Favorite Thing #25: Jackson Von Schnauzer

Jackson von Schnauzer, aka the Handsome Man, is probably my favorite thing in the entire world. Today is his 3rd birthday so I thought a blog to celebrate him would be in order. Instead of listing his many, many, many virtues - here is a photo tribute to the Handsome Man

The Handsome Man was handsome even on his first day in his new house

Jackson is a Momma's boy from Day 1

Aww - Someone shipped me a puppy

Even at 6 months old, Jackson carried himself like a prince

Kevin would not let Jackson be in our wedding (how rude!), but managed to sneak his way into our table numbers. Yes, I took 15 different pictures of him with 15 different numbers in them.

Bumblebee costumes are NOT dignified enough for the Handsome Man

Santa's Little HelperRun Jackson, Run!

I tell Kevin that Jackson is my main man and he gets mad, but its true!

Favorite THing #24: Michael Bublé

Since I have yet to write a blog about one of my all time, favorite favorite favorite things Michael Bublé, I thought it would be a good idea to wrie one in honor of the glorious Michael Bublé concert that Amy and I attended last night.

Mini Deal and I first became aware of him 5 years ago when I went and bought the Down with Love soundtrack (really, I just wanted the Ewan McGregor song on it, but at that time iTunes wasn't as prevalent). Both Mini and I immediatly fell in love with two songs on the cd by an artist by the name of Michael Bublé, which we thought was a gloriously funny name. As fate would have it, he was playing a concert at Foxwoods later that week, which Mini and I decided to go to since we love concerts. That is where our love affair started. 5 concerts later and its still going strong.

The thing about MB, or the Boob as Mini calls him, is that he isn't just a great musician, but he's a great performer too. His concerts are always different and always great. The man is hilarious-from his ragging of guys in the audience whose wives dragged them there, to throwing in really random funny songs, like Elvis or YMCA. He's an old school performer and that is something I greatly admire. He doesn't just show up, sing some songs and go home - he puts on a great show.

I was glad to share my love of the Boob with Amy last night, and hope more and more people will love him as much as me. But seriously people, stop buying up all his concert tickets so I can't sit in the front!

Favorite Thing #23: Justin Timberlake SNL skit

There are no words to describe the greatness of this video. It is B-rilliant.

Warmed up like biscuits...Dance Biscuits

OT: If Loving You is Wrong Then I Don't Want to Be Right

unless you are playing the Bruins Chris Drury, why do you do this to me? I've always been a fan. You hail from Trumbull which makes you a hometown hero for Connecticut. But more importantly, you're good. I always liked you when you played for the Av's. In fact, I kind of felt bad for you, because you were overshadowed by Joe Sakic and his pretty face and stupid Lady Byng Trophy. I was even thrilled when you were traded to the stupid Rangers because it meant you not only got a higher profile role on the team, but I would get to see you play more. I got to see you play the Red Wings in the Murder City back in October and I secretly cheered for you the whole time (it was only a secret because I was afraid Mini Wiseman would beat me up for cheering for a member of the opposite team. Also, I was really only cheering for you because I didn't want your team to win.).

But then you go and be your awesome self when your team plays the Bruins. The Bruins blew their early 2-0 lead and the game was tied up 53 seconds before then end of regulation play. And you have to go and score a goal on Terrible Tim in the 4th round of shootouts in the closeout position. Bergeron did his best, but the puck rebounded off the goal post just shy of the line. (Stupid instant replay. The ref called it a fair goal.) Why do you make it so hard on me? Maybe next time you meet the Bruins on Beantown ice, you could try to be less awesome so that I don't feel like a philanderer secretly cheering when you score a goal and then realizing that, along with your amazing deke, come a loss for the Bruins.

OT: Come on Baby Light My Fire

The Bruins continued their winning streak last night as they skated circles around their arch enemy the Montreal Canadiens, crushing them with a final 6-1 score and effectively ending the 12-game regular season winning streak of the dreaded Habs. With this win, the Bruins have not only cemented themselves as the leader of the Northeast Division, finally passing the Sabres (seriously, the Sabres were in first???), but they've planted the idea in many a fans head that this may not be another disappointing season for the Bruins.

Overall, the Bruins played really well as a team last night, which they have been doing all season. However, I did notice better cohesion. Overall, I saw a drastic drop in puck turnovers both last night and the night before, and a much better power play kill than at the beginning of the season, allowing only 1 power play goal in the last 21 opportunities.

Some of the highlights of the game:

• Shawn Thorton scoring his first Bruins goal 2:31 into the first period, and giving the Bruins the lead that they would maintain all night.


• Marco Sturm scoring two goals last night, putting his 5 game total at 5 goals, 2 assists and giving him his third game of the season where he scored multiple times. I have a fever and the only prescription is more Sturm.


• Stephane Yelle also scoring two goals. He's really been coming into his own this season after struggling to match his career as an Av while with the flames. Plus nothing beats his crazy Canadian accent. I love when they interview him. (I wish I was as clever as HubHockey - their headline is "With a Rebel Yelle, We Cry Game Winning Goal")


• Manny Fernandez letting in only 1 out of 28 shots. I have to admit, I did miss Tim Thomas' big butt falling down and flopping around


• Amy's comment that "All his hits are big" when the commentator said "And a big hit by Lucic"


• Milan Lucic. I love this guy. He might be even better than PJ Stock. Lucic antagonized and taunted Komisarek all game until it culminated in a fight during the third period. These two have had a history since the playoffs last year. Their antagonism started with Lucic taking out Komisarek, who then whined to the ref, resulting in Lucic making really funny talking hand motions at him as he skated back to the bench. It ended with the fight in the third period that had Lucic knocking Komisarek to the ice, beating the crap out of him and then taunting what I believe was the Canadiens bench while Mark Savard shakes his head and laughs.

