Music Monday: December, Thanks!

Well, I trust everyone had pleasant holiday times with family and friends. Now it's New Year's Eve. Didn't that happen fast? It was a year ago today I lost my writing job. I am determined to live happier and more fully in 2013. Toward that end, here's my December appreciation list.

December, Thanks!

1) Thanks to nature for letting me harvest some of the cauliflower I planted late this year. It survived a couple of frosts and then grew during the crazy, inexplicable mini heatwave we had in November.

2) Thanks to Purina Farms for the dog show. It was nice to do something different.

3) Thanks to HUBS for helping me bake our Christmas gifts. We've been buying stuff for people for so long that none of it feels like it matters. I might make gifts from now on.

4) Thanks to my wonky car battery for needing me to drive everyday to keep it charged. I tend to let myself get stuck in the house for days at a time, but, this way, I get out and I've seen more of my city than I have in years.

5) Thanks to my sensible nature for being able to talk my precision-minded mom down when she called me freaked out about getting paid an extra $1.52 on her last check. She's so weird! PT thought she couldn't use her money because of it! I convinced her to put aside that amount in change at home and then act as she normally would. That way if her company wanted their money back she could just give it to them.

6) Thanks to nature (again) for snowing during the holidays.

7) Thanks to fashion magazines for finally giving me an idea of what to do with my increasingly wild natural hair that actually works.

8) Thanks to Zoloft for not wrecking havoc on my internals as I try to feel better.

Now, let's do music!









Tell me, what are you thankful for in December?

Music Monday: Christmas Is A-Comin'!

via

Well, that was quite a weekend for me, folks. I spent most of Thursday writing the first draft of an essay I hope to have published, got badgered by my doctor about losing weight on Friday and later had a panic attack at the grocery store. Nice, right?

I will admit that even though I'm planning to make nifty food gifts for everyone this year, I am not feeling Christmas spirit at all. HUBS and I tried to remedy this by getting five holiday films from the library this weekend and watching all but one so far. The result? I now want to stuff my mind with as many cheesy Christmas movies as possible. Here's what we've watched so far:

1) Jingle All the Way (Sigh...)
2) Arthur Christmas (Nice, better than I expected.)
3) The Santa Clause (Possibly the most boring Christmas movie I've ever seen.)
4) Santa Baby (Notable mostly for the fact that Jenny McCarthy's chin is broken out for the whole movie. Look, girls! Sure, she's got a hot body, but she's also got acne! She's just like us!)

Next up is the live-action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Grinch has always scared me a bit, so I'm a bit nervous about my response to this, but I'm diving in anyway! Any recommendations for holiday films we should watch to prep for the season?

OK, let's get to the music!









What's the silliest holiday movie you've seen?

Tuesday Tipday: How To Keep December From Sucking

Aw, yeah!

I have never had holiday anxiety. In fact, it's one of the few forms of anxiety I haven't dealt with. But, some people go crazy at this time of year trying to make everything perfect. And in their endless quest, they make December the suckiest time of year instead of the happiest.

Well, if this sounds like you, I've got some tips to help you out.

How To Keep December From Sucking

1) Perfect schmerfect. You know there's no such thing as perfection, right? Then why are you losing your mind over something you can never achieve? Not to mention the fact that everyone's idea of "perfect" will be different anyway, so no matter what you do something will be left out for someone. Think about this: if these people didn't like you they wouldn't be hanging out with you during the holidays. YOU DO NOT NEED TO IMPRESS THESE FOLKS. ALL THEY WANT IS TIME WITH YOU. Ok?

2) Rest, relax, repeat. Here's what I think most people really want from the holidays: time off from school or work and...wait for it...FUN. That's right. They want to catch up on their favorite magazines, clear out their Netflix cue and sleep until noon after staying up too late. Ask yourself how your friends and family can have fun watching you do your best impression of a whirling dervish as they try to relax. If they care about you, they probably can't. So, you know, calm the shit down already and enjoy yourself!

