A D.C. Engagement (sans engagement pictures)

The following are a few pictures of my recent trip with Jericho to D.C. This post would have been up earlier but I was still having a silent war with my camera. It doesn't know, but I still haven't forgiven it and will probably end up replacing it. Should have thought twice before deciding to eat my pictures. Amazingly enough, all the pictures that were erased from my camera are the ones post-engagement. So these are the ones from sight-seeing. Fabulous, I know.

The Montana Christmas tree and the Capitol. Note all the construction and fake-marble seating for the upcoming Inauguration.

We wanted to go to the new visitors center but had a hard time figuring out where it was. We were a little distracted. It was the first place we went after the drive up there so our main concern was a bathroom and something to eat.

Ah. Victory. The cold weather didn't keep the street vendors from being out and selling their delicious hot dogs. And we were very grateful.

We started at the Capitol and made our way down the Mall, stopping as we went. This is us waiting in line at the Smithsonian. It was quite cold that day but fortunately it didn't rain like the forecast said. There was actually a surprising amount of people touring the sights, it also being the day after Christmas.

While on the trip I became increasingly more irritated with camera because it doesn't allow for any good night settings. I have about 4 times as many pictures than I need because I tried taking pictures in every setting my camera offers. This is one of the only ones that turned out of the Washington Monument.

Our stopping point on the Mall tour was the Lincoln Memorial. Also the sight of Jericho's proposal. Before we left for D.C., I had my suspicions that Jericho would propose while we were there. (I'm a difficult person to surprise [in many respects]. I'm ready for everything, like a cat.) If he did propose while we were there, I was thinking he'd do it at the D.C. LDS Temple, which we went to after we were done with downtown (pictures, of course, are lost somewhere in technology land). Anyway, since the Lincoln Memorial was our last stop, we had a seat off to the side to rest for a bit . We just sat there, on the freezing marble, people watching and talking. Then he suddenly turned to me with the ring and asked me to marry him. OF COURSE!!! He has noted that he, on more than one occassion, threatened me that I wasn't allowed to say no, but I assured him that I make my own decisions despite feeble threats of violence.

I have enjoyed the comments that people have given congratulating me on the engagement. Especially those that say things "It's about time!" It's true. This engagement has taken quite a process to come about. But it was worth it. We are very happy and very excited!!! I've been cautioned how much work is required in a marriage but I'd say that Jericho and I have had our share of work in the past 2 years. I've also been asked if I feel any different, and I actually don't. We've been talking and planning marriage for so long that having the ring just seems like a formality. As far as a date goes, it will most likely be at the end of April. Well, now it comes time to plan the wedding! Since flowers and decorations really aren't my thing, I appreciate any advice all the married folk can share.

Christmas Videos

Another post for your Christmas entertainment...

In case you have ever wanted to have access to nearly every Christmas video online, or at least 101 of them, here is a link for you.

It includes the Christmas episodes of some of your favorite TV shows, loved commercials, music videos, and even the creepy stop-action claymation films. Enjoy!

Christmas Quiz

Since we all had so much fun with my Fourth of July quiz, I decided to make one for Christmas. This one has the potential to be a bit harder. Don't worry, I don't judge. The results of this quiz have no bearing on how I think of you as my friend. I learned a lot making this so I hope you do too!!

Father of the Year

My initial thought this month was that all of my posts would somehow have to be tied into Christmas. I don't think that is going to happen. There may be other Christmas-themed posts - perhaps a rant about how anti-"Christmas" our society is becoming - but perhaps not. Until I find another Christmas post, please enjoy the below video.

I don't wish that my daughters-to-be have the desire to be cheerleaders, but in the event that they do, I hope they have a fellow cheerleader like this guy.

Sounds of the Season

We have officially entered the Christmas music 24/7 time of year. It's an instant acceptance into the Christmas season.

I consider myself to be somewhat of a Christmas music purist. At Christmas time, I don't really listen to a lot of pop Christmas music but if I do, it's usually the more traditional sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Josh Groban, Harry Connick, Jr. and the like. I enjoy the Frank and Ella-type Christmas music partly because it's light and fun and partly because it makes me feel like I'm just a Starbucks away from creating my very own Barnes and Noble in my house.

I've never really taken to the pop stars versions of many Christmas songs. It seems that everyone and their mom can release a Christmas album. But nonetheless, there are still plenty of fun pop Christmas songs out there. The follow list is not some of them. Below are my top 5 most irritating pop Christmas songs. Feel free to add any to this list.

5) Pretty much any rendition of Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer. Call me a traitor to Christmas carols but seriously, is there a more ridiculous Christmas carol than Rudolph? It's cute when little kids sing it but is it really necessary to turn it into a pop song?

4) All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey
I liked this song when it first came out. But apparently so did every other woman in the entire nation. One year, a neighboring paralegal at my office turned on her online Christmas radio station loud enough for everyone nearby to also enjoy in the music. Whenever this song came on she would turn it up even louder. Thanks hun.

3) Wonderful Christmas Time - Paul McCartney
The repetition of the line "Simply havin a wonderful Christmas time" roughly 47 times in the song is what irritates me. I expect more lyrical genius out of a Beatle.

2) So this is Christmas - John Lennon*
It's has a wonderful message but it's the creepy children's backup choir that does it for me. I think the song would be so much better without it. Celine does a version of this song that is gorgeous but her's is sans creepy children's choir. I think she went with the traditional gospel choir and, let's be honest, whenever you go with a gospel choir as backup, you're golden.

1) Feliz Navidad
Oh how I love the song that makes every American feel that much more cultural because they know how to say "Merry Christmas" in Spanish. Not only that, but people continue to come out with their own versions, to include The Cheetah Girls, Celine Dion and David Hasselhoff. Think I'm lying? See for yourself.

Honorable mentions:
Here are a few of my favorite pop Christmas songs.

Eagles - Please come home for Christmas

(Sorry for the cheesy house lighting version. I find it very entertaining.)

O Holy Night - This is the Josh Groban version but in general this is my very favorite Christmas song. It's a very powerful song so I think versions sung by a man capture it better.

God Rest ye Merry Gentleman - Barenaked Ladies/Sarah MacLachlin

*I didn't purposely put two songs on by former Beatles. It's completely coincidental.

Sucking Face 101

I have had numerous conversations with people about what, in their opinion, makes someone a bad kisser. Clearly everyone is different and prefers/dislikes certain things. But overall, I would say that for most people, kissing is pretty fab. You may even get those electrifying kisses that leave you on the doorstep bracing for stability as you try to remember where your feet are. But every once in a while,we encounter someone that is a little (or a lot) less than favorable in the lip-locking department.

