Daily Mish Mash

I have never tried using illegal drugs.  Not even once.  Not even the whole “I smoked but didn’t inhale.”  Clinton nonsense.  When I say never.  I really do mean never.

I don’t even think I’ve ever even had a contact high.

Now that I’m older, I wonder what led me to stay so far away from the stuff and, more importantly, how can I use this knowledge to my benefit in keeping my own children drug-free.

I have come to the conclusion that there were 3 different role models that lead me down the drug free path.

First, there was the story of Len Bias. 

Do you remember him?  He was a basketball star from my home state who overdosed on cocaine after trying it for the “first time”.  I put that in quotes because who knows if that is really true.  Was that just something my mom said to scare me?  All I know is that it worked.  I didn’t want to die.  That story stuck with me for a very long time.

Then there was the story of Richard Pryor setting himself on fire from freebasing crack cocaine. 

I didn’t want to be set on fire.  I wasn’t really sure what freebasing meant (still couldn’t tell you what it means) but it just reinforced my belief that drugs were very dangerous and only for crazy people.

So the lesson here is to find ways to scare your children into thinking that drugs will lead to imminent death or catching oneself on fire. 

There was one other thing that I thought of that may have really sealed the deal for me.  I think it was seeing this very influential New Kids on the Block poster in my most impressionable teenage years:

Hey if Joey and Jordan are in the drug-free zone, I’m right there with them.  Now just ignore the fact they must have been smoking something to wear those ridiculous outfits.  Donnie’s overall knickers and Jon’s ripped jeans with white tights underneath are clearly the result of someone under the influence.

Not me, though.  I steer clear of the stuff.

The ironic thing is that I love a good drug song.  My favorite right now is the M.I.A. song “Paper Planes” that keeps playing on the trailer for Pineapple Express (Dumb movie, btw, but I couldn’t help but think James Franco was hot as a drug dealer/stoner.  I guess while we are on the subject, it may be a good time to mention that I also have a thing for drug guys in movies–Do I need to remind you of how hot Ryan Gosling looked in Half Nelson?). 

So I have this song on my playlist and I can’t stop listening to it even though it is about drugs and killing and stealing.  Obviously things I know nothing about. 

Why do I love you drug songs?  Why?   

Here is a little Playlist I made up including the aforementioned song and a few others (in the genre) that I love:

***PLEASE NOTE:  I am in no way endorsing or condoning the use of drugs in any way.  I just like the music people make when they are high. 

I can feel it coming in the air tonight.  Remember that creepy song?  What was he even talking about anyway?  Actually while I’m on the subject of mysterious Phil Collins songs, what the heck is a Sussudio?  I’ve always wanted to know. 

Either way, I love you Phil, and your depressing love songs:

So what is it that I’m feeling in the air tonight?

Fall.  Autumn.  It doesn’t matter what you call it because it all means the same thing.  Summer is almost over and that makes me want to cry.

Everywhere I look there are back to school ads.  It is unavoidable.  Trust me, I’ve tried not to see them, but they just won’t go away.

This chilly weather is pretty much all I needed to push me over the edge into a dark pit of depression.  (Guess who didn’t get in touch with her doctor for some happy pills?)

Just when I think things can’t get any worse, I tune into the Olympics Opening Ceremonies to find out that my favorite fish (Michael Phelps) is too busy resting for his early morning event to be there.  What kind of lame excuse is that?

I almost turned the tv off right there and then but it was such an amazing spectacle that I couldn’t do it.  You know what?  I’m glad I didn’t turn it off because hidden in the middle of one of the commercial breaks was a reason to go on living. 

What was this reason? 

Oh just a little promo video for the best show ever– The Office.  Did anyone else catch that?  Oh how I love my Jim and Dwight and their tumultuous relationship.    

Knowing that there are new episodes of The Office coming makes the end of summer just a little bit easier to bear. 

I couldn’t find the commercial so I’m putting up this Jim vs Dwight video for all The Office fans out there that may need a fix:

I’d like to thank Jen for introducing me to the wonderful world of Polyvore.  This is a website where you can put together outfits complete with all the matching accessories. (My friend Kate will LOVE this!!)

