In sad TV news this week, Glee finally said goodbye to Finn on Thursday :(



7.9 million viewers tuned in to watch.  If you didn't get a chance to see it, download, download, download...

Here is a clip of Rachel (Lea Michele) singing a heartbreaking rendition of Adele's cover of a Bob Dylan diddy, "Make You Feel My Love". Sooooooo sad.

What else happened this week?...

Geez, I can't  believe it's Friday again already.  Not sure where the days went, but they went. 

Homecoming is tomorrow, and the boys are both going.  One is looking forward to it and the other is a bit reluctant to have anything to do with it.  I, however, will be very excited to be that annoying creature that follows them around taking pictures before they go.  I remember how much I hated that, but I love looking back at those photos.  Hopefully, they will too, someday.

So....when we started talking about Homecoming several weeks back, Liam had a date, and Riley was going stag.  Now it's just the opposite.  Liam's date turned out to be a miserable flake (don't get me started) and broke things off four days after she said yes, and Riley got propositioned yesterday by one of his 'friends' while they were working on a float for the parade.  Very funny.  Have spent the better part of yesterday and today running back and forth to the mall to pick up clothes for this sacred event, as they were just to busy to actually shop with me.  No worries, all sorted.

In other devastating news this week, one of Riley's good friends on the wrestling team at school was killed by a drunk driver in a horrific car accident this past weekend.  All of the kids at school have taken it very hard, as this particular guy, Frank, was loved by all who met him.  Again, soooooo sad.

At which point, I turn to ask... if there really is a God, where the Hell was he when this kid's life was being ripped away from him?  And how could the person responsible just get up and walk away.  Devastating.  Guess we really don't want to go here, as my thoughts on God as someone who watches over us are fairly well known.  What a bunch of bullocks.  My bigger question??  How does a parent EVER recover from the loss of a child?  How could they?  I would have to be locked up for my remaining days, probably just a blubbering mess in a straight jacket until the end of time.

Enough of that depressing topic.

How about some good news?  82-year-old Alice Munro, the Canadian author famous for her mastery of the short story, has won the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature.  You go, Girl!  82!!!


A blurb from the Daily Beast today about Ms. Munro...
Her short tales are always finely tuned, filled with psychological realism, swerving on a moment of epiphany that makes her the heir to Chekhov—indeed she is often considered the Canadian Chekhov—and James Joyce’s The Dubliners. She has never written a novel, but her stories are often deeper wells than many thousand-page novels. Her characters are small-town Canadian women struggling with strained relationships and moral dilemmas, and Munro penetrates those characters’ extraordinary private histories in moments of crises—she can portray the full span of a turbulent life through an event or two. Munro’s “reputation is like a good address,” the critic James Wood famously said. “Nobody bothers anymore to judge her goodness.” The latest Nobel makes her acclaim pretty much universal. She also won the Man Booker International Prize in 2009, and judges said, “To read Alice Munro is to learn something every time that you never thought of before.”

Though I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of her short stories, I just found her most recent collection, Dear Life: Stories, on Amazon for $7.99 (50% off...the Kindle edition).  Gonna put it on my wish list.




In more good news, Utah is re-opening it's National Parks, effective as early as today.  The Governor of Utah had to send Washington DC a check for $1.67 million to make it happen, but the state-funded cash infusion will get the parks up and running.   State officials estimate that tourism revenues for the state are around $100 million for the month of October alone.  That's a lot of moolah.

The National Park Service agreed to reopen Canyonlands, Natural Bridges and Glen Canyon, along with Zion, Capitol Reef, Arches and Bryce Canyon national parks, and Cedar Breaks National Monument.  I actually took a trip after college through many of thoses parks.  AH-MAZING!!!!  Not to be missed.  Just thinking about all the people who had planned vacations through that beautiful part of the country...beyond ridiculous, the whole shutdown thing.  And that's all I have to say about that.

Sorry Kids.  Got a bit distracted this week on all fronts.  My mom arrived on Tuesday (YAY!) and Hubster whisked me away for a romantic weekend on Thursday, so the blog kinda went to the wayside.  Anyway, have a few new discoveries to share with you...

I. What to watch...

First up is a British TV show called Broadchurch, which just finished airing on BBC America here in the US.  FANFRIGGINGTASTIC!!!!  It stars the wonderful David Tennant (who is also a previous Doctor on Doctor Who) and Olivia Colman as investigative detectives (isn't that a bit redundant?). The show is set in a small town on the Dorset coast.  In the first episode, a young boy's body is discovered on the beach.  It just takes off from there.  Edge of your seat stuff, folks, they keep you guessing until the very end.  That said, I did figure out whodunnit by the beginning of the last episode.

