Saturday's Saucy Solution It' that time again...where to go with today's post??...first, back to Webster and Co. for enlightenment: Saucy \sȯ-sē\ (Me? I would write that \sah-see\, emphasis on the 'sah'). adj. 1 : served with or having the consistency of sauce 2 a : impertinently bold and impudent b : amusingly forward and flippant : irrepressible 3 : smart, trim (e.g. a saucy little number)
Okay, saucy it shall be...
1. having the consistency of sauce...I actually found this when I googled 'saucy solution' and am making it for dinner tomorrow, with breaded chicken on top. Remember when Sunday dinner was a big, fat, hairy deal? Not anymore, kiddies. Nuh-uh. At my house, Sunday = easy-peasy and pleasy, occasionally with a bit of cheesy.
Anyhoo, here's a great recipe for Fresh Marinara Sauce - YUM!!! The only thing better than fresh marinara sauce is fresh pasta to serve it with. I'm a fan of fresh pasta, but I'm not crazy, so I will go ahead and purchase the latter part of the equation. This recipe serves four, so you probably want to double or quadruple it (my guys would eat double this quantity on a full stomach).
Ingredients - 2 tablespoons chopped garlic 1/4 cup olive oil 2 medium onions, chopped 1 large bell pepper, chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 quarts chopped tomatoes 2 teaspoons sugar Salt and pepper to taste 1 pound fresh/dry linguine, cooked according to package directions Chopped fresh parsley Grated Parmesan Regiano
Directions - Saute garlic in olive oil until golden. Add onion and bell pepper and saute 5 to 7 minutes, until onion is translucent. Core and coarsely chop tomatoes. Stir tomatoes, basil, oregano, bay leaf, sugar and salt and bell pepper into the sauteed ingredients. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. To serve, put cooked linguine in large bowl, top with sauce, and garnish with parsley and grated cheese.
2.impertinently bold and impudent b : amusingly forward and flippant: irrepressible
In Hubby's dictionary, saucy (bold, impudent, forward, flippant, irrepressible)equals this...
3 : smart, trim (a saucy little number) In honor of their domination of the MySpace music charts after their video debuted yesterday, the Sauce of the Day award goes to Justin Tranter of Semi Precious Weapons.
Just started listening to these guys (thanks for the turn-on, KMC), and I really, really like 'em, in a drink-eight-shots-o-tequila-&-go-nuts kinda way. Not for the faint-hearted, or for those who are easily offended. Won't embed the video, but here's the link: http://www.myspace.com/semipreciousweapons
You need to scroll down to play the video. Justin = SAUCY!!!
Think that just about wraps it up for today's saucy session. xo.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Friday's Fetish Almost midnight. I'm a bit late posting, but it's been one of those daze here at Chez McGann.
Before I do anything, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIAM!!! Love you little man! He's eleven today, going on 21. Really - he thinks he is already a playah :) We didn't get to celebrate tonight because he had baseball practice, which subsequently got cancelled, so we're going out to dinner and doing the cake thing tomorrow. He has only one request, and that is cold, hard cash. Keep your giftcards - it's greenbacks or nothing. Grandparents arriving tomorrow as well. Yay!!! Added bonus - more cold, hard cash. In other exciting news, it's also Mr. Lincoln's 201st birthday.
Hubby had a doozy of a Friday. He woke up with some crazy-ass allergic reaction, in the form of a massively swollen epiglottis (can honestly say that's the first time I've ever typed that word), which then caused his airway to be obstructed so he couldn't breathe or swallow properly. We were back and forth to the doctor all day, getting two sets of shots (antihistamine and steroid) but it's still pretty inflamed. If it's not better tomorrow morning, we are headed to the ER. Fun stuff.
So...Friday's Franchise is going to be Friday's Fetish instead. Note the change in the lineup at right. (think I may have mentioned that I have carte blanche?). Way more topics available if we go the fetish route...minds out of the gutter, People, that's not where I was headed. Okay, the thought did occur.
There's no way I could possibly not make my first, foremost, and finest fetish be my number one crush at the moment, the incredibly talented Ricky Gervais *fans herself with a magazine to cool off*. Coincidentally, Ricky-poo also happens to be a franchise. He is the Podfather, a fantastic stand-up comic, a writer, an actor, an unbelievably funny man, and generally...the master of his own empire. He has a great blog: (http://www.rickygervais.com/thissideofthetruth.php). You can almost hear him talking as he writes - guess that's probably because he writes scripts for a living. Rocket scientist that I am, still have the need to make ridiculous statements here and there to throw everyone off a bit.
Anyway, it's safe to say that anything he touches these days turns to gold, including his gig hosting the Golden Globes back in January. I started watching the US version of the office back in the fall, for the first time ever (still on season 3), and knew nothing about Gervais other than the fact that he wrote the show. The curtain was recently lifted, suddenly there was light *angels sing*, and (ironically, with the angels in the background) all Hell broke loose. Apparently I yell his name out in my sleep now and Hubby is starting to have a complex.
