Tuesday, November 30, 2004

New Kids on the Block.

Okay, so after reading the eBay/New Kids conversation, I did some research myself...and I am reminded of how much I JUST LOVE the New Kids!

I forgot about one of their last albums (No More Games) that was actually probably my favorite...just looking at the song listings made me laugh.

SONG LIST :1. Games - (The Kids Get Hard mix) 2. Call It What You Want - (THe C&C Pump-It mix) 3. Please Don't Go Girl 4. Cover Girl 5. Baby I Believe In You - (The Love mix) 6. Hangin' Tough (In A Funky Way) 7. Step By Step - (The C&C Vocal Club mix) 8. Favorite Girl 9. Valentine Girl - (The C&C Quiet mix) 10. Right Stuff, The - (The New Kids In The House mix) 11. What'cha Gonna Do (About It) 12. Never Gonna Fall In Love Again - (The C&C Music Factory mix)

If anyone is interested (Jeff), this would make an excellent Christmas gift!! I think I've forgotten how much I loved "Cover Girl."

(Update: after doing some more eBay research, I have decided to make their Greatest Hits album my official Christmas request.)
For Kishelle:
Christmas songs that DON'T piss me off. ;)

1) All I Want For Christmas is You - Mariah Carey
2) Santa Clause is Coming to Town - Bruce Springsteen's version
3) The First Noel
4) Silent Night
5) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
6) O Holy Night

And my favorite one is also called "All I Want for Christmas is You," but it's different from the one Mariah sings. This one (at least the version I love) is by Vince Vance & The Valiants. To jog your memory...

I don't need expensive things
They don't matter to me
All that I want, can't be found
Underneath the Christmas tree

You are the angel atop my tree
You are my dream come true
Santa can't bring me what I need
'Cuz all I want for Christmas is you

Monday, November 29, 2004

Christmas songs that piss me off.

Since there are stations here in metro Detroit that have been playing NOTHING BUT CHRISTMAS SONGS SINCE NOV. 7--and since I spend an obscene amount of time in my car-- I have already spent quite a bit of time this season listening to holiday music. Some of the songs, quite frankly, irritate the hell out of me. Here are the top 3 Christmas songs that I cannot freakin' stand:

1) O Christmas Tree
First of all, does anyone really know any of the words to this song besides "O Christmas Tree"? Seriously, I dare any of you to give me even the second line (WITHOUT LOOKING IT UP--and you're on your honor here).

Secondly, this song gets stuck in your mind and YOU CANNOT GET IT OUT. In fact, I bet you're singing it right now. And that's unfortunate for those around you, since, if you're like most people, you're either a) singing the first line over and over or b) singing the first line and humming the rest.

2) Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
Have you ever "rocked" around the Christmas tree? I mean, seriously? This song just pisses me off cuz it's so--I can't even say "gay," because even GAY people don't "rock" around the Christmas tree.

3) The Hippopotamus Song
The girl who sings it just irritates the living piss out of me. Even more so than that little unattractive blonde girl who used to do the commercials for Welch's Grape Juice. Plus, the song is just STUPID.

(You can't tell that I'm PMSing, can you?)

Saturday, November 27, 2004

C-Day.

Today's the day I attempt to cook a meal more in-depth than Hamburger Helper. Whether you're "religious" or not, I hope you all pray for me this evening. ;)

(However, we'll be having apple pie instead of pumpkin pie for dessert, as SOMEONE seems to have eaten the pumpkin one already... )

Update: Post-dinner analysis

Wow. WOW. As it turns out, I can COOK.

Second update: I like cooking now!

I want to make more stuff! If you have any good, intermediate-type recipes, send them my way, please. Also, I'd love to do a "cookie swap" for Christmas this year. Anna, are you interested in something like that? We can get some girls from DMX together--everyone makes a dozen cookies or so, and then we get together at someone's house and divide them up so that everyone goes home with a variety plate. (I think alcohol needs to be involved somehow, too.) What do ya think?

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

'Twas the night before Thanksgiving...

(I actually had another pre-Thanksgiving post up for about 3 hours, but then I came up with something MUCH better to write about besides the usual here's-what-I'm-thankful-for crap. I'm thankful for friends, family, Jeff, a place to live, a job, school, my Ryan Newman jersey and Bath and Body Works. There, now let's move on.)

It's almost 10 pm and I just got home from doing my Thanksgiving grocery shopping. (Again, let me remind you that we're not having our home-cooked Thanksgiving until Friday or Saturday, so this little shopping trip was not nearly as last-minute as it may seem. In fact, since I bought everything two or three days AHEAD OF TIME, I'd say that I was actually quite prompt.)

