(First of all, I’ve been scouring the darn interwebs for an embeddable version of this video and I just can’t find it, so you’ll have to click through. Really. You should.)
I think I mentioned that last weekend I watched the Saturday Night Live Halloween Special which was maybe 90 minutes of absolute hilarity considering most of the skits were pre-1998 meaning they were really flippin’ funny.
One of my favorites? The LandShark. You can view it here. (Sorry, couldn’t find an embeddable one!) I don’t know why but it cracks me up every time.
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I have no idea why I remember this but one year my best friend and I decided to audition for the school talent show by doing a dance/lip synching routine to The Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Actually, I have no idea why we thought that was a good idea. (Confession: I’ve never seen the entire film, either.)
Could you picture me doing any of this?
I don’t think we actually made it to the audition once our parents realized what we had chosen to do. Ah, to be young and innocent!
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So it’s Halloween tomorrow which means I have to be on my guard because, um, well I’m terrified of people in masks. It’s amazing to me how a mask can transform someone you know and love into a scary, freaky specimen of a person that you suddenly don’t recognize. The maintenance man at our building scares me every year (yes, every year, even though I know it’s him) by creeping up to my desk in one of his freaky masks. Uncool.
I think it all started when I was in high school, driving home from a Halloween party and a masked/face painted dude showed up out of NOWHERE and jumped onto my car and just stared at me. My friend and I screamed and just stared at the guy. He disappeared just as quickly as he showed up. My nerves were rattled for a few hours!
Here’s hoping that the kids who come to the house don’t scare me!
Do you have a Halloween fear/phobia or conversely are you the type of person who enjoys scaring the crap out of the rest of us?
It’s raining. It’s pouring. I wish I was snoring. This means I’m going to participate in Ten on Thursday which I found courtesy of the lovely Lisa D and evidently it was started by Chelsea.
1. What are you going to be for Halloween?
A girl from the TV Show Laugh-in, a la Goldie Hawn. Sort of and only because I already have the costume with pink go-go boots hanging in my closet.
2. Have you ever been on television?
I was in high school when I protested for Free Speech. I was in the Journalism program at my high school and one of our papers was published with some fairly controversial topics on the cover (forgive me but I can’t remember what it was). The principal pulled the paper immediately and so we all rallied outside the school with signs, posters and picketed our high school for infringing on our right to free speech. We were basically told that when we are on school grounds we didn’t have the right to free speech and that just added fuel to the fire. TV crews came out and so I was on the news as part of the protesting group.
3. Do you have a toilet paper preference? I don’t like the scratchy kind if that’s what you mean. But other than that, no, I don’t really care if it’s up, down or sideways so long as it’s there when I need it.
4. When you’re pregnant, will you find out the sex of the baby? (Or if you’ve already had babies, did you find out the sex?) Why or why not? Hmmmm. I am inclined to say yes because I’m an over-planner so how could I have a baby and not know the sex of the baby? That gives me hives just thinking about it.
5. What are three items that every kitchen must have?
The fixings to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch, an Ove Glove and ample room to spread out and create.
6. Do you enjoy Christmas shopping? Yes! It’s one of my favorite things to do. I’m already starting to plot and plan what I’m going to get for everyone. I love wrapping presents, I love giving presents and I love the joy that surrounds my house during the holidays.
7. What is your go-to recipe? (The thing you cook more than anything else because it’s easy and mindless.) Please share the recipe. It’s what Irish calls spicy chicken & big rice. Basically I season a few chicken breasts with some spicy spices and bake until done. In the meantime, I make big rice (aka risotto) which is simply risotto, 3 cups of chicken/vegetable broth, parmesan cheese and parsley to taste. I always serve with a side of broccoli. It’s pretty delicious.
8. Do you sleep on your back, belly, or side?
I fall asleep on my side but wind up on my belly by the morning. I am a frantic sleeper in that I move A LOT, thrash and kick. I’m told it has something to do with when I was in the womb and managed to entangle myself with the darn umbilical cord around my neck & knee resulting in me nearly killing myself. Fun, huh?
9. How do you feel about Tom Cruise?
Ick. I used to have a crush on him when I was in middle school. Top Gun was the soundtrack to our sleepovers. And then it was Jerry Maguire. And Cocktail. But now? He kind of freaks me out.
10. What books are in your “books to read” stack?
How much time do you have? (Sorry I don’t have complete titles/authors. I’m not in front of my bookshelves.)