All in all, a great game. I think I'm in love.

OT: A Public Apology to Tim Thomas

Dear Tim Thomas,

I have never been your biggest fan (or even a fan at all). I constantly question why the Bruins aren't willing to invest money in a Goalie, have likened your goal tending to falling on your fat ass and occasionally stopping the puck at the same time, and love to scream obscenities at you. But I'd like to apologize for that (for now). Anyone who knows me knows that I hate apologies, both coming from me and aimed at myself. I have even before admitted that I am wrong, but told my husband Kevin that I refuse to apologize. The only time apologies are cool are when they take the form of a song by Nerfherder.



My point is, apologies don't come natural to me. But you deserve it. Normally, your playing reminds me of the Katy Perry song "Hot and Cold". You make an incredible save and then the next shot on goal just slides past you. Or, you have two or three shutouts in a row and then completely bomb for several games afterwards. But so far this season, you have been on fire. Last night, you helped the rest of your team stave off the Blackhawks on their numerous power plays. Usually I cringe, because you guys are usually terrible at 4 on 5, but your help, the 'Hawks were shut down. A few weeks ago, you even played something like 158 minutes without allowing a shot in. 11th overall, you currently lead the league in GAA and Save%, which to my recollection is unheard of for you. I know there is a lot of ice time left, but it is shaping up to be a great season for you. For the first time, I actually believe that you deserve to be the lead Goaltender.

Its really too bad you didn't play this well last season when you were nominated for the Allstar Team. This year, you were left off the ballot, but you actually deserve to be there. Hopefully enough fans will write you in. I know I did, as penance for my doubt of you at the beginning of the season.

So, Tim Thomas, here's to you and your fat ass. I hope you continue to do well and don't wind up on my shit list again.

Sincerely,
Amanda Lester

P.S. After I wrote this letter to you, I stumbled across a great article by James Duthie of the Ottowa Citizen that likened you to "a freshly caught fish on the bottom of a boat" and goes on to state that

"Boston's Tim Thomas is the best thing to happen to goaltending since the mask.

Where do I start? He's small, so his equipment doesn't make him eclipse the net like some of those Jabba The Hutt look-alikes. He doesn't have one of those robotic techniques. Heck, I'm not sure he has any technique! If he does the butterfly, it looks like it's missing a wing, flying in all directions. Every night with Thomas is like Live at the Improv. He's made the position fun again....Thomas makes ugly, ridiculous, impossible saves nightly. And just to make things interesting, he's occasionally awful. When that happens, when he flips when he should have flopped, he gets so mad at himself, it looks like David Banner turning into The Hulk. "

Perhaps I have been undervaluing you all along.

Favorite Thing #22: Halloween

Channeling Marilyn with this pose

I absolutely love Halloween. As a kid, I always looked forward to that time of year when my mom asked me what I wanted to be for Halloween. Not for the candy, as with most kids, but because I loved dressing up and pretending to be something I'm not. Its really too bad that I hate when people look at me and my face turns red, because I would have been a totally bitchin' actress. This year, I finally had an excuse to dress up again. I started thinking about my costume when I realized Halloween was on a Friday and I could go out on the town in my costume (JUNE), but didn't get out to the store until this past week to get the remaining pieces of my costume. Unfortunatly, I was missing key pieces of all my really great ideas, so I had to go with a Marilyn Monroe costume that at the time I was not excited about. However, after I got dressed and went out on the town Friday night, I fell in love with my costume. Amy, Katie and I went all over town in our costumes and it was glorious. We hit up the wine shop and got our pictures taken (which made it into their weekly newsletter), went to Dev's and got a free drink, headed over to Rob's in Niantic and finally made it to Hanafins to have an impromptu dance party with a very drunk Dr. Mark. The only thing that was at all disappointing was the lack of costumes by people out and about town. I guess not everyone gets as excited as the Trifecta about dressing up.

Dr. Mark is the only boy who would dance with us. I think all the other boys were jealous of our sweet moves.

Kevin attempts his photography merit badge with this shot

The boys get in on the fun

Even the Von Schnauzers got in on the fun, although if you ask Roo, she will tell you it was not at all fun, but mortifying.

Jackson heard from Doyle that skunks are scary, so

he figured it would be a great costume

Sieze the Fat One!

OT: The best game of the season so far and I missed it

The first Bruins game of the season that I completely missed, and the Bruins whoop the Stars 5-1. I missed one of hockey's biggest douchebags, Steve Ott, starting several fights due to his unsafe, dangerous hits and then refusing to fight because the guy he chose to pick on was bigger than him (he must have learned this from fellow team mate and douchebag Sean Avery). Ott got his ass handed to him several times (and wound up getting kicked out of the game). Ott's buddy Avery got his ass handed to him by Marc Savard after he boarded Lucic. One of the things that I love about Savard is his willingness to go to bat for his team mates when he feels that they have been wronged. Avery's boarding of Lucic was completely uncalled for and Savard (and the rest of the line) let the Stars know. It turned into a giant shit show and I missed it! Not only that, but I missed Patrice Bergeron, Phil Kessel,Mark Stuart and Marco Sturm (X2) scoring. That will teach me to have a dinner party the day of a Bruins game.

