Trying to force some holiday cheer this morning.  Sitting by the tree, cranking Pandora.  Not really feeling it.  It's cold outside though...37 freaking degrees to be exact. Ho Ho Ho.

Had a fantastic night out last night at the Throwdown By The Bay...


I am fairly new to country music, so I didn't know most of the lineup.  We were there for the headliner, Brantley Gilbert, but the other acts were great...Colt Ford, Chase Bryant, Tyler Farr.  Mr. Ford is kind of a country rapper...not really my cup of tea.

I wouldn't kick Tyler out of bed for eating crackers, though...


Or Chase Bryant, for that matter...haha


Brantley?  Goes without saying...yum!!!


Can't really put my finger on what it is about country music that I like.  I missed the evolution of rock-country (or is it country-rock) somehow...maybe when we were living overseas. It's really good.  It makes me happy, anyway.  I actually opt for country when I'm driving (when it's not Christmastime) My family members all think I've lost the plot. Haha.

So what's on the docket for today?  Gonna take Keira and her friend Kennedy over to my parents' in Dunedin for lunch at the Ozana Pig and the Ozana Christmas parade.  Should be fun.  My parents arrived a week ago and we still haven't had the chance to get over there to see them.  The good news is, they are here through April.  Yay!!!  I'm so lucky, have to make sure I take full advantage of having them here and spending time with them.  Just booked a cruise in March for Mom and Keira and I...can't wait...girls' trip.

Hope you enjoy your day, and your weekend.
xoxo

Happy Friday the 12th!

We just missed Friday the 13th by a day. Whew!  I don't believe in the bad juju stuff, but for some reason I'm always just a little cautious when the 13th lands on a Friday.  Don't believe in any superstitions, really, but you'll never catch me walking under a ladder either.

I've decided that since I dusted off the ole' blog this week in honor of my annual Christmas letter, I might as well keep it going for as long as it may last.  That's usually not long.  Did I mention that I'm ADD?  I don't know what happens...out of the gate I can go like gangbusters, typing away, but it soon loses it's luster for me.  And I never really have pinned down a format for the blog.  Guess that is why it's sub-title is 'celebrating randomness'.

So where are we?  Two weeks before Christmas and mid-way through the month?  Sidenote...this time two weeks from now my family will be on a plane to Utah, hopefully for the ski vacation of a lifetime.  Can't wait.  Just praying that everyone will be healthy.  There's an awful lot of coughing going on in my house at the moment.

Anyhoo, as I sit here in front of the tree, sipping on my coffee and waiting for the world to wake up, I am happy to report that I am as ready for the holidaze as I'm ever going to be.  Other than some baking, I'm pretty much done.  Still have to buy something for the in-laws, which is always impossible, and wrap the Santa stuff, which usually happens on Christmas Eve.  I've been listening to Christmas music for weeks to get in the spirit, which helps tremendously.  That being said, after six years, I still find it nearly impossible to capture the true spirit of Christmas living in Florida.  In my brain, I know that it has absolutely nothing to do with the weather, but in my heart I miss the cold, and the 'dreaming of a white Christmas'.  Silly, I know.  I can only attribute it to the place from whence I came...Westerville, Ohio.  It's all about what Christmas was like as a little kid.

Lots of my friends around the globe won't know where Westerville, Ohio is...

It's actually a suburb of Columbus, the capital of Ohio.  Seems silly to type that like someone wouldn't know, but it's a big world out there and not everyone can keep up with fifty states :)

I got a kick out of  a recent project by Buzzfeed, where Londoners were given a map of the US to label the 50 states.  Surprisingly, most of them did a great job, MUCH BETTER than 90% of Americans would do if they were given a map of Europe or Southeast Asia.  Hell, they did better than I could. Haha.



Back to getting in the spirit with Christmas music, here's an amazing rendition of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' by Sam Smith.  *swoon*...



While we're on the topic...how about some ideas for what to buy that impossible person on your list?

