Hot Tea kind of morning

I have already had two cups so far.

I'm feelin' it.

Once it got cold outside, Brad and I bought a box of Tazo Calm. It has some sentimental value for us, because when we first started dating, he would get off of work at 2am, come over to my house, wake me up, and we would watch TV while drinking this tea. We drink it every winter; it is so delicious and relaxing. The main flavors are chamomile and rose petals, but it is the pop of spearmint that draws me to it.

On my way to the ACE Theatre Holiday cabaret on Saturday, I stopped at Starbucks for something warm and yummy. I asked the guy in the drive-thru what he recommended for a hot tea, and he immediately said, "Zen!" It was like a delicious light bulb went off in my head! I hadn't had that blend in SO LONG, and it was exactly right. I enjoyed every savory drop. Again, the spearmint is the appeal, because it leaves my palette feeling refreshed.

At our Christmas gift exchange, I got a variety box of Tazo teas. I was thrilled, not only because I love Tazo tea, but because the green box is super cute. It contains six different flavors (including Calm and Zen), a few of which I have never tasted. So when I grabbed a few random flavors to try this morning, I went for the pretty green bag that I hadn't tasted. In a moment, I am going to go get a big hot mug of Refresh, which - tada! - features spearmint and peppermint! It also has tarragon, which has me curious and nervous, but each day should have some small measure of boldness, right?

I keep looking at the coffee pot and pondering a cup, but today all I want is the sweet, bold infusion of tea leaves, spearmint and joy.

Disney Motivation

Disney has done it again; they are now offering vacation time in the amazing parks in exchange for volunteer work all over the World!

Disney's new program, "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day," officially begins January 1, 2010. With this program, Disney hopes to inspire families to volunteer in their communities by "rewarding" volunteer service with admission for a day to a Disney theme park. To enable people to sign up for an eligible volunteer project, Disney is working with HandsOn Network, the nation’s largest volunteer network. Starting January 1, you can go to www.DisneyParks.com for the United States and Puerto Rico or www.DisneyParks.ca for Canada to search for volunteer opportunities available in those areas through HandsOn Network and sign up for a day of volunteer service. Many of the opportunities will be for projects that entire families with children age 6 or older can participate in together.

As part of this program, Disney's Honorary VoluntEARS Cavalcade will start January 8. Each afternoon just before the daily parade at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (and at Disneyland Park in California), Muppets characters and parade dancers will join special floats and vehicles celebrating volunteerism and presenting Honorary VoluntEARS serving as Grand Marshals of the parades. Kermit, Miss Piggy and Sweetums will be part of the merriment, while the dancers will be donning outfits that celebrate the work of volunteers.

For a good time...

...go to Google and type in the very beginning of a question. For example, I typed in how, and the following auto-fill options popped up:
How to tie a tie
How to kiss
How to get pregnant
How stuff works
How did brittany murphy died (oh, grammar)
How to solve a rubix cube

I won't even go into the options that popped up for "Why", but go have yourself some fun.

Advent Conspiracy

I have seen the video, I have heard the sermons and I have even seen the Facebook group. But let me tell you, seeing the Advent Conspiracy on the front page of Yahoo this morning was a real shock to my system.

"Christian Group Launches New Attack on Christmas Commercialism"

I cannot say for sure what point of view the journalist is taking, but if it makes people read up on the mission or convinces some people to soend their shopping money on clean water for others, then I say it is a Christmas miracle indeed.

Be part of the miracle:
http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
http://www.water.cc/

Traditions

I have been thinking a lot about family traditions, specifically holiday traditions. Centsational Girl has a post up this morning that really brought it into the forefront of my mind.

This is mine and Brad's first Christmas in our new house, and only our second as a family, so we do not have a long list of traditions for the holidays. That is something I would like to develop over the years. Often, when people tell me their holiday traditions, they involve their children, so I imagine more will come with time. So far, here is what we have, either individually or as a couple.
**For the past few years (and upon Lauren's suggestion), I have read Lessons For Life, a Christmas-themed Harry Potter fan-fiction.
**I try to watch "The Holiday" and "Love, Actually" every Christmas. Now Brad gets to watch them, too! (Lucky Brad...)
**Morning relaxation. On Thanksgiving, we enjoyed a leisurely morning of coffee and snuggling, interspersed with Macy's Day Parade. We look forward to repeating this for Christmas, and for years to come.