I downloaded all 1428 podcasts, the stand-up shows (Animals, Politics, and Fame), the UK version of the Office, his very clever "Guide to..." series, The Invention of Lying (released on DVD last month), and anything else I could get my hands on. Also just pre-ordered his new children's book from Amazon.com.
Check out the video on Amazon.co.uk http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flanimals-Pop-up-Ricky-Gervais/dp/1406323586?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242998722&sr=8-11 and link to his other books http://www.rickygervais.com/flanimals.php.
Have I mentioned that I'm a bit obsessed? Turns out, children's books, more specifically pop-ups, are another one of my guilty pleasures, so it will no doubt be a good day when this one arrives on my doorstep. Easily amused is an understatement.
So, in honor of my fling with Ricky and in keeping up with my end of the bargain(it's gonna happen, he just doesn't know it yet.he.he), I'm thinking I should be supportive and shamelessly plug the movie and tv show that are coming down the pike shortly.
The movie, Cemetery Junction, looks FAB. Here's a link to the the trailer... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYDeHIszUqA
Not many reviews out there yet, but the trailer looks great. Somewhat of a chick-flick, in that it's a coming-of-age romantic comedy, but it's more drama than anything. In his blog this week, he says "If The Office is 80/20 comedy/drama and The Invention of Lying was 50/50, then Cemetery Junction is probably 20/80."
Strange to watch his stand-up, or The Office for that matter, and then ponder him in a dramatic role. The fag hanging out of his mouth in this photo seems all out of place, but I do in fact get that it's acting.
Can't wait to see it. It's being released in the UK on April 14th, but I haven't found a US release date yet. Hmmmmmm.....?? May have to pop across the pond for movie night if they make me wait much longer than that to see it here. Just picturing Hubby's face when I inform him of my grand plan.
And, now onto the more exciting news...the new HBO series, The Ricky Gervais Show *the crowd goes wild*. If you've never listened to his podcasts, which btw have been downloaded more than any other podcast EVER in the UK and probably more than most top 40 hits, check them out. It's great stuff, and easy listening in the car. Definitely not for everyone, but I dig it. Gervais has two sidekicks, his co-writer Stephen Merchant and unlikely Karl Pilkington, who started out as the producer on the original Ricky Gervais radio show. The new HBO show is the animated version of the podcasts, which in and of itself is a pretty novel concept (i.e. they've taken the previously recorded audio clips and animated them). Here are a bunch of HBO's promo clips:
Effing brilliant, and I CANNOT wait to watch the show.
PS-in the event that you don't know what faffin' (faffing) is, neither did I until about three minutes ago. According to the urban dictionary (not actually a reliable source, but still...), it means time wasting or feckin' around. Big smile on my end, as I love British English. Everything except that extra 'u' in some of the words, anyway.
PPS-another cool link - http://www.pilkipedia.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page, covering newsworthy tidbits about the three nutballs.
Officially bedtime for me. Until tomorrow... xo.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Since I'm doing the 80's flashback thing this afternoon, thought I would add the Ziggy of the Day. Cute.
Lunchtime Lyrics - Love Will Tear Us Apart Couldn't decide, so am posting two versions of the song (Thanks Mr. Qualls (and Mo), for the Joy Division 80's flashback). Totally different, both fabulous. Crazy, how many people have covered it. Love New Order, but you can keep their cover, thanks, roots or no roots. RIP Ian. And if you like the chillin' version, check out Susanna & Co's other absolutely bee-you-tee-ful song, Believer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0IAISAZ8Bc)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thursday's Thirst-Quencher
Per Merriam-Webster: Quench\ˈkwench\, transitive verb. a: to bring (something immaterial) to end, typically by satisfying, damping, cooling, or decreasing b: to terminate by or as if by destroying; eliminate c: to relieve or satisfy with liquid
Lots of places I can go with this one. I could...quench one's thirst for a (insert name of cocktail here), or quench one's thirst for...knowledge..gossip..blood... Turns out, I have a few extra minutes this morning (as opposed to any other morning? lol.). Why not eliminate some literal and figurative thirst in one go?
Thirsty+Thursday=Almost Friday=Almost Happy Hour=Cocktail A most logical equation if you ask me. Please don't ask Mrs. Krajewski, my Algebra II & III teacher (and one of my favorites), she would definitely find something wrong with it. And, come to think of it, you probably shouldn't ask me, I'm on the wagon at the moment. By no means does that imply that I cannot help out a friend(s) in need.
Mango Margarita
This is a personal favorite. I shared it on Facebook awhile back, but in case you weren't there (blink and it's gone sort of thing), here it is again. Ingredients 1 1/2 ounces Cuervo Especial Gold, if you want your margarita to taste like sh*t 1 1/2 ounces of Patrón Silver, if you don't want it to taste like sh*t 3 ounces lime margarita mix 1 cup diced and peeled mangos-fresh is key. no frozen stuff. 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 3/8 cup crushed ice 1 wedge lime Directions Rub rim of a margarita glass with half a lime and dip into sugar. Add tequila, lime margarita mix, diced and peeled mangos, and crushed ice. Mix in blender until smooth. Pour into the glass. Garnish with lime wedge. Note: you can absolutely move up the ladder tequila-wise, but in my humble opinion that's a perfect waste of tequila.