1> The Amazon Fire TV Stick.  Just got one of these puppies as an early Christmas gift last week, and it's fanfriggingtabulous!!!  Okay, it's out of stock until January 5th, but you can always order it and tell them it's on the way.  I have Chromecast, but in my humble opinion, the Fire Stick is wayyyy better.  Much more capability, with respect to adding applications, and a remote control so you don't have to 'cast' from your phone/iPad/laptop.  I have had a couple people tell me that they think Roku is better, but I don't have one of those so I can't advise :)  In addition to the standard issue stuff (Netflix, Amazon Prime, HuluPlus, etc..), the Fire Stick can run web applications.  Super cool stuff.  PC Mag recently compared all three: ROKU, Chromecast, and the Fire Stick.  I have never been a huge fan of Amazon Kindle/Fire products, but this time they got me.


2> No More Rack, Overstock, and Ideel.  If you're like me, the thought of going out into the shopping madness is more than intimidating.  Ugh!  This year, I really focused on trying to buy stuff online (including a few trinkets for myself, of course).  No More Rack has a flat shipping rate of $2 per item and has great deals on electronics and small gadgets.  Overstock rocks!  It's my go-to place when I'm trying to find something weird...somehow they always have it and the prices are extremely competitive.  Ideel has the designer brands and trends we all love, at up to 70% off retail.  I have found tons of great products, and the prices can't be beat.  If you're shopping for me per chance, I'd love these Burberry sunglasses.

3>  A friend recently introduced me to this fabulous retailer, Uncommon Goods.  For the person who has everything, you are sure to find something original and unique, without breaking the bank.
Some cool things...this twist wine decanter for $29.99.

Or this gourmet salt collection...$60

Lots of really cool stuff.

On that note, I shall close for the day.  Whatever you decide to buy, just make sure it's given with love.  In the end, that's all that really matters, right?

xoxo

The Annual Christmas Letter, in Blog Form

So...I sent Christmas cards this week. Simple postcards with a picture that Bill's dad took Thanksgiving Day.  If you had the pleasure of seeing the picture, my face pretty much says it all....it says, "I have had it up to my eyeballs with teenagers". That's an understatement (and a pretty accurate statement about my life). Ha ha.  Anyway, since I saved everyone the pain and torture of reading my annual Christmas letter, I decided that I should blog it instead. *the crowd moans*  The beauty of this is, you won't feel guilty if you decide not to read on, like you would if I printed it out and mailed it to you.  Without further adieu...

2014...Was it a great year?  Yeah, I would say that it was.  Was it full of challenges, parenting and otherwise?  You bet your sweet potatoes it was.  But the McGann Clan (at least my little section of it) is somewhat intact, no worse for the wear, prepared to take on 2015.

So what's the news that's fit to print?

Riley seems to be the topic of conversation these days, as he is wrapping up his high school career and trying to figure out what happens next.  I will start by saying, whoops! Boy, was I unprepared for the SAT, the college application process, and the whole senior year thing in general.  I don't remember it being so complicated 25 years ago.  Back then, I filled out the applications, sent them in, and hoped for the best.  We have now visited three schools, all with lots to offer, and are waiting patiently for news of acceptance from one of them.  He still may apply to a couple more, but time is running out on us.  He just took the SAT one more time to try and get his scores up.  What a nightmare, the standardized test.  The other possibility is that Riley goes to our local community college for the first year, then transfers somewhere else.  Who knows?  Certainly not me.  Please keep your fingers crossed that he ends up where he is supposed to be.

And now, exactly three paragraphs in, I shall digress.  This past weekend I spent hours watching old video tapes of the boys, mostly from when Riley was three and Liam a bit younger than one.  I sat and cried like a baby as I watched.  How fast it has all gone, how quickly they came and 'went' in our lives.  I know they haven't really gone, but figuratively speaking they have.  They've grown up and they just don't need us much anymore.  Sure, when they need gas money or a ride somewhere they are happy to call on us, but they are independent creatures for the most part.  My whole point in all of this?  It's linked back to the question of the hour.  Where is he (Riley) supposed to be?  When they were toddlers, it was so easy to make all of their decisions for them.  Now, I just have to close my eyes and let them fly.  I can't help Riley figure out his next move.  I have to hope that we've got him to a place where he can do just that...figure it out.  In the mean time, if you need me, I'll be in my bedroom with a big box of 8mm tapes and a box of tissues, trying to catch a glimpse of yesteryear.  Here's a cute video of Liam when he was a beautiful roly-poly bundle of joy (I've blanked out the months of colic and screaming)...