Sookie Stackhouse Book # 6
Two Jane Green Books (Dune Road & Second Chances)
Vampirates (go ahead, laugh)
Kingdom Keepers
Ellen Burstyn’s Memoirs
An Anita Shreve Book
My Japanese Challenge book, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles
A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
Persuasion, Jane Austen
The Bridges of Madison County
Catching Fire
…. and many, many more.
Your turn! Answer in the comments or post this on your own to all, some or none if you like.
Todays’ post is all about my mom, Darling. Why? Just because I feel like it and I know that I’m incredibly blessed to have a mom like her. So, here’s the list of why my mom is fabulous:
* She reads Vogue which makes her an excellent person to turn to for fashion advice.
* She introduced me to Sex & The City.
* If it’s your birthday, you get to request your favorite dinner and cake with homemade icing.
* She loves Jack as if he were her own dog.
* She’s the best cheerleader I know.
* We have our own rituals. Like shopping & IHOP the day after Thanksgiving. Hot fudge sundaes once a month, just because.
* She was the one who encouraged me to blog.
* She calls me on my bad moods and bullshit (rare that I’m that way, but it happens and she tells me so).
* We laugh so hard it hurts more often than not.
* She has a pink cell phone.
* She wrote me a children’s book, just because. I have it tucked away for if/when I have kids.
* Darling knows when to hold my hand through certain situations and when to let me fly (and maybe crash) on my own, but she’s always there to pick up the pieces.
* She’ll gladly get on stage to sing with my dad’s band. She’s also pretty darn good at it too.
* She’s given me a list of nicknames as long as my arm, including things like Beeps. Smoodgie-San. Laser. (And no, I don’t know what they mean specifically.)
* She has a kick-ass blog. No, really. You should read her especially if you like photos, book recommendations, poems and anything else literary.
* She still gets excited about Christmas and repeatedly tells me and my brother NOT to go in my parent’s closet because we’ll run our surprises.
* We share our movie collections with each other (and not surprisingly, love the same kinds of movies).
Who is the most influential woman in your life? Does she read Vogue?
Go here and here to see the first two parts in this series.
* I’ve only seen one episode of Glee. The one I saw I loved but for some reason I forget what night it is on and I’ve failed to Hulu it after the fact.
* This is the first year I’ve been kind of excited for Halloween, though I’m not sure why as I don’t have any apparent plans. Maybe it was because Target has such an awesome section of decorations and other Halloween-related things that we don’t need but are fun.
* I’ve only tried coffee twice in my life. I’ve spit it out both times.
* Sometimes I growl after I get off the phone with someone who has upset me.
* I’m great at buying and preparing packages for friends. Not so great at sending them. I owe several of you packages so hopefully writing this down will send me to the post office sooner rather than later.
* I’m afraid to look at my Google Reader.
* I’m not sure I can run a half-marathon because I don’t think my body (namely my hips/lower back) will cooperate. This makes me sad.
* I would love to be 20SB featured blogger of the month some day.
* I wait to get my oil changed until the very last possible minute. Something about going to the car dealership/repair shop stresses me out.
* I stole a campaign sign out of someone’s yard in 2004.
* I can still recite 95% of the lyrics on all the Backstreet Boys albums. In case that made you throw up, I also know all the Beatles lyrics from the White Album and the anthologies that came out in the late 1990s.
* I wish it could be acceptable for me to wear my rainboots everyday. They’re cute and comfortable.
Current Book(s): Work in Progress: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, Haruki Murakami;
Finished: Club Dead, Charlain Harris (I’m in a bit of a reading slump currently)
Current Music:
The Beatles
The Supremes
Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder
Current Colors:
Sunflower yellow is quickly growing on me
Current Obsessions:
Cleaning/organizing
Baking
Reading cooking magazines
Thinking up crafty projects
Current Drink:
Water.
100 calorie Coca-Cola if I need one
Slim Fast
Current Songs:
A Little Less Conversation, Elvis Presley
Current Movie: Duplicity.
Can’t wait to see Away We Go
Current TV Show:
Sons of Anarchy
Current Wish-List:
I’d like my hair to grow faster and stop growing gray hairs
Believe it or not, more hours in the work day
Current Needs:
Sleep, always sleep.
To plan my week long vacation at the end of October
Current Triumph(s):
Slaying work projects left and right.
Conquering new dishes in the kitchen.
Staying in better touch with friends and family.
Current Bane(s) of my Existence:
Not enough time in the day to read books, catch up on blogs
Current Goal(s):
Lose five pounds by December (I’ve lost a few in the last two months)
Read a memoir by one of my favorite political figures or actors/actresses by end of the year
Current Indulgence:
Homemade chocolate chip cookies
Current Blessing:
It’s fall!