We have been slowly acquiring decorations for the season, as our 600 sq ft apartment didnt require much. It is amazing how big this house feels when I'm trying to fill empty walls! I cannot say that, as of yet, putting up decorations is a tradition, but I do hope to follow in the idea that putting up the tree is a day-after-Thanksgiving classic.

Oh, I almost forgot the best one! Every year we find one ornament that represents that year on our tree. Sure, we often get more than one new one a year, but each year must have a representative. I was worried sick last week, as I could not find our sentimental Christmas stuff (embroidered stockings, yearly ornaments, etc). I was SO relievfed to find and empty that box! So far our yearly ornaments consist of:
2007: a white snowflake that says "Our first Christmas", even though we got married four days later.
2008: a gold "Just Married" ornament we bought in Walt Disney World on our fix-it honeymoon.
2009: a red front door that says "First Home" on it.

We are so thankful for friends with good taste, too, as my friend Susan bought us two of those three! We havent been able to find another "First House" ornament, so I am especially thankful for Susan's gift!

I am really looking forward to forming a lifetime of traditions with my family. What things do you treasure year after year?

Glee SQUEE

I was already feeling that April 13 couldn't come fast enough. Now I have this to look forward to:
Wicked Cool: Idina Menzel Is in Talks to Join Glee

Go read and enjoy!
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b157250_wicked_cool_idina_menzel_in_talks_join.html?utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories

Second Chance Movies

I have been thinking a lot lately about bad movies. I frequently visit Pajiba, and I find that my taste in movies (and everything) is rarely the same as their average reader. But sometimes I find a list that really speaks to me except for one glaring entry that I cannot comprehend. Recently, they did a list of the Greatest Love Stories of the Aughts.

"Hey," I thought, "I like love stories." So I clicked, and I read, and I shrieked.

Punch-Drunk Love?!? PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE?!?!? Seriously?!?

I don't remember anything about that movie except a) that dreadful song "he needs me, he needs me, he needs me, he needs me, he needs me" over and over and over again, and b) HATING IT! Truly, I remember wanting to stab everyone in my general reaching radius.

And today they put up a list of the Best Movie Villains of the Decade, and they had Mr. Glass form Unbreakable on there. I saw that movie in the theater, and raging boredom led to sleep.

When I come across these instances, I have to ask myself, "Did I miss something?" Sure, if I fell asleep during a movie, I could assume it means the movie bored me. Or, I might have been really freaking tired. People, I feel asleep during Iron Man. From what I have heard, it was not boring. In fact, most people who loved it swear it was packed full of action. I just remember lots of quiet talks and dry quips and zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I have decided that perhaps I should compile a list of movies that I have seen and didn't like, but just might deserve another chance. I don't have much on it yet, but here is the start:

Unbreakable
Stardust
Punch-Drunk Love

I might ahve to add the original Star Trek movies,because I havent seen them since wee childhood, and hopefully would better appreciate them now, as my nerdness blossoms. And I almost want to say the sixth Harry Potter film, because I was so sorely disappointed, but I didn't hate the story, just the representation.

In turn, there are also those movies you love and swear by and gradually idolize as a favorite, and then when you watch them a second time, months later, you wonder, "What on Earth was I thinking?" Boondocks Saints, I'm looking at you! Although, I still love it for it's campy quality and fun accents.

General Ickiness

Please continue to pray for us as Brad looks for a new job.

And maybe don't breathe my air; I think I have a sinus infection. I'm drippy, sneezy, itchy and several other irritable dwarves. And now I am developing a pounding headache. YUCK!

Come on, weekend, be my friend.

Perfect Gift

I found the perfect Christmas gift. If there is anyone in your life that loves Disney and Walt Disney World (ahem), then this gift is perfect.




This calendar by Barrie Brewer is made up of photos of "the World". They are are so bright and energetic and stunning. Not only that, bu tthe proceeds from the calendar sales go to sponsor Deb Wills in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Do you need a better cause? You have to buy new calendars every year, people, either for yourself or for others. This is the perfect one.



http://www.lulu.com/content/lulustudio-calendar/2010-focus-on-disney-world/7795905

Welcome to the world

I would like am obligated to introduce you to this generation:

(817): The girl next to me in class is taking notes on woman's suffrage with a girls gone wild pen.

Pray, friends. Go ahead and laugh, but then start educating your daughters.

Pictures Finally!

I am finally going to share some pictures of our new home! I have waited, because I wanted to get stuff arranged and decorated - and some of it is - but I can't keep putting it off.

