Swine Lover...

Rockabilly Weekender-2009...

Another great year and my first w/out children (either in utero or in stroller). It's affirmed itself as a yearly necessity for me and hubby so we're gonna try to keep this thing going. We stayed offsite this year, which turned out to be a bit of an inconvenience (though GREATLY appreciated due to the 'reasonable' accomodation-thanks guys) and hopefully we'll be able to stay at the Orleans next year and avoid some of this crazy walking, right Misty?

April 11th, Day One:
Thursday was the memorial, as you all know, so we took advantage of the fact that we were leaving the kids w/ my mom to attend the memorial at the new assembly hall in Memphis town. It was wonderful and very interesting to see how 'orderly' it could be even w/ six congregations attending. The next day, we jumped up as early as possible to make the drive to Nashville and catch our 2:30 flight. Flying out Memphis would have been preferable but it was 400 dollars more...gasp! The flight was easy but it is a bit long...4 1/2 hrs. Being anxious to get there made it seem longer...but a beer at high altitudes is always a nice diversion.

We arrived in Vegas at 4:45pm and took a cab to our resort, the Summer Bay Condo Community, right off center strip. Our friends Michael and Misty had offered for us to sleep on the sleeper sofa of their one bedroom and we were excited to save the money. It was a very nice resort...kind of more upscale than we expected, especially in terms of decor. We met our friends there and got all dressed up to go over to the Orleans to get our wristbands and start the fun!

The Orleans was the sole location for the event next year so all the festivities were there. It's a great resort w/ nine restaurants so it's really nice to not have to leave in order to eat or whatever. The bands played on the 2nd floor , split between the showroom and the ballroom. And the vendors (ah, the vendors) were there too. That night, we were most excited about The Domestic Bumblebees, a band out of Sweden, and they didnt disappoint. It was a great, high energy way to start things off, especially when accompanied w/ a couple of Pabst Blue Ribbon. After a very late dinner at TGI Fridays, we headed back to our resort to get a few hours of sleep.



Day 2, Saturday the 12th
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Saturday is the Shifter's Car Show, which was more amazing and fantabulous than ever! Since it was at the Orleans, it was a much bigger area and there was also quick entrance for those w/ wristbands.


The cars were more beautiful than I remember them being last year but maybe that was because the weather was milder and therefore the bright sunshine didnt weigh so heavily. Lots of pretty girls, good shopping, and great music there. We took about 400 pictures. So far we had denied ourselves food so at about 5pm we headed into the hotel for some Mexican food and then back to the hotel to get cleaned up before the next round of bands and shopping.

That night we watched the Go Getters, another Swedish rockabilly band (seem to like the Swedes for some reason) who rocked more than any of the other bands I saw this weekend. They were just great! Unfortunately, the room they played was too small for the crowd they pulled in so we had to leave before the finished so we could get some air. That was the night we did some shopping and I got a 'perfect skirt' from the company Mode Merr, an item I've been eyeing online for a while now. I was very conservative w/ my shopping this year...I'm proud of that. Lots of temptation. After the GO Getters, we caught the Haystack Hitones...a great female singing group that is reminiscent of the Andrews or Mcguire sisters. We loved them and got to see them from right at the stage since I sat on it to rest my feet and no one told me to move!


After that, we enjoyed the best bacon and eggs EVER at the Cafe downstairs before heading back to the hote for another couple hours rest.



Day 3, Sunday the 13th
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Surprisingly, we woke up early the next day and got dressed for the Pool Party relatively quickly. We wore our day clothes to the hotel and carried our swimwear and parasols along to put on after we got there...so as not to ride the shuttles in our 'skivvies'. We got there before the party so we grabbed some sushi to go and ate it out by the pool. Sushi is a great pre-bathing suit lunch, is it not? The party was great and the girls all looked extra pretty. Lots of pretty tattoos to look at too...some were unbelieveable.

Misty and I matched in our red polka dotted swimwear so lots of photos were taken by strangers, a fact that I can't think about too much or I kinda freak out. The party was 3 hrs long and after that was over, we headed back to the hotel for our last night of merry-making.

After a quick dinner at Big Al's Oyster Bar (great clam chowder!), we went upstairs to see the band. Jack Rabbit Slim played the grand ballroom tonight and the dancing was extra entertaining, especially on the part of this crazy-talented eleven year old kid who twirled around w/ lots of different grown women and never missed a step. I am more determined than ever to order an instructional dvd so I can join the dancers next year. I will do it...I will triumph!

By then we were really tired and the lack of sleep was catching up w/ us. We went back and slept until eleven the next morning.