OT:Back in the Saddle Again

For the past few years, the Bruins have been increasingly relying on young talent to rebuild their team after many abysmal seasons. Arguably one of the best set of blades on the team belongs to Patrice Bergeron. When Patrice Bergeron was drafted by the Bruins back in 2003, I immediately took notice, not because I thought he was a great pick , but mainly because he has the best birthday (July 24th which coincidentally enough, is the same as mine) and his name was Patrice, which I found very amusing at the time. However, he soon earned my respect in the 2003-2004 season as he led the Bruins with 31 goals and was second on the team with number of assists. He continued to build and craft his talent. A year this past Monday, Bergeron was forced to sit out for the season after Randy Jones of the Flyers slammed him into the boards deep in the corner while Bergeron attempted to retrieve a puck, resulting in a GradeIII concussion. He was due to come back in time for the playoffs in April, but the damn Habs knocked the Bruins out one game before Bergeron was due back.

Many people, myself included, wondered if he would ever really recover from the concussion. Not only did he have a severe head injury, but he missed an entire season of games which could result in a loss of skill on the ice. His first few games of the season seemed to support the theory that it would take him a long time, if ever, to come back after such a severe injury. But luckily, the naysayers seem to be wrong - Patrice is back and as good as ever. With Bergeron back, the Bruins stand a better chance this year. Contributing at least 30 goals for the three years before his injury, it was a major setback to have him out for last season. Just three days before the one year anniversary of his injury, Bergeron scored in the first period against the Maple Leafs. They went on to lose 4-2, but Bergeron did what he did best - gave the team an early advantage. Last night against the flames, he once again gave the Bruins an early advantage, scoring in the first period to put the Bruins up 1-0. However, due to shotty puck handling in their defensive zone and refs who were calling every minor infraction, the Bruins continuously turned over the puck to the Flames, the Bruins gave the Flames several Power plays , allowing them to score 3 goals.

I'm looking forward to watching him this season. Hopefully his teammates can get their head in the game

Favorite Thing #21: The New Guitar Hero commercial

I saw this commercial last night while at Amy and Noe's for a fantastic pumpkin carving party (It's great to meet people who love to carve pumpkins as much as me!) and immediately started choking due to my fit of laughter. It combines many of my favorite things: Guitar Hero, Michael Phelps, white people dancing and the Yankees (although A-Rod is not one of my favorites). There's not much more I can say besides that. Check it out below:

Favorite Thing #20: Milan Lucic

Lucic gets the crowd going after a fight in a manner reminiscent of the last great Bruins Bruiser and my personal favorite, PJ Stock

In general, I make it a rule not to watch sports besides my token 3-4 Yankees games per year. The one exception to this rule is hockey. Back in college, I was obsessive. I played Fantasy Hockey, read NHL.com every morning before class and didn't miss a single Bruins, Hurricanes (Let's Go Whalers!) or Colorado Avalanche game unless they happened to conflict with each other. Some friends even had NHL Center Ice which really enabled my obsession. However, after college, I found I just didn't have time to follow three or even one teams obsessively. Recently, I have made some good friends who also share my love of hockey, which has re-sparked the flame of love I feel for this sport. However, when I looked at the Bruins roster, all the familiar faces I loved had moved on (Joe Thorton, PJ Stock, Hal Gill, Glen Murray) with the unfortunate exception of Tim Thomas. (Why the Bruins can never invest in a decent goalie is beyond me. I'm not asking for a Roy or Brodeur, just someone who is reliable rather than hot and cold. But I digress...) These guys were replaced with names such as Kessler, Savard, Wideman, and Lucic. I remember seeing the buzz last year surrounding a rookie by the name of Lucic but didn't really pay attention. However, while watching the season opener at home vs. the Penguins, I really started to take notice of him. He plays vintage style hockey. Hard body checks, fights - basically he's the enforcer - the replacement for the sorely missed crowd favorite PJ Stock. In his rookie year last season, he started his Bruins career off with a fight, followed the next week with a Gordie Howe hat trick (goal, assist, fight). Interestingly enough, my least favorite player in the NHL, Brendan Shanahan apparently holds the record for the most number of Gordie Howes according to Wikipedia. Lucic managed to land 181 hits in his rookie season, placing him second behind Chara for most hits by a Bruin last season. I also believe he holds the record for second place in number of hits by a rookie (behind some guy from the Rangers who I can't remember).

This season is so far shaping up to be another banner year for Lucic who thus far leads the league in hits for the 2008-2009 season with 18 hits as of Wednesday. He banked a couple more at last nights game versus the Maple Leafs, but none as impressive as the hit against Van Ryn of the Maple Leafs that started the second period and resulted in a complete shattering of a piece of glass. The hit had so much force behind it that Van Ryn is probably still picking glass out of his back. It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen in a game of hockey, and one that the commentators are sure to be talking of for the rest of the season.

I'm definitely going to keep my eye on Lucic this season. He'll never replace PJ Stock as as my favorite enforcer (back in the day, I had a shirt that I bought on the street in Boston that said "PJ stock, Official Ass Kicker), but he just might come close.

Favorite Thing #19: The Historian

Although it was published in 2005, I just recently read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova at the recommendation of both my sister and the D-Train. Since they both recommended it within the span of two days and both mentioned the word Vampire when describing the book, I figured I would give it a try.

The novel is narrated by a female character whom the reader never really gets to know. But through her, we learn about her father's quest for the real truth behind the Dracula legend. Dracula in this book was theorized to have been a real person, Vlad the Impaler. The book is told through a series of letters written by the narrator's father and her father's mentor Professor Rossi as they attempted to learn about the significance behind a book containing only a dragon and the word Drakulya. I would consider the book Historical Fiction as a lot of the research that the narrator's father and Professor Rossi unearth about Vlad the Impaler is historically accurate or could be historically accurate. In ways, it reminds me of the Da Vinci Code as it attempts to fictionally explain a common myth through actual historical facts and artifacts.