Current Slang or Saying:
I’m not sure what I’ve been saying a lot of lately.
Current (Fav) Outfit:
I’m digging the preppy look: black pants, white blouse, argyle sweater/vest and lots of fun jewelry to go with it
Current Excitement:
Birthday celebration with the family this weekend.
A fun, graphic desinger wedding to attend in two weeks
Visiting my BFF and her husband in three weekends for winery trips, a pumpkin patch & corn maze excursion and lots of relaxing
When you’re little birthdays are all about toys, streamers, balloons, party favors, junk food and really amazing cake with fabulous icing; staying up past your bedtime; having your name read over the loudspeaker at school; your favorite dinner cooked by your mom; the thrill of presents from your friends, and themed birthday parties.
When you’re a teenager (13-17) birthdays are all about wondering if your outfit looks ok at school; how many balloons will your friends buy you and stuff into your locker?; will today be the day the high school football start finally tells you he loves you?; your friends and parents trying to surprise you and surprise you they did with limo rides (13th birthday) and a DJ (16th) birthday; hoping against hope that some boy you liked liked you back; and that you have a decent showing with no drama at your birthday party which will be supplied with tunes from Cake and the Empire Records lots of junk food and copious amounts of soda.
When you’re a young adult (18-23) your birthdays are about freedom; the ability to vote and drink (legally); celebrating a birthday away from home; planning your own party which often doesn’t sound so fun so you don’t do it; taking so many shots that the entire night is a blur; waking up to find out that you danced on a bar, kissed a stranger and proclaimed your love to every single one of your friends; it’s about going through your digital camera to see what pictures were taken and then daring to check facebook to see what embarassing shots of you may have surfaced; it’s about relishing in the here and now because you’re in your early twenties and this is how you do it!
When you’re in your mid-twenties (24-26) *birthdays are about quiet celebrations; not letting your friends buy you shot after shot because you know too well that hangover feeling; being thankful for everything that you have in your life; not asking for presents because you do have everything; being pleasantly surprised by the presents your friends and family do give you because you really didn’t need/want anything; reflecting on where you are and where you want to be; thankful for the lack of wrinkles on your face; recalling the days of yesteryear and smiling on all memories fondly; resolving to be a better person; reminding yourself to live in the now; ignoring your dad’s comments about how your more than halfway to fifty even if he says it with a smile on his face; indulging in birthday cake; going to sleep at a decent hour because you’re working the next day; hugging all your friends and family at least twice- not because your drunk- but because you love them.
What are your birthdays about?
** I consider mid-twenties to be through 27 or 28 but I’m not there yet, so I’ll let you know how it goes in the next two years! **
August!? Already!? I have no idea where the summer time has gone.
Current Book(s): Finished in August- Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris; Lover Eternal, JR Ward; Chocolat, Joanne Harris; Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Started: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, Haruki Murakami; Girl with No Shadow, Joanne Harris
Current Music:
I’ve been listening to a lot of mixed CDs this month and each CD has a combo of hip-hop, alternative, relaxed music (Ben Harper/John Mayer) and a miscellaneous category that I don’t really know how to define but that rocks my socks off on my way to work each morning
Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure:
Pinwheel cookies. (Downside to living at home: my parents buy all the goodies I loved growing up and Pinwheels are one of those things.)
Current Colors:
A bright maroon and not-quite-teal-blue
Current Obsessions:
Reading anything I can get my hands on
Gilmore Girls (started it over from the beginning)
Buying books
Wandering through the Twilight section at Borders just to see what new things they have come up with to sell
Current Drink:
Water, water, more water. Haven’t had a caffeinated soda in over 10 days!
Current Songs: Three More Days, Ray LaMontagne
Current Movie: Julie & Julia. Pretty awesome movie. Meryl Streep as Julia Child is perfection.
Current TV Show:
True Blood. Only one episodes left!
Current Wish-List:
Unrealistic: a trip to the beach; a new laptop for my birthday
Realistic: Massage! Facial!
Current Needs:
Unrealistic: more hours in the day; an office assistant
Realistic: Take better care of myself this month
Current Triumph(s):
I have my finances in order and it’s an awesome feeling. So blessed to be able to save money right now.
