Arlene brought neimann marcuss cookies to our meeting. They make any meeting better. Is the story about the lady who accidentally bought the recipe true or an urban legend? Either way, I'm glad arlene got a hold of the recipe. YUM!
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Thursday, April 30, 2009
april is ending...
yesterday jeremy got out of bed when i left for work (about 45 inutes before he needs to get up) to go running. then he was going to go again with me after work except i fell asleep and was too groggy when he got home to go. he is amazing. i love running with him so much more than running by myself, even though he is much faster. he likes running with me because i am better at keeping a steady pace so even though he is ahead of me, he can still pace himself by looking back to see where i am and run for longer distances. we make a pretty good team. hopefully after my race this weekend (when i no longer have a race that i am "training" for) we keep up our 2-3x weekly runs around the block.
we are gearing up for the next mosaic production, broke. we stage managed broke last year and it was awesome. the show and its elements have been workshopped and improved and we are excited to be a part of broke 2.0! the performances are during our westside and mayan gathering times on may 10 and then a freestanding performance at william carey university on the 15th. we have our first meeting tonight (jeremy is the technical director - he is moving up in the world!) and i cant wai tto get a copy of the script!
i saw kevin mckidd (one of the doctors on greys anatomy) at trader joes on sunday. actually jeremy saw him (he has a great eye for spotting greys anatomy characters in the wild even though he claims to hate the show) and discreetly pointed him out to me. he was buying produce, wearing crocs. stars! they're just like us! or just like that percentage of the population ho thinks it is socially acceptable to wear crocs outside of the garden/hospital! maybe he wears them for authenticity on the show and had just come from a read through or something. anything is better than the probable truth. boy is wearing crocs for fun.
anyone else thankful that we never have to watch matt sing again on american idol? i will see him on ellen on monday (she has all the losers on her show) but after that... good bye and good riddance. if adam had been voted off i think i would have quit watching the show. or at least watched it, but not paid as rapt attention to it. or something.
we are gearing up for the next mosaic production, broke. we stage managed broke last year and it was awesome. the show and its elements have been workshopped and improved and we are excited to be a part of broke 2.0! the performances are during our westside and mayan gathering times on may 10 and then a freestanding performance at william carey university on the 15th. we have our first meeting tonight (jeremy is the technical director - he is moving up in the world!) and i cant wai tto get a copy of the script!
i saw kevin mckidd (one of the doctors on greys anatomy) at trader joes on sunday. actually jeremy saw him (he has a great eye for spotting greys anatomy characters in the wild even though he claims to hate the show) and discreetly pointed him out to me. he was buying produce, wearing crocs. stars! they're just like us! or just like that percentage of the population ho thinks it is socially acceptable to wear crocs outside of the garden/hospital! maybe he wears them for authenticity on the show and had just come from a read through or something. anything is better than the probable truth. boy is wearing crocs for fun.
anyone else thankful that we never have to watch matt sing again on american idol? i will see him on ellen on monday (she has all the losers on her show) but after that... good bye and good riddance. if adam had been voted off i think i would have quit watching the show. or at least watched it, but not paid as rapt attention to it. or something.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
AI: Big Band Week - the rat pack
jamie fox is kinda annoying. just wanted to throw that out there.
kris sure looked handsome tonight in his suit. (and humble too!) this was the first time i really liked him. i wouldnt purchase his album prolly but i enjoyed the performance.
happy birthday allison! who out there who is actually voting (not me!) isnt voting for allison? shes amazing! i love love love her voice.
dear matt, i am bored of you. please go away now. thank you. sincerely, meaghan
dear danny, even though you are a good singer and (other) people seem to like you, i do not think very many of them would actually buy your music. sincerely, meaghan
(p.s. is kara taking something? did paula hook her up? girl is nuts tonight!)
adam is still far and away the best. i would go to see him perform live and probably buy his album. he got some lungs!
wasnt very interested in posting my thoguhts this week because i think most everything i need to say about these people i have already said in previous blog entries. i think tonight's bottom three is matt, kris and allison and i sure hope matt is gonig home!
kris sure looked handsome tonight in his suit. (and humble too!) this was the first time i really liked him. i wouldnt purchase his album prolly but i enjoyed the performance.
happy birthday allison! who out there who is actually voting (not me!) isnt voting for allison? shes amazing! i love love love her voice.
dear matt, i am bored of you. please go away now. thank you. sincerely, meaghan
dear danny, even though you are a good singer and (other) people seem to like you, i do not think very many of them would actually buy your music. sincerely, meaghan
(p.s. is kara taking something? did paula hook her up? girl is nuts tonight!)
adam is still far and away the best. i would go to see him perform live and probably buy his album. he got some lungs!
wasnt very interested in posting my thoguhts this week because i think most everything i need to say about these people i have already said in previous blog entries. i think tonight's bottom three is matt, kris and allison and i sure hope matt is gonig home!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
close only counts in water balloons
Ephesians 4:15 (New International Version)
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
ask anyone and they'll tell you. i am really really good at speaking the truth. in high school i won an award for being the most opinionated person in the senior class (and im guessing no one in the lower grades really came close either). i tell it like it is. i cannot remember the last time i told a lie. (i know i have before - i'm definitely NOT trying to say i have never lied, because that would be a lie. there was that whole makeup at a rich mullins concert inident in middle school - bad bad news). my friend sarah actually introduces me to people as sassy. members of my family ask me to confront other members about things because they know that i will say the actual truth.
i say all this to say: the hard part is speaking the truth IN LOVE. also if you know me, you would know that this is something i struggle with.
my latest campaign is the "get caught talking about someone behind his or her back BUT saying good, nice things." every time someone walks past and i was just saying something nice about them and they overheard i feel really good. and i think they might too. even if there are true bad things to say too. so go talk about someone behind his or her back today. try to get caught. its kinda fun.
im hoping that this is good practice for speaking the truth in love in confrontational situtions. when my dander gets up, its UP and while i try (and usually succeed) to fight fair (using "i feel" and "sometimes" instead of "you," "always" and "never") i dont necessarily fight nice. and i think i should.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
ask anyone and they'll tell you. i am really really good at speaking the truth. in high school i won an award for being the most opinionated person in the senior class (and im guessing no one in the lower grades really came close either). i tell it like it is. i cannot remember the last time i told a lie. (i know i have before - i'm definitely NOT trying to say i have never lied, because that would be a lie. there was that whole makeup at a rich mullins concert inident in middle school - bad bad news). my friend sarah actually introduces me to people as sassy. members of my family ask me to confront other members about things because they know that i will say the actual truth.
i say all this to say: the hard part is speaking the truth IN LOVE. also if you know me, you would know that this is something i struggle with.
my latest campaign is the "get caught talking about someone behind his or her back BUT saying good, nice things." every time someone walks past and i was just saying something nice about them and they overheard i feel really good. and i think they might too. even if there are true bad things to say too. so go talk about someone behind his or her back today. try to get caught. its kinda fun.
im hoping that this is good practice for speaking the truth in love in confrontational situtions. when my dander gets up, its UP and while i try (and usually succeed) to fight fair (using "i feel" and "sometimes" instead of "you," "always" and "never") i dont necessarily fight nice. and i think i should.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
taking one for the team
yesterday we got up (after a late night out with friends it was really really hard to get up) and drove to pasadena to help our friends ryan and sarah move. they were super organized and well packed (you guys rate #1 on our list of people we have helped move and thats a looong list) and we knocked that thing out in about 2 hours. their new little cottage is super cute and sarah will have that thing put together and looking good in no time flat. after eating some pizza we left the unpacking party and headed to our football game.
there are 8 people on the team and 2 of them have to be girls. we have two girls on our team. i get a pretty good workout during the games. i love it. i run around a lot and block and rush but overall dont contribute a whole heck of a lot to the score. jeremy has made a few great plays in weeks past and had a touchdown last week which was awesome. this week i tried to make an interception and almost succeeded except my face doesnt have any hands to catch the ball. no bruises to show for it though - how lame is that?
there are 8 people on the team and 2 of them have to be girls. we have two girls on our team. i get a pretty good workout during the games. i love it. i run around a lot and block and rush but overall dont contribute a whole heck of a lot to the score. jeremy has made a few great plays in weeks past and had a touchdown last week which was awesome. this week i tried to make an interception and almost succeeded except my face doesnt have any hands to catch the ball. no bruises to show for it though - how lame is that?
just around the corner
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
too many holidays at once!
happy birthday jessie!
