Music Videos

Have you ever seen a music video and thought, "What the heck was that?" A couple years ago I heard Florence+the Machines' The Dog Days Are Over and bought the album the next day. I liked it that much. There are some other great songs (Lungs, Cosmic Love) on the album but Dog Days is my favorite. The video is...bizarre. The song lyrics are a little odd and I thought the video might offer some clarity but no such luck. See for yourself here.

A few days ago I heard Ellie Goulding's Anything Could Happen on the radio. I bought the song on iTunes that night. I wanted to watch the video on YouTube to see what she looked like and see if the video told a story. The song kind of gives me the same feeling I get when I read Wuthering Heights. The video is confusing. Did they die? Was she the only one who died? Were they breaking up? Is she an angel? I just don't get it. See if you can figure it out and then get back to me.

I miss the days when music videos told a story (sometimes in tune--pardon the pun--with the song, sometimes not). So, since it's Halloween, I think we should all reminisce about Thriller and what an awesome, epic music video it is.

Enjoy the show and have a Happy Halloween!!

Civic Duty

I took advantage of early voting and waddled on down to the court house on Friday. There were only about three people ahead of me and a few more after me. The entire process was very efficient and I was on my way back to work in less than 10 minutes. I proudly wore my I'm a Georgia Voter sticker all day. The first time I was old enough to vote I was in college during the Bush/Gore election. I don't even remember if I voted. I don't think I registered in time to vote but I vaguely remember riding along with my roommate to the polling station. I believe the first time I voted was the Bush/Kerry election on election day. That was a very long process. I didn't mind because it was an excused absence from work but the wait doesn't appeal to me these days. I participated in early voting last election also. It's easy to feel like my vote doesn't count because I'm just one person but there are millions of people saying the same thing and still voting so it does make a difference. A hundred years ago I wouldn't have even been allowed to vote. I also wasn't living then but you get the picture.

Heating Blanket Bliss

Things have been crazy this week with school work. I have a big project due on Monday (which I've known about for 3 weeks) and I'm slowly making progress. It's going to be a homework weekend glued to the computer. I did a little work this past weekend but it was mostly catching up on reading and posting for our weekly discussion board. The weather was very cool this weekend.

The lake house is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. This weekend I pulled out the heating blanket. I love this thing. We usually run the fire when it gets really cold but it seems to just pump heat upstairs and not on the couch where I stay for many hours. A heating blanket is a great solution and we don't even need to run the fire (it's a gas fire with an off/on switch). The puppies seem to like the blanket too. They don't usually lay this close to each other. In fact, Sandi won't stand for it and Remy growls at Sandi in the evening if she tries to get on the bed. This may be the third heating blanket I've had in a year. Remy chewed the cord on one and the second one just stopped working. He chewed the cord on this one as well. Jeff is going to try and MacGyver it.  

I'd Like To Thank...

Whitney for nominating me for the Liebster Award. She described what it is on her blog but I'm still not sure what it's all about. She did say it's German and since my maiden name is German I should be nominated by default--although it's unclear if there is an actual winner. I've reviewed different instructions where you nominate a blog and pose 10 or 11 questions to the blogger who in turn answers them, creates their own 10 or 11 questions to other blogs with a following of less than two hundred. My following is 3. German maiden name and 3 followers. I definitely qualify. I don't know many other bloggers so I won't be able to nominate the required 8 (or more depending on what you read). Here are Whitney's questions for me...

1. When was the last time you said “I’m glad I don’t have that job”?

This morning when I noticed the last stall in the ladies' restroom is clogged. I called engineering.

2. Who do you miss the most?

My grandpa

3. Last movie you saw in theaters?

Snow White and the Huntsman

4. Favorite workout?

Toss up between Turbo Fire and running

5. What is the most embarrassing CD you ever owned?

Another toss up between all the Twilight soundtracks and Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack

6. What were you doing before you started this?

Looking at library furniture online

7. What is your fantasy people sandwich hug?

Chris Evans and Hugh Jackman (I'm not sure I've answered this correctly but it sounds good to me)

8. If you were invisible where would you go?

This is a tough one. There are ton's of places I would love to go but the invisible part is tricky. Any meeting where my boss talks with the Human Resources Department would be pretty entertaining.

9. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?

Chick-fil-a

10. What is your favorite picture (post or describe it)?

Any picture of my dogs

Here is a link to Whitney's blog so you can see the questions she was asked by her nominator. As for me, I shall nominate by BFF Frances at The Bentley Family at http://bentley-family.blogspot.com/. I love her blog and seeing pictures of her daughters, her art work, and all the changes she's made to her house. Here are her 11 questions from me... 

1. What is your favorite Halloween costume?

2. If you could meet any fictional book character who would it be?

3. What is your favorite Michael Jackson song?

4. How many times a day do you floss?

5. Who would you most like to see on Dancing with the Stars?

6. What is the most ethnic meal you've ever had?

7. What is your favorite show on HGTV?

8. How many text messages did you send yesterday?

9. Where would you most like to visit outside the U.S.?

10. If you were a superhero, what superpowers would you have?

11. What is your favorite children's book?

Menswear-Inspired?

