madameblogalot

After running my half marathon last month, I knew it was time for some new shoes. I have been wearing the Brooks Adrenaline and they have been really good for me. But in an attempt to save a few bucks, I bought my most recent pairs online. I did buy Brooks Adrenalines, but they were a previous model. I ran in them for a couple of weeks and then suddenly they began really hurting my left foot. I have tried using another pair to run in this week but I am still feeling the pain. I don’t know if the difference in the models can really be so different as to cause that much pain but it is all I can attribute it too. I did not have any foot pain during my training and after the race. I am hoping to go to the shoe store tomorrow and talk with them about the differences in models. I am pretty sure I will be coming home with an expensive pair of shoes tomorrow. So much for saving a few bucks!

A friend of ours is back in college in Galveston now that things have been cleaned up after the hurricane. He sat with us in church the other day. I noticed he had on his Double H Boots. Now the reason this boot logo caught my eye is because of a well known blogger, that many of you know. Her name has the double H in it and that is how I always remembered her. So when I saw my friend’s boots, I thought of her! I had no idea that there was even a Double H Boot brand! I did not know that they carry a wide variety of both western and work boots, nor did I know you can find the full line on their website. I’m sure that the next time my friend wears the double H brand, I will think of my blogging friend!

I read this blurb a week or two ago. It reminded me of something my daughter said while we were shopping one day. We walked past a display of Iron Man bed sheets. She said, “That show is rated PG 13. Those sheets are for kids. I mean, teens and adults wouldn’t want them. So they are making those for kids who aren’t even old enough to see the show.”

Now I know that there will be some kids under 13 who do see the show, regardless of the rating. But it brought up an interesting conversation with my daughter about marketing to children. Then reading the article referred to above really gave me pause to think. I mean, honestly, why market Play Boy items to young children.

Then today I read another blurb about Urban Outfitters gearing ads toward teens that some consider to be “soft porn”. It allegedly shows scantily clad to non-clad models with arms placed strategically (I could not find this online, nor do I receive this catalog, so I cannot confirm this.) I am not sure why we as a society have come to find this acceptable. Is it amusement? Is it that “sex sells”? Is it bringing our kids to a place we really want them to be? I had read somewhere that America is still too “uptight” in its thinking of sex and sexuality. Perhaps this is society’s way of helping us to “get over that”? I also read recently that in order to get our minds off of the economic stresses surrounding us, we need to “let off a little steam”, using sex and sexual expression as the means (this was in reference to an economic stimulus package for the porn industry-and I’m not sure if that was a hoax or not.)

At any rate, I don’t like the ardent marketing done toward the younger generation these days. It is the biggest demographic for many marketers. I find that to be worrisome.

I don’t remember where all the sites are where I had read these things, so I could not link to them.

I knew it was time for Hit or Miss: January. I stopped by Shelly’s place to see what her list looked like. Again, she has done lots of reading and watching. My list looks pale compared to hers!

Screeps--This second book by Ed Wicke follows The Muselings. Again it is the adventure of children in an alternate universe. I did not like it as well as the Muselings, but once a certain character was met, I enjoyed it more. I would say this book was a HIT for me.

The Homework Machine-I gave this book by Dan Gutman to my nephew for Christmas. I have enjoyed Gutman’s The Kid Who Ran For President and thought this one would be good too. I was disappointed to find this book was too “mature” for my nephew. The book is about fifth graders and I did not like one of the words used to describe homework. I also did not like how the characters talked about “going out” and holding hands, things I think fifth graders are too young for and I did not want my nephew thinking that is what fifth graders are expected to do (he’s in third grade.) The story overall was ok, cute premise and I did like how the characters melded together otherwise. I guess just for the audience I purchased this for, I call this one a MISS for me.

Game Show In My Head-this new TV game show/series has become a HIT for my family. It comes on Saturday night (pizza night in our house) so we have been looking forward to it. When it did not air last week, we were all disappointed. The show has contestants going around performing crazy stunts that are piped into their ear via radio. Others around them have no idea what is going on. At times, I do cringe as folks get taken advantage of. I am hopeful that they are later let in on the joke.

And Then There Were None-we were excited to see the stage performance of this Agatha Christie mystery last night. At first I was unsure of the “look” of some of the cast, but it turned out to be a pretty good show. I was surprised at the length of the show, three hours with two intermissions. We had seen one of the actors perform Huck Finn at another theater last fall. I enjoyed his performance here as Capt. Lombard better. The play ended more like the movie, not like the book. I was a little disappointed in that, but had wondered how they would adapt it for the stage. All in all, though, I would call it a HIT.