Tuesday Thoughts

I know I normally write "Wednesday Thoughts" but I'm going on vacation tomorrow so I won't be blogging. Plus, I'm feeling kind of Wednesdayish today so I thought I'd post some thoughts.

I saw this picture from Starwars yesterday when I was out on a walk (it was spray painted on the side of a wall) and it made me laugh. Another piece of street art I saw that made me laugh but also grimace is this one:

Aren't you glad the stuff with Kwame is moving into the past!? I know I am. I'm sure he is too.

I was thinking about seeing a movie sometime this week (maybe even later today). Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm debating between Marley and Me, The Curious Case of B.B., and Valkyrie, but I'd be open to other options.

My sister Katherine and I decided to do something different for New Year's this year so we are going to take part in a murder mystery at a Bed and Breakfast tomorrow night! The B & B is in northern Michigan on Lake Michigan, and we're really looking forward to it. My question is, how into the murder mystery should we get? I'm not sure which role I want - I'm not even sure what the options are yet - but I'm secretly hoping to be either Ms. Scarlett, Ms. Marple, or the murder victim. I figure if I'm the murder victim, I can just do a really big dying scene, then hang back and eat hors devours the rest of the night while I plot my revenge on whoever did it. I mean, whodunit.

On Thursday I'm starting a new blog (in addition to this one - does the vanity ever stop!?) called "picture a day." No pressure to check it out, but it might come in handy when you're trying to procrastinate doing something important and need a distraction. I'm here to help.

I hope you all have a happy and safe New Year's Eve! Do you have any fun plans?

2009, here I come!

I've been in an increasing state of panic lately as I've been trying to make plans for next month. I go to write my appointments on the calendar and as I flip the page and remember that the calendar ends this week I feel the panic rise. Not only because there's a good chance I'll forget about my dentist appointment in January, but also because I find the selection of calendars available to be lacking and the decision of which one to buy every year is not one I handle well.

A lot of thought has to be put into something that's going to be up all year. Last year I failed miserably with my choice. I'd rather not get into it. I don't do too much better with day calendars either - you know, the ones where you rip a page off every day? I got a "worst case scenario" day calendar for my desk this year and I haven't ripped a page off since August 16th. I may never know how to outrun a lion or fall off a cliff without injuring myself.

Today I decided it was time to just do it, as much as I hate it. As I looked at the selection of calendars at the stores, I wondered once again: what do I want to look at every day for the whole year? Nuns having fun? Pastoral scenes? Wolves? Wall - E? I mean, I liked Wall -E well enough, but do I really want to see pictures of him on my wall for the entire year!?

Most of the calendars center around pets, which I'm not interested in. A few of the calendars made me furrow my brow as I tried to picture the people who buy them, like the calendars "Views from the Hubble telescope" and "the Witches Datebook" (which is described as "perfect for the witch on the go").

The "Too Blessed to Be Stressed" calendar caught my eye, especially because it's a 16 month calendar which would give me a grace period next year. But after looking at the pictures on back, I realized that I might be too white for that calendar. I just looked it up and found it on the website It's a Black Thang.com.

I went to a couple different places in my quest for a tolerable calendar choice, and when I finally reached my limit, I found the perfect calendar. Perfect because it happened to be the closest one to where I was standing. It's title is "Just us Chickens" and it has a picture of a chicken every month. I was telling my friend Janice about the calendar earlier and she asked what the chickens are doing in the pictures. "Nothing," I said. "Just you know... chillin on the farm." She sounded confused but glad that I had at least chosen a calendar. I feel good about this choice. This is going to be a good year.

Ridiculous... or awesome?

I'm sure those of you with cats or dogs probably already own three of these (or more), but for the rest of us.... these are totally new. Wigs for pets?

If you haven't seen these sites yet, you must. There's one for dogs and one for cats. They will both blow your mind. I'm not sure which is more hilarious - making your dog wear a Sarah Palin wig or making him wear a Bob Marley wig?

Both are clearly awesome. Or weird and cruel, I can't decide. The cat wigs are decidedly cooler though with options like Pink Passion or Electric Blue.

