MFT Day 21: Oscar Season

When I was in high school, my Mum would sneak me a print out of the Oscar Nominations while in class.  She would say that it was an important note from the front office (where she worked) and I would pull off my own award-winning performance, reading the list solemnly as if taking in an important message about after school activities.  Over a decade later, I still wish someone would secretly hand me over the list while I'm at work.

The last two years, Ricky and I have decided to make an event out of Oscar Season.  We've challenged ourselves to watch as many of the Oscar-nominated films as possible (now that there are 10, it's hard to catch all of them) so we can watch the ceremony informed.  I also make a nice meal for that night so we have a tasty meal for the awards.  We also fill out the ballot that's printed in Entertainment Weekly and whichever one of us gets the most correct gets a nice dinner out of it.  Last year, I smoked Ricky, so I'm hoping I can make my record 2-0.

I've enjoyed embracing the Oscar season with Ricky, because it gives us a reason to watch a lot of really good movies, have a nice meal together on a Sunday night, and a little bit of friendly competition.  I'm hoping that this is something we will continue for years to come.

As far as our rankings go, we've seen The Artist, Moneyball, The Descendants, and Midnight in Paris for the Best Picture nominations.  The Help should be arriving in Netflix soon.  And obviously my vote is going to Man or a Muppet, in case you were wondering.

In light of The Oscars coming up this week, here's Rex Harrison winning his Best Actor Award* for My Fair Lady.  I put this up because I always joke that Ricky is the Rex Harrison of musical theatre performances, since when he played Uncle Max in his high school's production of Sound of Music, he just spoke all the songs since he can't really carry a tune.  And clearly that's an award-winning strategy when you're carrying a movie musical...







*Peter Sellars was 10000% robbed, for the record.  Also, Audrey's trying to upstage this entire process.

MFT Day 14: The Westminster Dog Show

Since I was but a wee thing, every February has been marked by two intense days of showmanship that I have literally dropped everything I am doing to watch.  I am, of course, talking about the Westminster Dog Show.

At this point you may be thinking "wait, you just spent all day yesterday ranting about how you should adopt mutts and strays from shelters" and you are right, but hear me out.  I do really really love dogs.  And I love seeing all the different breeds.  And I love how slightly inherently nerdy all of it is.  And I love how all the people who are involved in it -- announcer David Fry, that lady who does color commentary for women's tennis, the handlers, and the dogs themselves -- are so devoted to this sport and so excited and happy to be there.  They're just so gosh darn happy to be showing the height and caliber of every breed.

I also like Best In Show, because it does mock the people and the proceedings, but it's also an easy target.  And I think they're doing it out of a loving mindset.  

Every year, my mum and I root for the Weimaraner to take it all.  Sadly, this hasn't happened yet.  A few years ago, it won it's group which the people at Westminster called an upset*, but it's never won best in show.  I'm hoping beyond all hope that this year the Weimaraner takes it, obviously for Millie.  We used to also joke that in a crazy alternate universe if Millie were competing for the breed and she came waddling out.  Then the entire garden would grow silent at the sight of Millie, who while quite pretty... was definitely never up to the standards of the breed.  But maybe this year the dog will be a little short, a little heavyset, and have beady eyes.  Again, dare to dream.








*I say that's bullshit, Westminster people.  Weimaraners are awesome.

A hat

One of my goals for 2012 is to knit items that have been in my queue for a long time that I haven't gotten to yet, along with using up my yarn in my stash.  A perfect marriage of these two ideas came when I decided to make the #1 item in my queue since April 2008 with a random half skein that I've been holding onto for awhile.  Behold, my version of The Republic Hat.

I really like this pattern, especially since it was quick to whip up.  It took me about 24 hours to make the hat.  I started it Christmas morning and by the end of the following day, I was wearing it.  I like how the hat has the spirit of a curled brim hat knit in the round, but is a bit fancier with the garter edge and the button.  I used a bit of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky I had sitting around.  I'm not sure how much of a skein I had leftover, but I'd say half of one would do fine.  The button is from Windsor Button.