Next up: Howz about we quench our thirst for blood? Someone has to do it, or there wouldn't be any blood-thirsty people in the world, and that would take some of the fun out of life, no? I'm not talkin' Edward kinda quenchin', but we'll get there eventually (note to next Thursday). I was actually thinking more along the lines of Palin. Yeah, that's it...Palin. Yeah...GET HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay Guys, before we do that, let's step back a minute and ponder the ridiculousness that is this entire country up in arms because she wrote her notes on her hand at a friggin' tea party. I hate her as much as the next guy. I would be happy to see her permanently deported to Russia, which isn't really that far, because she can see it from her house. The kids could still come and visit. Lots of bears and moose* just waiting to be killed (I'm sure she could pull some strings and get her gun permits translated). It could work. I'd even be happy to serve on the committee to help her get her affairs in order. All that said, do we not have a few more pressing issues at hand (hee.hee.) that we could focus on?
*On an asinine Jessica Simpson 'Chicken of the Sea' sidenote, I strongly believe moose should be meese in the plural form.
Let's start with the fact that a Tea Party Movement even exists, and that it appears to be getting 'political legs' of its' own. Even more concerning than the fact that Tea Party demands appear to be one big pile of contradiction, or that this cutely-named snowball of a party may polarize American politics even further, is the fact that they would ever invite Sarah Palin to speak at their convention in the first place. Can I get an EGADS??!!
I am about as qualified to speak on any political topic as Failin' Palin is to run the country, or even dream about a GOP nomination in 2012. I believe she is a nightmare of a political figure. However, the whole 'notes on her hand' thing, like the aftermath of most political blunders, is nothing more than a crucifixion of the dead horse (while you're still beating it). Leave it, People. Nothing to see here. Move along.
And...just when I thought we weren't going to draw blood, I found this video clip. I'm not a huge Stephen Colbert fan, but this is funny sh*t. Taking my cue from Mr. Colbert here (watch the video) - If it's satire, then that means it's comedy, right? And if it's comedy, then you don't really mean it, right? And if you don't really mean it, then how could anyone claim bloodshed? Decide for yourselves.
If you haven't figured it out, the politics game doesn't interest me much, outside of the comedic relief it provides. I know...I really need to pay more attention. In my defense, I have a husband who is clued in enough for both of us. Doesn't that count?
A book arrived from Amazon yesterday. Obviously, something he ordered - Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America, John Avlon (http://www.amazon.com/Wingnuts-Lunatic-Fringe-Hijacking-America/dp/0984295119) I read the foreward last night before I fell asleep. Actually, it put me to sleep. Joking. It was surprisingly interesting, and frightening at the same time. The book is basically a summary of Avlon's contributions for the last year to the Daily Beast (http://www.thedailybeast.com/), The premise, bare bones, is basically that people on the extreme left and extreme right are equally loco and destroying American politics. Lots of great points, and even I can read it :)
I have decided that I am going to read the damn book, even if it kills me. Can't imagine anything more painful. And, I'm going to make myself read at least one article a day on Hubby's favorite website: the Cato Institute (http://www.cato.org/). Bleh!! It's like telling me that I have to have brussel sprouts every day for breakfast. Did I mention?...Bleh!! Who knows, it could give us lots to talk about. It could be like foreplay... thinkin' probably not.
Wednesday's Wacky - Animals Wearing Suits by Ryan Berkley In the event that you noticed, I've changed this in the weekly lineup from Wacko to Wacky/Wacko, thereby giving me much more blogging fodder - could now be a person, place, or a THING....
Let me just continue with that thought, and say that sometimes (e.g. in the case of me), wacky is a thing, and indeed, a good thing. Happens to be the case today. First, a shout out to my long-lost college drinking buddy and fellow whackjob (another case of good whack-hee.hee), Marty. He posted a photo of a polar bear cake on Facebook a few weeks ago that his friend Amy made for him (long story), which is how we arrived here...
Here it is... the (good) Wack 'o' the day... Berkley Illustration. Check it out if you get a second, well worth a click or two.
I'm enamored. I'm easily amused, People, not necessarily easily enamored. In this instance, guess we could say I'm amused and enamored. Ryan Berkley is an fantastic artist/illustrator, as you will see if you scroll down through his Etsy.com page. PS. If you are not familiar with http://www.etsy.com/, that makes you a ginormous ding-dong. Just sayin'. Incredible stuff - NOT MADE IN CHINA.
From what I gather, Ryan's wife Lucy is an amazing part of the equation (Sorry Ryan, but...you know...behind every man...), writing the blog (http://www.letsshare.typepad.com/), keeping up with fan mail, helping him handle stuff on the marketing/business end. Sidenote - you can see a photo of aforementioned cake, and wayyyy bigger/better photos of Ryan's work on their blog. It's such a great blog, combined with great art... lots of fun. Why don't I ever get to have kooky/kewl people like this for neighbors???
