A Few of My Favorite Things...

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The Peanut has been sick for the past few days. 

So instead of having a hyperactive fireball of a toddler, BossLady and I are experiencing what life would be like with a sullen teenager. The Peanut barely speaks to us, lies sluggishly on the couch all the time, and hasn't cracked a smile for days. At any moment, I almost expect her to start smoking clove cigarettes, putting on black mascara, and trying to steal the car keys.

It kills me seeing my little daughter so down in the dumps. Yesterday, I stayed home to be with her and I tried EVERYTHING possible to try and cheer her up. I put my clothes on backwards and did silly dances. I put peanut butter on my face and let the dog lick it off. And, since I can practically fart on command, I played the "pull my finger" game with her for almost an hour.

Not even a chuckle! 

The whole time, the Peanut just stared at me with this weird Darryl Hannah-like half smile on her face, the one that says the lights are on but nobody's home.

Dejectedly, I flipped on the TV and asked the Peanut what she wanted to watch.  She replied "music movie, daddy."  Since BossLady had stayed home from work the previous day, the two of them watched "The Sound of Music" together and apparently the Peanut is now completely hooked on it. 

Since I'll do anything for my daughter, we watched "The Sound of Music" at least 3 times yesterday. Back-to-back! over 9 straight hours! I haven't watched the movie in 20 years and I really forgot how amazing it is. 

Some quick thoughts...

(1) I never realized that Captain von Trapp was played by Christopher Plummer. It's a sad reminder of how most of today's leading men are waifish girlie-men. Even though he's 78 years old now, I'll bet Christopher Plummer could still beat the crap out of Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, and Colin Farrell. All at the same time. With one arm tied behind his back.

(2) My mom is a huge fan of "The Sound of Music." She used to play the songs on the piano and sing them to me all the time. One year, we took a family vacation to Austria and she insisted that we spend an entire day in Salzburg doing the "Sound of Music" tour.  Being one of those aforementioned sullen teenagers, I naturally decided that I was way too cool for a "Sound of Music" tour and instead spent the entire day in a record store. What a freaking idiot I was. Kids, listen to your mothers!

(3) I wondered what the von Trapp kids were doing now and how they handled the transition from being child stars. So naturally, I Googled them. (How did people settle bar bets, stalk ex-girlfriends, or find free porn before Google?) Anyway, here's an update on all the kids. Amazingly, not one of them turned out like Dana Plato.

(4) I can't get the song "Edelweiss" out of my head. I also can't stop running around the house singing, "High on a hill was a lonely goatherd. Lay-dee odlleeo, hodlodlleeoay!!!" around the house.  I think the BossLady's getting ready to beat me on the head with a strudel.

(5) For those of you who never understood the sheer brilliance of "The Simpsons," one only has to watch the episode when Homer drives his car into a statue of a deer, whereupon Homer shouts: "D'oh", followed by Lisa: "A deer!" and then Marge who concludes: "A female deer."

Other highlights from the MetroFamily Tivo:

I'm glad to see the real Jack Bauer is back. For awhile, "24" was starting to turn into a soap opera and I was getting bored watching Milo's pubic-hair face. By the way, when Jack wickedly whispers "Say hello to your brother," and then kills Fayed? Chilled me to the bone. When will the producers of the show realize that the focus needs to be on Jack all the time.

For those of you who might have been wondering---yes, I do sing the theme song to "Silver Spoons" every time I see Ricky Schroeder onscreen ("Here we are, face to face. A couple of Silver Spoons. Togethhhhhher!") If you're under the age of 35, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Don't worry. This is how I feel whenever my dad starts talking about Ed Sullivan. Ed WHO?

And why aren't all of you watching "Friday Night Lights" yet? It's the best show about contemporary life in America on television and reflects all the best that television as a medium can offer us. The ensemble cast is brilliant and, as a whole, this may be some of the best story-telling and character development being done on television. Although the show has earned huge critical acclaim and a coveted Peabody Award, its struggled to find an audience, meaning that there may not be a second season. If this show gets replaced by "Flossing with the Stars," I'm going to be pissed. 

