So, it's pretty much been forever since I posted. OK, so it's been since December. Still! That's a long time. Here's a brief recap of what has been going on.
December 20-31: Christmas (got an iPad!). New Year's Eve (saw my sisters).
January: Went to NC to see my bestie. Started spring semester.
February: Adopted a new dog (Sgt Pepper).
March: Work, school, sleep, repeat. Niece (Bestie's baby) was born!
April: Finally done with spring semester.
May 1-14: Saw Fluffy. Went to our 1st Brewers game of the season.
And now you're caught up.
You might notice some fairly big things in there. The first is that we adopted a new pup. If you're curious about Pepper, here's the description from the shelter: "Pepper is an approximately 10 year old mini
schnauzer and was a transfer from Adams County Humane Society. His owner
died and he was grieving and shutting down at the shelter, so they asked if we could take him for some more individual attention."
He lived most of his life in Kentucky, so he's not a fan of snow or winter. He's a tiny little thing (around 16 pounds at the vet in March), especially compared to Miss Maxine. He is an older dog and has health problems. He has a heart disease and, with it, a murmur. He's missing most of his front teeth (except for his ginormous canines), has a big bald spot on his back, and doesn't always have control of his bodily functions. He's thrown up more since we got him in February than Maxi has thrown up in the past year. And we have a vet appointment today where we'll probably be getting some blood work done to see how advanced his heart disease is and/or whether we can "fix" his bald patch.
On the plus side, Maxine is wonderful with him. They sleep in the crate together all day, and then Pepper sleeps in bed with us at night. He gets super excited for mealtime and loves to romp around outside (as long as the weather is good). For the first few weeks we had him, Pepper didn't make a sound (unless you count the wheezing noises he makes when he's relaxed). These days, he barks more than Maxi does, mostly out of excitement. He's still cautious around us, not completely trusting us, but he's opened up a lot since February and already we love him like he's always been part of our family.
The other important thing is that my new niece was born! Yes, I know, she's not technically my niece. But I am Aunt Riki, and that's good enough for me. If you want to know more about her, check out the Disney Hippy's blog for info and updates. Suffice it to say, she is one adorable, lucky, spoiled, and LOVED little girl. <3
Now that I'm on summer break, I should be back more often to update, but don't quote me on that. I do have my hands full with 2 pups in the house! Here's to my sanity...
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Friday, December 20, 2013
Covering Christmas
You might recall that I'm a bit of a music freak. You might also remember that I've already written a post about cover songs and how they aren't necessarily as terrible as everyone assumes. And it's also possible that you've read that I love me some Christmas music. Yes? OK.
Because of the nature of Christmas music, there are a LOT of covers out there. Most traditional songs don't really have an identifiable "original" version, and newer songs are still covered left and right because... well... Christmas! In other words, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Christmas cover. And that's OK.
Personally, I think there are some songs that are just meant to be covered, especially in the world of Christmas carols. A new take on a song can be a wonderful thing, and in some cases, it might make a less tolerable song something you actually enjoy listening to.
That being said, here are a couple of my favorite Christmas covers and what makes them so delightful.
1) "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as performed by Straight No Chaser. I previously wrote that the only version of this song I can listen to more than once a season is John Denver & The Muppets. Since that was written, though, I have discovered the magic of Straight No Chaser. (In fact, Hubby and I just saw them live this week for the first time! What an epic show they put on, too!) If you're looking for a traditional version of this song, then this isn't the version for you. But, if you're looking for a fun, goofy, new spin on it, you need to give it a listen. Now. On a related note, their version of "Wonderful Christmastime" with Sir Paul is also a great cover; not that I don't love the original, but there's something about a capella that just gets me, man.
2) "The Little Drummer Boy" as performed by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Hubby and I were in the car last weekend and I heard the beginning of this song and went to turn the radio down, saying, "Yeah, I just can't get into this song. It's not one of my favorites." And then I realized it was the Bing and Bowie version and turned it back up going, "Except for this version, because this version is epic!" Hubby laughed and told me I couldn't even hate something right, which I decided to take as a compliment. Anywhoozles, before this special existed, if you had told someone that Bing Crosby and David Bowie would be doing a duet together, most peoples' heads would have exploded from the sheer insanity of the idea. And then it happened. I'm pretty sure some heads did explode, but the song that resulted from this strange pairing is beyond what anyone could have imagined.
3) "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings" as performed by Barenaked Ladies featuring Sarah McLachlan. OK, this is technically two songs, but whatever. The point is that BNL took a couple of fairly traditional (and maybe a bit stuffy) Christmas songs and made them pretty freakin' cool. Partnering up with Sarah was a pretty genius move, too. Her vocals give back a touch of the traditional feel without going completely backwards. I love it.
4) "My Grown-Up Christmas List" as performed by Michael Bublé. I'm pretty sure he just makes everything sound dreamier. Other versions tend to get on my nerves, but Michael can bring it home like no one else.
5) "All I Want For Christmas Is You" as performed by Mariah Carey featuring Jimmy Fallon & The Roots. Is it still a cover if the same artist is performing it? Whatever. The point is that this version makes my heart happy and makes me feel warm inside. If this doesn't say Christmas, I don't know what does.
And there you have it!
What Christmas covers make the season merry and bright for you? Let me know so I can add them to my Christmas playlist! :)
Because of the nature of Christmas music, there are a LOT of covers out there. Most traditional songs don't really have an identifiable "original" version, and newer songs are still covered left and right because... well... Christmas! In other words, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Christmas cover. And that's OK.
Personally, I think there are some songs that are just meant to be covered, especially in the world of Christmas carols. A new take on a song can be a wonderful thing, and in some cases, it might make a less tolerable song something you actually enjoy listening to.
That being said, here are a couple of my favorite Christmas covers and what makes them so delightful.
1) "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as performed by Straight No Chaser. I previously wrote that the only version of this song I can listen to more than once a season is John Denver & The Muppets. Since that was written, though, I have discovered the magic of Straight No Chaser. (In fact, Hubby and I just saw them live this week for the first time! What an epic show they put on, too!) If you're looking for a traditional version of this song, then this isn't the version for you. But, if you're looking for a fun, goofy, new spin on it, you need to give it a listen. Now. On a related note, their version of "Wonderful Christmastime" with Sir Paul is also a great cover; not that I don't love the original, but there's something about a capella that just gets me, man.
2) "The Little Drummer Boy" as performed by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Hubby and I were in the car last weekend and I heard the beginning of this song and went to turn the radio down, saying, "Yeah, I just can't get into this song. It's not one of my favorites." And then I realized it was the Bing and Bowie version and turned it back up going, "Except for this version, because this version is epic!" Hubby laughed and told me I couldn't even hate something right, which I decided to take as a compliment. Anywhoozles, before this special existed, if you had told someone that Bing Crosby and David Bowie would be doing a duet together, most peoples' heads would have exploded from the sheer insanity of the idea. And then it happened. I'm pretty sure some heads did explode, but the song that resulted from this strange pairing is beyond what anyone could have imagined.
3) "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings" as performed by Barenaked Ladies featuring Sarah McLachlan. OK, this is technically two songs, but whatever. The point is that BNL took a couple of fairly traditional (and maybe a bit stuffy) Christmas songs and made them pretty freakin' cool. Partnering up with Sarah was a pretty genius move, too. Her vocals give back a touch of the traditional feel without going completely backwards. I love it.
4) "My Grown-Up Christmas List" as performed by Michael Bublé. I'm pretty sure he just makes everything sound dreamier. Other versions tend to get on my nerves, but Michael can bring it home like no one else.
5) "All I Want For Christmas Is You" as performed by Mariah Carey featuring Jimmy Fallon & The Roots. Is it still a cover if the same artist is performing it? Whatever. The point is that this version makes my heart happy and makes me feel warm inside. If this doesn't say Christmas, I don't know what does.
And there you have it!
What Christmas covers make the season merry and bright for you? Let me know so I can add them to my Christmas playlist! :)
Friday, December 28, 2012
Christmas 2012: We Survived (Part 2)
After opening presents, we finally headed upstairs for dinner (probably around 8:30 or so). I look forward to this dinner all year. Why? Because my mom makes some killer prime rib. Sides come and go, but the prime rib is always the star of the show. We had a minor issue during the cooking process this year that led to opening some windows to dissipate some smoke, but all's well that ends well, right?
We sat down to a fabulous dinner of prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, Brussels sprouts, baby red potatoes and a tomato dish with fresh mozzarella. A few minutes into the meal, I had a plate full of amazing food and was about to dig in when my mom reached for something and knocked over her glass. Her champagne drink landed all over the right side of my lap. Mom started apologizing and Dad started working on clean up. In the meantime, I was told not to move, so I sat there, a little cold and wet, and waited. Meanwhile, Hubby and Mam-maw were trying to situate the rest of the food on the table when my rum & coke got bumped and promptly spilled all over the left side of my lap. What did I do? The only thing I could. I laughed. I laughed hysterically. Dad told me to go change, so I put on pajama pants and a dirty shirt (just in case) and headed back up to dinner. The rest of the meal was largely uneventful, but it was tasty and wonderful and I was happy (and dry).
After we cleaned up a bit, we headed downstairs to finish off the evening. When everyone else had headed to bed, Hubby and I grabbed the puppers and headed over to pick up K to go through the local light display. Finally, a tradition that we could uphold! We went through twice, just because, and though it was short, it was nice to spend some more time with K. I slept a little better that night (probably because I started on the couch, instead of the floor), but morning still came too early for my liking.