Bill and I started watching it yesterday, and finished watching ALL EIGHT EPISODES yesterday.  So well done.  I'm a Britophile anyway (my word), so I love anything and everything British, with the exception of their food. Haha.  Even if I wasn't, I would dig this.

Found a trailer on YouTube...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6U7XDxsNPk

In fact, all eight episodes are available to watch on YouTube.  Did I mention? Fantastic...


II.  Where to sleep...



Next up is a bed and breakfast in Flagler Beach, Florida (from where I am currently blogging).  Bill brought me here for three nights and four days, and I just want to stay for a month.  He is so amazing...I walked into our 'villa' and discovered fresh flowers, a jacuzzi tub covered in rose petals and candles, chocolate-covered strawberries, and a case of wine/champagne (complete with my favorite..Veuve Cliquot) with which to enjoy my surroundings.  We are on the beach, and there is a private segment of the beach that belongs to the B&B.  If you're looking for a perfect getaway, look no further.  They are actually featured in bedandbreakfast.com's Top Ten Romantic Inns for 2013.

Here is the blurb from the website...
"Get swept away with romance and relaxation at this oceanfront B&B only 30 miles from St. Augustine. The inn has its private beach, where you can take a sunset stroll or have an afternoon picnic with a basket of eats and treats created by the inn. As a guest, you get free use of bikes, beach chairs, and beach umbrellas. Every guest room features private entries, ocean views, romantic bathtubs for two, and cozy fireplaces. Buy a bottle of your favorite drink at the inn’s wine shop and watch the sunset from your private patio. Take a moonlight swim in the swimming pool or hot tub. Indulge in a couples massage under the stars or facial side-by-side, followed by a healthy spa lunch. If you’re ready to get hitched, have a beautiful wedding or elopement ceremony on the beach. The inn offers a variety of romantic packages that include goodies such as rose petals and candles lit around your tub with soft music playing in the background upon arrival, champagne on ice, and chocolate-covered strawberries."

The reviews on Trip Advisor pretty much tell you everything you need to know.  We will definitely be back.

III.  Where to Eat

Since I'm recommending some fabulous accomodations, I will go one step further and tell you where to eat while you are here.  Maggie's European Bakery and Cafe.  OMG!!!  From the pumkin-spiced latte to the amazing waffles topped with bacon to the Florentine Benedict to the bakery case chock full of evil goodies, you cannot go wrong.  It's located in a funny little purple building, and you would miss it if you blink, but inside await countless goodies, friendly service, and an all-around great atmosphere, including an ocean view.  Not to be missed.

Again, the reviews on Trip Advisor sum it up perfectly.

MDNA

Madonna released her new 17 minute short film last week, co-directed with Stephen Klein, called secretprojectrevolution.  I didn't forget my spacing, by the way, that's what it's called :)  Anyway, it is....fantastic, scary, captivating, disconcerting and, in summary, FABULOUS.  I heart Madge in a big way.  Always have.  The woman is 55 years old and she is still unstoppable.  She's an artist, a genius, a mogul, a diva, an icon...and the list continues.

The film was released alongside the launch of Art For Freedom, an online global initiative to further freedom of expression, created by Madonna, curated by VICE, and distributed by BitTorrent.  "My goal is to show by the example of secretprojectrevolution my creative commitment to inspire change in the world through artistic expression. I hope my film and other submissions to Art For Freedom will be a call-to-action and give people a place to voice their own creative expression to help fight oppression, intolerance and complacency," commented Madonna.

Art For Freedom is a global digital initiative, led by Madonna, designed to fuel free speech to respond, address and protest persecution around the world. It is an online public art project encouraging the world to express their personal meaning of freedom and revolution, in the form of video, music, poetry, and photography. Public submissions will become part of the Art For Freedom platform: contributors can join the project by uploading original artwork or tagging original posts #artforfreedom.

Art For Freedom launches with the secretprojectrevolution film distributed as a BitTorrent Bundle. The film, plus bonus content, is available to the public for free download.  Anyone can download and unlock the secretprojectrevolution bundle to receive the film, plus bonus content, for free.The 

BitTorrent Bundle is a powerful new media format that's built to move freely across the Internet. It is designed to hold any file type, and any file size. And it's designed to encourage and empower free expression, beyond the Internet.

So, with all that^^^ being said, here is a link to the film.  Watch it.  It really hit home for me...made me want to do something.  Little ole' me.  What the Hell would I do.  I'm certainly not an artist.  Can't sing, dance, or write a poem.  Maybe I can just blog about it and get other people excited about expressing what freedom means to them.  Also released on YouTube last week is a forty minute interview with Madonna by Eddy Moretti from VICE (VICE Media) to talk about the film, and the events leading up to it.  She shares the pain of injustices she has experienced personally on tour around the world, and the complacency she has experienced in this, our great nation.  It certainly makes you think, if nothing else. In my humble opinion, thinking is what we do far too little of these days.