The last stages of building:

Completion of build (mostly adding green, green grass):

And some of the finishing touches inside:

Testing the theory

Yep, this pretty much sums it up.

Pantry Pounding

OK, first of all, I know I'm awful for not posting pictures yet. I'm working on it. I have a mediocre camera and less-than mediocre photography skills, so I have yet to really love the pics.

We had such an amazing blessing on Sunday through our Pantry Pounding. So many friends and family stopped by and took the tour of our new home. It certainly doesn't look finished, but for living in it for two weeks, I would say it looks pretty good! We got bags upon bags of goodies, including several interesting products I would never buy myself (more later). It reminded me of a mixed CD: I always loved having others mix me a CD, because you get a sense of their taste, as well as their opinion of your taste.

Some people brought basics (peanut butter, jelly, salt, pepper, etc) while others brought eccentricities (California lemon peel, Mediterranean basil leaves, injectable Cajun butter with syringe). We even received five different kinds of rice! In case you (like me two days ago) cannot come up with five different kinds of rice, let me help you:
Jasmine rice
Basmati rice
Texmati rice (apparently basmati rice grown in TX)
Saffron rice (squee!)
Spanish rice

Hungry yet? I am. Now I just need to go buy some curry powder and get the recipe from Heather.

Between the gift cards, groceries and good company, we were overwhelmingly blessed this weekend. Thank you to all who contributed, and to those who sent well wishes and prayers!

Back to Work

Good Morning, friends! I will move on to the wonderful topic of New House later today, but for now I am starting a fresh work day.
After three days of absence.
Oh dear.
When I left on Thursday, I had 12 unread emails in my inbox. And now... (drumroll while my computer sitautes itself)...
72?!? What?!? That is TWICE as many as Ruth!

Hmm, there must be something wonky going on. But either way, that should show you what my day will look like.......... better get started...

TOMORROW!

ONE DAY MORE! ONE MORE DAY!

I will be humming that song from Les Miserables all day now...

That's right, friends, tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow we get keys. Tomorrow we start planting our stuff. Tomorrow we find ourselves officially stacked with responsibility like we have never known.

::gulp::

Thank you, all, for your prayers. We couldn't have gotten here without God's blessings.

I promise I will upload pictures, as soon as their are pictures worth showing off. I have several of random empty rooms, but that is no fun. Once things are arranged, unpacked, decorated and DIYed within an inch of their non-lives, I will share. Wish us luck!

Another Amazing Giveaway from the Pioneer Woman!

To celebrate her cookbook being "in stock" to order, she is giving away two of the anniversary-edition candy apple red KitchenAid stand mixers. As badly as I want this, I have to share the wealth and possibility! Best of luck everyone! Click on the link above to enter.

Menacing Muggles

Funny video of me and Grags being the BIGGEST dorks around.

Sidebar: I HATE the way I look on video in basically every scenario ever. Either I'm simply not photogenic, or I have a completely unrealistic view of myself in real life.
Here we continue our nerd-journey:



I know, I know, I'm a huge nerd. But you're my friends, so what does that make you?

FOUR MORE DAYS!!

One-Mon, Two-Tues, Three-Wed, Four-Thurs, HAPPY DANCE!

Only four more days until we have the keys to our very own home. And not a moment too soon. I am ready to have personal space again! And a proper tub; the folks tub is not exactly the kind you look forward to soaking in. But the beautiful bathtub in our master bath is perfect. One of my first 'decorating tasks' will be turning that into my personal oasis. Just you wait, 'Enry 'Iggins. Pictures will follow.

Oh yes, pictures will follow...

I'm a Loser, and I LOVE it

I have always thought it was strange that I adored music and theatre, but when I tried to combine them, I often fell short. Well, I should say singing and acting together is an odd weakness of mine (for a theatre major who has been singing since birth). The combination of story and song is one of my favorite mediums. I am one of those people that desperately wishes she could live in a world where people randomly burst into song, and everyone around you knew the choreography and the harmony.


And this is why I adore watching Glee.


When you combine a show like this with a person like me, you will often get... unnecessary reactions. Like tears. Now, stop your judgemental smirk; I am just easily moved by the emotions of others. And great singers know how to speak directly to their audience, member by member. So I have now listened to "Keep Holding On" for the third time in a row, and I have been misty eyed every time. Which, by the way, I hate because it is an Avril Lavigne song, and therefore should not affect me on an emotional level. But with this amazing crew of singers, and with the oh-so-visible emotions of the central girl, Quinn (that I cannot help but picture when I hear this), I feel deeply shifted with every play.



