Last night I was caught off guard by this commercial:
I went from happily sipping whiskey and watching Chopped to the wanting to curl up under a quilt and cry.
This little thirty second ad said only one thing to me: The Post is in danger.
Now... you might have seen me around on the internet. I spend a lot of time there. Facebook, twitter, tumblr, this blog, your inbox, your mom's inbox. I get around online. I'm not ashamed of it. I've met friends, enemies, girlfriends, experts, celebrities, and probably your mom online that I likely would not ever have bumped into in any other way. The internet is my medium. I get it. I use it.
But. It's not the post.
The post is dreamy and romantic and personal and requires effort.
I can sit in my office and write you an email that says, "I'm thinking about you today."
You'll get the email in seconds. You'll smile, maybe, then it's done.
If I, on the other hand, write the very same message, "I'm thinking about you today." in a card or on a piece of stationery, seal it in an envelope, hunt down your address and a stamp, drive the whole lot to the post office (because my apartment pick-up is unreliable), and send it off in your direction, then you'll receive it in a very different way.
You'll get my card, open it, and know that for at least a bit of one day, I was thinking only about you and the piece of mail that would literally travel from my hands to yours. And then for weeks when you see it on your fridge or maybe a year later when it shows up in a junk drawer, you'll know that I was thinking about you then and just might be thinking about you again.
And... if the piece of mail is from me... then you might be able to tell that instead of spending minutes on your mail, I actually spent hours. Gluing paper, revising wording, baking treats, compiling songs, what have you.
Whatever the case... mailing something to someone means a lot more to me than sending them a text, a message on Facebook, a tweet. Those are daily. Those are tired.
The post. The post is where it's at.
It's no secret that this love of the post was passed down to me by my mom. My mom sends me roughly one card per week. Some weeks there's more than one. Some weeks (very rare) there isn't one at all.
Her cards range from the sincere to the bizarre.
Some of my favorites include the congratulations on my ballet recital and the mazel tov on my son's bris. Also the "Love being your sister" and the countless "Happy Birthday"s covered up with hearts and flowers and swirlies.
The common thread woven through these often silly cards is the fact the my mom loves me and that she thinks about me in a deliberate, focused way at least once a week.
Even so... I'm not the only person who benefits from my mom's postal expressions of love.
My brother, sister, boyfriend, and even some friends benefit from the occasional card. She recently sent one to a close friend of mine that featured a hotdog on the front and the inscription, "Bet you didn't think you'd get a wiener today!"
Don't you wish you were on her list now?
What I'm saying is... I love the post. Always have.
As a kid, I thought having a British pen pal was the best thing I could ever want out of life. As an adult, I've only slightly revised that idea.
My mom fuels my love for the post through her regular mailings. And I do my best to send notes and packages around as often as possible.
The thought that the USPS might be in such dire straights that they need to convince us to use paper in a world that begs us to go paperless is upsetting.
I've long thought of the post as the government's polite, "I'm going that way, would you like me to take that?" and I'd hate to see it waste away.
So... today I'm going to write letters. And buy stamps. And drop mail into the box knowing full well it will reach its destination and make one person feel good. Or better. Or something. Because that's what I do with the power of the post.
What do you mail?
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Halloween Regrets
I didn't do anything for Halloween this year.
Really. Not a damn thing. I sat at home. I might have even had cereal for dinner; I don't remember.
This, for me, has been difficult. I love the hell out of Halloween. Usually I spend several months planning and perfecting my costume.
Since I didn't have the excitement of planning and executing the perfect costume for the day, I've had a hard time letting go of the costumes I'd considered. So... I'm blogging them in an attempt to set them aflame and push them out to see.
A Viking funeral for the costumes that didn't happen.
Now... this year I also have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who is more than willing to play along with my costume excitement. You'll see that reflected in my choices. Let's start with the classics...
JFK and Marilyn Monroe:
I could be his Jackie, sure. But... I'm more Marilyn, dontcha think?
Johnny Cash and June Carter:
But only if I can carry around a dulcimer and tell all our friends we can't stay long because he's goin' to Jackson.
Now... a quick jump to...
Joan and Roger:
Any day. Any time. As long as I get to smirk, speak softly, and walk around the office like I own the damn place. Because... I do.
Which leads us to our topical couples...
Prince William and Kate Middleton:
Quick! While people will still recognize us!
DaveCat and Sidore:
Clear winner. Hands down. Amirite?!
Incidentally, "hands down" refers both to the DaveCat/Sidore win and the pose I'll be assuming for the entirety of the evening: Hands down, eyes blank, mouth slightly open. I've been practicing. It's spectacular.
So... I think this has helped.
I'll let these costumes go for this year. Knowing full well that I've catalogued them here and can revisit next October.
Who would you be if Halloween were this week and you had all the money and time to costume?
Really. Not a damn thing. I sat at home. I might have even had cereal for dinner; I don't remember.
This, for me, has been difficult. I love the hell out of Halloween. Usually I spend several months planning and perfecting my costume.
Since I didn't have the excitement of planning and executing the perfect costume for the day, I've had a hard time letting go of the costumes I'd considered. So... I'm blogging them in an attempt to set them aflame and push them out to see.
A Viking funeral for the costumes that didn't happen.
Now... this year I also have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who is more than willing to play along with my costume excitement. You'll see that reflected in my choices. Let's start with the classics...
JFK and Marilyn Monroe:
I could be his Jackie, sure. But... I'm more Marilyn, dontcha think?
Johnny Cash and June Carter:
But only if I can carry around a dulcimer and tell all our friends we can't stay long because he's goin' to Jackson.
Now... a quick jump to...
Joan and Roger:
Any day. Any time. As long as I get to smirk, speak softly, and walk around the office like I own the damn place. Because... I do.
Which leads us to our topical couples...
Prince William and Kate Middleton:
Quick! While people will still recognize us!
DaveCat and Sidore:
Clear winner. Hands down. Amirite?!
Incidentally, "hands down" refers both to the DaveCat/Sidore win and the pose I'll be assuming for the entirety of the evening: Hands down, eyes blank, mouth slightly open. I've been practicing. It's spectacular.
So... I think this has helped.
I'll let these costumes go for this year. Knowing full well that I've catalogued them here and can revisit next October.
Who would you be if Halloween were this week and you had all the money and time to costume?
Friday, April 1, 2011
Salmon Switch: Dinner and a... Breakfast?
It's easy dinner tiiiiiime!
Yesterday was a mental health day. I chilled. I only put on shoes once and I didn't even cross the threshold of my front door.
Don't get me wrong... I did things. I cleaned up my apartment. I did my P90x workout for the day (oh hey, Kenpo!). I wrote a couple letters. I returned some calls. I also... watched a lot of Food Network.
I think I probably watched three different episodes of Paula Deen shows. It was a beautiful day.
Anyway... in one of those Paula Deen shows, she was in the kitchen with her son, Jamie, making something ridiculously fatty and rich. To balance out that... whatever it was... I honestly don't remember... she made a salmon recipe that her youngest son, Bobby came up with.