This hat is sooo warm.  I wore it yesterday when I was walking around Salem, and my head was perfectly warm.  I like slightly larger hats that can cover my ears, since I walk to the train and then to work and when it's freezing my head/ears need protection.  This will do nicely once it gets freezing and snowing in January.

I strongly recommend this pattern, since it's quick and easy to knit up and has some visual interest to it.  This would also make a great gift for someone.  I may make one for my mom or Ashley down the road.

Christmas knits: the boys' hats

A few years ago, I made my brothers fingerless mitts for Christmas.  While this was fun, it was perhaps a bit too ambitious to start them in December, since I was a slower knitter and barely finished them.  Or, if I recall correctly, I only finished one mitt for each and then made the other two while they were on winter break.  There we go, that's it.  This year, I decided to just stick with hats, particularly because they both lost a mitt (ugh) and also because I didn't have as much time to focus on something that small and detailed with all the other knitting projects I had to do this time of year.

I made a bit ago the Turn a Square hat by Jared Flood for Erin's boyfriend, Matt.  He liked it, and with the scrap yarn I made myself a hat.  Matt had requested another striped hat for Christmas, so I decided to make one for him out of whatever scrap yarn I had from Pete's hat. 

Because Pete's a redhead, I decided to go with browns and greens.  This is also the color of his winter coat.  Matt's looks similar to Pete's, except that his is more darker grey stripes and less brown and green.  Sam likes blue more, so I went with various colors of blue.  The skein of striping yarn for Sam also included some greys and whites, which helped not make it too blue, if that makes sense.  I really like how they turned out, and I think they both liked them.  I used Cascade 220 for both solid colors and then Noro Silk Garden for the self striping.  Noro's colors are lovely, and I like how Cascade both highlights and mellows it.  Also, it's a very warm hat, since I've been wearing mine a lot while walking to the train and then work.  Quite pleased with it.

Mum was so impressed by Sam's hat, that she's requested her own.  Fortunately, you can make two hats from a skein of Cascade 220 and a skein of Noro Silk Garden with this pattern, so I have all the materials already!  Hers will be a bit brighter of blue, but that's fine.  When I finish that hat, I'll post the photos of both that hat and Matt's hat. 

Again, here are Ricky and I modeling Christmas hats by the water.  (in case you were wondering, we went out for Breakfast, and then grabbed all the Christmas knits and took photos of them before wrapping them up)  Ricky's wearing Pete's hat, and I'm wearing Sam's. 

I can't post the rest of Christmas knitting right now since I haven't given it away yet, so I'll be posting some of the to do list accomplishments I've completed so far.  (hooray!)  My list may also have been too ambitious, because Ricky got me Price is Right for the wii and I am hoooooked.

Thankful

While taking the train into work this morning, I began to make a list in my head of things I am thankful for in 2011.  I think 2011 has been, at times, even more emotionally trying than 2010, so I feel perhaps even more thankful than usual for these things:

Ricky
Lewis PizzaCat
Alva (still healthy and happy as a clam!)
My health and the health of my family
My friends
Having a reasonably priced apartment
My love of knitting
My job
The YMCA
Shopping local and the growing popularity of that concept
Friends being in love (but that being said, I am thankful that I don't have to go to another wedding for 4 months!)
Freshly baked goods
Hot tea
Tasty wine
My apartment appearing more and more like an adult lives there and not a college grad with a non-matching set of furniture
Millie
Foliage
Long weekends to Vermont
Farmer's Markets
Salem Restaurant Week
Warm wool socks
Mashed potatoes
The Landry brothers
Netflix
Comfy shoes
Blogs that post pretty things (looking at you, Apartment therapy)
Pinterest
Not moving in 2011
TBTL

Birthdays

My mom turned 50 on Saturday, which is insane.  I made cupcakes (see photo) for the party her family threw for her.  They're chocolate buttermilk cake with a chocolate cream cheese frosting.  As we know, my mom loves whales, so I found dolphin sprinkles... which are as close as I could find to a whale sprinkle.