Per our family tradition, Christmas morning is for Santa presents, so I handed out stockings and gifts for everyone (except the pooch; she'd already gotten all of her gifts). I got some fun socks and more puzzles (yay!!), and Hubby seemed happy with his new wallet and the sweet mouse shaped like a race car. There was little time to relax, though, as Mom's family was due over around two. After a quick shower and some setting up, we had a few minutes to breathe before the madness.
I should explain that I love my family to pieces. I don't mean to say that the madness was a bad thing. I'm just an introvert, and a group that big (all 14 or so of us) in one house (or sometimes in one room - eep!) can be a bit much for me. I tried to help Mom as much as I could (and as much as she'd let me), but there's only so much I could do in the kitchen with her. Around 2:30 or so we opened presents, and though the adults don't get much, I really liked what I did get. The ornaments that my cousin's kids helped make were adorable, and the hand warmers that my aunt made are perfect for shaking off a chill while I'm working. And, of course, the money from my Grampa is always appreciated. This year, we're using most of our Christmas money to go on a mini vacation up in Door County, just Hubby, the puppers and me. No work, no school, just us and a little cabin and whatever we want to do. :)
Even though she had cleaned the oven to prevent it, Mom had another cooking incident that led to windows and doors getting opened. This one was even smokier than Christmas Eve, and when Dad opened the garage door to get some air moving through, we definitely felt it downstairs. Even so, dinner was fantastic. Mom made a HUGE turkey (24 pounds!), lots of stuffing, potatoes, etc. We had left over salad and cheese from the funeral, one of my aunts brought rolls, my cousin brought green bean casserole, and with the massive amounts of cookies in the house, I strongly doubt anyone left hungry.
After dinner, my cousin's kids wanted to play a game, so we played Words With Friends. Yep. They have a board game edition now. Picture Scrabble with a slightly smaller board, some differences in point assignments by letter, and change where the extra score points are. There you have it. We played with partners, for the most part. Me not so much, since Hubby sat on the couch and my aunt decided we were too mean to play with. We didn't keep score, but we still had fun.
By around 7 o'clock, it was back to the 5 of us (plus Maxi). We spent a little time chatting and unwinding from the day, but Hubby and I still had to drive back to Milwaukee, so we couldn't stay too long. The drive home wasn't too bad (at least I assume; I was sleeping for most of it). We got the car unpacked, but not much more. I was pretty tired, so I lounged a bit before heading to bed. Then it was lights out for Miss Riki.
Working the day after Christmas is always a bum deal, but at least it was mostly quiet. I still have some wrapping to do, since my Hubby's family Christmas is tomorrow, but at least I'm not helping to host anything else. As wonderful of a holiday as it was, I need a break from all that. In fact, tonight I plan to be my introverted self and enjoy some me time while Hubby goes to the cigar bar to use one of his gifts. :)
Hope you all had a great holiday, and that 2013 begins a new year with lots of love, health and happiness. <3
We sat down to a fabulous dinner of prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, Brussels sprouts, baby red potatoes and a tomato dish with fresh mozzarella. A few minutes into the meal, I had a plate full of amazing food and was about to dig in when my mom reached for something and knocked over her glass. Her champagne drink landed all over the right side of my lap. Mom started apologizing and Dad started working on clean up. In the meantime, I was told not to move, so I sat there, a little cold and wet, and waited. Meanwhile, Hubby and Mam-maw were trying to situate the rest of the food on the table when my rum & coke got bumped and promptly spilled all over the left side of my lap. What did I do? The only thing I could. I laughed. I laughed hysterically. Dad told me to go change, so I put on pajama pants and a dirty shirt (just in case) and headed back up to dinner. The rest of the meal was largely uneventful, but it was tasty and wonderful and I was happy (and dry).
After we cleaned up a bit, we headed downstairs to finish off the evening. When everyone else had headed to bed, Hubby and I grabbed the puppers and headed over to pick up K to go through the local light display. Finally, a tradition that we could uphold! We went through twice, just because, and though it was short, it was nice to spend some more time with K. I slept a little better that night (probably because I started on the couch, instead of the floor), but morning still came too early for my liking.
Per our family tradition, Christmas morning is for Santa presents, so I handed out stockings and gifts for everyone (except the pooch; she'd already gotten all of her gifts). I got some fun socks and more puzzles (yay!!), and Hubby seemed happy with his new wallet and the sweet mouse shaped like a race car. There was little time to relax, though, as Mom's family was due over around two. After a quick shower and some setting up, we had a few minutes to breathe before the madness.
I should explain that I love my family to pieces. I don't mean to say that the madness was a bad thing. I'm just an introvert, and a group that big (all 14 or so of us) in one house (or sometimes in one room - eep!) can be a bit much for me. I tried to help Mom as much as I could (and as much as she'd let me), but there's only so much I could do in the kitchen with her. Around 2:30 or so we opened presents, and though the adults don't get much, I really liked what I did get. The ornaments that my cousin's kids helped make were adorable, and the hand warmers that my aunt made are perfect for shaking off a chill while I'm working. And, of course, the money from my Grampa is always appreciated. This year, we're using most of our Christmas money to go on a mini vacation up in Door County, just Hubby, the puppers and me. No work, no school, just us and a little cabin and whatever we want to do. :)
Even though she had cleaned the oven to prevent it, Mom had another cooking incident that led to windows and doors getting opened. This one was even smokier than Christmas Eve, and when Dad opened the garage door to get some air moving through, we definitely felt it downstairs. Even so, dinner was fantastic. Mom made a HUGE turkey (24 pounds!), lots of stuffing, potatoes, etc. We had left over salad and cheese from the funeral, one of my aunts brought rolls, my cousin brought green bean casserole, and with the massive amounts of cookies in the house, I strongly doubt anyone left hungry.
After dinner, my cousin's kids wanted to play a game, so we played Words With Friends. Yep. They have a board game edition now. Picture Scrabble with a slightly smaller board, some differences in point assignments by letter, and change where the extra score points are. There you have it. We played with partners, for the most part. Me not so much, since Hubby sat on the couch and my aunt decided we were too mean to play with. We didn't keep score, but we still had fun.
By around 7 o'clock, it was back to the 5 of us (plus Maxi). We spent a little time chatting and unwinding from the day, but Hubby and I still had to drive back to Milwaukee, so we couldn't stay too long. The drive home wasn't too bad (at least I assume; I was sleeping for most of it). We got the car unpacked, but not much more. I was pretty tired, so I lounged a bit before heading to bed. Then it was lights out for Miss Riki.
Working the day after Christmas is always a bum deal, but at least it was mostly quiet. I still have some wrapping to do, since my Hubby's family Christmas is tomorrow, but at least I'm not helping to host anything else. As wonderful of a holiday as it was, I need a break from all that. In fact, tonight I plan to be my introverted self and enjoy some me time while Hubby goes to the cigar bar to use one of his gifts. :)
Hope you all had a great holiday, and that 2013 begins a new year with lots of love, health and happiness. <3
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Christmas 2012: We Survived (Part 1)
Not the Mayan apocalypse; I already planned on surviving that. But the rest of the holiday, I just wasn't sure.
Let's go back to last Wednesday, the 19th. Things were going fine until I got a call from my mom. She had three things to tell me, and none of them were terribly positive.
The first was that because of the snow Madison was about to get on Thursday, no one was going to be able to pick my Grampa up from the airport here in Milwaukee. OK, no big deal, we can handle that. Mom booked him a hotel room (we don't have a proper guest room, and I doubt Grampa wanted to sleep on our sleeper sofa or the futon) and all we had to do was pick him up when his flight landed on Thursday around 3:50. Sweet. Sad that Grampa would have to spend the night in a hotel in MKE, but at least we could help.
The second was that Mam-maw (my dad's mom) - who is staying with my parents right now - had gotten in on the 15th, but had already been in the hospital. Ugh. She was dehydrated and sick, but fortunately my dad was able to go pick her up that afternoon and take her back to their house. Again, not good that she was sick, but good that she was being released.
The third had no up-side. My aunt's husband (my uncle through marriage) had been in a car accident and had died. That one made my heart ache. My aunt is one of the nicest, sweetest people you could know (a lot like Mom) and to know something so terrible had happened made the world seem wrong. Even worse was when I found articles online about the accident; it wasn't really a car wreck, it was a "freak accident" that killed him. There are so many questions that might never get answered, and I'm afraid the hurt will stick around for a long, long time.
On Thursday, the snow storm hit Madison, but we only got rain here for most of the day. Regardless, Grampa's flight ended up getting canceled, and Mom had to make arrangements for him to stay at the airport in Orlando and to get another flight booked (which meant Mom was on hold for almost an hour and a half). After my lunch break, Hubby asked me to check our basement for flooding, since a coworker of his was having some issues. I ran downstairs to check, didn't find any water, and came back to work, only to find that my internet was out. Poor Hubby spent about 2 hours trying to help me troubleshoot (via text and phone call), but to no avail. He called our provider, but they couldn't get out to the house until 2 PM on Friday. Great. There goes the rest of my work week.
Even better was when the guy came and figure out what had happened. Our internet amplifier is in the basement and, for whatever reason, is hooked up to a light switch in the back room. (See where this is going?) When I had gone down to check on the flooding situation, I had flipped the switch, but when nothing happened, I assumed the bulb was out and I just moved on. Instead, I had essentially turned off our connection. (Insert facepalm here.) Thankfully, it turned out that had been only part of the problem; we also had a cable that had gone bad, and had he not figured that out, I might've gone insane trying to make our internet work on my desktop. Aye yi yi.