Well... I love salmon. And I love Bobby Deen. You know him, right? The one who goes on the show and is visibly unnerved by his mother's liberal use of butter? The one who talks about making the traditional dishes just a little bit healthier? The one who looked like he wanted to die when Paula said, "Rub your meat, rub your meat, rub your meat?"
Yeah... that one.
I kinda love him.
So when he speaks (or rather... Paula tells me a recipe came from him), I listen.
Without any more fanfare, here is the quick salmon bake that Paula shared and I modified...
First, I gathered the ingredients that I had... and the ingredients I was going to make do...
Paula used sage, rosemary, and thyme but said we could use any herb combination we liked. I pillaged the cabinets and decided on basil, parsley, and thyme. It worked.
Paula used a lemon but said Bobby liked oranges. I had a tangerine. It also worked.
The salmon, butter, and house seasoning (salt, pepper, and garlic powder) were all above board. So... let's do this thing:
Step 1: Place salmon on foil, add a little bit of butter, season with house seasoning and the three herbs.
Step 2: Top each piece of fish with three slices of your chosen citrus.
Step 3: Fold up salmon packets of goodness and bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes. Couldn't be easier.
Step 4: At 13 minutes, open up foil packaging and enjoy.
This salmon was flakey but moist. The tangerines provided a dynamite contrast to the fish. The butter... eh... didn't add much, perhaps because I use unsalted butter. Next time I'll swap it out for olive oil.
It was a good, protein rich dinner. And... this morning... I shredded and re-warmed the second piece of salmon, pulled the sections out of the tangerine slices, chopped up one hard-boiled egg and threw all of that on a toasted whole wheat English muffin.
Mmmmm... totally delicious.
Again, another big-ish breakfast that kept me happy all day long. I think I'm getting the hang of this eating and working out thing.
Maybe. I still need to figure out what to eat before my early morning workouts. I need the energy without the ew-I-just-ate-and-now-I'm-bouncing-around feeling.
I'll... umm... get back to you on that one. For now it's protein shakes... and that's not bad.
Yesterday was a mental health day. I chilled. I only put on shoes once and I didn't even cross the threshold of my front door.
Don't get me wrong... I did things. I cleaned up my apartment. I did my P90x workout for the day (oh hey, Kenpo!). I wrote a couple letters. I returned some calls. I also... watched a lot of Food Network.
I think I probably watched three different episodes of Paula Deen shows. It was a beautiful day.
Anyway... in one of those Paula Deen shows, she was in the kitchen with her son, Jamie, making something ridiculously fatty and rich. To balance out that... whatever it was... I honestly don't remember... she made a salmon recipe that her youngest son, Bobby came up with.
Well... I love salmon. And I love Bobby Deen. You know him, right? The one who goes on the show and is visibly unnerved by his mother's liberal use of butter? The one who talks about making the traditional dishes just a little bit healthier? The one who looked like he wanted to die when Paula said, "Rub your meat, rub your meat, rub your meat?"
Yeah... that one.
I kinda love him.
So when he speaks (or rather... Paula tells me a recipe came from him), I listen.
Without any more fanfare, here is the quick salmon bake that Paula shared and I modified...
First, I gathered the ingredients that I had... and the ingredients I was going to make do...
Paula used sage, rosemary, and thyme but said we could use any herb combination we liked. I pillaged the cabinets and decided on basil, parsley, and thyme. It worked.
Paula used a lemon but said Bobby liked oranges. I had a tangerine. It also worked.
The salmon, butter, and house seasoning (salt, pepper, and garlic powder) were all above board. So... let's do this thing:
Step 1: Place salmon on foil, add a little bit of butter, season with house seasoning and the three herbs.
Step 2: Top each piece of fish with three slices of your chosen citrus.
Step 3: Fold up salmon packets of goodness and bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes. Couldn't be easier.
Step 4: At 13 minutes, open up foil packaging and enjoy.
This salmon was flakey but moist. The tangerines provided a dynamite contrast to the fish. The butter... eh... didn't add much, perhaps because I use unsalted butter. Next time I'll swap it out for olive oil.
It was a good, protein rich dinner. And... this morning... I shredded and re-warmed the second piece of salmon, pulled the sections out of the tangerine slices, chopped up one hard-boiled egg and threw all of that on a toasted whole wheat English muffin.
Mmmmm... totally delicious.
Again, another big-ish breakfast that kept me happy all day long. I think I'm getting the hang of this eating and working out thing.
Maybe. I still need to figure out what to eat before my early morning workouts. I need the energy without the ew-I-just-ate-and-now-I'm-bouncing-around feeling.
I'll... umm... get back to you on that one. For now it's protein shakes... and that's not bad.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Eggs
Or... The true expense of P90x.
Today I did this workout...
for the first time. We did moves like the one you see pictured above. That's called "The Flying Heinsman." I'm not even kidding.
And I looooved it. It was very Jillian and I liked that. It felt like home.
So... I finished the workout, sweaty, exhausted, and very sore from yesterdays Chest, Back, Abs situation. Tony has mentioned this "recovery drink" mess a few times, but until that moment, I hadn't really considered it.
Well... I'm still not to the point of drinking sludge for fun, but I knew I needed protein... so to the P90x recipes I went!
I mixed a couple of recipes and came up with this:
6 egg whites (6?!)
about 6 grape tomatoes
3/4 oz mozzarella cheese
sprinkling of basil
And... when cracking and separating all those eggs... all I could think was...
In the end, I dropped about an egg white worth of the scramble on my left sneaker. Don't ask. And... I left about an egg white and a half on the plate. So... did I eat half a dozen egg whites after all? Nope.
There's always tomorrow.
Today I did this workout...
for the first time. We did moves like the one you see pictured above. That's called "The Flying Heinsman." I'm not even kidding.
And I looooved it. It was very Jillian and I liked that. It felt like home.
So... I finished the workout, sweaty, exhausted, and very sore from yesterdays Chest, Back, Abs situation. Tony has mentioned this "recovery drink" mess a few times, but until that moment, I hadn't really considered it.
Well... I'm still not to the point of drinking sludge for fun, but I knew I needed protein... so to the P90x recipes I went!
I mixed a couple of recipes and came up with this:
6 egg whites (6?!)
about 6 grape tomatoes
3/4 oz mozzarella cheese
sprinkling of basil
And... when cracking and separating all those eggs... all I could think was...
When I was a boy I ate four dozen eggs every morning to help me get large. Now I'm a man I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a barge!
In the end, I dropped about an egg white worth of the scramble on my left sneaker. Don't ask. And... I left about an egg white and a half on the plate. So... did I eat half a dozen egg whites after all? Nope.
There's always tomorrow.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Bagel Brunch!
I don't know what it is about bagels, but I love them.
Love, love, love them.
What else do I love?
Well, a lot of things. But for the purposes of this post... BRUNCH!
So, this week I picked up some bagels and this weekend, I had an Aha! moment.
Why can't I french toast a bagel?! Well... boys and girls... I can now tell you without any hesitation that there is no good reason why I (or you) can't french toast a bagel.