I know, I'm a sappy sad-sack. But it gives me such an unshaking feeling of glee (I can't help it), that I don't even care. I won't wipe this smile off for a while.

10 Days to go!!!

I am counting down until we sign our life away. In 10 days, we will officially buy our first home! I have reserved trucks for moving, set up utilities, and we are slooooowly packing up the remnants in the house. The majority of our stuff was never unpacked from our last move, so that helps. We have to pack up clothes, books, glassware, anything we use on a semi-regular basis. But we have a week and a half for that!

I will post some pictures once we have them, but I probably won't post anything until we are unpacked and things have been decorated. Which will be the most wonderful-stressful task!

Please pray for us as we gear up to start a new life in our own house!

Sad Sight

This morning as I was walking out to my car, I saw a skittish movement in the grass. When I looked down, it was a butterfly; a truly beautiful butterfly, who couldn't quite get off the ground. You see the bottom half of his right wing was missing, and the top half had several small holes in it. The sight of it was so jarring; this beautiful, crippled creature could hardly hop, much less fly. At one point, he made it as high as my knees before crashing back down.

I had to leave to get to work, but I haven't been able to get that picture out of my head. I whispered "Good luck" as I past it, and I went on my way.

I feel like I react that way to far too many problems. I see, I'm moved, I "send happy thoughts", and then I go on about my day. Am I ever going to escape this chrysalis of indifference? When am I going to act? I don't know; the whole thing just left me feeling... insufficient. Which, I suppose, can be a good thing. No matter how much we do, there is always more to be done, so we should never feel like "good deeds" can be scratched off of the To-Do list. It has to always be there, which means in some measure, always feeling like our gifts are insufficient.

I know that seems morbid; the whole post seems morbid this morning. But I actually mean it to be somewhat encouraging... even if I could not eloquently express that...

Mid-October morning

This morning is not unlike other mornings, or at least it hasnt been so far. I didn't sleep particularly well, but I used my extra time this morning to do some stretching. Now I feel energized, as if I had rested peacefully through the night, instead of kicking and tossing and waking.

I'm sitting at my desk with my yummy cider, and Im trying to make my brain go three different directions. This, unfortunately, is very much like every other morning. I am trying to focus on work, to accomplish the urgent tasks set forth by the foreign overlords. I am also obsessing (as per usual) over our budget; when to pay which bills, how much to save, what events have we got planned, etc. Thirdly, I am plotting, in every imaginable detail, our new home.

Brad and I are buying a house. We are so excited, and often terrified, and I have trouble focusing on much else for long periods of time. I am decorating the living room, or I am shopping for furniture, or I am making a drying rack, or I am arranging closets - all of this in my head. In real life, all I can do is obsess over paper work and schedule, and plan ahead to rental trucks and utilities. Not as much fun, but just as exciting. For me, anyways.

This weekend, weather and wallet permitting, I intend to start on the drying rack. It is a handy little DIY I picked up from Centsational Girl, my fave new blog to follow. I am falling in lurve with so many blogs as of late, mostly involving home decor or event planning (Hostess with the Mostess is like party planning on crack... in a good way...) After the drying rack, I intend to tackle my hideous dining room chairs. Lacy said she would recover them as our wedding present, so I may drag her in to help if she is in town.

All in all, it has been a productive week and an exciting month. We are on pins and needles a bit, thanks to the closing date being pushed to October 30th, but the anitci.............pation is fun as well as frustrating. Wish us all the best, and keep our safety and sanity in your prayers as we move.

Good Morning

As I sit at my desk, slowly sipping and sniffing my spiced apple cider, I feel like spreading a modicum of cheer. Really, though, it is a tiny one.

For those of you in the Cypress or Copperfield area (or Houston, and willign to drive a bit), the Studio Movie Grill in Copperfield (and possibly other locations) are having $5 movies all day, Monday through Thursday!

We are seeing RENT tongiht (go, Crystyl!), but tomorrow night we may treat ourselves to Zombieland, or maybe The Invention of Lying.

Have a lovely day!

Precious and Brilliant - Yes, please!

Do you remember my post about the Made With Molecules site on Etsy? Well, they have an entire website, and I did some meandering the other day. I found the most amazing and nerdriffic gift for new baby or expecting parents. And yes, when I have children, I completely intend to put my kids in these!

Behold, the Oxytocin onesie!