On the plus side, I got to spend Friday wrapping presents and finishing up crafts. I watched a couple of movies on demand (Mr. Poppers Penguins was pretty sweet) and cleaned some things up a bit. That cleared up some time on Saturday, which means I had time to make all 3 kinds of cookies I'd set out to bake. I made Oreo truffles, peppermint pinwheels, and meringue cookies with mini M&Ms (they were out of the dark chocolate and mint pieces by the time we went shopping). Unlike last year's meringue cookies, these didn't turn out to be globs of gooey messiness, so that was nice. And the Oreo truffles are kind of like crack (my dad told my family that the first one's free, but the rest are $20 each). And Mom really liked the pinwheels, which made me happy. Saturday evening, K got into town, and that night, she and S came by and we went out for dinner. I love having time with my sisters, and dinner was just what I needed.
Sunday we drove into Madison. Our original plan was to have our traditional dinner and gift exchange with K that night, but instead we went to my uncle's visitation and funeral. It was actually nice to spend some time with my family and it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I'd imagined (except for the chairs, which were terribly uncomfortable; Hubby's leg even went numb at one point). We also got to have some awesome Italian food after the service (thank you, Biaggi's!), some of which we got to take home as leftovers. That night, we had a fire in the family room and sat around to enjoy it, just Mom, Dad, Hubby, Mam-maw and I.
Christmas Eve Day meant more cookies! My mom made the traditional sugar cookie dough, and I rolled it out, used the cookie cutters and baked them up. While we let them sit, Hubby and I headed to grab some lunch (more Italian food; I'm not Italian, but I think my taste buds are) and then to the grocery store where K and S were ringing bells for the Salvation Army. Mom gave me $5 to donate (I give my money elsewhere) and we picked up some raisin bread for Mam-maw. When we got home, I made frosting and Hubby and I decorated the sugar cookies. We got to relax for a bit after that, and then eventually we opened presents (before dinner this year; another tradition broken). Hubby got me season 1 of Sherlock on DVD, Dumbo on blu-ray, and a couple other fun things. I also got a puzzle, a beautiful scarf, and we got a ginormous generator. Dad told us the idea was originally for camping, but that the unit he got was a bit bulkier than he anticipated, so we were given the option of keeping it or returning it to Gander Mountain and using the money for other camping stuff. (We're not 100% decided yet, but I think we're leaning toward returning it and getting a new tent and some other things.) Everyone seemed to be happy with their presents, and that's all I could really hope for.
More to come.
Let's go back to last Wednesday, the 19th. Things were going fine until I got a call from my mom. She had three things to tell me, and none of them were terribly positive.
The first was that because of the snow Madison was about to get on Thursday, no one was going to be able to pick my Grampa up from the airport here in Milwaukee. OK, no big deal, we can handle that. Mom booked him a hotel room (we don't have a proper guest room, and I doubt Grampa wanted to sleep on our sleeper sofa or the futon) and all we had to do was pick him up when his flight landed on Thursday around 3:50. Sweet. Sad that Grampa would have to spend the night in a hotel in MKE, but at least we could help.
The second was that Mam-maw (my dad's mom) - who is staying with my parents right now - had gotten in on the 15th, but had already been in the hospital. Ugh. She was dehydrated and sick, but fortunately my dad was able to go pick her up that afternoon and take her back to their house. Again, not good that she was sick, but good that she was being released.
The third had no up-side. My aunt's husband (my uncle through marriage) had been in a car accident and had died. That one made my heart ache. My aunt is one of the nicest, sweetest people you could know (a lot like Mom) and to know something so terrible had happened made the world seem wrong. Even worse was when I found articles online about the accident; it wasn't really a car wreck, it was a "freak accident" that killed him. There are so many questions that might never get answered, and I'm afraid the hurt will stick around for a long, long time.
On Thursday, the snow storm hit Madison, but we only got rain here for most of the day. Regardless, Grampa's flight ended up getting canceled, and Mom had to make arrangements for him to stay at the airport in Orlando and to get another flight booked (which meant Mom was on hold for almost an hour and a half). After my lunch break, Hubby asked me to check our basement for flooding, since a coworker of his was having some issues. I ran downstairs to check, didn't find any water, and came back to work, only to find that my internet was out. Poor Hubby spent about 2 hours trying to help me troubleshoot (via text and phone call), but to no avail. He called our provider, but they couldn't get out to the house until 2 PM on Friday. Great. There goes the rest of my work week.
Even better was when the guy came and figure out what had happened. Our internet amplifier is in the basement and, for whatever reason, is hooked up to a light switch in the back room. (See where this is going?) When I had gone down to check on the flooding situation, I had flipped the switch, but when nothing happened, I assumed the bulb was out and I just moved on. Instead, I had essentially turned off our connection. (Insert facepalm here.) Thankfully, it turned out that had been only part of the problem; we also had a cable that had gone bad, and had he not figured that out, I might've gone insane trying to make our internet work on my desktop. Aye yi yi.
On the plus side, I got to spend Friday wrapping presents and finishing up crafts. I watched a couple of movies on demand (Mr. Poppers Penguins was pretty sweet) and cleaned some things up a bit. That cleared up some time on Saturday, which means I had time to make all 3 kinds of cookies I'd set out to bake. I made Oreo truffles, peppermint pinwheels, and meringue cookies with mini M&Ms (they were out of the dark chocolate and mint pieces by the time we went shopping). Unlike last year's meringue cookies, these didn't turn out to be globs of gooey messiness, so that was nice. And the Oreo truffles are kind of like crack (my dad told my family that the first one's free, but the rest are $20 each). And Mom really liked the pinwheels, which made me happy. Saturday evening, K got into town, and that night, she and S came by and we went out for dinner. I love having time with my sisters, and dinner was just what I needed.
Sunday we drove into Madison. Our original plan was to have our traditional dinner and gift exchange with K that night, but instead we went to my uncle's visitation and funeral. It was actually nice to spend some time with my family and it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I'd imagined (except for the chairs, which were terribly uncomfortable; Hubby's leg even went numb at one point). We also got to have some awesome Italian food after the service (thank you, Biaggi's!), some of which we got to take home as leftovers. That night, we had a fire in the family room and sat around to enjoy it, just Mom, Dad, Hubby, Mam-maw and I.
Christmas Eve Day meant more cookies! My mom made the traditional sugar cookie dough, and I rolled it out, used the cookie cutters and baked them up. While we let them sit, Hubby and I headed to grab some lunch (more Italian food; I'm not Italian, but I think my taste buds are) and then to the grocery store where K and S were ringing bells for the Salvation Army. Mom gave me $5 to donate (I give my money elsewhere) and we picked up some raisin bread for Mam-maw. When we got home, I made frosting and Hubby and I decorated the sugar cookies. We got to relax for a bit after that, and then eventually we opened presents (before dinner this year; another tradition broken). Hubby got me season 1 of Sherlock on DVD, Dumbo on blu-ray, and a couple other fun things. I also got a puzzle, a beautiful scarf, and we got a ginormous generator. Dad told us the idea was originally for camping, but that the unit he got was a bit bulkier than he anticipated, so we were given the option of keeping it or returning it to Gander Mountain and using the money for other camping stuff. (We're not 100% decided yet, but I think we're leaning toward returning it and getting a new tent and some other things.) Everyone seemed to be happy with their presents, and that's all I could really hope for.
More to come.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Bring on the Turkey!
Nov. 22 - On Thanksgiving Day, I was thankful for...
Thanksgiving Day!
In my family, we don't really treat Thanksgiving like a big holiday. Once or twice we made an event of it, but more often than not, it was just my parents and me. These days that includes Hubby and Maxine, but the concept is the same. We watch the Macy's parade in the morning, then it's on to the dog show or football (depending on which seems more important at the time; this year the dog show won). We spend the afternoon lounging around and hanging out as a family. Then we have dinner around 7 or so and dessert after that. Ta-da!
This year we went out for a bit in the afternoon so Hubby could play disc golf. It was a beautiful day, but unfortunately 1) it was windy as hell and 2) the course didn't allow dogs. So he shot 3 or 4 holes and we headed back to the car. The one thing I'm disappointed about is that we didn't do our annual hand turkey drawings (you know what I'm talking about; tracing your hand and then decorating it until it loosely resembles a turkey). We have them from every year since 2006, but this year I totally forgot. :(
It was still a successful and relaxing day, though, so I can't be too upset. It was an excuse to hang out with my parents, have a fire in the fireplace, lounge around and eat a ton of great food. Definitely thankful for that.
Nov. 23 - On Friday, I was thankful for...
Glasses.
If you don't have glasses, you probably don't understand. If you do, then hopefully you feel the same way.
I wanted glasses SO BAD when I was a kid. Silly me. I didn't really need them; I had some astigmatism, but my sight was mostly fine. In high school, I wore them for 6 months straight on an agreement with my parents that at the end of the 6 months, I could get colored contacts. I went through 3 or 4 glasses cases (they kept breaking in my backpack) and at least 2 sets of frames, but I made it. I don't think they knew how badly I wanted those contacts... Anywhoozles, I got these crazy aqua contacts (I wanted brown, but when my pupils constricted, you could see the grey of my eyes and it looked weird). People were always complimenting my eyes, and I loved it. For awhile.
Then I got tired of contacts, and just went without. I'd slip them on occasionally when I was on the computer for a long time or if I was driving somewhere unfamiliar at night. Otherwise, they just sat in their case (a nice, strong one). I started wearing them more frequently when I got my job in 2005, and in 2007, I decided to get a new pair. Hubby helped pick them out, and I've been wearing them since.