Walk this way.
Step 1: Turn on Grey's Anatomy (oh hai, Arizona!) and slice your bagel at least once. I sliced mine into 4 pieces. 3 would be perfect... but my bagel was pre-sliced. So... 4.
Step 2: Crack two eggs into a big, shallow bowl. Whisk them up with 1/2 tablespoon of milk, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon extract, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
Step 3: Dip a slice-o-bagel in the egg mixture, and fry it up.
Step 4: Reassemble the bagel as the slices are fried. Place in front of Grey's Anatomy episode still in progress.
Step 5: Add butter and syrup to taste. Enjoy the bagelly goodness.
Mmmm... I wholeheartedly approve.
What would be better? Some sort of fruit topping. Or filling. Or cream cheese filling with a fruit topping. Just saying.
Those bagelly layers are just screaming for something colorful and tasty. Hmm... I'll keep you posted.
Carry on, brunchers!
Love, love, love them.
What else do I love?
Well, a lot of things. But for the purposes of this post... BRUNCH!
So, this week I picked up some bagels and this weekend, I had an Aha! moment.
Why can't I french toast a bagel?! Well... boys and girls... I can now tell you without any hesitation that there is no good reason why I (or you) can't french toast a bagel.
Walk this way.
Step 1: Turn on Grey's Anatomy (oh hai, Arizona!) and slice your bagel at least once. I sliced mine into 4 pieces. 3 would be perfect... but my bagel was pre-sliced. So... 4.
Step 2: Crack two eggs into a big, shallow bowl. Whisk them up with 1/2 tablespoon of milk, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon extract, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
Step 3: Dip a slice-o-bagel in the egg mixture, and fry it up.
Step 4: Reassemble the bagel as the slices are fried. Place in front of Grey's Anatomy episode still in progress.
Step 5: Add butter and syrup to taste. Enjoy the bagelly goodness.
Mmmm... I wholeheartedly approve.
What would be better? Some sort of fruit topping. Or filling. Or cream cheese filling with a fruit topping. Just saying.
Those bagelly layers are just screaming for something colorful and tasty. Hmm... I'll keep you posted.
Carry on, brunchers!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Pizza and a Movie
Those of you who follow me on Twitter might remember my excitement a while back over getting a new neighbor. You might also remember that we had dinner a few weeks back. You might even remember that at this dinner we both confessed to being Twitter nerds and... well... tweeting about each other.
If you don't remember any of that, then I'd say you're either not reading or not retaining. Both things you should work on. Until then... I'll show you some pretty pictures and flashy videos and catch you up on what April, Amanda, and Amanda (mmhmm... we share a name) did last night.
We made Pillsbury's Easy Gyro Pizza and found that it was easy and definitely yum:
(if you're not about to click through that recipe link, I'll give you a heads up on the main ingredients: refrig pizza crust, sour cream, mozzarella, ground turkey, cucumber, tomato, feta, red onion)
While we digested, we gasped and cursed our way through Session 9:
A good time was had by all. We also exchanged Twitter info so that we can be real (internet) friends.
What did you kittens do on Friday night?
Oh, and who wants to be my Twitter friend? ; )
If you don't remember any of that, then I'd say you're either not reading or not retaining. Both things you should work on. Until then... I'll show you some pretty pictures and flashy videos and catch you up on what April, Amanda, and Amanda (mmhmm... we share a name) did last night.
We made Pillsbury's Easy Gyro Pizza and found that it was easy and definitely yum:
(if you're not about to click through that recipe link, I'll give you a heads up on the main ingredients: refrig pizza crust, sour cream, mozzarella, ground turkey, cucumber, tomato, feta, red onion)
While we digested, we gasped and cursed our way through Session 9:
A good time was had by all. We also exchanged Twitter info so that we can be real (internet) friends.
What did you kittens do on Friday night?
Oh, and who wants to be my Twitter friend? ; )
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Just a day in the life...
I don't have anything terribly witty or sugary to give you right now. What I do have is an early morning conversation with a friend. She'll forgive me. I hope.
Anyway... the other day I woke up angry. And with a very clear reason for that anger. Poor Bridget was online... so... the following conversation happened.
Anyway... the other day I woke up angry. And with a very clear reason for that anger. Poor Bridget was online... so... the following conversation happened.
The "me" is... well... me.
And this is why we're friends.
Ugh. And if, by reading my lyrical representation of that godforsaken song, you've gotten it stuck in your head too... then I'll give you the trick Bridget gave me shortly after we settled this authorial bit.
Yellow Submarine
You're welcome.
And this is why we're friends.
Ugh. And if, by reading my lyrical representation of that godforsaken song, you've gotten it stuck in your head too... then I'll give you the trick Bridget gave me shortly after we settled this authorial bit.
Yellow Submarine
You're welcome.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Do I have a problem?
Or a really impressive, 43 pair collection?
Related: My walk-in closet doesn't have a lot of room for walking.
Also related: Maybe if the economy takes my job, I can become a reality tv star.
Worth considering.
Help me out... Give me a frame of reference. How many pairs of shoes do you have?
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Chinese New Year Cupcakes!
or, "Valentine's Day is Nothing to Blog About"
This post is going to be a little bit out of keeping from my usual shtick. You see... the product I created this morning was not amazing. From the Cherry "Five Spice" Cake to the blue cinnamon cream cheese icing, nothing went quite right for me. Was it tasty? Not really. Is it something people will want to duplicate? Nah, gurl.
So why bore you with the play-by-play?
Exactly my conclusion.
I will say that the fortune cookie recipe (and procedure) is one you should definitely try. If you have... a lot of time... an excess of patience... and an obsessive compulsive desire to do the same thing many times in a row until you create five serviceable cookies that are maybe tasty. If that sounds like you, then hop over to Cheeky Kitchen's fortune cookie post. Heck... you'll probably want to check it out anyway... she makes it look easy.
If you're still with me, then I'm going to answer the age old question: How do I eat a cupcake with fortune cookie on top?
Come on, don't pretend like you haven't tossed and turned over this question. So many things to consider...
Anyway... I'm going to do the heavy lifting for you, because... well, I care about you. Here's what you should do:
1. Undress that sucker. Treat her like a lady, but like a lady you'd like better naked.
2. Careful not to disturb the cookie, take a bite of the cupcake. (If it's my cupcake, then take a moment to be disappointed in the lack of cherry-ness to the cake. Note the sad blah-ness of the icing, while you're at it.)
3. Gingerly (yeah... ginger was one of my five spices... It was actually a play on Chinese Five-Spice and not actually the spice called "Five-Spice." The fails just keep coming, don't they?) pluck the fortune cookie from it's icing bed.
4. Break open the cookie and behold thy fortune!
"Conditions are perfect"???
Hopefully I have at least one reader who caught the Flight of the Concords reference. But if you didn't catch it this time, you will next time. Enjoy...
(possibly NSFW if you work with children or stuffy people)
Wait a minute... I've objectified a baked good. I've failed to live up to expectations. I've mentioned feelings. I've quoted a love song (kinda?).