Day Four, Monday the 13th
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We decided to hang out by ourselves today and walked to the strip for lunch. There is a cafe called Caribe Cafe in the Mirage that I really love so we went there for their Cobb Salad for the fourth trip in a row. It's a good'n. Plus, the Miragle is a nice place to hang out, much more 'airy' than the other hotels. The casino doesnt seem to take over like it does as The Flamingo or even the Venetian. Afterwards, we walked slowly towards the Flamingo, strolled around the pool, and went next door to Bill's Gamblin Hall (formerly the Barbary Coast) to catch the end of Big Elvis' performance. Then, we opted to walk back instead of taking the shuttle, stopping by a liquor store for a little champagne along the way. We did ALOT of walking that day.

Our plans to see the Double Down Saloon were at the top of the list that night. It's a dive-type bar that has a great following and sometimes serves as a venue for various punk acts. There is also a famous jukebox that contains all classic punk, psychobilly, and even a few standard style (Frank Sinatra, Louis Prima)cd's. They also servce some disgusting sounding libations that I was leery but anxious to try. It was about 2 miles to the bar but we decided since it was our last night, we'd take the walk. It took a while but was really interesting to discover various off strip things we didnt know were there.

The Double Down is GREAT. We were there at about 8:30 so got to beat any crowds that would dare to come on a Monday. Scott, the bartender, was a cool guy who carried a big stick for whacking people who didnt get their id's out quickly enough. He seemed to like us pretty well because he didnt hit us once. We spent our little cash left on various concoctions like the a** juice (horrid name, yummy drink) and the bacon martini (ugh!), a photo booth, and tons of selections on the aforementioned jukebox. We left when the crowd started coming in and went accross the street to the Hard ROck for a last meal of 1am pancakes before taking a cab back to hotel to enjoy a quick swim and pack.

It was a fantastic trip. We were very tired while waiting for our plane the next morning and slept much of the trip back. However, considering the fact that we had to pick up the kids in Dickson and then drive ALL the way back home from there, I think we've recovered quite nicely.

Showing Off and Such...

I am damning Facebook to the fiery pits of fictional hell for keeping me away from my blog for so long! I am hooked and I am ashamed...but I am also in contact w/ myriads of people I haven't talked to in FOREVER and not only in contact...but in CONSTANT touch. Wierd.

Anyway, I stopped doing my American Idol rundown because I am on 'outs' with the judges for letting Jorge Nunez go. Do I care who wins now? Not a fig. But yes, I'll watch and continue to be entertained by that wierdo, Adam Lambert. His 'Ring of Fire' last week was cooooo. And also a bit disturbing.

On a happy note, I just received my new bag from my favorite little company, Dungaree Dolly's. I ordered a messenger bag from her a couple of years ago and LOVED it, as some of you might remember. Then I ordered a few little things from her and loved all of them too. So I saved up and bought myself a new everyday bag from her vinyl collection. Here I am unashamedly showing it off:





Jonathan touched up the lettering a little to bring out the red. The lining is pink tattoo print...darling! Did I mention that I love this purse? haha.

The Oddest Things Move Me...

Since I remember distinctly the moment the Wiggles made their fateful appearance on Playhouse Disney, it seemed disrespecful not to be affected at least a little by Greg Page's departure. Looking for a Bear In the Big Blue House clip today on Youtube, I came accross this little 'tribute' that someone put together in honor of the original Yellow Wiggle. Maybe it's the knowledge that Greg left under sad circumstances (health reasons wouldnt permit him to continue performing) or the fact that the video is set to Coldplay's 'Yellow', but I got a little choked up.

Only a mommy who has watched all her babies dance to those obnoxiously perky tunes would understand.

American Idol Weekly Rundown (Top 13)

Kinda sad that I have little else to blog about than mundane reality talent shows.

Anyhoo.

Last night was the first 'live' competition between the 13 finalists. And the theme was (gag me...) Michael Jackson songs! Needless to say, I am less than enthused. Since our CO was in town this week, we had a meeting last night so I'm posting this one in 'real time'...here's my take:

Best of the Night:
1.
Alexis Grace-'Dirty Diana' was such a sexy awesome song to sing. I thought she (to use an overused expression) KILLED it!

The Good:
(in no particular order)

2.Jorge Nunez-I liked the John Secada-style take on this song. It was a little slower than the original. I absolutely love his voice...and I want to hear him sing in Spanish again...SOON!

3.Alison Ireheta-Great song choice! I love that she chose a lesser known song and made it sound like an original...what a voice!