When I first started playing around with it, I made up a few outfits and then got bored with that.  So, the logical next step was to begin to fantasize about what I might wear on a date with Ryan Gosling. 

Well, don’t even really bother looking at the outfit because I lost interest in that real quick (Clothes are not my thing at all.  Do you believe that skirt retails for almost $1800!!!  CRAZY!!).  So, I began adding other “elements” to my scene.

Here is how I see our date unfolding:

He picks me up and takes me back to his place in NYC.  Of course there are flowers waiting for me.  He cooks me dinner and it is the most delicious meal that I have ever eaten in my entire life.  Naturally, there is lots of wine and chocolate.   After dinner he reads some poetry to me and then we go up to his rooftop loft (remember it is NYC) where we dance the night away.  Yes, it starts raining.  So, of course there is lots of kissing. In the rain.  On the roof.  And that is where I will leave this fantasy. 

So, I’m tagging anyone else who would like to play along.  How would your dream date go?   What would you wear?  Where would you go?   What would you do?  Go over to Polyvore and make up a fantasy of your own.  Have fun, but don’t include Ryan because he’s mine all mine (trying hard to forget about his new girlfriend).  Don’t forget to come back here to let me know if you played along. 

Dear John Mayer,

I forgive you for not contacting me about the concert tickets.  I’m sure you must be very busy with your new lady friend and the tour, so you may not have as much time to google yourself anymore.

I won’t lie and say that I wasn’t a little disappointed, but life goes on.

Luckily, the Universe picked up your slack and we ended up eventually finding someone who was trying to unload tickets. The Universe must also know that I’m really cheap because the seller gave them to us for under face value! This was really peculiar because everyone else we found selling them were trying to get double the face value.  I swear it was fate that sent this very nice woman to us.  And just like that, my faith in the power of The Secret was restored.

I must tell you that you are an AWESOME performer!!!  I’ve been to many concerts and I really like how you mix things up.  One minute you are singing your own songs and the next minute you throw a little Aerosmith, Duffy, Tom Petty and Van Halen into the mix. It was like five concerts all rolled into one. Loved it!

Although I wish you would have done “Your Body Is A Wonderland” (yes, I know it’s kind of played out and doesn’t really go along with your new arm-sleeve tattoo and serious musician image) I will say that you made it up to me when you did Van Halen’s Panama. 

Ok, so I don’t really even like that song very much, but I LOVED the idea of you not wearing a shirt while performing it.  Best part of the concert for sure!!! (Sad to say that my camera’s battery chose to die at this exact moment and I only got a few seconds -stupid, stupid camera!!! )

I really do think you should have done the entire show without a shirt, but I’ll take whatever I can get.

Thanks for a fun night!

Love,

Jen

(And my husband who says that you are his idol for dating half his laminated list.)

Remember the post I did a few days ago about things that were plucking my nerves.  Well, it seems that my luck is starting to turn around.  Look what we just bought:

That’s five cases, which means 60 cans (not dreadful 2 liter bottles)  of stomach rotting, bubbly goodness.  And it was only 5 for $10!!  Life is good!

And as if the universe was in a really giving mood– guess what we saw sitting outside our pyromaniac neighbors yard all day yesterday?

We were trying not to get our hopes up that it was, in fact, a moving van. I mean they could be just transporting their stuff to another location to have a giant bonfire.  It’s possible.   But once we saw pretty much everyone on the street sitting outside their houses in chairs, drinking mixed drinks and smiling from ear to ear we knew that they must be celebrating as well.    The pyromaniacs are moving!!  Hooray!!

And while I’m talking about good things, I have to mention this bloggy award that I received from My Friend Amy.  It is an award that Memoirs of a Mommy made up to honor the donor who gave her son a heart.  I’m all about organ donation, so I was super excited to receive this award.   

Here are the official rules:
The rules of this award are: SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. **All I ask, is that you include a link to this post with the award and ask your recipient to do the same**

The only problem that I have with these awards is that I feel all Rachel McAdams in Mean Girls trying to narrow down all my favorite blogs to the select few that are worthy enough to sit at the cool table at lunch.  I don’t know why I feel this way.  I’m not delusional enough to think that there is anyone out there refreshing their page over and over again waiting to receive an award from me, but I still feel like I’m leaving someone out.  