Dammit. This is totally a Valentine's Day post.
This post is going to be a little bit out of keeping from my usual shtick. You see... the product I created this morning was not amazing. From the Cherry "Five Spice" Cake to the blue cinnamon cream cheese icing, nothing went quite right for me. Was it tasty? Not really. Is it something people will want to duplicate? Nah, gurl.
So why bore you with the play-by-play?
Exactly my conclusion.
I will say that the fortune cookie recipe (and procedure) is one you should definitely try. If you have... a lot of time... an excess of patience... and an obsessive compulsive desire to do the same thing many times in a row until you create five serviceable cookies that are maybe tasty. If that sounds like you, then hop over to Cheeky Kitchen's fortune cookie post. Heck... you'll probably want to check it out anyway... she makes it look easy.
If you're still with me, then I'm going to answer the age old question: How do I eat a cupcake with fortune cookie on top?
Come on, don't pretend like you haven't tossed and turned over this question. So many things to consider...
Anyway... I'm going to do the heavy lifting for you, because... well, I care about you. Here's what you should do:
1. Undress that sucker. Treat her like a lady, but like a lady you'd like better naked.
2. Careful not to disturb the cookie, take a bite of the cupcake. (If it's my cupcake, then take a moment to be disappointed in the lack of cherry-ness to the cake. Note the sad blah-ness of the icing, while you're at it.)
3. Gingerly (yeah... ginger was one of my five spices... It was actually a play on Chinese Five-Spice and not actually the spice called "Five-Spice." The fails just keep coming, don't they?) pluck the fortune cookie from it's icing bed.
4. Break open the cookie and behold thy fortune!
"Conditions are perfect"???
Hopefully I have at least one reader who caught the Flight of the Concords reference. But if you didn't catch it this time, you will next time. Enjoy...
(possibly NSFW if you work with children or stuffy people)
Wait a minute... I've objectified a baked good. I've failed to live up to expectations. I've mentioned feelings. I've quoted a love song (kinda?).
Dammit. This is totally a Valentine's Day post.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Family Oddities, it is.
Interestingly enough, you all were most interested in my family.
Hmm... perhaps when I offered you this option, I should have had some funny little family stories in mind.
Let's see. I could tell you about my family's yearly tradition of lightlooking... but this year we worked that adventure down to about a 35 second experience.
I could tell you about my family's first experience with a turducken, or... as they referred to it "turkenducken", "churchucken", "urckenturd", and "just plain wrong." But... we were all pretty disappointed when we cut into it and found it was mostly turkey cutlets with some indistinguishable chicken and a duck nugget (I know... but I don't know what else to call just a tiny piece of duck meat).
I could also tell you about playing with mynephews third cousins and having my age guessed as 17, 60, and 23... in that order, and being told by a two foot tall, one year old that I'm short. But that is neither humorous nor particularly surprising.
What I will tell you about, dear readers, are the horror films that punctuated the time I spent at home with my family. For some reason, there were a lot them this Christmas. Not quite the idyllic white Christmas post you had in mind?
Perrrfect.
I'll start with my favorite, just in case this is the only review you read.
High Tension /Haute Tension (2003)
This French film is flawless. Perhaps that's a lot of praise to give away, but I don't pretend to know anything about legitimate film review, so I'm okay with that. Basically, two friends drive out to the country to spend some time studying and visiting the one girl's family. How-ev-er... before they even get a chance to see the farmhouse in the daylight, a crazy psycho killer makes life very interesting (and bloody) for both of them. The movie is disgusting, empowering, unnerving, and a really good time.
My recommendation: Watch it more than once. The second time with newbies. And please, please, please watch it in French with subtitles, if necessary. Dubbing is an extremely poor choice for this film. Anyway, once the good stuff starts to go down, there isn't much talking at all.
IT (1990)
Well... this Stephen King gem is a classic. And... that is about all I can say about it. My brother had been after IT since I arrived in VA (and probably long before that... but I wouldn't know), so when we started it just before I left to come back to GA we were all atwitter. Sadly, the clown is not that creepy, the "special effects" are laughable, the acting is subpar and overall the film seems to be more about the evils of bullying than the evils of that yellow-fanged clown. There are reasons you should watch IT though; John Boy (of The Walton's fame, duh) sports a rockin' ponytail but you totally wouldn't know it from the feathery banged front. It's like the ultimate party-in-the-back situation.
Caveat: I didn't finish IT. I watched the first DVD but started falling asleep about 20 minutes into the second DVD.
My recommendation:
Watch this clip, starting at 8:15, to see the most tender love story I've seen in a long time. And don't forget to admire the ponytail. See how you'd never guess it were there from the front? Amazing.
The Plague (2006)
Now this one is not so easy to peg as High Tension (love!) or IT (snore!). The Plague, an indy film about the reawakening of all children aged 10-19 who became catatonic a decade ago, boasts a cast that includes... James Van Der Beek... and no one else we've heard of. The previously catatonic teenagers closely resemble zombies and their killing is ritualized and creepy enough, but the production value of this piece is what really sets it apart. For instance, I'm pretty sure that they used a high school in the first third of the film, hung plastic along the interiors and posted a sign about renovations, and used that same high school as the sheriff's office of the 20 minutes of running-around-scared action.
My recommendation: Watch it with those friends who will help you create a Mystery Science Theater atmosphere. The best part of this movie for me was when my friend yelled out, "OH! She got her with the pants pistol!!!"
This Christmas I also kinda watched The Hills Have Eyes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, and another one that I can't even remember that involved zombies and a "To Be Continued" that has... well... yet to be continued. But... the three movies I presented you with here were the standouts for me.
Take away message of this Family Oddities post, Winter '09 edition: My family is odd. Given the opportunity to be together and have warm chestnut-roasting times, we will play nice during the daylight hours and do our very best to horrify each other come nightfall.
I'll leave you with a statement my dad very quietly made in the kitchen one night while my brother, sister, and their friends watched one of the Texas Chainsaw movies in the livingroom:
"Ya know, I have a chainsaw... "
Hmm... perhaps when I offered you this option, I should have had some funny little family stories in mind.
Let's see. I could tell you about my family's yearly tradition of lightlooking... but this year we worked that adventure down to about a 35 second experience.
I could tell you about my family's first experience with a turducken, or... as they referred to it "turkenducken", "churchucken", "urckenturd", and "just plain wrong." But... we were all pretty disappointed when we cut into it and found it was mostly turkey cutlets with some indistinguishable chicken and a duck nugget (I know... but I don't know what else to call just a tiny piece of duck meat).
I could also tell you about playing with my
What I will tell you about, dear readers, are the horror films that punctuated the time I spent at home with my family. For some reason, there were a lot them this Christmas. Not quite the idyllic white Christmas post you had in mind?
Perrrfect.
I'll start with my favorite, just in case this is the only review you read.