However, there ARE a lot of last-minute shoppers out on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Based on my Extensive Research (a Farmer Jack in Hillbillyville, MI), two types of people do their shopping the night before: clueless husbands and equally clueless single people.

It was quite heartwarming, really, the way we all banded together. We would ask each other random questions (my contributions to the conversations: "Is this less than 15 pounds?"and "Can I make au gratin potatoes in this?")

My most ambitious dish this year is yams (canned) with brown sugar and marshmallows. Next year, I think I'll try actually BAKING a pie.

Somehow, I spent $85--amazing, considering that I'm just cooking for two (three, if you count Fancy). Jeff's gonna shit bricks--but hey, isn't that what Thanksgiving's all about?

Friday, November 19, 2004

Happy Anniversary.

On Saturday--in just a couple of hours--it will be the 4-week anniversary of my quitting smoking. (Notice that I'm counting in weeks rather than months. I quit smoking on Oct. 23, so it won't be a full month until November 23.) I have to say, too, that I'm doing pretty well. In the entire 4 weeks, I only slipped up once--and that was last Wednesday, the day I both went to court for my "financial issues" and Jeff and I had a particularly heinous fight. All in all, it was a pretty rough day. I actually bought a pack that day, but I only smoked about 6 of them before I tossed the pack out. So I'm actually pretty proud of myself--this is the longest I've gone in quite some time and with the fewest slip-ups (by far). (My record for quitting was set in my junior year of college, when I lasted about 2 months--until finals hit, that is.)

November 23 is special for another reason, too. It's Jeff and my's six month anniversary. Six months. Half a year. Can you believe it? In a lot of ways, it seems so much longer than that. Right from our first date, I've felt so comfortable with him, so natural, so "settled," that I've had to keep reminding myself that we HAVEN'T been together forever. At the same time, though, part of me feels like--holy shit, six months ALREADY?

So here's to Jeff (a few days early) and here's to not smoking. (If I can make it through the end of this uber-stressful semester as a non-smoker, then I'm pretty sure I can make it through anything.)

Thursday, November 18, 2004

The Great Honeymoon of '04

At long last, here is your Anna's honeymoon post (So you can quite your bitchin' you vultures! ;)

Tim & I went to the Dominican Republic to an all-inclusive resort called Melia Caribe Tropical near Punta Cana. It was beautiful with thousands of palm trees, white sand beach, huge pool (with bar IN the pool!), unlimited food & drinks, warm weather- the works!

We sat on the beach and by the pool and got sun-burned. Tim windsurfed and took me out sailing in a little sail boat. We golfed and got massaged at the spa. Tim taught me to play roulette at the casino (I'm either good or just have beginner's luck). We did a little haggling to get souvenirs. I read 4 books. We watched their movie channels when it rained and spent a lot of time, ahem, in our room. We ate and drank a lot.

We met people from all over the world- only about 20% American, the rest were from Europe, other Spanish-speaking places, Canada, etc. There were a lot of Russians- We spent an afternoon drinking with a guy from Siberia who we talked to through a Romanian couple who spoke both Russian & English- cool, huh?

A good time was had by all!

Star Wars Stuff

ok So I went and searched for the new star wars trailer.. And honestly.. I wasnt impressed... I mean I am still going to see it.. But I dont know.. this is the first time I have ever and I mean EVER just looked at a star wars anything and just went "hmmmm".. Check it out.. see what you think.. But if you havent seen Episode 1 or 2 you really prolly wont care *COUGH RENEE AND JEN COUGH* :-P

See it here

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Things that make you go hmmm.

At work today, we were talking about oceans and sharks when M. told me that her mommy and daddy saw sharks on their honeymoon. "That's pretty cool!" I told her. "Where'd they go on their honeymoon?"

"I don't know," M. replied. "I was in my mommy's tummy."

Miss T went, "Oh, REALLY?" while I laughed so hard that I had tears rolling down my face. "What?" M. kept innocently asking. "What's so funny, Miss Krzys?"

LOLOL. It was easily the highlight of my day.

Monday, November 15, 2004

Hey, Anna!

I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say...

Tell us about the honeymoon, dammit!!

(Oh, yeah--and we missed you.)


Friday, November 12, 2004

Weird.

I woke up this morning with "Leaving on a Jet Plane" running through my head. There was no reason for it; it wasn't the song playing when my alarm went off, I hadn't heard it all that recently--but this morning, for some reason, I couldn't stop singing it. (Actually, I couldn't stop singing part of the chorus, since that's all I really know: specifically, "Leaving on a jet plane; don't know when I'll back again."