Now when I take my glasses off, I'm reminded of how nice it is to be able to see clearly. Sure, they get smudged, and I wish they had wipers for rain and snow. And they slip down my nose when I'm sweating. And if I want to wear sunglasses, I have to change into my (non-colored) contacts. But they let me see the world the way it's meant to be seen; crisp and clear and colorful. Everything is easier to read, and glasses are WAY more attractive than squinting all the time. Plus, they help get rid of some of my headaches, which is worth a post all by itself!
So, yes, I'm stuck with glasses. Probably for the rest of my life. But I can see, and for that, I'm thankful.
P.S. As an alternative, I'm also thankful that I'm not crazy enough to participate in Black Friday. Sleeping in FTW! :)
Thanksgiving Day!
In my family, we don't really treat Thanksgiving like a big holiday. Once or twice we made an event of it, but more often than not, it was just my parents and me. These days that includes Hubby and Maxine, but the concept is the same. We watch the Macy's parade in the morning, then it's on to the dog show or football (depending on which seems more important at the time; this year the dog show won). We spend the afternoon lounging around and hanging out as a family. Then we have dinner around 7 or so and dessert after that. Ta-da!
This year we went out for a bit in the afternoon so Hubby could play disc golf. It was a beautiful day, but unfortunately 1) it was windy as hell and 2) the course didn't allow dogs. So he shot 3 or 4 holes and we headed back to the car. The one thing I'm disappointed about is that we didn't do our annual hand turkey drawings (you know what I'm talking about; tracing your hand and then decorating it until it loosely resembles a turkey). We have them from every year since 2006, but this year I totally forgot. :(
It was still a successful and relaxing day, though, so I can't be too upset. It was an excuse to hang out with my parents, have a fire in the fireplace, lounge around and eat a ton of great food. Definitely thankful for that.
Nov. 23 - On Friday, I was thankful for...
Glasses.
If you don't have glasses, you probably don't understand. If you do, then hopefully you feel the same way.
I wanted glasses SO BAD when I was a kid. Silly me. I didn't really need them; I had some astigmatism, but my sight was mostly fine. In high school, I wore them for 6 months straight on an agreement with my parents that at the end of the 6 months, I could get colored contacts. I went through 3 or 4 glasses cases (they kept breaking in my backpack) and at least 2 sets of frames, but I made it. I don't think they knew how badly I wanted those contacts... Anywhoozles, I got these crazy aqua contacts (I wanted brown, but when my pupils constricted, you could see the grey of my eyes and it looked weird). People were always complimenting my eyes, and I loved it. For awhile.
Then I got tired of contacts, and just went without. I'd slip them on occasionally when I was on the computer for a long time or if I was driving somewhere unfamiliar at night. Otherwise, they just sat in their case (a nice, strong one). I started wearing them more frequently when I got my job in 2005, and in 2007, I decided to get a new pair. Hubby helped pick them out, and I've been wearing them since.
Now when I take my glasses off, I'm reminded of how nice it is to be able to see clearly. Sure, they get smudged, and I wish they had wipers for rain and snow. And they slip down my nose when I'm sweating. And if I want to wear sunglasses, I have to change into my (non-colored) contacts. But they let me see the world the way it's meant to be seen; crisp and clear and colorful. Everything is easier to read, and glasses are WAY more attractive than squinting all the time. Plus, they help get rid of some of my headaches, which is worth a post all by itself!
So, yes, I'm stuck with glasses. Probably for the rest of my life. But I can see, and for that, I'm thankful.
P.S. As an alternative, I'm also thankful that I'm not crazy enough to participate in Black Friday. Sleeping in FTW! :)
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Sweets & Treats
Halloween: It's all about the candy.
OK, not entirely true. It's about dressing up, having fun, carving pumpkins, getting scared (in a fun way), hanging out with friends, and (in the Midwest anyway) having one last hurrah before winter comes in and puts the kibosh on fall fun.
But the treats are where it's really at.
If you were big into trick-or-treating like yours truly, you usually had some kind of game plan. You knew which houses to avoid (like the dentist who always gave out those plastic vampire teeth and - not even kidding - toothbrushes) and which to hit early in the night (the awesome couple who gave out full or king size candy bars every year). To ensure maximum candy collection, you might have decided ahead of time who would ring the doorbell at each house or might have gotten the largest pillowcase you could find in hopes of filling it to the top (a goal that I sadly never reached). No matter what, the highlight of Halloween was checking out the loot at the end of the night.
Being a particularly quirky kid, I didn't settle for pouring out my candy and eating it right then and there. No, I had other plans. I would pour out the candy, grab a pen and paper, and tally up all the goods. I'd make piles of each brand and mark them down as I went. By the end, I knew exactly how many Reeses cups or Twizzlers I had and knew the overall candy count from the night's haul.
Why? Two reasons. First is that I'm just OCD. I love making lists and taking inventory. Seriously. Second reason was for trading purposes. If someone had something I wanted, I knew how many of which candies I had to barter with. Say someone had a delicious 100 Grand bar. I could check my list and see that I had plenty of Kit-Kats to spare (which, while tasty, are not among my favorites). Likewise, if someone wanted my Nestle Crunch and I only had 2, I knew that trading wasn't an option (love me some Crunch!).
My parents never had to worry about me eating candy while out and about that night because it would have thrown off my overall count, and I couldn't have that. (How did my parents not realize I was OCD??) So whenever those stories came out about kids eating candy that had needles in them, my parents got to relax, knowing they would be able to check my stash before any of it was consumed.
That having been said, today I will share with you my top 5 tips for successful trick-or-treating. You might be "too old" to go for yourself, but you can pass these along to any kids or teens who may want the inside scoop from a seasoned veteran.
1) Start early, stay late. This comes with a few caveats. Don't start before it's dark; that's when the little guys and gals get their turns. Likewise, if you know a family has little ones, they might not be home when you first start, so plan accordingly. And don't go too late. Remember the golden rule of trick-or-treating: If the lights are on, you're good to go; if the lights are gone, the answer's no. My best advice is to head out just after it gets dark (use whatever gauge you want; I like to use the street lights as my guide) and go no later than 9. Most houses will be done closer to 8, but any that are still going after that are likely to give you more candy since the night is winding down.
2) Keep your group smaller. I know, you have a huge group of friends and you all want to go together. That's fine, but it may slow you down. Slow = less candy. If you have a big group, consider breaking into two smaller groups as you go down the street. One group can start on one side and the other on the opposite side. When you're at the end, switch and meet back up at the other end. You don't have to keep the same groups every street, and you can typically move faster when there are fewer people to get through the process at each house.
3) Be polite. It doesn't sound like much, but think about it. If there's a group of younger kids heading to the same house as you, and you rush up to beat them, do you really think you're going to get more candy? No way. Let the little ones go first. They usually don't take much candy (so they're probably not going to run out before they get to you) AND the treat-givers are more likely to be generous if they see that you let the others go first. This is especially important the older (or taller) you are. Some people are weird about older kids on Halloween, so being nice and polite will give you the best odds at candy collection. Oh, and remember to thank people for candy. They don't have to give it to you.
4) Be enthusiastic! Seriously. If you show up at my door and mumble, "Trick or treat" or just stand there and look at me while holding your bag out or grabbing at the bowl in my hands, I'm not going to be inclined to shower you with candy. Same if you show up with little to no costume on (a scary mask while you're wearing a sweatshirt and jeans is not a costume). Put some effort into the night; it's a holiday for crying out loud! It's almost as much for the candy givers as the candy takers. I didn't realize that until I was an adult, but it's true. I love to see the creativity that comes along on Halloween, and I get a kick out of kids who are beyond thrilled to be at my door just for a few pieces of chocolate.
5) Strategy. In most cases time is money; on Halloween, time is candy. Like I said earlier, knowing who is going to ring the bell BEFORE you get to the door helps you be more efficient. I'm not saying you should have a set schedule, but sharing the responsibility makes it more fun (who doesn't love to ring a doorbell?) and saves time in the long run. And knowing which houses you can skip will also save you some time (and some disappointment). Also, I suggest taking a bag/container with handles. Pillowcases are fun and I admire the goal of filling them, but they aren't that easy to carry around, especially as the night goes on. Handles give you a better grip, and a smaller bag will make it seem like you got more candy. Use some common sense; if a house is swamped when you get to it, head across the street instead. By the time you're done there, the crowd will probably have subsided.
So, there you have it. Do I miss trick-or-treating? You're damn right I do. But I'm all for helping kids get more out of their Halloween experience. :)
OK, not entirely true. It's about dressing up, having fun, carving pumpkins, getting scared (in a fun way), hanging out with friends, and (in the Midwest anyway) having one last hurrah before winter comes in and puts the kibosh on fall fun.
But the treats are where it's really at.
If you were big into trick-or-treating like yours truly, you usually had some kind of game plan. You knew which houses to avoid (like the dentist who always gave out those plastic vampire teeth and - not even kidding - toothbrushes) and which to hit early in the night (the awesome couple who gave out full or king size candy bars every year). To ensure maximum candy collection, you might have decided ahead of time who would ring the doorbell at each house or might have gotten the largest pillowcase you could find in hopes of filling it to the top (a goal that I sadly never reached). No matter what, the highlight of Halloween was checking out the loot at the end of the night.
Being a particularly quirky kid, I didn't settle for pouring out my candy and eating it right then and there. No, I had other plans. I would pour out the candy, grab a pen and paper, and tally up all the goods. I'd make piles of each brand and mark them down as I went. By the end, I knew exactly how many Reeses cups or Twizzlers I had and knew the overall candy count from the night's haul.