High Tension /Haute Tension (2003)
This French film is flawless. Perhaps that's a lot of praise to give away, but I don't pretend to know anything about legitimate film review, so I'm okay with that. Basically, two friends drive out to the country to spend some time studying and visiting the one girl's family. How-ev-er... before they even get a chance to see the farmhouse in the daylight, a crazy psycho killer makes life very interesting (and bloody) for both of them. The movie is disgusting, empowering, unnerving, and a really good time.
My recommendation: Watch it more than once. The second time with newbies. And please, please, please watch it in French with subtitles, if necessary. Dubbing is an extremely poor choice for this film. Anyway, once the good stuff starts to go down, there isn't much talking at all.
IT (1990)
Well... this Stephen King gem is a classic. And... that is about all I can say about it. My brother had been after IT since I arrived in VA (and probably long before that... but I wouldn't know), so when we started it just before I left to come back to GA we were all atwitter. Sadly, the clown is not that creepy, the "special effects" are laughable, the acting is subpar and overall the film seems to be more about the evils of bullying than the evils of that yellow-fanged clown. There are reasons you should watch IT though; John Boy (of The Walton's fame, duh) sports a rockin' ponytail but you totally wouldn't know it from the feathery banged front. It's like the ultimate party-in-the-back situation.
Caveat: I didn't finish IT. I watched the first DVD but started falling asleep about 20 minutes into the second DVD.
My recommendation:
Watch this clip, starting at 8:15, to see the most tender love story I've seen in a long time. And don't forget to admire the ponytail. See how you'd never guess it were there from the front? Amazing.
The Plague (2006)
Now this one is not so easy to peg as High Tension (love!) or IT (snore!). The Plague, an indy film about the reawakening of all children aged 10-19 who became catatonic a decade ago, boasts a cast that includes... James Van Der Beek... and no one else we've heard of. The previously catatonic teenagers closely resemble zombies and their killing is ritualized and creepy enough, but the production value of this piece is what really sets it apart. For instance, I'm pretty sure that they used a high school in the first third of the film, hung plastic along the interiors and posted a sign about renovations, and used that same high school as the sheriff's office of the 20 minutes of running-around-scared action.
My recommendation: Watch it with those friends who will help you create a Mystery Science Theater atmosphere. The best part of this movie for me was when my friend yelled out, "OH! She got her with the pants pistol!!!"
This Christmas I also kinda watched The Hills Have Eyes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, and another one that I can't even remember that involved zombies and a "To Be Continued" that has... well... yet to be continued. But... the three movies I presented you with here were the standouts for me.
Take away message of this Family Oddities post, Winter '09 edition: My family is odd. Given the opportunity to be together and have warm chestnut-roasting times, we will play nice during the daylight hours and do our very best to horrify each other come nightfall.
I'll leave you with a statement my dad very quietly made in the kitchen one night while my brother, sister, and their friends watched one of the Texas Chainsaw movies in the livingroom:
"Ya know, I have a chainsaw... "
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Ooopsy Daisies
Forgive me, readers, for I have sinned. It has been 30 days since my last blogpost.
There are many reasons for this, but let's just be real with each other... you don't care why I failed. You just want to know that I know, and that I'm going to try to do better.
Revision: I will do better. (In the words of the wise green one, "Do or do not. There is no try.")
So....
Ugh. Breaking the silence is so hard and uncomfortable. I'm gonna go ahead and let YouTube do the work for me.
My winter break in videos:
1. Single Ladies Gone Wrong
No introduction, no explanation. It's just that good. Enjoy it over and over.
2. "Dying Day", Brandi Carlile
I love this girl. So much. And she kept me company alllll semester through Pandora. It should be a surprise to no one that this song got stuck in my head as soon as I got on the first plane on December 10th.
3. "Sisters", White Christmas
Ladies and gentlemen, the Hanes sisters!
A friend of my sister's introduced her to this movie and I watched a bit of it with her over Christmas Eve and Day. I have not seen the whole movie through, but I have seen this one "Sisters" act about five times. It's appropriate both for the holiday and the sheer amount of time I've spent with my sister (and other family members) over the past few weeks.
4. "Sisters on the Lawrence Welk Show", SNL
I had no idea this skit sprung from the "Sisters" act on White Christmas. But having seen one, I can't leave you without sharing the other.
Lolve it. If you so much as say "with my by myself" around my dad, he'll lose it. I say this from experience.
Now... if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get to doing... something. Really anything that will get me away from this living room where my dad is enjoying who-knows-what on the Military channel.
But to you who read this post and decided to forgive me my absence... Thank you for being a friend.
Hmm... maybe I should embed some Golden Girls?
Nah, you know how I do.
There are many reasons for this, but let's just be real with each other... you don't care why I failed. You just want to know that I know, and that I'm going to try to do better.
Revision: I will do better. (In the words of the wise green one, "Do or do not. There is no try.")
So....
Ugh. Breaking the silence is so hard and uncomfortable. I'm gonna go ahead and let YouTube do the work for me.
My winter break in videos:
1. Single Ladies Gone Wrong
No introduction, no explanation. It's just that good. Enjoy it over and over.
2. "Dying Day", Brandi Carlile
I love this girl. So much. And she kept me company alllll semester through Pandora. It should be a surprise to no one that this song got stuck in my head as soon as I got on the first plane on December 10th.
3. "Sisters", White Christmas
Ladies and gentlemen, the Hanes sisters!
A friend of my sister's introduced her to this movie and I watched a bit of it with her over Christmas Eve and Day. I have not seen the whole movie through, but I have seen this one "Sisters" act about five times. It's appropriate both for the holiday and the sheer amount of time I've spent with my sister (and other family members) over the past few weeks.
4. "Sisters on the Lawrence Welk Show", SNL
I had no idea this skit sprung from the "Sisters" act on White Christmas. But having seen one, I can't leave you without sharing the other.
Lolve it. If you so much as say "with my by myself" around my dad, he'll lose it. I say this from experience.
Now... if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get to doing... something. Really anything that will get me away from this living room where my dad is enjoying who-knows-what on the Military channel.
But to you who read this post and decided to forgive me my absence... Thank you for being a friend.
Hmm... maybe I should embed some Golden Girls?
Nah, you know how I do.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thanksgiving: A Look Back
I'm sure this doesn't surprise you, but I love when people - usually news anchors or school administrators - develop instant nostalgia. You know... the way people talk about something that happened yesterday or maybe the day before with such awe and reverence that you start to question yourself and your lack of concern over that same, fairly insignificant event.
An example:
The Gosselins: Where are they now?
(Personally... I'd watch that special. I know it hasn't even been a week since their finale on Monday, but I miss them.)
Anyway, I'm already getting nostalgic about yesterday's Thanksgiving meal. It was... really quite good. I blame the chef.
Literally, my Thanksgiving meal was made by a friend who is a former executive and then restaurant chef.
We had...
The most moist, delicious, roast turkey I've ever had.
Also on the plate: roasted root vegetables, garlicky asparagus, melt-in-your-mouth onion, creamy mashed potatoes, and baked squash. Not pictured: amazing gravy made from reduced drippings, and cranberry pear relish spiked with orange Stoli.
Sigh.
Luckily, my nostalgia will be calmed a bit when I eat my plate of leftovers tonight.