Speaking of Liam, I just spoke to his lacrosse coach on the phone today and was thrilled to hear that both he and his brother have come a long way on the field.  According to Coach, they will be welcome contributors to the George Steinbrenner High School Lacrosse team this year.  They both played last Spring, and played on a competitive travel team Summer and Fall.  As we gear up for another high school season, I am grateful that they both found something they really like.  Growing up, they have played soccer and tennis and baseball and football, but nothing really stuck.  LAX is different.  Here are a few shots from our last tournament...

Liam plays defense, and Riley is in goal, which is really cool because occasionally they're on the field at the same time, working towards the same objective...to get that ball back down the field.  I still haven't figured out all the rules of the game, but it sure is fun to watch.

When he's not on the LAX field or hanging out with his friends, Liam is with Naomi, the love of his life.  They are totes adorbs (totally adorable) and just celebrated their one year anniversary.  When asked about where he is planning to go to college, he defers to her.  At this point, it appears that it will be a decision they make together.  I had hoped, once upon a time, that he might head to my alma mater.  Not likely.  As long as he is happy and challenged and heading in a direction, I will be okay with whatever decision he makes.  Luckily, we have a couple years before he's off and running.  That being said, it will be here in a flash.

Why, oh why, does life have to go so darn fast?  I remember being twenty like it was yesterday, and I remember thinking that 40-year-olds were ancient.  Here I am.  43 going on 50, with kids about to leave for college.  Wowza.  Wouldn't change a thing, just wish I could slow it down a bit.

Which brings us to Keira.  Funny, independent, super smart, and giant-hearted.  Love her with every ounce of my being.  I have often thought about what our lives would be like if we hadn't decided to go for a girl.  She is a light for all of us.  And while her brothers are too busy living their own lives to pay her much attention, I know that down the road they will all be thick as thieves.

She is sarcastic when she needs to be, clever always, and at times she is a typical grumpy prepubescent ten-year-old.  As we quickly approach middle school, we are scrambling to figure out where she will go next year.  Similar to Riley, we've narrowed it down to three, possibly four schools.  The one we really want is an IB (International Baccalaureate) school.  Only problem is that they have 350 spots for over 1,000 applicants.  Definitely need a Plan B and C.

Keira enjoys hanging with her friends, and she is active in Girl Scouts.  She is a Junior this year and will cross over to Cadette next year.  I am hopeful that she will stick with it into her high school years.  She is a self-proclaimed nerd and truly doesn't care what other people think of her.  This is a good thing.  She hasn't really found a sport that she loves yet, but we are in talks to get her started playing lacrosse.  Love these photos that she and her friend Kennedy took a few weeks ago.  May they always be silly and carefree.

Last, but certainly not least, there is Mr. Bill...the guy that makes it all possible...the father/husband whom we can be incredibly proud of.  He works like a dog to take care of us, and he keeps us on the straight and narrow.  Ha ha.  Keira often says that while I need to reel it in a bit, Dad needs to loosen up a little.  Guess that's why we work so well together.  We will celebrate 18 years together in 2015, which doesn't seem possible.  It's been a far cry from easy, but it's definitely gotten easier.

Bill is still working as the CFO for ARMA Global, a government contractor that does government stuff.  That's the extent of my ability to describe what he does.  Here's the website... http://www.arma-global.com/.  The company was actually sold this year, but Bill will stay on through the transition period.  After that, well...who knows.  Fingers crossed, he will find something in Tampa, at least for the next several years.

The only picture I can find of Bill at the moment is one of him sleeping.  And well-deserved sleep it is...

Our long-term plan and/or dream remains the same...to get back on the other side of the pond in the next 3-5 years.  Where, when, and how remains to be seen.  I am up for the next great adventure, be that Budapest or Bucharest...Prague or Sofia.  It would be nice to be in Central/Eastern Europe, but I'm not picky.  We have enjoyed our time in Florida, but I think I can speak for Bill and myself when I say that it still feels like that layover on a long journey...we landed here but we've never really planted ourselves.  We haven't settled in and made friends like we did in Budapest, although we were spoiled there with the amazing expat community.  Nonetheless, we wouldn't change the time we've had here and the opportunity it's given us to spend time with our parents.