Anyway, his images of animals wearing suits struck a big fat chord, and I've decided to do a whole wall in Riley's bedroom with these fantastic prints. Wondered if Riley would be down with the plan. He's thirteen and prone to irrational outbursts. Kidding. Turns out, he really digs 'em. They are very reasonably priced, and kewl, kewl, kewl!!! Please tell me, how in the frick am I going to choose five? Think it's gonna have to be seven.
I also very much LOVE the Limited Edition prints, but haven't found another wall, or place in the budget for them yet. The previous Limited Edition set, called Champion Festival, is FANTASTIC. Not many left, so check it out. My personal favorite is called "Judge's Choice". There were a bunch of other neat ones, but I think they've been sold out. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36359037. Did I tell ya? Fun stuff. Love the seagull (think he's a seagull??) pushing from behind.
I actually sent Ryan/Lucy an email when I discovered these treasures, to see if I might be able to commission an original. He sent me a note back saying that he's swamped at the moment, but to check back. fyi, Ryan, I am now on a mission. They have a great selection of animals already available for purchase, but there's one special animal I would really like to immortalize in a portrait, and if it was wearing a suit it would be that much funnier. Was thinking that I could get it for a combo Bill's b-day/Father's Day gift. Now shooting for Summer 2011.
For those of you who aren't familiar, will now digress and drag you into the story of the nyest (pronounced 'n-yeh-sh-t' in Hungarian) that has been haunting my family for...well, to quote a Kiwi friend, "donkeys' years". A nyest (otherwise known, in English, as a Marten) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marten is a carnivorous animal, found all over Eastern Europe, and is related to the wolverine, mink, and weasel. This particular nyest (let's call him Hamish), relocated his family to our roof way back in 2001.
Poor Hubby spent months, years, hours, and lots of hair (he is now completely bald) trying to get Hamish and Co. to take the hint (i.e. make like a bread truck and haul buns), to no avail. Eventually, we had to call in a nyest specialist. Wish I was kidding. Not kidding. Spent 1 million Hungarian forints ($5k) to nyest-proof the roof with galvanized tin, so that the little bastards couldn't get back in. Economic considerations turned out to be the least of the problem. They are nocturnal animals, so would return to their cozy spot in the roof at exactly 4am every morning after the hunt, which was coincidentally right above our bed. I would sleep like a log through the whole thing, but Bill was a wreck. You know that sleep-deprived-gone-a-bit-mad look? He had it every morning.
Swear, it was the nyest, not me, that has taken those years off his life. As an added bonus, our unwelcome squatters would leave rotting chicken heads and other fantastic surprises in the roof. This was okay in the winter, but left somewhat of a lingering, undesirous smell in the summer. We really thought Hamish had taken off after we installed the tin contraption around the entire roof, but found last summer that he had not only returned to the roof, but somehow managed to get in the garage and under the hood of the car, chewing all the cables in his path. I do realize that this is not going to make the 'Top 10 Anecdotes of 2010' list, but wanted to give you the background on my need for a portrait of this specific animal
On that note, will wrap it up. Check back for Thursday's Thirst Quencher. Haven't really figured out what that means yet, but will do so tomorrow morning. xo.
This one is more for my women readers...you know who you are...Erika, Mom... Funny enough, the first-ever Tuesday Teaser (whereby I'm trying to convince you to go out and get something) is a book that, while it comes highly recommended by my friend Wendy (thanks, Wendy), I haven't actually read it yet. I ordered it back in November (publish date 02.16.10) and it's enroute from Amazon.com as I type this. It's probably at the UPS store down the road, waiting for Mike-the-UPS-guy to load his truck this morning. Might I just say, while we are here, that Amazon's Prime Shipping program ROCKS??!! $70 a year, and all the 2-day shipping you can handle (you still have to pay for the stuff).
Wait if you want, but I'm extremely confident that my review will be "four thumbs up!!!!" After watching Ms. Borel's videos on the link above, reading lots of reviews, and checking out her blog, (http://www.kathrynborel.com/blog/), I'm happy to promote it sight unseen, more importantly unread.
For me, the best indication that I'm gonna dig it - she's a nutter, not entirely unlike myself. I already love the woman. Not in a love-her-like-a-woman kinda way - slightly more significant than that, you bunch of sickos. She's Canadian, which does not make her more or less attractive to me, btw. Anyhoo, I went to her blog, and the first thing I read was, "If you go to the newsstands in CANADA and AMERICA (Canada’s pants) and you go to the section with girls on the covers of magazines and you open the one that says 'Marie Claire' to a special certain page, you’ll get ... a Q&A with me." hee.hee. What's more fun than Canadian's crackin' on Americans? Not being unpatriotic, but it seems justified, somehow.
Hold on to your hats...Wednesday Wackos coming up...