The book was not only an interesting read but it kept me on the edge of my seat. (It even caused me to have a nightmare that Dracula was in my spare bedroom coming for me when I fell asleep reading it in a sick stupor). Its also a nice departure from the normal vampire=tortured romantic hero books. I highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to be on the edge of their seat, and learn a little in the process. Obsession with all things vampires not required

Favorite Thing #18: The Amelia Peabody Series by Elizabeth Peters

After reading A Wiseman Once Said’s blog on her “literary crack” books, I thought about what my literary crack books are. If I were to pick, I would have to go with the Amelia Peabody Series by Elizabeth Peters. If I were to be a crackhead, which I am not, I would imagine that the feeling I would get would be similar to the feeling I get reading these books. The first time/book, you don’t know what to expect, but you are pleasantly surprised. After that first one, you find yourself re-arranging your schedule so you can get to Borders/the street corner to pick up the next installment, which doesn’t satisfy your thirst and results in you going back and stocking up with the remaining 17 installments so that you don’t have to anxiously await your next fix anymore should you finish the previous one after hours.

The Amelia Peabody series follows Amelia, an amateur archeologist,, her curmudgeonly archaeologist husband Emerson and their family in what is, in my opinion, the golden age of Archaeology in Egypt - the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. This is the time of the greatest and/or most famous names of Egyptian archaeology. I say and/or because some historical figures of this time (*cough, cough* Wallis Budge *cough cough*) are famous but not necessarily “great” because they spent most of their career smuggling antiquities out of Egypt and writing horrible textbooks on hieroglyphs and the Egyptian Book of the Dead which are still inexplicably in print today. Some of the greatest finds also took place during this time period: Belzoni entered the second pyramid of Giza and found Seti I tomb in the Valley of the Kings, numerous cache’s of royal mummies, the discovery of Tell El Amarna, and perhaps the most famous of them all, the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb by Howard Carter. Each book focuses on a different expedition as Amelia solves a new mystery, whether it be a mummy that has seemingly come to life and is haunting the dig, the disappearance of an archaeologist or the theft of a certain antiquity. The books are light reads, but they are all page turners. Part of the reason I love these books is that Peters (a pen name – the author is really Barbara Mertz, an Egyptologist holding a Ph.D from the famed University of Chicago), fills each book with accurate historical events and descriptions of the time period. Also, since a pet peeve of mine is when random people with no educational background in a subject write a historical fiction book, I enjoy the fact that Peters is an actual practicing archaeologist who has excavated in Egypt. In all honesty, half of the things I know about ancient Egypt, I have read in one of these books and then have either done research on or obtained additional non-fiction books about.

If you have a lot of time to spare, I suggest you check these books out. (you need a lot of time since there are 19 books in the series and if you are anything like me, you will be hooked and do nothing but read this series for about 3 weeks straight) The first book in the series is The Crocodile on the Sandbank, and as I have already completed my yearly reading of the first few books in the series, I’m willing to lend it out to anyone interested. However, be prepared for me to then force the remaining 18 books as well as my slowly growing library of non-fiction books concerning ancient Egypt upon you.

Favorite Thing # 17: The Office

Before I begin, I must mention that I was not a fan of the Office when it first started. AT ALL. I absolutely refused to watch it with Kevin, stating that it was the biggest waste of my time ever (that's what she said) and not even funny. Steve Carrell's character was so awkward it was embarrassing. But I would catch myself laughing at Dwight and Jim and their mutual hatred and love of each other. In a way, it reminds me of my office mate, the D-Train and I. So, I started watching re-runs on TV, and found that while I still find Michael Scott annoying and pathetic, the show and its cast of characters has grown on me. I thought since it was Dwight and Jim who first made me give the show a chance, I would count down the top 10 pranks Jim has played on Dwight.

10. Jim trains Dwight to want an altoid every time he starts his computer
Using the Pavlovian response theory, Jim spends a month or so offering Dwight a mint every time he reboots his computer until one day, he doesn't and Dwight automatically holds his hand out for a mint. The reason this makes the list is due to his sheer dedication to the art of pranking someone.

Memorable line(s):

• Dwight: My mouth tastes so bad all of a sudden!

9. Jim convinces Dwight he is a vampire

After Dwight accidentally lets a bat that had been living in the ceiling loose into the office, Jim pretends that he is bitten and is now slowly turning into a vampire. He enlists the help of Karen by pretending that the garlic bread and Meredith's cross are burning him, and that the light is too bright. It seems like opportunities to mess with Dwight just fall into his lap.

Memorable line(s):

• Dwight:I don't have a lot of experience with vampires, but I have hunted werewolves. I shot one once. But by the time I got to it, it had turned back into my neighbor's dog.
• Dwight: If a vampire bat was in the U.S., it would make sense for it to come to a "sylvania." Like PENN-sylvania.

8. Jim places Dwight's stapler in Jell-O

I don't know what makes this prank so great, but it sure is hilarious. In fact, Katie and I put the D-Train's pens in Jell-O. Sadly, he did not react as brilliantly as Dwight. But we still found it funny

Memorable line(s):

• Jim: OK. Dwight, I'm sorry, because I have always been your biggest flan.
• Ryan: Maybe you should put him in custardy

7. Jim (with the help of Pam) convinces Dwight that the CIA wants to recruit him

I was tempted not to include this prank since it was Pam's idea, but it was so great I had to include it. Pam really went above and beyond with this one, sending Dwight letters for months from the "CIA". Jim gets involved and they convince Dwight that the CIA is going to pick him up in a helicopter from the roof of Dunder Mifflin to attend a briefing/ice cream party. They then text Dwight and tell him the mission is compromised and convince him to throw his cellphone off the building.