I suppose I can't wrap it up without mentioning the dogs :)  What can I say?  We are a family of five with five dogs.  It's a circus, that's for sure.  Bea turned 14 in September and continues to be the alpha female.  Fifi is Keira's dog and is happy to play second fiddle to Bea.  The other three boys are as rotten as the day is long and are glued to me.  I can't go to the bathroom without at least four of them watching, it's rather unnerving truth be told. Ha ha.  In all seriousness, I love them, just not sure what in the HELL we were thinking when we acquired this many.  Here they are...

 Weeman

Peanut

Zsolti 

 Bea 

 Fifi

Guess that's about it for the re-cap.  We are all alive and well and ready for whatever is next.  What's next happens to be the madness which is Christmas, followed by a week of skiing in Park City, Utah.  Looking forward to the cold weather and hot cocoa.  No matter how long I might stay in Florida, I will never ever get used to celebrating Christmas here.  It's just weird.

Sending all our love to you and yours, and best wishes for a fantastic 2015.
xoxo.
Bill, Kerry, Riley, Liam, and Keira
(and dogs)

Sleepy Saturday

Hello Blogosphere.  Happy Saturday.  9:30am here, just trying to wake up with a cup o' joe.  Have the radio on and the windows open (it's a beautiful day in the TPA), and all that whining I did on Thursday seems unimportant at the moment.  Yes, the house is still a mess.  Who cares.  On the docket today, relaxing until noon, canoeing with Keira and the Girl Scouts 1-3:00.  Early dinner, and the Bucks game at 8.  GO BUCKS!!!

Coupla fun things to share this morning.  You know that saying, "Dance like nobody is watching"?  Well, here's a little lady who is doing just that.  Love it...


Wouldn't it be great if, just for a day, everyone broke out of their 'supposed to' routine and just expressed themselves the way they wanted to?  Okay, it might be a little chaotic and bizarre, but it would definitely be fun :)


Here's another clip from Ellen...she sends her staff through a haunted house every year, and this year it was particularly hilarious.  Here are Amy and Andy at Universal's Halloween Horror Nights...

I love that Andy literally throws Amy in front of himself for protection, and I love him yelling "stop it. stop it."  Soooo funny.

How about a song that I love, okay two?

It's three years old, but I love it...



New in August from Katy Perry and John Mayer, and I also love...




So what's happening in the world this morning?

In very cool (but a bit scary) news via NPR.com, Saudi women are protesting laws that forbid them to drive via a 'drive-in', and are posting videos on YouTube.  Many women are taking to the streets, and thousands of others have signed an online petition, which government and religious officials have spoken out against. Way to go, Ladies.  Can you imagine not being able to drive?  Me either.  I would go bonkers.  The woman in this video is changing the world, one little bit at a time.  To her and her cohorts, I say, rock the fuck on.




In EXTREMELY EXCITING Hollywood news via TMZ.com (but confirmed elsewhere, as TMZ isn't exactly where you want to get your gossip), an Entourage movie IS GOING TO HAPPEN.  This, my friends, makes me very excited.  Almost as excited as I am about the Veronica Mars movie, or the Outlander Series coming to the Starz Network next year, or the Fifty Shades movie...Wow!  I have a lot to look forward to in the next year or so.

As for my favorite Entourage character, and I've watched most episodes at least twice, I'm gonna have to say...it's a toss-up.  Love Adrian Grenier, he's so damn sexy.  Love Jeremy Piven, he's so damn slimy.



Am very excited to see how the storyline develops.  Will they be right where we left them, or three years later in their lives?



On the topic of GO BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....former Buckeye and Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George sits down with Urban Meyer on Fox College Saturday today to discuss the possibility that his team will go undefeated AGAIN this season and not be playing for the National Championship.  Here's a clip.  LOVE me some Urban...."we may not be as sexy as some of the other teams, but we're winning games".  You go coach!!!



Okay kids, need to sign off for now and get ready for canoeing.  Whatever you are doing today, hope your day is fanfriggingtabulous. xoxo.

Throwback Thursday again...