Why? Two reasons. First is that I'm just OCD. I love making lists and taking inventory. Seriously. Second reason was for trading purposes. If someone had something I wanted, I knew how many of which candies I had to barter with. Say someone had a delicious 100 Grand bar. I could check my list and see that I had plenty of Kit-Kats to spare (which, while tasty, are not among my favorites). Likewise, if someone wanted my Nestle Crunch and I only had 2, I knew that trading wasn't an option (love me some Crunch!).
My parents never had to worry about me eating candy while out and about that night because it would have thrown off my overall count, and I couldn't have that. (How did my parents not realize I was OCD??) So whenever those stories came out about kids eating candy that had needles in them, my parents got to relax, knowing they would be able to check my stash before any of it was consumed.
That having been said, today I will share with you my top 5 tips for successful trick-or-treating. You might be "too old" to go for yourself, but you can pass these along to any kids or teens who may want the inside scoop from a seasoned veteran.
1) Start early, stay late. This comes with a few caveats. Don't start before it's dark; that's when the little guys and gals get their turns. Likewise, if you know a family has little ones, they might not be home when you first start, so plan accordingly. And don't go too late. Remember the golden rule of trick-or-treating: If the lights are on, you're good to go; if the lights are gone, the answer's no. My best advice is to head out just after it gets dark (use whatever gauge you want; I like to use the street lights as my guide) and go no later than 9. Most houses will be done closer to 8, but any that are still going after that are likely to give you more candy since the night is winding down.
2) Keep your group smaller. I know, you have a huge group of friends and you all want to go together. That's fine, but it may slow you down. Slow = less candy. If you have a big group, consider breaking into two smaller groups as you go down the street. One group can start on one side and the other on the opposite side. When you're at the end, switch and meet back up at the other end. You don't have to keep the same groups every street, and you can typically move faster when there are fewer people to get through the process at each house.
3) Be polite. It doesn't sound like much, but think about it. If there's a group of younger kids heading to the same house as you, and you rush up to beat them, do you really think you're going to get more candy? No way. Let the little ones go first. They usually don't take much candy (so they're probably not going to run out before they get to you) AND the treat-givers are more likely to be generous if they see that you let the others go first. This is especially important the older (or taller) you are. Some people are weird about older kids on Halloween, so being nice and polite will give you the best odds at candy collection. Oh, and remember to thank people for candy. They don't have to give it to you.
4) Be enthusiastic! Seriously. If you show up at my door and mumble, "Trick or treat" or just stand there and look at me while holding your bag out or grabbing at the bowl in my hands, I'm not going to be inclined to shower you with candy. Same if you show up with little to no costume on (a scary mask while you're wearing a sweatshirt and jeans is not a costume). Put some effort into the night; it's a holiday for crying out loud! It's almost as much for the candy givers as the candy takers. I didn't realize that until I was an adult, but it's true. I love to see the creativity that comes along on Halloween, and I get a kick out of kids who are beyond thrilled to be at my door just for a few pieces of chocolate.
5) Strategy. In most cases time is money; on Halloween, time is candy. Like I said earlier, knowing who is going to ring the bell BEFORE you get to the door helps you be more efficient. I'm not saying you should have a set schedule, but sharing the responsibility makes it more fun (who doesn't love to ring a doorbell?) and saves time in the long run. And knowing which houses you can skip will also save you some time (and some disappointment). Also, I suggest taking a bag/container with handles. Pillowcases are fun and I admire the goal of filling them, but they aren't that easy to carry around, especially as the night goes on. Handles give you a better grip, and a smaller bag will make it seem like you got more candy. Use some common sense; if a house is swamped when you get to it, head across the street instead. By the time you're done there, the crowd will probably have subsided.
So, there you have it. Do I miss trick-or-treating? You're damn right I do. But I'm all for helping kids get more out of their Halloween experience. :)
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Costumes of Halloweens Past
Oof. I know, it's been awhile. A month, actually. Things have been... sort of stressful, eventful, and crazy. Another friend (this one a camp friend from my CBH days) died far, far too young. Exams and quizzes have come and gone. Went to a Packers game and one last Brewers game for the season. Got to see my sister. Participated in the AIDS Walk WI. Not all in order, but that's essentially the last month in a nutshell.
Moving on.
Halloween is a mere 15 days away. As most are aware, I am a big fan of Halloween and have written several posts about the best holiday ever.
Halloween has always been embraced in my family. My dad was always really involved in the Halloween festivities at my elementary school, so I usually got to help set up. Too bad the haunted "house" (OK, it was the locker rooms) scared the bejesus out of me, even after having helped set up. I tried going through the first year (I was 6), but I was so terrified by the end that my own dad - in the costume I watched him put on - pushed me over the edge. I was crying uncontrollably and my dad had to come out and show me that everything was OK. I tried going through again when I was 10, but I only made it through one of the locker rooms (it spanned both the boys' and girls') before I was more than done.
My parents also used to host a Halloween party at their house every year. Most years they sent me to stay with my cousins during the party, but I always got to see pictures and hear about the awesome costumes.
And I always helped decorate the house, inside and out. When Halloween finally came around, I was always excited. We had jack-o-lanterns and ghosts, a coffin and skeletons... We even had a cassette tape of spooky noises that we'd play out the window so trick-or-treaters could hear it when they came to the door. It wasn't the most elaborate set up, but it was always fun and in the spirit.
So, naturally, my parents started dressing me up in costumes and taking me out for events from an early age. My very first costume was a bunny when I was about 3. My mom made it herself and I ended up wearing it for at least 3 years.
Yep. There I am. (Sans head in this picture, of course.) One of my favorite Halloween games was trying to eat marshmallows from a string. I've never enjoyed bobbing for apples, but this I loved. Probably because I've always loved marshmallows.
Ahhh, there we go. Full bunny makeup and costume. Excellent.
Anywhoozles, after a few years, I wanted something different. I'm not sure exactly in what order these came, but one year I was Dracula (with FULL face paint; that was a bitch to wash off), another I was an angel (ha!), another I was a wizard (re-purposed the angel costume with a lot of puffy paint and glitter)... At some point I was a cheerleader, and once I was a cat. One year it was too hot to wear a costume, so my friends and I just went as girls at a sleepover. Oh, and my freshman year of high school I wore my dad's old paintball outfit and tried to pull off some girly version of army wear. (Yeah. I thought I had a pic, but I can't seem to find it. Oh darn.)
Now, I was never really the kind of girl to use Halloween as an excuse to get skankified. (I never really felt I needed an excuse.) The closest I got was the Halloween dance my sophomore year (I think?) when I wore a short, black dress and used the angel wings I had from when I was younger to go as the angel of darkness. By the end of the night I had lost my wings (they were passed around and trampled on the dance floor) and probably did just look skanky. But, it was fun anyway.
(Now that I think about it, I might've worn the same dress to my freshman and sophomore dances, just without the wings the other time; I don't recall... I think I'm actually glad there aren't pictures of those years...)
Getting dressed up as an adult is a different thing entirely. You get to be clever and creative (or lazy as hell; to each his own) and have a lot of fun; usually with lots of booze and big crowds of strangers (which normally aren't my thing, but hey, it's a holiday). The last few years I haven't had such luck, but when Hubby and I first started dating, I went as a dead prom queen:
(Really, I just love any excuse to wear a tiara.)
And in years since I've done myself up as a punk rock chick, a witch and a cereal killer:
I was supposed to go as Flo last year, but we didn't have anywhere to go, so the costume never got finished. Le sigh.
The most fun, though, is dressing up the dog. :) And with that thought, I'll leave you with some adorable dog pictures. TTFN!
Moving on.
Halloween is a mere 15 days away. As most are aware, I am a big fan of Halloween and have written several posts about the best holiday ever.
Halloween has always been embraced in my family. My dad was always really involved in the Halloween festivities at my elementary school, so I usually got to help set up. Too bad the haunted "house" (OK, it was the locker rooms) scared the bejesus out of me, even after having helped set up. I tried going through the first year (I was 6), but I was so terrified by the end that my own dad - in the costume I watched him put on - pushed me over the edge. I was crying uncontrollably and my dad had to come out and show me that everything was OK. I tried going through again when I was 10, but I only made it through one of the locker rooms (it spanned both the boys' and girls') before I was more than done.
My parents also used to host a Halloween party at their house every year. Most years they sent me to stay with my cousins during the party, but I always got to see pictures and hear about the awesome costumes.
And I always helped decorate the house, inside and out. When Halloween finally came around, I was always excited. We had jack-o-lanterns and ghosts, a coffin and skeletons... We even had a cassette tape of spooky noises that we'd play out the window so trick-or-treaters could hear it when they came to the door. It wasn't the most elaborate set up, but it was always fun and in the spirit.
So, naturally, my parents started dressing me up in costumes and taking me out for events from an early age. My very first costume was a bunny when I was about 3. My mom made it herself and I ended up wearing it for at least 3 years.
Yep. There I am. (Sans head in this picture, of course.) One of my favorite Halloween games was trying to eat marshmallows from a string. I've never enjoyed bobbing for apples, but this I loved. Probably because I've always loved marshmallows.
Ahhh, there we go. Full bunny makeup and costume. Excellent.
Anywhoozles, after a few years, I wanted something different. I'm not sure exactly in what order these came, but one year I was Dracula (with FULL face paint; that was a bitch to wash off), another I was an angel (ha!), another I was a wizard (re-purposed the angel costume with a lot of puffy paint and glitter)... At some point I was a cheerleader, and once I was a cat. One year it was too hot to wear a costume, so my friends and I just went as girls at a sleepover. Oh, and my freshman year of high school I wore my dad's old paintball outfit and tried to pull off some girly version of army wear. (Yeah. I thought I had a pic, but I can't seem to find it. Oh darn.)