I did, after watching both the film and the interview, download the BitTorrent Bundle.  Great stuff, including a handwritten note from Madonna and Stephen Klein, and this cool billboard pic.

Time for a good gossip post...

WHAT IN THE FREAKING WORLD IS THIS GIRL THINKING????  I keep trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.  I keep thinking that she is just trying to shed that Disney image.  But every day she seems to come up with something more horrendous to do/wear.  She's wearing pasties.  Egads, Woman!  You're making an ass of yourself.



Here's a New Funny or Die video bit with Justin Bieber and Zach Galifianakis, who does a whole series of similar spoofs with celebrities, a 'talk show' called Between Two Ferns.  Very funny.  Loves me some Zach.

Now, for the gratuitous pic of the day...
You are welcome in advance.It's one of those
'who wore it better' faceoffs.  I'm ALWAYS going
 to vote for Mr. Beckham, but Cristiano Ronaldo,
who's new underwear line is available November
1st, is lookin' pretty damn fine.

Holy hotness, Batman.

In Fashion news, Hollywood A-listers are following a
new trend for Fall,  pairing really bright colored shoes
with things that don't match at all.  I don't get it, but I'm
 a freak about my shoes matching my outfit.  I guess if
you're famous, you can pull anything off.

In Glee news...

We are just two weeks away from the Cory Monteith
tribute episode.  I'm still way back in season three, but
I will definitely tune in to watch.  So unbelievably sad
and unnecessary.



Who said Hollywood love never lasts.  Just found this
adorable pic of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell last week.
Love them.  THIRTY YEARS, folks.  And I'm sweating
bullets trying to make it to sixteen.

New couple alert!!!

Kate Upton and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (say that fast three times),
seen holding hands in NYC on Thursday.  Cute.

George Clooney (who by the way, while I'm still totally in love with him, is still very much gay) is quite the prankster these days, and his latest target is none other than the gorgeous Sandra Bullock.  Sandra appeared on Jay Leno promoting her new lost in space movie called Gravity (snooz), and shared the prank with Jay.

The top story on People.com today has absolutely no business being a top story.  Pamela Anderson is going to run the New York Marathon in November to raise funds for Haitian relief.  Bleh!  She makes me cringe.  Who cares where she's running, unless it's a long run off a short pier.  Furthermore, if she actually makes it halfway through the marathon, how is she not going to have two black eyes with those tatas flapping in her face?  Ugh...what a nightmare.

SEX!!!
Got your attention, didn't I? Haha.  I guess after my last post with interesting but not terribly exciting facts about Hungary, I can spice things up a little with some SEX.

Actually, I just added a new book to my ever-growing and rather long reading wish list.  A book called Masters of Sex, by Thomas Maier.  It's a biography that tells the story of Dr. William Masters and his research assistant Virginia Johnson, famously known as Masters and Johnson.  Their work in the 50's and 60's built on the previous work of Alfred Kinsey, and changed the way that Americans viewed sex.

I stumbled on the book after a friend introduced me to the new Showtime series, Masters of Sex.  The series stars Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan, and looks to be really good.  Not sure whether I shall read first or watch first, but thought I would share some of the reviews for the new Showtime series.  The entire first episode, which premieres this Sunday the 29th, is actually on YouTube.

Here is the official trailer...



The Hollywood Reporter says:  

The series was created by Michelle Ashford and stars Michael Sheen as Dr. William Masters and Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson. The casting is impeccable. Caplan is magnetic as Johnson, the single mother struggling to survive in the '60s, getting a secretarial job and, because she’s in tune with her own sexuality, effortlessly conveying to the more uptight Masters just what a woman wants. The actress navigates her sexuality with ease and allows the mental and emotional elements of the character to stay front and center (there’s already enough nudity and sex in the surrounding environs of the show, so this is a fine choice by both Ashford and Caplan).

Sheen is equally compelling, and that’s a feat not without effort, given how unlikable Masters is when we meet him. In the two episodes sent by Showtime, Sheen manages to project Masters’ ego and drive as both his strengths and weaknesses — pushing the sex study when everyone is trying to kill it and, on the other hand, being unable to tell his wife, Libby (Caitlin Fitzgerald), that it’s his low sperm count, not an inability on her part to conceive, keeping them from having a baby – which is cruel and echoes his lack of passion for her. (It has a fine supporting cast as well, including Beau Bridges and Allison Janney.)  There appear to be myriad stories for the writers to mine in Masters of Sex, which lets the audience know that it’s not going to be a sprint from two disparate people to a couple on the cover of Timemagazine, spearheading a sexual revolution. But perhaps the best story of all is that Masters of Sexmanages, with lightning speed, to shed any preconceived notions about what type of show it will be and, in so doing, tilts the camera up from the breast to the brain.