my sister turns 19 today. yay for her! she has almost made it through her first year of school at k-state (go wildcats!) and i get to see her in about a month. all good things.
happy administrative assistants day!
this would be the one day a year when some people at work recognize all the crap i put up with evryday and say thank you. better yet, all of us office girls are going out for a drink after work at a bar and grill called the office. how appropriate!
happy earth day!
think green and do something nice for the planet today. turn off the lights and television and go outside for a while. buy a couple reusable shopping bags. take a shorter shower. easy easy easy.
any other celebrations today that i missed?
my sister turns 19 today. yay for her! she has almost made it through her first year of school at k-state (go wildcats!) and i get to see her in about a month. all good things.
happy administrative assistants day!
this would be the one day a year when some people at work recognize all the crap i put up with evryday and say thank you. better yet, all of us office girls are going out for a drink after work at a bar and grill called the office. how appropriate!
happy earth day!
think green and do something nice for the planet today. turn off the lights and television and go outside for a while. buy a couple reusable shopping bags. take a shorter shower. easy easy easy.
any other celebrations today that i missed?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
AI:Disco Week
chaka khan is a strange woman. that has nothing to do with american idol, just a freebie observation. every woman is a major song. lil was eh. she just isnt as good as i thought she was going to be at the beginning of the show. buh bye. (maybe i am somewhat ignorant here but what exactly is the definition of disco? this song doesnt come to mind at all when i think of disco... can anyone explain that to me?)
she works hard for the money: you were probably expecting some lame joke about kris working hard for your votes or some other such nonsense. you wont find any lame jokes (or cliches - right beka?) on this blogs. no siree. just like kris and the mystery woman (hooker?) in this song, i will never sell out so you better treat me right. in actual critiquing the contestants news, i liked the way kris's voice sounded on this song even though, in my limited knowledge, i KNOW that was not a disco version of that song.
september. am i too young to know this song? i do believe i am unfamiliar with this particular tune. can you hum a few bars? i guess technically his performance was good but he aint got no soul. i am just a danny hater. im sure he is a perfectly nice person but i cant help it. i do enjoy how they cut out all the video packages in order to allow the judges time to argue about who buys ladies undergarments but i miss seeing multiple pairs of dannys glasses. allison looked cute in his pair from tonight (the glasses, not his ladies underwear as i am unsure about his choice in foundation garments and am perfectly ok with that).
although i probably wouldnt wear them all together i am coveting each piece of allisons wardrobe tonight. shes hot stuff yeah! her parents better watch out for dem boys. the run at the end of her song - woo baby!
adam, if i cant have you as my american idol then i dont want nobody. well maybe allison. ok, there was my lame song lyric joke for this blog post. anyone else catch paula's tears? shes nuts! adam is good and thats all there is to say. week after week.
ok everyone say it with me: will this performance help matt stay alive in this competition? groan. i had to. we were all thinking it. pretty good overall but we are still dealing with the same problem - he just isnt as sexy as he thinks he is. but the most disco-y of the bunch tonight. is there a special prize for that?
oh the chin fuzz! why anoop why?!? he and matt are suffering from the same overly-inflated-opinion-of my-own-sexiness syndrome. not many men can pull off the whole wearing a pick sweater while singing about having sex. unless they are singing about a mana and not a woman. just saying.
whats the group song going to be tomorrow? is brick house disco? id love to see that song on american idol. just tickles my fancy. bottom three? anyone? jeremy isnt home tonight so im watching it live (recorded from an earlier telecast) instead of biggest loser because i have to wait for him for that. so tehre is time for feedback before the show. i think: lil, anoop, and matt. lil is going home. not sure who the other person will be. matt wouldnt surprise me. anoop wouldnt either.
she works hard for the money: you were probably expecting some lame joke about kris working hard for your votes or some other such nonsense. you wont find any lame jokes (or cliches - right beka?) on this blogs. no siree. just like kris and the mystery woman (hooker?) in this song, i will never sell out so you better treat me right. in actual critiquing the contestants news, i liked the way kris's voice sounded on this song even though, in my limited knowledge, i KNOW that was not a disco version of that song.
september. am i too young to know this song? i do believe i am unfamiliar with this particular tune. can you hum a few bars? i guess technically his performance was good but he aint got no soul. i am just a danny hater. im sure he is a perfectly nice person but i cant help it. i do enjoy how they cut out all the video packages in order to allow the judges time to argue about who buys ladies undergarments but i miss seeing multiple pairs of dannys glasses. allison looked cute in his pair from tonight (the glasses, not his ladies underwear as i am unsure about his choice in foundation garments and am perfectly ok with that).
although i probably wouldnt wear them all together i am coveting each piece of allisons wardrobe tonight. shes hot stuff yeah! her parents better watch out for dem boys. the run at the end of her song - woo baby!
adam, if i cant have you as my american idol then i dont want nobody. well maybe allison. ok, there was my lame song lyric joke for this blog post. anyone else catch paula's tears? shes nuts! adam is good and thats all there is to say. week after week.
ok everyone say it with me: will this performance help matt stay alive in this competition? groan. i had to. we were all thinking it. pretty good overall but we are still dealing with the same problem - he just isnt as sexy as he thinks he is. but the most disco-y of the bunch tonight. is there a special prize for that?
oh the chin fuzz! why anoop why?!? he and matt are suffering from the same overly-inflated-opinion-of my-own-sexiness syndrome. not many men can pull off the whole wearing a pick sweater while singing about having sex. unless they are singing about a mana and not a woman. just saying.
whats the group song going to be tomorrow? is brick house disco? id love to see that song on american idol. just tickles my fancy. bottom three? anyone? jeremy isnt home tonight so im watching it live (recorded from an earlier telecast) instead of biggest loser because i have to wait for him for that. so tehre is time for feedback before the show. i think: lil, anoop, and matt. lil is going home. not sure who the other person will be. matt wouldnt surprise me. anoop wouldnt either.
Monday, April 20, 2009
knife fighting?
when i got home from work today (at 3:30 thanks to my new schedule of opening the school at 7am) i was HOT and sweaty and ready to sit on the couch in the air con and pet cricket. i stick my key in the lock, turn it and run into the unmoving door. why is the deadbolt on? jeremy came home for lunch so i bb im-ed him to ask why he deadbolted the partment. he said he didnt and i wasnt too concerned. i put my dirty clothes in the laundry in the closet, went into the bathroom to get a band for my hair, and sat on the couch. cricket jumped in my lap and jeremy was asking me all sorts of questions like does everything look like it is in the right place? is cricket still there? all of our valuabes were here and cricekt was in my lap. jeremy called the manager who didnt answer and started to get worried. he told me to look in the closet to see if there was anyone there. wth??? what am i supposed to do if there IS someone in the closet? ask him nicely to please leave? wheres our baseball bat? oh, in the closet. awesome. and the guns? locked up, but also in the closet. aha! the nasty looking hunting knife that he usually has in his pocket? in his bedside table (which of course is in the same room as the couch since our apartment is small and sucks). so i have my phone in one hand, cricket in my lap, the ellen show playing in the background, and a knife in my other hand...
jeremy calls again. "i got ahold of the managers boyfriend. he said he went around testing all the locks but never went into any the apartments. so he left the deadbolt locked and thats why. i told him that if he ever does anything like that again to tell us because we were both worried." worried? i was pee my pants scared. now that i knew there was PROBABLY no one in the house i took the knife and went to investigate. i only felt minorly ridiculous (and still freaking scared). finding no one in either the shower or the closet (and in this little box those are the only two potential places a human could fit) i returned to the couch a little less scared. thirty minutes later i am typing this post but i still have the knife in my lap.
just in case.
because you never know.
jeremy calls again. "i got ahold of the managers boyfriend. he said he went around testing all the locks but never went into any the apartments. so he left the deadbolt locked and thats why. i told him that if he ever does anything like that again to tell us because we were both worried." worried? i was pee my pants scared. now that i knew there was PROBABLY no one in the house i took the knife and went to investigate. i only felt minorly ridiculous (and still freaking scared). finding no one in either the shower or the closet (and in this little box those are the only two potential places a human could fit) i returned to the couch a little less scared. thirty minutes later i am typing this post but i still have the knife in my lap.
just in case.
because you never know.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Recipe for...