It is the chemical equivalent of cuddling!! How. Freakin. CUTE!?!

Amazing Giveaway

For those of you who do not yet know, Brad and I are buying a house!! And thanks to that hefty fact, I have had little other than decorating and designing on my mind lately. Grags and I have entertained ourselves with DIY blogs, lately, and I fell in loooove with this amazing blog, Centsational Girl. She has divine taste, though not always matching my own, and her Do-It-Yourself ideas are fun and come across as easy-to-follow. I am truly excited to get to work on her No Sew Swag Valance, as well as the aorable Drying Rack for the laundry room.

The main reason I am mentioning her today is because her blog is having a giveaway from Price Pfister, which means you could win a GORGEOUS new faucet for your kitchen or bathroom. All you have to do to qualify is specificy which one you want (Hanover pull down, please!!), and leave a comment explaining where you would put it. So simple! Go on over and check it out:
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2009/10/fabulous-faucet-giveaway/

Best of luck!!

WARNING: Work Rant Enclosed

I just wasted an ENTIRE DAY trying to fumble through a program I DO NOT UNDERSTAND - that should NEVER have been assigned to me - only to discover that I do not have the ACCESS or TRAINING that is necessary!

DUH!?!?!

And NOW it is going to have to wait until next week, which will put our billing back by a month because today is end of quarter. So somewhere down the line, this will probably cost someone money, and that someone will probably want to blame me. And if they do, I swear on the sand in the sea that I will SMITE THEM!!!

SUPER cute Geek-Wear!!

I just found Made With Molecules on Etsy, and it is the most precious shop!
They make jewelry and accesories out of molecular symbols. How. Precious. Is. That? And in the month of September, a percentage of the proceeds go to Marin Organic, "which promotes sustainable farming practices and local eating."

Check them out, and maybe even find a super-cute necklace with the symbol for caffeine or chocolate!

Current Playlist

Here are some songs that are frequent on my iPod:
"Look At What You Did" - Cage
"Running Up That Hill" - Placebo
"American Cowboy" - Jada
"I Only Have Eyes For You" - Jamie Cullum
"Fireflies" - Owl City
"Not The Same" - Ben Folds
"Don't Wake Me" - Love and Theft
"Got To Be More Careful" - Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen
"Castles and Factories" - Raining Jane
"Spread Your Love" - Vibrolux
"Zak and Sara" - Ben Folds

This is just a sampling of my bizarre taste in music...

Alexander Skarsgard

OK, so if you ever watched True Blood, then you have surely noticed Eric Northman, played by Alexander Skarsgard.

If so, then you might find this clip particularly hilarious... notice Meekus:

My Shows

So, we are sneaking back towards the fall, which means the return of my favorite shows. Plus, you know, school starting, seasons changing (elsewhere), football starting (gag), and lots of other things. But today, because I could REALLY use a pick-me-up, I'm going to focus on my shows.

Here are the dates I am super excited about (feel free to judge me by my taste in television. Im sure I am guilty of that):

House (S6): September 21st

Greek (S4): August 31st

So You Think You Can Dance (S6): September 9th

Project Runway: August 20th (or at least that week... Lifetime site won't load)

Glee (S1): September 9th

If only LOST weren't still FIVE MONTHS AWAY!?!

Cheer

I'm having a bit of a crummy morning, so I'm going to post some images that make me smile. Hopefully, they will have a similar effect on you!

Excuse me?!?

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was knocked out of Box Office first place by effing G-FORCE?!?!?

WHAT THE FLAGNOT?!?

Office Emergency

Today, while sitting at my desk in the cubicle farm, I noticed some sounds of mild panic and confusion coming from the cubicles one over. I got up and wandered around the corner to see a few people staring into one cube, looking a bit helpless and concerned. One of our contract workers (who really ought to have been hired on by now - stupid economy) was panting and panicking with her head in her hands, leaning onto the desk. Someone else came running back to her with an ice-packed paper towel. We managed to get her to lie down on the floor and elevate her feet; who knows if this was a logical step, but it made sense to someone.
She had been having some trouble lately with her heart; palpitations, enhanced feelings of anxiety, etc. She already has trouble with anxiety, but lately it has escalated. It had gotten to the point, by now, that she could not catch a proper breath.
I sat next to her on the floor and grabbed her hand, so that she could squeeze it. A few of us tried to get her to breathe deeply, but she either couldn't or wouldn't. We stayed that way, on the cube floor, for roughly 7-8 minutes while we waited on the medics. I actually managed to make her laugh once, which I can only hope helped. Once the medics arrived, there were really too many cooks in the kitchen, so I went back to work. They ended up taking her to the hospital.
It looked to me like a panic attack. I'm sure it started as a heart palpitation or some chest pain that was alarming, and it sent her into an attack. She kept winding herself up more, worrying aloud how she was going to pay for the medics, because she has no insurance and she can't afford prescriptions. I think she was making it worse, and so I hope the medics didn't need much to relieve the problem.

