Archives for April 2009

Welcome To The Michael Scott Paper Company

9 April 2009 by

Now I know I said a couple of weeks ago that I think romance makes Michael a little more human, and that’s true. But one reason I’m excited about tonight’s two episodes of The Office is because I think some good old-fashioned desperation also makes Michael a little more human. And I have a hunch that he’s going to be at the height of desperation what with starting his own paper company and all.

Plus, we have some mighty promising personnel changes at Dunder-Mifflin (Kevin on the phone? DELIGHTFUL POSSIBILITIES), not to mention Kelly’s and Angela’s crushes on the new boss, Charles.

So here we go.

1. “OSCAR! YOUR MOM!”

2. “I think Kevin is doing as well as you might expect someone like him to perform in a position like that.”

3. “Charles, where were you born?”

4. “I have egg on my Crocs.”

5. “I’ve always subscribed to the idea that if you really want to impress your boss, you go in there and do mediocre work. Half-heartedly.”

6. “Pam, everybody deserves a second second chance.”

7. “I can’t wait to play, man!”

“Aw, it’s gonna be the…worst.”

8. “Do you guys want to hear about about Thailand?”

“Yes.”

“It was indescribable.”

9. “Pretty Pam is always reaching for the stars, and someday, she may just surprise us all and grab one.”

(FAVORITE! LINE! EVER!)

10. “My mission is stated as follows: I will not be beat. I will never give up. I am on a mission. That’s the Michael Scott guarantee.”

11. “JIM? WHY WOULD AN EXPERIENCED SOCCER PLAYER LIKE YOURSELF DUCK AT THE VERY LAST MOMENT?”

12. “Do you get TNT?”

13. “I was just feeling impulsive! I should’ve just gotten a tiny tattoo on my ankle.”

14. “Like my mother always said, average people are the most special people in the world, and that’s why there’s so many of them.”

15. “MICHAEL SCOTT PAP”

16. “Oh, and Kelly?”

“YES! CHARLES!”

17. “Clearly a hunter – who knows how to throw an outfit together.”

18. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. – Wayne Gretzky – MICHAEL SCOTT”

19. “R thinks he’s too good to be here, and P isn’t nearly as fun without Jim. I’ll have to call you back, Mom. P is being a giant B.”

20. “Just faxing my dad – a RUN-DOWN.”

21. Andy and Dwight’s dueling versions of “Country Roads, Take Me Home”

22. “Who would’ve thought that the thing that would save this company would be work?”

Oh, y’all. I thought tonight’s hour-o-“The Office” was leaps and bounds above anything we’ve seen so far this year. So funny.

What did you think?

Filed Under: TV Is My Friend

Linky Interwebby Awesomeness 04.09.09

9 April 2009 by

All righty – I have a veritable stockpile-o-links today because I haven’t posted any all week.

I do hope you enjoy them.

– I have been very vocal about my love for The Gabe Dixon Band. Well, they released a new EP this past Tuesday, and you can buy it for $2.99 on iTunes. TWO DOLLARS AND NINETY NINE CENTS. I’m telling you: it will become your soundtrack for spring. And I’m a big believer in the seasonal soundtrack.

– I enjoyed this post of Lora Lynn’s so much that I saved it in my feedreader for about three days so I could read it over and over again. HEART. WARMING.

– Compassion is heading to India with a group of bloggers in a couple of weeks, and you can help spread the word by grabbing a widget or a banner for your blog.

– I’m pretty sure that you could clog an artery just from reading this recipe (thanks for the link, M!).

– Several of y’all have emailed me the link to Jim Gaffigan’s take on bacon. And it’s HILARIOUS. Because it’s TRUE.

– Melanie and I have started to recap what we learned at Living Proof Live this past weekend; you can find those posts over at AllAccess. My post definitely doesn’t fall under the category of “awesomeness,” by the way – I’m just trying to do a better job of linking to the stuff we post over there.

– “Top Chef Masters,” you say? I’m all over it. (via Throwing Things)

– Finally, here’s some news that might make you smile: “Tween style takes a modest turn.” (via Melanie)

Filed Under: Daily Awesome

Happy Birthday, EKP

8 April 2009 by

When Emma Kate and I were in college we used to sit in our room and talk about how maybe one day we’d get married and have kids and live on the same cul de sac. Since both of us grew up in the country, our only frame of reference for cul de sac living came from Knots Landing, and that is precisely what we wanted: to walk out of our front doors each morning and see our kids off to school and stand in the street drinking coffee just like Valene Ewing and Karen MacKenzie.

Only without all the arguing. And disappearing spouses. And split personalities. And whathaveyou.

We just wanted to live close to each other. We wanted our children to know each other. We wanted our husbands to be buddies. And we wanted to have pretty houses filled with – and I quote – “LOADS of stripes and florals.”

Remember, it was the 90s. Pink cabbage roses were all the rage, people.