It's definitely odd having my mom turn 50, since I always felt like I was the friend who had the young mom.  (which is true... my mom is one of the youngest of my friends who are my age)  But I guess since I am growing older, I guess that makes sense.  And, if you think about it, my mom is still the young mom since she's only turning 50 now.  And I'm pushing 28.

It was a good party.  Everyone met up at a local restaurant that's a family favorite for BBQ and volleyball in the back yard.  Low key and definitely fun.  Only two cousins couldn't make it, since they go to college in far away states, so the turnout was quite impressive.

I'm glad we could give my mom a special day, since she deserves it and does so much for us.  She said she enjoyed it, so that's all we could ask for.

If I had a box just for wishes and dreams that had never come true, The box would be empty except for the memory of how they were answered by you...

Ricky and I have been watching the original Muppet Show on Netflix.  We just watched the Edgar Bergen episode (kind of awkward/painful, watching the two forms of puppetry try to find a common ground) but one moment I had forgotten about was the Muppet Show version of Time in a Bottle.  It was a quiet, sweet, and certainly wistful moment for the show.  I sometimes wonder if Henson knew that no matter what, there wouldn't be enough time for him to do everything he wanted to do and accomplish in his lifetime. 



I think I may even like this version more than Croce's version.






Also, giant shout out to my mom on her 50th birthday.  I just got back from a party for her with all my family, and took photos, but I will post them tomorrow.

What I did on my summer vacation

I realize that other than telling people about songs I like sporadically over the summer, I haven't really blogged much in the past few months. It's not that I've been sitting around quietly twiddling my thumbs. I've been busy. BUSY. I think the summer of 2011 will go down as one of my busier times. I don't know why, but the stars aligned and things got quite busy and full and important. And so I thought I'd sum up my summer, elementary school report-style:

Weddings, Weddings, Weddings!
2011 is the year of people falling in love and getting married. Or rather, being in love, but deciding that 2011 was the year they felt financially comfortable enough to have a wedding. By the end of 2011, I will have attended seven weddings this year. Yes. SEVEN. I've been forcing myself to not think about the finances of it, or else I'll get too stressed. In July, we had a wedding every weekend for three weeks in a row. I'm very happy for all my friends, but I'll also be happy when I have many months off in a row to rest up for being in two weddings in 2012.

Reunions
This year marked my 5 year reunion from college. Ricky and I trekked to Worcester for a weekend back on the hill. It was nice, but also had bits of melancholy. I feel like sometimes reunions try to re-capture a moment in time from your life, but that it ultimately fails. We're not all college kids anymore on the same level. We all have jobs or in grad school, and our personal lives are also at different levels. It was a fun weekend, but parts of it rang sad and hallow.

Vermont!
Ricky and I took one of the few free weekends to escape to Vermont. (I did actually post photos from that! I blogged something this summer!) It was the best few days I've had in awhile, and a rewarding and relaxing vacation for sure. Driving the 4 hours with Ricky was nice to have some time just the two of us to talk and hang out, and then when we got there, we did a wide array of our favorite activities. My cousin lives up there, so it was nice to see her. We've since fantasized about a world where we could move full time to Vermont, but I don't think that'd happen for a few years. I highly recommend an escape to northern Vermont for everyone.

The Beach
Ricky and I have the luxury of growing up by the ocean. So in the summertime, since it's easier for us to get to a beach, we try to go as much as we can on weekends or days off. This year, I felt we were able to get several trips in, despite all the other business. We're definitely not beach bums, just people who enjoy the water and sitting outdoors.