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Saturday, April 18, 2009
tree planting day
today dubnoff had a tree planting day. we had several trees donated from huntington library. we are making the lot at the end of the block by the school, which used to be the site of a group home that was condemned and torn down several years ago, into a safe, green space for our kids. the ground had been tilled and grassed by the cemetary across the street from us so all that was left to do was to dig some tree holes. an entire crew of firemen, lots of staff members and their families, board members, the boys living in the group homes and people who had seen the story on abc news on friday from our community showed up to help.
the trees were already placed where they are supposed to be. after we received our instructions, jeremy, cara, captain reyes and i started digging a hole for our japanese cherry blosson tree. we finished it up in record time and moved on to the cypress trees. captain reyes had to leave on a call from the fire department so the three of us planted the second tree. everyone pitched in and the trees were planted in record time. we had to leave to a football game before the pizza and news vans showed up which was sad. all in all, good workout, fun people, great time. plus we get that glowy just volunteered in my community feeling. :D
Thursday, April 16, 2009
happy birthday crickey!
crickey poo turned 2 yesterday! we have had her for 14 months and she is the best cat ever. on tuesday night i was looking online at the shelter cats in the area trying to find her a brother or sister even thoguh jeremy says we cant have two cats at a time and if i got a new one i would have to give cricket up. boo! he did tell me that if we got $1000 back from our taxes i could get a second cat but we both knew we were going to have to pay. and pay we did. i am so ready to be out of california! state taxes here are ridiculous! thankfully thats over and done with and hopefully next april we are paying our taxes in a different state... ???
it has cooled off here (winter temperatures recorded! that means it gets down to the 50s!) and been rather windy for the past couple days. on cold nights cricket sleeps with us, usually at jeremys feet or on my pillow but she has a new habit of curling up right in between us then yowing at me in the morning when i wake up and turn over to hit the alarm button. so sorry princess! did i disturb your precious slumber? dont worry - im sure youll get your 20 hours of sleep in today somehow! she is such a goof...
it has cooled off here (winter temperatures recorded! that means it gets down to the 50s!) and been rather windy for the past couple days. on cold nights cricket sleeps with us, usually at jeremys feet or on my pillow but she has a new habit of curling up right in between us then yowing at me in the morning when i wake up and turn over to hit the alarm button. so sorry princess! did i disturb your precious slumber? dont worry - im sure youll get your 20 hours of sleep in today somehow! she is such a goof...
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Rules Are:
Fill it out
Change One Question with one of your own
Add an additional question
Send to Three People
1. What are your current obsessions?
reading, cricket (the cat, not the game)
2. Which item from your closet are you wearing most often?
my new joe's jeans that make me look amazing
3. Last thing you bought for yourself?
food.
4. What’s for dinner?
shannon is cooking so i have no idea but it is always good!
5. Say something to the person who tagged you:
beka inspires me to run longer and faster. she is super cute and if we lived in the same city we would be inseparable. also, she likes gucamole and beef. i know that sounds factual but is actually really nice!
6. What is one item you could not live without?
my blackberry.
7. Vacation spots you must visit before you die?
too many to name... seriously
8. Three things to do before you die:
reproduce (maybe a few times?)
convince jeremy that two indoor cats is doable
do something amazing
9. What are you reading right now?
love in the time of cholera and it kinda sucks.
10. What is the last movie you saw and enjoyed?
slumdog millionaire. since then we have watched quite a few crappy movies.
11. What’s your guilty pleasure?
bryan adams, n'sync, drinkies, trashy novels
12. What’s your favorite smell?
jeremy fresh from the shower, kansas when it rains (i agree beka!)
13. If cost wasn't an issue and you could live anywhere in the world for a year where would it be?
england - minimal language barrier and close to everywhere in europe
14. Do you have a goal that you are trying accomplish before 2009 is over?
pr in a 5k, the splits
15. Describe one of your happiest moments.
i feel like i am supposed to say walking down the aisle at my wedding and while that was pretty incredible i think i am happiest sitting next to jeremy on zuma beach listening to the waves and soaking up sunshine
16. What was your best Halloween costume?
rockstar was fun...
17. What do you have an addiction to?
facebook. twitter. blogspot. gofugyourself. many other internet related activities.
18. What do you do that you would be embarrassed for others to know about?
if i dont want people to know why i am i posting it on the internet? beka, i too am a horrible singer but thats no secret. i guess if someone was sitting next to me in the car while i am driving on the freeway with my ipod plugged in i would be embarrassed at the volume and passion of my singing... traffic is better with mariah and kelly.
19. What is one totally irrational fear you have?
undiagnosed brain tumor (beka - im starting to freak out on how many of our answers are the same!)
20. Do you have a favorite training tip?
dont stop swimming.
21. What's your most embarrassing moment?
??? i dont get embarrassed all that easily.
22. What is a little known fact about you?
i am a trashy reality tv addict
23. (my addition) who is on your list?
strange as it may sound: joel mchale and stephen colbert. jeremy knows, and he is cool with this.
i am tagging
anna o
sarah s
amy m
enjoy!
Fill it out
Change One Question with one of your own
Add an additional question
Send to Three People
1. What are your current obsessions?
reading, cricket (the cat, not the game)
2. Which item from your closet are you wearing most often?
my new joe's jeans that make me look amazing
3. Last thing you bought for yourself?
food.
4. What’s for dinner?
shannon is cooking so i have no idea but it is always good!
5. Say something to the person who tagged you:
beka inspires me to run longer and faster. she is super cute and if we lived in the same city we would be inseparable. also, she likes gucamole and beef. i know that sounds factual but is actually really nice!
6. What is one item you could not live without?
my blackberry.
7. Vacation spots you must visit before you die?
too many to name... seriously
8. Three things to do before you die:
reproduce (maybe a few times?)
convince jeremy that two indoor cats is doable
do something amazing
9. What are you reading right now?
love in the time of cholera and it kinda sucks.
10. What is the last movie you saw and enjoyed?
slumdog millionaire. since then we have watched quite a few crappy movies.
11. What’s your guilty pleasure?
bryan adams, n'sync, drinkies, trashy novels
12. What’s your favorite smell?
jeremy fresh from the shower, kansas when it rains (i agree beka!)
13. If cost wasn't an issue and you could live anywhere in the world for a year where would it be?
england - minimal language barrier and close to everywhere in europe
14. Do you have a goal that you are trying accomplish before 2009 is over?
pr in a 5k, the splits
15. Describe one of your happiest moments.
i feel like i am supposed to say walking down the aisle at my wedding and while that was pretty incredible i think i am happiest sitting next to jeremy on zuma beach listening to the waves and soaking up sunshine
16. What was your best Halloween costume?
rockstar was fun...
17. What do you have an addiction to?
facebook. twitter. blogspot. gofugyourself. many other internet related activities.
18. What do you do that you would be embarrassed for others to know about?
if i dont want people to know why i am i posting it on the internet? beka, i too am a horrible singer but thats no secret. i guess if someone was sitting next to me in the car while i am driving on the freeway with my ipod plugged in i would be embarrassed at the volume and passion of my singing... traffic is better with mariah and kelly.
19. What is one totally irrational fear you have?
undiagnosed brain tumor (beka - im starting to freak out on how many of our answers are the same!)
20. Do you have a favorite training tip?
dont stop swimming.
21. What's your most embarrassing moment?
??? i dont get embarrassed all that easily.
22. What is a little known fact about you?
i am a trashy reality tv addict
23. (my addition) who is on your list?
strange as it may sound: joel mchale and stephen colbert. jeremy knows, and he is cool with this.
i am tagging
anna o
sarah s
amy m
enjoy!