Now, I was never really the kind of girl to use Halloween as an excuse to get skankified. (I never really felt I needed an excuse.) The closest I got was the Halloween dance my sophomore year (I think?) when I wore a short, black dress and used the angel wings I had from when I was younger to go as the angel of darkness. By the end of the night I had lost my wings (they were passed around and trampled on the dance floor) and probably did just look skanky. But, it was fun anyway.
(Now that I think about it, I might've worn the same dress to my freshman and sophomore dances, just without the wings the other time; I don't recall... I think I'm actually glad there aren't pictures of those years...)
Getting dressed up as an adult is a different thing entirely. You get to be clever and creative (or lazy as hell; to each his own) and have a lot of fun; usually with lots of booze and big crowds of strangers (which normally aren't my thing, but hey, it's a holiday). The last few years I haven't had such luck, but when Hubby and I first started dating, I went as a dead prom queen:
(Really, I just love any excuse to wear a tiara.)
And in years since I've done myself up as a punk rock chick, a witch and a cereal killer:
I was supposed to go as Flo last year, but we didn't have anywhere to go, so the costume never got finished. Le sigh.
The most fun, though, is dressing up the dog. :) And with that thought, I'll leave you with some adorable dog pictures. TTFN!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Unlucky 13? Nah.
I have never really gotten into the superstition of Friday the 13th. Oh, sure, I tried to act like it was some magical day where black cats and bad luck rule all, but I never actually cared.
Today, in fact, is my mom's birthday! She was born on a Friday the 13th, so it's hard for me to think it's a bad day. Strangely enough, my dad was also born on a Friday, so it happens than whatever day of the week Mom's birthday falls on, Dad's will, too (though, not until September).
Similarly, I grew up with a friend who was born on Mother's Day. In case I haven't mentioned it here, I was born on Father's Day. This year, since my birthday falls on Father's Day, I know that my friend's birthday will fall on Mother's Day. Just one of those fun bits of trivia that no one cares about (except me, of course).
Anywhoozles, I'm sure some of you are superstitious about this day, even if I'm not. I'm not saying I'm never superstitious. I am. It's just certain things I'm superstitious about and I've gotten less superstitious as time has gone by; or maybe my medication works better and I'm just less obsessive... I don't really see anything wrong about having superstitions as long as they don't interfere with your day to day life.
There is a fine line between being superstitious and having OCD. Superstitious is not wanting to step on cracks in the sidewalk and cringing when you do. You later attribute some bit of "bad luck" to having stepped on said crack, but life goes on. OCD is feeling like stepping on a crack might mean the end of the world as you know it, and if you should happen to step on one, you may feel the need to start from the beginning or even to go home and crawl back into bed because today clearly is just not happening.
Growing up, I thought some of my quirks were just superstitions. And some of them probably were. But some of them were definitely bordering on obsession, and even though they didn't necessarily interfere with daily activities, they sometimes came close. Or, at minimum, they made me think I was pretty effing weird.
Whenever we drove somewhere, I would stare out the window from the back seat. Any time there was a driveway or a cross street, I had to keep my teeth apart. So, picture me riding along in a residential neighborhood. It probably looked like I was chewing gum, since I was opening my jaw (but not my mouth) for each "interruption" in the road we were on. Not life-changing, but odd.
For the longest time, I wouldn't set my alarm clock for anything that ended in a 0 or 5. I woke up at strange times like 7:12 or 6:48. I did the same thing on the microwave. If something called for 30 seconds, I put the timer on for 29 or 31 seconds.
There were others, but those are the two that stick out most in my mind. I used to do the typical little kid superstitious things (holding my breath past a cemetery, for example), but beyond that, none of my superstitions were as... common. A touch of OCD will do that, though.
EDIT: So, it turns out my mom wasn't actually born on Friday the 13th, she just happens to have a lot of birthdays on Fridays. Oh well. Still not an unlucky number for me!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Here Comes Valentine's, Here Comes Valentine's, Right Down Valentine Lane
How come there aren't very many Valentine's Day songs? I mean, are there any that are specifically dedicated to the holiday? I know, all love songs are applicable on V-Day, and it gets mentioned in some songs, but Christmas gets a bajillion songs. Halloween gets some pretty awesome ones. Hell, even Thanksgiving gets "Over the River and Through the Woods"! Best I can come up with is "My Funny Valentine" and if you really listen, it's actually kind of a mean song. "Well, you're not very pretty or smart, but dammit, I love ya!" Gee... Thanks.
Anywhoozles, it seems that in last year's Valentine's-related post, I neglected to share my awesome Heart Day traditions with you lovely people! What was I thinking?? CLEARLY you're all on the edge of your seats, so here goes.
Warning: There's going to be some talk about my lady parts. If you're easily offended (and you'd have to be REALLY easily offended; I'm not going into great detail here), then skip this and have a great day.
On our very first Valentine's Day together, I had an appointment for a colposcopy. Ladies, if you've ever had an abnormal pap smear, it's possible you know what I'm talking about. For everyone else, it's a diagnostic procedure where they essentially stick a camera up your hoo-ha to get a look at your cervix. The procedure itself isn't much different than a pap (a little more "personal" since they have to actually look around a bit), but if they don't like what they see, they might biopsy part of the cervix. Because of this, they tell you that you might be sore for a day or two and should probably take it fairly easy (in other words, no sex) for about a week.
Thankfully, they didn't deem a biopsy necessary in my case. They did ask if I wanted to see what the camera was showing, but I declined. I figured if it was all good, I didn't really need to see for myself. They're the pros. I'll take their word for it.
Even though there wasn't a biopsy, I was in some discomfort for the rest of the day, and was pretty glad to have taken the whole day off. When Hubby got off of work, he drove the hour and a half to come spend Valentine's evening with me, knowing that I had to take it easy and wasn't feeling 100%.
So how did we spend that evening? We ordered Chinese food and watched "Breakfast at Tiffany's" together. Every year since, we've had some variation on that, and we consider it our tradition. Sometimes we mix it up and go out for Chinese, or maybe we'll go to the theatre to catch a flick, but more often, we order takeout and watch a DVD at home. It's simple, but it's one of my favorite traditions.
Friday, January 6, 2012
The Holidays are Over; Bring on Reality!
I guess I went AWOL for a bit there, hey? Sorry about that. Things have been busy.
Christmas was good to us, I will admit. Christmas Eve Day I got to exchange presents with K at Ella's Deli (yes, we exchange Christmas gifts at a Jewish deli). That crafty lady made me lip balm! Seriously; she MADE it. How cool is that, right? Anywhoozles, that afternoon I decorated sugar cookies while Hubby napped. Maxine, in her Christmas sweater, napped along with him for most of the afternoon, and I spent some good time with my parents.
Christmas Eve dinner was, of course, fantastic. Mom made the best Yorkshire pudding ever, and when I found they were out of hot cocoa mix, Dad made me some from "scratch" by heating up some pieces of Dove chocolate and mixing with milk. I have to say that my family is pretty great, and that helps make my holidays so wonderful. Would've enjoyed some snow, but, it was still lovely.
My parents got me a 3,000-piece puzzle (which is HUGE, btw) and a Jambox (which will come in really handy for school). They got Hubby a Gentleman Jack giftbox (so, basically, good booze and two glasses). They got Miss Maxine a bunch of toys and treats. Oh, and best of all, they got us a new water heater! (Apparently I was thisclose to getting an iPad, but they decided to get us something practical instead. Ah, the joys of being a homeowner!)
Hubby surprised me by getting us a bunch of stuff we can enjoy together, including a remote control for our PS3 (so we can watch blu rays without fumbling over the controller), season 2 of "Big Bang Theory" and season 1 of "Raising Hope," and new controllers for the Wii. He also got me a gorilla pod (that I picked out myself) and a monopod (that was a complete surprise)! Yes, it was a successful Christmas indeed. :)
Christmas Day was spent with my mom's side of the family, and then watching the Packers beat the Bears before heading back home. The day after was Christmas with Hubby's family, which, while a bit chaotic at times, was nice. I got to spend a lot of time hanging out with my nephew and taking pictures of him (he's so freakin' cute!!), but after being exhausted from all the running around that weekend (and feeling like I was starting to come down with something), I wound up sleeping in the recliner for an hour or two toward the end of our visit. In my family, it's not Christmas until someone falls asleep in the midst of the festivities, so I guess I was just carrying over the tradition.
You'd think a 4-day work week would go quickly, but it didn't. It dragged. A lot. And while I looked forward to our weekend plans, part of me would've been content just sleeping through the whole thing. Alas, after a bit of a struggle, we made our way to Madison for S's graduation gathering. We spent the night at my parents' and the next day had lunch plans with a friend of mine and his wife. I hadn't seen Mr. P since his wedding, which was in November of 2009 (they moved to Georgia the previous year), so this lunch was LONG overdue. We actually made plans to stop in on our drive down to Disney in March, so it won't be nearly as long before we see them next! Color me pleased.