4.Adam Lambert-this was fun! Again, it was cheesy but gosh, this guy has such an amazing set of pipes!

5.Kris Allen-Definitely better w/ his guitar. Not a fan of the song 'Remember The Time' but Kris sounded good, nonetheless.

6.Lil Rounds-A good choice. 'The Way You Make Me Feel' is a good mood song and other than some strange lyrical changes, she handled it with class.

7.Megan Corkrey-Not the song I wouldnt guessed but I liked it alot! She made it sound kinda cool...'Rockin Robin'-sixties Brit-Pop Style!

8.Matt Giraud- Pretty but too reminiscent of a million other artists, including Justin Timberlake. Human Nature was a good choice though....it was smoooothe.

9. Danny Gokey- He's got a great voice and he's a great entertainer. There is still something about that seems a bit 'formulaic' so I'll have to see if he can do something surprising.

The Bad:
10.Jasmine Murray-She sang it well but oh my gosh, I was bored to tears. I also could tell how young she was...compared w/ Alison, she's like a kid.

11.Scott MacIntyre-Didnt care for it. So earnest...and cheesy. Hated the song..he sang it alright but it was still a very lackluster performance.


The Ugly:

12.Michael Sarver-Again, another good singer who bored me to tears. 'You Are Not Alone' is an arm waving, lighter waving sentimental annoyance that the world could do w/out.

13.Anoop Desai-he's got a good voice and he's meant for pop but if he has just takent eh Michael Jackson-isms out of his performance, 'Beat It' wouldnt have been such a horrid choice.

The American Idol Weekly Rundown

The best group of 12 so far.

The Best:

1.Jorge Nunez- I was a big ol' fan when this guy auditioned. His spanish song was so beautiful, it gave me chills. Last night he sang 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me' and it was just great. I think this guy may have the best voice I've heard on the show. I'd rather hear him sing in Spanish, ultimately, but he was far and away my favorite of the night.

The Good:
2.Von Smith- A little 'show choir' for me but he sounded great and he deserves to go on...as long as it's not in place of Jorge.

3.Junot Joyner- It was so pretty! Soothing and sweet. Far and away a better delivery of that melody and those lyrics than the Plain White Tees, imo. I loved it.

4.Felicia Barton-There's no doubt she has a great voice. I'm not a fan of allthe Alicia Keyes covers but she sang the heck outta this one. I think she'll go thru easily.

5.Lil Rounds- I'm a sucker for a Tennessee native, especially when she's as cute as this one. However, great performance or no, I hated the song. I didnt think it showed people who aren't fans of modern r & b what she was capable of...so for that, she drops behind Felicia Barton for the position of best female.

6.Kristen McNamara-She has a good range and she showed her personality, I thought. But she was a little forgettable, especially in that dress-which didnt seem like a performance outfit at all. I also kind of got the idea that she's performed that same song in her karaoke gig many times. It wasnt bad though.

7.Scott MacIntyre- I don't care much for Bruce Hornsby and Mandolin Rain is my least favorite of his songs. So I wasnt going into this w/ much optimism. That said, he was surprisingly good w/out his pianny and I loved his jab at Ryan's air-high five from the auditions. Blind or not, he can sing-though I still don't think he is good enough for top twelve.

8.Taylor Vaifanua-She hit all the notes, from what I could tell. Her voice is impressive but yeah, she doesnt really show much personality and she seems alot older seventeen. I still thought it was a good performance.

The Bad:

9.Kendall Beard-The token 'country' artist of the bunch is just that-token. Not much to her at all. And I can't say tackling Martina McBrides 'ode to menstruation' was a good idea.

10.Nathaniel Marshall- I wouldnt have minded the Meatloaf song choice if he'd sung it in THAT key. But since he sang it several keys lower than the original, it was just not very good. Also, the eighties dancing was beyond goofy.

The Ugly:

11.Arianna Afsar-It's a shame because if she sang it straight-there was hope. I'm not sure what she was thinking w/ all those changes to an Abba song.

12.Alex Wagner-Trugman-What the heck?? I've never seen anybody over do it like this kid. Almost like he was trying to play up the comedy like Nick Mitchell (Norman Gentle). Not sure what he was thinking but it was a train wreck. Too bad, because he started off pretty nicely.

Wildcard Rundown: Best show so far!! Based on the stiff competition, my choices to go thru were Jessie Langseth, Matt Giraud, and Megan Corkerey but the judges decided to throw us for a loop and let four thru. Though I don't agree w/ their choice in Jasmine Murray, it still makes a pretty good group

Shiny Happy Statistics

5,600 new publishers a week. That is the equivelent to the entire worldwide brotherhood in 1914.