Raindrops on roses, my friends.  I'm out of here.  The Peanut is asking to see "The Sound of Music" again. 

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night!

 

Comments

[merseydotes]

Petunia loves The Sound of Music. She calls it 'The Singing Movie' or 'The Fraulein Maria Movie.' She has a child-size guitar that she carries around and routinely pretends to be Fraulein Maria with, and I have to play the parts of all the children, popping up and singing Doe a Deer.

The bad part was when Petunia started playing the the game Hide From the Nazis out in public. As in, Petunia in a restaurant booth shouting in a loud voice, 'Mommy, get down! The Nazis are coming, and we have to hide!'

If Peanut likes TSOM and has the attention span for it, you should try Mary Poppins.

[pokettiger]

Love your writing. Love the Sound of Music.
Love the farting on command.
But I am sad to say I cannot help you with keeping Friday Night Lights on the small screen. I didn't like the big screen version so I felt no inclination to watch the television show. Perhaps it was also knowing that it was George W. Bush's favorite movie that tainted it for me.

[Mama Nabi]

I LOVE The Sound of Music - in fact, I learned all the songs before I even spoke English. I've been singing Do-Re-Mi to LN since she was born... but yeah, I wouldn't admit it to anyone in real life! :-) Aw, hope Peanut feels better soon - hey, with a daddy who will watch The Sound of Music with her, how can she not feel good?

[anna]

Yeah, nothing worse than your child's personality VANISHING right in front of your eyes. It's always such a relief when the fever or virus passes and they return to you.

[Latia]

I was actually in my high school's production of the Sound of Music (I was Brigitta) and as the only "colored" (black/korean) child of a clearly white family...some questions arose. The main Nazi was also played by my Mexican friend Omar. It was an awesome and very culturally diverse group of Austrians.

Also, Friday Night Lights is the best show on television right now next to The Black Donnely.
I guess reality television has dumbed as down so much with Dancing with the Stars, Skating With Celebrities, Celebrity Duets, and my personal favorite, Stars Wiping Their Butts, we can't appreciate wonderful things such as "good acting" and "Character development."
Tis a shame.
Before too long, the number one show on tv will be "OUCH MY BALLS!"

[ray lee]

I was quick to look away as soon as I saw the name Jack Bauer. I have not watched it yet, so you could've potentially spoiled it for me--which feels like a catostrophic nuclear blast that landed in the next town and I'm suffering from radiation. You need to put up a spoiler alert next time bro!

I'm 26 and I know the theme song to Silver Spoons. I'm pretty surprised mylself.

And the Sound of Music is awesome! My roommate and I would watch it together. Imagine two grown men sitting there watching it. What a sight...

-ray leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Jrock]

Great entry! You give me further hope that when I become a dad, I can still be cool.

Yes, that moment on 24 last week was truly bone chilling, to say the least. It is all about Jack. I can see what they're doing with Rick Schroder (it says Ricky in the credits, did you notice?), but it's weak. And if they hand the show to him, it won't be the same show at all. Why did they kill Edgar last year? Where is Elisha Cuthbert? Why did they kill Curtis? Tony and Michelle (I could do with out Michelle)?

I'll Tivo FNL. I've always wanted to watch? Can I still get in on it or it is it too late?

[Jen]

So there I was, chuckling over your Sound of Music review and then Bam! Friday Night Lights. Sometimes I fear that people I know are the only ones who watch it. Thank you for mentioning it!

Jerseygirl89

[FENICLE]

AGH! The picture alone set me off. My freshman college roommate was obsessed (putting it nicely) with 'The Sound of Music'! It played 24/7 for an entire semester. To this day, umbrella's bring on flashbacks.

[supertoki]

how do you solve a problem like Maria???

[Kerri]

Christopher Plummer....yummy! Is it wrong that I am hot for a man 50 years older than me? My friend and I would watch Sound of Music after school in high school just for him! no wonder I didn't have a boyfriend...