I don't own any pets, but I think pets in sweaters or costumes are adorable. Wigs, however, seem to be taking it a step too far in my opinion, although I could be wrong. Maybe for special occasions it would be ok. Like if your cat or dog were going on a first date and wanted to look his/her best. Or maybe if he/she was getting married or going to prom or the Oscars or something. I mean, there are exceptions to the rule. But for the everyday lounging, sniffing, chewing up furniture schedule of a cat or dog, wigs don't seem necessary. Awesome yes, Necessary, maybe not.

Now gerbils and hamsters on the other hand, they could definitely use wigs. Can you imagine a little hamster with a pink afro, or a blue ponytail? Adorable. Other animals might be able to pull it off too - ferrets come to mind. And maybe monkeys. Anyway, I'd like to hear what you think!

C-c-c-c-c-c-c-oooold!

Alright guys, no joke - I need a Slanket in a major way. Not only is it freezing outside, but my office is almost as cold as the great outdoors! I glanced over at Justin earlier, and saw this sight (as pictured). We're all working in our scarves, coats, and hats and occasionally warming our hands over the space heater. Due to some construction over the weekend, the doors to our building were left wide open and it's f-f-f-f-freezing in here. My fingers are almost too frozen to type. But I'll power through. Just for you.

It's slightly warmer outside than it was yesterday, when the wind chill got to -17, but it's still a bit much. I just checked the weather and saw this:

Light Snow
9°F

Feels Like
-7°F

What do you do to stay warm in this weather? Maybe I should buy some of those disposable heating pads and just cover myself with them? Other options I've considered are:

• Run up and down the stairs over and over in 15 minute intervals.
• Adopt a baby panda and cuddle it all day. (I wonder if it would sit still on my lap while I was working?)
• Listen to Shooby Taylor until I'm laughing so hard I forget how cold I am. I know some of you are trying to forget about Shooby Taylor, but I can't allow that.
• Stay in bed under the covers all day (sadly, not really an option).
• Drink hot chocolate till it comes out my pores.
• Give up and build an igloo to live in for the rest of the winter.
  
• Get one of these (Thank Kathy for this one):

Until the heating is back on in here, I'm going to have to do one of these. I'm leaning towards the adopt a panda bear option. It's the most practical, and let's be honest, the most adorable of all the options. If you think of any others, let me know!

Snow day!

Bright and early this morning, I got this e-mail from my friend Sarah (Sarah is a math teacher in Ann Arbor):

Congratulations! :) You've been initiated into the wonderful world of adult snow days!!! :)

My day has so far followed some of my plans I laid out yesterday, but with some variation, which I will show below:

7:00 Wake up, check the news, see that it's a snow day, cheer, dance - Yes, I did this.

7:05 Back in bed, asleep - Totally; it was awesome.

11:00 Wake up, watch The Price is Right, eat a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup - Check.

12:00 Go sledding - Skipped this, instead I watched an episode of Buffy with Katherine, then took my Nintendo over to my friend Kristin's house and we played Dr. Mario. Her brother Shawn was over and commented on how it felt like we were ten years old again. A snow day and video games! (What could be better?) Kristin did her best to get the kids to distract me while playing Dr. Mario, but it was to no avail. Better luck next time Kristin.

1:30 Come in, freezing and wet, change to warm clothes - Not necessary.
1:35 Make hot chocolate - Why haven't I done this yet? I think this is next on my agenda.

1:40 Get under a blanket on couch and watch either Christmas Vacation or The Grinch - Didn't get to this, but I downloaded some Christmas music earlier today, which is in the same spirit.

3:30 Nap - I've gotta get on this one still.

My day hasn't been without adventure though. The roads, especially in my town, are still pretty messy and it was almost impossible to get my car out. Here are a couple pictures of the process. Luckily Katherine is a wiz with the snow blower and got me free! Did any of you have any snow day adventures?

Snow day?

My company announced an awesome new policy yesterday: when Ann Arbor schools are closed for bad weather, we're closed too! We were thrilled with this new policy because it means having at least one or two (or dare I say even more?) snow days this year. And it seems that first snow day might be... tomorrow! They are predicting 6-10 inches of snow!

We don't want to get our hopes up of course. Well, except Kathy, who is trying to jinx us all by telling us that she's going to count on having a snow day tomorrow, and plan her day accordingly. Everyone knows this is a bad idea! But she won't be talked out of it.

I'm planning on working tomorrow... but in the back of my mind I am secretly planning on a snow day. This is what I have planned:

7:00 Wake up, check the news, see that it's a snow day, cheer, dance
7:05 Back in bed, asleep
11:00 Wake up, watch The Price is Right, eat a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup
12:00 Go sledding
1:30 Come in, freezing and wet, change to warm clothes
1:35 Make hot chocolate
1:40 Get under a blanket on couch and watch either Christmas Vacation or The Grinch
3:30 Nap

That about covers it. There might be slight variation, but I think that looks like a good plan. Am I forgetting any good snow day activities?

However, if we do end up having to work, Kathy and I have been considering going in together on buying either a pack of sled dogs or a a snowmobile. We live a couple blocks away from each other, so we'll carpool. Kathy thinks people will complain about the sled dogs barking all the time, but I think they're the better choice (especially because she'd keep them at her house). I'll let you know when we make our decision.

Wednesday Thoughts

How much of a social faux pas is it to admit that I'm terrified of the Tran-Siberian Orchestra? I keep seeing commercials for them and their show looks pretty out of control. Colored lights, explosions, smoke machines, electric quitars...but with Christmas music. I'm sure they're quite talented but I don't get it. About 50 seconds into the youtube video I got scared out of my mind and had to stop watching.

What's with all these new websites that let you upload your picture into the scenario of your dreams? And where have they been all my life?

On the radio yesterday they were talking about both the Snuggie and the Shamwow! Small world! They said that the Snuggie is on back order for six weeks. I'm pretty bummed about that. Which one of you bought the last one? I hope there are still some Slankets available.

I was at the dentist the other day getting my teeth cleaned and when it was over and I was complimenting the hygienist on a job well done, she told me that a patient recently told her she'd rather have a baby then get her teeth cleaned. Which would you prefer? I've never had a baby, but I'm pretty sure it's a lot more work, and a lot more painful than getting your teeth cleaned.

I won a radio contest this morning! And in other good news, when I signed in on Facebook this morning, I saw that a couple I hardly know got back together! I've followed their saga (against my will) through constant updates in my Facebook newsfeed and have determined that they are meant to be together. It was like seeing Ross and Rachel get back together. Today is shaping up to be a good day.

Gift Ideas

If you guys haven't already seen this, you should check it out. It's called the Snuggie, and my friend Emily brought it to my attention. When I saw the infomercial, it blew my mind. Seriously, who wouldn't want one of these this winter? It's so practical! I'm definitely wearing one to the next outdoor sporting event I go to. Who needs a jacket or sweater!? Bad news for the Snuggie though, it's got some competition with the Slanket. (Best name ever.)

Link to Snuggie ad (I got sick of seeing it everytime I went to my blog!)

You guys know I'm joking.... right? I actually want a Chillow. I'm sick of sleeping with my face in the desert. Honestly.

But if you're tired of carrying your Chillow around with you everywhere you go, you might want to try the Arctic Tie. You wear a bandana around your neck everyday anyway, it might as well be doing a job, right?

Don't thank me, thank Kathy. She's the genius who guided me to these amazing products. My life will never be the same when all these items arrive in the mail. I can't even tell you the problems I've had regulating my body temperature. Problem solved! And yes, I am going to use these all at once.

Weekend Update

I wish Seth Meyers was reading my weekend update, but then again, that would put a lot more pressure on this to be funny. So I guess it's better this way.

Since wearing a truly ugly sweater won hands down in the poll, I decided I'd trust you guys not to lead me astray and I got the ugliest sweater (cardigan) I could find at the Goodwill store. And guess what!? I won third place at the first party I went to Saturday night! So thanks guys. I knew I could count on you! I felt a tiny bit self conscious when I got to the cashier at Goodwill to pay for the sweater and almost muttered some explanation about how I was only buying such an ugly sweater for a party with that theme when the cashier said enthusiastically, "Oh! My mother-in-law donated this!" Close one.

Here's a story I think you guys will enjoy. Yesterday, I gave my grandma a ride home from a family function. I love my grandma so much - she's sweet and fun and feisty and she wants sooooo much for me to get married. So much in fact that it's not uncommon for her to cry when talking about it (no pressure, right?). Well, on the ride home, she was telling me that two of her sisters died around the age she is now (87), and how we can't live forever. I said, "Grandma, you can't die! You have to live at least long enough to see me get married and have my first baby!" To which she replied, "Well, I'm trying!" I'm not sure I like what she was implying. I laughed out loud when she said that. I spent the rest of the ride home convincing her that I'm doing the best I can. I still laugh when I think about it.

