Friday, 30 November 2007
Random Christmas Products, Part Two
I was a sensitive child. Seriously. I cried at the drop of a hat. Anyone remember that commercial for the dryer sheets that would eliminate the need for the iron? The iron was crying as "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" played over it? Yeah. I was crying too.
The fierce city streets of Washington, DC and London have toughened me up. I no longer have to carry tissues in my pocket at all times (though I still do...I was either a model girl scout in my past life or I'm actually an 80-year-old woman.) There is however one thing that will always, always make me tear up. And that is the perennial Christmas classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
If Linus's speech doesn't make you a little misty, then I just don't know what to say. At that point, however, I'm already sobbing. Everyone made fun of Charlie Brown and his tree! He just wanted to make them happy! Can't someone think of the children?!
This year I stumbled upon a replica Charlie Brown tree. It has a sign next to it that says "This tree needs you." It needs me! But my inner Lucy fought back and thus someone else will have to shell out the $24 for the sad little sprout.
It does however make me smile every time I think about it. And truly, I think that's what Charlie Brown would have wanted.
The fierce city streets of Washington, DC and London have toughened me up. I no longer have to carry tissues in my pocket at all times (though I still do...I was either a model girl scout in my past life or I'm actually an 80-year-old woman.) There is however one thing that will always, always make me tear up. And that is the perennial Christmas classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
If Linus's speech doesn't make you a little misty, then I just don't know what to say. At that point, however, I'm already sobbing. Everyone made fun of Charlie Brown and his tree! He just wanted to make them happy! Can't someone think of the children?!
This year I stumbled upon a replica Charlie Brown tree. It has a sign next to it that says "This tree needs you." It needs me! But my inner Lucy fought back and thus someone else will have to shell out the $24 for the sad little sprout.
It does however make me smile every time I think about it. And truly, I think that's what Charlie Brown would have wanted.
Tra la la la laaa la la la la
Let's talk Christmas carols.
Some people hate them. It's true that people have gotten a little trigger happy with the holiday albums. I'm as mad as the rest of you when stores play Christmas music before Thanksgiving. But Black Friday hits and game on. The soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas? Check. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, The Lost Christmas Eve? Check. Bing Crosby's Christmas classics? Check.
I set my ITunes Christmas playlist on repeat, pop in the holiday Partridge Family and N'Sync cds (back off...they're good!), and cheerfully drift off to the strains of the knock-off Jingle Bells, "Yingle Bells." That one actually features the line "I should have worn long underwear in that one-horse open sleigh" sung in a Swedish accent. It doesn't get much better than that. (Oh my god...I just found it online. Experience the wonder...)
But still...Even I tire of my music by the second week of constant play. I sadly start to think that maybe those carol-haters have a point. Well. We can't have that. And this year I've found a solution.
Christmas radio on your computer! Totally free! The ads are a little annoying, but that's a small price to pay for Mariah Carey's Christmas tunes. And you don't have to experience the shame of buying them! Everybody's happy. Well...except that Swede in the sleigh.
Some people hate them. It's true that people have gotten a little trigger happy with the holiday albums. I'm as mad as the rest of you when stores play Christmas music before Thanksgiving. But Black Friday hits and game on. The soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas? Check. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, The Lost Christmas Eve? Check. Bing Crosby's Christmas classics? Check.
I set my ITunes Christmas playlist on repeat, pop in the holiday Partridge Family and N'Sync cds (back off...they're good!), and cheerfully drift off to the strains of the knock-off Jingle Bells, "Yingle Bells." That one actually features the line "I should have worn long underwear in that one-horse open sleigh" sung in a Swedish accent. It doesn't get much better than that. (Oh my god...I just found it online. Experience the wonder...)
But still...Even I tire of my music by the second week of constant play. I sadly start to think that maybe those carol-haters have a point. Well. We can't have that. And this year I've found a solution.
Christmas radio on your computer! Totally free! The ads are a little annoying, but that's a small price to pay for Mariah Carey's Christmas tunes. And you don't have to experience the shame of buying them! Everybody's happy. Well...except that Swede in the sleigh.
"Dwight, you ignorant slut!"
Because I'm in London, I haven't been watching TV. Even before I left I was really only into The Office. So the writer's strike shouldn't be affecting me much. But I love The Office and thus have been acquiring episodes by all means possible. Let me tell you, it isn't nearly as funny when your copy only has every other sentence of dialogue. Even so, the strike is affecting my Saturday morning ritual. So I have been fulfilling my need for awkward and awesome humor by reading the various cast members' blogs. These people are great in real life too!Check them out:
Mindy Ephron (Kelly) (Full disclosure: I totally got the idea for this blog from Mindy's.)
