Just the Feet

There is a television commercial running for some newscast that is supposedly unbiased and nonpartisan, just straight news. I'd love that, but I'll believe it when I see it. Just sayin'. Lauren and I were watching the ad for the show, and...

 

Lauren: Did they say, "No puns?"

Me: No pundits.

Lauren: Ah.
Me: No puns? I wouldn't watch that. 

Lauren: All puns.
Me: All puns. No pundits.

 

YES. My kind of news.

Another amusing LoLo chat was during a true crime show. This is one of those conversations that you definitely shouldn't share with anyone outside the room, but it had us rolling for hours, so here it is. They were presenting a story of a grisly murder, and the investigator said, "We came around the corner, and I looked out onto the patio, and I saw just his feet."

 

Me: Where was the rest of his body?!
Lauren: Just the feet.

 

We both collapsed into laughing fits. Just when we had gotten it under control, they said he "had to have a closed casket."

Lauren: Well, of course.

Me: A little casket the size of a shoe box.

Lauren: A literal shoe box.

I don't know if you had to be there, but it has me laughing all over again right now. We're terrible.

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Friday Five on Tuesday

I keep thinking of additional binge-worthy shows I forgot to mention in my original quarantine TV list. We really enjoyed a series on Netflix called 3%. It's a Brazilian show about a future dystopian society. Very good!

 

Now we're watching Money Heist (also on Netflix), from Spain. I've watched so much foreign language drama at this point, that I'm almost used to the mouths not matching the voices.

Haircut time again. Thank goodness for husbands who do a really good job at it. Luckily, my hair isn't too complicated. I've been cutting his hair with clippers, a new skill I've learned this year. While my clipping abilities aren't perfect, his hair looks pretty good, I have to say! (He can't wait to get back to Sport Clips.)

I've been plagued with earworms during the pandemic. GAH. It's one thing when BTS is swimming around in your head, but right now... it's the Funk and Associates ad jingle. 

 

Just. The. Chorus.

Now it's in your head, too. You're welcome, Austinites.

Let's see what's up with Friday Five these days!

1. How have you been sleeping lately? Crappy.
   
2. What kinds of linens and stuff do you have on your bed today? I've moved to winter bedding, so: L L Bean flannel sheets, sateen cotton pillow cases because we like them cool, winter fuzzy blanket and a quilt.
   
3. What’s the latest you’ve gotten out of bed these last few months? 11:30 am
   
4. Have you had any pleasant or unpleasant dreams lately? Pleasant enough.
   
5. What helps you relax these days? Playing The Witness.
   

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Um, YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Finally the votes are (well, mostly) in. It happened to work out the way I wanted it to, but could easily have gone the other way, as somehow the country has become incredibly evenly split. I'm so looking forward to not waking every morning in a cold sweat, waiting to see what insanity happened overnight. I'm hoping Biden can bring people together, instead of the dividing that's been going on. 

 

And Harris! Wow! Congrats to her on all her firsts and her success. One giant leap for womankind.

While watching CNN's coverage, it's been like 'Where's Waldo?' trying to locate Anderson Cooper. They've got him in front of a backdrop of the White House at night. I keep hearing his voice, but cannot find the super-white guy in the dark blue suit.

We knew the mail-in counting would take a while, but I definitely didn't think it would be so close that it would be Saturday before we could make a decision. I think the delay did give us all a chance to cool down, so hopefully there won't be as much drama as there may have been if things were wrapped up Tuesday night.  (Knock on wood.) Maybe it should always take this long. Ha!

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Blogger Spacing... Oh! And Voting Day!

I missed one of my absolute FAVE television series in yesterday's recs. You've got to watch Little Voice on Apple TV+! Do not miss this gem. It's music and drama and comedy. The characters and relationships are complicated and richly developed. The soundtrack is amazing, too. Love genius songwriter Sara Bareilles' songs. J J Abrams is a co-executive producer with Sara and a couple of others. Watch and enjoy.

 

In my return to Blogger, I had issues yesterday with spacing in my post. It looked fine in the editor, then kept posting with no paragraph spacing. Gah. I've customized the html on my template (yes, sometimes this creates issues you have to acknowledge and fix), but I don't think that had anything to do with it. I can report that the fix was simple for my case. I switched from "Paragraph" mode in the Blogger editor to "Normal." It's a dropdown along the top nav bar. Just worth a try if anyone else is having trouble. (Or had trouble a year ago when this may have started. Ha!)

