MotherBunker

Friends, I hold in my hand a wondrous red envelope. It came from a little company you may have heard of called "Netflix," and it contains a little movie you may have heard of -- well, let's face it, probably seen -- called Juno. This is an exciting day for the Bunker household. Thursday night marks the season finale of "Lost," and the start of the summer movie-catch-up season, the three-month span of time in which Randy and I sit our asses down on a couch with Orville Redenbacher and a delicious glass of Diet Coke (me, not him) and find out what the rest of the world was watching while we were making time for "Gossip Girl", "Reaper" and other CW network classics. (Please don't go under, CW! Please!) Oh, sure, we'll tune into a few summer TV shows, like "My Boys" on TBS .. but mainly, it's all big screen on our little screen, all the time.

I am, for the second time this week, "geeked."

So here are the first 13 movies in our queue. (Well, 14 if you count Juno.) You could judge us for Bee Movie ... or you could make recommendations for No. 14 and beyond. We kind of prefer the latter.

1. Dan in Real Life

2. Enchanted

3. Knocked Up

4. License to Wed
(You may be seeing a pattern of stars from our Thursday night favorites emerging here...)

5. P.S. I Love You

6. Michael Clayton

7. Atonement

8. American Gangster

9. Bee Movie

10. Once

11. The Savages

12. Charlie Wilson's War

13. The Darjeeling Limited

Generally speaking, I've never been a fan of reality shows, not even the all-encompassing "American Idol." But I love "Dancing with the Stars." There's something about dancing that brings everyone down to the same level, so I was "geeked," as my friend Julie would say, to watch last night's final.

But the best dance I watched came from MJ. Yesterday was the seventh anniversary of my first date with Randy (yep, I still find space in my tiny little brain to remember that day AND my wedding anniversary), and we marked it with a nice dinner outside, a glass of wine and the always entertaining antics of a little girl. Yes, Kristi Yamaguchi had her hip-hop thing, Cristian de la Fuente had his hips and Jason Taylor had his macho muscles ... but none of them had the Beastie Boys.

I've tried to describe MJ's dance style in previous posts, but it's kind of a difficult task when there is no music that goes with it. Her dancing has its own kind of "musicality" -- to use a Carrie Ann Inaba word -- which, until last night, never matched any song she's ever jumped and bounced to.

Apparently, "So What'cha Want" is the beat she's been searching for. Every stomp was completely in sync with the music, every kick had a purpose. She even breakdanced, people. I can't wait to see what she does when I turn on "Brass Monkey" tomorrow night.

A few weeks ago, I read a story in The News & Observer about the Web site Do One Nice Thing, which encourages people to strive for at least one act of kindness each Monday. What a great idea. It was founded by a woman in Los Angeles with the idea that doing good for others makes an otherwise difficult Monday better for everyone, including yourself. The site is chock full of big and small ways to give, from grand gestures to those you can do while sitting at your desk waiting to speak to your boss (in my case, the cries of a baby being pestered by her older sister). There are also lots of ideas about how to give to other kids, and how to give with your kids. Not long ago, I wondered what to do with MJ's need to get her art on; D1NT has a great idea: Direct all that artsy energy toward homemade "get well" greetings for children battling chronic disease and long hospital stays. Easy ... and awesome.

One of the best parts about the site, though, is the section where "nice-a-holics," as they're called, write in to share habits they've formed to make the world a nicer place for everybody -- not just on Mondays, but every day. Check it out. You'll feel better instantly, and you might even end up making someone else feel better, too.