Wednesday Thoughts

I think I've gotten myself in too deep with sewing. I started a new pattern today - it's the first time I've really followed a pattern - and I truly have no idea what I'm doing. I spent two hours cutting out all the fabric, then I just stared back and forth between it and the pattern for a long long time until I had to walk away, bewildered. I've been occassionally glancing over at it, but it intimidates me and I haven't had the nerve to approach it again yet.

I almost skipped writing Wednesday Thoughts today, but I skipped it last week and didn't want to get out of the habit. Truth is, I've been feeling a little blah these last couple Wednesdays. I'm not sure what it is. I'm sure I'll snap out of it. Usually I enjoy Wednesdays. Maybe it has something to do with the change in seasons - it's a mystery.

One thing I have been thinking about lately that I will share with you: I've been trying to come up with a good Halloween costume. The last couple years I have had a really hard time choosing a costume. I've asked my nieces and nephews for ideas but they always have the same suggestion: "a pwincess."

I was talking about this with a friend the other day and she told me that her mom always dressed her in crazy costumes when she was a kid, including one Halloween when her mom dressed her as an OB/GYN. She was about seven or eight, dressed in a doctor's costume, carrying around a naked baby doll the whole night. She had no idea what an OB/GYN was.

I want to come oup with something creative like that, but maybe without the "ew" factor. I've thought about being Doc from Back to the Future on occassion, but I'm not sure I want to be something ugly (no offense, Doc). Although I would like the excuse to say things like, "1.21 gigawatts!" And "Great scott!" for a whole evening. Halloween's the one night of the year I can get away with saying those things without people looking at me like I'm a crazy person.

What was your best costume ever?

Happy Wednesday.

Questions

I've had a few questions on my mind lately. If you have any insights/answers, feel free to share.

Is it worth it to continue giving someone the silent treatment if they don't realize you're giving them the silent treatment?

If someone says, "it's just not my humor" about your favorite show, are they really trying to say the show isn't funny? Should you be ashamed that you think it's funny?

Is there such a thing as everyday shoes that are comfortable, affordable, and cute? I know there's not so don't tell me there is.

Maybe there's no correct answers to these questions. Or maybe that's just what I tell myself when I disagree with the answers.

Love Story

My grandma is going to be 90 years old in January. She recently told my mom that she feels like her body is starting to shut down in her advancing age. She also said that she hopes to live long enough to see me, her oldest granddaughter, get married (no pressure).

This is definitely not the first time I've heard this from her. I really don't mind when she says it because I know she means it in a sweet way - she cares about me and wants me to be happy.

As I was thinking about what she said, I realized that this situation would make a good movie. Well, it would make a good made-for-t.v. movie at least. But depending on what channel it was on, the story could be interpreted very differently.

For example, if it were on the Lifetime channel, it would have a name like, "A Grandmother's Wish." This movie would involve me meeting a handsome gardener or childhood friend while staying at my grandma's house to care for her. It would definitely end with the gardener/childhood friend and I getting married, but since it's a Lifetime movie, it would also end with my grandmother's death. I can't have that. Let's explore some other options.

ABC Family: In this movie, I would hire someone to play my fiance to appease my grandma. There would be all sorts of minor conflicts, such as a snoopy sibling discovering that the guy I hired isn't really my fiance and almost ruining everything. There would also be a moment where I'd wonder if I was doing the right thing, toying with everyones emotions. This moment would come when I see my "fiance" laughing and bonding with my family, then making meaningful eye contact with me. This movie would end well, with us actually falling in love in getting married. Oh, and it would be starring either James Franco or Ryan Reynolds as the fiance. I would play myself, and my grandma would probably be played by Betty White. (The more I read this synopsis, the more I think I've already seen this movie in several different forms.)

Disney channel: Because I'm ancient in Disney years, in this movie I would be marrying for a second time, after having my heart broken by my first husband and becoming fiercely independent. Selena Gomez, Disney's sweetheart, would probably have to be in the movie, and sadly, they'd probably cast her as my daughter. She and my grandma, who would be played by Julie Andrews, would scheme to help me find love. They'd succeed. Dangit, I just realized that because it's the Disney channel, my love interest would probably be Billy Ray Cyrus. Oh well.

