Weird

I had the weirdest dream last night... it's sketchy in my memory but I do remember a couple of things:

1. The boy of the moment (makes sense, talked to him on the phone before I went to sleep)
2. Vampires (the Twilight series are the last books I read)
3. A guy from high school (this one is RANDOM, I haven't seen him lately and I added about 10 inches to his height)
4. A sporting goods store (this was the setting for the dream, I think we all worked there)

Did I say it was weird? I mean, really really weird.

Does anybody know what any of these things in my dream represent?


P.S. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!! I didn't touch a computer for the past two days or else I would have posted this in a more timely manner - it's my motto: Better Late than Never!!!

Quote of the Day

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put awaylike bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.The good you do for others is good you do yourself...

~Norman Wesley Brooks, "Let Every Day Be Christmas," 1976

Life in a Northern Town

So I'm not a big fan of email forwards, well anymore. So when I get one, I usually put it on here and go on with my life. So here we go:

1. Put your music on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

1) IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? My Hometown, Charlie Robinson. (oh, dear.)

2) WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?The Sweet Escape, Gwen Stefani (This is oddly accurate, considering I escape all the time, the lyrics really don't follow along those lines but the title is what counts in this one).

3) WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Until the End, Norah Jones (Hmmm....)

4) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? Perfect Lover, Britney Spears (No Comment).

5) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE??It's All Over, Dreamgirls Soundtrack. (um, is there something I need to know?)

6) WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?Beer in Mexico, Kenny Chesney (Sign from above?)

7) WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? You (Drive me Crazy), Britney Spears (I swear I am NOT cheating).

8) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Yes, Beyonce

9) WHAT IS 2+2? Rich Girl, Gwen Stefani & Eve

10) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Good Ol' Boys, Waylon Jennings (Interesting, considering I don't think I have a BFF)

11) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? All We'd Ever Need, Lady Antebellum ( My new favorite band - does this mean, I'll only ever need him?)

12) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Better Day, Zac Brown Band (there's some optimism, nice.)

13) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Fergalicious, Fergie (I think someone's trying to tell me something.)

14) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Might "O", Outkast

15) WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Please Mr. Postman, The Marvelettes

16)WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?That's Where I'll Be, Little Big Town

17) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Magic, Bruce Springsteen (Hell, yeah!)

18) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?Something More, Sugarland

19) WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?Idlewild Blue, Outkast (Hmmm...)

20) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Womanizer, Britney Spears (Not a good sign)

21) WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? Everybody's Broken (Bon Jovi)

22) HOW WILL YOU DIE? Don't Stop Believin', Journey

23) WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? Nature Boy, David Bowie (this one could actually work if I had dated a nature boy, my friends and I used to nickname all the guys, as in "NYC boy", "wine boy" etc. based on a detail about them)

24) WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? I want you, Elvis Costello (I have NO idea...)

25) WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? Janie's Got a Gun, Aerosmith

26) WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?(You Want to) Make a Memory, Bon Jovi

27) WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? The Train, Outkast (Idlewild Soundtrack)

28) DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?All American Girl, Carrie Underwood

29) IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?Walk Like a Man, Franki Valli (the movie? the way we walk?)

30) WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Don't Speak, No Doubt (talking is a little difficult for me right now)

31) WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?Life in a Northern Town, Sugarland, et al (Because that makes sense...)

32) HOW DOES THE WORLD SEE YOU? The Littlest Birds, The Be Good Tanyas (I really shouldn't download music suggested by my weird music friends)

33)WILL I HAVE A HAPPY LIFE?Thinking about you, Norah Jones (Should I be more concerned with others to achieve happiness?)

34)WHAT DO MY FRIENDS REALLY THINK OF ME? She, Emmylou Harris (Interesting...)

35) DO PEOPLE SECRETLY LUST AFTER ME? Trampled Rose, Alison Kraus (What's with the wounded female vibe, sheesh.)

36) HOW CAN I MAKE MYSELF HAPPY? I found it in you, LeeAnn Wommack (I guess it could work...)

37)WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY LIFE?Change, Taylor Swift (ah, poignant).

38) WILL I EVER HAVE CHILDREN? Up Where We Belong, Joe Cocker (Why do I even have this one on my playlist).

39) WHAT IS SOME GOOD ADVICE FOR ME? I'll be there for you, Bon Jovi (Who will be there?)

40) HOW WILL I BE REMEMBERED? I Hope that I don't Fall in Love with You, Hootie & the Blowfish (Ouch, iTunes, that's not nice)

41) WHAT IS MY SIGNATURE DANCING SONG?MJB Da MVP (now, that's what I'm talking about!!!)

42)WHAT DO I THINK IS MY CURRENT SIGNATURE SONG?No Ceiling, Eddie Vedder (That could be inspiring)

43) WHAT DOES EVERYONE THINK MY SONG IS? Big Time, Big & Rich (Wow, iTunes definitely has some insight)

44) WHAT TYPE OF MEN DO YOU LIKE?I can't Help Myself, Four Tops (now that's funny)

45) WHAT IS MY DAY GOING TO BE LIKE? No Tell Lover, Chicago (No Kidding?)

Quote of the Day

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.
~Burton Hillis

Christmas Humor

In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukkah' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukkah!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!'

~Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide"


While I've always been a 'season's greetings' kind of a girl... I know what he means. I find humor in being "PC" and I love laughing at it. I also love people who are able to take my feelings and express them better than myself - Dave Barry is definitely one of those people.

Quote of the Day

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.
~Charles Dickens

Quote of the Day

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.”
- Jack Kerouac

Quote of the Day

The family, that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor in our innermost hearts never quite wish to.