Was pondering what to pontificate on this afternoon, and I think I'm gonna make it all about me. Haha. Also, am blogging for the first time from the iPad, so we will see how that goes.  Sooooo....what's happening with me?  Well, at the moment I'm feeling UNBELIEVABLY unmotivated, much like a bump on a log.  And in reference to Throwback Thursday, have spent the better part of the morning thinking about Retro Kerry, i.e. the 'old me', before I was old that is :)  Seriously, I can remember a point when the kids were little, when I would run around like a chicken with it's head cut off from sun-up to sundown filling my day with things.  My house was always in perfect order, laundry done, etc... There was barely time to sit down, I had so much to accomplish.  Now, whether it's the pile of laundry that's sitting there staring at me, or the Halloween decorations that never made it out of the box, I'm asking a lot of questions to myself, including "what's the point?" and "why bother?"  Is it really going to make a big difference in someone's life if their laundry isn't done today?  Okay, eventually they will run out of clothes and it will, but really???  What's the bigger picture, here?  What am I missing?

I know I blogged last week about being a stay-at-home mom and how important a job it is.  I believe that with all my heart, and this discussion wasn't meant to take away from that, I just think sometimes that there must be more to this gig than I'm getting.  Like, why don't I wake up with a huge sense of purpose and direction every morning, focused on all that needs to be done around the house and what I can do to be productive?  I just don't see the point, so I let it go.  Now, I can see EVERY good reason to sit down and spend three hours blogging...there's a finished product, even if nobody is reading it.  I made something.  I just don't get that sense of satisfaction in grocery shopping or cleaning the house.  Ya know what I think about when I'm grocery shopping?  "Well, here we go again...I'm gonna buy a ton of food, then they are going to eat it, and then I will be right back here, doing this all over again".  Isn't that terrible.  Rather than be grateful that I can fill my fridge and my kids with healthy food, I'm seeing the whole experience as a waste of time.  Somehow, the key to this must be finding joy in the mundane.  I guess I don't do that very well, I want every day to be a trip to Busch Gardens, and it just isn't.  Anyway, I'm sure of one thing.  While I can't find the motivation to keep my house the way I think I should, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years.  Haha.

It's Finally Freakin' Friday!!!

Happy Friday, Peeps!!!  Hope you're week has been fantastico.  Mine has been long -- not sure why. Especially since all I do is sit around watching talk shows and eating bonbons all day.  Ha.  Don't I wish.

On that topic, Mr. Matt Walsh's blog post from October 9th, titled Your A Stay-at-Home Mom, What Do You Do All Day? has popped up in my FB feed several times this week.  Essentially, he is upset with the general viewpoint that staying at home with the kids all day is a luxurious, even fun, gig. Again I say, HA!!!  I've been home for SIXTEEN years now, raising my children and taking care of things household related, even though Hubster will tell you (and I'll agree), I'm the worst housekeeper on the planet.  Still, all things considered, my gig may be rewarding and sometimes entertaining, but it certainly doesn't fall into the 'fun' bucket.  Would I love to jump back into the work force, bring home some bacon, find some personal satisfaction from being a necessary part of something, etc.? You bet your sweet potatoes I would.  Guess what?  Not as easy as it sounds, nor as lucrative.

You can read Matt's blog yourself via the link above, but here's my favorite part :) ...
The people who completely immerse themselves in the tiring, thankless, profoundly important job of raising children ought to be put on a pedestal. We ought to revere them and admire them like we admire rocket scientists and war heroes. These women are doing something beautiful and complicated and challenging and terrifying and painful and joyous and essential. Whatever they are doing, they ARE doing something, and our civilization DEPENDS on them doing it well. Who else can say such a thing? What other job carries with it such consequences?

Matt has had over 10,000 comments on that post...very interesting to read people's responses.  I will move on now, as it wasn't my intention to blah, blah, blah about this.  That said, I'd be lying if I said it doesn't get on my last freakin' nerve when people ask, and they do ask, what I do all day.


I haven't said word one about the government shutdown in the last few weeks, mostly because it's total bullocks and nothing more than a game of kick the can down the road.  The whole thing is a disaster, in many people's opinion a ticking timebomb, and I'd just rather stick to making fun of politicians as opposed to actually listening to a thing that they say.  Here are a group of kids that would no doubt do a better job running the country than those currently occupying those uber-important seats do:



Next.