1.5 billion hours a year. That is the equivelent to one person preaching nonstop, 24 hours a day for 175,000 years.

Beautiful, no?

The American Idol Weekly Rundown -

Second set of 12...horribly mediocre night...judges and I didnt necessarily agree...somebody needs to start picking the songs for these jokers...anyway, here it go:

The Best:
1.Allison Iraheta-She's got natural feel for the music. It was an easy peasy lemon squeezy slide to the best spot. She doesnt have the range that Carrie Underwood had when she did this song but she definitely compensated for that w/ her passionate delivery. Good show!

The Good:

2.Jessie Langseth-The judges were hard on her but I LOVE this song and any gal who puts a bluesy modern spin on 'Bette Davis Eyes' is cool with me. If I actually took the time to vote, I'd have voted for this chick.

3.Adam Lambert-Current? No way. More like Bruce Dickinson than Fall Out Boy. I also cannot express how annoying I find the song "Satisfaction" in every respect. However, may I just say-YES!!! The boy can sing like a rock opera bird and I am a fan and performs like he's already won. However, his song choice and personal taste relegate him to my number three spot.

4.Mishavonna Hinson- I REALLY like the tone of her voice. It was a worthy performance without any low points, I felt. I like that she chose a song by Train which was bluesy and sounded totally different by a female.

5.Megan Corkerey-I loved her 'Can't Help Lovin' That Man o' Mine' audition. Can't say I'm a huge fan of her singing the song she chose or the strange little dancing she did but she has a cool voice and she's gorgeous and that tattoo is neato. :)

6. Matt Breitzke-I liked him better than the judges, I think. He sang the song well even if it wasnt the most exciting song. It was enjoyable, to me.

The Bad:

7.Kris Allen-I HATE this Michael jackson song w/ a passion. There is no way to sing it w/out sounding like a rehash of the original artist...without sounding too earnest. I did not find anything special about it at all.

8.Jasmine Murray-wasnt all that impressed w/ her before and definitely not now. Boring, a few flat notes, pretty face....that's about it.

9.Matt Giraud---gosh, what happened? He was awesome in Hollywood. Totally blew it here. Vocals were all over the place...crazy bad for such a talented singer. Why 'Coldplay'???

10.Nick Mitchell-Norman Gentle...his singing is not good enough to compensate for his not being funny enough this week...DURING his performance anyway. Afterwards, he was genius. I love him...but I wish he'd done something else.

The Ugly:
11.Jeanine Vailes- Ach. That was utterly awful. How could they even notice the legs?

12.Kai Kalama- what a horribly mundane song choice. Boring as folding clothes.

'Lovin' My Baby' In Vegas....

Yep, it's back to Vegas for year number four. The old man and I told ourselves in 2007 that we'd like to make the VLV ROckabilly Weekender our yearly Anniversary trip so do it we shall! Room is booked, friends are on board (Yay M & M!), pin-curls are mastered, and tickets are purchased.

So dance that goofy dance, Anne-Margaret....DANCE!

The Oscars-My Superbowl

The show seemed a bit sloppy to me but a few great acceptance speeches, a wonderfully talented (and sexy)host, a few noteable changes, and some gorgeous dresses made it a worthy addition to Oscar ceremonies past.

THE RED CARPET: I watched from five o'clock and the styles that impressed the most this time were the ones sported by the ladies in their 'prime'-the over 35 group. Diane Lane, Meryl Streep, and Robin Wright Penn stood out to me-mainly because they all looked their age but also, I couldnt remember having seen them look better. Other 'honorable mentions' were Penelope Cruz looking like a southern belle, Evan Rachael Wood looking like a goddess, Toraji B. Henson's tiered ruffles, Anne Hathaway's smile, and of course Angelina Jolie whose emerald earrings were the best thing I saw all night. I have to say the over-abundance of guilded and metallic dresses was off-putting. Leave the glitter to the Oscar-Man!

THE HOST: Hugh Jackman sliipped into the role w/ ease...and looked dang good in the process. His 'tribute' song to the five Best Picture nominees was one of the night's best moments, especially when he literally stole Anne Hathaway from her seat to join him in regaling Slumdog Millionaire in typical broadway fashion. Both of them are very gifted singers and pulled off an impressive duet that did Jackman's musical theater background proud! The inclusion of Hugh's 'Homemade props due to budget cuts' just added to the lighthearted atmosphere of the opening sequence. It was a hit!