Memorable line(s):

• Jim (reading Dwight's secrets): Last year, my boss, Michael Scott, took a day off because he said he had pneumonia, but really, he was leaving early to go to magic camp. Wow.

6. Jim forms an alliance with Dwight

Worried about the upcoming merger, Dwight approaches Jim about forming an alliance. Once again, pranks just fall into Jim's laps. Jim and Pam convince Dwight that the whole office is working against him and wind up convincing him to dye his hair blond and hide in a box in the shipping during Meredith's birthday party to spy on rival factions.

Memorable line(s):

• Jim: And I spend hours thinking of ways to get back at him, but only in ways that could get me arrested. And then here he comes and he says "No, Jim, here's a way."
• Dwight: I'm a deer hunter. I go all the time with my dad. One thing about deer, they have very good vision. One thing about me, I am better at hiding than they are... at vision.

5. Jim sends faxes to Dwight from "future Dwight"

Before he leaves for Stamford, Jim has the foresight to steal a box of Dwight's stationary which he then uses to periodically fax Dwight from "future Dwight". This prank rocks because it illustrates that Jim is really willing to go the distance for a good prank and is constantly planning for the next, even if he is leaving to go to a new office:

Memorable line(s):

• Dwight(reading the fax): At 8 AM today, someone poisons the coffee. Do NOT drink the coffee. More instructions will follow.

4. Jim places all of Dwight's belongings in the vending machine

I wish I knew the vending machine man, because this would be a totally awesome prank to play on someone. Jim even had the foresight to place Dwight's wallet in the machine so he couldn't get his things out. This prank makes the list because it shows that Jim is not totally mean spirited as he does give Dwight a bag of nickels to retrieve his things. Five, ten, fifteen, twenty cents...

Memorable line(s):

• Jim: Oh, dollar for a stapler, that's pretty good.
• Dwight: Okay, fine. Where's my wallet?Jim: Oh, there it is. J1.

3. Jim "helps" Dwight prepare for his speech by teaching him to speak like Mussolini

When Dwight wins salesman of the year, for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Paper products salesman, Jim tells Dwight that he majored in public speaking in college and then tells him that to be an effective public speaker, he needs to pound his fists and yell and scream, like Mussolini. I believe he also "wrote" a Mussolini speech for Dwight. While the prank backfired, as the audience ate it up, it was still extremely hilarious

Memorable line(s):

• Jim: The great speakers throughout history were not joke tellers. They were people of passion. So if you want to do well today, you got to do what they did.Dwight: Which is?Jim: You've got to wave your arms and you've got to pound your fists. Many times. It's supposed to emphasize your point.
• Jim: Ok, I didn't actually major in Public Speaking. But, I did download speeches from some of history's famous dictators. Like this one [holds up paper]. Originally given by Benito Mussolini.

2. Jim convinces Dwight that it is Friday, not Thursday

How do so many great pranks just fall in Jim's lap? When Dwight mistakenly thinks it is Friday, Jim (with the assistance of Pam) go along with it. Cut to Friday with Dwight flying into the office, disheveled yelling "ITS OKAY, I'M HERE."

Memorable line(s):

• Jim: Today is Thursday. But Dwight thinks that it's Friday. And that's what I'll be working on this afternoon.
• Dwight: I went out and got drunk with my laser tag team last night. Crap! I never go out on a Thursday night; what the hell was I thinking?

1. Jim dresses as Dwight

This prank still makes me laugh out loud when I think of it. It just shows how Jim is always thinking on his feet. When he comes across a pair of "Dwight glasses" at the Thrift store, the idea is born. Add a shirt, tie, briefcase and bobblehead and presto - instant Dwight.

Memorable line(s):

• Jim (as Dwight): Fact. Bears eat beets. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.
• Jim (as Dwight): Question, which type of bear is best
• Dwight: Identity theft is not a joke Jim!
  

Honorable mention: nickels in the phone headset, popping of the "fitness orb", routing all Dwight's calls to Jim's phone, convincing Dwight to tell the waitress at Benihana how to butcher a goose, convincing Dwight to buy a women's purse, moving Dwight's desk to the bathroom and playing "hot and cold" so that he can find the desk.

And now I leave you with a hilarious video of the best Jim/Dwight pranks

Favorite Thing #16: Vampires

It seems that vampires are everywhere in the media lately. From the Twilight obsession to HBO's show True Blood, you can't go a day without being reminded that vampires are the new, hot trend in entertainment. In my opinion, vampires have continuously been pop-culture icons. I'm not sure what makes them so fascinating, especially: it could be the element of danger that all us women love, the fact that they are most always gorgeous, the fact that they have had hundreds or even thousands of years of experience or that they are frequently portrayed as falling hard in love once they do. When a vampire tells you he will love you forever, he literally means forever. Since I love any and all things vampires (especially hot vampires), I thought I'd give a synopsis of my favorite vampires from screen and paper.



5. Bunnicula ( Bunnicula Series by James Howe)
A cute and cuddly white bunny with blood red eyes, fangs and a penchant for draining vegetables of all their juice. His vampire-like attributes and appearance scare the family cat, Chester, enough for him to go through a series of attempts to kill the vampire bunny (the best of which involved trying to kill him with a steak …)



4. Eric Northman (Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris)
While people may pick Bill over Eric because he was Sookie’s first love, I find him as dry and boring as his name. Give me mischievous Eric any day. A true Lothario, he tricks Sookie into drinking his blood so that they can be connected for all time, and constantly tries to get her into bed with him. Yet at the same time, he does incredibly thoughtful things like have her driveway fixed and buy her a beautiful new coat when hers gets covered in blood and ruined. A vampire with a heart of gold is nothing new to literature, but Harris’s lighthearted portrayal is. I can’t wait to see how he is portrayed in True Blood, the new HBO series based on the Sookie Stackhouse books, but judging by the actor they picked, he should be as deliciously exciting as he is in print.