The years since those days in the Chi O house have been filled with all sorts of highs and lows: grad school for me, OT school for her, two marriages, four kids, seven cities, untold tears, countless laughs, innumerable prayers. There have been several times when we’ve called each other and vowed we couldn’t stay married EVEN ONE MORE DAY – only to decide by the time we hung up the phone that we just might make it after all. We’ve walked with each other through Serious Life Junk, we know each other’s struggles, and as much as we act like sixteen year-olds when we’re together, we don’t hesitate to get in each other’s business. If one of us says, “NOW LISTEN HERE, MISSY” – well, you know somebody’s about to set the record straight about something.

It’s been a mighty long time since we were roommates, and we still haven’t made it to the cul de sac. I’ve eyeballed the land to the side of EK’s new house and thought that maybe we just need to build us a cul de sac, but that’s pretty improbable since we don’t exactly live, you know, IN THE SAME TOWN. Our kids don’t get to see each other very often but have big fun when they do, and our husbands are in fact buddies, which just delights us to no end. Odds are you could walk through both of our houses without finding a single floral anything – our tastes have changed a wee bit since the early 90s.

And our friendship is stronger than ever.

This past weekend I went to hear Beth Moore in New Orleans, and she asked us to make a list of the five people who have been the most influential in our walk with God. Before I even put pen to paper, I knew that EK was one of my five. She has been utterly patient with me at every single stage of my adult life (especially during what I like to refer to as The Trainwreck Years), and when she’s spoken a hard truth, she has flat-out smothered that truth with love. EK’s example and her faithfulness – her love for God’s Word and His people – have encouraged me more than she will ever know.

EK has a deep and abiding affection for chocolate chip cookies and slapstick comedy (sidenote: JUST BECAUSE SOMEBODY FALLS DOWN DOES NOT MAKE A MOVIE WORTH SEEING, EK). She has an enthusiasm for MSU football and basketball that makes me so happy and a fondness for procedural medical dramas that knows no bounds. She has, as my daddy would say, more common sense than you can shake a stick at, and she can organize anything if you’ll just give her a little peace and quiet so she can make her lists and find the right storage baskets. She loves her family – deeply – and she is fiercely loyal. She’s competitive as all get-out. She’s as tenderhearted as they come. She’s sassy as can be.

I just love her to pieces.

And if you knew her, you would, too.

Happy 40th, EKP!

Filed Under: My Friends Rock

American Idol, Top 8

7 April 2009 by

Tonight the contestants are singing songs from their birth years, which means that I’m going to feel about 105 by the time this particular theme night is over.

Oh, the getting older is humbling, isn’t it?

All righty. Here we go.

Danny Gokey – 1980 – “Stand By Me” – Oh, this song reminds me of Bud and Sissy dancing cheek-to-cheek at Gilley’s in “Urban Cowboy” – sweet, sweet memories. Anyway, I thought the first part of his performance wasn’t his best, but the second half was definitely better. Still, I don’t think I would’ve picked this song – something a little closer to whatever genre he’s planning to focus on when he records a CD (whether that’s contemporary Christian, country, whatever) would’ve been better. He has an incredible voice, but he’s becoming less distinctive to me with each passing week, mainly because I still don’t feel like I know where his musical interests lie. Just my opinion – which, by the way, happens to be worth a grand total of zero dollars and zero cents.

Kris Allen – 1985 – “All She Wants To Do Is Dance” – I would have NEVER thought of this song as an option for him, but I thought the arrangement was sort of interesting. HOWEVER, I think Kris made a bit of a misstep here, because I noticed the arrangement way more than I noticed his singing. He has been so distinctive the last couple of weeks, but tonight it seemed like he faded into the background a little bit. Plus, his range is incredible, and that song has approximately four notes. The whole thing was just a’ight for me.

Lil Rounds – 1984 – “What’s Love Got To Do With It” – Now in theory I would’ve thought Lil picking a Tina Turner song would have been a brilliant choice. But my problem with her performance tonight was that it felt like an imitation of Angela Bassett imitating Tina Turner – right down to her outfit, her mannerisms and her walk when she came on the stage. The first part of the song was a little flat, and when she finally hit her stride towards the end of the song, I was frustrated that she had resorted to one more karaoke-ish performance. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: she’s better than what we’re seeing each week on the show. I wonder why that is?

Anoop Desai – 1986 – “True Colors” – Anoop picked a great song this week, and I loved the arrangement. He also seemed to connect a little bit more than he has in past weeks; I didn’t get bored or feel like I was watching a wedding singer. Anoop really showed off his voice and put a nice R&B twist on a classic pop song. Bottom line: this performance reminded me why I liked Anoop so much at the very beginning of the season. Well done.

Scott McIntyre – 1985 – “The Search Is Over” – I SO knew that he would go for a power ballad, and goodness knows that the 80s is the perfect decade to mine for power ballad gold. My biggest issue with Scott is that I just don’t care very much for his voice. When he sings loudly his voice gets a little shaky, but not in a way that’s particularly pleasing. And because I don’t love his voice, just about anything he sings sounds sort of stilted and old-fashioned to me. He’s totally likeable, but I don’t think he’s nearly as talented as the other guys who are still in the running (towards becoming America’s Next Top Model).