Celebrating Randomness - No sleep for the weary. My eyes popped open at 1:43am (it was probably 1:41, as I had to get up and pee before I looked at the clock). Have no idea what's going on, but my mind has been on overload for the last twelve hours. It was racing when I went to sleep, and racing when I woke up. No semblance of thought, random sh*t flying all over the place. Made me think of the photo I downloaded earlier (long story), and that maybe this needs to be my icon -
Did someone spike my punch, or what? Anyway, two cups of hot chocolate later, and for lack of a better plan, here I sit. 4:51am now, no point in going back to sleep as I have to start organizing the troops in an hour.
Just added a bunch of silliness to the blog (see column of life-enhancing accoutrements at right). These include, and will not be limited to,
(1) a link to my unhealthy obsession, the new love in my love, comic genius Ricky Gervais. Don't worry, have informed the hubby, and it's all good. I know, I'm about eight years behind the rest of the world, but in my defense, the guy is prolific, so it's not like I've fallen for a has-been. Anyway, will get back to all this at some point in more detail, as the G-vase will require multiple posts down the road.
(2) Tunage- would love to have feedback on the Mixpod (music player) - Is it annoying? I can't figure out how to turn the bloody thing off, so that you can just listen if you want to. Need to figure that out. Anyway, if you don't like it, you can just hit pause.
(3) The other over-the-top addition of the day?? - PONG!!! Love it. If anyone is wondering, the world is indeed bonkers. Had someone told me ten years ago that I'd be spending hours, typing away to virtually nobody in cyberspace, killing those extra minutes with a game or two of pong on my blog, I would've kindly asked that person to put down the crack pipe and get back to work :)
You will also note, at right, my intention to add structure to my celebration of randomness, "The Lineup". There's no irony in that, is there? hee.hee. Seriously, going to give it a whirl, I think it will make my creative juices (that I'm not sure I posess) flow a bit better. So, that being said, onto the Tuesday Teaser.....
Monday, February 08, 2010
Onion Ring More Popular Than Justin Bieber in Latest Facebook Meme
Another doozie of a breakthrough in cyber-sociology has popped up all over my household in the last three days, thus my need to address this freakish Facebook phenomenon. I say it at least 72 times a day...wifhigo..what in the friggin' hell is goin' on? Obviously, the only reason this is even on my radar screen is that I have two of the demographics who happen to be tuning in for this madness sitting on my sofa at the moment. Keira, who is six, has put Justin Bieber in the 'ring' (hee.hee) with the JoBros - as in Celebrity Death Match - the winner gets her heart for at least the next 79 hours. Turns out Justin is actually winning. Wouldn't have paid much attention to her new fling, but the other two rocket scientists have been anxiously watching on Facebook since Feb. 1st as Justin's fanbase was pummeled (numberwise) by a member of the fried food group - the onion ring. I have been getting daily updates from all, so just wanted to make sure my own fanbase (all two of you) is also tuned in. In more exciting news, said onion ring has already taken on the JoBros and Miley, and is now targeting Britney. This, friends, is newsworthy here at Chez McGann. Speaks volumes? :)
I know, I live in Florida, but am posting this for all my peeps in cold, dreary places at the moment. This is wayyyyy better than a snowman (btw, thanks for sharing Tracey)...
Spring is just around the corner, I promise. Too bad Phil isn't on board with my prediction. What the Hell does he know? He's a frigging rodent. Don't get me started again on Groundhog Day.
votes are in...this was my favorite Superbowl commercial. I know...cheese...but i love these talking baby blips. And if you remove the BudLight ads and the guys without pants, what are you really left with? actually, the 2008 Trading Baby was better.
Can I please get a Monday morning ugh-a-mundo? This could only happen in America. How is it that we've lost the general need/desire to at least put clothes on when we go out into the world? Wait...I have a better idea!!!! Let's invent pajamas that look like jeans....yeah, that'll do the trick. Frightening, in a demise-of-the-universe way. In related news, we were having dinner (not even lunch) in a restaurant Saturday, and there was a table of teenage girls next to us, with boyfriends in tow, all wearing grubby t-shirts, pajama pants and flip-flops. I know I'm getting old guys, the big 4-0 looming like the bitch that she is and what not, but do you remember being fifteen and going out for a meal with your boyfriend? Can you imagine having just said, "think I'll just go in my PJ's"??? Kerry, being ever-curious, and unable to just leave it, leans over and says, "how come I didn't get the email - I want to wear PJ's out to dinner, too...you guys think I could pull it off?" In unison, they replied, not kidding, "it's a free country". And aren't we all just relieved to know that our freedom gives us the right to continually downgrade the requirement to actually give a hoot and pull on a real pair of jeans?
Oooh, I'm diggin' the 'get it out of my system' angle to the blog. Maybe I can use this to preempt all that old lady grumbling. I'll have it all worked out by the time my old age kicks in and takes over (NOT going to happen anyway).