The Washington Post says:

Liberally adapted from Thomas Maier’s thorough 2009 biography of the pioneering sex researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson, Showtime’s provocative new drama has no problems whatsoever grabbing attention and whatever else that wants to get grabbed. The setting is the prim American ’50s, where well-respected St. Louis gynecologist Masters (Michael Sheen) is secretly exploring the greater mysteries of human sexuality, mainly by convincing prostitutes to let him spy on them through peepholes while they do their work.  What Masters doesn’t know about women could (and eventually does) fill several books, but things get interesting when a new secretary at his hospital applies to be his research assistant. She is, of course, Virginia Johnson (played by Lizzy Caplan), a single mother with a forward-thinking sensibility about her own sex life. As a science project, “Masters of Sex” is an early success; Sheen seems to relish playing the uptight doctor who is beginning to understand the way his world restricts women (in and out of the bedroom) and Caplan is instantly perfect as the woman who will both teach and enchant him.  But none of that is happening too fast. “Masters of Sex” masters the restrained narrative equivalent of seduction and foreplay, building its story in a controlled and stylish (and, yes, frankly adult-oriented) manner. This TV season has failed to arouse me, but if there’s one show that might hit the right spot on the Sunday DVR queue, it’s this one. Grade: B+

Since I started this post, I have actually watched the pilot episode.  Two thumbs up from me :)

Update: found this amazing NPR interview with the author Thomas Maier.  Not to be missed.  It's 33 minutes well spent if you have any intention of watching the show.

Happy Friday!!!  It's been a long week here at Chez McGann.  I can speak for all of us when I say, YAY, FRIDAY!

Was deciding what to write about today when it dawned on me...Hungary.  I had a Hungarian friend here this morning for coffee, and we have a Hungarian couple arriving tonight from Budapest for the weekend, so it only seems appropriate.  Most of my American friends know that we lived in Hungary for 11 years (1997-2008), but that's about all they know.  They would have a hard time finding it on a map, and always ask me right away, "what language do they speak?" or "what kind of food do they eat?" or "did you really like living there?"

Tangent here for a minute, while I stand on my soap box.  My biggest complaint about the American education system is that we don't teach our kids enough about the world they live in.  Thankfully, my kids are lucky enough to have lived abroad and traveled.  They would never have received that kind of education here.  I can remember my middle/high school courses...a year of Ohio History in 7th grade, American History in 8th grade, World History in 10th grade, American History in 11th grade, and American Government in 12th grade.  That means that one out of five years (20%) of my education in history/govenrment was spent learning about anything outside of the US.  Even now, twenty five years later, my kids might learn something about Mexico or South America, but other than elective classes (Riley is taking a class this year called AP Human Geography), they wouldn't learn a thing about the rest of the world.  When I have that conversation with Americans, often their response is "Well, America IS a really big country".  Yes, it is.  That being said, the world is a pretty damn big place too.

So, your lesson today shall include, but not be limited to, ten things you didn't know about Hungary* 

Like neighboring countries, Hungary was part of the Celtic world, then the Roman Empire. following the fall of Rome, the Huns settled in the plains of Pannonia and gave their name to Hungary.

Hungary is one of the oldest countries in Europe. It was founded in 896, before France and Germany became separate entities, and before the unification of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

Hungarian language is known as Magyar. It is the direct descendent of the language spoken by the Huns, and is therefore not an Indo-European language. It has only two related languages in Europe : Finnish (Suomi) and Estonian (Eesti keel).

One third of the 15 million Hungarian speakers live outside Hungary, mostly in Romania, but also in all adjacent countries to Hungary.

Despite the country's name and its language, DNA tests have revealed that central Asian genes represent only a tiny percentage of the Hungarian population.

Around 1000 CE, the Kingdom of Hungary was one of the largest states in Europe, bigger than France. Later, it became of the the two "eagle heads" of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Hungary was one of the first communist-era country to oppose the Soviet regime during the Cold War, notably with the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix was the first Formula One race to take place behind the Iron Curtain. In 1989, Hungary was the first communist-block country to open its borders with Western Europe.

In 1946, Hungary issued banknotes of a face value of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 pengo (one quintillion pengo) - the world's highest denomination ever.

According to EU statistics, Hungary the highest death rate by cancer in Europe, and the highest female suicide rate.

Hungarian inventions include the noiseless match (János Irinyi), Rubik's cube (Erno Rubik), and the krypton electric bulb (Imre Bródy).  Several other inventions were made by Hungarians who fled the country prior to World War II, including holography (Dennis Gabor), the ballpoint pen (László Bíró), the theory of the hydrogen bomb (Edward Teller), and the BASIC programming language (John Kemeny, with Thomas E. Kurtz).