There is great anticipation in kissing someone new. You never really know what to expect. You may have really wanted to kiss this person, but wham! they end up leaving your face feeling like a dog's chew-toy. The romance of the situation is now a deflating balloon and you find yourself wondering if maybe they have a cute best friend. Or if you like them enough, take them on as a student and teach them the ways of the maestro (because clearly, it's never US that has the handicap right?). Or if they are a complete moron, just anonymously email them this article.

As with most things in life, we must take the good with the bad in order to truly appreciate the good. And so it shall also be with kissing. I randomly came across these comics today on types of bad kissers and knew I needed to share them with the blogging world. If you find yourself pondering too long about whether or not you commit any of these blunders, then you are probably guilty. Whether it's a hoover, the copy-cat, a biter, a licker, or just flat out boring, one thing is for sure, they all make for great stories to tell your friends (with complete omission of names, of course).

Hi, my name is Kelley, and I saw Twilight on opening night

This weekend I saw the movie. Don't worry, these are merely my thoughts and feelings and no spoilers are contained in this post.

I acknowledge that I am a Twilight fan. I read the books at the recommendation of my sister-in-law and my mom and a few others. I read the first and was entertained. I read the second and while it did take me longer to read it because I stopped about a third of the way through because I couldn't handle how mopey Bella was, I enjoyed it better than the first. Overall, I feel like the third was my favorite. The fourth was anticlimactic. Yes, not only have I read the books, but I have put thought into how I feel about them.

This being said, I feel that they played it too safe with Twilight (the movie). My basic opinion is that the movie was boring. Maybe it's because I read the book so I knew what was happening. A good portion of the books are focused on the main characters thoughts (it's written in first person) with a smaller part of dialogue and actual events, so naturally it was difficult to capture this in the movie. My favorite character portrayals were Jasper and James. Bella was exactly how I would have expected. Her character was done very well.

I think that the movies will follow similarly to the way the Harry Potter movies have been made. The first one needed to stay very true to the book in order to ensure that all the fans were happy with it. Then once the producers/directors have everyone trusting them, they will venture out a little more and take more risks in making the movies better.

My final thought about why I didn't love the movie is probably controversial. I was not in love with the books. GASP! I do not feel that Edward is dreamy or that any man in my life will unfortnately have to live up to my fantasy of the vampire-love-of-my-life. Edward actually annoys me. And I think Bella is whiney. The magic of the books was apparently lost on me. Because of this, I think I was more critical of the books in a literary sense therefore causing my skepticism with the movie.

So there we have it. That's my sort of review. I will probably watch it again and like it better the second time around. I didn't hate it. But I'm not ordering my "I'm just a Bella waiting for her Edward" t-shirt any time soon.

Because it's Friday

I don't know how many of you are aware of the Yahoo! Answers website, but it's golden. People can ask whatever questions they want to the web-world and anyone can answer. You can learn so much from people who don't know anything. I have selected a few for your reading pleasure.

Question:
Is there any free dating Russian or US sites?
Thats pretty much what I want to know. Is there any sites online that are free, not just to join but to send messages too, both in the US, Russia, Ukraine, Ireland, U.K.. Im not having any luck on myspace, I just dont find any of the girls on there attractive in the US when I browse. The ones I do like, are usually out of the US. I also noticed I dont really need myspace to meet anyone, it is free though thats why I still use it. My preference is Russian so thats why I am looking for something legit, as far as going out there, it would be nice, it would be even better to meet one thats already here, but no luck with that so far. LOL, I feel like that U2 song, "But I still havent found what Im looking for", in the US that is. Im not a loser or anything like that, Im far from it. Hands down, Im just looking for a female thats atleast my age, not so much in there early 20's, atleast 23-26. Anything younger than that, I am skeptical.
(No good answers) But really, if you have to defend your non-loser status it may not be very effective when you're talking about international dating websites. It's kind of a give-away. He could always go for the mail-order system. I hear they get great reviews.

Question
What is a stalactite? religion?
what are their beliefs?
Your Answer: (I answered this one myself)
I know they worship in caves but for centuries they have battled with opposing religions such as the stalagmites for jurisdiction in the caves. Think Israel and Palestine but in caverns.

Question:
Why is Walmart's smallest size a 6?
Even their petite's smallest is a 6?Why don't they make clothes for 3's or 4's?
My pick for best answer:
The obvious answer only over weight people shop at Walmart

Question:
Me and my BFF are friends with this 20 year old guy...(we are 15)?
We get along great and we all have a lot of fun. My other BFF doesnt like it that we are freinds with it...she says that he may like us. That may be true. We do text each other and sometimes he text really late at night to just say wats up. He is kindof touchy (but not inapropriate touch) and stuff like that. My friend belives he likes me...but i honestly dont know...what u think about this.? Do you think he likes me? I mean we told each other we c each other as friends....but what do u think about this situation. I know many people who are my age and are friends with 18 to 20 year olds.
My pick for best answer:
you are kind of stupid. no you are really stupid. sorry to say but that is super illegal and nasty he's probably got some disease.

Question:
What do you do to calm yourself?
My best answer picks:
Get mad first
smoke a fattie
drink a wine cooler
I pull my ears, or go for a hike.

Question:
Should I tell my son that I have been forging celebrity/athlete's autographs, and giving them as presents? ?
Since my son was 4 years old, I have been forging celebrity autographs. It started out because I didnt have any money to buy presents, so I just signed a page in People magazine, and gave it to him for his birthdays and christmas. I stopped the forging when heturned 16. He is 18 now. Should I tell him, or keep it a secret? Or maybe just keep on doing it since it was free? I mean if hes too stupid to know they are fake, why not?
My best answer pick:
troll

Question:
How much does a 13 year emo boy weigh.?
I am 13 and want to be emo I weigh 115 Lbs how much should I lose?I was thinking about losing 30 Lbs. And how long should it take and what should I do too lose the pounds. I stoped eating and only drink water. What elts do i do.
My best answer picks:
You cannot strive to be emo...you merely head down that spiral until things are really terrible.
No, emo kids EAT THEIR FEELINGS. KEEP EATING. YOU WILL DIE IF YOU LOSE 30 POUNDS
I'm not emo, but i dont think you should loose any weight.... i get made fun of for being so skinny.. it feels good... jsut be yourself, weight has nothing to do with being emo... just dont cut yourself.... its bad
Maybe you should see a therapist.