So how's about a quick flick to the gossip of the week???  Secretly, I love this wayyyyy more than book reviews or intelligent conversations about the eventual demise of our society.  Some highlights, coming, of course, from the most respected sources in rag-mag journalism:

1.  Yesterday, Kim Kardashian, in an attempt to deflect attention from both last week's announcement that (1) Kris and Bruce are splitting AND (2) the news this week that Kylie and Kendall (both underage) were spotted in a sex-themed club in LA, has put her GINORMOUS ass out there in Instagramland for all to see.  Quite funny, actually, that she is literally trying to block the other family drama WITH HER ASS.  And did I mention?  It is BIG!  So is mine, but I don't put it on Instagram.


2. In even BIGGER news from TMZ this week, fox costumes are off the shelf this Halloween.


Stores just can't keep them stocked.  Why, you ask, as though perhaps you have been living under a rock for the last month or so?  Well, a song with about 130 million YouTube hits called What Does The Fox Say? is 100% responsible.  Have you really not seen the video?  Okay...here it is...



3.  Kristen Bell (who I love, love, love) is officially off the market.  She and Dax Shepard tied the know this week in LA at of all places, the courthouse.  They already have a beautiful baby, so this was just the next logical step.  Seriously, if I was a lesbian, I would totally marry her.  Hello???....Veronica Mars is/was/will be one of the best shows of all time!!!  Dax??? Well, he's a cutie pie in his own right.  Yes, I'll admit it, I'm happy for them.

Now I shall share with you one of my favorite Kristen Bell moments...that time when she shares with Ellen how Dax got her a sloth to play with for her birthday...



How stinkin' cute can she possibly be.  Also, for the record, the sloth is on the top-three list of animals that I want to own in my life time, along with a hedgehog and an alpaca.  A girl can dream, right?

4.  Gwen Stefani is prego with number three.  YAY!!!  Love Gwen and Gavin.  Thinking they might be one of the Hollywood couples that actually makes it.  How exciting for Kingston and Zuma that they will have a little brother or sister.  Here's a pic of them out last night, debuting the little baby bump...

Photo courtesy of Perezhilton.com


5.  Back to the Ellen Show.  Here's a clip of Ellen interviewing Miley last week.  I gotta tell ya, after seeing lots of interviews post-VMA mayhem, I have changed my tune a bit regarding Miley...


She's gotten a huge amount of flack for her performance, and everyone has seen that it's a bit over-the-top.  That said, I've watched it, and her videos for Wrecking Ball and 23, and her performance on SNL last weekend.  Yes, she's pushing the envelope, but guess what??  She has turned the music industry on it's ass for a minute and screamed LOOK AT ME!!!!  And everyone is looking.  Who's the dummy?  She isn't necessarily a tart or a slut, she is just doing what those who have come before her have done.  Think about Madonna, or Britney, or for that matter Lady Gaga.  PS. Nobody mentioned what the Gaga was wearing at the VMA's, and it was basically a thong.  Hello??

6.  On the topic of Lady Gaga, her new album drops November 11th. Yay!  Waiting patiently,

Love me some Gaga, don't care what anyone says.  She is and probably always will be one to watch.

7.  Who has come across the British band called London Grammar?  Really good stuff. Love her voice.  This doesn't really count as gossip, but I'm gonna share it anyway, and end on this note.  Hey Now!!!!

Throwback Thursday

Remember Banksy?  He's that kooky English graffiti artist who's political and social commentary has turned up on bridges, walls, and all sorts of other interesting places all over the globe.  I had the pleasure of watching his 2010 film, Exit Through The Gift Shop, which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was subsequently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.  Great stuff, if you ever get a chance to watch it.  He's a peculiar creature, that Banksy,  but he certainly feels like he has a lot to say.

Well he is at it again, this time with a truck full of puppets.  Yes, puppets.  Making a comment on the plight of the farm animal...one can assume that specifically he is addressing factory farming...he has put together his latest installation, a moving tribute to farm animals everywhere (with a dog, and a bear or two thrown in for good measure).  Here is a YouTube clip of his meat truck, cruising the streets of The Meatpacking District in New York City...



So, out of all the 'shutdown' stories on the web this morning, why did I choose to share this one, of little or no significance, really.  To make a long story short, it took my back to my Freshman year in college, when I first encountered the topic of factory farming and the idea that as a society, we have gotten so big that we've lost touch with the source of our food.  I actually presented a paper back then on the AWFUL treatment of animals in most parts of the agricultural industry, and it really affected me.  I stopped eating beef (for some reason I've had an affinity for cows for most of my life) from the time I was 18 until I was pregnant with Riley at age 25.  To this day, I still won't touch veal, and I'll be happy to give you a hard time about it if you're sitting next to me eating it.