Clearly the best option is the Family channel version. Well, the best option would probably be actually getting married, but until then I'll see what I can do about getting this movie made. First matter of business: does anyone have Ryan Reynolds' phone number? I just want to know if he's available. For the movie, that is.

I'm ready...

...for candy corn, pumpkins, scary movies, crisp fall weather, changing leaves, hot apple cider, Halloween, Thanksgiving...and so much more! I have all things fall (autumn, that is) on my mind lately.

I'm sorry if you find this post obnoxious with the changing fonts and colors and whatnot. I just couldn't contain my excitement about fall.

The Un-friending

I think it's widely accepted that facebook is both awesome and evil (it's about 30/70). One of the ways in which it is evil is the un-friending.

I'll admit that I have unfriended people myself. In fact, I recently un-friended about 35 people who were on my friend list. Before you tell me how harsh that is, I have to clarify that these were people I barely knew, but who's friend request I accepted because they looked vaguely familiar and we had some mutual friends. That describes the majority of them anyway. When their updates showed up in my news feed, I'd think, "who is that?" So I didn't feel very guilty un-friending most of them.

I was talking about this with a friend of mine this past week and she told me that she had recently been un-friended by someone and that it didn't feel very good. It was someone she knew growing up and even though she hadn't been in contact with this person for years, she was still kind of hurt when she realized this person had un-friended her.

I could relate. One old friend of mine friend requested me last year, then three months later with no explanation, un-friended me! That was more amusing to me than anything, but it did make me wonder if I'd done anything wrong.

Often though, I think we have no idea that someone un-friended us. I have, in the past, noticed my number of friends decrease and wonder who un-friended me. But I figure if you don't notice that you're no longer friends with them, you probably weren't that close with them anyway. Either that or they were trying to stick it to you and you didn't notice, which really just sticks it to them.

Another friend told me that her family uses facebook as ammo when they're mad at each other. She said that her siblings and cousins are constantly un-friending each other, then later friend requesting each other when they make up.

From talking to some friends about this, these are the top reasons for un-friending people. (This poll was not scientific.) You'll have to let me know if I miss anything important reasons.



Have you been un-friended? (I'm going to post a poll at the side to make it easy for you to respond.) I'm also curious about what makes you un-friend people, or if you have done it in the past.

In other news, I wish I could remember life before Facebook...

Trash Talk

I am often accused of being a mean trash talker when I'm playing Dr. Mario with friends. I try to back off a bit but I always say, "this is nothing, the friends I used to play Dr. Mario with were the meanest (read: best) trash talkers ever! "

In order to prove that, I am posting the following conversation. This is between me and one of my friends who I will refer to by the initials "M. F." (Mean Friend). I told him I wouldn't use his real name when I asked him for permission to post this conversation. And when I say "Mean Friend" I mean it in the nicest way possible.

This e-mail conversation occured recently when I started a game of Scramble on Facebook with M.F. and subsequently forgot about that game, then did very poorly when I took my turn.

M. F. :Seriously? You challenge me, then you lay an egg, then you stop playing? Just pathetic. I bet your parents are ashamed. Just ashamed.
Me: Lay an egg!? I don't remember that!! I actually forgot I started that game; I'll get on it tonight.
M. F. : Oh, so you actually thought you were doing well? That's even better.
Me: I forgot how mean you are.
M. F. : I forgot how bad you are.
Me: This is our last game.
M. F. : Actually, our last game was apparently our last game, since I wouldn't count this.

...a bit later...

M. F. And just know: whatever you say, I will have a comeback. And it will be meaner than the last one. It's a race to the bottom and I'm world-class, baby.
Me: You are cracking me up. And hurting my feelings, simultaneously.
M. F. : Question: What's laughter without hurt feelings?
Answer: Friends.
Question: What's laughter with hurt feelings?
Answer: Family.
Glad to know we're family.

See, I'm not that bad, right?

Updates (and a couple more videos)

It's finally Friday! This week had it's ups and downs, although the only real "down" was the fact that it felt like a looooong week. The ups were:

I deleted over 6,000 e-mails on Wednesday. It took 45 minutes but felt so good.

The season premieres of The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Community were last night, as I already mentioned. I thought they were all pretty funny (although P & R would have been much funnier if someone had fallen into the pit again), but in my opinion, the funniest show on t.v. is Psych. If you guys haven't seen it, you should.

