BECAUSE IT'S THURSDAY?

"puff the magic dragon lived by the sea...."

dragon: a mythical monster like a giant reptile. in european tradition the dragon is typically fire-breathing and tends to symbolize chaos or evil, whereas in east asia it is usually a beneficent symbol of fertility, associated with water and the heavens.










just a quick list of my favorite dragons in honor of "appreciate a dragon" day:

1. puff the magic dragon

2. falkor (the never ending story)

3. elliot (pete's dragon)

4. smaug (j.r.r. tolkien's the hobbit)

5. the hungarian horntail (j.k. rowling's harry potter)

6. maleficent (sleeping beauty)

7. (and my all time favorite) h.r. pufnstuf

have you appreciated a dragon today? 

                                        

FLASHBACK 1978

REPEAT because it's the last day of "safe at home" week (8/26~8/30) and it's kind of relevant...
"on a gathering storm comes a tall, handsome man...in a long dusty coat with a red right hand"
we were all 12 and 13 years old. we couldn't drive. we were at the mercy of our parents, or our feet, to get us where we were going. so, wherever we went, it had to be close. so we all met at colony square. we had the video arcade (saturn 3). we had the cinema. our parents dropped us off, and expected that we would behave. and, by behave, i mean...we wouldn't go see rated r movies. bahahahahahahahaha!!
we saw them all. halloween (parts 1 and 2). friday the 13th (1 thru 4). mother's day. motel hell. dawn of the dead. the evil dead.
FLASH FORWARD today
so...i'm in the closet, putting away clothes. the dog and the cat have followed me in there. the bk? he's at work. i hear a thump in the living room. maddie hears it, too. the hair on her back is standing straight up. ummmm...what do i do now? i can't run...the only way out is thru the living room. i can't scream...whatever caused the thump would hear me. eventually, i come to my senses. the front door is dead bolted and chained. the only way in is thru the screened door and i live on the 2nd floor. i determine i'm perfectly safe, unless, of course, ninja zombies are attacking.

and this gets me thinking...what exactly AM i supposed to do if, in fact, i am thrown into a horror flick? the dumb chick, who always happens to be blond (aaarrrggghhh), runs upstairs when she should be running out of the house. but what if upstairs is your only choice? what IF the only way out is blocked by a serial killer? and why do the victims always hide in the obvious places? under a blanket. in the closet. behind the couch. but, if you think about it, unless you live in a mansion with hidden rooms and tunnels, there really isn't a good place to hide. hmmmmmm....
i've assessed my surroundings and i've come up with a plan. a fool~proof plan that, to the untrained eye, will appear to be simple prep for fire safety:

#1~assess your home and note two ways out of every room. if the serial killer is coming thru the door, obviously you can't go out it.
#2~establish a meeting place outside...a safe distance from your house. 
#3~get a fire extinguisher, preferably an abc type (good for multiple types of fires from combustible to electrical). not only will it put out a fire but it can be used to disorient your attacker while you make your escape.
#4~if you live in a two~story home, or the second floor of an apartment building, invest in a fire escape ladder. if you get injured trying to jump out you will never escape. 

all this, and my impressive ninja skills, should protect ME from fire and jason vorhees...you, however, are on your own :)

                        

 

                                       

TUESDAY TREASURES

"these are a few of my favorite things..."



1. i always look forward to late night with jimmy fallon because i might get to see this:

 2. edy's slow churned ice cream ...slow churned is naturally half the fat, so i can feel slightly less guilty. and this flavor is uh~mazing! but it's only available thru the end of august:

3. i can't say, for sure, it's my favorite...yet...but my love of everything simon peg (shaun of the dead, hot fuzz) tells me i am going to totally love this:

4. i'm in love with this:

5. i can't stop listening to this:

6. really liked reading this:

7. i totally love playing on vine because i can do this:

what are some of your favorite things?

not so MANIC MONDAY

repeat :)
"a little less conversation a little more action baby..."
FLASHBACK july 2009
one of the first things i notice about jamie, he has an amazing tattoo of elvis on his right ankle. yep. he's an elvis fan. i am a closet elvis fan. i watch his movies when no one is looking. i have a cd with all of his greats. i only listen to it when no one is in the car with me.
FLASH FORWARD today
i am no longer a closet fan. i love elvis. i sing along with jamie every time he comes on the radio (which can happen a lot with sirius xm). not too long ago we watched "clambake"...an elvis great as long as he wasn't singing about "goop". okay. i admit it. sometimes his movies made him look like a dork. but we all know he was the coolest person in the history of ever. even my beloved beatles thought so.
saturday marked the beginning of elvis week. so from today thru the 17th, take some time to unleash your inner hound dog. HAIL TO THE KING BABY!!