Two key friends moved far away
This summer two of my friends up and moved. Both were for the best, but it was still bittersweet to see them go. The first was my friend Dave, who got a job in Vermont. He had been trying to find something he liked in his field that was full time for a long time, so I was very happy for him. And, as I mentioned, I (not so) secretly want to someday live in Vermont and eat only from farmer's markets all day long. Secondly was my friend Crystal. She and her husband moved back to England, where he is from. I know that this is something she's wanted for a long time, so I am beyond excited for them. AND they're expecting a baby, so it's great that she'll be closer to family. Crystal gave me her living room set (well, more like sold it to me for dirt cheap) so I always have a little bit of Crystal in my life. I wish them both.

One important concert
This summer, my mom, brothers, Ashley, Ricky and I went to see Big Audio Dynamite. This was huge in my book, since I grew up listening to them and loving them. And we got very close spots at the House of Blues. It was amazing being that close to Mick Jones. He's aged decently well, and he still had the energy to put on a great show. They played all the songs of my childhood, which was equally key.


So yeah! That's how I pretty much spent my summer. There were other things in there that kept me busy, but those were the big events or trends.

Day 5 of the 30 Day Song Challenge

Ricky's watching The Big Chill right now on TV, and before I go join him I wanted to post today's, since I had been thinking about it all day long and decided that this would be the best option for the day.

Day 5: A Song That Reminds You Of Someone

Perhaps it's because we just bought some concert tickets, and also because my brothers, mom, and I have been talking about this band a lot lately, I chose Other 99 by Big Audio Dynamite. While my brothers and I were brought up on The Clash, we were almost brought up more by Big Audio Dynamite. We knew all the songs by heart, danced to them, and still quote them. BAD is coming to The House of Blues in August, and we all jumped at the chance to get tickets. (yep, going to a show at the House of Blues with my mom. Deal with it, Cate Blanchett)

Whenever I hear a snippet of a BAD song, I think of being little and growing up with my brothers and my mom. Every day we thank the music Gods that my mom is cool and taught us to love and appreciate good music, and that we don't know much about Top 40 except for what we learned in college. But we know all about The Cars, BAD, The Clash, Elvis Costello, and so on.

I've always loved the beat to Other 99, and find myself quoting it often. Everything's not always great, sometimes it's just fine. I ain't with the 100 crowd, I'm with the 99.

And you can bet that when they play this song in August, I will be dancing my little heart out.



And BONUS ROUND! the live version

2010's best pics: #3

So I had good momentum going... then the weekend happened and work has been super busy. So my bad! I promise to finish this up over the next few days.

Soooo back at it and onto #3:

#3: Mum's Kitchen. Rockport, MA.
This may not be the best photo compositionally speaking, or even talent-wise. So 2010 was a big change in cats for my parents' house. Midnight passed away shy of 18, and my Mum decided to get two new cats. The first was Nicky, and then Coco a few months ago. Nicky, seen above, was a complete change from Midnight. While both ran the house like a little general, Nicky was a lot more vocal and open, whereas Midnight often shied from the public. She was like that Greta Garbo line "I wish to be left alone". Midnight was also small and slight, and Nicky is far larger and... well, girthier.

And yet, there are many similarities. Both cats have a interest in watching on the outdoors and breaking rules of where to go and not to go. Nicky is not allowed on the kitchen counters (for obvious reasons) but when I was visiting my parents one weekend, I came into the kitchen to see Nicky watching birds outside while sitting on the kitchen counter. Before shooing her away, I decided to snap a quick picture.

I love that, even though you can't see her face, you still get all of her personality. Intent, focused, slightly spoiled. I also like that the kitchen is a little more darkly lit, and so the outdoors pop with light. It makes the silhouette of Nicky more interesting and pronounced. And finally, I like that her tail is on a plate.

Again, not the best photo, but the personality behind it is big. Also, the fact that it was such a substantial changing of the guard in pets, it's a nice symbol of that.

2010's best pics: #5

A lot of my teacher friends have two days off in a row. While I am jealous of them now as I have to go back to work tomorrow, I am not jealous of them having to teach into July at this rate.

Anyways, onto #5. Top 5!