AI: music from the movies
what does quentin tarantino know about music? i know he is good at directing weird movies and bizarre episode of tv shows but does he have any musical credibility at all?
i dont want to miss a thing - this song reminds me of my senior year of high school watching movies in mallory and tjs basement. gt gt. allison - i'd miss ya babe if you got kicked off tonight.
p.s. blake, the guy from tom's shoes that was in the first commercial break (for all you non-dvrers), goes to mosaic. tom's shoes is a really amazing business. check it out.
everything i do, i do it for you: when bryan adams sings this, i must say, i just melt. when anoop sings it... not so much. im just saying. it wasnt bad. i think thats the nicest thing i can say.
not digging the new judge format. maybe they could come up with another way to keep the show on time without only letting two judges speak?
born to be wild: and boy, adam is. he can get my motor running anytime! (oops did i just say that out loud? dont tell jeremy! it was supposed to be a clever play on song lyrics... but really he can. but im still not convinced on the matter of his sexuality, either way. can anyone provide confirmation one way or the other?) the boy can sing. should we just call teh competition right now?
have you every loved a woman?: eh. is he as sexy as he thinks he is? my answer is no but maybe other girls out there disagree??? his performance of this song does not convince me that he has, in fact, loved a woman of his own.
i didnt really recognize danny without his glasses... my endless love: i liked his cover here. also i like harp music.
falling slowly: one of the best movie songs ever. i love when jeremy i watching once while i fall asleep. kris's version wasnt as good as the original but still ok.
the rose: i learned this song at girl scout camp in middle school and have loved it ever since. super cheesy and my parents hate it (that song has no chorus! it is horribly written!) but i love it. this is my favorite of her performances in a long long time. having said that, i am so over lil rounds.
tonight's bottom three: lil, matt and anoop.
i dont want to miss a thing - this song reminds me of my senior year of high school watching movies in mallory and tjs basement. gt gt. allison - i'd miss ya babe if you got kicked off tonight.
p.s. blake, the guy from tom's shoes that was in the first commercial break (for all you non-dvrers), goes to mosaic. tom's shoes is a really amazing business. check it out.
everything i do, i do it for you: when bryan adams sings this, i must say, i just melt. when anoop sings it... not so much. im just saying. it wasnt bad. i think thats the nicest thing i can say.
not digging the new judge format. maybe they could come up with another way to keep the show on time without only letting two judges speak?
born to be wild: and boy, adam is. he can get my motor running anytime! (oops did i just say that out loud? dont tell jeremy! it was supposed to be a clever play on song lyrics... but really he can. but im still not convinced on the matter of his sexuality, either way. can anyone provide confirmation one way or the other?) the boy can sing. should we just call teh competition right now?
have you every loved a woman?: eh. is he as sexy as he thinks he is? my answer is no but maybe other girls out there disagree??? his performance of this song does not convince me that he has, in fact, loved a woman of his own.
i didnt really recognize danny without his glasses... my endless love: i liked his cover here. also i like harp music.
falling slowly: one of the best movie songs ever. i love when jeremy i watching once while i fall asleep. kris's version wasnt as good as the original but still ok.
the rose: i learned this song at girl scout camp in middle school and have loved it ever since. super cheesy and my parents hate it (that song has no chorus! it is horribly written!) but i love it. this is my favorite of her performances in a long long time. having said that, i am so over lil rounds.
tonight's bottom three: lil, matt and anoop.
Monday, April 13, 2009
your five seconds
as i was watching the award show (and they do this on most every show of this kind) i was thinking about the time of the show when "they" pay tribute to everyone in the field they are awarding that has died in the previous year. for most of these people, their star of fame has long since burned out. im sure to their families and friends the brief series of pictures and movie clips compiled to show a representation of the work they have done in their life is very moving and meaningful. if you died right now, what events or accomplishments would be included in your five second reel at the award show? do you think the things you want to be included would be the same things that "they" think are worthwhile?
i imagine a lot of people consider their children to be their greatest accomplishment, even people who have earned top honors like gold medals or publishing deals or acting trophies. pictures of their families are rarely, if ever, included in the tribute reels though. sometimes (most of the time?) the things that the world would recognize one for are not the things that really matter.
i think my five seconds would include a wedding clip, pictures of me with my family and friends, and pictures of me from my races or cake calsses or something like that. the real stuff is family and friends. moving to la and making a new "family" within weeks is important. being valedictorian really isnt.
what would be in your five seconds?
i imagine a lot of people consider their children to be their greatest accomplishment, even people who have earned top honors like gold medals or publishing deals or acting trophies. pictures of their families are rarely, if ever, included in the tribute reels though. sometimes (most of the time?) the things that the world would recognize one for are not the things that really matter.
i think my five seconds would include a wedding clip, pictures of me with my family and friends, and pictures of me from my races or cake calsses or something like that. the real stuff is family and friends. moving to la and making a new "family" within weeks is important. being valedictorian really isnt.
what would be in your five seconds?
do you even care any more?
i am finally watching the oscars and blogging about my experience this year.
doing the overnight shifts was easier in some ways this year and harder in others. jeremy was incredibly supportive and helpful, especially on my birthday, which fell on the day before the show. by sunday i was barely staying awake and emotionally exhausted. when i found out i wouldnt be on the red carpet this year i had a breakdown, but jeremy managed to calm me down and help me get a couple hours sleep before the rest of my 20 hour shift on oscar sunday.
i started by trying to get my photo taken on the carpet by the offical photographer, but he was nowhere to be found when i had a break in my schedule. then, very frustrated, i made my way to the general photo room to keep an eagle eye on the photographers setting up all their stuff to take pictures of the winners and nominees. then we settled into wait for the show to start.
after the first award was announced my stomach started fluttering. most of the presenters come backstage with the winners and seeing all that star power at the same time is pretty powerful at times. penelope cruz is gorgeous (duh). tina fey is surprisingly normal and was really calm backstage. jennifer aniston and jack black were really funny backstage and jennifer aniston looked at me and smiled. amazing. she actually looks better in person than you would expect. if one can imagine such a thing. living well is the best revenge right? she was seriously glowing.
sarah jessica parker is an interesting person. erica and i watched every second of sex and the city in college and loved it. however, sjp seems more noral than lots of super famous people in that she often has bad ahir days and wears kinda blah stuff. having said that, even though her dress was picked apart by some critics, she looked absolutely amazing in person. daniel craig looked directly at me and smiled at me. i swear i melted. that is one fine specimen of a man and i dont care what anyone says he is a great bond james bond!
robert pattinson didnt come backstage. i wish he would have. i have a real problem with him and would love a chance to see him in person to decide if he actually is cute once and for all. he seems like kind of a chain smoking loserish scruffy boy. i did like his shaved head though... ben stiller didnt come backstage with all his hair - i would have liked to see him. natalie portman is just about the tiniest thing i have ever seen. shes super cute but looks super fragile.
certain presenters that you assume smoke a lot of weed were prolly high when they were on stage. funny, but total pot heads.
the five men who presented for supporting actor were a motley crew. it is interesting trying to get a bunch of men squished tight enough together and looking at the same camera for a photo op. heath's family was pretty cool and i could tell that winning this award meant a lot to them. the high wire guy wasnt supposed to go on stage and spent waaay too much time clowning for the cameras while balancing his oscar on his chin etc. i was annoyed but im not sure why.
will smith didnt come backstage with any of the winners he presented to. major bummer. karla was happy that i didnt get to see him because he "belongs to her" and she would have been too jealous. i would have liked to see him because he is one of very few men in hollywood who is taller than me (at least supposedly - you never know who is wearing lifts these days).
alicia keyes sure looked pretty. the slumdog millionaire musical number was pretty great. have you seen taht movie yet? you should go watch it now. im pretty sure it is on dvd. we tried to get all the cast together at the end of the night for a photo (since the movie won almost every category it was nominated in) but it never happened. the photogs were disappointed. i was too.
the compilation of all the people who have died in the past year always makes me sad. it is strange to think of all the talent in those brief clips. every year i recognize more and more of the names in the sequence. i guess i am getting old...
i loved the new format of having former winners of the awards talk about each nominee and present the award. theres nothing like being validated by someone who really knows what you do and can tell you "good job!" and it really mean something.
kate winslet was actually less attractive in person to me. i think she is gorgeous and has a great body and is a fabulous actor and mother and human being. her eyebrows however were mildly scary.
the surprisingly sexy award of the night goes to michael douglas. he has got the whole magnetism thing down pat. him and tommy lee jones could teach a class in being average looking but somehow amazing. sean penn is a weird one though. he really didnt want his picture taken at all.
i had an amazing night and did finally get my photo taken on the red carpet. i still havent actually seen that photo, but it exists somewhere and i have high hopes of one day owning a copy.
doing the overnight shifts was easier in some ways this year and harder in others. jeremy was incredibly supportive and helpful, especially on my birthday, which fell on the day before the show. by sunday i was barely staying awake and emotionally exhausted. when i found out i wouldnt be on the red carpet this year i had a breakdown, but jeremy managed to calm me down and help me get a couple hours sleep before the rest of my 20 hour shift on oscar sunday.
i started by trying to get my photo taken on the carpet by the offical photographer, but he was nowhere to be found when i had a break in my schedule. then, very frustrated, i made my way to the general photo room to keep an eagle eye on the photographers setting up all their stuff to take pictures of the winners and nominees. then we settled into wait for the show to start.