Peeve

Ever since I was a teenager, my major pet peeve (trivial as it may be) is chewing/food noises. I wish it wasn't so because clearly you can never really avoid it. Try as I may. The irritation can get so bad that I have gone to such lengths as turning music up louder at my desk when a cubicle neighbor's chewing breaks the cubicle barrier, plugging my ears when it's been someone in a class, or just flat out leaving the room.

I have no idea when or why this problem started. But seriously, as soon as I hear it, I can't help but hone in on it. I can't help it. I can do nothing but focus directly on the noise. It's not always just food. Once during a final in college, the girl sitting next to me bit her nails the entire hour and a half. I silently debated whether or not slapping her hands away from her mouth in a fit of disgust would be too immature.

Unfortunately one of the worse food items to create noise by any partaker is the banana. I say unfortunately because I enjoy bananas and I personally have a hard time eating one because of the noise it makes. I can still hear it even thought it's me. I very often will put peanut butter on it because it breaks up the consistency some and makes it less goopy to eat (also because PB is one of the most magnificent foods ever). If I am at home eating a banana, I will also make sure the TV is on, anything to break up the horrible sound from resonating in my own ears.

There is a personality test question about what would be your personal hell. Mine would be making me sit in the middle of a room surrounded by nothing but people who don't know how to chew quietly. I would shoot myself. We are not animals. We are civilized people. We walk upright. We wear pants and deodorant. There is not need to sound like an animal when we eat. If you're super hungry, that's great. Congratulations on eating a meal. But you didn't just spend an hour running down your meal in the jungle. You will probably get to eat again tomorrow. So chew like it.

Weekend Adventures

The past few weekends I've been quite busy. I don't usually make posts full of pictures but I've decided to put up a few from recent outtings.

Our group in front of the fountains at Kings Dominion. It kind of rained most of the day. Nothing too terrible. The best part was that the weather kept a lot of people away and the lines were so short!

Stephanie, Cassie and I went on the Sky Flyer. It was amazing. I did it once before in high school but I don't remember it being as high as this one. I got nominated as the one to pull the rip-cord at the top. There is nothing like being suspended 160 feet in the air and staring facedown to the ground and knowing that I have the control of releasing us into a freefall. I nearly wet my pants. But Steph, Cassie and I are very proud of ourselves for doing it.

Last weekend a group of us spent the day at a paintball course. My friends look so intense don't they? They're actually smiling under the scary masks. This was before we started and everyone was still happy and mud- and paint-free. I only got two wounds that bled this time.

Poor Jericho. This is what happens when two boys go Rambo on each other's helmets. The other guy looked just as bad. (Jericho made sure I pointed that out)

Following the paintball activity, we did an awesome activity for a couple friends' birthdays. We did a photo scavenger hunt. We were split into groups and given a list of 21 "things" that we had to find/create and take a picture of. We all gathered back at the apartment and compared photos. It was one of the most fun things I've done in this city in a while. The above picture is my group's photo for "can we all fit". In case you can't tell, we're in a display shower at Home Depot.

This past weekend I took Jericho to see Jerry Seinfeld at Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh. (This isn't my photo. We weren't THAT close). I bought the tickets for him for his birthday. It was really great seeing him live! We both thought he acted a little tipsy at first (it was his second show of the night) but he was still the hilarious Jerry Seinfeld we'd expected. We went to dinner beforehand at my new favorite sushi restaurant downtown. So yummy!!

The next day/night we went with a group of friends to the NC State/Wake Forest football game. Every time I go to any live game I'm always reminded how much I LOVE sporting events. It was a great game, even though I'm not especially a State fan.

I hate wearing shoes

It's true. I hate wearing shoes. It's as simple as that. While I love the cold weather because it means I can wear my hoodies more often, I hate that I must retire my flip flops.

At my previous office, I was teased on multiple occassions for wearing sandals in "cold" weather. I don't think people understand the impact of living in Southeast Idaho for four years. People in North Carolina don't know what cold is. I remember there was a guy in one of my college classes that had a competition going with a friend so see who could wear sandals the entire school year. I don't know who won but I know that he was hating life on days that he had to trudge through a foot of snow to get to class. As long as there is no snow on the ground, you'll probably see me in sandals. Although, sometimes you will see me in clogs. I find that they are winter's compromise to the sandal.

Call me immature. Call me lazy. Call me stupid. Whatever. To me, the advantages of sandals far outweigh the disadvantages of cold weather. I have four toe-rings. I will admit. Life is easier wearing sandals when you have four toe-rings.

Stuff White People Like

In case some of you haven't figured it out yet, when I am lacking in blogging ideas, I blog about other people's stuff. There is a blog that I visit semi-regularly called Stuff White People Like. It's linked on Mary's page as well. Go read it. You'll love it. I promise.

One that I found particulary awesome is on "Being Offended." I personally find being offended such a wasted emotion. It's probably a contributing factor to why I'm a republican. In addition to the great article, the 1,000+ comments that were left on it were filled with a lot of (white) people ticked at the generalization of the statements. Hm... case in point?

#101 Being Offended. To be offended is usually a rather unpleasant experience, one that can expose a person to intolerance, cultural misunderstandings, and even evoke the scars of the past. This is such an unpleasant experience that many people develop a thick skin and try to only be offended in the most egregious and awful situations. In many circumstances, they can allow smaller offenses to slip by as fighting them is a waste of time and energy. But white people, blessed with both time and energy, are not these kind of people. In fact there are few things white people love more than being offended.

Naturally, white people do not get offended by statements directed at white people. In fact, they don’t even have a problem making offensive statements about other white people (ask a white person about “flyover states”). As a rule, white people strongly prefer to get offended on behalf of other people.

It is also valuable to know that white people spend a significant portion of their time preparing for the moment when they will be offended. They read magazines, books, and watch documentaries all in hopes that one day they will encounter a person who will say something offensive. When this happens, they can leap into action with quotes, statistics, and historical examples. Once they have finished lecturing another white person about how it’s wrong to use the term “black” instead of “African-American,” they can sit back and relax in the knowledge that they have made a difference.

White people also get excited at the opportunity to be offended at things that are sexist and/or homophobic. Both cases offering ample opportunities for lectures, complaints, graduate classes, lengthy discussions and workshops. All of which do an excellent job of raising awareness among white people who hope to change their status from “not racist” to “super not racist.”Another thing worth noting is that the threshold for being offended is a very important tool for judging and ranking white people. Missing an opportunity to be outraged is like missing a reference to Derrida-it’s social death.