#5: Mum's Kitchen at Easter. Rockport, MA.
One of my top holidays is Easter. This is because of the message of rebirth and renewal, but also because less religiously-speaking, it's the end of winter, the beginning of Spring, and I like Sunrise Service and the big Easter Dinner my mom has.

Sunrise Service always produces beautiful pictures, as it's on Good Harbor Beach at Sunrise with a small group of people and a saxophonist, talking about the messages of Easter, but I wanted to make #5 a pic of my favorite part of the Easter dinner, along with my favorite picture of said meal.

For as long as I can remember, my Mum has been making something called Bunny Bread. It's a honey roll that's shaped like a bunny with raisin eyes. We joke that while they are cute before they go into the oven, sometimes they come out looking like a Picasso painting. They are truly delicious. I think they came from Gourmet Magazine (RIP and screw you, Conde Nast!).

So my mom was making her annual batch of Bunny Bread on her cart and they looked really nice in the light, so I was taking pictures of the process. I also wanted to get some of the bunny facial expressions, since they're always so cute. This one was my favorite, because of how off-sided his face was, but also the sadness to his "eyes". He seemed a little overwhelmed and confused. I also like that you can see in the background more bunnies, so you know he's part of a crew.

This is my 400th post, so why not make it about things I want for my kitchen?

I was hoping that the 400th post would be epic, but it turns out it's just going to be me dreaming about being able to afford nice things for my kitchen.

Now that the KitchenAid mixer has been achieved (yay Ricky!), I need a new kitchen appliance to pine over while I'm at work. I've decided that it will be a Le Creuset dutch oven.


Look at them! They're so graphic and useful and sturdy! And think of all the potential! I also love these pictures. The people who make these dutch ovens certainly know how to photograph their product.

My mom has had one for years, and Tim has raved about one as well. I want to be able to make slow-cooked stews and roasts, and my mom has told me she prefers one to a crock pot (though I do like the convenience of a crock pot if you need to travel with foods like beans or chili). That being said, I like that the dutch oven can brown meats as well as go into the oven.

Aesthetically, I love the bright, saturated colors of Le Creuset. I like the teal and olive I've featured, but the classic red has much charm to it as well. Mum has the red. The olive seems a bit more understated, but I do love how much the teal pops.

Le Creuset is about the same price range as the KitchenAid so this won't be under my tree or on my oven anytime soon. I'd say it'll be a tax return gift to myself, but as you read my goals are to save money and travel. So that's obviously not happening.

If I get one, I'll let you know!

Gift Wish List: Etsy edition

***note: Not a hint for anyone. Just pretty things that I think would make great gifts for anyone.***

I try to do some of my Christmas shopping on Etsy every year, because you get really great, unique gifts, and it helps individuals out a lot. I've made a list of some things I've been eying for myself or others:

A green vase with a bird on it.

How darling? How sweet and simplistic? I love that the color reminds me of jadeite green pottery from the 30's.


A succulent garden.

Succulents are super easy plants to have, and I love the look and shape to them. Sometimes it's nice to break up the very leafy plants. They also thrive in shade, which is nice for many an apartment dweller. I feel like succulents are becoming the hip plant to own, but they also remind me of growing up and my neighbor's wall had hens and chickens growing on it, and those plants are often potted with succulents on etsy.



Anything by Figs and Ginger, like this bunny necklace, or this whale necklace.

Full disclosure, I know the charming husband and wife duo behind Figs and Ginger, so I like helping them out. That being said, I think their jewelry is adorable. The bunny one is so cute, but the whale one also has a soft spot in my heart. Perhaps for my mom?

Turkey Day Eve

$20 there'll be a year I end up eating popcorn, toast, and jelly beans.

Thanksgiving is, by far, my favorite holiday. It's about friends and family, eating, no gifts, a four-day weekend, and eating. I don't feel the pressure to spend or give gifts. Just spend time with loved ones and give thanks for my health and happiness.