And stay tuned for dessert. You can look forward to a better picture (and an explanation) of this guy...
And his awkwardly portioned friends.
What'd you eat yesterday? Thanksgiving or not... I'm just curious.
An example:
The Gosselins: Where are they now?
(Personally... I'd watch that special. I know it hasn't even been a week since their finale on Monday, but I miss them.)
Anyway, I'm already getting nostalgic about yesterday's Thanksgiving meal. It was... really quite good. I blame the chef.
Literally, my Thanksgiving meal was made by a friend who is a former executive and then restaurant chef.
We had...
The most moist, delicious, roast turkey I've ever had.
Also on the plate: roasted root vegetables, garlicky asparagus, melt-in-your-mouth onion, creamy mashed potatoes, and baked squash. Not pictured: amazing gravy made from reduced drippings, and cranberry pear relish spiked with orange Stoli.
Sigh.
Luckily, my nostalgia will be calmed a bit when I eat my plate of leftovers tonight.
And stay tuned for dessert. You can look forward to a better picture (and an explanation) of this guy...
And his awkwardly portioned friends.
What'd you eat yesterday? Thanksgiving or not... I'm just curious.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Stuff Amanda Likes: Folk Music
So, I'm sure you've all seen this book
and if you haven't, you should. Christian Lander started compiling Stuff White People like on his blog, and then put it all into one hilarious book. It's definitely worth a read.
Anyway... sometimes I think that you all just might like to know a bit about Stuff Amanda Likes. And... if you don't... then feel free to ignore this post and move on to higher blog ground.
Today's theme is... Folk Music
1. Girlyman, "Somewhere Different Now"
Since my true favorites are indy folk, it's hard to find good videos. Many of them end up coming from concerts, radio spots, or the like; you'll see that in the clips I've posted here. But... Girlyman is good however you can find them. Doris, Ty, and Nate combine harmonies with guitars, mandolins, congas, tamborines, and whatever they can find (seriously... I've seen Ty play a colander) to produce music that makes me weak in the knees.
And as far as Ty (the lead singer on this song) is concerned, it is my life goal to "bust up her hideout."
Fun Fact: Girlyman is based in Atlanta, Georgia, but the only time I've seen them in the flesh was in Portland, Maine.
2. The Wailin' Jennys, "One Voice"
Pandora introduced me to The Wailin' Jennys this semester over a stack of student papers. We hit it off immediately, and it isn't just their name that won me over. These women have gorgeous voices that they wrap around spirituals, hymns, ballads, Irish folk songs, and many of their own original songs. They're hard not to love.
Fun Fact: The Wailin' Jennys are responsible for "Calling All Angels", the song that plays at the end of Pay It Forward and reduces all living, breathing beings to puddles of weepy mess.
3. Nada Surf, "Blizzard of 77"
Now, I can't speak for all of Nada Surf's work. I've been told they were a flash in the pan in 1996 with the enormously annoying song, "Popular." I don't know that song and I don't care to. But "Blizzard of 77" and others I've heard like it have that earnest harmony that demands attention. It probably doesn't help that one of my smalltown friends plays this particular song every time she's in charge of the tunes.
Fun Fact: The last post on Nada Surf's blog was just over one year ago. In it, Matthew Caws expresses his concern over the upcoming presidential election and encourages readers to vote. These dudes are nothing if not current.
----
That's all for now. Just a few of my current must plays. If you have a minute, do check out Brandi Carlile's "Dreams" (embedding disabled, lives ruined). I'm serenaded by that one each time my phone rings.
and if you haven't, you should. Christian Lander started compiling Stuff White People like on his blog, and then put it all into one hilarious book. It's definitely worth a read.
Anyway... sometimes I think that you all just might like to know a bit about Stuff Amanda Likes. And... if you don't... then feel free to ignore this post and move on to higher blog ground.
Today's theme is... Folk Music
1. Girlyman, "Somewhere Different Now"
Since my true favorites are indy folk, it's hard to find good videos. Many of them end up coming from concerts, radio spots, or the like; you'll see that in the clips I've posted here. But... Girlyman is good however you can find them. Doris, Ty, and Nate combine harmonies with guitars, mandolins, congas, tamborines, and whatever they can find (seriously... I've seen Ty play a colander) to produce music that makes me weak in the knees.
And as far as Ty (the lead singer on this song) is concerned, it is my life goal to "bust up her hideout."
Fun Fact: Girlyman is based in Atlanta, Georgia, but the only time I've seen them in the flesh was in Portland, Maine.
2. The Wailin' Jennys, "One Voice"
Pandora introduced me to The Wailin' Jennys this semester over a stack of student papers. We hit it off immediately, and it isn't just their name that won me over. These women have gorgeous voices that they wrap around spirituals, hymns, ballads, Irish folk songs, and many of their own original songs. They're hard not to love.
Fun Fact: The Wailin' Jennys are responsible for "Calling All Angels", the song that plays at the end of Pay It Forward and reduces all living, breathing beings to puddles of weepy mess.
3. Nada Surf, "Blizzard of 77"
Now, I can't speak for all of Nada Surf's work. I've been told they were a flash in the pan in 1996 with the enormously annoying song, "Popular." I don't know that song and I don't care to. But "Blizzard of 77" and others I've heard like it have that earnest harmony that demands attention. It probably doesn't help that one of my smalltown friends plays this particular song every time she's in charge of the tunes.
Fun Fact: The last post on Nada Surf's blog was just over one year ago. In it, Matthew Caws expresses his concern over the upcoming presidential election and encourages readers to vote. These dudes are nothing if not current.
----
That's all for now. Just a few of my current must plays. If you have a minute, do check out Brandi Carlile's "Dreams" (embedding disabled, lives ruined). I'm serenaded by that one each time my phone rings.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Day 7: So Much Fail
7:
God's perfect number.
The punchline of this week's episode of Accidentally on Purpose.
The number of Gosselins I still find cute.
The day I started cheating on my 30 Day Plan to Separate Church and State.
And, if I had just cheated, I would have been able to apologize, punish myself, and get back on the horse tomorrow. The problem is that I justified checking my personal emails and sending a text or two because it didn't really disrupt my progress.
Hmph.
Anyway, back to it tomorrow. I'll be good. For the challenge, if nothing else.
God's perfect number.
The punchline of this week's episode of Accidentally on Purpose.
The number of Gosselins I still find cute.
The day I started cheating on my 30 Day Plan to Separate Church and State.
And, if I had just cheated, I would have been able to apologize, punish myself, and get back on the horse tomorrow. The problem is that I justified checking my personal emails and sending a text or two because it didn't really disrupt my progress.
Hmph.
Anyway, back to it tomorrow. I'll be good. For the challenge, if nothing else.
Monday, October 12, 2009
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Cakes
Update: Voting for Cupcake Hero is now open until October 21st at midnight. Check out the competition and vote here.
Complete credit for that winning title goes to my bff and former college roommate, Kira. This weekend Kira had the honor of being my first houseguest in Smalltown, Georgia. And... since Kira loves to bake as much as I do, we quickly decided to make some sort of complicated dessert happen while she was here.
