Project Say Something: If Video Killed the Radio Star, It Must Have Been Reality TV That Killed Video?

“Think back to when MTV actually played music videos. Tell us about 3 of your favorite videos.”

MTV used to play music videos? You mean, it hasn’t always been really bad reality TV?

I was a 120 Minutes girl. I stayed up way too late on Sunday nights to catch the “alternative” videos. Nights I couldn’t make it up that late (that should have been every one as Sunday nights were school nights but I’m a night owl, an insomniac, sleep is for wussies and who cares if I am barely conscious during first period I MUST get my weekly video fix), I would videotape it. I was more a fan of the “new wave” alternative videos than of the “industrial” alternative videos. Though looking back now, I probably like the then-considered industrial bands more than the new wave ones. Go figure.

I really don’t remember the videos. (That’s a theme in my life, I remember nothing. About anything. Ever.) To randomly pick three, I would go with three of The Cure - Just Like Heaven, In Between Days, and Hot, Hot, Hot.

Too Many Words Part 2

And just because I'm feeling picture-sharing happy today, I'll post a few more I've been meaning to get around to and have just been too lazy to make the effort.

Since we were in Utah for Madeleine's birthday, she got her presents from us late. As in, probably two weeks after we got home. And they weren't wrapped. And, well, she was with us when we bought them. We're not the best parents in the world right now, we know that. We're a little distracted. She still loved them. Well, loved one of them. Wasn't so much a fan of the other one, though she does like to watch it. She just hates it when it touches her.

Too Many Words

I've been extra word-heavy again lately and slacking in the picture department. Let's make up for that, shall we?

We spent the 4th of July with some friends. Hanging out, having dinner, letting the kids play, fun times. The kids hadn't seen each other in a while so it took them a few minutes to warm back up to each other (??? this was Madeleine's first friend and best friend, but whatever, she had just woken up) but once everyone was back to normal - they had a blast (getting in to all sorts of trouble). We did a few fireworks in their driveway before we headed out. We had no idea how either child would respond to them. Apparently, consensus was bright lights - good, loud noise - bad. They had a great time.

Li'l Miss M as we were getting ready to leave our house

The two buddies watching driveway fireworks

Project Say Something: Gas Prices Suck

In honor of the upcoming summer season and considering the high price of gas, most of us won't be taking road trips for a while. So pretend that gas is $2.00 a gallon and describe your ideal U.S. road trip (or one you had in the past that was a favorite).

This is a funny question to ask the girl who commutes for 5 hours a day. And yet, with as much time as I spend on the road, in the car, I would completely welcome a road trip. I love road trips. I do not love having to wake up at 5 in the morning to drive 3 hours to go to work, there is no fun in that.

My ideal road trip would be one up through New England - preferably in the Fall. Vermont, Connecticut, as long as I end up in Maine... No idea why but I’ve wanted to go to Maine for as long as I can remember. I thought moving to the East Coast would give me the chance to do that and then gas prices sky rocketed. Stinkin’gas prices. They ruin everything! (Have I mentioned my commute??)

We’ve taken quite a few road trips in our day and I don’t know that I could pick just one as a favorite. In Utah, we would road trip to Vegas and California rather often and oh, how I miss that. Whether it was just the two of us or with a group of friends, I always really enjoyed those. Last summer, we took a road trip to Nebraska. With a one-year old in the back seat. Most people would cringe and run from that. I absolutely loved it. Yeah, it got boring and frustrating and she hated being strapped in to her seat for such long periods at a time but all-in-all, we had a really great time. I hope, as she gets older, that’s something we can continue to do. Let her see the country.

