How does Tim Tebow offend and Danica Patrick doesn’t?

Posted on 07. Feb, 2010 by kchristieh in advertising, religion, things that bug me

For weeks, I’ve been hearing about how offensive Focus On The Family’s Super Bowl commercial was going to be. A coalition of women’s groups called on CBS not to run the ad.

When I finally saw the commercial, I was indeed stunned: I couldn’t believe the brouhaha was over this.

Here’s the script. What’s offensive about it?

Tim Tebow’s mother: “I call him my miracle baby. He almost didn’t make it into this world. I can remember so many times when I almost lost him. It was so hard. Well, he’s all grown up now, and I STILL worry about his health. You know, with all our family’s been through, we have to be tough!”
[Tim Tebow comes out of the side of the screen and tackles her.]
Mom: “Timmy! We’re trying to tell our story here.”
Tim: “Sorry about that, Mom! Do you still worry about me, Mom?”
Mom: “Well yeah! You’re not nearly as tough as I am!”
For the full Tebow story, go to FocusOnTheFamily.com.

Frankly, I could have filmed that commercial. My son was in neonatal for eight days after he was born, and I didn’t get to hold him until he was five days old. I still worry about him, especially when he plays football, and with good reason. He used to tackle me when he was two years old, and I’m glad he doesn’t anymore.

Where’s the feminist outrage over the GoDaddy commercial where Danica Patrick gets a massage from a woman who rips off her shirt to declare that she’d be a great GoDaddy girl (and if you see the internet version, dances like a skank)? Is this what “equal rights” means? Or how about the Carl’s Junior commercial, where Kim Kardashian seduces a salad and winds up eating it in a bathtub? And speaking of bathtubs, how about the Motorola commercial where the woman takes a picture of herself and sends it over the internet, including to a young boy behind a closed door? So much for all the anti-sexting lectures we give our kids!

My husband and I have long disagreed about abortion: he’s pro-choice, and I’m pro-life. But even he’s stunned by the negative reaction to this ad. It’s sad when something this benign is slammed, even as people close their eyes to other offensive material playing all around them.

A few more notes:

Check out the Focus on the Family link. Tim Tebow’s parents talk about how they were advised to get an abortion because of medical problems. They chose not to, because they had faith that God had a plan for their baby. Later in the interview, when asked what she’d tell a young woman who’s pregnant and thinking of aborting her baby, Tim’s mother says,

“I would say that baby’s not a mistake, even though it might seem that way to her, and that God will enable her to do the right thing, and to give her the encouragement she needs, that there’s also help for her, and there’s help that she doesn’t even know about yet. There’s so many people, so many pregnancy crisis centers across the country just waiting to encourage someone in her position. And girls have those options. They have a choice.”

Isn’t it ironic that pro-choice people are complaining that someone is reminding people that they have a choice?

By the way, I’ve been switching accounts away from GoDaddy ever since I saw one of their offensive commercials a few years ago. These days, I choose Bluehost.com instead. They’ve got great customer service, and are good for not only regular websites but for WordPress installations.

Cast away

Posted on 30. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in health

Life is relative. When you’re about to get the 11th cast off that you’ve ever had, there’s no sweeter sound than the buzz of the orthopedist’s little round saw.

My son got his cast off today, and graduated to a brace. He’s still on crutches, but he took a big step on the Road to Normal today.

We’re all happy for him.

We pass by the Huntington Memorial Hospital ER every time we visit his orthopedist. I hope it’s a long, long time before I go back there again. But given our history, never say never.

My new role model: Leigh Ann Tuohy

Posted on 28. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in inspirational people, movies, parenting

I was slightly hesitant to see “The Blind Side” movie with my family. I felt like I already knew the story after having read the 2006 Michael Lewis article, “The Ballad of Big Mike,” in the NY Times Magazine years ago and seeing numerous previews for the movie.

I’m so glad I went. I only knew the framework of the story, but the beauty of it was in the details.

The framework is this: a rich family takes in a homeless African-American teen who has been given the chance to play football at their children’s private school if he gets his grades up. They help him get his act together, and he becomes a football success in high school and college, and has now moved on to the NFL.

I knew that much of the story was driven by the strong, determined mother in the family that takes him in, but I had no idea what a role model she was. Leigh Ann Tuohy’s two dominant characteristics are ones I strive to have: she cares deeply about others, and she’s true to herself. She takes in Michael Oher because she wants to give him a chance to have a decent life after all the struggles he’s had, and she does it despite the racist remarks of some of her fellow Southerners. I also admire her confidence and outspokenness. It takes a special personality to get away with stopping a high school football practice by marching out onto the field and telling the players what to do. I’m too polite, and would never do that. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, actually, but I’m impressed that she knew when it was the right thing to do and succeeded because she already had the respect of the coaches and players and said exactly what needed to be said. Sandra Bullock played Leigh Ann Tuohy beautifully, and showed that despite all her strength, she was also a sensitive person who would retreat to a bedroom or the car when she had to cry.