Current Bane(s) of my Existence:
45 minute commute, one way
26th birthday in 4 weeks and 1 day
Current Goal(s):
Continue to write more cards/notes for friends & family
Finish two or three books this month and stay on track for the Japanese Reading Challenge
Current Indulgence:
Mint chocolate chip ice cream (in moderation)
Current Blessing:
Irish. Family. Jack. Friends. A comfortable bed to lay my head on each night and unconditional love from many people in my life.
Current Slang or Saying:
I’ve been dropping the F-bomb a bit lately at work (to myself, of course) as it’s been a tad stressful
Current (Fav) Outfit:
I bought this awesome top from The Limited the other day; it’s probably my favorite even though I haven’t worn it out yet.
Current Excitement:
Irish & I are going to visit my brother next weekend to celebrate his 21st birthday (which is on Tuesday, 9/1!)
26th birthday in 4 weeks and 1 day
Entertaining a possible trip to Florida for Thanksgiving
… that I’ve grown up a lot more than I realized. This also means I’ve grown apart/away from some of my friends in ways I never imagined.
… that I don’t have a very high tolerance for ignorance.
… how amazing it can be to laugh over memories from my past, especially those I had forgotten about.
… that Jack is a cuddle-whore and will cuddle with anyone who lets him.
… that my parents are there for me, even if it’s a Saturday night at 10:30 pm when I’m having a mini-meltdown from hosting out of town friends all weekend.
… that bee stings really freakin’ hurt!
… that Irish will always be there for me. To take care of the bee sting. To walk Jack. To tell me it will all be okay when I realize that my life is quickly changing.
… that StL has a lot more to offer than I thought, especially when I heard my out-of-town friends marvel at all there is to do here.
… that I have a very unusual love for penguins. I think I’ve been to the penguin exhibit at the zoo at least 15 times. No joke.
… that receiving a stuffed animal still makes me smile more than I thought it would. (Irish bought me a mini stuffed penguin at the zoo. His name is Petey, in case you were wondering.)
… that a glass of wine really can cure everything. At least temporarily.
… that Greek food is positively amazing.
… that you can’t beat original jewelry for less than $5 a piece.
… that I can be a darn good hostess. Within the span of one weekend my friends tried & enjoyed toasted ravioli, provel cheese, Ted Drewe’s and Amighetti’s sandwiches as well as my mom’s homecooking (all thinks unique to StL). We went to the Arch, the zoo, the museum, checked out the New Cathedral, the Landing, went to a winery, a Greek Festival, a local brewery & bbq festival, rolled down a hill (since FL is flat they wanted to roll down a hill), saw a live band, crashed a retirement party (not my idea!),told stories about my city, and showed them a few local bars. I was up before 8 am each day so needless to say it wasn’t a relaxing weekend but the girls wanted to see the city and so they did.
… that even though there were moments when I was stressed over the weekend when all was said and done, I missed my childhood friend within moments of dropping her off at the airport.
… that I move at a much slower pace than I once did. Blame it on age, my work schedule, the fact that I’m in a relationship, whatever you want. But it’s true. I need more downtime than I used to.
… that even while I was enjoying a break from the internet/twitter/blogs/email, I missed my blog friends.
… that I’m more nervous about going to Vegas than I thought.
… that even if given the opportunity I’m not sure I’d move away from StL. I have made a home for myself here. I really do kind of love it.
… that I am a lot stronger (mentally, emotionally, even physically) than I thought I possible when I need to be.
I’m back on Facebook and frankly, my dears, I’m not loving it. No, I’m not talking the new layout or anything like that but I’m talking about feeling like I need to respond to people, to reconnect with folks I haven’t talked to in a long time and of course seeing info on people you just don’t want to hear/see about. It’s not that I don’t want to reconncect but it seems I’m the one always doing the reconnecting. Why can’t other people reach out to me? (I’m cleansing my friend list again). It was also, as I mentioned, a great social experiment. Some of my friends refuse to talk to me in any form BUT facebook. Others don’t email (oh, I wish they would. I know this is terrible but I am not a big phone person anymore). Others don’t do phone calls or email. I’m keeping it for now, I’m not going to obsess over it anymore, but I’m not sure I like it. It feels like another intrusion/interruption. And yes, I realize I can make it all go away with a click of a button.
