Archives for May 2010

You Probably Shouldn’t Keep A Baby Up That Late

13 May 2010 by

So I was going to do my normal “Office” post, but tonight’s episode made me sad. The Michael / Donna stuff, the Dwight / Angela stuff, the Andy feeling hurt stuff – sad, sad, sad.

Seriously. Even though MIchael did the right thing in the end, that was the single most depressing episode of “The Office” I can remember.

But it did make me laugh when Darryl said, “We have a place. A restful location.”

And the good news is that Jon Hamm is on tonight’s “30 Rock.”

I’m hoping there will be a little bit of happy there.

Filed Under: TV Is My Friend

They’ve Lifted Me Higher

13 May 2010 by

So I tried, y’all. I really did.

Back in the fall, I tried. I bought these.

Flats. I bought flats. After almost ten years of being solely (sorry. can’t help it. the pun is irresistible.) devoted to any shoe with a chunky and/or wedge heel, I caved to the shoe trends, and I bought a pair of flats.

And do you know what else? I wore them. I really did. I wore them with my rolled-up boyfriend jeans. I wore them with my denim skirt. I wore them with black pants. I wore them with leggings.

And every single time I wore them, I felt like I might as well be walking around on my knees. They threw off my entire height-to-object ratio. My foot didn’t hit steps when I thought it should. My kitchen countertops seemed like they’d been raised two inches. I was 5’6″ again – not the 5’8″ or 5’9″ I’d gotten used to in bigger heels – and honestly, it was weird. It wasn’t life or death or anything that would even remotely constitute a real problem, of course, but it just felt strange.

However, I continued to wear them. Why? Because somehow I told myself that I needed to wear something more sensible and flats are in and I’m supposed to think that they’re cute even though they remind me of junior high and high school and the entire rainbow spectrum of the Connie shoe collection, NOT THAT I HAVE LINGERING 80s BAGGAGE OR ANYTHING.

Well.

In light of the fact that my beloved 4-inch Soda flip-flops went on to their heavenly reward after their complete absence of tread may or may not have caused a particularly humiliating skid off of our front stoop one rainy morning, I was in the market for a new pair of flip-flops this spring. And given my fall and winter “flats experience,” I decided that the new flip flops needed to be just a smidge higher than flats. I didn’t want 4-inch wedges again; I felt like I was somehow too old to buy something that funky (WHY? I HAVE NO IDEA. JUST FOR KICKS LET’S BLAME THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA.)

So I bought these. They seemed like a nice compromise.

They’re incredibly comfortable, and I know I’ll wear them like crazy this summer. But height-wise? They still left a little something to be desired. I mean, 5’7″ is great and all, and it’s certainly a step (sorry – it’s Puntacular ’10, apparently) in the right direction. But after I’d worn the new flip-flops for a few days, I realized that there was a wedge-sized hole in my heart that only a 3-inch heel could fill.

Earlier this week I was in Steinmarts because I had a Mother’s Day gift card that was BURNING UP my wallet, and I took a little stroll through the shoe department. I wanted to see if they’d gotten in anything new since my last Steinmarts visit approximately three days prior. Sure enough, I spotted a couple of pairs of sandals that I liked but that didn’t work at all because of my freakishly high arches (not to be confused with my unusually small ear canals).

ANYWAY, I was talking to Melanie during my shoe browsing, and when I saw a pair of kicky sandals that caught my fancy, I asked her to hold on so that I could take a picture and send it to her.

(What? You don’t do this? I daresay that I haven’t purchased shoes without a second opinion since 2002. Which is precisely the reason why Mel received this picture on her phone.)

(See what I mean about the freakishly high arches?)

(You could shield yourself from the sun under there.)

I was tickled when Melanie gave the shoes her stamp of approval, but more than anything I was BESIDE MYSELF at the thought abandoning my attempts to embrace the flat. Life is too short for pretending, my friends. As Greg Sumner once said on an episode of Knots Landing: “the heart wants what the heart wants.”

Neveryoumind that Greg Sumner was a fictional character on an 80s TV show. Clearly his wellspring of wisdom ran deep and true.