That was an interesting morning in my office. I hope she is doing better now, and that she figures out how to pay for the expenses.

Harry Potter Day

HAPPY HARRY POTTER DAY!!!

Fun pics from the London Premiere of Half Blood Prince

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you some of the cast of the newest Harry Potter film. A few notes: Emma Watson is so classy, and that dress - WANT! And Matthew Lewis is not the pudgy, awkward child we met in The Sorceror's Stone...

Also, Miss Jessie Cave... no ma'am... just, shame on you...

Falling Slowly

Just beautiful. Truly. Amazing. And poor Jonathon is gone now...

Today's TFLN

Perhaps it is insensitive, but I think it is a fair statement, except excuse me for having doubts about MJ's placement...

(325): I bet farrah fawcett is having words with michael jackson in heaven for stealing her thunder

And it is an Abilene area code!

TFLN Delivery

So, one of my guilty pleasures is reading "texts from last night" online. Often hilarious, often immeasurably offensive, so they cetainly aren't for everyone. And every once in a while, they make me spit out coffee. Today's delivery:
(917): I just ate an adderall and jelly sandwich in front of my mom. Homework time!
For some reason, it made me happy. Now, to be fair, when I took Adderall, it was a necessary prescription (please, dear God, let me back on!), and I get the impression this person may not have a legal script for said "homework helpers". But either way, I'm diggin' it.

For old times' sake, here is one of my favorites:
(818): I can only speak casual parseltoungue, im not bad though. just the general, "wheres the bathroom?" "open the chamber of secrets" that type of stuff

LURVE IT!

Oh, and by the way, 20 DAYS UNTIL HP: HBP!!!

The Tyranny of Fangirls

I fall into an interesting demographic (in my opinion), because I am an educated woman in my mid-twenties who enjoyed reading the Twilight series. I am certainly not alone, but we are an admittedly outnumbered group. Mind you, I did not say they were good books, and I think it is a bit snotty to refer to them as 'literature', even though I suppose they are in fact.

I consider myself to be a Harry Potter fangirl, so I can appreciate the nickname, but the craziness that is often attached is beyond me. Especially the craziness over Robert Pattinson. OK, so he has moments of charm, and is very occasionally handsome, but there really is nothing special about him. Mostly it goes over my head because the character of Edward, to which RobPatt owes his following, is in no way appealing to me.

So it is with a slightly shameful smirk that I report that he was clipped by a taxi in Manhattan while running to escape from tween fangirls! The good, Christian woman I aim to be is shaking her head at my glee, but it made me laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of our society and their priorities!

At least if he had to go to the hospital, they might bathe him...

Nude with Neil Patrick Harris

So, I have your attention? Well, the headline is actually a legitamite representation of the topic for this blog.

If you live in or anywhere near Philadelphia and are willign to be nude on camera, GOOD NEWS!

"An e-mail from Mike Lemon Casting, forwarded ... by a local actor, says the background talent will be portraying "NUDE people in a sex club, dancing and 'hanging out.' There will be NO simulated sex of any kind. Talent will need to be comfortable with being NUDE." The work will be done next week."

Apparently NPH is in a flick called The Best and the Brightest, and it is filming soon in Philly. And requires much nakedness. For about $140 a day. Come on, people... NPH!!

If you are interested, and you know you are, here is the info for casting: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/the-insider/Neil_Patrick_Harris_flick_Casting_call.html

Tuesday

AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I'm shutting down my work computer, and my brain, so if anyone wanders by and asks me to do anythign else at this point, they will regret it.

Monavie Challenge

So this week I will be chugging miracle juice. That's right, you heard me. Miracle Juice. Also known as Monavie. It is made up of 19 fruits, many of which I have never heard of. I have heard reports saying ti improved everything from vision to concentration to allergies! So I will report back by the end of the week, although the main thing I will actually be able to chart is whether I lost weight. I don't own a scale, but I am gauging in inches rather than pounds. So we shall see.