THE MUSICAL NUMBERS: Other than the opening song, which was comedic in nature, the rest of the numbers were a bit of a let down. The 'tribute to the return of the movie musical' started off well but as soon as Beyonce' made her appearance, the performance went dismally south. So many songs were shoved into the mix in such a haphazard manner that the singing talents of the performers were placed on the backburner and it became more a race to see who could hit their cue w/ the least ammount of blundering. From what I understand, Baz Luhrman is to blame for this mess of a medley and his frenetic style didnt resonate w/ me this time. The nominated songs were thrown into another medley, which didnt necessarily work since the song from Wall-E (my favorite movie of the year, incidentally) needed its own atmosphere and not a troupe of bali-wood dancers to accompany it. I didnt care for the two Slumdog Millionaire songs and find it difficult to believe that these three tunes were the only ones that qualified for the award. On an up-note, Queen Latifah sang 'I'll Be Seeing You' for the 'In Memorium' segment and it was lovely.

THE PRESENTERS: Most of the presenters read their teleprompter just fine but Ben Stiller decided to do a parody of Joaquin Phoenix's bizarre Letterman interview while presenting and it was only partly successful. Everyone else played it pretty straight except perhaps the inherently funny Will Smith who played 'host' for a full four awards and made us wish he'd come back and do the whole sha-bang next year. One welcome change this year was in the acting awards which were presented by five prior winners in the category, all of whom showered praise on one of this year's nominees. It was moving and genuine but I can see that it would grow tired if such a thing were attempted every year. I say bring back the 'performance clips' and do this type of presentation every five years or so.

THE SPEECHES: Thank goodness for Kate Winslet. Though the majority of the speeches were run-of-the-mill gushers, Winslet was the only one who seemed to be completely in possession of every ounce of grace and poise in her curvy self. Her speech was just a pleasure, witty and moving all at once. Others made an impression as well. Penelope Cruz was endearingly funny w/ her charming accent, 'Man On Wire's Phillipe Petit balanced his Oscar on his nose, and one Japanese winner ended a series of muddled 'Sank-you's' with 'Domo-Arigato Mister Roboto' and alot of laughing. Unfortunately, Sean Penn's politically charged speech had me wishing Mickey Rourke was there to flip us off and the many winners associated with Slumdog Millionaire all seemed cut from the same dignified cloth.

But it was the Oscars and I take a deep breath and sigh every time they're over.

Til' next year.

The American Idol Weekly Rundown: Top 36

Yep...that time of year again. Bear with me while I clap with glee! No, I am not an AI fanatic but I must admit, I love me my talent shows. Last night was utterly average. But there is definitely some potential there. This was the first group of 12, out of 36. THe show itself was also a kind of a mess...lots of missteps in the directorial dpt and tons of flubs, which were kinda funny and which really tested Ryan's hosting ability. I do have to say that Kara (the new judge) had some great critique to offer. I like her much better than scatterbrained Paula.
Anyway, here it go:

The Best:

1. Alexis Grace-I like her pink hair and she has a good voice. Plus she's from Tennessee! She sang an Aretha Franklin song, which was too big, but she had lots of stage presence. I thought she looked a bit Vegas-y with her pearl necklace and stance but no one else did, evidently. So yeah, she was the best-but that's not saying much.

The Good:

2. Danny Gokey-Robert Downey Jr Look-a-like is a shoo in for the final 12, mainly because he can sing but also because he already has a HUGE fan base and got tons of air time during the audition weeks. His wife died four weeks before the auditions...sniff sniff...he was about to lose hope...sniff sniff...and now he has something to LIVE FOR! *sarcastic chuckle* He sang 'Hero' by Mariah Carey. It was good but super schmaltzy.

3.Ricky Braddy-I find 'A Song For You' a snoozy choice. But I really thought he did a nice job with it. He has a very pretty voice. One of the best I've heard so far in the season.

4.Anoop Desai-He was another impressive voice on the auditions. But I really didnt like this song choice. It was a song my Monica, for goodness sake! These people had the entire Billboard catalogue to go off and this is what they chose? Anyway, he can sing stuff so he'll be okay, I think.

5.Michael Sarver-I didnt like the song choice...it's too overdone on this show. But he has a great voice and I like him too. He's friendly looking. One bad point was that he continually switched his mic from one hand to the other...it was mildly distracting. He's gonna have to get over that, methinks.