after the first award was announced my stomach started fluttering. most of the presenters come backstage with the winners and seeing all that star power at the same time is pretty powerful at times. penelope cruz is gorgeous (duh). tina fey is surprisingly normal and was really calm backstage. jennifer aniston and jack black were really funny backstage and jennifer aniston looked at me and smiled. amazing. she actually looks better in person than you would expect. if one can imagine such a thing. living well is the best revenge right? she was seriously glowing.
sarah jessica parker is an interesting person. erica and i watched every second of sex and the city in college and loved it. however, sjp seems more noral than lots of super famous people in that she often has bad ahir days and wears kinda blah stuff. having said that, even though her dress was picked apart by some critics, she looked absolutely amazing in person. daniel craig looked directly at me and smiled at me. i swear i melted. that is one fine specimen of a man and i dont care what anyone says he is a great bond james bond!
robert pattinson didnt come backstage. i wish he would have. i have a real problem with him and would love a chance to see him in person to decide if he actually is cute once and for all. he seems like kind of a chain smoking loserish scruffy boy. i did like his shaved head though... ben stiller didnt come backstage with all his hair - i would have liked to see him. natalie portman is just about the tiniest thing i have ever seen. shes super cute but looks super fragile.
certain presenters that you assume smoke a lot of weed were prolly high when they were on stage. funny, but total pot heads.
the five men who presented for supporting actor were a motley crew. it is interesting trying to get a bunch of men squished tight enough together and looking at the same camera for a photo op. heath's family was pretty cool and i could tell that winning this award meant a lot to them. the high wire guy wasnt supposed to go on stage and spent waaay too much time clowning for the cameras while balancing his oscar on his chin etc. i was annoyed but im not sure why.
will smith didnt come backstage with any of the winners he presented to. major bummer. karla was happy that i didnt get to see him because he "belongs to her" and she would have been too jealous. i would have liked to see him because he is one of very few men in hollywood who is taller than me (at least supposedly - you never know who is wearing lifts these days).
alicia keyes sure looked pretty. the slumdog millionaire musical number was pretty great. have you seen taht movie yet? you should go watch it now. im pretty sure it is on dvd. we tried to get all the cast together at the end of the night for a photo (since the movie won almost every category it was nominated in) but it never happened. the photogs were disappointed. i was too.
the compilation of all the people who have died in the past year always makes me sad. it is strange to think of all the talent in those brief clips. every year i recognize more and more of the names in the sequence. i guess i am getting old...
i loved the new format of having former winners of the awards talk about each nominee and present the award. theres nothing like being validated by someone who really knows what you do and can tell you "good job!" and it really mean something.
kate winslet was actually less attractive in person to me. i think she is gorgeous and has a great body and is a fabulous actor and mother and human being. her eyebrows however were mildly scary.
the surprisingly sexy award of the night goes to michael douglas. he has got the whole magnetism thing down pat. him and tommy lee jones could teach a class in being average looking but somehow amazing. sean penn is a weird one though. he really didnt want his picture taken at all.
i had an amazing night and did finally get my photo taken on the red carpet. i still havent actually seen that photo, but it exists somewhere and i have high hopes of one day owning a copy.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
final class: free for all
yesterday was our final class. we were allowed to bring any sort of cake and ideas we wanted to work on. i decided cupcakes were the easiest to work with, and after our adventures in baking friday night (see previous post), i was ready to get those suckers iced. using flower skills already in my repertoire (although applying them in new and interesting ways) i made sunflowers, hydrangeas, roses, poppies, and daisies. im no flower expert so alma could be totally fooling me on the whole poppy thing but either way they turned out pretty good. we had fun in class (no thanks to the cranky lady sitting next to me) and it was sad that it was out last class of the series. i think we might sign up for more but all the intermediate level stuff falls during the work day so that might be tricky. anywyas, the floweredy cupcakes turned out beautifully - i am so pleased. everyone at church and easter dinner loved them and was suitably impressed, as well they should be.
the hydrangeas are my fave and jeremy's fave was the rose (my least fave). how about you?
Friday, April 10, 2009
Bad friday: the photo op
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bad friday
our bad day today all started wednesday when i got home from work and noticed a flyer that had been put in our door saying that the apt owners would be fumigating our apt today and we needed to take everything out of the bathroom and kitchen and cover it and remove ourselves and any pets for 3-4 hours after fumigation, which would be occuring any time between 8am and 5 pm. are you kidding me? they fumigated a few months ago but it didnt help. when people around us are dirty, we get roaches, no matter how clean i keep the kitchen and how often jeremy sprays and puts down traps. it is incredibly frustrating. so last night i feel asleep early while jeremy cleaned out the kitchen shelves and piled it all on our coffee table. this morning we couldnt sleep in (even though he had a vacation day and i called in sick) because we had to get up and get ready, then clean out the bathroom and slam down our coffee before the bug men came. at 8:10 someone knocked on our door asking to come in and take all the outlet covers off the walls. "oh could you turn off all your electical items including your computer and your fridge so we can remove the covers so they can spray int he walls? oh and dont plug them back in til we put the covers back on later ok?" so even though the bug men werent coming til 9, we packed up cricket and left the apt since there was literally nothing to do.
we dropped her off at jeremys office. she has stayed there with him a few times and it is somewhat familiar to her and free. we left her and went to ihop for breakfast since i didnt have a chance to cook before the blew out our pilot lights. man that was an adventure. a bunch of fat people just shoveling tons of fatty breakfast foods in as fast as possible. ick. we almost lost our appetites before we ordered (due to the fatties and one man standing outside reading the newspaper through the newspaper vending machine window with a hgue mole on his face. seriously this thing was talking to us through the window) but managed to eat and get out without actual incident.
we headed to pasadena with a list of stores to visit and things to buy. first we stopped at run with me, a running store. beka i finally found a running shirt with a zippy pocket! and they had margarita flavored clif shot bloks electrolyte chews, which are my fave. the running shirt i foudn was $39.99 and i had a 10% off coupon from the triathlon. jeremy said "check the clearance rack before we go and see if you want anything else." i looked and the same shirt, in my size, was on clearance for $19.99. since they had mislabeled it i got it for half price! and i got to keep my coupon for next time. pretty good deal altogether.
then we headed to vromans, an awesome independent bookstaore i have been hearing a lot about and wanting to check out. i follow their twitter feed, and there is always something exciting happening there. while this morning was just another day in the life of a bookstore, thats good enough for me. i found zillions of books ive been wanting to read or have read and want to own but managed to only purchase one thing: in honor of national poetry month, and anthology of e e cummings work. he is my favorite poet and has written some really beautiful poems. as i was thumbing through the book i realized how much more he has written than i realized. very excited to read through that one!
then we headed to xi where i found a couple new shirts for me and may have found a little something (or a few somethings) for my sister's birthday which is coming up at the end of the month... we went to chicks, a sporting goods store that is going out of business and jeremy got a new racquetball glove and his own darts for the next time we go to the blue room.
we headed back to burbank and found jeremy some new trail running shoes at the mall and i bought a bunch of stuff at target. we picked up cricket, got gas, and went to the library before coming home to clean. it was a pretty expensive day but considering we couldnt come home we did alright.
once we got home we had to air out the place because the bug spray smell was horrible. the outlet covers still werent on and the pilot lights werent lit so we were dark and silent while cleaning the kitchen and putting everything back on the shelves. i got a horrible headache from breathing the fumes so we had to tie cricket up and prop the front door open to keep us breathing and alive. finally the people came and recovered everything so we could plug the fridge and tv and computer and everything else back in. they lit the pilot lights so i could start cooking dinner. i made an amzing chili if i do say so myself.
after dinner and three loads of laundry i started mixing the batter for my cupcakes for our last cake class tomorrow. when i went to put the first batch in the oven it wasnt hot. the oven pilot light wasnt lit. jeremy has been trying to light it, going downstairs to the property managers apt "she's not available, try calling the gas company," calling the gas company "we can be there first thing monday morning," trying to light it again without blowing himself or the apt up and generally being an amazing husband while i have been sitting here blogging, fuming, folding laundry, watching southland (weird show), and trying not to run downstairs and bang on the property managers door and wake her up and punch her because this has been a horrible day and all i want to do is bake my cupcakes so i can go to bed and go to my last cake class tomorrow and be happy. we were supposed to have notice of this "work" they were doing by monday and we didnt. and now i have no oven. and out apt is kinda a craphole to start with. overall, id have to say a pretty bad friday.
