this just happened.

Best conversation of the day:
Dad: Hey, they have a thing-a-ma-bob at whats-a-dingy.
SW: ::pause:: ::pause:: That's great. Buy two.
Dad: I have a way with words. You know....Are Tex....R-TRAX...hmmm
::brief pause accompanied by the sound of computer keys::
Dad: At Disney World. They have a new T-Rex Cafe that opened. Your brother would like that.

heh.

Conversation snippet from the past:
November 2002
Mason: (5 years old) We have a new kitty!!
SW: Ooo! What will did you name it?
Mason: ::takes a deep breath:: T-REX-RANA-SAURUS!
SW: Um, can we name it something else?
Mason: ::thoughtful pause:: Olive.

just so you know....

......I totally waited to do this until I felt like I had I quasi-interesting day....:P

Eight Things About Me
8 t.v. shows I watch:
1. The Big Bang Theory (This show has characters not unlike many of my friends.)
2. Pushing Daisies (....almost the end, and that is sad.  My very favorite episode ever happened just weeks ago)
3. Dollhouse (No, it doesn't matter that it hasn't started yet.)
4. Fringe (I watched the first 3 eps & dug it, then lost track of it.  I've began rewatching without all the breaks FOX always causes due to baseball & I'm really liking it again.)
5. Heroes  (I'm weeks behind, but I'm confident I can catch up)
6. Veronica Mars (on DVD.  The best TV show you've never seen.)
7. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (on DVD.  One of the few shows I can watch over, and over again.)
8. Chase (on Sci-Fi.   Because Mason got me hooked. :P  Totally guilty pleasure television.)

8 restaurants I love:
1. The Hi-W.ay Drive-In: (In my hometown.  Not an actual drive-in.  Home to the BIG-Z.)
2. The Blue Bayou: Disneyland (Ambiance & sentiment are everything.)
3. Mexican Village: Fargo, ND (mmmm....Mexican Platter.  So big, you get 2 plates.)
4. The Outback: Fargo, ND (RIP, ND's only Outback Steakhouse, unexpectedly closed & leaving my roommate jobless in April 2008.  I knew all of the work-related gossip, so that makes it infinite times more interesting than any other Outback.)
5. This odd Chinese restaurant outside of Eau Claire, WI.  (That I'll never go to again, because Andrea isn't in grad school anymore.  Sad day.)
6. Doolittles Woodfire Grill: Fargo, ND
7. Buffalo Wild Wings: Fargo, ND (Where WINGO NIGHT was created:  50 cent boneless wings on thursdays, followed by moonlight bingo at Big Top Bingo.)
8. The C.hieftain: (Hometown so-so service and mediocre food.  But decor so straight out of the 60s with covert racism, you really just have to marvel.)

**#1 & #8 are restaurants in my hometown, but I get really paranoid about being google-able sometimes. :)

8 Things I did today:
1. Played with a kitten!
2. Scared the kitten when I went to pet him & had static electricity built up on my finger.  I shocked him on the tip of his nose and then he ran away from me.  :(
3. Wrapped my mother's Christmas presents.
4. Watched 3 episodes of Mad Men.
5. Tried to get my brother to let me style his hair.
6. Wore Mason's camoflauge face-mask improperly, causing him to laugh.
7. Wondered why time seems to stand still when I am at my parents house.
8. Thought about being out in -35 degree weather last night to go shopping; glad I didn't have to do it again today, because I'm severely out of practice.  Where I live now is significantly less arctic than where I grew up.)

8 things I look forward to:
1. Walt Disney World and Cape Canaveral with the family, Dec 25 - Dec 31.
2. Showing my family the awesome Christmas lights display on one house in Waconia.  (It even has an FM signal to listen to coordinated music!)
3. Seeing Slumdog Millionaire
4. Being able to save up and buy a fantastic television.  (So I can do my DVD collection justice.)
5. Flip flop weather to return.  (March is coming, folks!)
6. Buying the perfect-most-cutest-townhouse ever in Waconia.
7. Because I'm 6: Christmas with my family  AKA opening presents.
8. Getting the mail every day.  I *love* checking the mail.  (I'm not kidding.)