3. Lestat de Lioncourt (Interview with the Vampire)
While tempted to exclude Lestat from the list due to my hatred of all things Tom Cruise, I had to include him as this probably is one of Tom Cruise’s least puke worthy performances. One of the great anti-heroes of all times, Lestat makes you hate and love vampires all at the same time with his bratty behavior, and God-like complex.

2. Edward Cullen (Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer)
Sexy, sparkling, romantic and brooding – what more can you ask for. Edward denies the monster within him, becoming a “vegetarian vampire” along with the rest of the Cullen clan. He even refrains from drinking Bella’s blood (His Tua Cantante) and falls in love with her. So in love, that he is willing to forgo his happiness to allow her a chance at a normal life. So in love that when he thinks Bella is dead, he tries to kill himself rather than live in a world where Bella does not exist. He devotes his life to protecting her, even though she is a terribly annoying, clumsy, whiny girl. Edward also refuses to sleep with Bella until they are married. He’s just a Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy. The only thing that keeps him from being the top fictional vampire of all time is his egotistical attitude that he always knows what is best for someone else. He left Bella because he thought she was better off without him, and we were forced to suffer through hundreds of pages of her pining away for Edward, whining the whole time.

1. Count von Count (Sesame Street)
The all time best fiction vampire title belongs to Count von Count.

Widow’s peak – check
Fangs – check
White Dress Shirt and Cape – check
Creepy Transylvannian Accent and Laugh– check and check

You may be thinking that these are all characteristics of other vampires, most notably Bela Lugosi’s interpretation of Count Dracula, but what makes the Count the greatest vampire of all time, besides all of the classic vampire characteristics, is his obsession with counting. A fictional vampire with OCD! This appeals directly to me, as I have also been accused of having OCD, as I separate and count things before I eat them. If you have ever seen me eat Dots or M&M’s, you know what I am talking about. I also once rode all the way to Boston from Braintree on the subway, counting the subway stops out loud in the Count voice. Cailin was less than thrilled. Thirteen, thirteen more stops. AH AH AH!

Favorite Thing #15: Etsy

A few months ago, my good friends Nicole and Natalie mentioned a neat website that they had bought jewelry off of called Etsy. It is a "online store" of sorts for artists to advertise and sell their goods. It completely slipped my mind until a few weeks ago, when I decided to check out the website and see what it was all about. Let me tell you, this website it glorious! You can find almost anything you could want: Jewelry, pottery, one of a kind clothing, artwork and pretty much anything a person could make. I found two artists, funkychickendesign and mosaico who makes face plates for outlets that I might have to purchase to add a little pizzazz to my decor. Another favorite artist of mine is CorkAndCotton which features handbags made of, you guessed it, cork and cotton. But perhaps the greatest thing about Etsy is that there is a whole category for vintage clothing. Most of the sellers are vintage enthusiasts, like myself and Amy W. who need to reduce their collection, or whose hobby is to find vintage clothing at estate sales, vintage shops, etc. and sell it. Every time you check the website there is something new. And while a lot of it is 80's vintage (a period of time I do NOT find interesting, fashion wise), you can also get some really great stuff for a very reasonable price. Already, I have purchased a blouse (late 70's, early 80's?), a brand new, never worn plaid pea coat from the 60's, two 60's era shirt-dresses and a wasp waist blazer from the 1940's. I am addicted to this site. Its gotten so bad that I check it every morning and every night, for fear that someone will post something amazing and I will miss out. Even if you aren't necessarily a vintage fiend, you can still find some neat things for cheaper than buying new.

Favorite Thing #14: Amos Lee

One of the great things about ITunes is the suggestion feature. back in December, I had a $15 credit to use up in ITunes and I was kind of lost as to what I wanted to get. At the time, I had been listening to John Mayer's newest album, Continuum, pretty much non-stop. I love the bluesy, relaxed feel to the album and the fact that you could listen to the whole album and every song flowed right into the next until the cd went silent, and you started it over again. So I searched for albums like John Mayer's Continuum and was referred to Amos Lee. I bought the album without listening to any of the clips and fell in love! It has a great folk meets blues meets jazz feel to it. Like the John Mayer album, I can listen to this all the way through without wanting to skip a single song or even noticing how much time has passed. I need to get the rest of his albums, but I have been resisting because his debut album was like magic for me, and I'm afraid of ruining it.

I tried to be technologically savvy and load a music player, but it was too much work, so on the toolbar on the right I loaded a clip thing from Amazon that you can check out. My favorite song has to be Arms of a Woman, but the clip Amazon has isn't the greatest. Hopefully, I can get at least one person to love him as much as me.

