It's a techy Christmas!

Apparently my family thinks that I'm technologically savvy. It's not that I'm not TS, but I'm definitely not in the top percentile for TS performance if you know what I mean.

Most of my Christmas gifts involved technology - a MacBook Pro, Kindle, and Sony Blu-Ray/DVD player. Of course, I immediately became obsessed with all 3 devices.

The monstrous snowstorm that was supposed to hit the NE narrowly escaped my parents house. We only got about 2 inches, compared to the foot they were predicting the night before. THANK GOD!

Since my parents live in the middle of nowhere, I had little time to play with my technologic instruments. I did, however, have time to read 2-600 page books. I am ob-sessed with the trilogy by Stieg Larsson. (He is the author who wrote Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, etc.)

I hope you all had a great holiday with your families!

Other Holiday Movies

I cannot believe that I left these movies off of my favorite holiday movies list! I am so mad at myself! I used to watch both of these movies repeatedly (along with the other 5 listed previously), which probably drove my mother insane.

The Christmas Toy

I searched for years to find out the name of this movie. Every time I asked someone if they had watched this as a kid, they seriously thought that I was making this up. I may have had an active imagination as a child, but it wasn't this active!

The one woman action figure was so mean! She really did scare me.

The Nutcracker Ballet

I loved watching any interpretation of The Nutcracker, but it had to be a ballet. Every now and then I'd watch a figure skating version, but it just wasn't the same. If I didn't love to eat so much, I think that I could be a ballerina...

This one was probably my favorite and Mikhail Baryshnikov (of SATC fame) also happens play the prince in this version. (I bet y'all didn't know that before SATC, he was in ballet. He was and still is an amazing performer!)

I also used to watch this version... and this version... more times than I can count.

Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookies

This recipe yields about 3.5 dozen cookies. I have maybe a dozen left after the weekend. And I'm the only one eating them. Yikes!

Don't even question the deliciousness of this recipe. Just try it!

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* 1 1/2 cups (9 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 3/4 cup chopped nuts

MELT 3/4 cup morsels in small, heavy saucepan over lowest possible heat. When morsels begin to melt, remove from heat; stir. Return to heat for a few seconds at a time, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peppermint extract and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining morsels and nuts. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE in preheated 350° F. oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until sides are set but centers are still soft. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

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I also had some Andes Mints handy, so I crushed up 5-6 of those and threw them into the mix. Perfect!

Subway Flatbread Breakfast Sammich

I love breakfast foods. I just usually do not eat them during the breakfast hours. Why? Because I very rarely eat breakfast.

While in VAB over the summer with Gina, we hit the Subway for some breakfast. At the time, breakfast at Subway was a new concept. Not so much anymore. (I think that Wendy's also has breakfast now.)

Anyways, I haven't had the SFBS since VAB. It was good when I had it there, but I have so many other options for breakfast in Wilmington that Subway never crosses my mind. But for some reason, I really wanted a SFBS yesterday. At 2 p.m. Alas, they do not serve breakfast all day.

I bet you know where I was at 8 a.m. today!

CCZ

I was mildly obsessed with Coke Zero from the day it came out.

While not a huge soda fan, some days I do crave the bubbly. Instead of reaching for the champagne, I go for the Coke Zero.

Well, one day, I was introduced to Cherry Coke Zero. I don't remember when, how, or why, nor do I question it. I just know that my love for CCZ runs deep.

As previously stated, I rarely drink soda. But when I do, it's CCZ all tha way!

Pez dispensers

I love Pez dispensers!

My best friend Megan sent me a gianormous package in the mail a week or so ago and in it was this Pez dispenser:

It came with grape and lemon candies. I almost instantly housed the grape, seeing as how I love anything purple. The lemon has yet to make it into the dispenser, but I think today is the day for those babies to migrate.

This dispenser also serves as lovely decor on my desk at work.

PPOTW: Unruly Children

Has it been a week since my last Pet Peeve posting? If it hasn't, oh well. If it has, YAY!