I took an online 'what's your retro fashion persona?' quiz this morning on MSN.com. I answered eight questions and my result is The Sophisticate. In case you can't read the description, it reads as follows:

The Sophisticate

Think East-Coaster Katharine Hepburn. Your go-to look remains classic, despite the trends, and you enjoy the finer things in life. Luxurious cashmere and fine tailoring are key, but you love to mix up your conservative feminine wardrobe with some menswear-inspired pieces. Although you love what the city offers, you feel at home in the countryside. 

I agree with the majority of the description but I hate to wear cashmere. I think one of the other choices for that question included skinny jeans. I'd rather scratch my skin raw all day long then wear skinny jeans and not be able to sit down and breathe properly. I can't figure out which question resulted in menswear-inspired pieces comment. One question asked what was my go-to piece of jewelry and I selected classic wristwatch.  That's the only thing I can think of all the questions that wasn't overtly girly. I do gravitate toward classic pieces and I truly appreciate what fine tailoring can do and I am trying to mix up my wardrobe with bolder patterns and fun jewelry. However, I will not be wearing any neckties or other man-ish accessories. Try the quiz and find out your retro fashion persona. 

Multi-purpose Footwear

Most people know that I love, love, love my flip flops. My favorites are Tevas with mush technology. They are very comfortable and most days I can't wait to get home and get out of my work shoes and into my Tevas. I wear them everywhere and for as long as I can into the winter months. Yahoo had an article today about a man who wore flip flops during the most unlikely event. He ran the Baltimore Marathon in flip flops in under 3 hours! I'm so impressed and inspired. I'm feeling shame as well. I can't even improve my 5k time in $80 Skecher's running shoes but this man can run a marathon and set a Guinness Book of World Records record. I wore my flip flops to the fair this past weekend. Not the brightest idea because of all the poop but I would have gotten poop on any pair of shoes. He says he has no interest in doing it again but it just goes to show that magical things can be accomplished in flip flops.

Liz Lemon Rules

There are many, many reasons that Tina Fey's character Liz Lemon rules (this has a double meaning because she is awesome and the boss) but I discovered another one this week. The 6th season of 30 Rock is streaming on Netflix. Some of you already know this. I just realized it last week (even though Whitney may have tried to tell me earlier than that) and I have been watching them at lunch and a few each evening. During the St. Patrick's Day episode I noticed something unbelievably cool in Liz Lemon's apartment. Folks, she has a card catalog in her living room!

I would Love to have this piece of furniture. Have you ever searched for card catalogs on eBay or Etsy? They are super expensive. Here's an example from eBay.

That price is unbelievable. You'd think it was made my Ethan Allen or Pottery Barn. Even the tiny one or two drawer ones are at least $50. Or check out this one on Etsy...

So expensive! The size of Liz Lemon's catalog is perfect. We had one in our library a couple years ago (not to use but for nostalgia) and it was bigger than the one in the eBay picture. I don't know what happened to that catalog but I would have loved to buy it (at a reasonable price). I found this on Pinterest several months ago and tried my hardest to find the drawers at Ikea so I could do the same thing.

They didn't sell them at the Atlanta Ikea so I contacted the blogger who posted the how-to on Pinterest. She found hers where she lives...in Australia. Oh, well. I'll have to start attending garage sales or the like in order to find my dream card catalog furniture. Have you found anything interesting at a garage sale? I went to an estate sale once with my mother about 3 years ago but other than that I've never really been to a garage/yard sale. I never have cash so I never think to go.

V for Vertigo

I read an article recently that said Hitchcock's Vertigo replaced Citizen Kane as the #1 movie of all time. I saw it for the first time a few years ago and it is a very good film.

I'm not a huge Hitchcock fan or even a big fan of James Stewart but I wanted to see Vertigo because I've had issues with vertigo for years. When I worked at Geico I had problems almost every week. Now I only have to deal with the lovely dizziness once or twice a year. It's usually accompanied by nausea. Today is another one of those days. Vertigo is usually caused by disruption in the inner ear. Some people have Meiniere's disease (or as my brother likes to call it, Manure's disease) which is vertigo plus mild tinnitus and hearing loss. The most annoying thing about vertigo is there really isn't a 'cure' and most activities are very difficult when it's happening. Movements need to be very slow and reading, watching TV, working on the computer, and even lying down are unpleasant. It's hard to explain the sensation to people who haven't felt it before. I searched images on Google and most of what I got back were movie posters (see above) and photography that did indeed cause me to feel woozy.