Tomorrow I'm going to the Renaissance Festival. This is a challenge, because one of my lifelong goals is to never shout "Huzzah!" for any reason. The Ren. Fest. is the only time that goal is put to the test but I think I can resist. I know I can't judge because I just admitted to going to the Renaissance Festival, but there's something about shouting "huzzah" that just crosses the geek threshold for me.

And lastly, a video you might enjoy:

Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo.

If that one doesn't make you laugh, this is one of my all time favorites:

Tonight

I can't wait! Is it sad how much I look forward to my favorite shows being on? (Don't answer that.)

I'm also really looking forward to Community, which looks hilarious! (Thanks for the clip, Kathy!)

Wednesday Thoughts

It's interesting when something takes over your life without you realizing it. Lately, I have been totally engrossed in sewing, which is something I never thought I'd be really interested in. Sewing has recently started taking over my life to the point where I've started feeling out of touch with my friends, family, and other things I usually make a priority.

It reminds me of when I was a kid and I became best friends with a girl who lived down the street, Kelly. I was probably about eight years old and spent most days (and some nights) at Kelly's house with her and her sister, Lauren. Kelly and I were inseparable and without realizing it, I started to get out of touch with my own family. I realized this while one day I was playing on the swing set at my house with my little sisters and I called somebody a "wiener." Both of my sisters gasped and said, "oooooh! We're not allowed to say that!" I was shocked. I had no idea my parents had a rule about calling someone a wiener. Kelly and her sister were allowed to say it so I assumed it was fine. I then realized that I had probably been spending too much time at Kelly's house. I didn't even feel like a part of my own family anymore.

Fast forward to now. I have been spending so much time with my new hobby, I gradually started putting other things on the back burner. It wasn't until yesterday, when I called someone a wiener that I realized I should probably take a step back. (I may be being slightly over dramatic, considering I only started sewing two weeks ago, but that's beside the point.) Usually my obsession is my blog but even that has been neglected, by my standards.

Anyway, friends, I'm back. No more sewing obsessively or calling people wieners*. Wow, that word is ridiculous, even in writing.

Happy Wednesday!

*This story has been exaggerated - I haven't actually called someone a wiener in at least a year or two.

Fair Talk

Two snippets of conversations I had with my ten year old nephew, James, today at the fair:

Me: I'm glad we're still friends now that you're older. Do you still think I'm cool or do you think I'm a dork now?
James: I still think you're a dork. I always did.

Me, looking up at a scary carnival ride: You couldn't pay me enough to go on that ride!
James: How about a hundred dollars?
Me: Yeah, I'd go for that.

Wednesday Thoughts

If you had to give up either french fries or pizza for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Don't worry, your decision isn't binding but pretend it is for the sake of some deep soul searching. What is the one junk food you would never want to give up?

Today is 9/9/9 and I feel like something magical should happen but so far it hasn't. I'm hoping tonight at 9:09 something will happen. Maybe I should go to a magical place to increase the odds. Any suggestions?

In other random thoughts, after my sewing lesson last week with Alecia, I've gotten bitten by the sewing bug. I went out over the weekend and bought a bunch of sewing supplies. As I was leaving Jo-Ann's, my arms heavy with shopping bags, I thought to myself, "I hope this isn't just a phase." I think I'm too old to go through hobby phases, but I'm not sure. How do you keep yourself interested in a new hobby?

Last thought: yesterday was my niece Paige's first day of school - she's in young fives - and my sister told me that this morning when she woke Paige up for school, Paige said, "I have to go again!?" I feel like that almost every day.

Happy Wednesday.

One more short video

...of the Labor Day dancer. This is for those of you who just can't get enough (you know who you are). (For more videos, see below.) Many of you have told me that this guy really makes you happy and I agree. I was smiling the whole time I watched him dance that weekend. He danced for at least an hour the day I took these videos and at the end of each dance, he bowed. Some people clapped but most just shook their heads in confusion and looked away. Both reactions made me laugh. Anyway, this is the last video I have, so I hope you enjoy it. As I said, it's short but it's pretty good.