Of course, I also deeply admire Michael Oher, who survived his difficult childhood by “closing his eyes” when pain and evil swirled around him. Leigh Ann describes him lovingly as “Ferdinand the Bull,” and she’s right. His big body may scare some, but he’s got a big, soft heart within.

It’s too bad that smaller kids in his old neighborhood don’t get the same chance that he did.

What I learned when my son broke his leg

Posted on 06. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in health, life lessons, my life, parenting, social networking, sports

It’s been tough to keep up with my goal of daily blog posting lately. Clients, volunteer positions, and a child applying to college have taken a higher priority. As if that wasn’t enough, this past Friday night my son fractured his tibia and dislocated his kneecap in a high school football game. He had surgery the next day, and we spent two nights in the hospital. Since then, I’ve been his personal nurse, helping him move his whole-leg cast when he gets up or down from a sitting or sleeping position, refilling his water bottle, and making him caprese sandwiches.

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned this week:

• Every hospital patient needs an advocate. My son entered the emergency room in utter pain, and after 10 minutes of waiting we were told it would be another 20 minutes before a triage nurse would see him. It was only when I whipped out my purse supply of Tylenol and with tears in my eyes asked how much to give him that they finally talked to him. Likewise, after his surgery, the nurses who attended to him were very kind, but needed reminding that 40 minutes before they’d promised more pain medication or help with something important. I’m glad I was there for him.
• Keep your situation in perspective. I felt and feel awful for my son, but his situation could be far worse. I said lots of prayers for people in the hospital that were in worse shape than my son.
• You can’t wash your hands too much. I treated every surface in that hospital as if it was coated with the plague. Time will tell if I was successful in avoiding illness, but I’m glad I was careful.
• Hospital food can be good. The food at our hospital cafeteria was excellent and cheap. I should eat lunch there with friends. Except for my previous point about hospital germs.
• When you need to go rescue your child who’s broken a bone, if possible, take an extra two minutes and bring: magazines, water bottles, a phone charger, a jacket, and socks. You’ll be so glad you did when you’re at the hospital overnight or for hours on end. (This was my son’s 4th bone break, so I learned this awhile ago.)
• Guard your time at the hospital and afterwards. It was good that everyone didn’t visit the hospital, since each visit was both exhilarating and tiring, and at one point I told some people that instead of talking on the phone and bothering my son, that it would be better to text. I also made sure to turn both our phones off at night.
• You never know when your child will play his last game. I didn’t attend Friday night’s game; my daughter had come home sick that afternoon, so I chose to stay home with her. My husband and I actually looked at each other and said, “There’s no way he’ll get hurt, right? He’s the kicker.” Hahaha. In retrospect, it’s just as well I wasn’t there, as it would have been torture to watch him lie on the field for so long with no power to do anything. But after 12 years of organized sports, this may wind up being the last game he plays in until he plays intramurals in college.
• Aerobeds are amazing. I’m sleeping on one next to my son’s bed in case he needs to get up in the middle of the night or needs more pain medication. I’m sleeping like a log on that thing. Note: this is just true for the actual Aerobed brand. I haven’t been so happy with other air mattresses.
• I can mention this one since my son won’t read this: if your child is asleep next to you and it’s dark and you’re bored, copy cell phone numbers of their closest friends onto your cell phone. You never know when you’ll need them.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. When I posted on Facebook that I was looking for a bed tray my son could use to eat his meals and do homework, two showed up on my doorstep the next morning. Ditto for needing some concrete blocks to keep the dog in. One of my Facebook friends was going to the hardware store anyway, so she saved me a trip that would take me away from my son. And the food people have brought us has saved many nights of frozen pizza. And my son appreciates the cards and gifts people have brought.
• I live in a great community. People care, and back it up with action. I’m very, very, very fortunate to live here and have such wonderful friends.  :)

People arrested for stealing $40K in athletic equipment from LCHS

Posted on 28. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in local news, sports

From today’s Pasadena Star News:

Man, woman suspected in school burglaries

From staff reports

Posted: 03/27/2009 06:50:12 PM PDT

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE – A man and woman were arrested Friday on suspicion of stealing about $40,000 worth of athletic equipment from two local schools in recent weeks, authorities said.

Martha McRae, 44, and Mark Wallace, 40, both of La Canada Flintridge, are suspected of breaking into La Canada High School and Flintridge Preparatory School, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Gary Ogurek said.

The burglaries occurred over several days about three weeks ago, officials said.