Have sooooo been exploring Groundhog Day this week. IMAGINE! They are broadcasting the appearance of Phil, live, from Gobbler's Knob (can never type that without a hee.hee). We've all seen this ad, but OMG! I'm frightened, People. Can you IMAGINE? Combining NFL promos (Superbowl, in fact) with folklore that is the groundhog? EGADS!!!!!!!!!!!! truTV - Groundhog Day / Troy Polamalu - (2010) :30 (USA)
Just realized that I used an obscure Robbie reference in my earlier post, so thought I should take the opportunity to enlighten you poor people who aren't familiar. Using the term 'obscure' loosely, as it's only my American counterparts who haven't come to terms with the genius that is Robbie. Viva La Robbie. muah!!!!!!!!
I have...well... nothing to say for myself. Guess I just got distracted here and/or there, and lost interest in the blog effort. Have nothing to say, period, when you get down to it, so the world hasn't REALLY suffered a loss in terms of enlightened blogging over the last twelve months. That being said, I've been thinking about it lately and decided to try and get back here. Lots of friends/family tuning in on Facebook, but those one-liners, the random sending of cyber-cocktails, and the odd five sentence email doesn't really do much to keep the lines of communication humming. Nor does it allow those important people in my life to have a true glimpse at the inner-workings of my somewhat disturbed mind :)
So many people, all over the damn place. People that I miss ALOT, and very rarely find time to actually connect with. I know, everyone is busy plowing through their own days (daze). What I'm trying to say, in a please-spit-it-out-already round-about kinda way, is that I'm gonna make every effort to be here, at least a couple times a week, plodding away in my own little qwerty queendom. If that means it's just me and the weirdo in Papua New Guinea who stumbled upon me and either (a) digs amazon blondies or (b) just wants to improve his English and finds me entertaining, I'm okay with that. In the past, I made the kids the focus of my postings. Will still add bits and bobs with the 'OMG, I'm not having children' moment of the day tossed in for good measure, but would rather just blah, blah, blah about nothing, posting music/video discoveries along the way. Thanks verra much. Happy to be back here, chatting away with myself.
Was grocery shopping on Friday and realized, mid-shop, that I was having a full-blown, outloud conversation with myself in almost every aisle. There was an old guy, shopping and sort of trailing up and down behind me, and he finally felt the need to stop me and just chat for awhile. Dawned on me after the fact that he wasn't just some lonely old gentlemen, looking for someone to talk to. He was genuinely concerned about me :) The purpose of my fascinating anecdote, you ask? I'm obviously lacking an outlet at the moment, if I feel compelled to walk through life, in public places, carrying on like...well...poor Sybil, trying to wrap up a conversation between two of the thirteen people in her head.
On that mental health note, I actually need to pause here, and go sort out the Sunday to-do list, which is comprised mainly of putting the house back together after entertaining all weekend. More on deck tonight (still haven't cleaned up the kitchen from Friday night), as we prepare to cap the weekend off with the Superbowl. Nothing super (or even spiffy) about it if you want my humble opinion, but I will tune in, feign interest, and enjoy the halftime ads, sure to be loaded with beautiful people and lots of Bud Light. Just saw a REALLY funny B.Light ad online, will try to find it and post.
Before I go, I feel compelled to post links to a couple of videos from last night's great adventure, the Monster Truck Jam. I know, right?....you are thinking, how does one lucky girl get to experience two of the greatest shows on the planet in one weekend? Karmically speaking, I think I've just played my cards right. Anyhoo, here are the links (can't get them to post directly for some reason-love technology):
The second clip is of the mass exodus through the parking lot, following the bald Jesus and trying to wade through a sea of camoflauge and countless other fashion faux pas (plural times twelve) which, punnily enough, required many a long pause... Ticket to the monster truck jam: $15. Value of the people-watching experience: PRICELESS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsxVXoZwXzU
Re: Jesus in a camper van, the one thing that can NEVER be said about Mr. Bill is that he worries too much about what people think. Even better, he just lets me run with it, unruffled and undeterred.
We really need to re-visit this phenomenon/sub-culture that is monster trucks, but it will have to wait until next time. Until then. xo.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Aunt Erika does it again!!! She is ultra-cool and always comes up with something that the kids will love. Riley came down the stairs in a foggy daze this morning (no school today-it was Fair Day) and announced that there were two ginormous boxes on the front porch. Of course, there was an indicator on the box as to what it was, so it would have been virtually impossible to keep Liam out of it until his birthday next Thursday. Called Erika and got her permission, and they were ripping into the boxes within seconds. Couldn't have asked for anything better on a day with no school, they were outside getting kooky on the new ramp until dinnertime. Fantastic!!