Favorite Thing #13: Rust En Vrede Estate Wine, 2003

Rust En Vrede is located in Stellenbosch, South Africa. If I suddenly become a millionaire (perhaps at Bingo tonight?), I would love to own a home here. Vinyards run right up to the base of mountains that appear out of nowhere. The Rust en Vrede estate was the first in South Africa to specialize in red wines, and has been around since 1694. In the past 30 years, they have only had two winemakers: Kevin Arnold and Louis Strydom. Kevin Arnold is a big name in the South African wine venue, and worked at Rust en Vrede for 10 years. During these 10 years, the Estate wine was made for the first time. the sucess of this blend was responsible for the popular "Cape Blend" trend that blends Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Some other interesting facts that I pulled off the Rust en Vrede website:

• President Nelson Mandela selected Rust en Vrede to be served at the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize dinner in Oslo, where he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
• In 1994, Rust en Vrede received the South African Export Achievement award from President Mandela.
• During 1996, Rust en Vrede hosted the King and Queen of Denmark at an official lunch in the manor house on the estate.
• The 1998 Rust en Vrede Estate Wine was named the best blended red wine at the World Wine Championships in the United States.
• In 2000, Rust en Vrede became the first South African winery to be named in the prestigious, “Top 100 Wines of the World” by US wine magazine; Wine Spectator. This was followed up in 2001, 2002 and 2003 where the estate again made appearances on the esteemed list. Thus making it four years in succession that this milestone was achieved.
  

They also have an awesome underground cellar where they store all their wines while they bottle age them. It "was the first of its kind for a privately owned South African estate. Designed by renowned architect Mr Gawie Fagan, the perfectly controlled environment is of invaluable benefit to the production and bottle maturation of our unique wines."

Back to the actual wine itself, it is delicious! I tried it at the estate when I was there and balked at the price (R320, the equivalent of 40-45 dollars). The rest of the wine I purchased at various stops was all under $10 a bottle so I was unwilling to pay 4x the amount for one bottle. But, the wine was so delicious that I regreted not buying it for the rest of the trip. I was extremely excited to find it at Thames River Wine and Spirits one night and recently opened it while on our trip to Martha's Vineyard. I was pleased to find out that it was as delicious as I remembered it. It is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Shiraz, and 10% Merlot and aged for 23 months in new American and French Oak Barrels. The bouquet was not as strong as I expected for a predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon blend, but it did have a subtle hint of berries to me. The palate was wonderfully smooth but still full bodied and very slightly fruity. I think that it would probably age really well, so I'm hoping to go back and buy a bottle to store for a few years (if I can resist drinking it).

Favorite Thing #12: Michael Phelps

Picking an athlete as one of my favorite things probably seems weird to anyone who knows me, even remotely, because I am probably the least athletic person in the world. I regularly trip over my own feet, bang my shins and give myself concussions. As a kid, I was always the last person picked for any sport because I was likely to injure not only myself, but anyone around me. (Boy, I sound an awful lot like Bella. Unfortunately, I never had a hot shapeshifter/werewolf and an even hotter vampire fighting over me.) Back to the point - while I am a horrible athlete, the one thing I was good at growing up was swimming. I spent most of my childhood in the water and took competitive swim for 8 years. I never mastered the butterfly (I looked like a fish flopping out of water) because it involved way too much coordination, but I was always one of the best at the breast stroke and back stroke. If my school had a swim team and if I wasn't as lazy as I am, I could have been pretty good. I have a great deal of respect and awe for Olympic swimmers, especially Michael Phelps.

His record breaking ability is amazing.
I remember 2000 when he made the US Olympic team at the age of 15 for the 200m fly and came in 5th overall, which is a huge accomplishment for anyone, let alone a kid who had only been swimming 8 years compared to the decades some of his competitors swam. Just 5 months later, he became the youngest swimmer ever to hold a world record, again in his specialty the 200m fly.

Fast forward to 2004 and his 6 gold medals and 2 bronze which tied him for the most Olympic medals of one type in one Olympics. He raced in 8 events, and was on track to match Mark Spitz's record of 7 gold medals in one Olympics when he was beaten by two other swimming greats, Ian Thorpe (the Thorpedo) and Pieter Van Den Hoogenband. Then the 4*100 freestyle team took bronze and the 4*100 medley team was disqualified due to a false start.

Fast forward again to 2008 where he becomes the greatest Olympic Athlete ever by holding 11 Gold medals (with 3 races still to go). He is once again on track to beat Spitz's record of 7 Golds in one game.

He is built for swimming
Like most good swimmers, he is tall (6'7") but what is even more impressive is that his arm reach is three inches longer than his height, which helps him pull through the water and also gives him the advantage of being able to touch the wall that much sooner. It also helps that his size 14 feet act as flippers...


I'm looking forward to seeing how he does in his remaining three events (100m fly, 200m IM, and 4*100 medley) Hopefully he can fend of his main competition (Ian Crocker, Ryan Lochte, and the Australian team) and get the 8 golds he needs to beat out Spitz's record.

Favorite Thing #11: Vintage Clothing

I have always had a great appreciation for vintage clothing, in particular clothing from the 40's and 50's. For me, this style clothing is so glamorous and sexy, not like the crappy fashions that are popular today. However, being a poor student, I never had any money fo vintage inspired clothing, let alone real vintage. The only piece I had was a swing style dress I purchased for an "Enchantment Under the Sea" dance my senior year (Yes, as in Marty McFly Back to the Future. Are you happy I corrected it Rob?). And while I do love this dress, it didn't really do the era justice.

Retro swing dresses also make excellent clubbing dresses

Old time photos are fun

I recently got into the market of buying vintage inspired dresses when my good friend Kevin Doyle (see entry #9, decided to have a super awesome Great Gatsby themed party on the summer solstice. Through an internet search, Amy and I found a really awesome website called Unique Vintage (http://www.unique-vintage.com/) that sells vintage inspired clothing from the 20's through the 70's. They a wonderful selection of flapper style dresses, from which Amy and I chose the lovely selections below. I complemented the dress with a hat I picked up at the local vintage store Peacock Feathers (13 Golden Street, New London, CT). Amy is much craftier than I and she made her awesome headband, which was by far the best homemade headband I have ever seen, let alone at the party (gluing a piece of sequined ribbon together on the ends is not making a headband).