Happy Voting Day! Keep calm and drink wine. And if it doesn't go your way, as a wise friend said, Remember, what happens in your house is more important than what happens in the White House.

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'Rona

Hellooooooooo!

Well, it's come to this, has it? Global pandemic brings old-style blogging back in style- journaling with no product or service to pimp, or featured topic, or even a recognizable stream of thought.

Yes! That's my niche.

I see my last post was about Big Brother last year. We watched again this year. Cody TOTALLY deserved the win, and shockingly, the jury agreed. Whaaaaat?! We always disagree with the final vote. This time it was a satisfying ending at our house, after a whole summer invested in it. Whoop! (There wasn't an Aggie this season. That's weird. It's become a tradition, no?)

Whoa. Just noticing that Blogger now has "suggested labels" while you're editing. Oooooh, so fancy. So far, no matching label suggestions for this post. No surprise there. Keep 'em guessing, I always say!

Anyhoo... Political ads.

Only two more days of those to endure. I voted early, as most have, so I'm over it. So draining. Are we counting yet?

My favorite political ads are for state representative Erin Zweiner. Her name sounds like "Erin's wiener" so my inner 12-year-old giggles out loud every single time.

"Erin Zwiener has a radical agenda."

"Erin Zwiener supports Antifa rioters."

And the best yet... "Erin Zwiener STANDS UP for veterans." Oh man, you gotta love it. Jeff doesn't appreciate my amusement, but I just cannot let it go.

Stands. Up.

Come on.

Some REALLY good TV recs:

Ted Lasso (Apple+)
Schitt's Creek (Netflix)
British Bake Off (Netflix)
Servant (Apple+)
Catastrophe (Amazon)
Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix)
Letterkenny (Hulu)
Ugly Delicious (Netflix)

I'll leave it at that for today. Vote tomorrow if you haven't! Wear a mask whenever you're out and about.

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Separated at Birth?

So. Am I the only one who has been driven absolutely insane noticed that Christie Murphy on Big Brother looks a lot like someone I've seen before on TV? I couldn't put my finger on it, episode after episode.

Finally I asked Lolo. I told her Christie is the spitting image of an actress, probably on Degrassi or some MTV show or something. I can see the actress plain as day in my head, but cannot place her. GAH. I also sent Lolo a Christie clip from Big Brother.

Lauren: It's Lauren Collins from Degrassi.

YEEEEEEEEESSS!!

So if anyone out there happened to be wondering the same thing... there ya' go.

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La Grange Road Trip

We took a trip out to the Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery historical sites in La Grange this weekend. The view from Monument Hill is GORGEOUS-  straight down to the big ol' Colorado River and overlooking the town of La Grange. Just wow!

There is a tall, pretty monument and a tomb containing the remains of Texian militia killed in Dawson's Massacre and The Black Bean Death Lottery there on the hill.

Near the memorial is the Kreische home, built in the mid-1800's, which has tours, which I didn't know and really wish I had been able to do!! GAH. Anyhoo... Around the bend from the house is a ravine, where the ruins of Texas' first commercial brewery, the Kreische Brewery, are found. You can tour that as well, but we just observed it from the overlook.

All very interesting and a must-see if you're traveling between San Antonio, Houston and/or Austin. They have a Trail of Lights there in December, which sounds like a neat event.

We also met a little friend!

We stopped at the Berdoll pecan store on Hwy 71 on the way home, which we've never done in all our travels through that piece of road. Got some sausage and a famous Berdoll Pecan Pie, well, actually chocolate pecan, because... chocolate. It is almost ALL pecan (and chocolate) pieces, with very minimal "goo," for those of us who don't enjoy pecan pie goo. There's barely enough goo to hold the nuts together, which is perfect!

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Happy Friday! It's the Saturday 9!

Adam is leaving The Voice??!! WHAAAAAAT?

Bummer, dude.

The only good thing about it is that maybe there will be less experimental hairstyles/colors and facial hair in his future. Hee.

Cannot wait to see Songland! What a genius idea for a show. Yes!!


Saturday 9: God Bless America
Unfamiliar with Deanna Durbin's rendition of week's tune? Hear it here.
Memorial Day is the federal holiday designated to honor American service people who died in battle.

1) Memorial Day was introduced after the Civil War. Originally called Decoration Day, this is when memorials, as well as the graves of veterans, are to be decorated with flags and flowers on this day to show our appreciation. Is there a war memorial in your neighborhood?
Not in my 'hood specifically, but there are monuments for several wars, including the Korean War, WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War on the grounds of the state capitol.

