Music Monday: Christmas Is A-Comin'!

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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: All Around Town

Welcome to Friday again, my lovelies! If you haven't heard, the amazing Etta James has died. If you don't know who she is and you love music, you should know who she is. Check out the video above from 1962 for a sprinkling of her vocal talents.

This weekend promises to be more sedate for HUBS and I than last weekend. We visited The Loop Ice Carnival on Saturday to see the hoop dancers, stilt walkers, fire performers and penguin people brave the cold in U City.







Then, on Sunday, we did Eagle Days on the unbelievably windy and frigidly cold Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. Where, by the way, we saw tons of gulls, but only about three eagles.







Now, let's see if we can find some interesting things for you to peruse online.

1) The winter hats and tees on this site are killing me. I want almost all of them!

2) Awkward celeb photos take the internet by storm!

3) Loving Ron Swanson could never be wrong.

4) Ryan Gosling has done a surprisingly large amount of singing during his career.

5) If regular TV isn't floating your entertainment boat right now, look into the rising number of web series that are catching on.

That's all for me, today. Have lovely times, my friends!

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!

Tuesday Tipday: Surviving Snowpocalypse 2011!

Brave birds invade our icy deck this morning.

Many of us are currently in the thick of snowy/sleety/icy times right now, possibly with a good couple of days to spend at home with no work or school to break up the monotony. Yesterday I started to wonder, amidst all the talk of oh-my-God-this-will-be-the-worst-snow-storm-in-DECADES!!!, what might most people need to really enjoy multiple snow days in a row?

Any crazed student or overworked cubicle dweller could spend one day sleeping, catching up on magazines or playing their favorite video games. What happens when we get two, three or even more straight days of not needing or being able to go anywhere. Now, I happen to be an oddball who doesn't get that cabin-fever itch until around day five of not leaving my neighborhood, but I know some people start to get the stir-crazies much sooner.

For this week's Tuesday Tipday, I'd like to give you some suggestions for blasting through that trapped-at-home feeling. All of these assume that you still have your basics taken care of: you are safe, dry, warm, can contact the outside world if necessary, your pipes haven't frozen, and you have plenty of food available and ways to cook it. So, on we go...

Snowpocalypse Survival 101

Music:
God, I love music. Specifically finding new music and listening to non-Top 40 stuff. As someone who grew up in a house where music was the thing, and played several instruments (piano, flute, drums, guitar)growing up, I can tell you that music is where it's at.

I believe it frees us in ways that watching TV or movies just can't. The sounds tell a story, and if you sit back and relax you can imagine it any way you like. So whether you spend some time with your favorite station, blow two hours watching videos on COOL TV or set your 16GB mp3 player to shuffle, be sure to engage in a little aural enjoyment. I'm confident it'll help soothe your weary soul.

Reading Materials:
PT loves to read. When I was growing up she would frequently stay up all night to finish the latest 400 page Stephen King scare-fest, meaning she would complete the thing in one 24 hour period. I've never done that much reading in one day, but I did inherit my mom's love of stories and the words we use to tell them.

I always have a plentiful supply of magazines on hand, because I'm an addict, and the house is full of books we own or have on loan from the library. Snowpocalypse is not the time to avoid what we erroneously label guilty pleasures; if you're 82 and what you really want is to lose yourself in a stack of comic books, make sure you have a stack of comics! Enjoy what you read, and peace will follow.

Visual Media:
Television gives me orgasms. There, I said it. A good TV show (or movie, for that matter) thrills me right down to my naughty lady bits. If you've never had a movie or exceptional episode of TV give you chills, you're not watching enough. Looks like nature just handed you the opportunity for quality time with that DVD box set you invested in but hadn't gotten to watch yet. Dig in.

Brain Food:
Much in the same way we can't live on blueberry scones alone and expect to have healthy lives, we also need to engage in some activities that expand our brains. So, do a crossword puzzle, read up on a topic that you've never read about before or spend some time playing games on Lumosity. A little bit of enlightenment goes a long way.

Favorite Things:
Maybe there's a pen you love to write with or a coffee mug you need to drink out of. Perhaps you feel most alive when you play your violin or meditate every day. Whatever your favorite things to do or use are, make sure to incorporate as many of them as possible into your snow days. I know a cuppa vanilla coffee mixed with cappuccino always makes my days brighter. And HUBS loves his sports drinks.

Connection:
For the love of God, talk to somebody. Sending emails or chatting over Yahoo is just not the same as hearing an actual, real, human voice. If you don't live with anyone just pick up the phone.

Comfort:
This category overlaps with many of the previous ones, and the idea is pretty simple: if it feels good, do it. Lay in bed with a stack of magazines. Make the richest hot chocolate you can and drink two cups in lieu of breakfast. Envelop yourself in the best blanket you've got, crash on the couch and watch soap operas all day. You've finally got some time off, enjoy it!

How are you spending your snow days?

Music Monday! Snowpocalypse 2011!

Our icy deck by 5:30 tonight.

I don't know if you've heard, but much of the Midwest (and then East Coast, I suppose) is due to get some major ice/sleet/snow through Wednesday. Things started getting hairy here around 10 a.m., when a 'wintery mix' of slick crap started falling. My poor Lila has been covered in ice for about six hours now!

They're also predicting blasts of freezing rain tomorrow that will turn into massive amounts of snow (up to two freakin' feet in some areas) that then turns into sub-zero temperatures and winds of up to 50 miles an hour. So, you know, this week's gonna be all kinds of adventurous!

I'm trying not to over-react, but it's difficult when the National Weather Service actually holds a press conference about the bad weather that's coming and the governor institutes a preemptive state of emergency. HUBS and I have a few candles and plenty of flashlights and batteries if the power goes out. We also stocked up on some grocery items yesterday, along with 99.9% of St. Louis city and county. I have never seen so many people at the grocery store!


The icy little tree in the front yard.

On top of all this Snowpocalypse 2011 (Snowmageddon? Which do you think is better?) stuff, we still don't have our gutters fixed. It's going to take at least another week for the company we picked to get a crew out to us, since lots of folks are having the same problem and got to them before us. With all the ice and snow coming, let's hope they continue to hold on and we don't get any water damage to the house.

Well, I'm saying several prayers that: the homeless all get into decent shelters, no one loses their power or at least not for very long, all the stray animals have good, non-snowed-in-able hiding places and we all come out of this with nary a hair out of place.

Now, as far as Music Monday goes, I figure you can go one of two ways for your music choices during Snowpocalypse 2011. Either you want to get all snuggly with your honey:



Or, you're feeling cabin-fevery and want to rock the fuck out:



Either way? Stay warm, safe and happy, y'all!

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?