Jenna Fischer (Pam)
BJ Novak (Ryan)
Angela Kinsey (Angela)
I'm pretty sure Creed Bratton (Creed), Kate Flannery (Meredith), Paul Lieberstein (Toby), and Craig Robinson (Darryl) are all on MySpace too.
Random Christmas Products, Part One
I love Christmas. Possibly in an unhealthy way. The decorations, the presents, the food, the family, the songs...all of it. Love. Thus an excellent way to get me to buy something is to somehow relate it to Christmas.
Enter Mrs. Meyer's Holiday Clean Up Kit. It's gingerbread-scented cleaning supplies you guys. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to resist.
"Red, red wine...Stay close to me"
When you think red wine, a certain image comes to mind. It's sexy, powerful, and a little dangerous. Unfortunately for me, it's also disgusting.
You see, I want to be the girl who drinks red wine. Just like I want to be the girl with the devil- may-care bedhead who hops on the next train to Paris with the clothes on her back (all black and incredibly chic of course.)
Instead I am the girl who when presented with the option, "really will just have the diet coke." Yeah. Not much danger and excitement there.
But! Last night at a wine tasting I found a red I like. It's J. Lohr Wildflower 2005 and incredibly expensive. So I asked for a similar drink and apparently a French Beaujolais is what I'm looking for. Also, a handy little trick I learned was to put lemon or vinegar on your food and the wine will be much milder. Drinkable reds!
So maybe I will always be the girl who buys her ticket in advance and packs carefully two days ahead of time. Only now, I will be doing it all in anticipation of a wonderful vacation dinner complete with that roguish red wine.
You see, I want to be the girl who drinks red wine. Just like I want to be the girl with the devil- may-care bedhead who hops on the next train to Paris with the clothes on her back (all black and incredibly chic of course.)
Instead I am the girl who when presented with the option, "really will just have the diet coke." Yeah. Not much danger and excitement there.
But! Last night at a wine tasting I found a red I like. It's J. Lohr Wildflower 2005 and incredibly expensive. So I asked for a similar drink and apparently a French Beaujolais is what I'm looking for. Also, a handy little trick I learned was to put lemon or vinegar on your food and the wine will be much milder. Drinkable reds!
So maybe I will always be the girl who buys her ticket in advance and packs carefully two days ahead of time. Only now, I will be doing it all in anticipation of a wonderful vacation dinner complete with that roguish red wine.
Who says "oh, snap" isn't cool anymore?
There are certain phrases I like a lot.
"made of win"
"jumped the queue"
"whatevs"
"hate with the heat of a thousand burning suns"
"death on a triscuit"
And even when everyone is absolutely sick of hearing me say "that's what she said" for the thousandth time, I do not care. Because everytime I say these things I am a little giddy.
"For reals, ya'll."
"made of win"
"jumped the queue"
"whatevs"
"hate with the heat of a thousand burning suns"
"death on a triscuit"
And even when everyone is absolutely sick of hearing me say "that's what she said" for the thousandth time, I do not care. Because everytime I say these things I am a little giddy.
"For reals, ya'll."
Opa!
Do you like yogurt? I do. I especially love seeing the strange and wonderful flavors Yoplait and co. will come up with next. For instance, at your local Sainsbury's you can find 'Sticky Toffee Pudding' flavor. There's something vaguely Willy Wonka about it.
That said today's subject is not yogurt. Or at least not what you would typically think of as yogurt. It is technically true yogurt, but given my vast experience with the flavored stuff, I prefer to think of it in a different category all together. That category is yum. Fage 0% is thick, sugar free, totally natural, and kind of disgusting at first. Then it grows on you. And you crave more. And you eat more because it is good for you! Awesome.
Fage. Try it. A little honey or some preserves might help before its cracktastic qualities take over.
That said today's subject is not yogurt. Or at least not what you would typically think of as yogurt. It is technically true yogurt, but given my vast experience with the flavored stuff, I prefer to think of it in a different category all together. That category is yum. Fage 0% is thick, sugar free, totally natural, and kind of disgusting at first. Then it grows on you. And you crave more. And you eat more because it is good for you! Awesome.
Fage. Try it. A little honey or some preserves might help before its cracktastic qualities take over.
"Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves." - Dorothy Parker
I like a lot of things. For instance, I have over 100 links in my favorites menu. That's a little embarrassing. But hey, happy people are supposed to live longer, right?
So I decided to share a little of my happiness. Or be really self-centered and think that of course people would want to read about what I like. Why wouldn't they? I'm awesome.
Whichever floats your boat.
Anyway, if you're interested in things I find that are useful, make me smile, or are just randomly cool, read on.
So I decided to share a little of my happiness. Or be really self-centered and think that of course people would want to read about what I like. Why wouldn't they? I'm awesome.
Whichever floats your boat.
Anyway, if you're interested in things I find that are useful, make me smile, or are just randomly cool, read on.
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