And, in a perfect storm of blog contest deadlines and amazing thrift store finds, Kira and I decided to make A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Cakes.
In plain English, pumpkin and vanilla swirled cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese icing. As you might imagine, it takes a lot of ingredients to make that cake happen:
And there is just one more ingredient to pull the whole thing together...
Yes, indeed. A $7 Goodwill Cinderella costume.
Kira and I took turns wearing it while we made the cupcakes. Try not to be too jealous of our merriment. You could probably have just as much fun if you lightened up a bit.
Anyway... back to the cakes. We each tackled a batter. Kira made Billy's Vanilla halved by How to Eat a Cupcake and I was in charge of halving the Pumpkin Spice Cake by Joy of Baking.
Once the batters were ready, we got really fancy. I'd dropped and marbled and twirled and tie-dyed batters before, but I wanted these pumpkin swirl cakes to be more deliberately and artfully swirled. So... we filled two piping bags with our two batters, cut the tips, then dropped those two bags into a third bag with a large round tip.
And voila! A fairly labor intensive batter delivery method not for the faint of heart.
We made exactly 12 cupcakes and 24 minis.
In my opinion, it was all worth it. Look at that great loopy swirl! The swirl runs all the way down, around, and in the cupcakes. Ex-act-ly what I wanted. (yay!)
Once the cupcakes cooled, I made a quick cinnamon cream cheese buttercream. I used a brick of cold cream cheese, 5 tablespoons of softened butter, a splash of vanilla, and cinnamon to taste. Easy and delicious.
In keeping with our Cinderella theme, Cupcake Hero ingredient (pumpkin), Booo-tiful Cupcake Contest, we decorated 6 of the cupcakes with magical pumpkins just waiting to be turned into crystal carriages.
We topped the other 6 cupcakes with colored sugar, stars, and hearts and the next thing you know, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Cakes.
And just take a look at the cross-section shot. Adorable. I just can't say enough about this swirl and how pleased I am with it.
And while we're at it, the flavor and texture of these two cakes works together extremely well. The batters were similar in consistency, so they piped well side-by-side. The combination of pumpkin and vanilla is a wonderful one, I think. I love pumpkin, but I do like to temper it with something creamy - think whipped cream on pie - so the vanilla addition made me very happy.
I would very highly recommend making these for any sort of fall festivus. They are light, moist, soft, and so delicately pumpkin and spiced. Mmmm...
I just might have to go downstairs for a minute... and... ya know... have a cupcake.
Complete credit for that winning title goes to my bff and former college roommate, Kira. This weekend Kira had the honor of being my first houseguest in Smalltown, Georgia. And... since Kira loves to bake as much as I do, we quickly decided to make some sort of complicated dessert happen while she was here.
And, in a perfect storm of blog contest deadlines and amazing thrift store finds, Kira and I decided to make A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Cakes.
In plain English, pumpkin and vanilla swirled cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese icing. As you might imagine, it takes a lot of ingredients to make that cake happen:
And there is just one more ingredient to pull the whole thing together...
Yes, indeed. A $7 Goodwill Cinderella costume.
Kira and I took turns wearing it while we made the cupcakes. Try not to be too jealous of our merriment. You could probably have just as much fun if you lightened up a bit.
Anyway... back to the cakes. We each tackled a batter. Kira made Billy's Vanilla halved by How to Eat a Cupcake and I was in charge of halving the Pumpkin Spice Cake by Joy of Baking.
Once the batters were ready, we got really fancy. I'd dropped and marbled and twirled and tie-dyed batters before, but I wanted these pumpkin swirl cakes to be more deliberately and artfully swirled. So... we filled two piping bags with our two batters, cut the tips, then dropped those two bags into a third bag with a large round tip.
And voila! A fairly labor intensive batter delivery method not for the faint of heart.
We made exactly 12 cupcakes and 24 minis.
In my opinion, it was all worth it. Look at that great loopy swirl! The swirl runs all the way down, around, and in the cupcakes. Ex-act-ly what I wanted. (yay!)
Once the cupcakes cooled, I made a quick cinnamon cream cheese buttercream. I used a brick of cold cream cheese, 5 tablespoons of softened butter, a splash of vanilla, and cinnamon to taste. Easy and delicious.
In keeping with our Cinderella theme, Cupcake Hero ingredient (pumpkin), Booo-tiful Cupcake Contest, we decorated 6 of the cupcakes with magical pumpkins just waiting to be turned into crystal carriages.
We topped the other 6 cupcakes with colored sugar, stars, and hearts and the next thing you know, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Cakes.
And just take a look at the cross-section shot. Adorable. I just can't say enough about this swirl and how pleased I am with it.
And while we're at it, the flavor and texture of these two cakes works together extremely well. The batters were similar in consistency, so they piped well side-by-side. The combination of pumpkin and vanilla is a wonderful one, I think. I love pumpkin, but I do like to temper it with something creamy - think whipped cream on pie - so the vanilla addition made me very happy.
I would very highly recommend making these for any sort of fall festivus. They are light, moist, soft, and so delicately pumpkin and spiced. Mmmm...
I just might have to go downstairs for a minute... and... ya know... have a cupcake.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Too _____ to Live
My short stature is the big joke in my family. At a diminutive 5'1", I get all the Liliputian humor I can handle from just about everyone. Never mind the fact that they are no tall drinks of water themselves, my family just likes to remind me that I am, in fact, the shortest person around.
I really don't mind being short. I think it makes the overall package just a little bit cuter. But... when trying on clothes that are too long or trying to retrieve things from grocery store shelves, a particular Golden Girls clip quite often comes to mind.
Thanks to the almighty powers of YouTube, you don't have to suffer through my explanation of the thing. You can just watch it.
That's right. I'm too short to live.
My understanding of this fact was solidified recently when I decided that I need new tennis shoes.
Ugh.
I knew it wasn't going to be easy. You see... in keeping with my miniature condition, I have laughably small feet. And, though I wear "big girl" shoes every day, I wear youth-sized tennis shoes because adult tennis shoes just don't fit right.
So finding a pair of tennis shoes without sparkles, flowers, or lights on the back is tricky. And, sadly, I've fully given up on finding tennis shoes that are not pink.
Maybe it's something about Georgia, but on this most recent excursion, I found some real gems that I feel the need to share with you.
Exhibit A:
Elmo. ELMO. On my foot. I wish the picture weren't so horrible, but I think you can get the idea. EL-MO, people.
You want to know the saddest part? These shoes were ridiculously comfortable. So comfortable and supportive that I actually stood there and thought about whether I was gangster enough to pull off an Elmo New Balance. (I'm not.)
Exhibit B:
Cupcake Couture hightops. Again... not enough of a badass. But how h.o.t. are these kicks?!
Exhibit C:
Multi-colored Sperrys. Now... here we might have found the silver lining in all this. These shoes were real Sperrys, not those off-brands that look close, but they were half the price of legit Sperrys because they are youth sized.