If you ever need to make a white person feel indebted to you, wait for them to mention a book, film, or television show that features a character who is the same race as you, then say “the representation of [insert race] was offensive and if you can’t see that, well, you need to do some soul searching.” After they return from their hastily booked trip to land of your ancestors, they will be desperate to make it up to you. At this point, it is acceptable to ask them to help you paint your house.

Proud to be an American

Last night, democracy spoke and proclaimed Barack Obama as the new president. In most elections I attempt to find the positive in all candidates. I have no intention on turning into someone full of hate and loathing if my candidate of choice is not elected.

It was no secret that I was pulling for McCain so clearly my reaction was not in the similitude of one, Jesse Jackson. But...

Nevertheless, I did not throw myself down on the floor in a conniption after the official declaration was made that Obama won.
I did not examine my finances and living situation to see if I could move out of the country.
I am not going to buy up guns this week in fear that now they will be much harder to acquire.
I didn't run on the bank.
I haven't started practicing calling everyone "comrade."
I didn't cry.
I am not going to petition to the State of North Carolina and all other members of the Solid South to secede from the Union (although people do keep comparing Obama to Lincoln, hm....)
I am still going to write my letters to my State's representatives to get tickets to the inauguration.

Although, I AM concerned. During the campaigning, I saw a man that was very charismatic and very poised. After every speech, to include the one last night, I accepted what a fantastic speaker Barack is. I am concerned because I still feel that Obama won over Americans more with his charisma and poise than his policies. Last night, when he spoke from Chicago, I agreed with what he said, as I'm sure most Americans would. He spoke of unity, progress, self-reliance and liberty. Now that he is elected, I am anxious (in a good way), to see how he is going to bring those things about. Obama spoke a lot to the emotions of the people. Now it's time to give us the substance to warrant those emotions.

Over the next four years, I want to be proven wrong. I don't want to be skeptical and want my concerns to be put to rest. I want to see a President prove himself worthy of America's vote. I also want to see people make changes in their own lives and not rely on government to fix the world. Our individual happiness does not depend on our nation's leaders. I want to see people accept responsibility instead of pointing fingers at where the blame should fall and using that as a crutch to justify our plights. Most importantly, I hope to see Americans take it upon themselves to preserve the family unit with more effort and conviction than they ever have before. We are in time where that priority is not high on the list of the majority of our nation's leaders.

And lastly, I want to see a picture of Barack Obama, my new president, without the pensive, staring off in the distance pose. Is there no photographer out there that can capture him looking directly at the camera?

Apartment Creations

Last weekend my roommate and I threw a house-warming party of sorts. Since it's not really a house, just an apartment, it was mainly just an excuse to throw a party and meet the new people in the area. We wanted to do something a little more interesting than just the usual goodies so we bought an IN-credible cookbook full of creative ways to decorate cupcakes. We opted for the ones that were Halloween/Fall-ish themed.

The first ones are owls using Oreos and Junior Mints with chocolate cupcakes with Milky Ways inside. The pumpkins are pumpkin spice cupcakes, cream cheese frosting, with green and orange Twizzlers. The last ones (my favorite) were butter pecan cupcakes, butter cream frosting, with melting chocolate and M&Ms to make the bugs.

Prior to the party I was asking a woman I work with for some advice on candy stores around the area. I told her what we were doing with the candy and her response was, "Oh! That's so cute! You girls are going to be such good moms!" Awesome.

The very last picture is of some wall decals in the apartment. I've seen wall decals in various stores and magazines but didn't feel like paying the $50+ for them so I decided to make them myself. I looked up an easy and really inexpensive way to do it and went to it. There's a lot of detail on how to do it so if you want more info, just ask. It was rather time consuming.

I love projects. I need to do more of them, especially when I can eat them.

Completely Pointless Post of the Week

The 9 Most Unnecessary Greatest Hits Albums Ever

*Disclaimer: I did not write this article. I would give proper credit to the source but I have edited the article for cleanliness purposes.

A greatest hits album is an artist's testament to a long and prolific career. Or at least it would be, if it wasn't for the fact that pretty much anybody can release one, regardless of how few hits they actually have to their name. As evidence of this, we give you...


9. THE BEST OF VANILLA ICE
The window of time in which the world actually cared about Vanilla Ice was maybe a year, max. But as adored as he may have been for 52 weeks in 1990-1991, he was absolutely hated a million times more for about ten years after.

Best Moment: How do you pick just one? How about "Ninja Rap," a song whose "go ninja, go ninja, go!" evokes awesome visions of actual ninjas doing the running man, until you realize it's a song from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II soundtrack?

Most Awesome Amazon.com User Review: "If you decide to buy this CD, wait patiently by the mail box till it arrives. Upon arrival, quickly open the box, then pull the security tape from the jewel case. Open the jewel case and place the CD in one hand. Break the CD in half, then slit your wrists with the remaining shards. As you begin to die look at your reflection in the mirror-like surface of the broken CD, and ask your self what you were thinking when you ordered this CD!"

8. THE BEST OF NELSON: THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION

The second sentence of Nelson's Wikipedia entry perfectly sums up the total lack of need for this "best of" collection to even exist: "They had a No. 1 hit in the United States with "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" during the week of September 29, 1990." Yep, for one week, these dudes were kings!

Best Moment:"Won't Walk Away," an about-as-awesome-as-Nelson-will-ever-get pop-rock cheese fest that answers the age old question, "what would it sound like if The Replacements were mutilated by Styx?"

Most Awesome Amazon.com User Review: "Nelson's powerful melodic sound was the logical follow up to the Journey/Foreigner/Loverboy arena rock sound of the 80's. NELSON ROCKS! There, I said it."

7. AARON CARTER: MOST REQUESTED HITS
Fact: kids have horrendous taste in music. They don't know any better. In light of this, we don't care how many "hits" this kid may or may not have had as a result of catering to the 8 and under demographic (we didn't check). We are grown folks talking about grown up music and we say this kid makes the list. Most requested hits? Requested by who?

Best Moment: "That's How I Beat Shaq," in which a 15-year-old white kid tells his friends how he met Shaquille O'Neal on a playground and schooled him in a game of one on one. In the end though, it turns out to be a dream!! We didn't see that coming, yo!

Most Awesome Amazon.com User Review: "A greatest hits collection from the greatest EVER!!! A.C. gets his props as all of his illustrious hits are presented in Dolby 5.1 surround sound!!! WORD. Don't sleep on Aaron Carter, although the omission of "Stride (Jump on the Fizzy) is inexcusable."