This week's pet peeve: Unruly Children

I really feel that people's parenting skills have fallen off the map over the past decade. The lack of parenting has resulted in the absolutely horrendous youth that fill the streets of the world.

In my opinion, parents these days are lazy and selfish. They are too concerned with how much money they are making, where they are going to travel to next, what kind of car they drive, who is hosting the next social event, etc. All of this "worrying" doesn't leave much time for parenting.

Where are your kids when you are at work for 16 hours a day? Where are your kids when you are out drinking at a couples event? Where are your kids when you spend 2 weeks in the south of France? Do you know the grades that your children are bringing home? Do you know what sports they play? Do you know what they're eating?

Dropping your kids off at the YMCA or their high school gymnasium with $5 in their pocket is not considered parenting.

Because you have been so lazy and selfish throughout your child's entire life, you have failed to instill the core values of respect and manners into these children.

If some of the children that I see/hear in this town were raised by my family, they would probably want to commit suicide. I am by no means saying that I had a rough childhood, but I am saying that I was raised to respect my elders (even if that elder was only 2-3 years older than I), treat others as you would like to be treated, and to always be polite. If I did something wrong, I was disciplined.

Yes, I sometimes have an attitude. Who doesn't? Yes, I sass. And that is what I'm known for. But that is because people and their children are so stupid these days! If I said/did something stupid, I would want someone to tell me. (That goes back to the whole "treat others how you want to be treated" thing.)

Maybe I have these views because I was raised in a military family. Or maybe I just have these views because I possess common sense. Call me crazy, but I think that children need to be spanked and disciplined and grounded. They need to attend etiquette classes and be taught manners. From day 1.

If your children are running around the house, yelling at you and not listening to you when you ask them to do something, then you have a serious problem. If they don't respect you, as their parent, then why should they be expected to respect the rest of the world's population?

Update: Good Luck Tiffany, er, Chuck?

You may or may not recall my previous post about my theory that the movie Good Luck Chuck is based [loosely] on my life. As six months have passed since that post, much updating is needed! I hope you are all as amused by these updates as I have been throughout the months.

1. Vegas Showboat - He is now married and with his wife, are expecting a baby boy in March. Aside from offering my congrats, I haven't heard much out of this one.

2. Redneck Riviera - He got married on September 11. (Who does that?!?! I mean really. What a horrible day. There are other Saturdays in September, ya know.) And while there are no babies to speak of yet, I'm fairly certain that they will make an appearance in the not too distant future. I haven't heard a peep out of this kid in a long, long time.

3. The Mexican - He went and got married at the courthouse and didn't tell anyone! His wife also had a baby in October and is the spitting image of The Mex. I speak to him (The Mexican, not the baby) on a weekly basis, as we play indoor volleyball together.

4. Beanstalk Boy - After hearing that his girlfriend was expecting, BB proposed. Of course, she said yes. I gather that she is far more excited about this than he is. While I'm sure that all of this would have come eventually, I feel that it happened a bit sooner than he would have liked. Such is life. Aside from a few outings at volleyball, I haven't seen much of this guy.

Now, you're probably all wondering the same thing I am: Who's next?

Honestly, I don't know. I have only dated 2 people in the last year. One will never get married and have kids (trust me on that one). We are actually very similar in so many ways, and I think that we would have worked well together, except for the fact that neither one of us wanted to bend in our views on marriage. So that was that.

The other guy I dated still has no interest in anyone but me. (I mean... can you blame him!?) We are the best of friends and hang out weekly. It's not that I don't want to date him; it's just not fair for me to date anyone seeing as how I barely have time to get 6 hours of sleep a night, let alone spend time with someone else.

As previously mentioned, the only dating I'll be doing over the next 2 years will be with my school books. I am such a lucky girl ;)

Bea Arthur, USMC

As many of you are probably already aware, Bea Arthur (aka Bernice Frankel) was previously enlisted in the Marine Reserves at Cherry Point, NC.

Read this article and be sure to watch the video. The woman cracks me up, even when she's not on GG!

Update: Hounddog

As promised, here is my review for the movie Hounddog:

This movie was not at all what I expected. It was somewhat slow at times, which I guess is ok since the movie is set in Alabama. (Come to find out, the movie was actually filmed about 30 minutes south of where I live currently.)

Anyways, the rape scene itself wasn't all that traumatic but the action itself did have a traumatic effect on Dakota's character (as it would with anyone). The whole storyline was just odd to me. Dakota's aunt came into town and wanted to take her back to live with her. The aunt slept with Dakota's father and didn't get along with D's grandmother. Snakes were everywhere. All Dakota's character wanted to do was see Elvis when he performed in concert in her town.

I really don't have much to say about this movie. It's one of those movies that I'm glad I rented instead of paying 10$ to see in the theaters.

And if I hear the song "Hounddog" one more time, I may have to hurt someone.

I think I have a problem...

I have far too many books on my "to read" list.

I blame this ever expanding list on school. I simply do not have the time and energy to concentrate on non-scholastic books while taking classes. While I do read some books for work, they're hardly entertaining and can't even come close to dipping their pages in the "to do" pond.

Also, I think that I am getting a Kindle for Christmas.

My step-mom asked if I'd like one and after much thought, I think that I'd get a lot of use out of it! Especially when traveling. While I will not download the travel guides to the Kindle, this machine will definitely cut back on the number of pleasure books that I normally cart around. I was having issues justifying bringing 5+ books to South Africa with me in June. Now I don't have to! :)

This will also make book buying much easier, faster, and cheaper. Have you seen the prices of books on amazon.com!? The printed books are already decently priced, but the e-books are even cheaper! My wallet will thank me. And my bookshelves will thank me for not stuffing them full like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Had I had to make the decision to purchase an electronic reader, I honestly would not know which one to choose. Everywhere I go, I hear and see of a new device. Do any of you have an e-reader? Which model is it and what are your thoughts?

Top 5 Holiday Movies

I have compiled a list of my personal top 5 holiday movies. Since I am somewhat of a movie fanatic (even though I don't have time to see a lot of the newer ones) and absolutely cannot be forced to choose a #1, I have listed them in no particular order.

Yogi's First Christmas

I used to watch this movie non-stop when I was a kid and it drove my mom nuts! She's still mad at me for that... Kids these days just don't know what good movies are all about!

Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer

This is the original claymation version, with Burl Ives. My grandmother and I would sit in the living room and watch this daily during the holiday season, from a VHS that my uncle taped from the original showing years before.

Home Alone

My mom took me to see the original movie in the theaters. All I remember is both of us laughing so hard that we had tears rolling down our cheeks. (Yes, my crying from laughter started at a young age. I get it from mom.)

Elf

My best friend and I quote this movie year round. It's one of those movies that just asks for it! I don't think I saw this movie until she made me sit down and watch it. Now it's a holiday staple. (I also love any chance to watch Will Ferrell. I will watch any movie he is in, regardless of how horrible the reviews are. He has the best one-liners!)

Babes in Toyland

This movie stars Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands. I don't know why I was/am so obsessed with this movie, but I am. I made mom watch it with me last year and she thought I was nuts.

I know what you're thinking. How could I not name classics such as It's a Wonderful Life and The Christmas Story?! While I do enjoy those movies, something about them just didn't strike me as entertaining. I will watch them if they're on TV, but I certainly don't own them on DVD.

What are some of your favorite holiday movies?

Love Actually

The other night, I watched one of my many favorite "Christmas" movies - Love Actually. Aside from an extremely long list of former A-list actors, it makes me laugh hysterically.

I am a fan of watching this movie year round, even though it takes place during the holiday season. I'll take any excuse to stare at Hugh Grant for a couple of hours.

Cinema Update

My last final was turned in on Monday evening. Here it is Friday and I'm already bored with life. I have read one 400 page book and moved on to another, watched 6 movies, and had one evening of indoor volleyball. And my Friday evening has yet to begin!

I thought I would write a short post about the newly released to DVD movies that I rented this week.

The first was Abandoned with the late Brittany Murphy.

This movie also stars Dean Cain, which I did not know at the time of rental but found myself laughing at during one of the first scenes. (I seriously thought he only did Lifetime movies these days.) Much to my dismay, this movie did belong on the Lifetime network. The plot had good intentions, but the acting was mediocre and the directing was horrible. I had heard that the movie received bad reviews, and now I know why. But at least I can say that I saw Brittany Murphy's last movie.

I also watched Remember Me, starring Robert Pattinson. Chris Cooper was also in this movie, and played the roll of a cop (surprise, surprise).

I had been told by a few people that this movie was excellent, even though it didn't last long in theaters. I was hesitant to see it at first because I absolutely cannot stand RP and all the hype that surrounds him. However, I found this movie to be excellent! I will not give anything away, but there is a twist at the end that had me in tears. Such a great movie.

Sidenote: I actually watched the second movie from my phone. Kinda. I had downloaded it to my Droid, purchased an HDMI cable, and hooked that bad boy up to my TV. The clarity was excellent. The only downside was that every time I received an email or text message, the sound that my phone played was also played through my TV. It made me laugh at first, and then I got mad at everyone who kept texting me. (I guess my unresponsiveness got to them after a while, because the texts eventually stopped.)

Tonight, I plan to watch Hounddog, starring Dakota Fanning. If you'll recall, this is the movie where Dakota's character is raped. Apparently the scene is so graphic that this movie was on limited release and only showing at certain theaters. My theater was not one of those selected. (Shocking, I know.)

Another sidenote: Robin Wright (formerly Penn) is also in Hounddog. I was once on a plane with her and her family (Sean Penn and 2 children) from LAX to Hawaii. I know you all were just dying to acquire that knowledge.

I'll be sure to write another post on my thoughts about this movie. Have you seen any good movies lately that are worth sharing?

South'n France

Ok, so I know that I've already posted 2 blogs today but I'm a little bored (and also very behind with the knowledge that I need to share with my readers).

For those of you in the Wilmington area, be sure to check out South'n France on Orange Street. For those of you not in the Wilmington area, you can check them out online! This fabulous creation of a store blends southern tradition with French creations in the form of bon bons.

Gracious golly me, I have died and gone to heaven! I love France and I love chocolate. It's like we were meant to be.

I'M FREE!

FINALS ARE OVER!

I am so giddily excited that I just don't know what to do with myself!

Actually, that's a lie. I know exactly what I'm going to do - READ!

I have put my "for fun" reading life on hold since late August so that I could devote all of my time to my studies. I submitted my last final - an online exam and project - last night around 7 p.m. I went home and immediately started reading Tucker Max's Assholes Finish First. I figured that I would lightly delve back into the world of pleasure reading by starting with this book.

After this book, I plan to finally finish Eat, Pray, Love and then move on to Nelson Mandela's A Long Walk to Freedom. EPL has been half read since August; Mandela is going to be a tough and lengthy read. At some point, I also need to do research for my vacation to South Africa in June. (More details about that in another post.)

Even after classes are done, there is still so much to do!

Pet Peeve of the Week: Overly Cheery People

I've decided to start a weekly rant about a selected pet peeve of mine. If you know me at all, you know that I have many. If you do now know me, please let me preface this series of rants by saying the following:

I am not a negative person. I surround myself with only the most positive people and influences. I do feel, however, that there are little ticks that annoy everyone. I am using this as a forum to voice said annoyances. Feel free to add your thoughts as well!

This week's pet peeve: overly cheery people

Again, I am not a pessimistic/sad/depressed person. I just don't like it when people get all up in my face with cheer. Seeing as how the holiday season is upon us, this cheer is unfortunately everywhere I turn. Are these people not happy every other season of the year? I wonder.

It also drives me insane when I log into Facebook to find people who say the same thing on a daily basis. "I love my husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/child!" or "I have the best husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/child!"

Obviously, you love your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/child - otherwise you wouldn't be with that person! It technically is their "job" to make you happy. So why on Earth do you feel the need to publicize that to all of your FB friends?!

It's like Chris Rock said in one of his skits, "...people are always saying they do things that they're supposed to do. 'I take care of my kids, I take care of my kids.' Fool - you're supposed to take care of your kids! You want a cookie?!"

That's what those statuses remind me of. They also kind of make me want to vomit.

Mr. Fish, Did you die?!

I find it funny, yet odd, that people I used to talk to on an almost daily basis for dozens of years seem to have fallen off of the face of the Earth.

I understand that everyone has their own separate lives, and within those lives are infinite amounts of chaos. What I don't understand, however, is how someone can blatantly choose to ignore someone who is [supposedly] your best friend. Sure, you get wrapped up in a relationship or your parents get sick or your job starts to become more demanding. I get it. We all go through these things at some point in our lives, sometimes even simultaneously... but we somehow manage to maintain relationships.

They say, of course (whoever "they" is), that we only work to maintain the relationships that we choose to keep. Which leads me to this: How can a person choose one friend over the other?

For example, you choose your boyfriend over your best friend. Isn't there a way to have harmony in your world so that you can hang out with your boyfriend and your best friend? Maybe not together at the same time, but perhaps on alternating nights or only on Wednesdays, etc.? Are you saying that your best friend is no longer valuable enough to you, and that he/she does not deserve your free time? Are you saying that your significant other has taken the place of a best friend? Are best friends replaceable?

Maybe I'm missing something. I don't know. But last I checked, I needed an active social life outside of my dating life. If I hung around only my boyfriend (assuming I have one) 24/7, I would literally go insane. I need some estrogen. I need some wine. I need some gossip. Men don't offer that. Unless, of course, they're gay... in which case I'd hang out with them instead of my girlfriends. (But honestly, my gay friends are in my girlfriends category. I'm better friends with them than I am most of my girl friends.)

There are some people I've known since middle school, who are happily married with multiple children. I talk to them on a regular basis, and I always have. But then there are people I've known only since college, who have boyfriends they live with, who work right down the street from me, who I only hear from when I initiate conversation. Or when they hear gossip about me (it's a small town, and usually full of lies). Or when they literally run into me in a store.

I know that losing friends is part of growing up. I understand that they were in your life at one time for a reason, and they have left your life for a different reason. I know that they are opening a spot for a "better" person to come along and fill. But I'd still like to know why.

too cute not to share

I love receiving mail. Both email and snail mail, but especially snail mail. Mom is great at making her own cards and sending them my way for a good laugh or "Awwww." The other day, I checked the mailbox and found a card from mom. The envelope was very fun - white with bright blue and green circles on it. I excitedly tore open the envelope and removed a card with this picture on the front:

Inside: I meditate, I do yoga, I chant... And I
still want to smack someone!

If she didn't hit the nail on the head with that one, then I don't know what will!

Beach2Battleship

Today my good friend Adam and I watched our other good friend, Mark, compete in the Beach2Battleship half ironman. We met up with his wife, Adrienne, and their daughter, Taylor, early this morning to catch the first leg of the race - the swim. (You can see him in the picture above. He's totally visible. Open your eyes!) After that we headed to the transition area where we saw Mark run from the end of his swim to the transition area where he had to locate his bike in the sea of metal and wheels. He came around the corner, running like the most excited child on Christmas Day. After swimming 2.5 miles. (I personally would have thrown in the towel at about 100 meters.) The guy is always so full of energy and enthusiasm and he never ceases to amaze me with all that he does.

Adam and I didn't make it downtown to see the run portion of the race, but Adrienne did tell me that Mark completed the entire half ironman in 6 hours and 50 minutes!!! The guy is amazing, as is everyone else who competed in this race.

He absolutely motivated me to get out and run. But I have to finish watching Julie & Julia first.