8 things I am wishing for:
1. Getting full-time status at work next year.  Not just for the financial benefits, but for the needs of the students too.  But also.....
2. .....so I can buy that townhouse I found and love.
3. Taking more grad classes so I can get my Masters certificate in gifted education.
4. Going back to Greece with my family.
5. And (some day) with my betrothed.  (I really wanted to type betrothed.)
6. Meeting more people in Waconia. ( I like alone time, but it would be nice to have "just hang out" friends. :)   )
7. Being able to purchase a hybrid vehicle.  (Currently I am preferring the Saturn Vue.)
8. Mail.  I love mail.

8 people I'm tagging to do this:
1. Erm....
2. Hmmm....
3. Welll....
4. uhhhhh
5. you see...
6. Nobody.
7. Reads.
8. My blog! :P

i just love a good Mexican standoff....

I've secret always wanted to throw a party like the one they did on Gilmore Girls. (No, not the all-night, 50s themed dance marathon. Though that would be fun.) I would absolutely love to throw a party where everyone came dressed as their favorite Quentin Tarantino character. And then we would watch movies, play trivia, have themed snacks, etc.

Of course, there are some problems with this idea:
1) As cool as I think he is, I have to be realistic when I say the reference wouldn't catch quickly with everyone.
2) You run the risk of having a large majority of vague Mr. from Resevoir Dogs, Brides and Mia Wallaces. (Although, even with that, many would probably not know the character name, and would just say they came dressed as Uma Thurman.)

Random List: Celebrities I Have A Strange Fascination With:
1.) Quentin Tarantino
2.) Patton Oswalt
3.) Neil Patrick Harris
4.) Wayne Newton
5.) Steve Buschemi

she came out west to find the sun...

So, Olivia tagged me with this meme, and of course, I have no self control and must complete it immediately.  That being said, some trivia before we get going.....

Number of Items in Itunes Library:  4363

Days of Constant Play (if attempted): 11.2

Approximately 17.6 GBs

Now, on to the show...

Step 1: Put your music player on random.

Step 2: Post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.

Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.

Step 4:  Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly (No lyric hunting! That is cheating! Boo to cheating!)

**Final Comments**  

1.) Any instrumental pieces will be listed where they came in the playlist, but I won't ask you to guess them. :)  

2.) Its quite possible I won't know some of the stuff that comes up.  I collect a lot of music, but keep a small portion on frequent rotation.  (It's like clothes really, you wear 80% of what you own, 20% of the time.) 

3.) My ipod & computer have a penchant for Christmas music.  It cannot be explained.

4.) (Knowing who reads this) You're probably not going to believe me when I say this, but I'm a bit of an emo kid. XD

Alrighty....BEGIN! 

1.  Paper bags and plastic hearts

2.  Far past these roads, there is a place

3.  Hey hey, if we can find a way out of these problems

4.  When I die and they lay me to rest

5.  We're gonna go to the club and get crump with Britney!

6.  My baby don't mess around because she loves me so

7.  Save me from this prison, Lord help me get away

8.  No one told me the right way, the right way to go about this

9.  Lift me up, take me high

10. Hundreds of miles, yeah you cry like a baby

11. She got outta town, on a railway New York bound

12. When are ya gonna come down

13. Welcome friends, to Janice's party

14.  Echo, echo, we come and we go

15.  I remember, I was small, seeing Santa at the mall

16.  Angels we have heard on high

17.  I see the way he treats you

18.  Flirting with disaster

19.  Raindrops and roses and whiskers on kittens!

20.  I was gonna spell it out, in detail but

**Instrumental Bonus: "I Miss You" by Incubus, as done by the Vitamin String Quartet**

21.  Some days are diamonds, some days are rocks

22.  From time to time, I have regrets

23.  Uptown walks in the afternoon

**Mash-up Bonus: The Quiet Screaming - Legion of Doom ("The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" by Brand New vs. "Screaming Infidelities" by Dashboard Confessional) **  

24. Have yourself a merry little Christmas

25. I've been here before, a few times

**Cuz I Love It Bonus: I keep a close watch on this heart of mine**

Parting Note: Entry title is the opening line of my favorite song.  Ever. 

LOLcat overdrive.

Two of my favorite things, together at last:



heh.

more animals

for olivia.

Everclear - Santa Baby



I couldn't resist. :)

holy geek out, batman!

Things I have done this afternoon:

1) Searched on ebay for various treasures from Comic-Con 2007 & 2008.

2) Which led to.....coveting the Comic-Con exclusive My Little Ponys from 2007 & 2008.

3) Thought about attending Comic-Con 2009.