On a different (and less funny) note, we had our Christmas program at church today, and several of my blogging buddies participated in it. I just wanted to say thanks to them for their exceptional music and talks. It was a very moving and beautiful meeting. I love this time of year. It puts me in a mood of gratitude so in that spirit I wanted to let you all know that I appreciate you so much. I always consider one of my greatest blessings to be my friends. I have the best friends, and I love you all and hope that you know that!

Seth Meyers would have made that funny in some way but I'm not Seth Meyers and have to end on a cheeseball note. If you're uncomfortable (as I apparently am) with the sharing of feelings, here's a Seth Meyers clip. And we can pretend this never happened.

A Festivus for the Rest of Us

It seems this is the weekend of the Christmas party! It should be a fun and festive weekend. The first party I have this weekend is my work luau, which last year was a Christmas luau, but this year is more of a going away luau for our boss who is retiring. Either way is fine by me. Since this is the second year we've had a luau themed party, the luau decorations have doubled and the transformation of our building is pretty impressive.

Walking through the hallway, you hear the soundtrack of the rain forest playing as you walk past a lagoon fully equipped with a waterfall (as pictured below). Our lunchroom has a volcano, a tiki bar, and a monkey hanging from a palm tree. I really can't do the transformation justice by trying to describe it. Let's just say that if we have a luau themed party again next year, you will not be able to tell the difference between my office building and the set of Gilligan's Island.

Then tomorrow I'm going to two ugly Christmas sweater parties. These parties seem to be pretty popular this year. Have you gone to one? After work today I'm going to go to the Salvation Army to find that perfect Christmas sweater but my question is this: should I cheat and try to find one that is actually kind of cute, or should I truly go for an ugly sweater?

Any thoughts? Maybe I'll post another poll on the side. Speaking of polls, I can't believe Magnum got five "ew"'s in the hairiness poll! But at least he got six "just right"'s so that's good. I found out who it was who chose "not hairy enough" in the poll, but I won't call him out in this post. Maybe in the next.

Wednesday Thoughts (part 2)

As some of you know, last Wednesday I posted some things I had to get off my chest. They were a mix of questions I wanted to pose to the universe. Some of you responded with answers that were quite insightful - especially about Cement City which is apparently owned and operated by my (and Emily's) extended family (ok, that's a gross exaggeration). Anyway, this week I have more to get off my chest, so here goes.

Is it wrong to have a crush on Magnum PI? I say definitely not. Not Tom Selleck. Magnum PI. There's a huge difference. My friend Kathy said that she finds his chest hair in the picture I posted gross. However, she didn't mention his mustache, which leads me to believe that she's a huge fan. I'm going to post a poll on the side and you guys can weigh in. (Only the most important topics on this blog!)

And while we're on the subject, which show had a better theme song, Magnum or the A Team?

In an unrelated thought, when playing Dr. Mario against your dad, should you let him win? Or at least not drop so many do-do-do-doots?

Also, who submitted my name to receive those AARP e-mails? Very funny, whoever you are.

Lastly, am I too young to become a snowbird? But what if I really hate winter? Can exceptions be made?

Snow hippos and other simple pleasures

As most of you know, I am not a fan of winter. But recently, with the snow piling up, I have been reminded of one of my favorite things about winter. Here's a hint:

Growing up, we called the snow that piles up behind the car tires "snow hippos" because of their appearance, and I can hardly think of anything more satisfying than kicking them off my car*. I took this picture of my car today, but haven't yet had the satisfaction of kicking it (and the others) off because I was wearing heels all day. I'm looking forward to the pleasure tomorrow though!

Another of my favorite simple pleasures is stepping on the thin ice on the sides of the sidewalk. It's a little above the sidewalk and begs to be stomped on. I have to admit that I go out of my way to crunch that ice. It's so satisfying.

I was talking about kicking snow hippos with a friend the other night, and we got talking about other simple pleasures that you never really grow out of, like pealing your sun burn, or... actually, the others were kind of gross and some of you might be eating so I'll leave it at that.

What about you? Do you guys have any simple (maybe guilty) pleasures?

*I should warn you that at times, the snow hippos are totally frozen and you might hurt your foot if you kick them. Now you can't sue me if this happens.

