Which Song is Stuck in My Head Today?

"I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow. But I have to reference the "Marie Antoinette" version which I really love. I especially dig the Converse thrown in at frame 00:09-00:10. Now, this is not to say that I don't love Mel C's version, too, but mostly for the sassy video. I do love her voice, but in this case, the original's still a better sound.

Why Not?

My dear cousin, John and his wife Sandy have three kids and their littlest, Jacob, is battling cancer. Naturally, this has thrown them into a bit of a financial tailspin, especially with Sandy having to quit her job to care for Jacob full-time. Their family could really use some help. If you're so inclined to help someone near and dear to me, here's the website: http://www.helpbabyjacob.com/index.htm

GoFugYourself.com Quote of the Day

gofugyourself.com makes me laugh so hard I cry. Here's my favorite quote today, "Bjork's had an actual face. And illusion netting. And an EGG PURSE. Were you even trying?"

Teacher Collects Roadkill for the Classroom

Check out our famous friend, Spencer! When I married Jonathan I got his wonderful, funloving friends as part of the package. Spencer is one of my favorite guys and only he could be famous for such creative teaching methods. Check out the amusing and informative article here.

Fabulously Goofy

I love the show Ugly Betty. We no longer have cable, so I only indulge occasionally on the intranet, but when I do, I really enjoy it. Especially the Amanda character. She slays me. Here's one of my favorites: Amanda sings Milkshake by Kelis. Where do they come up with this stuff? Becki Newton is terrific as Amanda and she has some great moments on the show. She's a comedic genius. Love, love, love her.

Spring Clutter Cleanout Punchiness

Jonathan says that this (picture) should be titled, "...what we did before mp3 players when we wanted to take music on the go. " He goes on to say, "too bad there isn't an arm band option for the cd player- it even has the anti-skip feature."

My trusty portable CD player actually came in handy when we were borrowing Martin's Trooper to go to the snow last weekend, but that's the first time we've used it in quite some time.

I've decided to title the picture, "Spring Clutter Cleanout Punchiness" as this is typical of the creativity my husband displays when undertaking a major cleanout (we have some real doozies from our Sydney Way days, but those will have to be posted another time). We got a lot done over the long weekend and even had some fun. I'm sure we'll have the garage cleaned out by the time we're ready to move again!

Promise Yourself

Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To speak of health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends aware of the special qualities within them. To look at the sunny side of everything and let your optimism work to make your dreams come true. To think, work for and expect only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. To forget past mistakes and press on towards a greater future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times as a smile radiates warmth and love. To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. To be too wise for worry, too tolerant for anger, and too courageous for fear. To be happy.

- Christian D. Larson

Eakin Look-alike Meter

Too funny. You really can find anything on the intranet.

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Awesomest Invention: The Baby Monitor

"Mommy, what are you doin'?
Mommy, what are you doin'?
No! That's a car!
Oh, another turtle? A turtle."
Fabulous morning entertainment.

Michael R. Mahan

One of my teachers from high school, Mr. Mahan passed away last month (I just found out about this a today). Mr. Mahan had the same twisted sense of humor that I've come to appreciate in my husband. He was just a kick. Though I haven't seen him since my Monta Vista days, I'm confident he's sorely missed.

Can straight men be sassy? Well, he was. I remember him being warm and yet very sarcastic. This was before I really got sarcasm, so I was a little intimidated. He was way cooler than I (or anyone I knew) was, for sure, but I didn't know why, exactly. Anyway, I can appreciate that sarcasm today and I know he's probably part of the reason I appreciate it in my husband (sarcasm is more like a first language for Jonathan, not even a second).

His classroom was really memorable. It was just filled to the brim with...stuff. He had posters and quotes everywhere. His bookshelves were filled with books and they were so numerous that he had those rotating book racks filled with paperbacks for all the overflow (apparently, I've always had a soft spot for pack rats.) Plus, he had a plastic baby doll hanging from the ceiling. I'm not sure why, but I still remember it (okay, make that a soft spot for slightly twisted pack rats!) Mr. Mahan taught us about spelling irregularities in English with a whole demo on why "fish" could very easily be spelled "ghoti". I still remember this for some reason, 20 years later.

So, I'm saddened to hear of Mr. Mahan's passing. High School wasn't great for me, but he was funny and gave me a lot to think about and that was rare and precious in those days. Here's to you, Mr. Mahan.

Happy Valentine's Day

This kind of puts things in perspective and is truly a great story for Valentine's Day: a mother of 3 (and one grandchild), with a 187 mile roundtrip commute who makes time to make a difference in people's lives.
I caught this article about Toni Dukes in the paper today and found it very heartwarming and inspiring.
Happy V-Day,
~M

Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookies Redux

So, I've always made my chocolate chip cookies out of this recipe book. My father's sister gave it to my mother as a wedding shower gift in 1970 and I grew up using it. Finally, at 36 years old, I realized that I could probably improve the recipe...and I have. I must say, the cookies I made last Thursday night were the best freakin' chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. Yum. Below is the recipe, should you feel inspired to make them yourself. No, we're not sharing our next batch, they're too good!


Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookies Redux
1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup almond meal (found in the nuts aisle of Trader Joe’s)
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate pieces
½ cup walnuts, broken or chopped into small pieces
OVEN 375o YIELD: ABOUT 42
Sift flour and almond meal with soda and salt. Mix in oats. Cream butter in mixing bowl. Gradually add sugars; continue creaming until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract; beat well. Blend in sifted dry ingredients gradually. Stir in chocolate pieces and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375o for 10 to 12 minutes (be sure to check them at 10 minutes), until golden brown. Enjoy!

Kip's Annual Guide to the Oscars

A guy I used to work with emails me every year with his "Annual Guide to the Oscars". I especially appreciate it, now that I don't watch TV or read the gossip rags much. I still probably won't get to seeing all of them, but it's nice to know what's getting nominated. (Click on the image if you want to see it larger). He breaks it down by "Feature-Length Fiction", "Documentaries and Shorts; Songs" and "Details". Enjoy!

I'na Do it Again!

Xander is officially a mountain boy. We came up to Dad & Kathy's house in Pioneer yesterday and there was enough snow around the house to do some playing in the snow without having to drive anywhere! His Aunt Nancy came up for lunch and joined us with some playing in the snow. We all took a turn in the sled with him and he even went on a few runs on his own! He loved it and kept saying, "I'na do it again!" As a testament to how much he enjoyed it, he threw an absolute fit when it was time to come in and I had to run back out after him in my socks! You should be able to click the picture of him with his Oma (above) to see our web album. Nancy's Web Album has some great pictures, too (sorry for the duplicates).

As for me, I've accomplished my goals for the weekend: nap, read (I finished House of Mondavi and am on to Sea Glass), paint my nails, play in the snow with my boy and enjoy my mother-in-law's cooking. We do get spoiled when we're up here. We've also re-watched a couple movies: Curious George with Xander and V for Vendetta last night after he went to bed...and by the way, that movie has some great quotes. Anyway, I'm hoping we'll watch High School Musical tonight. I'm feeling generous, so if we get to watch it, I'll probably subtract a chick flick from the 3 Jon still owes me for No Country for Old Men.

Love. This.

I put this on in my car yesterday and it just makes we want to dance. I just love this song and I just love Angie Stone. I think she's so HOT and SO underrated. Love, love, love Angie Stone.

It's Johnny Cammareri!

I guess this is what you do when you don't yet have a central, overriding theme to your blog...you just write about what is on your mind.

So, last night I wanted to watch a movie to get me through the drudgery of the long overdue task of organizing my Christmas ornaments for storage. Yes, I know it is February.

Jonathan and I have been on a depressing movie track (he still owes me 3 chick flicks because I saw No Country for Old Men with him), so I had to watch something fun. I settled on Moonstruck.

What a great, feel-good flick. I've always loved this movie and I never get tired of it. Watching it is like spending time at a family gathering and it always makes me think of my family. My mom and my uncle James in particular like it very much and whenever we talk about it, we always say, "it's Johnny Cammareri!" I guess I inherited my dorkiness and really, the only people I know who think this is funny are my mom and my uncle James.

This is one of many great scenes, but there are too many to pick a favorite.

Anyway, it got me thinking: why must something be depressing, tragic and heartbreaking to be critically acclaimed? Moonstruck was a big winner at the Oscars, but it seems like it has been a long time since something positive, romantic and endearing has received critical acclaim.

I have a friend who just won't see downer movies, even if they are up for Oscars and I'm thinking that it's not such a bad philosophy. It's similar to my aversion to Oprah Book Club picks. Always a downer, an Oprah Book Club book. In fact, I was shocked when she had Eat Pray Love on her list. I've realized that I'm after a lot more inspiration and joy and less realism. More movies with lines like, "It's Johnny Cammareri!" that can make me laugh just thinking about them.

art and marketing...

I (finally) saw Brokeback Mountain. Yes, I am one of those folks who finally got around to it because of Heath Ledger's death. I am a cultural lemming at times. So sue me. Remember, I did read the story, so that cancels out some of my unhipness and lemmingn-ness. So there.

Yep, it was as heartbreaking as I thought it'd be. Good lord, great acting...on the whole cast's part. Really good.

I loved what I read on Wikipedia about the film poster (left): "The film's significance has been attributed to its portrayal of a same-sex relationship without any reference to the history of the gay civil rights movement.[29] This emphasizes the tragic love story aspect, which leads many commentators to effectively compare Ennis and Jack's drama to classic and modern romances like Romeo and Juliet or Titanic, often using the term star-crossed lovers.[30][31][32] This link to classic romances is no coincidence: the poster for the film was inspired by that of James Cameron's Titanic, after Ang Lee's collaborator James Schamus looked at the posters of "the 50 most romantic movies ever made".[33]"

Ah, art and marketing...combined to pull the heartstrings.