                   

A WEEK IN THE LIFE: INSTAGRAM EDITION

6. flashback: second first date

"i got a nikon camera...i love to take a photograph...mama don't take my kodachrome away..."

summer...time for chocolate, anniversaries, tequila shots, and fresh veggies. and taking pictures of it all on instagram...because what good is all of this if you can't share it...
happy instagramming :)

1. chocolate frog from honeydukes...................

2. again. so sad bk won't let me eat it..............

3. celebrating national ice cream day...yummo

4. it was national tequila day....no worm required

5. corn and maters....best lunch ever................

FLASHBACK sometime in 1992

"eloquent profanity, it rolls right off my tongue"
it's a gloomy day in upstate new york. i'm cleaning house and cody is watching "the elephant show". i open the drapes. the two year old toddles to the window and says "oh S&%T! it's raining!". ummmmm...i'm super excited because it's his first full sentence. and i'm completely mortified because it's his first full sentence. clearly, i need to watch my mouth in front of the kids. yeah. that's NOT going to happen.
FLASH FORWARD 2010
my nieces and i are in line at king's island. abby and madison are picking on emma. i look over just in time to see her flip the bird (the universal sign of love in our family). EMMA!!! "what? i was just telling her i love her?!!". welp....at least we know she retains information.

FLASH FORWARD today
today is earmuffs day. I KNOW it's to honor the anniversary of the patent some guy with giant ears (chester greenwood) got on his invention in 1877. however, i'm choosing to honor the 10 year tradition, brought to us by vince vaughn, of yelling "earmuffs" when we plan to say something in front of our kids that, maybe, they shouldn't hear.
it's really easy to say "you shouldn't use that language in front of children". but let's say you stub your toe really hard on the coffee table. are you really going to look around and check for little ears before you let out a very loud "F&%K!!!!!!!!" (or, maybe, you'll just say "d*&m" because you aren't, actually, a sailor)? no. no you're not. also, they are going to hear it a million other places (school, tv, movies, video games) so watching your mouth isn't, necessarily, going to prevent them from learning and using foul language. so, how do you prevent your child from swearing? you could search google for advice. there you will find all kinds of articles about how horrible it is for kids to talk like this. articles that say you should give them words to use instead. what? look. i taught 2 year old cody to say "sugar"...it worked, until he went to school. i say, listen to someone a little less uptight. like me!

• don't make a HUGE deal out of what the kid said. getting angry, or laughing, or immediately punishing the child will only make the word(s) more powerful. flip out and your kid is going to say "s$%t" every time (s)he wants your attention.
• talk to your kid about when that language is or isn't appropriate. maybe you think it's never appropriate. or, maybe, you think it's okay when you are extremely angry. kids aren't stupid. talk to them, rationally, and they will understand. my kids knew their boundaries. of course they used that language, but never at school, or church, or anywhere it might offend someone. 
• be more concerned with the messages of ALL the words we speak, and the tone we use when we speak them. i'm more concerned with words that sound judgmental, gossipy, or condescending. 

or, you could just yell "EARMUFFS!" right before you let the f~word fly.

^one of cody's favorite shows...no profanity included^

^"earmuff it for me"^

FLASHBACK january 8, 1935

 "it's down at the end of lonely street at heartbreak hotel"

elvis aaron presley is born. in tupelo, mississippi. to vernon and gladys. his identical twin brother, jesse, was delivered 35 minutes before...stillborn...he was considered "average" while growing up in tupelo. he received his first guitar at 10 years old. in august of 1953, he walked into sun records to pay for studio time. sam phillips liked what he heard. after that meeting, elvis would release18 number one hits (the first being "heartbreak hotel")...would be declared "unfit for family viewing" by the ed sullivan show...would star in 31 movies...would serve his country for 2 years...would influence other artists, such as the beatles...would marry and divorce only once...and would produce one child. elvis passed on august 16, 1977 at 42 years old...in a statement, president jimmy carter credited elvis with "permanently changing the face of american pop culture"...since his death he has been inducted into FOUR music hall of fames (rock and roll hall of fame, country music hall of fame, gospel music hall of fame, and rockabilly hall of fame)...graceland was opened to the public and welcomes over 600,000 people a year...had countless reissues and remixes top the charts...
HAIL TO THE KING BABY!!