This year, I'll be spending the meal with my dad, dessert with my aunt, and the after party at Emile's house with Ricky and his crew. Last year, we got tickets to the Symphony, so it'd be nice if that worked out again, but I'm not sure that'll work out this time. I may also be trekking back to Salem to feed my fish, since we never figured out how to make sure the little guy doesn't starve over the weekend.

Thanksgiving also feels like the beginning of the holiday season and the beginning of the end of the year. The next month will be crazy, with gum surgery, dinners with dear friends, holiday parties, movies at the Brattle Theatre, Christmas, Vermont, and New Years. So I hope that the last month ends the year nicely.

I won't be making dessert this year, since I'll be spending the night before Thanksgiving at my mum's house. And I'm not sure if I'll be posting this weekend. I may just blog later on today at work and call it a day. I have some ideas for what to write about, never you fear.

To put next to my imaginary KitchenAid mixer

Someday, I'd love to get my own version of the vintage cookie jar my mom has at her house. It's cream and has cookies all over it, with a walnut as the top of the lid.

Story has it that she had this cookie jar back in the day at my grandmother's house, but my aunt broke the top of the jar so they threw it away. We grew up hearing about how great this cookie jar was, so when I was in college I found one off of eBay and forwarded it onto my aunt. She bought it for my mom for a birthday, and all was well with the world.

Erin has a vintage cookie jar of the Pillsbury Doughboy from when her grandfather worked there, and it's quite cool. I also saw a neat one of a Scottie Dog.

I have space above my cabinets, and I definitely want to put something on them other than the Christmas plates I got for Christmas a few years ago, and a cool cookie jar might be it. I'm also debating Jadeite Kitchen items. What to do... what to do...

The newest member of the Coppola family

A face that will melt hearts all over the land...


Last weekend, we got a new cat. Her name is Nic Cage. Or Nicole. Or Nicki. Or Little Coppola. My brothers named her.

She's 2.1 and a rescue cat from the Methuen area. Very cute but also very feisty. Definitely a nice addition to the family. Millie doesn't know what to think, but I think she's getting used to her.

I met her Saturday, and she is a delight. Spunky, but also a snuggle bug. And she's named after a Coppola, so you know she's awesome.





Expect many stories of the new cat as the years progress.


Also, I call this photo "streeeetch". It's a little blurry, but gets the point across.

Midnight

I tried writing this post all day, but it was too hard.

For the first time since starting this blog, a post with the tag "Appreciations" hits very close to home. On Monday, my cat Midnight was put down. She had been in failing health for a little over a month, and she just wasn't the cat we all knew and loved. We knew it wasn't fair to us or fair to her. She was just shy of 18.

When I say I'm heartbroken, it's not hyperbole. My heart breaks that my cat is gone.

Last week when rat drama forced me to move back home for a few days, I got to spend some quality time with my cat. I also knew that this was probably going to be the last time I'd see her, so I made sure I said goodbye. And it was.

Monday after I found out the sad news, I went back to bed for awhile to cry (read: sob uncontrollably for a little over an hour) and Ricky rubbed my back and listened to me ramble and cry some more. During this, I came up with a list of my favorite Midnight memories:



--When we first brought her home, her name was Honey. We renamed her Midnight because... well, because she was black.
--Midnight used to like to sleep on my pillow by my head. She'd do this until I got the loft bed at age 22.
--When my mom married Leo and we moved to the house they live in now, Midnight came out of her shell a bit and became a little general and ran the place, keeping Millie in line in particular.
--Midnight was insanely jealous of Millie, speaking of. Any time someone was paying attention to Millie, she'd yell at them until they'd pay attention to her.
--Leo trained Midnight to eat from the counter. She loved yogurt. She also demanded she sit next to him at most meals.
--When I had leftover yarn, we'd make a wand with some yarn at the end and she'd chase it around and try to attack it.
--She killed at least one mouse in the house. Said mouse was left half chewed up in the bedroom. I found it.
--One time when Erin came to visit, Midnight confused her for me, and went over for love. When she realized it wasn't me, she flipped out and ran away. (her former shyness shining through)
--She'd keep Leo company at work and lie down on his desk in front of his keyboard or on his lap. He was so bemused by her I'm amazed he got anything done.