Since there was no designated amount of blogs to award, I’ve chosen three to bestow this award upon: 

Auds at Barking Mad

Emily at Two Dogs Running South

Met at Prefers Her Fantasy Life

All these make me laugh, smile and generally just be in a better mood when I read them.  I hope you’ll check them out.

Make new friends
Keep the old
One is silver
And the other is gold

I’ve always loved this song because of the truth that is spoken in these four simple lines.  While it is exciting to meet new people, there is just nothing that can compare to an old friend.  These are the friends from childhood who you meet when you had all the time in the world to dedicate to just being friends. There were no husbands, children, jobs or houses to care for. You spent hours talking on the phone and filled a giant box with all the notes you wrote to one another in seventh and eighth grade.

(On a side note, do kids even do this anymore with all the texting and IMing? If not, that is kind of sad.)

These are the friends that you laugh so hard with over the silliest things that you almost pee your pants (and sometimes actually do). They know you almost as well as you know yourself.   I’m talking about the friends who will agree to go on Ryan Gosling stalking expeditions even if they think you’ve totally lost your mind and have way more important things going on in their lives.

These are the friends who you can go months, and possibly even years, without seeing and when you finally reunite it is as if not a day has passed since the last time you got together. No matter how many miles separate you , you know there is a bond that can never be broken.

I am so grateful to have a couple of friends like that in my life.

I got to spend a few fun-filled days with one of these “forever” friends while on our vacation this past week. I think I laughed more in those couple of days than I have this whole year. Here are just a couple of reasons for all the laughter (or cackling as my husband calls it):

• After several failed attempts to re-create a Tequila Boom Boom shooter (The bartenders in Mexico that introduced us to this drink must have been wizards to be able to get the damn thing to turn blue) we probably spilled more than we drank, but ended up making a new drink in the process. (recipe below).

• My friend, the yard sale freak that she is, scored this totally awesome NKOTB board game for 75 cents. Is that a steal or what??!!

Again, we just about peed our pants laughing so hard at the game pieces.  And to think we thought they were so cool.

(Speaking of NKOTB, they dropped their video for their new song “Summertime”.  Yes, I said dropped.  You can watch it here, but I’m forewarning you that there is an overabundance of half-naked girls dancing around on the beach with the Kids. They ruin the whole video and I had to turn it off half way through.  I have decided to boycott their concert because of this. And also because I am too cheap to spend the money on tickets. But if one of the Kids reads this, it is because of the girls in the bikinis.  They really must go.)

I could go on and on with the things that we thought were funny but probably weren’t, but I’m sure that they are those “you had to be there” to see the humor in them stories. Instead I’ll just leave you with our awesome new cocktail recipe that I’m sure will be the next trendy girlfriend drink (ie the Cosmo from Sex and the City). It is a tasty drink (possibly, but who knows after so many Boom Boom attempts-if you try it let me know) and will be the the perfect addition to your next Girl’s Night.

Crappletini  

1 Part Sour Apple Mix

1 Part Vodka

Splash of Cranberry Juice

Splash of Ginger Ale

Shake with Ice and strain into martini glass

While old friends certainly deserve their fair share of praise, it is still a lot of fun to make new ones. Even if it is just online. I feel like I did just that with McMommy. She is one of my favorite bloggers. She is so hilarious that I stalk her just about everyday and you should too. From the moment I read this post I knew that we would hit it off in real life. Anyone sneaky enough to try to rid the world (ok, maybe just the kiddie pool) of girl’s wearing skimpy bikinis is someone I’d be proud to call a friend.

That is why I was so super excited to receive one of her awesome Bloggy Friends Forever awards.

My blog will wear your charm proudly, McMommy (although I’m unsure of whether I get the BE or the ST part).

If you are not already participating in her POW Carnival (Post of the Week), you should jump in and play along. It is a brilliant bloggy idea if I do say so myself. Basically, at the end of the week you go through your posts and pick your favorite to “show off”. It is a great way to discover new blogs, gain new readers to your own blog and you never know, you may just possibly make a new friend.