We used to try a maneuver on my grandpa where he would sit on the bed and we would turn his head this way and that and then make him lay down on the bed. He said it worked but it seemed silly to me. One of my doctors told me to lay on my back, hang my head over the bed, and turn while looking at something sedentary like a doorknob. It worked once but any other time I would lay there for hours and nothing would get better. It should be gone tomorrow so here's to positvie thinking.  

Too Cute!

Have you been watching this unbelievably, incredibly, adorable, make-you-cry-happy-tears, cute show?

Several months back Jeff said he DVR'd a show for me. This usually means he recorded a guy movie that he wants us to watch together and we never watch it. He hit the jackpot with Too Cute on Animal Planet. It's a show all about baby animals (usually puppies and kittens) showcasing 3 different breeds. The new season started this past Saturday with German Shepherds, Coton de Tulears, and French Bulldogs. Here's a clip from the Coton de Tulear family of 6 new puppies that live on a farm. This show makes me so happy. It brings a smile to my face for the entire 60 minutes (about 45 minutes if I skip the commercials). Another show I love, love, love on Animal Planet is Dogs 101. You learn tons of information about different breeds of dogs; their origins, how they are with kids, grooming tips, etc. So, if you are feeling blue, be sure to watch Too Cute or visit the Animal Planet website and watch clips from the show.

Also, this week marks my self-proposed plan to blog at least once a day. I have plenty on my plate with work and school but I want to see if I can come up with something interesting enough to post about each day. Almost everything I blog about is only interesting to me so I shall be my biggest fan.

Fair Dump

This title could have so many meanings. It's supposed to let you know that this post is about my visit to the Georgia National Fair yesterday and the photo dump you are about to see. My day started with a run and then a quick breakfast so my folks and I could hop in the car and drive on down to Perry. I didn't go to the fair last year so I was very excited to attend this year. My main goal of the day was to see the llama show which is a llama obstacle course. On the way to see them we stopped to look at the rabbits. We got to pet the velveteen rabbit (or as Joey on Friends called him, the Velveeta rabbit).

This little guy was super soft. We saw 9 and 11 day old bunnies, lop eared rabbits, albinos, and even the rare invisible rabbit.

We moved on to the llamas. My dad was not impressed but mom appreciated the humor of the simple obstacle course. Llamas are pretty docile creatures so no running or jumping was required, only walking through certain obstacles without falling or tripping.

 

This spotted llama was particularly pretty and I love their long lashes.

I didn't get close enough to take pictures of their eyes but I did get to pet one. We saw tons of cows as we were walking along (not sure why I didn't take any pictures) and we saw black and white ones, brown, grey, and tan. We also saw them getting pampered and fluffed for their big show. Next was the Jr. market hog show. It smelled really awful in that arena. The show didn't seem to make any sense. All these kids paraded in the arena with their hogs and walked around smacking them with a pole.

I'm not sure what they were trying to get them to do. The little girl in the purple shirt (in the middle of the picture) was the smallest kid in the arena and she smacked that hog multiple times on the face with the pole, smacked it with her hand on the face and also shoved her knee into its side to make it go a certain direction. Since I didn't understand the purpose of the show I felt that all the kids were meanies. The smell was getting to be too much so we moved on to find the draft horse show. We saw four Belgian horses

and five Clydesdale horses.

They were very pretty with all their hair bows and ribbons.

They are such huge animals. After the show we went in search of fine fair food. Ralph and I had corn dogs and onion rings while mom had some disgusting looking thing trying to pass as a gyro. I had to take this picture for Ralph.

Every kind of meat you could imagine was being smoked and you could hardly see as you passed because of all the smoke. The rest of the afternoon was devoted to looking at all of the art exhibits. On the way to one of the buildings we came across this tree man.

This was an amazing costume. It blended in so well that unless he moved you didn't really notice him (yes, even though he was standing in the middle of an asphalt walkway). Several people would scream every now and then as they were passing by because they didn't notice him at first. The tree man was probably one of the most interesting things I saw at the fair. We got to see some of the winners of school art projects, quilts, cakes, and woodworking creations. This included plants and flowers.

Aren't these gorgeous? I have a brown thumb so I can certainly appreciate the hard work it takes to grow something that beautiful. We made a brief stop at poultry world where I held a baby chick (I do this each time I visit the fair, everyone should, they are precious!). Finally we walked through the artwork building. There was some yarn art! This artist had three pieces but this one was the best.

Sold for $1,500! I used to do this in high school (nothing this professional looking or detailed). Who knows what I could have made if I'd kept practicing? It really does take forever to create something of this size. I am very jealous of this artist. I was also captivated by this first place winner in the watercolor category.

This artist's technique is unique and I can definitely picture an entire graphic novel done in this style. This one sold for $500. We saw dozens of photography entries and so many of them were really spectacular. We left shortly before 2pm so we had a fun filled day at the fair before all the massive crowds arrived. I did not get on any rides. If my sister had been there I might have considered it but neither of my parents would have gotten on a ride and I don't think I could handle one of them on my own. I hope I can go again next year!