Detectives investigating the burglaries served a search warrant about 8 a.m. at a home in the 2100 block of La Canada Crest Drive, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Gary Ogurek said.

Inside, property allegedly taken in the burglaries was found, as well as information which led officials to a second location in Montrose, where more allegedly stolen property was found, the sergeant said.

The majority of the property taken from the school’s was recovered, he added.

McRae and Wallace were booked on suspicion of burglary, receiving stolen property and possession of methamphetamine for sales, Ogurek said.

According to court records, both suspects are being held in lieu of $20,000 bail and are due for arraignment in Pasadena Superior Court Wednesday.

I’m baaaack! The return of the busy blogger, and all that I’ve done this week

Posted on 03. Oct, 2008 by kchristieh in education, local news, movies, music, my life, non-profits, social networking

T’was such a busy week that – gasp! – I didn’t even blog. It was all I could do to eat and sleep, but now that I’ve survived, here’s a summary of what I’ve been up to since the last post:

On Saturday, we saw the Angel City Classic at the Los Angeles Coliseum. This annual event features two historically Black colleges or universities (HBCU) who not only play football, but compete in a Battle of the Bands. This year, we got to see Morehouse compete against Prairie View A&M. I was there for the bands: I LOVE innovative and energetic marching bands. Prairie View clearly won the Battle of the Bands, IMHO. It’s hard to beat a band that does this:

That evening, we attended the annual fundraiser at the Community Center. I was tapped to roll the dice for the Pinata Race. Seriously. I got pretty good at it, but if I ever get to do it again I have a few more ideas up my sleeve.

On Sunday we attended the premiere screening of the documentary “Viva la Causa.” It depicts the events that led up to the grape boycott, and shows how much of an impact Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and Bobby Kennedy all had during that time period. I was really young and on the other side of the country when these events unfolded (late 60′s), so I never realized that the women had to hold up blankets in front of each other since there weren’t bathrooms, and that everyone shared a tin can to drink from the same bucket of water. I’m really glad we brought the kids, and it just confirms our support for the sponsor, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and its Teaching Tolerance project.

Earlier this week, I lived on Facebook as I trolled for class notes. My column was due on Wednesday. I also wrote a speech for accepting my award last night, and bored my dog to tears practicing it. It went well, and I really appreciated all the nice things people said last night.  :)

Movie recommendation: “We Are Marshall”

Posted on 13. Oct, 2007 by kchristieh in movies, sports, tv

Great movie – we just watched it on pay-per-view. Here’s the description from Wikipedia:

We Are Marshall is a 2006 motion picture directed by McG dramatizing the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed most of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, the rebuilding of the program, and the healing that the community undergoes. It stars Matthew McConaughey as head coach Jack Lengyel, Matthew Fox as assistant coach William “Red” Dawson, David Strathairn as University President Donald Dedmon and Robert Patrick as ill-fated Marshall head coach Rick Tolley. Georgia governor George “Sonny” Perdue has a cameo role as an East Carolina University football coach. ^[1] The movie is rated PG. The movie was scored by Christophe Beck.

Our whole family enjoyed it. Have a tissue box ready, if you’re so inclined.

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Barry Bonds & the Chicago Bears: Growing Boys

Posted on 31. Jul, 2007 by kchristieh in health, inspirational people, movies, sports

Remember “Brian’s Song“? If you’re like me, the first few notes of the 1971 movie’s theme song are enough to make you cry as you remember Brian Piccolo’s spirit and courage, his deep friendship with Gayle Sayers, and the normal-weight Chicago Bears playing themselves.

Yes folks, those aren’t actors playing football players: the Chicago Bears played themselves. So when they get on the scale and the team doctor yells out their weights, “215″, “220″, etc., those are real weights. What a far cry from the current Chicago Bears! NFL.com says that the average weight of the current Chicago Bears player is 247 lbs., and the average defensive lineman weighs 319 lbs.

Of course, it’s only fitting that I’m reminded of this when Barry Bonds is here in L.A. to take on the Dodgers and possibly break Hank Aaron’s home run record. Did he take steroids? You decide. Check out this slide show that the Mercury News put together showing pictures of Barry between 1990 and 2004. The 1990 and 2004 pictures are also shown below.

Go Dodgers!!!

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Texas vs. LA

Posted on 19. Jun, 2007 by kchristieh in cool websites

Go figger. NJ-born and bred, living in So. Cal.
I so can’t imagine living in Texas.
I’m surprised my score is this high:

You Are 28% Texas

You’re as welcome in Texas as a skunk at a lawn party.

Ah, but this one’s spot-on accurate:

American Cities That Best Fit You:

70% Los Angeles 60% Boston   60% Honolulu 55% New York City 55% San Diego