6. THE BEST OF COLOR ME BADD
Color Me Badd actually had 5 top 20 singles between 1991 and 1992. A couple of them even made it to #1. So why shouldn't they have released a greatest hits album? For starters, try naming one of those top 20 singles that isn't "I Wanna Sex You Up." On a slightly unrelated side bar, Wikipedia notes that for the band's fourth album, Now & Forever, "sales were well below those expected from the group, with initial sales of only 32 units in the U.S." There are no sources cited, and that could be a typo, if not, that's the saddest thing we've ever read.

Best Moment: We really can't say enough about "Sexual Capacity." If ever a pan flute was used with sexier results, we'd be astounded. We were kind of shocked just to hear one being used somewhere other than a Zamfir: Master of the Pan Flute commercial or a Kung-Fu flick, actually.

Most Awesome Amazon.com User Review: "Some nights before I go to bed, I say my prayers and simply stare at my gorgeous self in the mirror. I thank the heavens I look like I do and ask for things like a White Lion reunion tour or Grim Reaper at my four year old's birthday party. Usually, my requests go unanswered. That was, until this CD came out."

5. TONE LOC: WILD THING AND OTHER HITS

Drop the "s" off the end of the album title and release it as a two track CD single featuring "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina" and you'd have a perfectly legitimate Tone Loc greatest hits collection. Notice that the title "Wild Thing & Other Hits" suggests that somebody is afraid people may have forgotten the name of "the guy who sang 'Wild Thing' back in the 80's." That's probably a valid concern.
Best Moment: When Vanilla Ice stole the bass line from Queen's "Under Pressure" for his sole hit "Ice Ice Baby," he was taken to court. Tone Loc did the same thing twice on almost equally huge songs. "Wild Thing," which sampled Van Halen's "Janie's Cryin'" and "Funky Cold Medina" which sampled Kiss' "Christine Sixteen," both without permission fromthe respective bands, resulted in zero lawsuits. Further proof that the world hates Vanilla Ice.
Most Awesome Amazon.com User Review (Tie):

1. "Loc's production was ultra-smooth and he had lyrical help-- "Funky Cold Medina" and "Wild Thing" are still some of the smartest (and funniest) lyrics in rap, and were penned by none other than Will Smith (the Fresh Prince)."

2. "This guy who typed that Will Smith penned wild thing and funky cold medina obviously does not know what he is talkin about. They were written by Young MC."

4.BRUCE WILLIS: MASTER SERIES
Soulless, borderline-offensive-to-the-genre blues songs performed by rich white men are an art form loved by dozens. Bruce Willis (or Bruno, as he's called by graying lame-os who prefer their blues served with a heaping side of financially stable) actually has FOUR best-of collections. Ultimately, we settled on "The Master Series" because of the awesome title and super gay album cover.
Best Moment: At the 2:03 mark of an up-to-that-point less-than-lively rendition of "Under the Boardwalk," Bruce unexpectedly shouts "Yipee-ki-yay!!!" and launches into a searing blues rock guitar solo. Ok, not really. There are no good moments to be found anywhere on this CD.

Most Awesome Amazon.com User Review: "according to me this record is a very good one because of his very well managed sound and ability to resume in an only one record so much good music!"

3. FOREVER MORE: THE GREATEST HITS OF JOHN TESH

As sketchy as our memory tends to be, we would still probably recall if there was a time when John Tesh was tearing up the pop charts, kicking the likes of Prince and Madonna to and fro with his killer synthesizer riffs and complex wind chime arrangements.

Best Moment: The scarily titled "One World." With its march of war percussion and tension filled strings, if this isn't the theme song to an alien invasion, we don't know what is.
Most Awesome Amazon.com User Review:"ONE WORLD--Do I spot allusions to X-FILES?"

2. THE BEST OF YOUNG MC
Putting an actual musician with a huge hit and stone hip-hop classic to his credit ("Bust A Move") ahead of the likes of Hudson Hawk on a list of the most ridiculous greatest hits albums of all time may seem like a curious choice, but this is as far from a greatest hits or best of collection as it gets. In fact, "The Best of Young MC" is really just his first album with a different title, a different albumcover and three fewer songs. You heard me: three fewer songs.
Best Moment: At this point, we don't have the heart tomake fun of Young MC anymore. The best moment is "Bust A Move."
Most Awesome Amazon.com User Review: "In the song "Bust A move" Young MC makes a song that might be one of the greatest Hip-Hop songz of all time. He was also one of the first Black Man to ever be on the top of the charts, also Tone Loc. "my Name is young" is another one of Youngs greatest songs where he talks about who he is, and why his rap name is Young MC and that is cause his last name is Young and he also says that when he started he was Young (10 yrs Old) so they called him Young MC."

1. THE BEST OF SHAQUILLE O'NEAL

It's not that Shaq didn't have a lot of hits; it's that he didn't have any hits. None. Have you seen Kazaam? It's better than every single song on this album. Despite this lack of success, Shaquille O'Neal was the basketball rap pioneer who paved the way for every baller with a shoe contract and a dream to release an album in the mid to late 90s, eventually leading to the doomsday scenario of "K.O.B.E.," a lyrically retarded single by Kobe Bryant featuring Tyra Banks. Thanks, punk.
Best Moment: "Biological Didn't Bother (G-Funk version)," a love song dedicated to the dude who married Shaq's mom, set to the type of mid-90s west coast hip hop groove normally reserved for far less gay topics. Inexplicably, it's on the album twice.

Most Awesome Amazon.com User Review:"Usually people are only lucky enough to be given one truly great talent. Shaq was blessed with two. In fact, he's even better at music than basketball. The songs on The Best Of Shaq move me - some to the point of tears. This Best Of will hold a special place on my cd shelf - right next to The Best Of David Hasselhoff. My only wish now is that Shaq's next album will be one where he just does love songs. It could be called "Love Shaq."

And the winner is...

I would like to announce that, according to Bandido's mexican restaurant, Barack Obama is winning the presidential election. How do I know this? Because at Bandido's, patrons can cast their bean in a jar for their respective candidate of choice. I myself cast my bean for McCain though it was clear that Obama's bean jar had about 1/3 more beans than McCain's. So from this controlled study I conclude:

1) People who eat Mexican food are more likely to vote for Obama

2) People who are going to vote for McCain don't feel like sticking their hand in a dirty jar of pinto beans

3) Who needs the electoral system? Let's just count beans!

¡Olé!

I'm it.

Thanks goes to Ariel for tagging me and giving me an easy out on something to post on. This is my tag photo. The 4th photo from the 4th folder in my pictures. It's a picture of my lovely friends Camillia and Dixie from a campout last fall. The way they're dressed you'd think it was December. It was October. Oooo now I want to go camping again.