[Kerri]

And the same friend and I have regular conversations about how sad it is we can't really name our kids Friedrich or Kurt...Gretl is a leading contender if I have a girl though!

[Desiree]

Being the 60+ something comment isn't worth much, but hey, why not? I too am sick. I have had some kind of cold from hell for over a week now and just today nearly lost a lung coughing in a meeting with an architect and my company CEO regarding a new project. Classy. Classy and sexy because I look like shit warmed over twice. Hang in there and peanut will feel all better soon, and someday, when she is mired in corporate purgatory, she will remember what a fun and inventive daddy she has. I agree with you on wussy leading men, it is as though we have emasculated maleness and pulverized femaleness. I'd rather see Ellen Degeneris (sp) play the male lead over any of the male stars today (Orlando Bloom, I'm looking at you)

[Glennia]

We took that "Sound of Music" tour in Salzburg, and it was AWESOME. They played clips of the movie/music on the bus. It was the dorkiest, funnest thing ever. I cannot believe you passed that up MD. Take Peanut before she turns 12 so she has no choice but to go with you on the tour.

[SDF]

A fan of Julie Andrews? Bring the Peanut on a mere 4 hour drive to meet her...

http://www.wellesleybooksmith.com/events.htm

I know our almost-2-year-old daughter would love to meet her!

[kmkat]

How did people settle bar bets before Google? I gotcher answer right here. They called the reference desk at the library and bugged the librarian until she got them the answer.

I worked in the teeny-tiny library in our teeny-tiny rural WI town (888 souls) for several years. Said library was next door to a bar. (Show me any building in the downtown area of any municipality in WI that isn't.) Periodically we would get a patron, smoked to the gills, coming in to find out what was the capital of Indiana or who played Li'l Buddy on Gilligan's Island. Never a really interesting or challenging question like the capital of Mongolia (Ulaan Bator) or who played The Professor (Russell Johnson). Such is life in an area where 99% of the people with an IQ higher than body temperature leave at the earliest opportunity...

(We moved here b/c we have a lake place and both work part-time in the Twin Cities, 1-1/2 hours away. Both our kids fall into the move-away-immediately category.)

[Naveen Bachwani]

I know exactly what you mean when you say it kills you to see your little daughter so down in the dumps. I went through the same experience myself, not so long ago.

Thankfully, the Sound of Music is back in our lives...

[bridget]

i love your reminicing of the t.s.o.m....it is outstanding! i had a chance in a lifetime to sing for the real maria von trapp at age 9 when she came to ocean grove nj and spoke about her life -for 3 hrs.a few kids from choir were picked to reenact scenes from her life and we sang edelweiss with her...she played it on her guitar!!!!! it was the ultimate childhood experience.she seemed like such a cool lady, though at the time i couldn't understand much of what she was saying -major accent.i was just staring at her in awe. and remember thinking she was the oldest woman i had ever seen besides my great grandmother. i sweat the sound of music and a few years ago my sister and i donned liederhosen to nyc and went to sing along sound of music on the big screen at the zigfield ...it was highlonkcrious, then i played a nun in the musical - our von trapp was NO match to plummer. thanks for your tribute and for introducing your peanut child to the wonder that is the sound... now all you need is a whistle : )

[Nicolette Tallmadge]

We had our goddaughter (age 13) and our cousin (age 4) over to visit during Easter and they watched the Sound of Music for the first time. During the scene where they're doing the puppet show she said "Hey that's Gwen Stefani's song" (Wind It Up). My husband and I just shook our heads... But I love The Sound of Music...especially since our 4 year cousin TALKS NON-STOP and it was the only thing that kept her quiet for more than 3 seconds. Thank God it was a three-hour movie.

[Laura]

Found your blog through the blog of a blog of a blog...I think. Been enjoying reading through your posts and this one made me crack up. My 9yr old DD is obsessed with SOM too, they did "strictly come musical" club at school to kick off the obsession. As far as I'm concerned the scene in the gazebo where the Captain comes to Maria to profess his love is the most romantic moment in movies. Ever. I'll be sure to stop by again, love your writing.

[TBall28]

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