That's all I have for now, but there are 18 years worth. My mom used to call Midnight Mr. Jingles, because she still had all of her teeth and was healthy as a horse at an old age. And now, looking back, this is bittersweet. Then again, even Mr. Jingles passes after a long, full life.

Olivia

My mom is my source of Public Media news, as she has her finger on the pulse of the goings-on of that area of the world. Case in point: she broke the news to me of Mr. Rogers dying in college and Carl Kassell retiring a few weeks ago.

When I came into work this morning, she informed me that Alaina Reed-Amini had passed away at age 63 of breast cancer. People roughly my age will remember her as Gordon's sister Olivia on Sesame Street. Definitely loved her on that show... and not gonna lie, if I ever have a child named Olivia in my future she will be about 72% named after this character.

So it's been real, Alaina. Here are some videos for you. The first is her signing Sing with Linda on Sesame Street:



And the second is her singing with David on Sesame Street about... well, singing. So kind of meta.

To the mother of the four-year-old in Target tonight

Blog note:  I originally had a photo of a child crying with this post, but received a comment suggesting I do otherwise.  The point was valid, so I changed it to the Target label itself.

I don't like to rant or tell people how to be a parent, but this has come up too many times. In the sage words of TBTL, Shut it down, America.

Tonight I had to run to Target to pick up a few things and about ten minutes before checking out I heard a kid screaming from across the store. Huge, meltdown screaming. This kid, sight unseen was overtired, having a rough night, and wanted to be home in pajamas and comfortable. Can't say I blamed him.

However, the mom had other plans... as the kid continued to scream and have a meltdown for the next ten minutes and the mom continued to shop. I hoped, for her sake, that she had a full cart of important things, like the last carton of milk on earth and the cure for cancer. I realize it's hard having little kids and trying to run errands, but if there is one thing my mom taught me, it's this: if your kids are having a meltdown, you drop everything and leave the store. My mom did this countless times when the three of us were flipping out. I'm pretty sure if one of us did that now in our mid-20's, she'd still drop everything and leave the store.

Then I found the mom in question as I made my way to the front of the store. She did not, it turns out, have the cure for cancer in her cart... but was instead casually shopping the dollar aisle as her son whipped himself around the cart and screamed. Let me re-state this. Instead of dropping her shopping altogether and getting her kid out of the store, or at least hurrying up the process and getting out of the store as soon as possible, the mom was SLOWLY MEANDERING THROUGH THE DOLLAR AISLE LOOKING AT DECORATIVE BAGS WHILE WE ALL HAD TO HEAR HER CHILD SCREAM.

At this point, I made eye contact with a mom who was finishing her shopping and she said out loud "hello? This kid needs to get home and stop shopping". I agreed with, "This kid is telling you something, and it's that he's done with Target". When buying my tissues and dish soap, the mom was finally buying her purchases. Her son was still freaking out in line and flailing about. She did nothing. The woman in line behind me said "get that kid home and stop shopping". And again, I turned around and agreed.

When I was in the parking lot, I called my mom and relayed the story and she said "if that were you, you'd be home by now. You're not a bad kid, you're a kid who has no business being in a Target looking at Christmas decorations at 7:30 at night on a Tuesday".

I don't get it, people. I know that when I have kids and if this ever happened in a store, I would work as quickly as possible to remedy the situation. I'd tell my kid to stop crying, or get out of the store as quickly as possible. Ignoring the screaming and continuing to browse does nothing but make you look like a bad parent in the age of "Jimmy is a special delicate flower just like everyone else" parenting. No one wants to hear your child scream across the store. No one. So get your head out of your ass and LEAVE THE STORE.

Shut it down, America. Shut it down, big time.