Dirty Mouth?

There is an attorney in my office that says that there are two things in this world that he will never understand - "Electricity and Republicans". For me, the two things in this world that I will never understand are the stock market and toothbrushes. I recently went on a trip to Walmart for the standard re-supplying of some essentials. Since the incumbent toothbrush is from circa July 2008, on that list was a new toothbrush.

When did toothbrushes get so complicated? And why? I typically dread the toothbrush buying experience. I can never purchase a toothbrush in less than 10 minutes. There are way too many factors to consider - size, bristle softness, color, tongue-scrubber, electronic, manual, crazy criss-crossing bristles. (I once accidently bought one that had the tongue-scrubber. I didn't like it. Have you ever attempted to scrub your tongue with one of those things? It's not very pleasant.) I also can never buy the same toothbrush twice. This is not because I am fickle. It is because I can never seem to FIND the toothbrush I am currently using. I have a hard time remembering exactly what it is I have at home while looking at the 284 toothbrush options on the wall at Walmart.

Nowadays it seems almost archaic to still use a manual toothbrush. You have to spend $100 on a super-charged motorized get-up to truly have clean teeth. Sure I can still purchase the standard, flat, non-sparkly white tooth brush. But that's not what the ads are telling me. I have been ruined. I now need batter-powered bristles. I need the toothbrush with 9 different types of bristles to clean parts of my mouth I didn't know I had to prevent problems I didn't even know were possible.

Are our teeth really that bad?? Who was the last person you knew with wooden teeth? There are certain health advances that I understand. Granted I am not in the teeth business but I was unaware that dental health continues to decline, despite the current teeth care available to us, to the point where it necessitates such rapid advances in our toothbrushes.

This is the toothbrush I finally settled on. It's called the Colgate 360®. It looks pretty freakin scary doesn't it? I have no idea why it is better. I was just tired of looking at them. I think I was sold on the crazy purple-tips and orange rubber circular bristles. This also has a rubber no-slip grip pad on the handle. Ya know, because otherwise that sucker just flies right out of your hand.

I am going to make a plug for mid-level products. I have, on a number of occassions, been asked if I bleach my teeth. What I usually tell people - "No, they're just clean." I spend roughly $3 on a tooth brush every 3 months. Add that with the other $3 I spend on toothpaste, a couple bucks for dental floss, and the fact that I've had maybe 2 fillings in the past 10 years of my life, I'm yet to be sold on hi-tech toothbrushes. Maybe I'm just an exception rather than the norm although watch me end up with 8 cavities the next time I go to the dentist.

Obama said knock you out

I have never really been one to get into substantial political conversations very often. I think what I think. You think what you think. That's what makes democracy work. If I feel passionately enough, I'll say something but for the most part, I keep my opinions to myself. That being said, I also cannot resist a joke (as lame as it may be) when one comes to mind. Some of you may have noticed the new and improved Obama poster/sticker/sign.

There is some sort of story about how the artist aspired to find a design that would attract the younger generation. Also, he actually used a pose almost identical to one of John F. Kennedy, but without the pop-art coloring, of course. I guess I am technically in the younger generation of our society. And the first thing to come to my mind was not "hope" or "change" or me being immediately sold on Obama the Great. It was more along the lines of "big giant politicians face to be carried around during a riot." To best describe my first impression, I feel that I must use visuals.

Rest assured, I am not calling Obama a communist. I am making no political statements in any way. I just feel that the new Obama poster is one step closer to America adopting the use of the HUGE building-size posters with a politicians giant face. You know what I'm talking about. They're always in movies with some sort of Russian dictator. I thought the same thing when Salt Lake draped those huge banners over the buildings downtown for the 2002 Winter Olympics. And just to drive the non-political-jab point home, the last example is of Ivan Drago.

Completely Pointless Post of the Week

Awesomely bad celebrity commercials

Two of the most amazing additions to life in the 90's - NERF products and the butt-cut flipped over to one side.




Anyone remember the movie The Wizard? When they unvailed the super-secret Super Mario Brothers 3?! Then came the super-charged Super Nintendo. Oh how far we've come...

To me, this might be some of Keanu's primo acting. Interpretive dancing with the boxes of cereal? I bet he improved that part.




I remember this commercial but I clearly never put it together that it's Brad Pitt. I love how the guys use the hot girls just for their food then leave. So typical.

I don't know about you, but when I think John McClane, I think wine coolers.
"You have about 70 wine coolers and you are FLYING!"

27707

I am moved. This weekend I, along with the help of some very wonderful people, moved nearly every one of my possessions to my new apartment. Special props goes to my dad who single-handedly moved my book boxes for me. There are 12. And I live on the third floor.

I have an apartment with my friend Christa. After many months of searching in Chapel Hill and Durham, we finally found one that is a great fit. I now officially live in Durham. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I may look into getting my permit to start packing.

drive me crazy

Many of you may be aware of the Raleigh radio station 100.7. It's a "classic rock" station and the only one in the Triangle area. We used to have 106.1 as classic rock, instead of the present country designation, which was MUCH better and clearly more true to the "classic rock" genre. But that's not the point why I bring it up. The radio station has these cutesy little pre-recorded intros to songs every now and then. I heard one the other day that said: "If you remember paying less than $1 for gas, you'll love this station." This statement makes very little sense to me. Clearly this station did not do research before making this recording. When I started driving, a mere 10 years ago, I was paying less than a dollar for gas. I'm not sure if you will find anyone that would define "classic rock" as the late-90s pop persuasion with such timeless trailblazers as Britney Spears and Ricky Martin. They in fact play a lot of music from the 70s, which I would consider more likely classic rock. But wasn't there an oil crisis in 70s? So the proper tag-line for this station should be: "If you remember being restricted to buy gas on days that corresponded with your license plate ending in an even or odd number, you'll love this station."

My second segment on driving-related angst is on the lovely phenomenon of the on-looker delay. Over the past month I have been driving 45 minutes to and from work every day. This is not a fun drive. The majority of the commute is on I-40, the main stretch of highway between Raleigh and Chapel Hill. Anyone who has driven with me on a regular basis knows that I am not one for road rage. It's a completely wasted emotion. Anyway. Ever since I've had this regular commute, I've been victim of many more idiocy-induced traffic issues which are testing my normally calm driving attitude. One of those being the onlooker delay. I know that I cannot change the way people drive while I'm on the road. I recognize that I do not have that much power. Though I do feel that I can change the world one blog-post at a time. So I am saying this to my 3 readers out there: STOPPING TAPPING YOUR BREAKS ON THE HIGHWAY! IT IS POSSIBLE TO LOOK AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT SLOWING TO THE SPEED OF SPIT. BETTER YET - DON'T LOOK!