According to the handouts, the blueberries are what help with memory and other cognitive function, so in addition to the juice, Im noshing on berries right now. Although, I am contemplating coffee and a donut... oh well, I can't become a crazy health-nut overnight!

The biggest downside (well, really the only downside as of yet) is that the juice tastes pretty heinous. It's very... cloudy, even after a thorough shaking. We shall see. Maybe by the end of the week, I will love the stuff. We shall see...

Good Omens

While I'm on my book reading kick, I would like to take a moment to recommend one of my favorites to read over and over again: Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

I stumbled across a Pajiban review of it this morning, and now I desperately wish I had it with me (I have to go sit and train on a new program at our othe rlocation later - boring). I have to put it at the bottom of a long list, because I am determined to read only new works right now; well, new to me.

This book follows a demon (Crowley) and an angel (Aziraphale) through Eden to Apocolypse-to-be. Along the way we are introduced to countless characters, all of which play into the story poetically. From Satanic nuns to the Four Horsemen, these characters weave the story together.

To give you an idea of the brilliant writing, here is an amazing quote referencing God's plan for us all:

"God does not play dice with the universe: He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody], to being involved in an obscure and complex variant of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time."

An immeasurably humorous book which pokes fun at just about everything blasphemous, this book will have you cracking up in no time.

How I know I am a dork

So, last night downloaded the "Don't Stop Believing" track from Glee (which, BTW, was the number three song download on iTunes).

This was a mistake.

You see, I am now listening to it for the third time this morning. My calves are a'bouncing under my desk, and Im working harder on not humming than on focusing on my job.

Sometimes it takes cheesy art to remind me of why I am an artist, why God calls me to music. I don't know how to say this, other than shameful admission: this song almost makes me cry. There is a passion and an adrenaline screaming through my arms that makes it hard to type. This sounds like the most fun, and it makes me wish for a group of my own. (Just restarted the song... again)

I know there will be little groups popping up everywhere because of this show (huzzah for that), and I secretly and desperately hope I am in one of them. So if anyone hears of one popping up in Houston that has potential, let me know. Hell, if I could think of a few other starters, I would form one myself!

A Moment to Mourn

I'm not sure how I missed hearing about this weeks ago; I was completely blind-sided last night. My father was recapping 'Idol' for me, because I haven't really watched it this season. He mentioned David Cook's performance, and he he thought "it was dedicated to his brother, since he died", and I swear I heard that sound in my head of a record being manually stopped.
"What? Wait, Adam died? When"
"Oh, you hadn't heard? I just assumed you knew. It was a few weeks ago."
And I just started crying. That may seem silly, since I don't personally know the Cook family by any strecth, but I was so emotional in that moment.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to pray for the Cook family; for all of their struggles and heartache. Also, to send up praise, not only for the peace they have through God, but for David's career, which surely helped eliminate massive debt accrued from medical costs. I know that sounds shallow, but I love to see the way God works, and I think that little piece of the puzzle should not be ignored.

Validation for my Other Side

Most of my life, I have been someone who did not mind messes, who left projects unfinished, who only remembered to pay a bill when it was shoved in my face; someone with little to no organizational skills.

While some of these qualities are still a constant battle, I have trained my brain to be freakishly organized about a few things. I keep an extremely detailed budget on file (really, it is a combonation of balancing a checkbook and planning ahead for major and/or consistent costs). Spreadsheets have become a bit of a crutch for me, but I just LOVE them!

Every week I get an email newsletter from AllEarsNet.com - they are a website essentiallly designed to help you plan vacations to Disney World (WDW), with some additional tips for DisneyLand and the cruises. The bulk of the newsletter is an article; sometimes these are completely boring or irrelevant to me, other times they are fun bits of history or trivia. This week, the article is all about a mom whose WDW vacay plans are always meticulously planned out on spreadsheets. Let me tell you, reading her article was so cathartic and validating! I have never been more proud of my own neurosis. As she discussed her specific design and her plan strategy, I got the itch to go look at mine from our last vacation. Mine may not have been quite so set-in-stone as hers, because I knew we would need spontaneity for Brad's first trip, but the idea and the feeling were the same.

Now I cannot wait to start planning our next trip, but I can't get much progress done any time soon. We are hoping to visit again next November; it would essentially be a birthday trip for me, which is why we would hop over to Universal to see The Wizarding World fo Harry Potter theme park, which is slated to open around that time! I have never been to WDW outside of summer, so this will be a whole new perspective ("A whole new world!") for me, and the WWoHP will be immeasurably wonderful.