I want to have lunch with Chris Brown and Elmo! If Rihanna wants to come, that works too.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Welcome to Chez McGann, where we are finally seeing the first signs of fall. Very strange to have an Autumn wreath on the front door and a palm tree out back. So Fall is officially here. Well, at least that's what they say. I'm not seein' it, but guess we knew that would be the case. Not sure I'm gonna love this no-change-'o'-season thing, but I'm also not so sad to ponder life without the long Budapest winter. Will get back to you on that one when I'm decorating a palm tree in December :) On another note - although I'm OTT excited that I can actually watch live college football, it just seems weird in this setting. Go Bucks. We are hoping for some Badger stew tonight. I've told the hubby that I'm watching the game, which most likely means he will find something else to do. Eventually, we will break him, and he will like it. Mr. Fekete, we need to get you on task here - there has to be a way to get him geeked about sports. I don't want him to be a complete nutter like you, just want him to enjoy the occasional sporting event.
It's not like he doesn't have lots of other opportunities to enjoy sports in this town. The Tampa Bay Rays are in the playoffs (beat the Whitesox again tonight, so they're 2-0 in the series). Superbowl 2009 is in Tampa. And I just realized that the NCAA Basketball Championships are here in March. Hello? You have to be able to find something to follow, no? I'm no Sporty Spice, but I'm happy to watch all of the above, on the idiotbox, or on the scene. Did I mention that Tampa has pro hockey too?
Anyway, hope this finds everyone back in the full swing of school and work, getting ready for cooler weather, and enjoying your days.
I know I'm a total goober, but I'm always taking photos of stuff around the house and posting them - somehow everyone doesn't feel so far away if I can share the dumb stuff too. That really doesn't need to make sense, just want to put it out there.
I owe tons of people emails and phone calls - I apologize for being MIA in the last couple weeks. Promise I'm working on emails too. There's not really much in the way of an update. The kids continue to find their way and make some new friends. The boys started tennis lessons last week. They have a private lesson together Mon and Weds, and everyone (including Dad) is happy with their new coach. We have discovered that there's alot lacking in the 'basics' department (i.e. what they are bringing to their game), things like footwork and overall stamina that they have to work on. They have the option to join a competitive league in the spring if they bust their butts for the next few months. They also start golf lessons tomorrow, and will have lessons every Sunday until they can at least hit the ball, then they will switch to a group clinic on Sundays after that. Just bought myself some good sports bras, and have decided I'm gonna give it a whirl too - I was completely rejected when I tried to golf in college because my darn boobs were too big :)
Keira started tennis lessons Wednesday, once a week. She seems to really like it and is very excited to finally use her new racket (thanks Aunt Erika and Uncle Curt). She's also doing a gymnastics class on Thursdays. We've decided to hold off on the karate thing for now, as she's got enough going on.
Speak of the devil, here she is concocting lunch by the pool last weekend...
Her hair is getting blonder by the day, if that's possible. And she's still not parting with her Euro-bikini, which is all the rage for 4-year-olds there, but not so totally appropriate here in ultra-conservative central Florida. I even bought a more modest version, and she's having none of it.
What's new McGoo? Well... The highlight of last weekend. We went to Barnes and Noble and got to meet Ronde Barber (Buccaneers Cornerback, #20 - http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/3985), who just published his fifth book for young readers, Go Long. Liam's class had a football theme last week, and his teacher read the last book, Kickoff, to them in class. I went with my stereotyping in full gear, expecting to find a meatheady guy that has someone writing books for him while he cashese the checks. Turns out not only is he a pretty intelligent guy, he's definitely not hard on the eyeballs. Oooh la la! The boys stood patiently in line for a good 90 minutes waiting to meet him.
Jake, Riley and Liam, trying to figure out what they want written in their books.
Liam, Robert, and Riley
Jacob, Riley's new BFF
The face says it all - he's still as rotten as the day is long...
So, in the absence of a Bucs jersey (it's now on the Christmas list), Liam decided to wear his Maryland Terps jersey. Same colors, but not quite what Ronde had in mind (he went to the University of Virginia). It was a great ice breaker, but Liam turned twelve shades of red when he got razzed about it.
Keira and her new friend Allyson (Robert's sister) also got to pick out books. They obviously weren't quite as excited about all the fooball mumbo jumbo.
In other hot news this week, Liam is very happy with his new Chuck Taylors. Bit of work in the morning to get them tied just right, but it's worth it.
He's sporting the wrap-around tie, which I wasn't sure about, but he's very happy with himself so what am I gonna say?
Meeting the neighbors... These Sandhill Cranes are so cool. Sometimes I just look out the front door, and there they are in the front yard. Bea (our little Yorkie) is not thrilled about the new feathered friends, she totally freaks out when she sees them cruising around. Keira is into the bird thing at the moment, so we just went to the library and found a book on these guys.
Other wildlife sightings in the front yard...
Last week we went to check out the tennis class. Here's Keira trying it on for size.
This week she was all suited up and ready to play. She really enjoyed herself.
On Thursdays, Keira goes to gym class (we call it torna, the Hungarian word for exercise)
So...that's the week(s) in photos. It's edge of your seat kinda stuff here, folks. It's no wonder I'm getting 20,000 hits a week on my blah, blah, blog :)
Saturday morning 10am here, and we're getting motivated to get our butts off the sofa and do something. Actually, I had a W.Watchers meeting at 7:30am, so I'm already way ahead of the rest of the gang. Lost 4.2 pounds since my last weigh in (two weeks ago), so am making progress. 13.2 pounds to go. Best part is that I'm a Lifetime Member, so if I can lose 3.7 pounds by my next weigh-in on the 18th, I'm back to free weekly meetings. I don't usually stay for the meetings, just stop in to hop on the scale and be accountable.