*source: www.eupedia.com 

How's that for informative? :)  I actually learned a couple of things too.

It's a place that I love dearly, and in all honesty feels more like home to me than where I live now.  They were great years, living there.  We traveled, made lots of friends, and in truth we became adults there (I was 25 when I went, but a far cry from an adult in the true sense of the word).  We drank like fish and celebrated anything there was to celebrate.  Our kids were born there and spent their formative years there.  It remains, and always will, a part of me.  With a bit of luck and my husband's ingenuity, we will return in the not so distant future for round two.

Thought I would add some pictures of Budapest, although if we are friends on FB, you probably have had  more than your share show up on your wall over the years...

The utterly amazing parliament building

Heroe's Square

A vegetable stand in the great Market Hall

The Fisherman's Bastion

Nyugati train station

Dobos Torta --- the yummiest of cakes!

So....who wants to go?  We still have a house there.  We're going in March.  Come on along!!!

Good Morning!  I laid in bed half the night, wide awake, thinking about things I need to blog about :)  I know, I really should get a job or something, maybe volunteer in the community, get out of the house more...

My guest this morning will be a bit controversial.  After I told you yesterday that I steer clear of news/politics, I'm making a beeline right for it. Haha.  Anyhoo, the man of the hour is none other than Richard Dawkins, renowned author and scientist (technically he's an evolutionary biologist).  In case you aren't familiar, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins.  I'm a big fan.  I'm actually reading his book, The God Delusion, on my Kindle right now.  I will qualify that by saying that I'm reading a few pages at a time.  It's HEAVY reading, certainly for me.

Mr. Dawkins is actually here in the US on a book tour right now, lecturing and promoting his new book, An Appetite for Wonder, which not coincidentally was reviewed by NPR yesterday:  http://www.npr.org/2013/09/25/223174504/richard-dawkins-opens-up-in-appetite-for-wonder.

In this, his TWELFTH book, he opens up for the first time about his own life.  It will definitely be my next non-fiction read.  The NPR reviewer refers to Dawkins as 'the most controversial atheist on the planet'.  In my opinion, that means that he's done a very good job of making people sit up and take notice of his thoughts and ideas, which also makes him a successful atheist, if there is such a thing.

He appeared Tuesday night on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, yes to promote his book, but also to discuss the topic of whether the eventual doom of our civilization will be the result of science or religion.  He then goes on to discuss science vs. religion in general and why the two are incompatible.  This is the first part of a three-part interview (the rest of the interview is posted at:  http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-september-24-2013/exclusive---richard-dawkins-extended-interview-pt--2).  Great stuff.  Watch all three parts.




Did I mention?  LOVE Richard Dawkins.  Another product of his AMAZING BRAIN is a series, originally airing in the UK, called Sex, Death, and the Meaning of Life.  The three part series tackles all kinds of questions...How can we be moral without religion? How can we find comfort in the prospect of death without religion?  What happens if we leave religion behind?  How can an Atheist find meaning in life?

This is the first part of the series...Great stuff :)  Watch all three!!!



One more video, okay maybe two, and I'll stop.  As two of my favorite people's worlds collide, we find Richard Dawkins interviewing none other than my other true love, Ricky Gervais.  FANTASTIC!




Last one!



Lots to ponder, that's for sure.  Will close for now, with the thought that atheism makes as much sense to me as anything else, so I'm putting my eggs in that basket :)


PS.
Unrelatedly, a follow-up to my comments on Miley Cyrus and her new video yesterday.  I found this article to be absolutely hysterical...http://jezebel.com/an-encyclopedia-of-diseases-miley-cyrus-can-catch-by-li-1379909484.

X Factor.  Who loves it?  I do.  I don't watch TV, but I love these goofy singing shows.  The Voice comes in second...not quite as entertaining.  Keira and I watch it every week on the DVR, as she also enjoys it.

Here are my two favorite performers so far...

and...

Can't wait to see who survives next week's round of cuts.

We were watching it last night and I said something to Keira about one of the acts that was about to perform.  She looked at me, straight-faced, and said "Hello! Spoiler Alert".  She takes this stuff seriously.

Back to the old days for a moment, when I blogged only about life with three (no longer) little monkeys.  My friend Patricia did a photo shoot of them last weekend, and I think the photos turned out great.  By the way, if you're in the market for a photographer in Tampa, look her up.  Her Facebook page is called Staples of Life Photography.  These are the black and white version, to which I am always partial.

SPOILER ALERT!  Here is a sneak peek at this year's Xmas card, which is ordered and on it's way.  Earliest I have EVER gotten it done...so very proud of myself...