New Year's Eve was spent with my second family. K, S and J (my "sisters") had all gotten new toys (iPhones, Kindle, etc) and much of the evening was spent in the same room, but each of us on our respective electronic. K's dad and his new wife stayed around for dinner, but left around 10 or so. See, the new wife has a rescue dog named Princess (a bichon, for those interested). Since she can get along with Eva (J's dog), we tried bringing Maxine into the mix. Bad idea. Bad. Those two were at each other's throats like you wouldn't believe! My best guess is Maxi made an inappropriate "Yo Mama" joke and Princess was having none of it. I'm probably wrong, but it works in my head. So anywhoozles, they ended up crating Princess upstairs in the "other" condo, since the two couldn't play nicely, and so they left early to make sure Princess didn't spend the whole evening alone.
We had a great time anyway. K always makes my second favorite meal of the year for New Year's Eve: shrimp and potatoes. Between that and all the snack foods available, I was stuffed silly. We played some Apples to Apples and drank to ring in the new year. Then we crashed at the condo (me on the couch, Hubby on the recliner/floor, Maxi on another chair). New Year's Day we headed home to drop off the puppers and headed back to see part of Hubby's family for the Packers game (go Matt Flynn!). Thankfully, we had nothing to do the next day, and we spent it like a couple of lazy bums. It was lovely.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Christmastime is Here
Well, I have my Christmas cards sent out, about half of our presents wrapped, and I've been listening to Christmas music (on my own) for about a week now. Christmas must be a-coming.
The concept of Christmas itself is sort of conflicting for me. As we know, I'm completely a-religious, so I don't go to church or get into the whole nativity thing. In fact, our neighbors across the street have a fairly gaudy plastic nativity decoration out front that drives me crazy. Not because of the churchiness, but because you could probably land a plane on our street when it's lit up. Aye yi yi.
I don't have a problem with using the abbreviation X-mas. I understand the "Keep Christ in Christmas" thing, but personally, I don't think the two are related. Are people upset when others abbreviate TGIF because they don't actually write out "God"? Somehow, I think not. And that's all X-mas is. It's an abbreviation, not blasphemy.
I think people should wish whatever the hell they want during the holiday season. I don't care if they wish me a happy holiday, a merry Christmas or just a nice day; I just appreciate the sentiment. If you're offended because someone mentioned a holiday that you don't celebrate, I can't imagine what else offends you...
That being said, I love Christmas. Not as much as Halloween, but it's a close second in my book. I love the smell of a pine tree in my house and I love buying presents for people I love. The past few years, I've taken to making Christmas crafts, and though I tend to end up with more glue on me than I could've sworn I even had available, I enjoy it. I love being with my family and eating all the cookies I can shove in my mouth before my stomach registers that it's too much. Getting Christmas cards in the mail makes me downright giddy, and I look forward to my mom's Christmas Eve prime rib the other 364 days a year. T'is a wonderful holiday, indeed.
My parents will tell you that I'm a tradition nazi. Actually, most people who know me would tell you that. I just happen to think traditions are a integral part of the holiday experience, though, I may take things a bit too far sometimes. My mom once made little tenderloin medallions instead of prime rib for Christmas Eve and I sort of threw a fit (even though it was actually in my best interest, since I always had an issue with eating too much prime rib and getting horrendous tummy aches). Another year, Mom decided that she wanted their tree upstairs in the window instead of downstairs where it has ALWAYS been, and I tried really, really hard to talk her out of it, even though it was something she had always wanted to try. Thankfully, I've gotten past most of those issues, but I still have to have my mug of hot chocolate in order to open presents on Christmas Eve and I have to put certain ornaments on the tree myself or else things don't feel quite right.
The one thing I'm missing right now is snow. We've only had one snowfall that stuck, and it was only around for an afternoon. No one dreams of a grey, rainy Christmas. No one sings, "Let it sleet, let it sleet, let it sleet." There's a reason for this. It sucks. In my opinion, snow is the only acceptable precipitation this time of year and, as my family's motto goes, it's Christmas, dammit!
Monday, November 14, 2011
It's The Final Countdown!
Well, no, it's not. But if you now have "Na na na-na, na na nanana, na na na-na, nana na na na na naaaaah..." running through your head, then my efforts are not fruitless.
With all the crappy circumstances right now, I figured I could use a reminder of some happier things. So, let the countdowns commence!
~4 days... until I see K!! YAY!!! :-D
~9 days... until Thanksgiving (and a 4-day weekend)! Mmmmm... pie...
~25 days... until Fall semester is over!!
~39 days... until Christmas Eve Day! And ANOTHER 4-day weekend!!
~47 days... until 2012!
And possibly the coolest countdown...
~111 days until Disney World with my bestie!! YAY!!!!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween!
Ahhh, it's here at last! The wonderful day where you can dress up as whomever or whatever you want (although, hopefully within some bounds of reason), gorge yourself on candy (Pixy Stix are my addiction this year), and delight in a magical mixture of spooky and silly. Yes, my darlings, this is Halloween!
As previously mentioned, our backwards little city held its "official" trick-or-treating yesterday afternoon. It started out slow, just as it has in years past. In the first hour we got about 3 groups of kids (so, MAYBE 8-10 children). Hubby and I had decided to stop the show we were watching, in case things picked up. They didn't. In fact, it started to rain around 2 or 2:30. Ugh.
So we decided to start carving our pumpkins, a tradition that I don't think I'll ever grow too old for (people might deny me candy if I tried trick-or-treating, but I'll be damned if a store is going to reject my money and deny me a pumpkin to carve). About 10 minutes or so into carving, the doorbell rang. Some kids were braving the rain to get their candy. In fact, we seemed to get MORE trick-or-treaters in the rain! That, my friends, is something I can respect, and to those kids, I tip my hat.
When we finished pumpkin-carving, we finished our show (American Horror Story pilot episode - perfect for Halloween). Then it was time to choose one of my annual Halloween movies to watch. We decided on "Young Frankenstein" (because Mel Brooks is always a good choice) and made a delicious chuck roast for dinner (which had been marinating since 8 PM the night before). We watched a bit of 'Punkin Chunkin' to wrap things up before Hubby headed to the garage and I headed to my computer.
Today, I am sadly sans costume. I was going to paint my face black and white, put on my panda ears and frown a lot (get it? I was going to be a sad panda!), but it just seemed like a lot of effort when I don't plan on going anywhere. Instead, I'm just calling myself either a stressed college student or a disgruntled employee, no costume required.
Alas, I will NOT let my lack of costume or the grey, cloudy day ruin my Halloween! Tonight, we shall watch another of my Halloween movies (possibly 'Repo! The Genetic Opera') and toast some pumpkin seeds. And in the meantime, there's plenty of awesome Halloween music waiting to be heard! Need a few examples to get you started?
1) "Thriller" by Michael Jackson - Probably the most epic music video ever, "Thriller" is a perfect Halloween anthem. Werewolves, zombies, and kick-ass choreography; what more could you need? Of course, if you're looking for something a little different (or don't have time for the almost 14-minute long video), Glee's mash-up of "Thriller" and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs' "Heads Will Roll" is also a ton of fun.
2) "Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley - If you didn't grow up listening to the radio around Halloween, then there's a tiny chance you aren't familiar with this song. Fix that. Now.
3) "Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett - A staple of any good Halloween event. I'm still not exactly sure how to do the monster mash, but I'm pretty sure any kind of movement will suffice as long as you're having fun.
4) "Calling All the Monsters" by China McClain - If you have kids, or if you just love the Disney channel, then you're most likely torn between hating this song for being overplayed and loving it for being so damn catchy.
5) "This is Halloween" from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (written by Danny Elfman, my hero) - Boys and girls of every age should love this song AND this movie. If you don't, no sweat. I'll just judge silently from afar.
Friday, October 28, 2011
The Halloween Revolution
So, in looking at the website for the lovely city of Greenfield the other day, I discovered that our "scheduled" trick-or-treating is from 1-4 PM on Sunday, 10/30.
Hold up.
WHAT?! That's insane!!
1) Early afternoon trick-or-treating? Lame. That's fine for trick-or-treating events at the local mall or the zoo, but not for the real deal!
2) Trick-or-treating is the best part of Halloween. So why the hell would you do it the day BEFORE Halloween? That's like hunting for Easter eggs on Saturday afternoon.
Hubby says that it's been this way in the Milwaukee area his entire life. Ew. I can't even imagine growing up that way. In Madison, we had no restrictions on trick-or-treating, and I sincerely hope it stays that way.
Here's how it went. Younger kids usually starting coming through around 5 on Halloween night, looking cute and shyly asking, "Trick or treat?" (as if anyone's not going to give candy to the adorable little pirate or princess standing outside their door...). As it got later (and darker), more kids would come out and form clumps moving from one house to the next. The whole process usually lasted about 2-3 hours, depending on when you got started. When you were done, you headed home to check out the night's haul, eat yourself sick on candy, and finally go to bed.
There were rules. Some were imposed by parents: Must carry flashlights or glow sticks at all times, say thank you, stay in the neighborhood, don't leave each other behind and, for one sad year, don't eat any candy until it's been checked out by a parent (that whole needle scare had parents pretty freaked out). Others were self-imposed, almost unspoken, but universally understood: Don't ring the bell if the porch light is off, take turns ringing the doorbell (even if that meant racing for the privilege), let little kids get their candy first (bigger kids will be able to get to more houses and will get more candy anyway), etc etc. Of course, some houses would get TP'd, and there was the occasional egging, but for the most part, the rules we followed kept Halloween fun and safe.
It works for Madison. Why can't Milwaukee make it work, too? It can't just be a size thing; my best friend in Las Vegas says they don't have scheduled trick-or-treating, and Vegas has Milwaukee beat several times over in the "Who's Bigger?" contest. It can't just be crimes, because crime happens damn near everywhere. Milwaukee just seems to have a stick up its ass.