Something has happened to the way animals are treated in modern meat production that is a disgrace to the human spirit, and a violation of the ancient human-animal bond...

The process of rearing farm animals in the US has changed dramatically from the family farms of yesteryear. This reality, coupled with the exemption of farm animals from laws that forbid cruelty to animals, has produced a heartbreaking situation. More animals are subjected to more tortuous conditions in the US today than has ever occurred anywhere in world history.

Aside from the health consequences from eating the products of a 'factory farm', it is, for the most part, just plain inhumane.  So with that, I was happy to give Banksy his five minutes on my blog to let the world (or at least my five followers) know that the way we produce and consume meat in this country and for that matter all over the world, is not okay.

*steps down off of soapbox*

I know...that was depressing.  Sorry.  Just got a bee in my bonnet when I saw the video clip and it took off from there.  PS. For more info about factory farming and what you can do to change the way you eat, start with a trip to http://www.farmforward.com/.  Eye-opening, I tell ya.


So what's next this morning???

How about the finalists for the 2013 National Book Awards?  The finalists were announced yesterday, and the winners will be announced on November 20th.  What amazes my simple pea-brain mind is the fact that somehow the National Book Foundation can get through all of the fantastic Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature for the year, to come up with such a short list of finalists.

Books from that list that I will add to my reading list (or Keira's -- the boys just don't read) include, but are not limited to:

I. Book Of Ages

The Life And Opinions Of Jane Franklin

by Jill LePore

Summary
American History professor Jill Lepore delivers a revealing portrait of Benjamin Franklin's youngest sister, Jane, who spent much of her life cooking, cleaning and raising children. Despite obscurity and poverty, Jane shared a lot of her brother's talents: She was a passionate reader, a gifted writer and a shrewd political commentator.

II. Tenth Of December

by George Saunders

Summary
This collection of fantastical stories includes "Home," a wryly whimsical account of a soldier's return from war; "Victory Lap," a tale about an inventive abduction attempt; and the title story, in which a suicidal cancer patient saves the life of a young misfit.

Now if I could just find six hours a day with which to sit and read :)

Have You Seen This??

Well, have you?  Seen it, I mean? Haha.  Just seemed like an appropriate title for today's post, which is both 'celebrating randomness' and catching up on some hot topics in this morning's news feed.

First up, is an AH-MAZING photo posted by Bruce Lindner (whoever he is...friend of a friend) on Facebook this morning, with this caption: 

"Okay, put your brain in neutral for a second. See that teeny, tiny black rectangle to the left of the Moon? It's a nondescript region of space that NASA trained the Hubble telescope on for a look/see. It opened its shutter, and photon by individual photon, the light from distant galaxies trickled in. The image required a total of 173,000 seconds to "gel," but gel it did. Each of those tiny smudges are enormous galaxies of a hundred billion stars or more.  The Moon is there for scale only, to demonstrate the size of area examined. HUDF stands for Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Now... Don't you feel insignificant?"

Insignificant is exactly how it makes me feel, and yet I am somehow empowered or enriched by the idea that life on Earth must be such a random occurrence (there's that word again).  What a gift we are given, if only for a very short time, to sit back and experience the wonders of the Universe.  Each enormous galaxy has A HUNDRED BILLION stars OR MORE???  And we sit here in our little Milky Way, eight planets and a couple of moons, surrounded  by a bunch of ding-dong Earthlings that believe they are the center of the universe.  Jesus.  It's pretty damn funny when you get right down to it.  A shout out to my friend Marty Qualls for sharing this photo this morning, it gave me such pause for thought.  