Wedding season! Irish and I attended a lovely ceremony and reception Saturday afternoon for one of his long time buddies. The bridesmaid dresses were not pretty… at all. But the bride was amazingly gorgeous. I still don’t know why she’s not a model. It turns out I went to high school with her brother (it’s a small world after all, it’s a small, small world!). The reception was good boasting some pasta that I could indeed eat, albeit at the pace of someone with dentures, a decent DJ, yummy cake, and a full dance floor. Oh, and a photobooth! (I scanned the pictures in and they aren’t super fantastic, but thought you’d like to see anyway. In the third picture I have my head down as we thought we had gone through all four flashes already. It’s quite artistic so I’ll have to find a better way to share them with you. The fourth one is bad so I cropped it out. Editor’s rights!) Random Side Note: We only have one other reception and one other full wedding to attend for all of 2009 so far. I’m kind of excited about that… perhaps a little too excited.
Easter. Irish and I did a marathon day. My parents, then his. Food and dessert at both. I did manage to eat a little bit though my jaws/sockets/other teeth hate me today. I’m back on my mush diet for a few more days as per my doc’s orders. Darling gave us both awesome, unexpected Easter baskets, my Gram only asked me twice what foods I’m allergic to (I’ve told her at least six times) and we all laughed a lot. At his folks house we watched the end of The Masters, made a fire, and then I tuned out the talk about politics (I have to keep my mouth firmly closed when there) until we called his sister who lives in Australia and talked to her for a few minutes. Now? I want to go to Australia.
The rest of the weekend: Wii, sleep, read. Walk Jack, grocery shop, drive to my house to pick up clothes I forgot for wedding and then on Sunday for the dessert I forgot to pick up on Saturday, questioned myself for being so forgetful lately, quality family time, quality Irish and Nora time, Tumblr time, enjoyed a day off, wished I had more days off, and stared at a few episodes of Friends Season Five before I drifted off to a blissful sleep while Mother Nature pounded StL with rain on Sunday evening.
A few weeks ago I mentioned the fact that I have a bit of disdain for Valentine’s Day. No particular reason other than why is it necessary to celebrate love for friends, family and that special someone only once a year? Why not celebrate each day? And also for the fact that I’ve had many terrible Valentine’s Day.
So why my distaste?
In high school the day was a popularity contest. The Journalism department sold roses for people to purchase and they were distributed during certain periods of class. Some girls wound up with more than a dozen roses, some had at least five secret admirers and until my junior year apart from my trusty girlfriends, I never received a rose from a guy. We also had our lovely King of Hearts (aka Sadie Hawkins) dance and I was turned down my freshman year leading me to not even bother asking anyone my sophomore year. Me and the girls had too much fun with junk food galore making it an accidental “boys are stupid,” party
In college I spent most of my Valentine’s Days either at home in sweats with a stack of magazines, chick flicks, peanut M&Ms and pizzza or out, at a bar, dancing with at least one drink in my hand. This is not a bad way to spend your time but when all of your friends have boyfriends/girlfriends/first dates/secret admirers it certainly does stink
Of all the Valentine’s Days I’ve spent with a guy, I’ve endured cold dinners with warm champagne, forced conversaton, awkward situations, useless presents and the trite “I love yous,” and the mandatory make-out sessions. Blah.
One year, post really awful break-up, the guy had the nerve to call me and wish me a Happy Valentine’s Day. Some would say that’s sweet, but considering he wanted one thing and one thing only after we were broken up it only served to confuse my already muddled thoughts. I spent that night at a movie theater, in a chick flick, with a large beer in my hand (they have theaters where you can drink here) sobbing.
Ever since the aforementioned Valentine’s Day, I have worn black, ignored the day, and kept my eyes to the ground to avoid the flood of pink/red/white that people tend to wear. I do, however, send Valentine’s to my friends and family because even though I don’t celebrate it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t at least acknowledge and thank them for their friendship over the years.
Like I mentioned in TDH Tidbits, Volume Two, TDH and I immediatly bonded over our mutual dislike for the over commercialized holiday.
And so Reverse Valentine’s Day was born. We are partaking in a day long be-as-unromantic-as-possible-day along with Liz of Will There be Cake and her husband. The agenda includes Bowling with Cheap Keg Beer, a fantastic slasher film (Friday the 13th) and the icing on the cake is reservations for White Castle, dinner for four. (For those of you who don’t have White Castle, it’s a really greasy fastfood joint that serves mini-burgers. On Valentine’s Day they accept reservations for people to be waited on and enjoy their greasy burgers, fries and shakes over candlelight. Normally there is no waitstaff and the lighting is very harsh.) I have a strange feeling that this will be the best Valentine’s Day ever, loads of fun and in some odd way, it will be romantic.
We have capped our presents at $20 a piece and they aren’t allowed to be sentimental or romantic.
I sense that this is the start of a wonderful tradition!
What are your Valentine’s or Reverse Valentine’s Day plans/traditions?