4) Thought about how that means I'd have to miss Governor's School.

5) Wikipedia'd various elements of the Whedonverse.

6) Been reminded why I love the 3 rising sci-fi director/writer/producers of our time:  Bryan Fuller, Joss Whedon, J.J. Abrams. (Honorable mention: Barry Sonnenfeld)

7) Become giddy at the thought of the new Star Trek trailer that will be attached to Quantum of Solace in T-Minus 4 days.

8) Watched the shiny new-ish Dollhouse trailer.

9) Considered why FOX seems to hate the Whedonverse, even though they keep greenlighting Joss' shows, only to banish them to the Friday Night Television Slot of Death.   (*mini, slightly morbid, TWSS)

10) Embedded the Dollhouse trailer, for your enjoyment:

I am just that cool.

Editorial Mini-Rant:  Of all the new shows that were considered and subsiquently greenlit for the 2008-2009 season, Dollhouse was the one that I was hands down, most excited about, simply from the AICN description I read nearly a year ago.  I was not happy when I heard it wasn't even given a first-run chance; instead being banished to a mid-season premiere.  

I became increasingly annoyed reading about all the rewrites, which eventually lead to the complete revamping of the original first episode. (This has subsequently been pushed to episode #2, with a new episode #1 taking its place.)  All of this messing with the orginal plan scares me, because it is eerily reminiscent of the path taken by Firefly before it even premiered.  (One of the biggest TV exec missteps ever, not unlike by the unnecessary meddling and format change that led to the cancellation of Veronica Mars.)

Friday night is where television goes to die; it takes a lot to succeed in any timeslot.  Dollhouse was originally supposed to be the lead-in for the new season of 24.  (Which, BTW, seems like an odd pairing, but maybe thats just because I don't *get* 24.  I think it would be way better matched with Fringe (which was paired with House....WTF?); arguably the best new show of 2008 and the most traditional mainstream network sci-fi we've seen in a long while. (Parallel question:  What makes geek-friendly shows like LOST and Fringe inspire mainstream audience confience, yet just as geeky shows like Pushing Daisies, Reaper, & Firefly flouder and struggle to stay alive?) I'm hoping this is some major act of anti-counter-programming, because nothing else worthwhile ever shows on Fridays (for reasons listed above), but I doubt it. Can FOX kill Dollhouse in the same manner with which they killed Firefly (and to a much lesser extent, Sliders)?  I hope not.

You just got Rick Rolled!

Best. Rick Roll. Ever.

voter? i don't even know her!

Trivia:
I went for Hillary in the primaries.
I was voter #1549 at my polling location, around 1:30pm.
I was exit polled.
The middle school election went for McCain; by about 300 votes.
I moved from a slightly blue county in a red state to a very red county in a very blue state.

Chris Matthews Quotes of the Evening:
Sarah Palin scared the bejeezus out of a lot of pro-choice women in that state.
Nancy Pelosi can ram through whatever she wants.

MSNBC Pundit Honerable Mention:
Keith Olbermann discussing how nice the floor was at the less-than-busy Alaskan polling location via sattelite.

Election Night Pick-Up Line:
Hey baby, can I turn your red state blue?

Biggest Letdown:
I was really excited when I learned a few days ago North Dakota went from "lean McCain" to "toss-up;" this was really a signal of something big in the homestate. Sadly, ND did not come through in the end. Regardless, I think progress is being made.

random.

A) Today online I stumbled upon the trailer for a new film called Slumdog Millionaire. Simply put, I am absolutely in love, even before seeing it. Description lifted from imdb: "Jamal Malik is an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is just one question away from winning 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" Bu when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating. Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together, and of the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions."



If this plays out even partially like I imagine it in my mind, this is going to be a wonderful, wonderful film. I've enjoyed Danny Boyle's work in the past, and the colors from the trailer are beautiful and deep (in a way, the colors in the trailer remind me of the trailer for My Blueberry Nights (which I'm ashamed to say I still haven't seen) and, in a way I can't explain, the trailer for Punch-Drunk Love.)

B) The Big Bang Theory Quote of the Episode: "Forks are for eating, tridents are for ruling the Seven Seas."