3) It's as easy as it looks. If you're used to running yourself ragged for Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Whatever perfection, you may literally not be able to relax about it. So, go nuts over something else. Sleep more, exercise more, watch more TV or throw yourself into learning a new language or an instrument. But, keep your obsessive behavior away from holiday planning.

4) But there's so much to do! There really isn't. Even if you haven't done a holiday related thing until December 15. The key here is knowing your limits. Not the limits you impose on yourself to get all the crap done you think you need done, but your actual holiday planning limits considering all the other stuff you do. And the answer to that, you ask?

5) No man is an island. Come on, you have a significant other or kids or friends, right? Make them do some of the things you want done. That party you're planning can turn into a pot-luck. Someone else can hang lights, buy the tree, make cookies, clean the bathroom, get a gift for your youngest daughter's former piano teacher, etcetera, etcetera. Get over the idea that nothing is done correctly unless you do it and every day will suck a lot less from now on.

How do you stay calm during the holidays?

Happy Friday! Fall & Such

Ah, friends! We're firmly fixed in fall and working our way steadily toward that Halloweenie time of year...Which I couldn't care less about. Really. I don't like being scared, I haven't worn a costume in decades and we never get Trick or Treaters, so I don't even hand out candy (and haven't since my teenage years). It'll be a good night to stay at home and read, as far as I'm concerned.

Not being a spoiled sport, though, I've got some Halloween themed links for you, so let's get to it!

1) Want to see a galaxy being born? It'll only take a little over two minutes!

2) TIME has put out their list of the 25 best blogs of 2012.

3) Family photos could not get more awkward. Just in time for Halloween foolishness!

4) Also Halloween related? Sexy cartoon and Sesame Street characters. Elmo just can't stop crying, y'all.

5) Finally, if you want to boost your creativity, you might want to get a cat. Plus, boredom might be good for you.

That's all for me. Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday: Settling Into Summer

Heat wave and warm-weather storms aside, now that July 4 has come and gone you cannot deny that we are in the ferocious days of summer. Does anyone else feel like the outrageous temps are keeping them from enjoying things?

I know I do. HUBS and I have barely been able to move this week. St. Louisans are dealing with our second straight week of 100 degree or more (usually more) temperatures. While am I so, so grateful to have a home and working A/C, our house is still hot. Our air runs non-stop from about 9 a.m. to midnight, but we've been seeing 85 degrees inside the house daily.

The ceiling is hot (I don't believe we have adequate insulation up there at all.); trying to nap mid-day is a mostly lost cause because our bedroom is a hot box and the bed is hot when you get into it. This needs to end...SOON. When I think of all the people and animals who live outside. I simply cannot imagine how they make it through the long, sweltering days.

We have managed to do a few things other than sit at home and watch TV, though.

1) I met up with my buddies from Girlfriend Circles again on Saturday for tea. It's nice to have a reason to dress up and people to talk to. I like them, and we have a good amount of stuff in common, but I'm kinda anxious to get to the part where we're really friends instead of committed acquaintances.

2) On Tuesday HUBS and I had what would turn out to be our July 4 celebration. We drove over to Swansea, IL to eat at Big Mama's Barbeque. Then went on to Belleville, IL for dessert at The White Cottage. Expect reviews next week of the awesome foodstuffs we consumed!

3) Since we were already in town, we saw a double feature at what is the last drive-in theater in the area, The Skyview. We saw Spider-Man and Men in Black 3. I thought it had cooled off enough to sit with the windows down, but HUBS disagreed and we ended up running the air for most of each film. The movies themselves were meh and OK, but it was nice to do something different and get home past midnight for once!

That's it! On the 4th we stayed at home; I watered the garden right before it got dark and we watched various fireworks displays on TV from the darkness of our finally cooling off living room. I hope you all had fun and stayed cool this week, and that you've got more fun, cool-staying in store for the weekend. Now, here are some nice internet discoveries from this week.