6. Tatiana- I don't care what anybody says, I love this gal! I can totally see her becoming a huge star and having a nervous breakdown before the release of her first album (heh heh). She is such a crazyhead. I like the way she tried to pass herself off as 'sane' this week and only succeeded in making herself look like a manic depressive. Anyway, she sang 'Saving All My Love For You' and it weren't half bad! I actually like her voice quite a lot. Oh, and I love the way she looked into the camera completely straight faced and said 'THis is my dream America, and it's up to you to keep my dream alive.'like she was reciting the pledge of alliegiance. HAHAHAHAHAHA....Brilliant!

The Bad:
7.Brent Keith-Slips into the mediocrity of virtually every male artist in what is laughingly known today as 'country' music. No, I don't see anything memorable about him or anything that stands out. I don't even remember what song he sang though I guess he sang it well. Okay, he sang 'Hick Town', which I think is a Keith Urban song. Whatever, it could have been anybody.

8.Ann Marie Boskovich- She's from Nashville and she's (surprise!) a demo singer. So it was no surprise when her performance of Natural Woman sounded like a demo. Plus, something about her styling looked really dated. She needs short messy hair or something. Wierd.

9.Steven Fowler- He didnt sing it all that badly, but 'Rock With You' will always kinda sound like elevator music from the seventies-which it kinda is. Not that I don't like the song, but it doesnt translate well in this type of atmosphere. His high note also cracked...or maybe that was my tv signal. Hmmmm.

The Ugly:

10.Jackie Thone-A horrid butchering of a fun Elvis song, "Little Less Conversation'. There's no doubt she can sing but I don't think she has anything all that special to bring to the table...except maybe a twisted fashion sense. She was wearing a polka dotted bustier with tight (shiny) eighties spandex pants and SNEAKERS. Oh, and a red cinch belt to set off the 1986 look just right. Aye me. She had fun and she involved the audience but that can only take you so far. I DID like her polite 'dissing' of everyone who has ever sung 'I'm Not Going' on the show. Haha.

11.Stevie Wright-During the auditions, she stood out to me. But this was an absolute train wreck! Why a girl w/ a strong voice would choose to sing Taylor Swift (who has very little vocal ability) is beyond me, but she didnt even do it well. She was off key through almost the whole song. Sounded like every other karaoke performance at your neighborhood bar. And yes, drunk people would have clapped with just about the same warmth that this audience did.

12.Casey Carlson-pretty little squirt. Unfortunately she tried to do The Police and it was wretched indeed. She also made wierd faces and hit a flat note or two. Yikes. Side thought: Am I the only one who has noticed that everybody has the sixties 'bump' in the back of their head these days? Man, are they ever running with THAT trend.

Tag: Ten Things I Love with the Letter 'B'

I won't be doing any tagging, prolly. Just jump in if you like:

1.Bobby Pins- indeed I do love my vintage hairstyling. Without these little buggers, it would be impossible to accomplish them.

2.Black and White movies-You notice the details!

3.Besame' Cosmetics-again, catering to my vintage girly side

4.Baby Things-showcasing God's sense of humor one fuzzy head at a time...

5.Blue-Most shades make me pretty happy.

6.Berries-preferably black or straw w/ whipped cream, in a cobbler. mmmmmmmmm.

7.Blasters-'Nothing beats a good one'

8.Blues (Jump)-makes me wish I knew how to 'jive'

9.Bale, Christian-pointless tirades or no, he is one heck of a good actor (see entry below)

10.Bernice-My Great Pyrenees. Cuddly Doggage.

In His Defense...

Kay. I know you guys have heard by now that Christian Bale is a big (beautiful) baby. His 'tirade' at the director of photography on the set of the new Terminator movie is now all over the news and I have to admit, I'm not surprised. I have heard about this temper of his and it just makes me glad I don't know him personally.

I won't post a link to the 'blow up' because it is tedious and laden w/ all sorts of profanity (though it can be heard edited)...and it goes on for far too long.

But I do kinda wish people would leave the guy alone...and not just because he's pretty...heh heh. He is obviously meticulously dedicated to his craft (as it pretty evident from his extreme weight loss for The Machinist) and a rabid perfectionist to boot. And it does have to be incredibly frustrating to feel that you've FINALLY got the shot the way you want it, finally accomplished the performance you wanted, and then had it ruined through no fault of your own. I mean, you can't get it back.

I DO NOT condone this type of behavior by any means but it is a shame there has to be an audience. I mean, Van Gough probably threw some major tantrums when 'Starry Night' was giving him trouble but he was fortunate enough not to have cameras or audio equipment around to record and make dance remixes out of it...Ach!

Random Questions (Stolen From Bookyeti)...

What are a couple things you love about the town/city you live in? The scenery is gorgeous, the lake is closeby, and we have a Wal Mart. Also, all our service territory, just about, is rural. So that means lots of friendly goats and pot bellied pigs to pat.