we dropped her off at jeremys office. she has stayed there with him a few times and it is somewhat familiar to her and free. we left her and went to ihop for breakfast since i didnt have a chance to cook before the blew out our pilot lights. man that was an adventure. a bunch of fat people just shoveling tons of fatty breakfast foods in as fast as possible. ick. we almost lost our appetites before we ordered (due to the fatties and one man standing outside reading the newspaper through the newspaper vending machine window with a hgue mole on his face. seriously this thing was talking to us through the window) but managed to eat and get out without actual incident.
we headed to pasadena with a list of stores to visit and things to buy. first we stopped at run with me, a running store. beka i finally found a running shirt with a zippy pocket! and they had margarita flavored clif shot bloks electrolyte chews, which are my fave. the running shirt i foudn was $39.99 and i had a 10% off coupon from the triathlon. jeremy said "check the clearance rack before we go and see if you want anything else." i looked and the same shirt, in my size, was on clearance for $19.99. since they had mislabeled it i got it for half price! and i got to keep my coupon for next time. pretty good deal altogether.
then we headed to vromans, an awesome independent bookstaore i have been hearing a lot about and wanting to check out. i follow their twitter feed, and there is always something exciting happening there. while this morning was just another day in the life of a bookstore, thats good enough for me. i found zillions of books ive been wanting to read or have read and want to own but managed to only purchase one thing: in honor of national poetry month, and anthology of e e cummings work. he is my favorite poet and has written some really beautiful poems. as i was thumbing through the book i realized how much more he has written than i realized. very excited to read through that one!
then we headed to xi where i found a couple new shirts for me and may have found a little something (or a few somethings) for my sister's birthday which is coming up at the end of the month... we went to chicks, a sporting goods store that is going out of business and jeremy got a new racquetball glove and his own darts for the next time we go to the blue room.
we headed back to burbank and found jeremy some new trail running shoes at the mall and i bought a bunch of stuff at target. we picked up cricket, got gas, and went to the library before coming home to clean. it was a pretty expensive day but considering we couldnt come home we did alright.
once we got home we had to air out the place because the bug spray smell was horrible. the outlet covers still werent on and the pilot lights werent lit so we were dark and silent while cleaning the kitchen and putting everything back on the shelves. i got a horrible headache from breathing the fumes so we had to tie cricket up and prop the front door open to keep us breathing and alive. finally the people came and recovered everything so we could plug the fridge and tv and computer and everything else back in. they lit the pilot lights so i could start cooking dinner. i made an amzing chili if i do say so myself.
after dinner and three loads of laundry i started mixing the batter for my cupcakes for our last cake class tomorrow. when i went to put the first batch in the oven it wasnt hot. the oven pilot light wasnt lit. jeremy has been trying to light it, going downstairs to the property managers apt "she's not available, try calling the gas company," calling the gas company "we can be there first thing monday morning," trying to light it again without blowing himself or the apt up and generally being an amazing husband while i have been sitting here blogging, fuming, folding laundry, watching southland (weird show), and trying not to run downstairs and bang on the property managers door and wake her up and punch her because this has been a horrible day and all i want to do is bake my cupcakes so i can go to bed and go to my last cake class tomorrow and be happy. we were supposed to have notice of this "work" they were doing by monday and we didnt. and now i have no oven. and out apt is kinda a craphole to start with. overall, id have to say a pretty bad friday.
yard day, tom sawyer style
l
ast sunday afternoon we went over to lance and kris's house to hang out and help in their backyard. they have cool terraces but nothing is growing in them because of the sandy soil and the dogs, so the project was to plant stuff that grows in sandy soil and protect it from the dogs, remove a tree for their herb garden, and paint the fence. i started painting the fence and jeremy started up the chainsaw. at first, the boys were all working on the tree while the girls were painting. i made it about a third of the way around the yard when it was time to help kris prepare dinner. they bought steaks for all of us a thank you. once we got the baked potatos in the oven we went back outside and planted the ground cover that lik
es sandy soil. i dont remember the name but it has really pretty white, yellow and orange flowers that all bloom at different times. the boys got the tree removed and attached the freshly painted lattices to the fence for climbing vines. they worked more on it monday and tuesday so i am very excited for the easter bbq to see what everything looks like a week later!! 
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
AI: songs from the year they were born
danny gokey (1980) stand by me. i have some seriously strong memories of sitting on my white eyelet bedspread in my pink room listening to this song over and over and over on my walkman when i was about 4. that version was a child's (and an adult's) perfect song. the version sung by our boy danny today was far from it. sounded like the jo bros were coovering it for radio disney. ick.
kris allen (1985) all she wants to do is dance. that was SO average. not bad but it certainly didnt knock my socks off either. and i didnt want to dance. so hes a big fat liar.
lil rounds (1984) whats love got to do with it. #1 at fifty or sixty-something miss tina's legs still beat out most peoples, including mine AND lil's. just had to point that out. #2did anyone else feel like she was karaoking and couldnt hear the band and as a result was ahead or behind the entire time? someone get the girl a metronome or put the click in her in ear monitors or something! yikes! she has a voice but this was not that great. she looked really pretty though - her hair and makeup was for once spot on.
anoop desai (1986) true colors. girly man's sweater would look really good on me. wonder where he got it? im sorry. i couldnt hear what he was singing over the pinkness and sparkliness of his microphone. the pinkness was a trick of the light but still incredibly distracting. i was kinda worried there for a second. and why does he have david cook's birthday memorized?
why dont they have everyone sing songs from the year they were in 8th grade or something? we all have great songs we could actually sing with some emotional attachment. anyone want to hear my take on zombie or you oughta know? i've been working on my arrangement for years.
scott macintyre (1985) i dont know this song and if the original is anything like his rendition i never want to hear it again.
allison iraheta (1992) i cant make you love me. no need to make me do anything. im already there. and so is alot of america.
matt giraud (1985) part time lovers. channel jt much? the light show was really great. his perfoemance was ok. he can definitely sing.
adam... my dvr stopped recording before his performance. wth???? thankfully ryan seacrest tweeted a link to the video on the ai site. apparently everyone that tivos or dvrs had the same problem. thankfully he was back to his cute hair. everyone already knows how much i love him and i loved this performance too. big surprise.
please let this be the week that scott goes home. might be lil though. shes had a couple of rough weeks in a row...
kris allen (1985) all she wants to do is dance. that was SO average. not bad but it certainly didnt knock my socks off either. and i didnt want to dance. so hes a big fat liar.
lil rounds (1984) whats love got to do with it. #1 at fifty or sixty-something miss tina's legs still beat out most peoples, including mine AND lil's. just had to point that out. #2did anyone else feel like she was karaoking and couldnt hear the band and as a result was ahead or behind the entire time? someone get the girl a metronome or put the click in her in ear monitors or something! yikes! she has a voice but this was not that great. she looked really pretty though - her hair and makeup was for once spot on.
anoop desai (1986) true colors. girly man's sweater would look really good on me. wonder where he got it? im sorry. i couldnt hear what he was singing over the pinkness and sparkliness of his microphone. the pinkness was a trick of the light but still incredibly distracting. i was kinda worried there for a second. and why does he have david cook's birthday memorized?
why dont they have everyone sing songs from the year they were in 8th grade or something? we all have great songs we could actually sing with some emotional attachment. anyone want to hear my take on zombie or you oughta know? i've been working on my arrangement for years.
scott macintyre (1985) i dont know this song and if the original is anything like his rendition i never want to hear it again.
allison iraheta (1992) i cant make you love me. no need to make me do anything. im already there. and so is alot of america.
matt giraud (1985) part time lovers. channel jt much? the light show was really great. his perfoemance was ok. he can definitely sing.
adam... my dvr stopped recording before his performance. wth???? thankfully ryan seacrest tweeted a link to the video on the ai site. apparently everyone that tivos or dvrs had the same problem. thankfully he was back to his cute hair. everyone already knows how much i love him and i loved this performance too. big surprise.
please let this be the week that scott goes home. might be lil though. shes had a couple of rough weeks in a row...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
are verbs cliches?
i do a lot of thinking on my walks home. todays walk i was thinking about writing and avoiding cliches (verra important!). somehow i started thinking about certain noun vern combos and how they always go together. does that make them cliches and there fore they shouldnt be used any more in writing?