Love my babies :0)

Wednesday.  Hump Day (sidenote...who is tired of that damn Geico camel??).  It's raining cats and dogs here in the TPA, so I decided it is as good a time as any to attempt getting back on the blogging bike.  I was just looking at my posts through the years and laughing at how this little piece of me evolved.  It started out as an inane rant about kids and motherhood, then took a turn to become mostly a rant about nothing in particular, then there was this little itty-bitty self-help phase I felt the need to share at the time.  I thought about just deleting all those posts and starting fresh, but in the end decided to leave them there for the time being.

So what shall I rant about this time??? Hmmmm....  Perhaps a bit of this and a bit of that.  Guess that's why I like to call it 'celebrating randomness'.  You just never know what you're gonna get.  A lot has happened, and yet nothing has happened in the 2.5 years since I've been here.  Look for a significant number of dog photos, as we have six now.  Oh, and lots of delving into the teenage brain, or lack thereof.  Marriage is treatly me absolutely fabulous at the moment, so you won't hear me complain much about Sugah Daddy, although I'm certain there will be the odd annoyance. Haha.  If you know me at all, you know that I'm ADDICTED to the Hollywood gossip scene, and I love a bit of scandal as much as the next guy.  That being said, if it's not on People.com or in People magazine, chances are you won't see it here - People is the one and only source for such fodder.  Current events and political mumbo jumbo?  Not so much, although I do dabble in being informed.  I sound like I'm as deep as a puddle, don't I?

Health and Fitness?  Sorry...you're going to have to head elsewhere for that.  I am, however, about to embark on a journey to drop 40 pounds that I have somehow acquired in the last two years, so I'm sure you'll get to hear about that.   Food and recipes?  Now were talkin'.  I am a total foodie, and I'm always happy to pass on something I've tried or that sounds good, although most people can just go to Pinterest for that nowadays.  In summary, I have no idea what this will be, which always makes things interesting.  Probably won't even put it out there that I'm blogging again for a few weeks, just to see what transpires.

Guess that I will take the narcissistic route for today, and babble about myself incessantly.  I was born...just kidding.  Seriously though, how about ten things that I absolutely adore, for a start?

1. Sleep.  I love it.  I crave it.  Can't get enough of it.  Naptime?  I'm there.  Early to bed?  You betcha.  I'm convinced I must have been a sloth in a former life,  because I would seriously have no problem staying in bed for eternity, moving only to feed myself and work the tv remote.  Does this mean I'm lazy?  I don't think so, I just love, love, love to sleep.
2. Music.  What do people do without music?  I have pert near 7,000 songs on my iPod, and I usually have some form of music playing in the background.  You may have noticed the music player at the bottom of the page.  The current playlist, which I actually like very much, makes me look like a hipster, which I actually am.  Not.  I do like the top 40 garbage though, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  
3. Ricky Gervais.  I'm not sure why he is number three, but I adore him.  Everything he touches is, in my humble opinion, pure comedic genius.  He is truly one of the funniest people on the planet.  Don't believe me?  Pick up or download the UK version of The Office, or another little-known (in the US) show called Extras, or his most recent comedy called Life's Too Short.  Brilliant.  Even better...his stand-up.  Here's a link to his blog...http://rickygervais.com/thissideofthetruth.php
4. Macarons.  Hands down, the most delightful treat you will ever have the pleasure of plopping in your mouth (http://www.laduree.com/).  AH-MAZING!!!  They just opened a shop in New York, which is a bit out of the way, but most cities have a bakery that sells macarons.  A quote from their website..."We firmly believe that a weakness for sweets is a noble approach to everyday living."  You had me at 'a weakness for sweets'.
5. Facebook.  #totallyaddicted. Again, what do people do without it?  The Hubster says it is delivered through the internet directly from Satan's laptop.  He HATES it with a passion.  Why?  What's so bad about it?  Oh, the fact that I completely ignore everything around me, including my children, so that I can tune in to see what so-and-so had for lunch?  Ha.  I know it's ridiculous, but it's my little connection to the outside world.  Haven't really racked it up in the friend department since we moved to Tampa five years ago, so FB is my one big friend.  I suppose since nobody is really reading this, my blog is my other BFF.  Geez, Ker, you might need to get a life one of these days.
6. Justin Timberlake. Swoon. This guy...he can sing, dance and act, he is beautiful, and full of comedic ability.  I heart him. alot.  He's coming to Orlando December 19th.  Tickets are going for around $200, just in case you're thinking about the perfect Xmas gift for yours truly.
7. Dogs.  I suppose this one goes without saying, but I had to put it on the list.  Love my four-legged furry friends, some days more than my children. Haha.  Have no idea what we were thinking when we acquired number 4, 5, and 6, but now I love them all and I'm stuck with the circus that has become my household.
8. Technology.  From the iPad to my Galaxy S3 to my shiny new laptop, I am most content when surrounded by technology.  I'm even pretty good at figuring shit out, if I do say so myself.  I mean, outside of installing printer drivers and new software I'm a little challenged, but I will happily try to tackle anything gadget/tech related.
9. Gerbera Daisies.  My favorite flowers on the planet.  All colors.  Not sure why.  I used to buy them all the time when we lived in Budapest.  Maybe they just remind me of my other home :)
10. THE Ohio State Buckeyes.  I saved the best for last.  ANYONE who knows me knows that I'm a HUGE fan of Buckeye football, and that I will go to just about any length to catch the game. OH Baby!!! If you're not from Ohio, you just don't understand...best fans in the land.