What are a couple things you dislike about the town/city you live in? The people are cliquish, show little desire to educate themselves on anything outside of their everyday life, and we are a 'a geographical oddity-two weeks from everywhere'! Well, not quite two weeks, but it do seem like it sometimes.

Pair of sneakers you own: Ryka sports trainers

Can you do cartwheels? Yes and 'round-offs'. hee hee

Describe your typical vacation: 'Typical' is not really an operative word here. But we love Disneyworld and Las Vegas.

Library or Bookstore? Bookstore-especially the kind w/ a kids area and alot of cozy little chairs...oh, and a COFFEE SHOP!

What do you usually eat for breakfast? Usually a Zone nutrition bar or the like, with coffee.

Favourite Brand Name: Stop Staring or Tarantula Clothing

Two of your Favourite Online Stores: Pinupgirlclothing, Coastal Scents

Two of your Favourite Offline Stores: Flashback (in Memphis) and Borders

Shoe size: 8

Do you wear a watch? yes, a vintage (style) Mickey Mouse one from Disneyworld.

Five of your Favourite Hobbies: Creating Retro Hairstyles/makeup looks, reading, watching old movies, listening to music, writing odd journal entries.

First fear you can remember: Madame Madusa (from The Rescuers) and Gene Simmons from KISS

Habits? nail biting, rubbing my face when I'm tired, making clicking sounds when i'm busy.

Most listened to song of the moment: Drugstore Rock N Roll-Janis Martin

Natural hair colour: light brown (I think).

One thing you wear now that you wouldn’t have worn as a kid: a two piece swimsuite

Coffee or Tea? coffee!

If you had this coming Monday off of work, how would you spend it? Deep cleaning my house and youtube.

A location in your province/state that you haven’t visited and would like to? Le Conte Lodge...a Lodge on Mt LaConte that is only accessible by foot...or alpaca.


A leisure book you’d like to read: I'd like to finish Anna Karenina. Then I would like to tackle The FOuntainhead.

One thing you would change about your looks: dark circles under (around) my eyes...

One thing you would change about your personality: More patience! The ability to NOT put my foot in my mouth or say things the wrong way...

A random fact about yourself: I know every word to Miss Saigon and Les Miserables.

Laptop or Desktop?: both

Some of the best gifts you were given: a pearl necklace, some beautiful paintings and antique furniture, my children.

Last movie your watched: The Count of Monte Christo (with Jim Caviezel)

A movie you would like to see: Benjamin Button!! (and Slumdog Millionaire)

Favourite Tree-Maple (sugar AND yellow leaves!)

What do you like your pizza? Mushrooms and Black Olives.

Post a random photo taken today:

Simply Classic!

I rediscovered this by accident today! It's so brilliant, I had to share. Dare you not to smile!

Anthony Warlow-Tenor Extraordinaire!

For my gal pals who love musical theater like I do...no one tops Anthony Warlow. You may know him as Enjolras from the Symphonic Recording of Les Mis. I know him as the best vocalist I've ever heard! In my eyes he is the best Valjean, the best Enjolras, the best Phantom, the Best Don Quixote, the best-everything. Plus, he originated the role of Jeckyll and Hyde in the musical production. The transformation and vocal demands of the part are incredible.

I love youtube because, though his albums are difficult to come by here in the states, you can still catch him there. Below are example of his phenomenal presence and abilities as both The Phantom and Valjean ...enjoy!

28 Hours in Memphis

My father was giving his first public talk in about 20 years yesterday so I had been planning for months to visit for this event. I am so proud of him and there was no way I was missing it.

I was super sick Friday night so I didnt get to leave when I wanted but we did decide to make the trip Saturday morning. Suprisingly, things went fine. The trip was fun and my friend Misty came along to keep me company since Jonathan couldnt make it this time.

My mom agreed to babysit that night so Misty and I could to out 'gal-avanting' and we took advantage of the opportunity to do some vintage shopping, eat some good sushi, and meet up with my great set of Memphis cronies.

After eating at Bluefin, a trendy cool new restaurant on the downtown trolley-line, we took a chilly stroll to Beale street and Superior Bar, a fun karaoke place that can pretty much accomodate any song choice and pipes your voice out onto Beale for passersby to 'enjoy'...haha.