One I did not like, however, was the time we drove from Utah to Virginia. Yeah. Not a fan of that one. We had the two dogs with us, we were trying to do it as quickly and inexpensively as possible and let me tell you, it was AWFUL! We ended up having to drive through the night because there were absolutely NO hotel rooms available along I-80 anywhere in Ohio. Ohio is a big, long, nasty state. I say “we” – I mean, of course, Dan. He did all that driving. All day, all night and in to the next morning. (I did drive for a couple of hours but it was nothing compared to him having to drive through the night. No idea how he does that.) I’d rather not do that drive again. Unless we were not on quite as tight of a schedule and could take our time and enjoy the sights and make a few stops here and there. Because pushing that hard to get across the country is well, plain CRAZY. (Yes, I’m talking to you, husband who drove the entire drive, alone, in what? two days because you’re flat out NUTS!)

Meme-esque Part 2

Remember ages and ages ago when I started answering random questions that I would just sprinkle through periodically? Yeah, neither did I until I happened to run across the file of questions this afternoon. Since I am stuck with nothing better to do (yes, I have exhausted my web-surfing ideas for the day even), I picked it back up and answered a few more.

How can you describe yourself in a sentence?
I am a walking contradiction.

Which is your favorite childhood hero?
Trying to think back to who my heroes were when I was a child, I’m coming up kind of blank. I know I loved Wonder Woman (what girl didn’t)? But I don’t know that I ever saw her as a “hero.” Or any one of the usual suspects in the “hero” category. I remember thinking of my teachers as heroes. Seriously. They knew everything. To teach us things we didn’t know, to help us grow and learn and become individuals. The ones who did that well, they were my heroes. Though the gold bracelets and lasso of truth were wicked cool and Lynda Carter was oh so beautiful!

Can you find easily 10 words rhyming with pencil?
Um. No. Stencil. Pretzel (it so does too rhyme!).

What did you dream you'd be when you were growing up?
A cheerleader. A nurse. An astronaut. A mom. A teacher. A lawyer. A musician. An actor.

Nice to know things haven’t changed much. I still can’t decide what I want to be when I grow up…

Do you have any nervous habits?
Chewing my lip. Picking at/biting my fingernails.

Do you have any bad habits? Why don't you quit?
See above. And add about a hundred. Because I am lazy (also a bad habit).

When you find a bug in your house, what do you do?
SCREAM. And then get resentful because bugs only exist in THIS house and if THIS house would just sell I wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore, dammit! And then scream some more. But those are only for the really icky bugs (DON'T CLICK HERE if you don't like nasty, icky, HUGE, GROSS, YUCKY creepy-crawlies. However, truth be told, I closed my eyes and linked to it so hopefully it does take you to the right place. I make no promises.) and spiders. Otherwise, if they’re just itty-bitty wussy ones, I just kill them and cringe and “ew” and “gross” and “yuck!” a little. But still feel resentful toward the house. I sure don’t skip that step.

If you could have a torrid affair with one celebrity, who would it be?
Today? David Tennant. What? I'm very non-commital, it could change tomorrow. But ... Oh yeah, the Tenth Doctor. Mmmm……

Project Say Something: Deserted

Ages and ages ago a number of questions were asked. I am a lazy slacker and kindly ignored them (in some cases, hoping they would go away as I have no answers worth sharing). They didn’t go away and now I am extremely behind. Now it is time to play catch-up.

You are stranded on an island and will be there for six months. What three things do you want to have with you? (They can't be people, food or electronic devices.)

Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Sunscreen

What you expected me to be clever enough to bring things to help me survive?? Without a toothbrush, I don’t know that I’d want to!

I Know There is One. There Has to Be. Right?

What’s the point of being in the city with so many things to see and do at lunch time when you’re not allowed to get out to see and do them?

What’s the point of making enough to make ends meet when you’re so miserable you don’t even care if they meet?

What’s the point of having the perfect things when you have no one around with which to enjoy them?

What’s the point of working your butt off, double-checking everything and trying your hardest when it’s just criticized or over-looked anyway?

Pay no attention to me. I’m just being whiney and self-pitying today. Which I don’t usually do. Especially in public. What am I thinking???