2) Andrew Johnson, our 17th President, was in office the first time Memorial/Decoration Day was celebrated. Have you ever met one of our 45 Presidents?
No. George H. W. Bush spoke at our A&M graduation, although not at the engineering school's "session." That's the closest I've been. We visited his gravesite when we were in College Station a few weeks ago:

3) According to the AAA, more than 30 million Americans will hit the road this weekend and drive more than 50 miles. Will you be traveling far from home this weekend?
Staying here!

4) Memorial Day kicks off the summer season. What's your favorite picnic food?
watermelon

5) As you answer these questions, is there an air conditioner or fan on?
Hell yes. This is Texas, y'all.

6) Though she's belting out one of America's best loved patriotic songs, Deanna Durbin was born in Canada. Is there anyone in your family or circle of friends who wasn't born in the USA?
I was born in Germany. My aunt was born in England. My dad's whole family is in Germany.

7) No longer a household name, Ms. Durbin was once one of the biggest stars in the country. One of her most popular films was 1937's One Hundred Men and a Girl, which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Recommend a movie that you really like, but don't think many Saturday 9ers have seen.
I can't think of a movie I love that few have seen. I like popular movies I can talk about with other film fans, but I do have a couple of TERRIBLE movies to recommend, that you may not have seen! The #1 worst, most horrifying and disgusting film I've ever ever ever seen is The Human Centipede (now available on iTunes and other streaming services!). My #2 least favorite all-time movie: Boxing Helena.

8) Back in 1938, Deanna Durbin had her handprints cemented in front of the TCL Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. Have you ever visited that Los Angeles tourist attraction?
No, but I would love to someday, if I get over my earthquake phobia. Thanks a lot, California.

9) Random question: What food did you hate as a child, but enjoy now?
Brussels sprouts

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Name Your Teachers K-5

Jeff and I went to Jeremy Piven's standup show at Cap City Comedy last weekend. Loved it! The two openers were hilarious as well. I didn't realize Piven hadn't done stand-up before. Well done!

That night, we were wondering about the reason behind the two-drink minimum at comedy clubs. Patrons pay for tickets, so they could make easier guaranteed money from that, and also, most everyone is going to have at least one drink during the show anyway (or far more). Why this annoying requirement?

Mother's Day we went to DFW to my brother-in-law's place for an afternoon with the fam. The four moms all got massages at a spa, which was very relaxing!

Finally, on an unrelated note... Mary Faye asks who can name their teachers from K-5th grade. Easy!

K- Mrs. Brown
1- Mrs. Cacioppo
2- Miss Greenland
3- Mrs. Walker
4- Mrs. Upchurch
5- Mr. Jackson

Ta da!

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Parade of Homes 'n Stuff

Do I think NSYNC should tour without JT? Uh, YES. I'd rather them tour with him, for the sake of completeness, but without is fine as well. They do have another lead singer, yes? :p

So J and I went to College Station for the weekend last weekend, just for funzies. Stayed at The Stella. Always lovely.

We did to the Brazos Valley Builders Association Parade of Homes, which was really fun! Very different from the high-brow Greater Austin Parade of Homes, where you tour multi-million dollar homes wearing hospital booties over your shoes. In College Station, it was model homes and spec homes ranging from like $150,000 to $750,000, all over town and the surrounding areas. We liked so many of them.

The biggest current building trend is the utility room off the master closet, in a

master bedroom>bathroom>giant closet>utility room 

arrangement. So you just walk from your closet through a door into the utility room to do laundry! NICE. Several homes even had a laundry door in the closet, so you can just dump dirty clothes through a little flap, directly into a laundry basket or hamper in the utility room on the other side of the wall. No need to walk all the way into the utility room from the closet. (#firstworldproblems)

OMG. I'm making mojo sauce for the first time and there wasn't a warning that the entire house would smell like garlic. WOW-WEE. *cough*

Anyhoo... I went with Scott-n-Kerstin to a storage locker auction on Tuesday! Very interesting. It was the fastest 25 minutes ever. Walked to a locker, had about 30 seconds to look into it, then a brief auction, then moved on to the next one. Zippity-zee. You could tell there was a group of regulars, and a few of us newbies. One of the Texas Storage Wars guys was there, although I don't watch that show, so I didn't know him. Lockers went from $5 to $500. Keep an eye on your local newspaper for the next locker sale in your area.

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