When I really stop to think about the fact that I'm little more than a grain of sand on the beach of humanity, in fact an atom in a neutron in a grain of sand, I could go in two directions.  One, that I really am insignificant, so why not just go back to bed (I luhhhhhh-vvvvvvvve my bed)?  I mean, what's the fucking point?  Who gives a rat's ass if I'm awake or asleep, other than my children when it's time to get picked up or eat dinner, or when they need money?  On the other hand, it's such a spectacular fluke that I'm here, that life on Earth is a reality, shouldn't I be ecstatic to be part of it all? Shouldn't I want to be awake for every possible thing life tosses my way?  No, People, I'm not smoking weed today.  I'm just celebrating randomness...the idea that humanity as we know it came to be out of nothingness, and here we are.  Wow!!!!  Maybe I should be smoking weed -- the thought process would no doubt be even more revelationary. Ha

Moving randomly down the list of things I'm going to touch on today, just saw a preview this morning for a new movie called About Time, directed by Richard Curtis, the creator of movies I LOVE like Notting Hill and Love Actually.  OMG!!!!  Looks freaking fantastic.  Here's the trailer...

Who wants to go see it with me???  Hubster, poor guy, will no doubt get saddled with the job.  He's such a good sport when it comes to chick flicks.  Anyway, the reviews are in and they are, for the most part, thumbs up all the way.

The review from the Hollywood Reporter was slightly less enthusiastic, but still had this to say...
The chief digressions here from the director’s established formula are a light twist of science fiction, and a lot more somber reflection on the value of love and family. This time, Curtis seems to be reaching for the philosophical depth and emotional clout of bittersweet magic-realist classics such as Groundhog Day or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He falls short of both, but his ambition is still admirable. Not as charming as his best work, but not as cloying as his worst, About Time received a modestly warm reception at its public premiere in London on Thursday. Commercial prospects will largely depend on whether the Curtis brand still packs the same platinum-plated punch as it did in more innocent times. 

The IMDb page for the movie says it will be out in theaters on November 8th.  Can't wait!!!


Next up...the new Skittles commercial.  FRENCH THE RAINBOW???  Yuck, I say.  I saw it this morning while watching the Today Show, and I was completely repulsed.  I love a good joke, love a teetering-on-the-edge commercial just as much, but this one definitely didn't do it for me...


Not sure if it's the mouthful of skittles that puts me off, or the whole 'frenching' reference, but...well, in summary, BLEH!!!


Are Oreos as addictive as cocaine?



Apparently, according to recent studies by students at Connecticut College, when rats ate Oreos they formed an equally strong association with the cookies as when other rats were injected with cocaine or morphine. Additionally, researchers found eating the cookies activated even more neurons in the rats’ brain “pleasure centers” than the addictive drugs.

“Our research supports the theory that high-fat/ high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do,” Neuroscience Professor Joseph Schroeder said in a school press release. “It may explain why some people can’t resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them.”

The student behind the study says she wanted to explore how foods with high fat and sugar content contribute to obesity in low-income communities, and that the results are troubling.

“Even though we associate significant health hazards in taking drugs like cocaine and morphine, high-fat/ high-sugar foods may present even more of a danger because of their accessibility and affordability,” Jamie Honohun said. On a lighter note, Honohun says they also got a surprise when watching the rats eat the Oreos. “They would break it open and eat the middle first,” she said.

Now that we've addressed the sugar-filled products Skittles and Oreos, let's talk about weight loss. Haha. Here's a photo that I actually saw posted on Facebook several days ago, which was also the topic of conversation and controversy on the Today Show this morning:

What was meant to be motivational is instead being taken as offensive by mothers all over the planet. Interestingly enough, the photo was posted over a year ago, but has just recently gone viral. So what do we think about Ms. Thang, I mean Kang?  Well, first of all, she is FRIGGING hot.  Second of all, in my humble opinion, the whole thing is a bit smug, and a little too in-your-face.  Yeah, she looks great.  Do I wish I had those abs?  You bet your sweet potatoes I do.  That being said, she is a personal trainer and a former bikini model.  Hello???  It's her job to look like that.  I would be a lot more accepting of the message if it were, say, a frazzled-looking mom with a 'normal' full-time job, sporting bags under her eyes.  

In response to the "haters," Kang recently reposted the photo with what she calls a "non-apology."
"I never called you fat, I never said that you were a bad mother, I never said what's your excuse for not looking like me, I never said anything like that. I just came out and said you need to own the thoughts you put in your own head because I didn't put it there, you did," Kang said.

Ummmm...I think she still sounds a bit bitchy, but what do I know?  Maybe her photo will be motivation for thousands of women trying to get their 'after-kids' body back.  Maybe not.  Either way, she's promoting herself, and why shouldn't she? It's a free country and all that jazz???

I went back and forth on that one, didn't I?