Labor Day Dancer

Last year on Labor Day, while swimming in Lake Michigan at the Ludington state park, we were graced with a very special surprise: the beach dancer. This man danced with wild abandon seemingly oblivious to the social norms that most of us hold to. People stared, some laughed, some were embarrassed or annoyed - he hardly seemed to notice. His only rule seemed to be this: dance what you feel and don't hold back. He danced up and down the beach - he danced with wild abandon. I've never seen anything like it.

Even though I've been to the state park beach in Ludington many times since, I haven't seen the beach dancer since. I concluded that he must just dance around coastlines, never dancing the same one twice. I eventually forgot about him.

It seems however, that the beach dancer only graces people with his presence on Labor Day weekend. Maybe it's an end of summer ritual? We were thrilled this weekend to see this lovable goofball back on the beach, dancing his heart out.

But that's not all. In this short video, there's a pretty funny surprise. I won't ruin it by telling you what it is. Enjoy! (Oh, and you might want to turn down the volume - it's a bit windy. ) Katherine pointed out that this video just doesn't showcase his dancing well enough, so I posted one more video, below.

Dancing, Part Two

Gag Order

You know what bums me out? The fact that I can't blog about some of the funniest things that happen to or around me because of the other people involved. I am particularly frustrated this week because some very funny things have been happening around me and I wish I could share. Maybe someday, dear readers, I will tell you some very funny stories but for now I'll have to tell you about something else.

Only problem is, I can't think of anything funnier to write about than what is actually happening. I'll just leave it at this. You know things have gotten bad when you say to an upset friend, "don't worry, we'll have ice cream later with Magic Shell. That will make everything better." And the response you get is, "Screw Magic Shell!!"

Wednesday Thoughts

I have never been so mad at the Farmers' Almanac in all my life. Did you hear what they're saying about winter this year? Check out the slightly altered picture above for more information. See the circled area where I live? "Bitterly cold and dry," it says. And what's that guy smiling about!? It's almost like he likes giving the bad news. I had no idea the Farmers' Almanac people were so sadistic. The article that goes along with the picture is even more evil, with quotes like:

Managing Editor Sandi Duncan says it's going to be an "ice cold sandwich. We feel the middle part of the country's really going to be cold — very, very cold, very, very frigid, with a lot of snow."

I don't like how often she used the word "very." Plus, "ice cold sandwich" is just a weird thing to say. And very unappetizing, I might add. Who would want to eat an ice cold sandwich? It's just sick.

There is good news though, and that is that the National Weather Service disagrees with the Farmers' Almanac. They predict a mild winter due to El Niño. I thought El Niño was a temporary weather fluke from the nineties, but apparently he's still around playing scapegoat whenever the NWS needs something to blame strange weather patterns on. Not that I mind if it means warmer weather, don't get me wrong.

On top of all that good news, all I keep hearing about is the 100% guarantee the CDC is giving me that I will indeed get the H1N1 virus this winter. It's also fairly likely I'll die of it, according to several articles I've read on the subject.

Bummed out yet? Not to worry, I'm sure there are things we can look forward to this winter. Like the return of the Snuggie/Slanket/Toasty Wrap! And of course LOST. Plus, I'm sure I'll become very good friends with the other patients in the hospital who also have H1N1. And let's see, what else...ice cold sandwiches for everyone! See, it won't be too bad.

Mackinac Bridge Walk

When I was a teenager, my family had a tradition of driving up to Mackinaw City on Labor Day and walking the Mackinac Bridge. For those of you who are not Michiganders (see poll on side), the Mackinac Bridge is the bridge that connects the upper and lower peninsulas that make up Michigan. It is five miles one way and the only day you can walk across it is Labor Day. It's very fun and a ton of people take advantage of the opportunity to do the walk.

I haven't done it since I was a teenager and I was thinking this might be a good year to reinstate the tradition. Katherine (my sister) and I are thinking about doing it so if any of you are interested, let me know! Either leave a comment or e-mail me. Oh, and in case you were wondering, you take a bus across then walk back so don't worry, it's not a ten mile walk.

If you want to know more about the bridge walk, here's a link with the details! Side note: I just read something scary on that link. On the list of things "not allowed" on the bridge walk they've included umbrellas! I don't even want to think about someone flying off the bridge Mary Poppins style! (Do you think that's why they listed them??)