The other part of onlookers delays that I don't understand is this: Last summer I drove cross country with a friend of mine. We had some car trouble. We needed a jump. We were on a major highway near some decent civilization. It was broad day light. We stood on the side of the road attempting to wave cars down. Cars kept driving. I had a sign that said "HELP". 30 minutes pass. Cars kept driving. I flipped my sign over and wrote "I'm not wearing any underwear." (Ok not really, but in hindsight that probably wouldn't have been a bad idea). Cars were nice enough to move into the far lane of the highway. But still, did not stop. An hour went by before someone stopped. People are all ready and willing to gawk at you when you are on the side of the road but much more hesitant to actually do something about what caused you to BE on the side of the road in the first place. Maybe it's because we were in the mid-west and people aren't as loving as they are here in the south.

Choose your blue

With the pending State/ECU football game this weekend, I'm reminded of a conversation I had once with a friend of mine. He made the observation that there seems to be an unusually high amount of Pirates fans in the Raleigh area. After that I found myself noticing the little Pirates on people's vehicles more often and it does seem that, for a school that is not actually IN Raleigh, there is a pretty decent amount of ECU fans here. Some may claim that ECU fans are an entirely different breed anyway but that's beside the point.

My question is, are there "rules" to dictate your sports loyalties? I dated a guy once that would constantly get into an argument with me about being a UNC fan (which in itself isn't that odd since I do live in NC and collegiate loyalties run very deep and very serious). He went to NC State and ligitimately thought that I was not a true UNC fan because 1- I didn't go there or possess any other real claim to the school and 2- my allegiance should first and foremost lie with State, my hometown college. Clearly he never won this fight since I am still a UNC fan and continue to be neutral towards State. He also felt that it was a tremendous slam against me whenever he brought up the fact that my college (BYU-Idaho) didn't even have an intercollegiate sports program.

This particular past fella of mine had numerous teams that he claimed allegiance, not just the school(s) he attended, but also the universities of his parents (undergrad and graduate), teams from their hometowns, and the teams he'd started following as a kid just for the heck of it.

As one that has been following sports pretty regularly the majority of my life, I recognize the importance of choosing YOUR team. I have heard various opinions and arguments on this topic, not just from this guy. I have also seen criticisms when one who claims to be a "true" fan of a team meets someone that shares a love for that same team but, according to them, for the wrong reasons. (Ican understand this somewhat since I claim to be able to call out those that aren't "true" DMB or Harry Potter fans).

With the varying opinions on criteria for "true" team allegiance in mind, these are some of the teams that I should be "allowed" to be a fan of:

1. Temple (my dad went there - though only briefly)
2. All Philly teams (my mama's hometown)
3. Various Arizona teams (I was born there)
4. Carolina Panthers (obviously)
5. Carolina Hurricanes (we have a hockey team?)
6. NC State Wolfpack (as before mentioned)
7. BYU Cougars (because I'm Mormon and that's what we do)
8. BYU-Idaho (my alma mater)
9. Meredith College (my other alma mater, kind of... *bonus points for anyone that can name their mascot*)
10. Bruce Springstein (I know this isn't a team but there really isn't anything else of note to come out of New Jersey, except maybe Bon Jovi)

From this list, I only really claim to care about a few of them. So what do you think? I know there really isn't a set rule for determining what teams you should be allowed to follow, but as a fan of many sports, I have often encountered this topic. Also, since I am a woman and when it comes to sports I am already by default swimming against the current of knowledge, I am aware that I am more subject to sports-related criticism. I would hate to add to that genetic handicap by misstepping and choosing the "wrong" team...

Completely Pointless Post of the Week

$350 to be a nemesis? TOTALLY worth it.


Best of Craigslist

Nemesis required. 6-month project with possibilty to extend
Date: 2008-05-07, 2:49PM PDT

I've been trying to think of ways to spice up my life. I'm 35 years old, happily married with two kids and I have a good job in insurance. But somethings missing. I feel like I'm old before my time. I need to inject some excitement into my daily routine through my arm before its too late. I need a challenge, something to get the adrenaline pumping again. An addiction would be nice, but, in short, I need a nemesis. I'm willing to pay $350 up front for you services as an arch enemy over the next six months. Nothing crazy. Steal my parking space, knock my coffee over, trip me when Im running to catch the BART and occasionaly whisper in my ear, "Ahha, we meet again". That kind of thing. Just keep me on my toes. Complacency will be the death of me. You need to have an evil streak and be blessed with innate guile and cunning. You should also be adept at inconsicuous pursuit. Evil laugh preferred. Send me a photo and a brief explanation why you would be a good nemesis.

British accent preferred.

Compensation: $350 up front

I *heart* Tina Fey

For those of you that missed it...

In your personal opinion...

I am beginning to notice a trend in my blog entries. That trend being the number of comments that I receive per entry. They are going down. While this may come as a great shock to some of you (myself included) while others (who probably aren't seeing this post anyway because you are clearly on a temporary hiatus from reading my spectacular blog-ness) didn't really notice one way or the other.

So my question to you is this... what changes do I need to make in my posts/entries to stimulate more feedback? I read a good number of other blogs. I see what kinds of comments people make and on what kinds of blogs and blogging entries. So I have narrowed down the options for my changes. Please select from the following choices or make up one of your own:

a) Status updates on my life and events

b) More details on my thoughts, feelings, and other such personal angst

c) Personal interpretations of current events/politics

d) Church/gospel-related topics

e) Book reviews

d) Group-participatory surveys/questions

I recently gave my mother a hard time for not reading my blog. I exclaimed with (some) joking tones that if I was posting pictures of my children/her grandchildren she would be more likely to read it. She agreed. So clearly that is one sure fire way to get more readers - have babies. I'll get right on that.

Aside from having children, I am currently looking for other ways to give my blog a bit of a kick in the pants. Give feedback if you choose but let's be honest, I'm probably still going to post on whatever the heck I want. I'm just bored of looking at the same post on my blog for the past week.

Casting Stones

I recently read the book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. My mother read it while we were at the beach last week. At one point while on the beach she turned to me in disgust and said "They BOUND the girls feet to make them 7 mm long?!?" This particular book takes place during 19th century China and follows one woman's life story. For those of you that weren't in Professor Walz East Asian History class or particularly versed in Chinese culture, for about one thousand years it was common practice in China for women to have bound feet. The practice has only recently (early 1900s) been outlawed and you can still find women in China with bound feet.