C) Like most people, I definitely welcome the "fall back" part of Daylight Savings Time. However, I think this year has been my most difficult transition. Sure, its finally light out when I got to work now, but the sun is long-gone by 5:30pm. (Let's hear it for the northern latitudes! :P) So, this early darkness, paired with the record highs we've had the past few days (Minneapolis-St. Paul hit 74 degrees today, which is a record), has me all confused. Not to worry, there are fluffy flakes forcasted for Friday evening, so I should be in the winter mindset in no time. :)

And finally...
D) I grew up in very small town ND. Population around 2500, graduated with 57 in my class, etc. My mom still buys me a subscription to the town paper because she thinks I need to stay informed. Usually, there's not really anything of consequence in it, but its nice to stay up-to-date on the gossip. :) This week, one of the major articles was about the 12th grade Government class at the high school. Each election year, Ms. M coordinates an mock election. The four parties running for various "offices" are described within the article, and I just wanted to share them with everyone, since you do not have the privildge of reading The Independent yourself. Enjoy the following text, copied directly from the second half of the article:

The first party is called The Redneck Party. Their issues of concern include ending the war in Iraq, lowering the drinking age to 18, no speed limit on the interstate, gun control and lowering gas prices to $2.00 a gallon.
Another party on the ballot is The Pants Party. Some of the issues of concern for The Pants Party are to stop supporting other countries, conserving oil, removing the two-party system, off-shore drilling, preseving wildlife and free medical attention for the critically ill.
The third party on the ballot is The Rock Star Party. Their issues of concern are lowering the drinking age to 19, knocking the school week down to four days, removing troops from Iraq, stopping payments to Native Americans and cap gas prices at $3.00 per gallon.
Finally there is the GPC Party. Their issues of concern include overturning the Roe v. Wade decision, gas prices, placing a ban on gay marriage, creating affordable health care and bringing troops home.

If I ever doubted why I desperately wanted to leave my hometown during high school, I think it all just came flooding back to me. I'm really looking forward to comments on the last point, I really really am.

in which she describes insanity.

Favorite Moment of the Day: The woman in front of me in line at the post office today had very short hair and was decked out in a purple Minnesota Vikings sweatshirt and matching yellow baseball hat. After I purchased my stamps for my irregularly shaped envelopes (Halloween cards, of course!), I watched the Lady Vikings fan climb into a black PT Cruiser. The stereo on the vehicle was cranked so loud I could fully recognize Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl" as I passed on the sidewalk. My favorite part of this scene? The little girl in the front seat, about 12 years old with some of the chubbiest cheeks I've ever seen, dancing and singing along like there was no tomorrow/like this was her American Idol audition. I absolutely love unchecked enthusiasm.

Runner Up: Coming home to find the squirrels diligently eating my decorative indian corn. I yelled at them. They challenged me with their eyes. I put pepper on my faux-cornucopia. I win. For now.

Honorable Mention: For my trip to the post office, I kind of dressed like a flamboyant hobo. :)

The Todd Palin Show

Every now and again, conversations between myself and KK lead to ideas we would like to see put forth on television. Previous pitches include:

Wild Dinner: Impossible
Uniting chef Robert Irvine of Dinner: Impossible with Bear Grylls of Man vs. Wild. Robert has to construct a gourmet meal for approximately 400 people in a short amount of time out of items Bear locates after they have been purposefully stranded on an island/in the mountains/etc.

Sportstime with Samantha
Lots of talk about the "third plate line" and reminders as to the rules of football.

The Fanboy Next Door
A no-frills cooking show. Hosted by someone like Harry Knowles, but much less successful and extroverted. Easy meals that can be constructed and consumed without ceasing your current quest in World of Warcraft and/or Star Wars marathon (Original trilogy only, of course.)

Latest pitch:

The Todd Palin Show
(Inspired by Jason Sudekis' latest portrayal of Mr. Palin during SNL 2 weeks ago. The Todd Palin Show would cover the obvious topics (ice fishing bait & tackle, proper hunting apparel selection, jerky recipies) and also feature culturall relevant debates (Artic Cat vs. Skidoo, bow hunting vs. rifle hunting vs. musket hunting). TTPS would air either on the Outdoor Network or PBS, preferably paired with the fishing show hosted by former Minnesota Twins player, Kent Hrbek.

stop! hammer time!

like herpes....

....but for positive!

i have a wide variety of sources.

A small part of me feels bad for posting this. Because its a little like the questions that children trap each other with (I, for example, have a terribly embarrassing story about the confusion between Christain/Catholic/Lutheran). But then I remember she's an adult and the outcome is a little more serious than, "Who will I sit with at the lunch table?"

get down with the sickness.