sweat trickles or pours
as do brooks and waterfalls
embarrassment often floods
tvs always flicker or blare
stomachs gurgle
people pour over books
certain noun verb combos are repeated often - is it just because they go together so well or have they become cliches of themselves? can you think of more?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a note from the editor: after re-reading this post i realized the thoughts i was having on the walk home seemed funnier and more insightful when i was walking and didnt translate as well to paper... er... computer screen. but something that is funny is that one of my friends just told me she is in a [sic] fowl mood. is she a turkey or goosing someone or running around like a chicken with no head? hilarious! you have to admit that one is funny right?
sweat trickles or pours
as do brooks and waterfalls
embarrassment often floods
tvs always flicker or blare
stomachs gurgle
people pour over books
certain noun verb combos are repeated often - is it just because they go together so well or have they become cliches of themselves? can you think of more?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a note from the editor: after re-reading this post i realized the thoughts i was having on the walk home seemed funnier and more insightful when i was walking and didnt translate as well to paper... er... computer screen. but something that is funny is that one of my friends just told me she is in a [sic] fowl mood. is she a turkey or goosing someone or running around like a chicken with no head? hilarious! you have to admit that one is funny right?
class #7: fondant
this class was all about learning to use fondant. i have eaten one cake made with fondant (a cake made for one of paige's birthdays many years ago) and i am pretty sure we had fondant 
on our wedding cake (which was awesome but i dont think i ate any of... i prolly had a cupcake instead) and while they both looked amazing i am not a huge fan of the way fondant tastes. until saturday, that was my experience. after saturday, i can confidently say without a TON more practice no one will ever ask me to make them a cake with fondant. i am horrible at it! my cake had all kinds of rolls in it and tears and even the stamp i was using to make the bottom border took me a while to figure out. grrr! it doesnt help that i was rushing because we had a flag football game that i didnt want to be late to. i had a horrible dream firday night that i was late to cake class and we messed around tak
ing too many pictures and then i couldnt get a refund for the class even though the teacher didnt teach anything. so i got to class early. cara was early too because the ladies said that this calss would take the longest. we rolled our dough and covered our cakes (mine wouldnt stick to the cake - double grr!) and then had the extra that we cut from around the bottom to play with. i knew mine was going to a bake sale to raise money for a trip mosaic peoples are taking to credential teachers at an orphanage in zambia (awesome!) so i really wanted it to be perfect. thats one reason i was so frustrated. another is that everyone elses looked just right - no one elses folded or tore! i had to leave early so i didnt get a picture of everyones cake but i did get to see gabys at work on monday - she donated hers to the bake sale too which was so great of her to do, especially since she doesnt even go to mosaic.
after struggling with a bunch of different ideas and trying a few things i decided to keep it simple. one color, a couple of shapes, cut, paste, and call it a day. everyone thought the cake looked great and all the slices of it sold so thats the most important thing. we made it to the game early, just in time to find out the previous games had all run over and we started about 30 minutes late. all that stress and mightmares for nothing. sheesh.
on our wedding cake (which was awesome but i dont think i ate any of... i prolly had a cupcake instead) and while they both looked amazing i am not a huge fan of the way fondant tastes. until saturday, that was my experience. after saturday, i can confidently say without a TON more practice no one will ever ask me to make them a cake with fondant. i am horrible at it! my cake had all kinds of rolls in it and tears and even the stamp i was using to make the bottom border took me a while to figure out. grrr! it doesnt help that i was rushing because we had a flag football game that i didnt want to be late to. i had a horrible dream firday night that i was late to cake class and we messed around tak
ing too many pictures and then i couldnt get a refund for the class even though the teacher didnt teach anything. so i got to class early. cara was early too because the ladies said that this calss would take the longest. we rolled our dough and covered our cakes (mine wouldnt stick to the cake - double grr!) and then had the extra that we cut from around the bottom to play with. i knew mine was going to a bake sale to raise money for a trip mosaic peoples are taking to credential teachers at an orphanage in zambia (awesome!) so i really wanted it to be perfect. thats one reason i was so frustrated. another is that everyone elses looked just right - no one elses folded or tore! i had to leave early so i didnt get a picture of everyones cake but i did get to see gabys at work on monday - she donated hers to the bake sale too which was so great of her to do, especially since she doesnt even go to mosaic.after struggling with a bunch of different ideas and trying a few things i decided to keep it simple. one color, a couple of shapes, cut, paste, and call it a day. everyone thought the cake looked great and all the slices of it sold so thats the most important thing. we made it to the game early, just in time to find out the previous games had all run over and we started about 30 minutes late. all that stress and mightmares for nothing. sheesh.Sunday, April 5, 2009
baby blanket the second
the yengs had a baby boy almost two months ago now. i just finished his blanket this week. slacker much? jeremy wasnt a huge fan of the many different colored square design but i thought it turned out really nice. cricket loves it when i crochet! congratulations john, emay and rachel! ethan is adorable and i can't wait to meet him!!!Saturday, April 4, 2009
week in review
i had a good run on tuesday and an even better run thursday. i ran more than a mile and faster than i have been running so i was pretty happy. my 10k is in about a month (four weeks from tomorrow) and i definitely have some work to do beforehand.
thursday night we went over to the stellers to hang out and pick the book we will be reading for bible study. owen is walking! he was running all around the living room excited when we got there. he soon settled down and wanted to sit with me and jeremy. he has a vibrating teething ring that he kept putting against his jaw and ear. i guess those molars are really bothering him. i can relate because my right ear is still having sharp shooting pains occasionally. i thought the dizziness was gone but it returned with a vengence thursday after lunch. cara took a peek in there yesterday after work and said there was still a lot of fluid but less than before. according to the doctor i should give it another week before she gives me an ent referral since i dont have a fever/infection.
we decided to read crazy love by francis chan (mostly on amy's referral) and are really excited. we ordered them together (free shipping!) along with some more nutrient tablets for my aerogarden aka the jungle. i dried a ton of basil a while ago and will be doing more tonight after cake class and our football game. a woman's work is never done... sigh.
right now we are watching the fifth element - strange movie for sure. ive got my box packed and my cake filled and crumbcoated (well my cake is on the bottom and jeremy's second cake is on the top because of the little accident i had late last night) and im in my football clothes.
thursday night we went over to the stellers to hang out and pick the book we will be reading for bible study. owen is walking! he was running all around the living room excited when we got there. he soon settled down and wanted to sit with me and jeremy. he has a vibrating teething ring that he kept putting against his jaw and ear. i guess those molars are really bothering him. i can relate because my right ear is still having sharp shooting pains occasionally. i thought the dizziness was gone but it returned with a vengence thursday after lunch. cara took a peek in there yesterday after work and said there was still a lot of fluid but less than before. according to the doctor i should give it another week before she gives me an ent referral since i dont have a fever/infection.
we decided to read crazy love by francis chan (mostly on amy's referral) and are really excited. we ordered them together (free shipping!) along with some more nutrient tablets for my aerogarden aka the jungle. i dried a ton of basil a while ago and will be doing more tonight after cake class and our football game. a woman's work is never done... sigh.
right now we are watching the fifth element - strange movie for sure. ive got my box packed and my cake filled and crumbcoated (well my cake is on the bottom and jeremy's second cake is on the top because of the little accident i had late last night) and im in my football clothes.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Well crap!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Thursday, April 2, 2009
that totally made my thursday
on the way to work this morning jeremy said "do people whistle at you all day long?" i said "no" and he said "that surprises me."
then when he dropped me off he rolled down the car window and gave me a big wolf-whistle.
man i love him.
then when he dropped me off he rolled down the car window and gave me a big wolf-whistle.
man i love him.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
american idol: popular itunes downloads
may i say, what a weird way to phrase the theme for the night. "you can perform any song you want as long as it is a popular download on itunes." i enjoyed the behind the scenes video of the contestnats on the radio with ryan.
i think anoop thinks he is way sexier than he actually is. and usher, while he can groove and has a really nice body, is one man who i would prefer with a bag over his head. and while i havent seen anoop's abs (although i am guessing they are NOT as spectacular as ushers) he also isnt that good looking in the face. unfortunately ushers voice is way smoother. i was comparing them the whole time. i think thats the problem with performing current songs. also whats up with anoops jackets? he has a new (weird) one every week. also, it is a good thing he isnt applying to mensa. "i mean, her opinion is her opinion. all their opinions are their opinions." so glad he is around to point these things out!!!
yawn. oh is megan still singing? one of her arms is just twitching by her side and i can see she went to paula's jeweler for costuming tonight. does anyone out there want her brand of good lovin? not me!