Liam had a friend sleep over and they were partying until the wee hours, so it's slow moving this morning. Riley slept at his buddy Jakes, a regular Friday night program now, and then he's headed to Jake's baseball game. Mr. Bill's on his way out the door to the gym for a run, looking buff and trim, before he mows the grass (a 12-hour project, poor guy).
It's funny how being in a sunny place makes you want to be more healthy. Not sure why that is, but it's working for us at the moment, so I won't jinx it by questioning it too much. I'm about ten days into this 30-day cleanse diet called Isagenix, and I'm totally diggin' it. Have so much more energy, less craving, better moods, etc.. Tuesday was the first no-food day, which was tough, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. Basically, in a 30-day period, I have one day a week that's all liquid (tons of water and some kooky fruity concoction - not yucky, though). The other days I have a fruit smoothie for breakfast and lunch and a normal dinner. Not painless at all, in fact. I did lots of research to try and understand, and the whole thing seemed way to logical to pass up.
Basically, we spend our lives loading our cells up with toxins from the environment, from our food, from everywhere, and that gunk is just sitting there in our fat cells, making it very hard for our bodies to burn fat. Once you get rid of the toxins, the pounds just fall off. So, I'm doing something great for my body, with the added benefit of parting with poundage. I'm not one that will ever become a health nut, but doing this once a year sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Again, let's see how I'm feeling by day 30 :)
Having said that, Bill and I hit the big sales at Kohl's yesterday in a big way, and I'm loving the shopping aspect of losing weight. I remember always hoping and praying that a 14 would fit, and now I'm comfortably doing a 10. I bought mostly workout clothes, to keep me motivated, but found a few other bargains. Found three pairs of shoes that were 70% off, and had a coupon for another 30% off my entire purchase - they're basically giving the stuff away. Makes you realize how much they're actually marking it up, as you know they aren't taking a loss on it. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE KOHLS???
BTW, here's a recent photo of me, just so you can see how the new diet/fitness program is going so far...
Can you imagine? What would that be like? Just for a day, man! This is actually a photo taken by my crazy friend from college, Sean, who makes a living taking pictures of beautiful things out in LA, from rock bands to lovely ladies. Great gig, huh!
Back to reality - our plans for the rest of the weekend and next week are pretty minimal. Going to friends' to watch the game tonight (they are fellow Buckeyes - Go Bucks!). We're headed to a b-day party tomorrow for one of Keira's buddies. Parents are invited too, and it turns out they're big Parrotheads (Tampa has one of the largest Parrothead clubs in the world - in case you have no idea what that is: http://www.finsup.com/), so we may have actually stumbled upon people who party. And it's about friggin' time!!! Tuesday we have conference night with all of Riley's teachers - interesting that we meet with all five of them at one time, bit leary of how that will go. Thursday, Keira and I are going to see the Veggie Tales live in concert - Yippee!!! Obviously that's a very sarcastic yippee, but I'll manage to get through it somehow. Friday is the 6th grade dance at Riley's school. I'm in charge of decorations, clean-up, etc.. and he now says he doesn't want to go. Not a big deal, but was hoping he'd be up for it. Will be fun for me either way, watching middle-schoolers interact is very entertaining. I'm still questioning my decision to volunteer for all this goofy stuff, but think that somehow it helps me be a bit more connected to what he's doing.
On the calendar and down the road a bit...
We're headed to Orlando next weekend for a car show called Festivals of Speed that our friends Sam and Agi put together every year - the boys are very excited about that. My mom arrives on the 14th for three weeks (BIG YEAH!!!), at which time I'm going to get my sewing freak on. Mom bought me a fancy new machine, and I've bought all the material, so it's curtain-making time. Nobody can ever say this girl doesn't know how to have a good time. Bit worried about messing up the fabric I spent a fortune on, but if I don't try I'll never learn, right?
I can hear Erika laughing at me now, remembering how funny we thought it was that women actually make scrapbooks of their gardens, but I think I may have finally found a flower that gets me (i.e. understands/accepts my total neglect and disregard for houseplants) and I need to share a photo of it. This hibiscus that our friends Joe and Doreen sent as a housewarming present is bloomin' like crazy. It just loves my kitchen window. Thanks again guys!
It is now officially time for me to do something else, so I will close. As usual, I'm keeping with tradition and wrapping it up with the piece de resistance, the suspenseful ending, the crowning glory of my accomplishments this week...a Play-Doh dog and fire hydrant. Talk about an out of control Friday night - this was it. Keira and I had a hard time getting the spots to stay on. Like I said, I'm a dork, and very happy to wear that hat :) Have a great weekend! xoxo. K.