I am ill. This does *not* amuse me.

Sidenote: I was, overall, very impressed with the Heroes premiere this evening. Its been a long time coming; 9 long months since we had any new material, even longer since we had any material that could be considered above mediocre.

The one problem I have: Okay, so I get it; when her fight or flight response engages, Black Death Tears Girl Mya's power appears. Mohinder comes to the conclusion that adrenaline is the trigger in Mya (and in everyone; adrenaline is the key to the super powers). He injects himself, becomes super awesome (and a beefcake), and they have amazing superhero sex. (Implied off screen, of course.)
The problem I have is this: about 2 years ago, Jason Statham (Transporter badass) starred in a movie about a guy who needs to keep his adrenaline levels high or he'll die. (I know....I really should write movie reviews/recaps professionally, they're so captivating!) He does this in a wide variety of ways: running from the cops, shooting things, and having sex with hot chicks. Unfortunately, the same chemicals that make us excited when we're scared are also the chemicals that make us excited when we....well, you get the picture. So, in theory, wouldn't any suitor of Mya's be victim of the Black Tears of Death as well, even if she was being adrenalized in a good way?

Yes. I do realize what the previous rant says about my personality and extracurricular interests. :)

Best quote from tonight's premiere of The Big Bang Theory: "I've got more nervous tics than a Lyme disease research facility."

I love Geek TV.

tales from education.

A dear friend of mine is an elementary teacher. She is experiencing this year that some parents love their children, but some parents love their children too much. Included below is an email from a (what I would call) enmeshed parent*. It is best if read aloud:

Hi Ms. X:


I thought I would write this email; rather than chance having Rebecca bring a note for her phy ed teacher and forgetting to give it to her tomorrow------

We just came from our weekly appt. wth our Chiropractor------Rebecca has worn orthotic's in her shoes for the past four years ----

Tonight; she got her new pair along with new athletic shoes ----she jumped from a size six in women's to a size nine women's shoe----we have Foot Locker measure her feet twice per year to get an accurate reading----

She now wears my size. I hear the good news is that we can wear each other's shoes. She is growing like a weed.

Anyway, I would like her phy ed teacher to be aware she is wearing a shoe which is two sizes bigger than basically yesterday ---

I remind her each time she gets a new pair and matching orthotics to be careful when running. Her doctor this evening also said to be very careful; this is a substantial jump in the size/shoe for a ten year old who is not regularly involved in athletics, at least for now ---

Thank you for forwarding this message. I know Mr. Butler; but haven't met her new teacher; hoping for conference time.

Have a good evening; thank you again for helping us with this, Ms. X.


Jean

*Names have been changed to protect the unintentionally hilarious.

mmm....cheeseburger

more animals


I love LOLCats in general, but its been a while since one entertained me this much. :)

everybody loves a scandinavian boy.

I would like to introduce you to one of Minnesota's newest treasures:




Sven Sundgaard (yes, that is his real name, friends from Virginia) is the weekend meteorologist at KARE11. He is what you would call....attractive. I am apparently slow to jump on the Sven bandwagon (thats what she said) , but cut me some slack, I've been in Fargo since the beginning of time.

Here are some more items for your Sven-loving enjoyment:

Sven blogging from his porch/balcony/goat habitat.

Yes, he does love his plants.

AND

Sven speaking Norweigan.

Of course he speaks Norweigan! Wasn't that a given?

geeking out!

Massawyrm's review of Traitor: http://www.aintitcool.com/?q=node/38092
Its no secret that I agree with Massawyrm's reviews 95% of the time. This one also contains bonus cultural commentary.

The. Best. Movie. Review. Ever.
Neill Cumpston reviews 300: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31520
To this day, I cannot read the above review out loud without laughing myself to tears.

mmm....tasty death.

New psychology term of the day: "Mortality Salience".

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26513442/

of tragedy and legends.

It has come to my recent attention that one of the theatres closest to me is named "Chaska REX." Is it wrong that this almost immediately makes me wonder if they only play movies about Greek tragedies and/or daddy issues?

adventures in customer service

TXT from KK, 11:15 am:

"Best service call ever - cooler not working because it had to be flipped over because there was a poisonous snake inside."

fall out boy does the environment.

they also reference the movie Deep Impact, which makes this nerdy-cool.