This particular night was especially great. Not only was the karaoke a blast but there was a girl there from England that completely blew us away with her voice, singing everything in a completely effortless bluesy style similar to Dusty Springfield or more recently, Adele. After she nearly made me cry with 'Making Believe', I had to ask if she was professional and indeed, she is. Her name is Beth Rowley. She has an album and a big ol' fanbase in England. Our group kept 'requesting' songs from her, which she would only sing if we accompanied her. She made my rendition of 'Son of a Preacher Man' sound halfway palatable! heh heh.

Anyway, so much fun should be illegal...and almost was since I got pulled over on the way home for forgetting to turn on my headlights. Doh! Fortunaely, Mr.'friendly Memphis Cop' gave me a written warning and did not automatically assume I was a menace to society. whew!

My dad's talk was great; couldnt even tell he was nervous! I'm so glad I made it and there were so many people there to enjoy it. The whole feeling behind the event was very moving. And very happy. He seems so comfortable on stage.

We ate a quick lunch at Huey's before coming home and even though the 28 hours that passed were a blur, I feel like the trip was a success!! So glad I didnt give up and not attempt it.

Below is a youtube link to Beth Rowley. She has lots of stuff...give her a listen!!

"I'm Sorry, The Card Says 'Moops'."

My husband and I are kind of trivia-heads...medium-sized fountains of useless knowledge that we have no option of ever using outside of gameplay. Therefore we have reserved most Sunday nights at 8:30 (the boys' bedtime) for a round of Trivial Pursuit. Right now, I only have the Silver Screen (my specialty) edition and the Genus (until last Sunday, I have my whole life thought the big blue box was called the 'Genius' edition...aren't I astute?)edition. To humor me, my husband allows me to use the Silver Screen cards whenever I land on a pink space which gives me a slight advantage but still hasnt won me a single game.

Anyway, the other night we came accross a mistake in one of our trivia questions. The question (under the category of Arts and Literature) was, 'How Many Children Did Adam and Eve Have?' Of course, the answer is unknown, but somehow the creators of this game got it into their heads that they had three...Abel, Cain, and Seth. Amazing how the human race came from three men, isnt it? *chuckle*

Cookies, 'Life', and Cyd Charisse-2009

Hello my friends! I have to say, I'm glad I made my blog open to invitation only ( I was getting alot of unsavory visitors) but I am worried that I have prevented some of my old blog-buddies from visiting as often. That's a shame. I miss you guys!

Wednesday night, I made a nice dinner of boxed pasta and cheese bread before settling down with cookies and coffee to await the new year. The boys (the older two) wanted to stay up until 12 so we okayed that, never expecting they could actually do it. We played 'Life', watched one of those over-exaggerated New Years Shows, and cozied up in blankets on the living room floor. The New Years show of our choice was the FOX broadcast, for no reason other than that it was going to show Robbie Kenievel jumping his bike over the Mirage Volcano in Vegas and the boys thought that sounded cool. It was really anticlimactic, as always, and David Cook's performance was ho-hum at best. Nothing else much was happening there so when we finished our game, I flipped over to TCM and showed the boys the That's Entertainment marathon that was on.

'That's Entertainment' is a movie that features clips of the great MGM musicals as they progressed over the 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's. Something about watching Gene Kelly and Anne Miller dance their way around the stage was phenomenally uplifting and made the new year seem less daunting. Regardless of how much I have ahead of me, how much uncertainty we are faced with-at least we have Cyd Charisse! She was feminine, powerful, AND vulnerable all at once. I could watch her forever. So I did...until midnight, at least.

Daddy had dropped off to sleep at 9 o'clock but the boys and I powered thru and made it to watch the ball drop at midnight. Then the boys dragged themselves off to bed and I continued to watch Judy Garland and Fred Estaire until 2am. As I hung out in my recliner with a cup of coffee, rewinding the 'dancing on the ceiling' scene from 'Royal Wedding', I realized that my new years eves seem to keep getting better.

Jonathan asked me the other day what my Salad Days were. I wasnt really all that familiar with the term so he clarified: Salad Days are the days that most people view as the 'best' of their life. For many people, their college days are their Salad Days. For most, it is the time of their life that they felt the most freedom, felt their best physically, or still had their whole life ahead of them-the 'green' years. Without hesitation, I told him that my 'Salad Days' are now. I can't imagine my life being any better than it is...or not having everyone in it that I currently know. Sure, we've got problems with the economy and maybe we're getting older. But those things pale in comparison to the wealth of things that we enjoy in our boys and our spiritual family. And when it comes to that, I still feel 'green'. After all, the stuff that's coming-I'm new at that.

Hahahahahahahaha

Yes, I know this is poor taste and I seriously hope none of my readers hold it against me but ...dear lord this is hysterical!

Tiny Tim was a freak! A wonderful freak...