(Sorry.)

(I couldn’t resist.)

Allison Iraheta – 1992 – “I Can’t Make You Love Me” – She sang the fire out of this song, but I had a hard time getting past the fact that the lyrics were TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR A SIXTEEN YEAR-OLD. I know I shouldn’t get hung up on that, but there’s absolutely nothing believable about listening to a sixteen year-old sing all sexy-like and world weary-ish about a love affair that’s ending. However, she sounded great – one of the best of the night for sure.

Matt Giraud – 1985 – “Part-Time Lover” – I was delighted to see Matt do something a little more in the JT vibe tonight, even if I DESPISE this song. I thought this was a fine return to form, and the arrangement gave him a chance to do his bluesy / funky / jazzy / R&B-ish THANG. And also? His range was phenomenal. Loved it.

Adam Lambert – 1982 – Our DVR cut off, which means that I have no idea what he sang or how he sang it. So internets, you will have to give me the low-down in the comments.

All in all I thought tonight was a bit of a letdown. Matt was far and away the best, and Scott and Lil were the weakest – but keep in mind that I didn’t see Adam’s performance. Who did y’all think was the best? And who do you think is in danger of going home?

If you’d like to add your own AI post to the Mr. Linky, please leave the permalink to your specific post and not your general blog URL.

Filed Under: TV Is My Friend

Breakfast Round-Up

7 April 2009 by

I’m not very good about organizing the recipes I post here in any sort of easy-to-locate fashion, so when holidays roll around I usually get emails with subject lines that say things like “Coffee Cake Recipe?” or “Breakfast Casserole Recipe?” or “WOMAN, WHY CAN’T YOU FILE THINGS SO WE CAN FIND THEM?”

Maybe notsomuch that last one. But I bet y’all think it.

Anyway, most of the requests are for breakfast dishes (I am such a fan of the two-meal option when there’s company in the house; I love to fix a big breakfast and then supper late in the afternoon…at lunch guests can have snacks or leftovers or air, it’s totally up to them), so I thought I’d put them all in one spot for you hostesses with the mostestses.

Quick Oatmeal Granola
Cheese Grits
Breakfast Casserole
Apple-Craisin French Toast Casserole
Granite Steps Coffee Cake
Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole
Angela’s Chocolate Gravy
Pound Cake (if you have never had pound cake for breakfast, you have no idea what you’re missing)
Coconut Cake (I mean, WHY NOT? Coconut is a fruit, and I think fruit always qualifies as a breakfast food.)
Fig Preserves Cake (again, IT’S A FRUIT)

And as always, you can never go wrong with identifiable meat.

Hope you enjoy All The Butter, y’all.

Edited to add the Chocolate Gravy link – and I corrected the salt amount on the fig preserves cake, just FYI.

Filed Under: Cooking

Are You Ready To Random?

6 April 2009 by

I can’t seem to get my brain to approach anything even remotely resembling coherence tonight, and that can only mean one thing, internets: it’s time for a list.

I’m sure you’re completely not thrilled by that fact, so please do commence with the not jumping and the not clapping. It’s time to not celebrate!

1. This afternoon I worked on a grocery list for something I’m helping with at church this weekend. And do you know what made me so happy?

My grocery list says “butter (10)” – because I need to buy TEN POUNDS OF BUTTER.

Fortunately, the butter is for lots of different dishes that will be served to lots of different people. That should bring some relief to those of you who were feeling a little worried that I was just making one casserole. Like maybe an Artery Clogging Surprise or something along those lines.

2. I think Cheryl and Gilles are the frontrunners in “Dancing With The Stars,” and I think Melissa and Tony are a close second. I should also mention that I’m having a hard time forgiving Tony for wearing this shirt a couple of weeks ago (if you can call it a shirt because really I think it’s more of a leotard), but I’m working through it.

photo1

After all, he is a grown man and completely within his rights to pick a costume that makes him look like an extra in a 1984 aerobics video entitled “Step To It!”

But it could’ve been worse: he could’ve worn a headband. So I’ll count my blessings.

3. Are any of y’all watching “Mad Men”? LOVE IT. But don’t spoil it if you’re all caught up because I’m only on the second episode of season two.

4. Yesterday I looked at my search engine terms for the first time in a while, and I was especially intrigued by this one: how to dress like Jack Bauer.

Does the solution to this dilemma seem overly obvious to anyone else? Because I’m thinking that if you want to dress like Jack Bauer, you pretty much just need to put on an assortment of black clothing items and then wear them for 24 hours in a row. Maybe you need to rip the knee of your pants around hour six, and maybe you need to get some mud splattered on you around hour 15, but overall I feel pretty certain that dressing like Jack Bauer is an attainable goal for almost anyone.

I feel better now that I’ve said that.

Now do have a lovely Tuesday.

Filed Under: Rambling
« Previous Page
Next Page »