And for whatever it’s worth, my heart wanted these.

They’re bronze and chunky and just a little over-the-top. Sort of like me. Except for the bronze part.

The best part of all? I started off the week at 5’6″.

But today I’m 5’9″.

It’s good to be home.

Filed Under: Rambling

Linky Interwebby Awesomeness 05.12.10

12 May 2010 by

– A few of y’all have asked where you can find the funky hanging baskets that I mentioned in Monday’s post. We got them at Lowe’s (in the indoor garden center), and they were about nine dollars each. I can’t find them on the Lowe’s website, but they’re made by Gardman, and they’re called the 12″ Braided, Water Hyacinth Hanging Basket Cone. According to Google, you can find them online, too.

– One day last week I found a recipe for fish tacos with lime-cilantro crema and thought I’d give them a try. I made them last night (with tilapia instead of red snapper), and they were DELICIOUS, OH MY WORD. They were fresh and light and hearty all at the same time. I’ll definitely make them again.

– I so enjoyed Mary‘s article at myrecipes.com about how to raise brave eaters. Couldn’t agree with her more.

– I would totally buy an East Dillon Lions t-shirt if it weren’t, you know, TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS. Personally, I think Eric Taylor would tell the NBC folks that they ought to be ashamed to charge that much for a t-shirt. But first he’d pull his cap way down low over his eyes and then pace a little bit. And yes, I watched the season premiere this past Friday night, and yes, JD McCoy is dead to me.

– Priscilla has written a really great post about an open mailbox. You read that correctly. A post about a mailbox. And I loved it.

– If you want to read Angie Smith‘s book I Will Carry You but haven’t bought it yet, you can download a free copy at barnesandnoble.com (thanks, Angie, for the tip!).

Hope y’all are having a great Wednesday!

Filed Under: Daily Awesome

American Idol – Top 4

11 May 2010 by

Anybody think that Harry Connick, Jr. will show up again tonight?

No? WELL WHY NOT?

Seriously. I LOVED HIM on last week’s show. I will miss him terribly this week. In fact, I may need a moment to prepare for his absence.

*taking a moment*

Thank you.

All righty. Movie songs tonight. If anybody sings “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” “My Heart Will Go On,” or the theme from “Goldfinger,” I’m leaving the country.

Oh, not really. I will, however, hide my head under the covers. THAT’LL SHOW THEM.

Lee DeWyze – “Kiss From A Rose” – I was delighted with the song selection because I am such a Seal fan. I didn’t like that this was such a straightforward interpretation, though – I wish he’d done something to make it a little more original. He sounded strong on the chorus, but on the whole, I wasn’t wowed. Good but not great.

Michael Lynche – “Will You Be There?” – I know I’ve had some strong opinions about Michael using arrangements that were way over the top, but this was one instance when it worked. I thought the gospel sound of the background singers was great, and even though he seemed nervous, he sounded good. HOWEVER. Like Lee, there was nothing original about it. Just a nice little cover of a nice little song.

Lee DeWyze & Crystal Bowersox – “Falling Slowly” – Well. They’re pretty talented, now aren’t they? Well done.

(Is it just me or do the contestants seem sort of tired tonight?)

(Now that I’ve said that, the codependent side of my personality is going to be very worried about them.)

(Do y’all think they’re getting enough sleep?)

Casey James – “Mrs. Robinson” – The whole thing had sort of a 70s coffee house vibe: the mandolin, the laid-back vibe, the long hair. And while it was a little bit of a sleepy performance (SEE? THEY’RE EXHAUSTED), I liked it. It wasn’t a completely original arrangement, but it was a different approach for Casey, and I enjoyed that.

Crystal Bowersox – “I’m Alright” – First of all, Crystal immediately got bonus points from me for choosing a Kenny Loggins song. Second of all, the arrangement was definitely original, to the point that it felt a little all over the place. I also thought Crystal sounded scream-y in parts (MY WORD I’m hard to please tonight). I appreciate that she picked an unconventional song and tried to put her twist on it, though.

