uh, no.

Bink would FlIp OuT, and not in a hairdryer and roundbrush sort of way!

a little too much looping...

.....but tremendously funny nonetheless!

ghosts of christmases past

prepare to giggle, then click here!  Has this been your experience?

wishlist

as KT has said on her blog, for any family or friends who visit here and are interested, here is a list of some of the things that would make me v.v. happy:

Movies
Eagle vs Shark
Cloverfield
Wall-E
The Orphanage
Doomsday
Hellboy
Hellboy II
Under the Tuscan Sun
The Happening
Ironman
Children of Men
This Christmas
Fred Claus
Midnight Meat Train

Books
The Electric Michelangelo
The Host
The Canterbury Tales (new translation by Burton Raffel)
The Walking Dead: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, (I don’t know if there is a Book 4 yet)
Proust Was a Neuroscientist
The Book of Lost Things
Throne of Jade
Black Powder War
Empire of Ivory
Victory of Eagles
Fire Study
Garden Spells
Sugar Queen
Heartsick
Sweetheart

Stuff
Diamond Anniversary Edition Scrabble
Connect Four
Charles Wysocki jigsaw puzzle
A deck of regular playing cards

Of course, I always allow that a hug and a kiss will always be the perfect gift, but if you are in a buying mood then you now have some leads!

why Le Clezio truly deserves the Nobel Prize for literature

"To provide nearly everyone on the planet with a liquid crystal display is utopian. Are we not, therefore, in the process of creating a new elite, of drawing a new line to divide the world between those who have access to communication and knowledge, and those who are left out? . . . [The book] is practical, easy to handle, economical. It does not require any particular technological prowess, and keeps well in any climate."--J.M.G. Le Clézio. The Guardian observed that Le Clézio, in his Nobel Lecture, "looked to the wider world . . . warning of the dangers of information poverty and calling for publishers to increase their efforts to put books in the hands of people around the world."

That is all.

draggin

not to be confused with dragon, of course, but sleepiness is a natural byproduct of staying up until 2:30 reading.  I was SO tired and sleepy on the way home and I was just going to get in a chapter or two and then I looked up and it was 2:30am...ugh!  I'm really going to have to start setting the cooking timer on the cd player in the kitchen instead of the egg timer so I HAVE to get up and turn it off.  I don't do well if I don't get enough rest.  

So I'm going to a cookie swap today at K's house, something I've never done before.  In case you are like me and aren't familiar with such an event, people are invited and they bring enough cookies to cover everyone who is invited plus some copies of their recipe.  We eat cookies and take the recipes we want to try.  I did not make cookies as those are not my specialty unless they come in a log which I then cut up with a knife.  My specialty happens to be spiced pecan halves...a treasured dessert in my family which my great grandmother cooked, my grandmother taught me how to cook, and which my aunt still makes every year for all of her friends.  99% love rate for these little beauties though they are somewhat messy to make, especially when I do it :)

You put 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and 1/2 tsp of cinammon in a sauce pan and cook until a drop of the mixture dropped into a cup of cold water retains its drop shape (in my grandmother's recipe it says "cook to a soft ball" and no one ever knows what that means so I've started spelling it right out on the recipes I write).  Gently stir in 1 tsp of vanilla extract then stir in 2 cups of pecan halves, remove from heat, and continue stirring to coat.  It sets up fairly quickly so don't lolligag in your stirring, turn out on wax paper to cool and separate when they get cool enough to touch.  I don't bag them until they are completely cooled as I don't want condensation in the ziplock bag.  YuMmY!

I also made the cake I told you about at Thanksgiving (since I didn't get around to making it then!) and took it to KT's mom's (who is always referred to as "Lady," I've never asked the origin of the nickname) house last night.  They invited me over to help decorate the Christmas tree and have dinner so I made the cake and some corn bread and took it over as my contribution to dinner.  Lady make some kick@$$ chili and the corn bread and cake, IMHO, complimented it perfectly.

Tomorrow I'm going with L to see Twilight again...I'm developing a bit of an obssession, I am not immune to its allure.  I've heard one opinion that "it makes Harry Potter look lame" but I don't agree.  That's comparing apples and oranges.  The Twilight series is a fantastic and entertaining story but Rowling has (again, IMHO) better world-building skills.  I LuRvEd Twilight and Eclipse but the whole Italian vampire thing felt kind of random and hastily tacked on.  I don't remember anything from the Harry Potter books that felt random and hastily tacked on.  For all the Twi-hards out there, please don't misunderstand...I read all four books and loved all four books, AND will recommend all four books, but the first two were my favorites.  Thanks to L's direction, I'm now looking forward to Midnight Sun, if it ever comes our way!  And how could I forget The Host, which I loved!  

Ah well, I could sit here and speak book forever but I've got to get on to my cookie swap.  Everyone have a fantabulous day!

decorating circa 1969

***Disclaimer - I have no collegiate sport affiliation!  Knock yourselves out!***

What better way to celebrate the recent Iron Bowl win than to dedicate a room of your home as a lasting souvenir.  For assistance and ideas, I give you, again, the 1969 classic, Decorating Ideas for Every Room in Your Home:

My favorite part?  The tasteful GiAnT red feather quill on the artfully draped table...what's your favorite spot in this room?

the non-Thanksgiving

Last Wednesday I began to feel bad around 11am and it just went downhill from there.  I was SiCk Wed night, all day Thurs (I missed Thanksgiving and spent it huddled in the recliner, shivering) and Fri (I went to the dr. and got meds).  Sat was a better day and I went to K’s Crafturday.  She rented a room in her local community center and about 7 or 8 women (me included) showed up and crafted.  There was quilting, sewing, cross stitching and scrapbooking going on from 9-3.  I managed pretty well but was very glad to get back to the house, the recliner and the blanket.  After a nap, I went to meet E at the movies for my second viewing of Twilight.  I am nearly out of the vortex, only about 100-150 more pages to go in Breaking Dawn, then E and I are going to have to have a lunch discussion. 

 

This week has been SO much better than last week and hey, I lost 8 pounds last week!  At least there’s a bright side to not attending a Thanksgiving festivity

 

I have a busy schedule over the course of the next few days so I’ll do my best to get back in here and let you in on the fun!

 

sorry

I have recently been sucked into the Twilight vortex and have not yet emerged....soon I will rejoin humanity, but not right now

;)

htw

update from holiday of the living dead

so I had food poisoning...I don't recommend it for any of your holiday festivities

I'm 90% better...more later