(kara was getting awfully feisty with the crowd during her comments to megan... i likey)
not even kiding - has anyone been keeping track of the different pairs of eyeglasses danny has? he was wearing to different pairs in the video package, which (i think) were different from the ones he wore performing. as an occasional eyeglasses wearer, i am both in awe and jealous. unless they are all prescription-less then he is just a big fat poseur. i am not a huge fan of rascal flatts but i do like the higher pitch on this sad song. the huskiness of dannys voice didnt match the song for me. oh well. im sure we will see him again next week.
ooh gwen you better watch out! allison is hot on your tail! didnt as much care for the kelly osbourne-ish dress and hair thing but i loved the performance.
one of scott's better performances but i think i prefer shrek's. maybe its the brogue? does anyone else see the irony in scott saying "its just what i was looking for!" also do you think simon actually knows what a country mile is? and also do you think scotts hair is maybe a little more vampire-esque (a la robert pattinson in twilight) than seacrest-ish? i do. and thats one of the main reasons i havent watched that movie yet even though i loved the books. robert pattinsons hair.
i think matt made a really good song choice with the fray. he didnt sound that great though. i would have thought he was going to nail it. ???
mildly underwhelmed by lil's performance and her wig. it wasnt bad, just wasnt great. also during her video package with her hat she kinda looked like a cancer patient. ryan was wandering in and out of the shot on the judges giving their critiques like he was a presidential candidate at a town hall debate. cracking up! her dress was pretty from the front but there was some serious lumpy stuff going on in the backside view. when her daughter climbed in randy's lap and lil was tearing up though - presh!
again with the elvis hair adam? why oh why? cricket and i were dancing around the living room (which is also the dining room and bedroom of course). loving it. and him.
kris nailed that song. hello! good to see that kara CAN in fact count and did so correctly.
anoop, megan and maybe matt - i think one of you three has sang their last song on american idol season whatever we're in.
i think anoop thinks he is way sexier than he actually is. and usher, while he can groove and has a really nice body, is one man who i would prefer with a bag over his head. and while i havent seen anoop's abs (although i am guessing they are NOT as spectacular as ushers) he also isnt that good looking in the face. unfortunately ushers voice is way smoother. i was comparing them the whole time. i think thats the problem with performing current songs. also whats up with anoops jackets? he has a new (weird) one every week. also, it is a good thing he isnt applying to mensa. "i mean, her opinion is her opinion. all their opinions are their opinions." so glad he is around to point these things out!!!
yawn. oh is megan still singing? one of her arms is just twitching by her side and i can see she went to paula's jeweler for costuming tonight. does anyone out there want her brand of good lovin? not me!
(kara was getting awfully feisty with the crowd during her comments to megan... i likey)
not even kiding - has anyone been keeping track of the different pairs of eyeglasses danny has? he was wearing to different pairs in the video package, which (i think) were different from the ones he wore performing. as an occasional eyeglasses wearer, i am both in awe and jealous. unless they are all prescription-less then he is just a big fat poseur. i am not a huge fan of rascal flatts but i do like the higher pitch on this sad song. the huskiness of dannys voice didnt match the song for me. oh well. im sure we will see him again next week.
ooh gwen you better watch out! allison is hot on your tail! didnt as much care for the kelly osbourne-ish dress and hair thing but i loved the performance.
one of scott's better performances but i think i prefer shrek's. maybe its the brogue? does anyone else see the irony in scott saying "its just what i was looking for!" also do you think simon actually knows what a country mile is? and also do you think scotts hair is maybe a little more vampire-esque (a la robert pattinson in twilight) than seacrest-ish? i do. and thats one of the main reasons i havent watched that movie yet even though i loved the books. robert pattinsons hair.
i think matt made a really good song choice with the fray. he didnt sound that great though. i would have thought he was going to nail it. ???
mildly underwhelmed by lil's performance and her wig. it wasnt bad, just wasnt great. also during her video package with her hat she kinda looked like a cancer patient. ryan was wandering in and out of the shot on the judges giving their critiques like he was a presidential candidate at a town hall debate. cracking up! her dress was pretty from the front but there was some serious lumpy stuff going on in the backside view. when her daughter climbed in randy's lap and lil was tearing up though - presh!
again with the elvis hair adam? why oh why? cricket and i were dancing around the living room (which is also the dining room and bedroom of course). loving it. and him.
kris nailed that song. hello! good to see that kara CAN in fact count and did so correctly.
anoop, megan and maybe matt - i think one of you three has sang their last song on american idol season whatever we're in.
Classics Challenge 2009
Welcome to the Classics Challenge
April 1 - October 31, 2009
Classics: We love them, we hate them, now we are going to challenge ourselves to read more of them.
**Choose Your Level (Keep reading for Bonus)
1. Classics Snack - Read FOUR classics
2. Classics Entree - Read FIVE classics
3. Classics Feast - Read SIX classics
**Rules/Guidelines
1. Cross-posting with other challenges is allowed (and encouraged!)
2. Audiobooks are fine
3. Re-reads are acceptable, BUT books must be finished after April 1st to count for the challenge
4. Lists don't have to be set in stone; you can change your selections at any time.
5. Have Fun!!
6. You do NOT need a blog to participate.
**Bonus!! (Optional)Last year we compiled a list of books that we think might be considered classics one day. I've wiped out that old list so we can start fresh, but to get an idea of what others suggested last year, see HERE. To start off the list, I'm going to suggest Atonement by Ian McEwan. If you want to participate in the bonus round, choose a book from the list and read that in addition to the classics you have picked (e.g., if you are doing the classics snack, you will read five books total and so on). I realize this means you may have to wait to make your list or leave the bonus book as "tentative" if you choose to participate in the bonus round, but I'm hoping this is a modern twist on the old classics challenge.
What is a Classic?
Am I going to define what a classic is? Nope! There are lots of definitions offered on the Internet, but we all have different opinions so don't stress too much. But, people are always asking me where to start with classics. In the comments below, I'd love if you would give a recommendation for a classic you would suggest to beginners or apprehensive readers--maybe something lighter or something engaging. I'll compile a list. I'm going to suggest The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy.
1. flowers in the attic - v.c. andrews
2. love in the time of cholera - gabriel garcia marquez
3. revolutionary road - richard yates
4. sophie's choice - william styron
5. the bell jar - sylvia plath
6. the postman always rings twice - james m cain
Bonus: summer of my german soldier - bette greene
i think the bell jar and to kill a mockingbird are two i am starting with - can you believe i have never read either? they will cross post to other challenges nicely too.
April 1 - October 31, 2009
Classics: We love them, we hate them, now we are going to challenge ourselves to read more of them.
**Choose Your Level (Keep reading for Bonus)
1. Classics Snack - Read FOUR classics
2. Classics Entree - Read FIVE classics
3. Classics Feast - Read SIX classics
**Rules/Guidelines
1. Cross-posting with other challenges is allowed (and encouraged!)
2. Audiobooks are fine
3. Re-reads are acceptable, BUT books must be finished after April 1st to count for the challenge
4. Lists don't have to be set in stone; you can change your selections at any time.
5. Have Fun!!
6. You do NOT need a blog to participate.
**Bonus!! (Optional)Last year we compiled a list of books that we think might be considered classics one day. I've wiped out that old list so we can start fresh, but to get an idea of what others suggested last year, see HERE. To start off the list, I'm going to suggest Atonement by Ian McEwan. If you want to participate in the bonus round, choose a book from the list and read that in addition to the classics you have picked (e.g., if you are doing the classics snack, you will read five books total and so on). I realize this means you may have to wait to make your list or leave the bonus book as "tentative" if you choose to participate in the bonus round, but I'm hoping this is a modern twist on the old classics challenge.
What is a Classic?
Am I going to define what a classic is? Nope! There are lots of definitions offered on the Internet, but we all have different opinions so don't stress too much. But, people are always asking me where to start with classics. In the comments below, I'd love if you would give a recommendation for a classic you would suggest to beginners or apprehensive readers--maybe something lighter or something engaging. I'll compile a list. I'm going to suggest The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy.
1. flowers in the attic - v.c. andrews
2. love in the time of cholera - gabriel garcia marquez
3. revolutionary road - richard yates
4. sophie's choice - william styron
5. the bell jar - sylvia plath
6. the postman always rings twice - james m cain
Bonus: summer of my german soldier - bette greene
i think the bell jar and to kill a mockingbird are two i am starting with - can you believe i have never read either? they will cross post to other challenges nicely too.
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