1) Lifehacker has cool tips and tricks for all you cat people out there.

2) Fantasy/Sci-Fi readers or those interested in the genres should take a look at this list of The Greatest Female Sci-Fi/Fantasy Authors of All Time.

3) If you're feeling as though you look less than polished due to the heat, well maybe this will make you feel better. Some of these ladies are doing fine. Some of them, really are not.

4) Last, but not least, if you need a summer music playlist try this or this.

That's all folks!

How will you have fun and stay cool this weekend?

Music Monday: Take Care

Well, this was a decidedly different kind of Easter for us. It wasn't as bad as we thought it would be, but it wasn't exactly a ton of laughs, either. I'll explain more tomorrow.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. We took a little trip on Friday, which I'll talk about later in the week. Today, though, it was hard to completely concentrate on anything. I did manage to sign up for a couple of volunteering projects through Volunteer Match, one of which is this Wednesday, so I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Now, let's relax a bit, shall we?

Happy Friday: Holidays and Such

Possibly the best sandwich I've ever made. Pretzel bun, peppers, pickles, apple, tomato, pepper cheese, honey ham...And yes that is a pumpkin and a tiara in the background. Don't pretend there's nothing odd in your house.

Hey, friends! It's shaping up to be a cool, but clear Good Friday. We've got family visits and new things planned, so let's hope it stays rain free during the days and warm enough not to ruin my new garden. Happy Easter to all who celebrate it!

On to some webby goodness...

1) If you need a new kind of photo gift, or are just trying to spruce up the old abode, ceramic tiles might be a good idea.

2) The web-only shows are popping up like April showers. Squaresville is one of the latest.

3) Geek Goddess Felicia Day has a new YouTube channel, Geek and Sundry for "the very best of indie geek culture."

4) All the cooks out there will appreciate the Garject, a device to help you cook with the fresh stuff without getting the scent all over your hands.

5) Stop your junk mail with the free PaperKarma smartphone app.

That's all for me. Have a great weekend, lovelies!

Holidays Come And Gone

Hello all! I trust that everyone who celebrates Christmas had a nice one.

Now, on to an important question: Does anyone else feel like they're being murdered by Christmas in a disco circa 1985 when they hear Mannheim Steamroller?

Yes? I knew it!

Music Monday: Christmas Time? Already?

Hello lovelies! Are we all as ready for Christmas as we want to be? I, for one, am not. I'm really not feeling the spirit this year. HUBS and I did all our shopping in one fell swoop back in July, but I have yet to wrap anything or put up an iota of decorations. I've failed to listen to any of my favorite Christmas music or watch any significant amount of holiday cartoonage.

What's up with me?

Even the fact that a group of carolers hit the ghetto to serenade our neighbors last night (about a half hour before we had to call the police to report hearing gun shots, by the by) didn't do much to brighten my blah mood. I don't even know if PT wants to cook this year or not. I told her it didn't matter either, way, which is true, yet I now find myself wondering if cooking the usual Christmas meal would help get me in the mood.

Maybe some songs can help out right now...





Wait...





Something's...



Happening...



Yes! It's working! Woooooooooo!!

How do you get in a holiday mood?


*If you're wondering what's up with the sweet potato, HUBS' folks grew it and gave it to us at Thanksgiving. That thing was like a new baby...but bigger!

Music Monday: Way Back Edition

How has everyone's long weekend going? Is there lots of BBQ and laughter? I sure hope so. HUBS and I are about to head to my uncle's for a cookout and I fully intend to stuff my face.

But! Not too much, since I just found out from my doctor that I've lost an additional 10 pounds for a total of 20 pounds lost over 23 months. Yea, right?

In honor of a much smaller me, I thought Music Monday could celebrate some tunes from my previous, lighter-weight days. So, enjoy the music and memories my lovelies!