These I also contemplated. And walked away from. I already feel like a prepenstein when I wear my tan Sperrys, I was worried I would feel like even more of a poser in the multi-colored ones.
So what do you think? Should I embrace my child-sized foot and wear some of these bossy sneaks with my head held high? Or... should I continue to try them on, laugh, take a picture, and walk away?
Oh, and for those interested, I didn't find new tennis shoes yet. The best fit was a girls Nike Shox pair in silver (ew) with hot pink shox (oy). Couldn't do it.
I really don't mind being short. I think it makes the overall package just a little bit cuter. But... when trying on clothes that are too long or trying to retrieve things from grocery store shelves, a particular Golden Girls clip quite often comes to mind.
Thanks to the almighty powers of YouTube, you don't have to suffer through my explanation of the thing. You can just watch it.
That's right. I'm too short to live.
My understanding of this fact was solidified recently when I decided that I need new tennis shoes.
Ugh.
I knew it wasn't going to be easy. You see... in keeping with my miniature condition, I have laughably small feet. And, though I wear "big girl" shoes every day, I wear youth-sized tennis shoes because adult tennis shoes just don't fit right.
So finding a pair of tennis shoes without sparkles, flowers, or lights on the back is tricky. And, sadly, I've fully given up on finding tennis shoes that are not pink.
Maybe it's something about Georgia, but on this most recent excursion, I found some real gems that I feel the need to share with you.
Exhibit A:
Elmo. ELMO. On my foot. I wish the picture weren't so horrible, but I think you can get the idea. EL-MO, people.
You want to know the saddest part? These shoes were ridiculously comfortable. So comfortable and supportive that I actually stood there and thought about whether I was gangster enough to pull off an Elmo New Balance. (I'm not.)
Exhibit B:
Cupcake Couture hightops. Again... not enough of a badass. But how h.o.t. are these kicks?!
Exhibit C:
Multi-colored Sperrys. Now... here we might have found the silver lining in all this. These shoes were real Sperrys, not those off-brands that look close, but they were half the price of legit Sperrys because they are youth sized.
These I also contemplated. And walked away from. I already feel like a prepenstein when I wear my tan Sperrys, I was worried I would feel like even more of a poser in the multi-colored ones.
So what do you think? Should I embrace my child-sized foot and wear some of these bossy sneaks with my head held high? Or... should I continue to try them on, laugh, take a picture, and walk away?
Oh, and for those interested, I didn't find new tennis shoes yet. The best fit was a girls Nike Shox pair in silver (ew) with hot pink shox (oy). Couldn't do it.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Name That Food!: The Big Reveal
Let me start by saying how much I love you guys. Some of my favorite guesses: Chick-fil-A nuggets (literally my first thought and I knew what it was), homemade pork rinds (that's possible?!), squid (you guys really overestimate my bravery), and breaded cauliflower (mmm... but no).
I think that the people who came closest were Kate ("It could also be some kind of dough") and Ash ("Perhaps something sweet?"). Close, ladies, but no cigar.
The bowl of mystery food is actually a mid-process shot of...
SUGAR/GINGER SNAP MASH-UP COOKIES
Right? Right? Look at this stack. Now look back at the bowl. See it?
For those of you who don't, follow me.
I originally named these "mash-ups" in the musical sense. As in taking two fab songs and mixing them together.
(Fun, isn't it? There are some pretty great mash ups out there. This one is only okay... but YouTube is tough.)
But... now that I am sitting down to blog the recipe, I can see that these cookies only really have one step.
And that step involves mashing up these two things.
I had a leftover half-log of sugar cookie dough that was begging for a bit of a spruce up. And since I first made Oreo Chocolate Chip cookies way back when, I've been dying to try a Ginger Snap infused something-else cookie.
*Light bulb.*
Literally just smash some ginger snaps in a plastic bag and dump them down over the sugar cookie dough. I probably used 1/2 cup of crumbs, I'd guess.
I broke up the cookie dough with a spoon and gave the dough a toss in the crumbs.
Voila! Mystery food. After taking several pictures of the mystery food, I mixed the dough and crumbs by hand. I then reformed the dough into two smaller logs and put it in the freezer for a few minutes for easy slicing.
Counter-clockwise from logs: Sugar/Ginger Snap Mash-Up Logs, 2-Layer Paula Dean Chocolate Sybil Turtle Cake (yes, friends), pizza crust, chicken breasts that will likely never be thawed and eaten, lemon sorbet, Tart with Honey frozen yogurt, Jack D.
After a quick slice and bake according to package directions, these cookies were done and fantastic.
He floats through the air with the greatest of ease...
(No? Just me? Okay...)
These cookies are tasty and really quite rewarding for the amount of work (not) involved. The ginger flavor is still strong even though it's dispersed throughout the sugar cookie dough. I like ginger snaps, so I'm not surprised that this sweeter version is okay by me too.
So what's the word? Are you disappointed with the reveal? Would you have rather seen me really jump out of the box and tackle squid? Or pork rinds?
I think that the people who came closest were Kate ("It could also be some kind of dough") and Ash ("Perhaps something sweet?"). Close, ladies, but no cigar.
The bowl of mystery food is actually a mid-process shot of...
SUGAR/GINGER SNAP MASH-UP COOKIES
Right? Right? Look at this stack. Now look back at the bowl. See it?
For those of you who don't, follow me.
I originally named these "mash-ups" in the musical sense. As in taking two fab songs and mixing them together.
(Fun, isn't it? There are some pretty great mash ups out there. This one is only okay... but YouTube is tough.)
But... now that I am sitting down to blog the recipe, I can see that these cookies only really have one step.
And that step involves mashing up these two things.
I had a leftover half-log of sugar cookie dough that was begging for a bit of a spruce up. And since I first made Oreo Chocolate Chip cookies way back when, I've been dying to try a Ginger Snap infused something-else cookie.
*Light bulb.*
Literally just smash some ginger snaps in a plastic bag and dump them down over the sugar cookie dough. I probably used 1/2 cup of crumbs, I'd guess.
I broke up the cookie dough with a spoon and gave the dough a toss in the crumbs.
Voila! Mystery food. After taking several pictures of the mystery food, I mixed the dough and crumbs by hand. I then reformed the dough into two smaller logs and put it in the freezer for a few minutes for easy slicing.
Counter-clockwise from logs: Sugar/Ginger Snap Mash-Up Logs, 2-Layer Paula Dean Chocolate Sybil Turtle Cake (yes, friends), pizza crust, chicken breasts that will likely never be thawed and eaten, lemon sorbet, Tart with Honey frozen yogurt, Jack D.
After a quick slice and bake according to package directions, these cookies were done and fantastic.
He floats through the air with the greatest of ease...
(No? Just me? Okay...)
These cookies are tasty and really quite rewarding for the amount of work (not) involved. The ginger flavor is still strong even though it's dispersed throughout the sugar cookie dough. I like ginger snaps, so I'm not surprised that this sweeter version is okay by me too.
So what's the word? Are you disappointed with the reveal? Would you have rather seen me really jump out of the box and tackle squid? Or pork rinds?
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