"What, this old thing?"

Unique vintage has such neat stuff that I used a great 20% off coupon to get a 50's dress, labeled as a "country club dress". Its so comfortable to wear and the skirt is full and tons of fun to twirl in. Amy also got a neat 50's dress with cute little cherries on it. They have so far come in really handy for various summer parties and outdoor movie watching. Since becoming addicted to vintage clothing, we have also become addicted to using any excuse to dress up.

Rob may be handsome but my dress is hot!

I have also added a 40's pinup style bathing suit to my collection from Ester Williams line of bathing suits. This suit (along with the one Amy got) is very flattering to people who aren't built like twigs. Plus, its super fun to wear. I'm really hoping they go on sale so I can order a different print.

This photo could have come out of the 40's

Another great site we have discovered lately is Daddy O's (http://www.daddyos.com/) which specializes in 50's, rockabilly and swing clothes for men, women and children. I ordered a great two piece number today that I am totally stoked to get. My only regret is that I forgot to orderthe awesome cateye sunglasses to go with.

The crowning achievement of my growing collection is the vintage dress I picked up at Aequinox on the Vineyard this weekend (http://www.vintageclothingmv.com/). It is my first actual vintage dress. Although Noe thinks it looks like a Mrs. Cleaver dress, I think it is swell. I haven't gotten a chance to wear it out yet, but I did take a picture of it, which doesn't do it justice. I can't wait to hoodwink Katie and John into inviting us back so I can visit the store again and hopefully find another great piece for my collection.

Favorite THing #10: My Fair Lady

Last night, the Trifecta (Katie, Amy and myself), decided to stay classy and attend the Hygienic's outdoor presentation of My Fair Lady. We were originally planning on going last week, but it got rained out and luckily was rescheduled to this week instead. I have always been a huge fan of not only musicals but of Audrey Hepburn as well, so needless to say, I love this movie. As our husbands/boyfriend would say, the Trifecta are exactly the same and therefore Katie and Amy also love this movie as well. While watching the film in the lovely garden setting that is the Hygienic Park, I realized something. This movie would make a perfect All I need to know in life I learned from... poster. So I decided to put one together...



I learned that everyone knows someone who is an Eliza Doolittle, Henry Higgins, Colonel Pickering, Alfie Doolittle, or Freddie Eynsford-Hill.

*Eliza Doolittle - a incredibly mini person prone to high pitched screechy noises and saying ridiculously funny things. ("You oughta be stuffed with nails, you ought! ") But in the end, all the guys want her because she is irresistible to guys.

* Henry Higgings - a confirmed old bachelor who thinks that the minute he becomes friends with a woman, she will fall in love with him and will want to be his only female friend and is therefore jealous of all other females in his life. "Let the others of my sex, tie the knot around their necks, I prefer a new edition of the Spanish Inquisition than to ever let a woman in my life"

*Colonel Pickering - a kindly gentleman who treats a woman nicely no matter how mean his friends are being. He has a tendency of being quite chatty and is always snappily dressed. "Well, just let's call her a "good friend", shall we? I beg your pardon! Listen to me, my man, I don't like the tenor of that question - what we do with her is our affair - your affair is bringing her back so we can continue doing it! "

*Alfie Doolittle - a portly fellow prone to saying ridiculous stuff especially when drunk (which he is often). "Beer, beer, glorious beer!"

*Freddie-Eynsford Hill - a lovable guy who pines after a woman, sending her love letters every day. ("Darling, how could you imagine such a thing? You know how I feel. I've written two and three times a day telling you. Sheets and sheets! ") However, he is so nice that he often gets looked over and stepped on in favor of a guy who is grumpier and not as devoted as he is.

I learned a new set of phrases that can be used in every day conversation.

*"Stop crooning like a bilious pigeon" (useful when someone won't stop whining)

*"You toady ignoramus" (when someone is being a complete idiot)

*"Heartless guttersnipe" (useful for a mean woman)

*"Come on ____ Move yer bloomin' arse" (to move someone along that is going to slow for you)

*"I'm a good girl I am!" (when accused of something you didn't do)

*"I'm wanting to tell you, I'm willing to tell you, I'm waiting to tell you" (when someone wants you to tell them something and won't wait long enough for you to get it out)

I learned useful weather information about Europe

* The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain

*In Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen

Feel free to contribute your own lessons learned if I missed anything!

Favorite Thing #9: Kevin M. Doyle

I was sitting at work today, trying to come up with something to write about, when I had a brilliant idea: Doyle! Doyle is my BFF at work and if he did NOT work at Pfizer, I would probably have to quit. Since I have OCD and LOVE making lists, and also since I LOVE the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, I thought I would instead make a list of 10 things I love about Doyle (in no particular order):

10: He plays retarded games at Six Flags to win the world's most hideous dog just so I can give it to Roo and laugh when it is bigger than her.

9: He is the only guy I know who COMPLAINS about being manhandled by three girls.

8: He is even less photogenic than me.

7: He does Civil War re-enactment and gets old-time photos taken which he then gives to me and Katie which enables us to make the best buttons ever!

6: As previously mentioned in my Ewan McGregor entry, he totally rocks the tuxedo!

5: He takes me to Taco Bell.

4: He supports my Edward Cullen obsession by getting me a t-shirt that says "Edward Cullen, breaking hearts since 1918" for my birthday

3: He doesn't mind when I pass out at the beach for over an hour.


2: He makes Seersucker Suits and boater hats cool again (see below)

1: He throws the greatest theme parties ever!