Tagged!

Aren't tags the best? They give me a chance to focus on my favorite person: moi. Please know that was a joke. (...or was it?) Thanks for the tag, Angie!

3 Joys
Good relationships
Good books
Feeling hopeful and happy

3 Fears
Being captured by a giant bug, as evidenced in this picture (that's my face on the doll's body, thank you Justin.)
Being lonely
The economy and job loss

3 Obsessions or Collections
Hmmm....I don't really have any. Well, I do have a ton of books. I guess that could be a collection. Oh, and I check the news and my e-mail way too often. I guess that's an obsession. And Emily reminded me of some more in the comments and I can't deny that I am also obsessed with Lost! I love that show!

Surprising Facts
I keep getting e-mails from the AARP and it's scaring me.

I tag: Katherine, Emily (yes, you Emily! Time to update your blog!), Alecia, Priscilla, and Christi!

Wednesday Thoughts

Do two donut halves equal one full donut? Wait, I didn't tell you the important part of the question: what if you ate one of the halves in the morning, and the other half in the afternoon? Does it still count as one donut? I say it doesn't.

Did you guys know there's a place in Michigan called Cement City?

Is 45 minutes too far to drive to TP someone?

Is it my stapler that's busted, or are my staples substandard? If it turns out it's my stapler, then I owe the staple company an apology.

These are questions to which I may never have answers. Except the second one. There actually is a place in Michigan called Cement City.

The Replacements

Recently, as part of my apparent ongoing quest to waste time, I discovered that there are a ton of episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch on youtube. Do you guys remember that show? I loved it back in the day, although I really only liked the high school years. The college years, with no aunts or Harvey just didn't do anything for me.

Something I've noticed while re-watching these old episodes is that there was a replacement of best friends made every couple years that I find, frankly, unacceptable. First, Sabrina was best friends with Jenny, then with no notice, Jenny was out, and Valerie was in. Valerie was great, and definitely my favorite of the best friends. Then suddenly Valerie was out and Dreama was in! Dreama was no Valerie, people!

This got me thinking about other replacements that have been made in some of my favorite shows over the years. I think I need to talk this one out, so here are some of the replacements that stand out most in my memory, along with brief discussions about who I think was the better choice.

Jenny Kelly vs. Valerie Birkhead (Sabrina, TTW)
So, Jenny was fine I guess. She had really big hair which I can relate to, and she was open minded to the weirdness surrounding Sabrina. But I still think Valerie was a much better best friend. She was funnier and less annoying than Jenny. She was also much more like-able. I'm not even going to discuss Dreama, who was an awful replacement for Valerie. Boo!

Rudy vs. Olivia (The Cosby Show)
As if kids aren't self conscious enough when they hit puberty, the Cosby show sent a not-so-discreet message to poor Rudy that since she was no longer adorable, she'd need to be replaced. Cue Olivia. Based on the way I started this rant, you probably think I prefer Rudy. That's where you're wrong - I just feel bad for her. But who can deny the over-the-top cuteness of Olivia!? I approve of this replacement.

Sharona vs. Natalie (Monk)
For Monk fans, this is a sensitive subject. At the beginning of the show, Sharona played Monk's assistant, but due to some sort of contract negotiations gone bad, she was replaced with Natalie. This one was hard for me to get used to. Jason Evans, who always watches Monk with Katherine and me, claims that Natalie is way better and feels very passionately about this subject (and anyone who knows him knows how passionate he gets when arguing his point). I always thought that Sharona was a good fit for Mr. Monk, but I also like Natalie. This one's a toss up.

DJ's boyfriends: Stevarino vs. Viper and Nelson (Full House, duh)
Guys, I still miss Steve-a-rino. Remember him? He'd eat all of Mr. T (Tanner)'s food, he was on the wrestling team, and one time Michelle wanted to marry him. Why did he and DJ have to break up that one day when they went rock climbing? After Steve, DJ went through a series of bad boyfriend choices. Viper!? Come on, DJ. And Nelson!? Booooorring!! No one can compare to Steve. Sigh.

Now that I've revealed my embarrassing knowledge of Full House plot lines, I should probably move on. If there are any important replacements that I've forgotten to include, feel free to vent. Personally, I feel better having gotten that off my chest. And yes, I do feel a little bit embarrassed about watching so much tv.