A Monday in July (In Philly)

I'm going to just ignore the heatwave (Yesterday's high in St. Louis? 104. Yowza McFuckBuckets!) and tell you more about our Philly trip, instead.

After spending a restful day moored to our Philly hotel on Sunday (watching cable TV, ordering in pizza and blissfully finding a gas station before E became unusable fumes in a strange city), HUBS and I took to the streets on July 4 to see what all the Philly fuss was about. Several guidebooks had warned us about driving into downtown and trying to park; spaces are limited, garages and meters are hella expensive and the rules of when you can park where and for how long tend to shift. Or, so we had read.









We were planning on taking the bus into downtown to avoid all the parking hubub, but on Monday morning HUBS just wanted to get going. He convinced me to drive into the city from our home away near the airport. After a couple turns around the waterfront area, we found a spot right across from many of the seafaring attractions. We got six hour parking for about eight bucks. Not too bad, and just good enough to keep us driving into the city for the rest of the week.


Independence Hall





Our sight seeing goals were Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and any other historical stuff we could cram in during a downtown visit. One of the greatest things about traveling is coming across awesome stuff by accident. Our walk to Independence Hall was more entertaining because of the July 4th parade that happened to follow the same route we were taking.




Franklin Court


Well, now.


You know what this is, right?

We crammed all our history in before the Liberty Bell closed for a special party at around 2 p.m. After doing downtown and heading to a posh restaurant on a sailing ship for lunch (you'll hear more about that later), we drove to Valley Forge.







HUBS then took over the driving and we headed back to our hotel room. We got a kitchenette so we could store leftovers and reheat them. Best idea ever! We had planned on going into downtown to locate some fireworks, but were too exhausted from the day to move out again. Luckily, we found the local July 4th celebration with three hour concert and mega fireworks display was being broadcast on TV.

Leftovers and colorful explosions in the comfort of a cool hotel room? Yes, please!

Where Them Lights At?

Thank You Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo. Thank you. I hear The Baby Jesus loved him some twinkle...

I don't know if this is because we live in a still slightly ghetto neighborhood, or what, but I'm gonna need to see more Christmas lights next year.

Has anyone else noticed either a dearth of lights this season, or (more disturbingly) people not plugging their stuff in past the actual day of Christmas? Hey, people! It's holiday time up in here! If the lights are already up and the tree is still hanging out in the corner, how hard is it to plug that shit in? At least through New Year's Eve! I mean, really! Do you hate The Baby Jesus, or what?

How'd That Happen?

Saturday is Christmas. Which means next Saturday is 2011. How in the fuck did that happen already? I'm pretty sure I'm still 12 and hoping to stop getting zits within the next year...Right? No? What do you mean by that, exactly?

Oh, you mean I'm 36 and still have one Christmas gift to buy and about eight others to wrap? Dammit...

Well, you know how my mom and I were trying to figure out what to cook for Christmas dinner, since we've both decided we're tired of the stuff we've been making twice every year since 1994? We finally made a decision; we're not cooking. Nothing "special" anyway. No cooked-all-night dressing. No sweet potato pies. And I can honestly say I won't miss it.

The thing that'll really be odd, though, is that since we're looking at a combo of frozen rain and snow starting early on Friday, I likely won't be going to my mom's for Christmas Eve. That will be the first time, literally in my entire life, that I won't be with my mom the day before Christmas. She told me yesterday that she thinks I should just stay at home if the weather is bad, but I already feel neglectful.

And? And! I'm having end-of-year/beginning-of-year anxiety. I can never really find a good way to get myself to get things done. (Important, advance my station/happiness in life things. Not laundry type things; I do that shit all the time.)

I make To-Do lists, and do you know what happens? I do the stuff that doesn't scare me, every time. The really important things always get pushed back because they're not so easy and they freak me out and I'd rather avoid them. Even though I know avoidance has always gotten me nowhere.

Wow! I did not mean to be a downer when I started on this post. Apologies. Now enjoy a little levity via 1967...