Why in the world would they bind women's feet? I will attempt to summarize. The origin of why this started is not entirely known. It is speculated that there was a prized concubine once upon a time that, by nature, had incredibly small feet. She grew in fame because of her beauty and favor with the emperor. From this, women, especially those in high class society, began breaking their feet in order to make them appear incredibly small. The goal was to achieve the "golden lotus" - feet about the length of a thumb. The bound feet were seen as attractive and symbolized class and good breeding. Large feet became indicative of lower class due to the need for manual labor. The process began around the age of 6-7 and didn't fully heal for about 5 years. One in ten girls died from the foot-binding process. The girls knew their responsibilities as women and accepted that the bound feet determined theirstatus for the rest of their lives. Yes, bound feet even determined how well they would marry.

While we (my mom, sister, and I) sat discussing this on the beach, we speculated how a culture could practice something so crazy - and for a thousand years - all for the sake of society, fashion, sensuality, tradition, and duty. When examing alone the reasons for foot-binding, we'd find that such concepts are not foreign to American culture. My sister stated this observation as we sat there, baking ourselves in the sun, (oiling and lotioning! lotioning and oiling!), damaging our skin cells all for solely aesthetic purposes.

Her comment reminded me of an article I read in college that I often go back to whenever an issue of cultural differences arises. It is called "Trying out one's New Sword" by Mary Midgley. If you are interested, I suggest reading the article. If you choose not to read it, the basic idea is as follows: There is a word in the Japanese language that means "to try out one's new sword on a chance wayfarer." The practice was to test a new blade on a human opponent, preferrebly not another Samurai, usually completely at random. This example is used to bring about the question of whether members of one culture can make a moral judgement upon members or practices of another.

I often think of this article. Not only when discussing other cultures but moreso when hearing or reading about my own. I am not without judgment. No human can claim as such. But the root of our judgments upon other cultures lies in the intolerance of those within our own. I don't necessarily mean cultures within cultures but also groups, individuals, opinions, friends, loved-ones. A position we hold, whether it be socially, intellectually, or professionally, should not be used as basis for a superiority complex. It only contributes to a pedistol of intolerance and closes our minds when we otherwise claim to be striving to open them. It's a lesson that I don't mean to imply that I have learned, just one that I think of whenever I read that article.

Moral and cultural judgments are a tricky thing. Reading that article after reading Snow Flower helps to put into perspective that every culture has a tsujigiri or a foot-binding. If anyone still has questions about whether or not bound feet are a completely crazy practice, read up on the definition of high heel shoes. Or people-watch at the state fair.

Door number 1 or door number 2?

Did anyone else out there read the Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid (aka CYOA for the truly devoted)? I don't recall reading many of them but what I remember most was my typical approach to how I chose my adventure. I read a couple chapters, made my choice when prompted, turned a few pages into the book and read my next stage, made another choice, turned about 15 more pages, read my next stage and then I swear mine always ended with something really lame. Boo! So what is the only thing to be done?!? Start over again and pick a different sequence of choices to get a cooler adventure. Am I right? Is there any other way to read a CYOA book??

What if we could live life like one big CYOA? Or rather the CYOA where you cheat like I did. On one hand, it could be pretty rad. I could get to the conclusion after my series of page turning and if it wasn't what I wanted it to be, go back and pick option B instead of option A and have a whole different set of adventures. Would you take more risks knowing that no matter how it turned out you could always go back and change things or would you play it extra safe? It was quite disappointing to feel like you were on a roll with the adventure only to have it abruptly halted by the page with the big stop sign at the bottom of the last paragraph. It'd be nice to have the option of turning back from the big ugly stop sign and starting back at the beginning. Man, I sure do hate that big stop sign.

On the other hand, part of what makes an adventure an adventure is the risk. The unknown holds a certain thrill that makes life interesting. I have tried to live my life with no regrets. That doesn't mean I haven't done some pretty ridiculous stuff. It just means that I recognize that life is too short to regret the "adventures". I don't have the luxury of turning back the pages and picking a different route so why waste time pretending like I can. Our choices in life are the source of much of our life lessons. Good or bad, they contribute to that wonderful gem called opposition. We can't appreciate the sweet without the bitter, joy without the sorrow.

I have a few of these cutesy conversation books with hundreds of questions for the game of life. One of the questions asks something like, "if you could find out everything that was going to happen in your life in the next five years, would you want to know?" This question gets more interesting the more you think about it. So go ahead, think about it. I have my answer...

How to celebrate the month of August

I don't know about yall but I am getting tired of looking at the same old post on my blog. I've had no blogging inspiration lately. Hence the lull. I thought about posting something every day for the month of August in honor of it being my birthday month. There are no national holidays in the month of August. It's the only month without one (for those of you that doubt, go here and see for yourself). Therefore I encourage all those in need of a holiday to celebrate in August, feel free to celebrate my birthday. I don't care about you sending me presents or anything. You can just take a moment on the 16th, eat a bowl of ice cream and that should be fine.

Birthdays are pretty fab. It's like your own taylor-made holiday. Anything goes cuz hey! It's your birffday! Over the years I haven't had too many big celebrations for my birthday. A couple of years ago, some friends threw a suprise party for a few of us that have birthdays on the same day or close to. I was excited to have my very first surprise party. Last year we had a big party at my house (again for the same group of August bday people). For my 16th birthday my brother bought 16 yellow roses and had all my friends deliver them to my one by one at a dance. That one was pretty memorable as well. Then there were those ones as a child that my parents spent in Hawaii and left us with a sitter for a week. I actually don't remember those. They have only been brought back to my recollection after recent visits to the therapist. (jk. love you!) You can read more about that in my memoirs.

In case yall need further reason to celebrate the month of August or August 16th, here are a few factoids about my date of birth:

Share birthday with: Madonna, Steve Carell, Frank Gifford AND Kathy-Lee (lucky!), T.E. Lawrence, James Cameron

Famous deaths: Elvis, Babe Ruth, Margaret Mitchell, Shamu

Unofficial Holidays:

August 2 - Friendship Day
August 15 - Assumption Day

August 19 - National Aviation Day

August 26 - Women's Equality Day

Days in History:

1777- American forces win Battle of Bennington (Revolutionary War)

1858- President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria
1954 - First Publication of Sports Illustrated
1982- (Time Magazine) Ongoing Lebanese Civil War

Magazine covers from August 16, 1982 and the first issue of SI from 1954