We’re heading to Busch Gardens Europe (not actually in Europe, but in Williamsburg, VA).  I am a roller coaster junkie!  The bigger and faster the ride the better. 

The ride that I am most looking forward to riding is called Griffon.   It is the World’s Tallest Floorless Dive Coaster at 205 feet.  It goes 90 degrees straight down.   Here is a video:

Are you a coaster enthusiast?  If so, which is your favorite?   Leave me a comment and let me know.  I may be a little delayed on visiting your blogs but I promise to stop by when I get back from our trip.  (Plus, it will give me something to look forward to when I am faced with my huge pile of laundry.)

I saw this meme over at Becky’s and thought it sounded like fun.  I tagged four people, but if there is anyone else that reads this and wants to play along feel free to leave me a comment and let me know that you did.

Four Jobs I’ve Held:

• Retail Sales Associate (Shoes and Men’s Department)
• Childcare Provider
• Teacher (Grades 4 and 5)
• Travel Agent (Current Job)

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over

• The Notebook
• The ‘Burbs
• Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy)
• Meet the Parents

Four Places I’ve Lived:

• Maryland (within the same 10 mile radius–that’s it)
• I’m
• So
• Boring

Four TV Shows I Like:

• The Office
• American Idol
• 30 Rock
• How I Met Your Mother

Four Favorite Foods:

• Pizza
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Shrimp Tempura Rolls
• Chocolate Cake w/ vanilla ice cream

Four Places I Would Rather Be:

• In Hawaii with my husband kicking it Brady Bunch style (sans Ancient Island Tiki Doll)
• In Disney World with my family, staying in the Cinderella Castle Dream Suite at the Magic Kingdom
• In the English Countryside having a picnic with either James McAvoy or Colin Firth (either one is fine as long as they wear a green velvet jacket á la  P&P)
• Anywhere with Ryan Gosling (preferably bearded).   I guess if I had to pick it would be in Italy and there would be lots of wine involved. 

Four People I’m Tagging:

• Amy
• Misty
• Heather
• RunningAmuck

Tomorrow is 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin Robbins and you know I’m gonna be there!  It used to be free but who can complain about 31 cents??!!

Cheap + Ice Cream = Best Day of the Year

*2.5oz scoops are 31 cents plus tax where applicable. Limit 10 scoops per person, per purchase. Available 04/30/08, from 5pm to 10pm, at your local Baskin-Robbins while supplies last.

My favorite flavor is a tie between Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or Cookies and Cream.   Last time I tried a flavor that had something to do with ’smores–decadent.  Now that you can get up to 10 scoops, I may have to try some a couple different ones.  This could be dangerous.

 Let me know your favorite flavor in the comments section. 

You know the feeling.  After a long summer, you put your jacket on for the first time and reach into your pocket.  Jackpot!!  You pull out the folded up bill and your heart begins to flutter with excitement.  Or when the alarm clock goes off on the weekend and you realize you don’t have to get up for anything.   Well, this morning as I was driving home from running some errands I had a similar experience.  Not just once, but two times!! 

I was driving along and felt my stomach start to growl and I looked at the clock.  It was 10:13am–darn it, 2 more hours until lunchtime.  (Yes, I do count down the minutes until my next meal because I’m pathetic like that.)   Then it hit me that I had forgotten to eat breakfast this morning.  Jackpot!!  I felt like I just hit the lottery.  I began dreaming of all the ways I would spend my winnings–should I have oatmeal, cereal, bagel, waffles–oh the possibilities are endless.  For the record, I love food that much.

My thoughts then turned to what was on my agenda for the day and I realized it was Thursday.  Jackpot!  New episodes of The Office and 30 Rock!!  Oh yes, I am that addicted to tv and now its out there for all the world to see.   Well, I’d like to think that at least I’ll make someone else feel better today because after reading this they’ll realize that someone else’s life is indeed more boring then theirs.  I’ve done my good deed for the day.

By this time I’m loving life and feeling totally upbeat.  This was really starting out to be a great day.  I think I may even exercise today.  Now that would be something different.  That’s how good I was feeling.  Then, without warning, the low fuel gage started beeping and I realized I would have to dump nearly $60 to just get home.  I think I’ll exercise tomorrow.