Anyway, I went out to my car, still singing those lines, and turned on the radio--and "Leaving on a Jet Plane" was the song playing at that precise moment. Even weirder, it was at the exact part of the song that had been running through my mind all morning ("Leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again"). Weirder STILL, I had left the radio tuned to a station I rarely listen to. Normally, my radio never would have been set to that particular station.

I don't know what it all means, but it has to mean SOMETHING.

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

The dorkier HE is, the cooler *I* look.

Guess who stood in line last night at midnight, with MORE THAN 100 OTHER PEOPLE (and that was just at this ONE store!), for the release of a new VIDEO GAME?

I love him. That's all I'm going to say about this little incident. And we won't speak of it again.

;)

Friday, November 05, 2004

Get your Kleenex ready.

I saw an ad on HBO for a special that's going to be on next Thursday, Veterans Day, called "Letters From Home." Information on the show itself can be found at http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/lastlettershome/ . I have class that night, but I'm going to tape it (assuming we can tape HBO).

In the meantime, you can read some of the letters at http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/opinion/11INTRO.html?ex=1101009600&en=2b8140f7741544c4&ei=5087 . I got pretty choked up, but I think we owe it to all of the servicemen and -women to read them.
Oh, and by the way...

Happy Birthday, Kishelle!

(It was actually on the 1st, but y'all know that I'm a little "slow.") ;)
I'm sick. (Really.)

After feeling like ass for two weeks, I finally went to the doctor (which I've been putting off because I'm currently among America's uninsured). I have a sinus infection, an upper respiratory infection--and PINK EYE, which I didn't know anyone got after elementary school. (Stupid preschoolers.) Luckily, the doctor I went to gave me a lot of the antibiotics I needed, so the whole thing "only" cost me $55 plus $12 for the eye drops.

I haven't really slept right for about a week (coughing, headache, earache, sore throat, not being able to swallow), so here I am, at 6 am, on a day I have a medically-approved reason to not be at work, and I'm just waiting another day or so for the meds to kick in so I can finally, FINALLY, sleep for more than an hour at a time.

And how are all of YOU?

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Adios Amigas!

I'm off to my honeymoon tomorrow! We'll be gone from the 5th to the 12th in the beautiful Dominican Republic!

You may remember that my originally planned honeymoon was rescheduled due to the myriad of hurricanes in September. But we're going now and plan to have a great time!

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Holy f*ck, where did he learn THAT from?

We had an incident in the preschool on Tuesday that I neglacted to tell you about, since our focus yesterday was on election stuff.

A new student came in with her parents yesterday morning. As they were filling out the paperwork, one of our 4 year olds (who, quite frankly, is a handful, and it's damn lucky he's so cute or I would have killed him by now) looked at her and said, in his innocent little voice,

"Who the f*ck is that?"

This happened about two seconds before I walked in for the day. Miss E. was mortified, the parents were shocked and the little Trucker-in-Training wasn't sure why everyone was so upset. Miss E. apologized profusely to the parents while I took J. out into the hall and explained to him that that isn't a nice word to use and that it's especially, especially bad to use at school.
Thanksgiving

We're having my parents and one of my grandmas (and possibly my other grandma, my sister, my cousin and her boyfriend... not for sure yet) over for Thanksgiving, and I'm SO EXCITED :-) We usually do Thanksgiving with John's family, but since his parents are in Florida, *I* get to do it this year!

John and I were planning a menu yesterday, talking about what each of us just can't live without on Thanksgiving (besides the turkey), and what our families ALWAYS had on the table each year. My favorite item is baked sweet potatoes with cinnamon-honey-butter. John's is mashed potatoes with gravy. So here's what we're having:

Turkey with Stuffing
Mashed potatoes with gravy
Baked sweet potatoes
Rolls from Great Harvest Bread Co.
Cranberry sauce
Green Bean Casserole
Steamed Carrots
Cranberry-Apple Streusel Pie
Pumpkin Pie (if my sister is coming)
Chocolate Silk Pie

Too many desserts, I'm aware, but my last year my dad fell in love with my sugar-free Cran-Apple Struesel pie (he's diabetic and can't have sugar). My sister's can't-live-without item is Pumpking pie. John doesn't like either of the other two, and his mom ALWAYS makes him a chocolate silk pie on Thanksgiving.

Anyway, all the reminiscing yesterday got me wondering what all of you are doing for Thanksgiving, any family traditions you have (food or otherwise), and what your dream menu would be :-) Discuss!

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Voting Day!

Today's the day to

Get Out and VOTE!!!

Don't leave our children's future to someone else to decide-
Cast your vote today!

Monday, November 01, 2004

Horrible, horrible little people.

Working in a preschool the day after Halloween--when the kids are all hopped up on candy--is as close to Hell as I ever hope to get.