                

FLASHBACK sometime after 1965

"hark the herald angels sing...."
i can't really tell you how old i was the very first time i watched "a charlie brown christmas", i can just tell you i have watched it every single year since. it just cannot be christmas without it. you can watch all the rudolph and frosty and grinch and shrek you want...if you haven't watched charlie brown, you don't really know what christmas is all about. 47 years after it originally aired, i still get teary~eyed when linus takes that stage and says "and there were, in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. and lo, the angel of the lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. and the angel said unto them, 'fear not: for behold, i bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. for unto you is born this day in the city of david a savior, which is christ the lord. and this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising god, and saying, 'glory to god in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' that's what christmas is all about, charlie brown." 
*a few things to note next time you watch "charlie brown christmas", and the bk knows because i point them out every year: linus never ever lets go of his security blanket, EXCEPT at the very moment he says "fear not: for behold, i bring you good tidings of great joy"; lucy always calls charlie brown by his full name, EXCEPT right before her rant about christmas being a commercial racket...she just calls him charlie then; pay attention when they are singing "hark the herald angels sing"...#1~all the characters take deep breaths while singing and #2~dirt flies every time pig pen takes a deep breath.

FLASH FORWARD today
i still watch "charlie brown christmas"...and still point out everything i notice even if the bk heard it last year...and the year before that...and the year before that...and the year before that, but i have added a slew of must~watches. so, what other specials and movies make my holiday perfect, you ask? here's my top 10 (in no particular order):

1. a christmas carol (1938): you can catch it on turner classic movies and it will always be my very favorite. it's, obviously, black and white, and a little cheesy. but i dare you not to get choked up when black and white tiny tim says "god bless us, everyone".
2. it's a wonderful life (1946): i know...i know...it makes everybody's list at christmas, but, did you know that it was a flop when it was originally released?
3. a christmas story (1983): everybody loves this movie. EVERYBODY. LOVES. this movie. fun fact? ralphie says he wants a red ryder bb gun 28 times.
4. elf (2003): "the best way to spread christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear". and that's all i have to say about that.
5. scrooged (1988): because nothing says "christmas" like bill murray acting like an a$$ and being terrorized by buster poindexter, carol kane, and bobcat goldthwait.
6. home alone  and home alone 2 (1990 and 1992): because macauley culkin is super cute and joe pesci is hilarious.
7. the santa clause movies (1994, 2002, 2006): don't judge me...
8. miracle on 34th street (1947): watch the original...the santa is better. trust me. 
9. christmas vacation (1989): clark griswold reminds me of my dad...he tries to make everything, from vacations to christmas, perfect. and my dad takes great pride in his holiday decorations. 
10. nightmare before christmas (1993): tim burton. that is all. 

of course, i will be watching all of the specials. rudolph the red~nosed reindeer. frosty the snowman. and anything that comes on abc family's 25 days of christmas...bring some popcorn (i'll provide the hot chocolate) and join me?

                         

FLASH BACK november 16, 1978

"it's wonderful to be here...it's certainly a thrill...you're such a lovely audience we'd like to take you home with us...we'd love to take you home" 

i have always been a beatles fan. i LOVE all things beatles. i LOVE when people cover beatles songs, or songs by former beatles. except. well....it's very rare that i'm happy with a cover of john lennon's "imagine". but, it's 1978. i am also a fan of peter frampton, the bee gees, and aerosmith. so, how excited am i that all of those people, and more, have made "sgt pepper's lonely hearts club band" into a movie?! super excited!!! sgt pepper's is about a small town band that makes it big and loses sight of who they are, getting caught up in the business. then, they must stop an attempt to take over their home town. it stars peter frampton and the bee gees as sgt pepper's band. it also stars steve martin, george burns, earth wind and fire! the soundtrack includes all but 2 tunes  from the sgt pepper album and nearly all of abbey road. the best being aerosmith's cover of "come together". i L~O~V~E this movie!
FLASH FORWARD 2009
i am flipping channels one rainy saturday. and i see that sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band is coming on. OMG!!! i haven't seen this in FOREVER!! 5 minutes in...ummmmm. 15 minutes in...what? 30 minutes in...i realize the ONLY thing good about this movie is the music. when i was 13 i wondered why movies i liked never won oscars...now i COMPLETELY understand. 13 year old me was an idiot. but 45 minutes in i realize it's just campy fun. so if you like great music and silliness go out and find a copy of "sgt pepper's lonely hearts club band".....:)

          

 

^yes...i had the soundtrack^

^aerosmith as the future villains band^