Anyway, my point is that I cannot plan too extensively yet, as the park prices are not set for Nov 2010, and it would be pretty hard to set times/dates/prices for flights then, as well. But I can dream, and oh-so-slowly accumulate plans and tips.

Spreadsheet, here I come!

gLee

I watched this last night with my folks, and I gotta say that I enjoyed myself. But here is the thing: a) it was kind of wicked awesome, but b) it was also kind of tragically bad. Sometimes in the same moments. I enjoyed the music, and goodness knows I loved the snark and the comedic timing. But the cheese was flowing all over it, and when the teacher started to tear up over the vid of himself in showchoir, I rolled my eyes right out of my skull. And the lip-syncing was TRAGIC, where it could have been magic! Ugh, I will continue to watch it, because it makes me laugh and sing along, but so far I would not call it "a good show". We shall see.

Don't stop believing, hold on to that feeling!

UPDATE: I can hardly breathe - I can't believe I didnt recognize her! I was just reading Dan Carlson's review of Glee, and he was naming cast members. Apparently, Rachel (the lead diva in the showchoir) is played by Lea Michelle, who played the original Wendla in Spring Awakening!!! Hello, Allison, how did you not recognize those cheekbones?!?

Nine: The Musical

There are a handful of truly talented singers who are hiding behind mediocore pop music, people with impressive voices who choose to speak hip-hop lyrics and shake their other talents rather than blow you away with vocals. We need to remember that this does not mean that they cannot.
Beyonce's music, while I enjoy it, is fluff and far below her talent, as was seen in Dreamgirls. Watch this trailer, and then ask yourself what you think of Fergie:



Not exactly "G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S yeah", is it?

Sign the Petition to bring Cherrybomb to the US!

Cherrybomb is having trouble getting major distribution. This could be for any number of logical reasons, but since I want to see Rupert Grint on the big screen in something other than Harry Potter, I am signing up!

There is an online petition going (I have linked to the US petition) for us to express our desire for American distribution! Sure, sure, we could wait for the DVD, but that is less fun. So please, sign away, and be sure to put an eloquent comment, if you make one; please nothing like "OMG RUPERT IS HOTT THNX BYE!"... not that any of my friends would do that...



http://www.petitiononline.com/cherry09/petition.html

Waiting for Guffman

That's right, kids, the Awesome Bus is making a stop to deliver this message:

"Corky St. Clair may make it to The Great White Way after all."

Why, you ask? Because Christopher Guest is hoping to adapt Waiting for Guffman for the Broadway stage as a musical!!!!! Full on SQUEE for this news. Now I will be humming "Stools, stools" all day...

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/christopher-guest-plans-to-wait-for-guffman-on-broadway.php

Cannonball Read - The 100 Book Challenge

If any of you follow Pajiba as I do, you will have been reading about this for months. I just never really got the bug to do it myself. And then when AlabamaPink passed away, it felt a bit callous to pick up the challenge. But time has moved forward, and I have decided this would be a fun challenge to set for myself (and possibly Grags) for this year.

Prisco set forth the race to read 100 books. They must all be be over 200 pages; no graphic novels; and short story collections must contain at least six stories.

The fun, and more time-consuming part I imagine, is that they wrote a short review of each book. I have read a few new books this year, so I may cheat and go back to review those as my first five or so. Who knows. In the event that I'm alone in this race, the rules are bendable.

I would love to hear (legitimate) recommendations, but I make no promise to embark on them. After reading the HP series, plus all of my Neil Gaiman and Chuck Palahniuk books over and OVER again, I feel like my brain could use a new read. But speaking of that, next Tuesday (May 5th) Chuck's newest book comes out, Pygmy. I never read Snuff, though it doesn't sound like I missed much. I didn't ever get around to Rant either, which seems like a grave mistake by most Palahniukians. So those two are at the top of my list. Though not back to back; too much Chuck P can make your bile attack your brain.

While on the topic, let me recommend some of my favorite reads to you:
*Lullaby, by Chuck Palahniuk
*Survivor, by Chuck P
*Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
*Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
*The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I know the reading level is set young, but the concept and view of humanity is beautiful and should be oft revisited.
*Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley.
*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by JK Rowling. Obviously I love them all, but this one is of highest recommendation.

funny pics

Mostly LOLs, maybe some PostSecrets. Just things I have slowly collected. Enjoy!