That being said, I truly hope we get some rogue trick-or-treaters on Halloween night. Kids need to experience the joy of trick-or-treating as it's intended, or else they'll never understand how truly awesome it actually is! Someone needs to lead these kids on a Halloween revolution and reclaim October 31st as their own. They need to take back All Hallow's Eve and tell Milwaukee to back off their holiday.
Friday, October 21, 2011
This is Halloween...
OK, so the Brewers aren't in the World Series. Sad, but, I'm still happy and proud of them for taking it as far as they did. Too bad we'll likely never see Prince Fielder in a Brewers jersey again, but, it happens.
Anywhoozles, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Halloween is my favorite freakin' holiday. I love Fall. I love candy. I love dressing up. So what's not to love?
Last year on Facebook, I posted my favorite non-scary Halloween movies. Here's the list:
The Nightmare Before Christmas (also good for Christmastime!)
Corpse Bride
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (I guess this depends on your definition of 'scary' ^_^)
Repo! The Genetic Opera (OK, this one's a bit gory, but definitely not a horror movie or anything)
Hocus Pocus
It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
Edward Scissorhands
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (yes, the MOVIE... Epic.)
Labyrinth
So I Married An Axe Murderer
Young Frankenstein
Donnie Darko (again - depends on what you find scary)
Clue (Really, this movie works ANY time of year)
Beetlejuice
Casper (Yes, I know I'm 27. I don't care.)
The Addams Family
I know there are TONS of others. Really, any Tim Burton movie works this time of year (especially 'Frankenweenie'). There are movies like 'Coraline' (no, it wasn't a Tim Burton movie, look it up) and 'Ghostbusters' that you could totally watch, too. Lists like this one include flicks like 'Practical Magic' and 'Idle Hands' as viable choices. The Harry Potter movies certainly have a halloweeny feel to them, too. And, of course, Disney has a plethora of made-for-television or straight-to-DVD Halloween movies to choose from (I won't lie, I've watched 'Halloweentown' a few times...).
Everyone has special things that make their favorite holidays special to them. Mine is watching my favorite non-scary Halloween movies, and I plan to start this weekend.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Red, White & Drag Queen Bingo
This past weekend was, of course, Independence Day weekend. And being that K is around, it was full of traditions and fun.
Friday night we did go see our new nephew at the hospital. He. Is. Adorable. No kidding. I know I'm biased and all, but he's seriously cute. I even held him for quite awhile, which is a feat considering I'm normally scared to touch kids before they turn two or so (that fear of breaking them, you know?). It was a nice experience. :-) And no, it didn't make me want kids of my own. Just made me even happier to be an aunt!
Saturday was the day for Rhythm & Booms, the best fireworks you'll find in the Midwest. For those not familiar, the fireworks are (loosely at times) set to music. You just tune in to the local radio station and enjoy the show. Rather than going to the actual park for the event (which, IMO, is a clusterf*ck and a half), we always go to my old elementary/middle school and sit on the hill. We can see almost everything (excluding a handful of ground display fireworks that don't make it above the trees), and though it's much busier than when we first started sitting there, it's not nearly as crowded as the park itself.
Of course, with R&B comes a party with K. She invites family and friends over to her dad's place for food and fun before the fireworks begin, and then it's just a short walk to the old school from there. One of K's friends has an adorable 4-year-old son who kept us all pretty well entertained, but it was the adults who played with the bubbles the longest (as the 4 y/o got fed up with a bubble sword contraption he just couldn't make work). It's just so easy to get caught up in the pure fun that comes with bubbles.
The fireworks were beautiful, if not a bit short this year. Budget problems would be my guess, as I know they were seeking donations (I gave them $15 - I love those fireworks) and really pushing people to come down to the park to support the vendors there. I'm hoping next year will be better, particularly because I hope the damn construction surrounding the park is done. Talk about a mess... Oi. Oh, and just to confirm, Maxi handled the fireworks just fine, though she didn't watch with the same intensity as last year. At least she didn't bark her furry little head off!
On Sunday, hubby dropped me back off at K's dad's place so K and I, along with another friend (P) could go on an Oddball Wisconsin adventure. See, one of K's friends got her the Oddball Wisconsin book, knowing that she loves all things odd or offbeat that you might find while driving, such as a giant wooden nickel (outside of Iowa City, Iowa) or a buffalo made of chrome bumpers (somewhere in Colorado). So away we went with the book and a map.
We ended up driving about 314 miles that day. Starting in Madison, we headed to DeForest to see the pink elephant and its nemesis (or so we're told) from across the street, a cow at a cheese shop. Then it was off to Spring Green to check out some (not so) acrobatic goats. There were other things there to keep us entertained while we waited for the goats to wow us, but it just never happened.
After that we headed to Platteville to see the world's largest 'M.' It's 241 feet tall and 214 feet across. Trust me; it's a big 'M.' After a quick stop at Culver's for some cheese curds (nom nom nom) it was on to Dickeyville to see The Grotto, an interesting experience for sure. Then it was a LONG drive over to Delavan to see the clown-stomping elephant (we skipped the nearby concrete frog since it was getting late), and then it was back to Madison so I could see my puppers.
On the 4th, K and I headed down to the neighborhood bike parade that we were part of for so many years. Kids made a good showing this year and actually decorated their bikes with more than a tiny flag. We gave this year's parade a solid 7.5/10. After that, it was off to Henry Vilas Zoo and, of course, Ella's Deli! We can't eat like we used to, I swear, but we still managed to scarf down all our cheese fries. It's a tradition, after all!
I spent the rest of my day bumming around at my parents' house. We eventually ordered Chinese (nothing screams patriotism like ordering sesame beef) and hubby showed up to take me and the puppers back home. On the drive home, we had to have encountered probably 10 different fireworks displays. It was nice, and I appreciated being able to see some fireworks on the 4th.
The 5th was no longer the weekend, but K came out so we could go to Drag Queen Bingo at BTW Lounge with her cousins and aunt! Drag Queen Bingo is pretty much bingo with the balls being read off by drag queens. But, we also got performances between rounds, so it was pretty awesome. Of the 5 of us, 3 won prizes! Sadly, K and I were the only two not to win. Boooooo-urns.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
End of Semester Freak Out
Yep. Here it comes. I am approximately one week from the end of the semester and was HOPING to get through it without a freak out. But here I am, freaking out.
I have a paper to write for my psych course that I cannot for the life of me figure out. In a nutshell, I have to pick a myth or superstition and explain how I can use 2 of the following methods to evaluate it: observations of behavior, self-report (surveys, testimonials, etc), psychological tests (tests meant to evaluate limits or abilities directly related to the superstition), physiological measures (measuring based on heart rate, blood pressure, etc) and/or task performance (for example, measuring verbal abilities via crossword puzzles).
One little caveat: We can't chose a superstition that has to do with food or drink, OR that could possibly bring harm or death to participants (even if it seems impossible).
I am beyond stumped. Every time I think I have one, I can come up with ONE way to test it, but can't figure out how to test it a second way. Oh, did I mention I actually have to execute one of the tests, too? Yeah. This paper's due on FRIDAY. I haven't been able to pick a damn superstition yet, let alone come up with a way to test it, so clearly I don't have any willing participants signed up either.
I'm about at the end of my rope, kids. I mean, I could take a break and do some other studying, but it's pretty clear to me that I need to get the ball rolling if I'm going to finish on time, so I feel stuck. :-(
Friday, April 22, 2011
Love The Earth! (It's The Only One We've Got)
Today may be Good Friday, but closer to my heart is Earth Day. Today is the day where people do extra things to make the world a better place so they can feel better about being so lazy the rest of the year.
Okay, maybe that's a bit cynical, but probably not that far off for many people. Earth Day, like any other holiday or specially named day, is a day to really reflect and act on the subject in question. On Valentine's Day, we like to give out hearts and candy to people we love. It doesn't mean we don't love them the rest of the year! It's just a special day to remind us of the importance of sharing our love with those closest to us. Similarly, Earth Day is the day many people pick up trash and plant trees to show our love of the planet. It isn't that we don't love the planet the rest of the year, but rather that this day is a special reminder.
And just like there are Valentine's Day haters, I'm aware that there are Earth Day haters. And you know what? That's fine. It's not for everyone. (It probably SHOULD be, but it's just not.)
If you're looking for something easy to do this Earth Day, consider walking around your neighborhood and picking up litter. It gets you exercise, gets you outside, and makes the earth a happier place. Or maybe start a compost or get a rain barrel. Or, if you prefer, donate some money to your favorite do-good organization.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
5 Reasons The Day After St. Patrick's Day Should Be A National Holiday
1) People won't need to call in hungover (er, "sick"). Many people use St. Patty's Day to drink themselves into a stupor. This is fact. Thus, I have to assume that a number of people call in sick the day after. That means that the rest of us have to work extra hard to make up for their absences, and that just blows.
2) It's a wasted day. Those that DO come in hungover are clearly not going to be on their A game, but don't want to use a sick day or paid time off when they can just slack off on the company's dime. Again, those of us who didn't render ourselves useless may have to work harder (boooo-urns) or will just sit around talking about the adventures the others had the day before.
3) It's just time for a break. Many of us haven't had a holiday off since New Year's Day. It's about damn time, so why not the day after St. Patty's? Otherwise we have to wait until Memorial Day, which feels like for-ev-er. We're getting restless, which means productivity could be dropping. Why risk it?
4) I have two words: Spring Fever. The weather is finally getting nice enough to enjoy! Let us have a day to actually enjoy it instead of staring longingly out the window wishing we were enjoying it.
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