associate Americans with ADD and are easily bored by too many manor houses and horse drawn carriages? I think they need to reconsider such horrible practices. It’s really quite devastating to an Austenite.

No question that David Archuleta has a God-given talent. (I was thinking about this as I attempted to sing with a church choir this last week. Or should I say warble. Whatever it was, it sounded a little pathetic.) His rendition of Imagine from last week was incredibly difficult, effortless and so beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes, along with many others. (Just call me Paula.) Matt thinks they should just call it good and hand him the title. I’d have to agree.

Just imagine. Straight-to-your-front-door diaper delivery. No tussle of putting kids into car seats, no hauling the three-ring circus around town. It’s a mom’s dream come true. I rarely speak about mom stuff, but I have to give “props” to my friend Michelle for introducing me to diapers.com. They offer free shipping for orders over $50 and a $10 off coupon (promo code PTG6) for new customers. Here’s what I got:

J&J nursing pads / $6.99 x 2 (Target & Walmart are usually out of these. Grrrr.)

160 ct Pampers cruisers /$38.99

44 ct Huggies Princess pull-ups /$17.99

8 ct (2 pk) Gerber Pears /$10.49

While the unit prices are slightly more than Walmart and Costco, they’re comparable to the local grocery store. And honestly, I’d happily pay to not drag three whiny kids to the store just for baby stuff. All this for $71 bucks and PREMIUM UPS delivery which means it’ll be here in a couple of days. It’s better than anything I’ve dreamed about lately.

Kind.

I’ve been thinking about what a good guy Matt is and if I had to choose a single word to define him, I think it’d be kindness. (Obviously, I am not; you’d know this if you’ve read any of my posts.) He’s a quiet observer and rarely criticizes people, which is unusual and rare to find in many of us. I think if we could all be more kind and patient with one another, friends and strangers, the world would be such a different place. I hope my children take after their father in that regard and can be kind to others.

Even in my dreams, I am washing dishes. Vomit.