- Dodie Smith*



*Since I'm spending the weekend in NOLA with the family, I thought I'd mention them...

Not that they need it

But I thought I'd mention my new favorite foodie blog, Taste with the Eyes and send my compliments to the chef.

Seriously, I gain weight reading this site. It's not the first self-proclaimed foodie site that I've stumbled upon but it is the only one that I have continuously gone back to for over a month. With no disappointment.

Granted, it's a good time of year for a foodie blog, with lots of options and potential topics but I've read far enough back to know and I've tried several of the recipes. This is the real deal folks!

Great pictures, great comments/suggestions, great food. GREAT SITE. Check it out but, fair warning, do NOT go hungry. So good.

Quote of the Day

“For this to happen, absolutely everything had to break right. And for that we will someday owe sincere thanks to John McCain, and Sarah Palin, and George W. Bush. They not only screwed it up, they screwed it up just right.”

— Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone"Requiem for a Maverick"*






*I have refrained from political quotes for a while, especially since the outcome but this one spoke to me. So I had to have it.

Quote of the Day

Deliver me from writers who say the way they live doesn't matter. I'm not sure a bad person can write a good book. If art doesn't make us better, then what on earth is it for.
- Alice Walker

Happy Birthday Lauren!!!

Today is my younger sister's 26th Birthday.
I'm not allowed to call her my "little" sister anymore even thought she is still 6 inches shorter than me. Actually, I think it's because she's shorter that I'm not allowed to call her that. I still do but I'm not "allowed". You know how that goes in families :)


I love my younger sister, even though I constantly tease her, I love her. I've always been protective and concerned about her but that is my right as the older sister.


One of my earliest memories is standing on my tippy-toes to peer into the hospital nursery to see the little, squirmy swaddle of pink.




She and I rode to school together for years - that's not so different from other siblings but we had a 25 minute commute so we had lots of time in the car on a daily basis together. Sometimes we talked, we definitely fought, and somtimes she just slept while I drove.



One of my favorite stories about her is about driving to school one morning when she was wearing a linen dress - it was ironed and starched to perfection. So much so that she didn't want to wear her seatbelt while we were driving to school because it would wrinkle her dress and she absolutely refused to do so. I remember sitting in the driveway for a good 10 minutes, arguing before she pointed out that we were going to be late for school. The whole drive, I was telling her to put on her seatbelt and she was telling me to just focus on my driving. I admire her stubbornness.




I admire her talent and her passion - she's an architect and her job allows her to make the world more beautiful on a daily basis. Whether it's hanging pictures, arranging flowers, or restoring a school in New Orleans, she sees the world with an artist's eye and has the ability to make it a more beautiful place. She has that touch.


Plus she has liveliness which is inspiring and she's always on the move. Ready and willing to have a good time and make the situation fun. Adventurous, curious and accepting of the world, Lauren always has a plan for revelry.

Happy Birthday Lauren! I hope the year to come brings you life, love and good fortune.

Quote of the Day

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray”
– Robert Burns

Quote of the Day

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
- Mark Twain

Antediluvian

I am such a nerd and I freely admit that - I've gotten to the point in my life where I don't apologize for being me. And being said nerd, I love learning something new. It's what I miss most about school - the amount of new information I heard/obsorbed everyday. It's not the same in the working world.

And today, I learned a new word. So I'm a tad excited. I'm sure this is a word I should know but I didn't recognize it, even though I still caught the jist of the sentence.

ANTEDILUVIAN

Isn't that a great word? It just looks great. It's meaning isn't that great but it's an attractive word. (Told you, complete nerd).

For those of you still with me, it's meaning:

• any of the early patriarchs who lived prior to the Noachian deluge
• of or relating to the period before the biblical flood; "antediluvian man"
• so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period; "a ramshackle antediluvian tenement"; "antediluvian ideas"; "archaic laws"
• ancient: a very old person

Quote of the Day

"There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child."
~ Erma Bombeck

Burned!

I have a burned tongue and I'm ready to chop it off.

I'm really annoyed that I have it in the first place and I'm beginning to understand the McDonald's coffee lady's lawsuit for the first time.

Let me explain...

I had a big gap of time yesterday between appointments and I had brought along my laptop to get some work done since I was in a neighboring town. I pulled into Panera to enjoy their wireless and I order a chai latte. I walked away from the bar while they were fixing my drink to find a table near a plug and to my liking. I walked all over the Panera and around to the back side twice before finding a table that I liked near a plug.

Then I went back to the counter. The girl says, "Here's your latte. It's been ready but I didn't know your name." I'm assuming she thought I'd be angry but I knew they had to fix it and it'd still be too hot for me to drink (I'm not a big fan of warm drinks) so I wasn't worried about the time lapse. I thanked her and went back to my seat.

Once there, I took the top off the cup to let it cool and proceeded to boot up my computer. I opened my email and began to work. I want to say it was longer but for fairness, I'll say 5 minutes had gone by before picking up the cup. It was still really warm so I blew on it a couple of times and put it back down. Probably a minute later, I pick it up and take a small sip.

I NEARLY SCREAMED OUTLOUD!!!

It was SO HOT. It scalded my throat as I swallowed. My tongue feels like sandpaper where it first landed and I have a sore throat - considering the time of year that's not great proof but I had no 'symptons' until my sip of chai and I don't have the normal cold with a sore throat. I almost went to the counter to complain but I couldn't determine what that would do to solve the problem. So I suffered in silence. I threw my latte away - somehow I had lost my taste for them - finished my work and left. I haven't enjoyed a meal or a drink since. I know it'll be healed soon but IT HURTS!!!

Quote of the Day

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.
- Norman Vincent Peale

Quote of the Day

Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.
~Mary Ellen Chase

Quote of the Day

Be Kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle