Happy 2018!

Funniest part of the holidays...

Jeff's Mom: What was the situation that Christmas, when you and Steven (Jeff's younger brother) went to Missouri by yourselves, and Dad and I stayed in Dallas? You were in college and Steven was in middle school.
Jeff: There was something going on and you guys had to stay here, so we went without you.
Me: Wait. You let Jeff drive your precious baby all the way to Missouri and back?
Jeff's Dad: Nah, he drove the old car.

*crickets* (...other than me giggling)

Jeff: I think she meant Steven.

*crickets*

Aaaaaahahaha! It's funnier every time I tell it.

Saturday 9: It's Just Another New Year's Eve (1977)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Barry Manilow declares New Year's Eve is "just another night." How do you feel about 12/31? Is it a special occasion or just another night?
If we're doing something special, it's special, otherwise, it's just another night!

2) Barry sings that in the past year, "we've made mistakes." What in 2017 do you wish you could do over?

I should have gone to more concerts. I think the only one I went to all year was the Foreigner/Cheap Trick show at Circuit of the Americas. I have tickets for 10,000 Maniacs in February!

3) He also sings of happy nights with friends. Tell us about a really good time you had in the past year.

the Gault archeological site trip and also our Bell County Museum day in Belton

4) The song references growing wiser, as well as older. What's something you learned or discovered in 2017?

genealogy research and my family history

5) What do you wish you had spent more time doing during 2017?

Playing bunco- anyone wanna start a new group? I want a fun group like my old one, with lots of wine and craziness.

6) What was the smartest thing you did all this past year? 

changed from the city's 96 gallon trash can to a 64 gallon trash can, saving $20 a month!

7) As this year comes to a close, what are you most grateful for?

central heating

8) When this week's featured artist, Barry Manilow, was a jingle writer, he wrote the famous "You deserve a break today at McDonald's" song. When's the last time you visited the Golden Arches?

a couple of months ago

9) Random question: In high school, were you more popular with the boys or the girls?
The boys. In high school and college, I had far more guy friends than girlfriends.

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East Texas Trip

One of my aunts passed away this week and we went to her funeral in Jasper. I had wanted to get to Jasper before nightfall Thursday, but Jeff was working, so we left later. In the end, night driving was great, because we got to see all the pretty Christmas lights popping up along the country roads. Also, no traffic!

The funeral was really nice. The last two funerals (well, probably more than that) I've been to were Catholic masses, which of course are very long and formal and less personal. This was a small town, small church funeral, where the paster knew my aunt and told stories about her and brought a lot of warmth to the ceremony. Super nice people there.

On our way home, we had lunch in Huntsville at Bennie J's Smoke Pit. It was REALLY good. Looks like they're only open for lunch and they run out of things, so you should get there early. We rolled in around 2 and they were about to shut down. We were able to get sausage and ribs, which rocked. Super smoky and yummy. They also let us sample some of their pecan pie, which was delicious.

I've never seen so many pickup trucks in one town in my life as I did in Huntsville. I would have thought there would be a lot of pickups in, oh, I don't know... Jasper? But Huntsville wins that award for sure. The semi-official Pickup Truck Capital of the World.

I wish we'd had more time in east Texas, because there are probably some really neat historical places in the area that we've not seen. Had to get back here for a winery trip to Fredericksburg with Kathy today! Her wine club purchase was ready for pickup, so we made the quarterly jaunt. Beauuuutiful day!


Friday Five: Seasons

1. What foods are most representative of each of the four seasons?

Winter - chili

Spring - salad

Summer - ice cream

Fall - pumpkin pie

2. What are good songs to represent each of the four seasons?

Winter - "A Hazy Shade of Winter" The Bangles version

Spring - "Cake By the Ocean" DNCE

Summer - "Summer Nights" from Grease

Fall - "Be True to Your School" Beach Boys

3. What would be good films to represent each of the four seasons?

Winter - Love Actually

Spring - Emma

Summer - 50 First Dates

Fall - Dead Poets Society

4. If you could divide the calendar year into four seasons some other way with some other theme besides weather or major professional sports, where would each seasons begin and end, and what would each be called?

Jan-Mar: Chillin'

April-June: Anniversaries

July-Sep: Beach Dayz

Oct-Dec: Birthdays

5. What’s something in your area that’s extra fun in the winter?

going to Stars hockey games at Cedar Park center

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And Now... Forbidden Words?

CDC gets list of forbidden words: Fetus, transgender, diversity

What in the serious *F*? The Centers for Disease Control, an organization of science, can't use the words "science-based" because it scares Republicans? No use of the words "evidence-based?" How do you talk about fetuses without using the word "fetus?"

The suggested "science-based" replacement phrase "CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes" is ludicrous. Do they really? If science says something is fantasy, but the community wants it to be real, CDC throws all facts aside to placate the community? What a truly frightening load of crap. If they abide by this language guidance, I'm not buying anything CDC is putting out there from now on.

From an NYT article- "The Food and Drug Administration was quick to note that it had gotten no such instruction."

That's probably only a matter of time.

Loony toons President and his cuckoo administration!


Sunday Stealing: It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

1. What’s your favorite thing about the holidays?

Everyone is in a festive mood. Seeing friends and family.

2. Do you send out Christmas cards and if so how many do you send?

The last time I sent out Christmas cards to everyone was probably 2005. Now I send to a select few.

3. Be honest: holiday newsletters. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

LOVE them.

4. Be honest: photo cards. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

LOVE them.

5. How soon do you start shopping?

I will buy Christmas gifts for people as early as October, if I know what I want to get them.

6. Real or fake tree?

I love real trees, but I don't want to take care of it or deal with the falling needles or hanging the lights. We have a pre-lit fake tree.

7. When do you put up your tree?

The day after Thanksgiving.

8. When do you take down your tree?

New Year's Day

9. Describe your typical tree (size, decorations, type)

Ours is a green tree, about 7 feet tall, with multi-colored lights and all our personal ornaments that I've collected over the years since we got married.

10. What do you top your tree with?

a cute, round, jolly Santa Claus

11. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house?

Nope. We have lights in our front windows.

12. Is there a wreath hanging on your door?

No

13. Do you hang up stockings?

Yep

14. Your favorite Christmas Movie(s)

Love Actually, Scrooged

15. Be honest: A Christmas movie you don't like

I don't think there are any I dislike.

16. Favorite Christmas Song(s)

Oh Holy Night
I'll Be Home for Christmas

Do You Hear What I Hear

Baby It's Cold Outside

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

All I Want For Christmas is You- Mariah Carey (I know, it's overplayed, but every single time you have to stand up and sing your best Mariah Carey, right?!)

You Don't Have to Be Alone- NSYNC 

Last Christmas- Wham!

Blue Christmas- Elvis Presley

17. Be honest: If I hear this/these Christmas songs again I will throw up

Joy to the World

Jingle Bells

Wonderful Christmas Time- Paul McCartney (*shudder*)

sorry to all my 1980s friends and 1980s me, but... "Do They Know It's Christmas"- Band Aid

18. Give or Receive?

Give!

19. Eggnog or Mulled Cider?

cider

20. Ham or Turkey?

ham

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Saturday 9... and The Last Five Years Again

One of the lyrics in "Climbing Uphill" (from The Last Five Years, yes I'm obsessed this week...) is Cathy during a theater audition:

...Why am I working so hard?
These are the people who cast Russell Crowe in a musical...

First of all - LOL. Right.

But also, the Les Mis film (which oddly, I also referenced in yesterday's post) was released 2012, while The Last Five Years opened in 2001. Did someone cast Russell Crowe in a musical before that??? So I looked, and he actually started his career in musical theater in New Zealand in the 80's. Wow! He got hired out of theater into the film industry in 1990. 

Saturday 9: Silent Night (1957)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) How well do you know "Silent Night?" Without looking up the lyrics, could you sing along with Elvis?
I can sing the first two verses without looking. Are there more than two? I don't know without checking. Ha!

2) The Christmas with Elvis album hit the stores in October 1957. Were you already preparing for Christmas back in October?

Nope. I used to, but I haven't planned so far ahead for a while.

3) Clearly Elvis liked a flocked white Christmas tree. Is your tree flocked, aluminum or pine green? Real or artificial? Or do you skip the whole tree thing altogether? 

Fake, pine green. Gotta have a tree!

4) Back in the late 1950s, Elvis left his hair its natural brown color. In the 1960s he began having it dyed black. Do you have a salon appointment scheduled between now and year end?
No, but I should. My hair is long, yo.

5) Have you ever peeked, looking for a Christmas gift you know is hidden for you somewhere in the house?
Nah. I want to be surprised.

6) Which do you prefer, candy canes or gingerbread? 

gingerbread 

7) Is anyone receiving a home made or do-it-yourself gift from you this year?

No

8) Do you wrap holiday gifts in paper, or do you take the gift bag route?

I wrap in paper if at all possible. Gift bags aren't as fun to open.

9) This time of year is big for charitable fundraising. Here's your chance to plug a cause or organization that's near and dear to you.

MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston- Donate money, give blood, or buy cards designed by children who are patients there though the Children's Art Project.

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Will You Share Your Life With Me...

...for the Next Ten Minutes...?

Reading a bit about The Last Five Years musical and learned that Samantha Barks (Eponine in the film version of Les Mis) played Cathy in the West End production last year! Would love to have seen that.

Here she is singing "I Can Do Better Than That" from The Last Five Years at an unrelated solo performance in New York City...



Her voice is AMAZING.

Lyrics du Jour

Cathy: ...I want to be your wife
I want to bear your child
I want to die
Knowing I
Had a long, full life in your arms...

Jamie: ...Will you share your life with me
For the next ten lifetimes?
For a million summers...

Both:...'Til the world explodes
'Til there's no one left
Who has ever known us apart...

"The Next Ten Minutes" from the musical The Last Five Years

Happy Friday!

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I Am Your De-eentist

I did something to the outside of my gum within the past few days. It's really red and painful. I would say it was a popcorn hull injury, but I haven't had popcorn. It's also a pretty large area.

I had my dental checkup today (of course!) and the hygienist and dentist both said, "It looks maybe like you gouged it with a tortilla chip."

If I lived in Utah or Connecticut, would that be the assumption? Are tortilla chips the only food or non-food item around the world that gouges your gums, or is this just a Texas thing?

(Yes, I did have tortilla chips this weekend. Still!)

In other news... CONGRATULATIONS SENATOR DOUG JONES! And really, congratulations Alabama, because the world was watching to see what happened there, and in my opinion, you came through. A lot of people voted against their lifelong party, which gives me hope for humanity. Love to see people thinking and not blindly voting party lines.

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Vegan Cows

Read through this vent, or skip to the end, where I've provided a great Aggie joke!!

I just spent all afternoon- 5 hours- programming database updates from user acceptance testing for a new study. I got through the first ten tabs of a shared Excel doc in that time, and then, all of a sudden, the document saved and asked me whose updates to save- mine or the lead's.

I went ahead and allowed her updates to overwrite mine, because I figured there were minimal changes to anything I had done. Well, it turned out the data lead was working from her own copy of the document, so she didn't see that I had already done a bunch of what she was working on! 80% of what I had entered was overwritten.

What a waste of time and duplication of effort for all of us. Why on earth would you make your own copies of a shared tracker, to merge later? If you want everyone to work from their own copy of the doc, to merge later, you have to assign tabs to each programmer up front, so we don't overlap.

I. CAN'T. EVEN.


So here's your Aggie Joke-- I honestly thought "vegan leather" was made from cows that were vegan.

Ha!

I paid top dollar for a "vegan leather" product for someone's Christmas gift this year. Very disappointed to find out it's plastic. Just another reason to hate all things vegan. ;)

Just stop naming veggie things animal names. Veggie burgers. Veggie sausage. Vegan cheese. None of those things are what they say. *shudder* Truth in advertising! I would never have paid that much for something plastic.

Jeff: Aren't all cows vegan?

That question gave me an idea for a horror movie with carnivorous cows, y'all. Skeery!

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Movie, TV and Musical Weekend

This weekend was an unplanned, fun movie and television extravaganza. Friday night we went to the Amazon Prime preview of Jumanji. It was good. I would swear I saw Kirsten Dunst's name in the acting credits, but evidently that's impossible, so...  And keep in mind, I had no idea she was in the original film. Why did I think I saw her name? SUPERweird. I did look up on my phone whether we were supposed to sit through the credits to see any outtakes or other scenes, so maaaaaaybe I saw her name in my search or something. I dunno. Strange.

Saturday we watched Opening Night on Netflix. Enjoyed it! JC Chasez and Taye Diggs? Yes, please. It was funny, too!



Next up (because we watched Opening Night and followed up with "other musicals we might like," we discovered the musical comedy TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, also on Netflix. OMG. That is one of the funniest shows ever! How did I miss it before? We binged about 6 episodes of that. Can't wait to continue all the way through Season 2 on Netflix. Season 3 started in October on the CW.

There are one or two very-well produced, hilarious songs per episode. Most of it is regular sitcom, with speaking characters. The songs go a little somethin' like this...



We watched Born in China, the Disney animal film of 2017. So cute!



Then last night, we watched The Last Five Years, which is also on Netflix. It's a two-character musical from 2014 (the play was originally in Chicago, then off-Broadway in 2002) covering a five year relationship and marriage. Cathy starts at their breakup at the end of the story and moves backward in time to the beginning, while Jamie starts at the beginning and moves forward to the end. They alternate songs all the way through, moving towards each other on the timeline, meeting in the middle, then moving ever away again. The final song is brilliant! I could listen to Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan sing all day long. I really loved it. The reviews are very middle-of-the-road, but take a chance on this one.



Years ago, Lauren had "If I Didn't Believe In You," a song from the play, on one of her car CDs. Jamie is frustrated with Cathy during the song, and addresses her by name throughout. We used to laugh when it came on, as he seemed to berate me for four minutes straight. Ha!

The Buffalo game was crazy yesterday, right? Football in a blizzard!

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Andy and Anderson Road Trip!

Laura and I went to Houston for last Saturday night's AC2 Live: An Intimate Evening with Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper. So fun! My favorite moment at the show was during the audience Q&A portion, when this happened...

Audience Member: What celebrity gave you butterflies and maybe made you... "bone up" when you interviewed them?
Audience: Oooooooh!
Andy: (I think he related a story about interviewing David Beckham here... sorta forgot when Anderson said what's coming up..)
Audience Member: ...I was thinking maybe *forgotten hot male celebrity* or John Hamm.
Andy: Oh, yeah!
Anderson: Well, when I was mediating the Presidential debates last year...
Audience: Uhhhhhh....
Andy: [wtf?!]
Anderson: What?
Andy: What are you about to say?! He is asking what celebrity gave you a boner!
Anderson: Oh. I thought he meant the person gave you butterflies, like they made you nervous, so you "boned up," like you did research on them.

Bwahahaaaaa! Oh man.

I only wished the show was a little longer, because it really was like hanging out at a bar, chatting with the two of them. Very interesting, and hilarious.

In other news... I just found out this afternoon that JC Chasez was in a musical comedy last year called Opening Night, with Topher Grace and a bunch of other big names. I watched a few clips online. I'll have to rent it. Last I had heard, he was going to play Pontius Pilate in an arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar with a bunch of cool music people, but then it never happened:

Anger for 'Jesus Christ Superstar' Cast and a Black Eye for Its Promoter

Bummer! At least I didn't miss it. I've been missing things lately- must pay more attention to my Ticketmaster emails!

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Sexual Misconduct

Well, I'm glad I didn't speak too soon. I was going to blog earlier this week about the odd defense of only certain men involved in sexual misconduct of late, but people have come around to holding them accountable, I think.

There was a well-deserved worldwide reaction of disgust and anger when people like Weinstein, Ailes, O'Reilly and the next many others were accused. Recently though, when Senator Conyers and Matt Lauer were outed, even women were defending them, because they are "good people" and "have contributed so much" via their professions.

What the what?! That is probably true of all the other men as well. People are multifaceted, and can be successful and respectable contributors to society, but also be despicable A-holes in other areas. You don't get a pass for being a good person outside of your sexual misconduct/assault/harassment.

Today though, it seems people are finally coming around to realizing that Conyers and Lauer are no different from the others, and should be out of their jobs at the very least.

Kevin Spacey and Roy Moore are on a whole other level, with underage accusers. It's sad that the statutes of limitations have run out on those for criminal charges. Hopefully the accusers coming forward will help current victims of other people to come forward while charges can still be leveled against their attackers.

On the other side, I do think a few men have been accused of things that we can all agree are more flirting than sexual harassment. We have to be careful not to dilute the uncovering of real crimes by dragging every sexual advance into the discussion. If no one ever made a move, no couples would exist. I think we're all pretty clear on what constitutes misconduct or criminality, rather than flirting or kissing/touching someone when you honestly think the other person would welcome it. Sure, it can be a gray area, but not typically.

We were wondering the other day when ABC would fire someone for sexual harassment. I think they are the only network unaffected so far.  I said that it won't be Stephanopoulos (OMG, I actually spelled that correctly on the first try!), and Jeff and I both said together that if he even thought of doing anything like that, Ali Wentworth would kick his ass. Ahaha!

In other news, it's December 2017, and Megyn Kelly still sucks at talk shows. She is the most unrelatable, insincere, self-centered host ever. When is she going to be shuffled to a better fit at NBC? She should do the nightly news or something more cold and sterile.

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