And that's a wrap.  Ten things that you should know about me :)

Bonus: here's the trailer for the new Muppet movie, coming next year, starring RICKY GERVAIS.

What else to talk about today?

Here's something random....Cher.  How freaking fabulous is she?  Also coming to Orlando, May 16th 2014, and I'm going.  Not sure I can convince Sugah Daddy to come along, so if you're up for it, let me know.  That bitch is 67 years old, and she doesn't look a day over 40.  So what if she had 143 plastic surgeries.  She looks fantastic.  We saw her in Budapest back in ???? and she knocked my socks off.  Seemed like a costume change with every song. Love her!  The new album just dropped on Tuesday and it is great.  Lots of dance tunes and a couple of sappy ballads that I could leave or take.

Her latest single...Woman's World.  Check out the wacky newspaper wig...she totally rocks it.




Also in entertainment news this week...Miley Cyrus, rearing her ugly head again for a new rap video, in which she is equally, if not more, repulsive than she was in her VMA appearance a few weeks ago.  Even better this time, though, she is smoking in the video.  Yet again, Miss Thang, way to represent for your fan base consisting of millions of young girls.  Bleh! Doesn't even really warrant a mention here, but the song is so bad it's worth a giggle to watch.  My guys love their hip-hop...this one, however should fall under the category of hip-stop!  Can't believe I just put Cher and Miley in the same blog post.  Did I mention? Bleh!




Okay kiddies, it's time for me to sign off for now.  Before I go, though, let me leave you with this, my thought for the day...

Peace, out....xoxo

It's been a week again. Where the hell do my days go? Beautiful day today. This warm, sunny, afternoon is definitely one of my five "I'm grateful for..." items today. I'm still trying to write in my gratitude journal regularly, although I'm just not, nor will I ever be, that every day girl. What else am I grateful for today? My crock pot (and the meatloaf cooking in it). My funny little dogs, who never leave my side when I'm home. Diet Pepsi, my worst habit at the moment -- pert near two liters a day. Baseball hats -- every day is a bad hair day when you have a mop like mine :)

Fun quote in my Simple Abundance blurb today:

"Year by year the complexities of this spinning world grow more bewildering and so each year we need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities"

-- Woman's Home Companion, December 1935

Boy...if they thought the world was complex and bewildering back then, imagine what they would think now. Just pondering the things I had to do this morning to knock a few things off my to-do list and thinking that my grandmother, certainly my great-grandmother, would have found to be off the charts in the sense of annoying and unnecessarily time-consuming. I suppose they would have had other equivalents in the hum-drum parts of their days, but for me, I so very often find myself wrapped up in things for hours on end that really do nothing to benefit anyone. Most of these are technology related, and while I may try to avoid it, it's no use.

Anyway, I shall focus this week on trying to find peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities of my day. For instance, blogging. Doesn't require that I go anywhere, spend money, or deal with other people -- it just makes me happy to sit here typing away. Twenty minutes a day is all I really need. Coffee tomorrow with my girlfriend -- that's simple and always joyful. Listening to the boys in the back of the car when I pick them up from school, yammering on about the very dramatic events of the day. Listening to the radio and finding a song or two that I want to download. For now, I'm gonna find peace and comfort in an overdue hot shower :)

Happy Monday, All.

6:30pm, and I should be preparing something for my poor children to eat. Will stop here for a minute instead. I gotta tell ya -- Monday won. I just could not, for the life of me, get my head out of my ass today. Have now taken ten minutes to sit down with my daily meditation from Simple Abundance, and I'm in a better place. Yesterday's blurb was all about accepting real life, and today's is about blessing our circumstances, whatever they may be. I would imagine those two things are meant to go hand-in-hand, for one couldn't very well bless the circumstances of their life without accepting them. The basic idea? By blessing even the things that torment us, there's some element of spiritual surrender, and therefore the opportunity for us to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm not one to spout spiritual mumbo-jumbo, but this one, for me, is a no-brainer.

Let's use my current funk as a perfect example. I am in a funk. I prefer that to saying 'I am depressed', although we can all agree that I am indeed, depressed. Have been for several weeks now. No desire to do anything...apathetic, in fact, about most things. I've been fighting it -- cursing it -- trying to get out of it. Guess what? I am still very much in a funk. So tonight, as I sit here, I'm going to bless my funk. Yep. Bless it. How off-my-rocker do I sound? But it makes sense. By saying that I'm thankful for the ability to get through every day feeling less than myself, feeling depressed on some level, then I'm also accepting it. And tomorrow, I'll bless it again. Maybe by Friday, I'll feel differently.

I started last week to keep a gratitude journal, listing five things every day that I'm thankful for. Today, I'm going to max out my entry and add every single blessing that I can conjure up in my little pea-brain. From hot water to furry friends, I'm blessed all over the place. I'm also, for the most part, grateful. I just don't stop often enough to acknowledge how grateful I am.

Last item for the record, before I close. I have never been one to examine the finer points of life, analyzing how I feel throughout the day or the week. This is all new. It's new for several reasons, but mostly because I am making a concerted effort to explore my own happiness, or lack thereof. It may last a month, it may last a year, but I'm enjoying the journey. The exploration of my day(s), which were formerly plodded through uncontested and therefore unquestioned, may just lead to some fantastic findings. If not, what do I have to lose?

Just a friendly note - don't even bother entering the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway. No point. I'm winning :) If you haven't seen this architectural gem/interior design doozy, you have to check it out. They have really cool 360 degree tours of each room on the website. Beautiful!!! Bill and I are most in love with the kitchen, which is only rivaled by the unbelievable view of the mountains.

It's a FANTABULOUS ski-in/ski-out lodge-esque home in Stowe, Vermont. I am entering every day (at least on the days that I remember), and I am most definitely going to win. No idea how I'm going to find my husband a new job, or convince him that we're moving to Vermont, but I'm thinking it will be more like a vacation home, great in summer and winter, and we'll just rent it out when we're not using it. My guys have been complaining of late that they miss their winter sports -- skiing and snowboarding -- so I'm gonna fix that. Checked flights. No direct route from TPA to BTV, but there are good connections through Newark. Yep, it's all sorted. Can't wait to spend Christmas there next year. Here's a map of the ski trails. Book early if you want to join us, space will fill up quickly.

I'm always surfing on Etsy, looking for new and exciting ideas for gifts. Awesome place to find that certain something for that hard-to-buy-for person in your life. Anyway, in anticipation of Valentine's Day, they are featuring a fantastic shop/artist today, GumballGrenade's, that is very much worth a look-see. Here's one that I love, titled I Bring Only This:

Sweet, no? I know I'm a cheeseball, but I dig Valentine's Day.

Here's an exerpt from today's message of Simple Abundance on the topic of embracing the 'path of joy': Many of us unconsciously create drama in our minds, expecting the worst from a situation only to have our expectations become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Inadvertently, we become authors of our own misfortune. And so we struggle from day to day, from crisis to crisis, bruised and battered by circumstances without realizing that we always have a choice.

This, dear friends, was written explicitly for Moi. It describes a process I go through daily. And it's not just in the context of a situation I might be experiencing at the moment. In fact, it's usually my brain, in overdrive, already skipping to the scenes of tomorrow and the next day. Rather than live in the moment and enjoy whatever it is I'm doing, I've already hit fast-forward and am pondering what could go wrong in a hundred other areas of my life. Where does all that get me? Absolutely nowhere.

One of the best books I've ever read: The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle. It's currently on sale at Amazon -- $6.60. The best $6.60 you could ever spend. I just ordered three more copies, so that I might be able to share the wealth. As I gave my last copy to someone, I will keep one and start to re-read. Great stuff. Basically, a new way of looking at the moments in your life. A how-to on living in the present. His other book, A New Earth, is equally amazing.

Oh, the number of days I've spent pontificating on what happened yesterday or what's going to happen tomorrow. Again -- where does that get me? I really have to make a conscious effort not to let my brain do that. I really don't do that well, but am thinking that my new approach to embracing the simple, the joyous, might just get me there. Would be great if I just had an 'off' button on top of my head that could switch me to stay faithfully in 'the now'.

With that in mind, I'm going to experiment a bit with my afternoon. I'm going to do all of the things I have to do today in the present -- appreciating the time I have to spend with the kids, the sunny weather, the freedom I have to do what needs to be done.

Here's my afternoon/evening:

2:00 appt. with therapist

3:00 pick up Keira at school

3:15 stop at grocery

4:00 pick up Liam at school

4:30 shoe shopping with Riley

6:00 Riley has tutoring

7:30 dinner

8:30 iron on Daisy Scout patches for Keira

Pretty hum-drum, wouldn't you say? But it doesn't have to be. It could be, instead, an exciting adventure with my beautiful children, an opportunity to engage them in conversation and find out about their day. Yeah, that's it. The more I consciously think about it, the better chance I have in finding joy in the present moment.