Michael Lynche & Casey James – “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman” – Oh. I do not like this song AT ALL. It totally should’ve been on my “do not sing” list at the beginning of this post. That being said, Casey and Michael sounded great together, and I thought the guitars were beautiful.

Best of the night – The duets.
Worst of the night – The sleepy tone.
Should go – The obvious exhaustion (sorry – I can’t let it go).
Will go – Michael or Casey.

What did y’all think?

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

Filed Under: TV Is My Friend

All The Happy

10 May 2010 by

In light of the cuckoo nature of the last couple of weeks, I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed this past weekend. It was great – so fun and so laid-back. Which, as it turns out, are two of my very favorite weekend qualities.

There were kids running around in silly costumes.

There was soccer.

There was cake.

There was fried chicken.

(I don’t have a picture of the fried chicken. There was far too much fried chicken-related enthusiasm to stop and take a picture.)

There were ferns in funky new hanging baskets that I love, love, LOVE a million times.

There were a couple of texts that made me all teary and weepy and smile-y.

There was a very animated conversation with Martha about these cookies (we sent them to her for Mother’s Day, and she had to describe every single one of them to me in great detail).

SHOCKING, I KNOW.

There was a 30-minute conversation with Mama about everything and nothing.

There was beautiful weather.

(Yes, I see that it’s a tree and not actually, you know, weather. But you’ll just have to remember that the weather was so pretty that I took lots of pictures of trees. Also: IT’S THE BEST I CAN DO, PEOPLE.)

There was “Up In The Air” on DVD. (I liked it when I watched it, but I don’t like it nearly as much today. Mainly because today, whenever I think about it, it makes me sad.)

There was “Survivor” on the DVR.

There were lots of hugs and lots of kisses and lots of laughs.

And more than anything, there was lots of grateful.

Hope your weekend was full of grateful, too.

Filed Under: Family Fun

Nashville

8 May 2010 by

Last Saturday afternoon I called Sister and B to check in and see how they were faring in the midst of the flooding going on in Nashville. They were doing fine but were just as stunned as everybody else by what was happening in other parts of the city. Sister and I talked again Saturday night, exchanged a couple of emails about an SNL skit that made us laugh, and when I went to sleep an hour or so later, I assumed that all was well at their house. Sister and B assumed the same thing.

Early Sunday morning Sister called and told me they had to evacuate. When B woke up around 6, he saw water lapping across the street that runs next to their house, and then he realized that the river a couple of hundred yards away was starting to fill the backyards of the houses across the street. He told Sister that they needed to move their cars to higher ground – which they did – and not too long after that they got the official news that they had to leave. They threw some clothes in a bag, moved some family pictures to the second floor, loaded a few things in their cars, and by the time they left their house the water was at the top of their front steps.

Sister told me later that as they were trying to walk/swim through chest-high water on the final trip to their cars, flower pots full of pansies floated by.

It’s been almost a week since they had to leave their home. They’ve been staying with friends, and they’ve spent the last five days tearing the first floor of their house down to studs. They lost everything that was downstairs – couches, chairs, tables, appliances, cabinets, TVs, mementos, mirrors – but as Sister has said over and over again, it was just stuff. It can be replaced. They’re going to be fine. They have wonderful friends who have pitched in and gone above and beyond. The kindness of people they know – and in some cases, people they don’t – has been overwhelming. Sister said that seeing that kindness in action has caused many more tears than losing a bunch of furniture.

After all, it’s one thing to think your friends love you. But to know it? To see it in action? It’s a blessing like no other.

The most encouraging part of this flood story – to me, at least – is how the people of Nashville have responded. They have more than risen to the occasion. The city and state governments have cooperated. They’ve worked efficiently. Churches and other local organizations have coordinated massive volunteer efforts, and they have made a huge difference. The work is far from over, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that the work will get done.

Here are two specific ways we can help.

Lindsay has written some incredible posts this week about what she and her family have witnessed this last week. She’s collecting gift cards to distribute to families in need, and I think it would be great if bloggy people jumped on board with what she’s doing. This post has all the details.

Cross Point Church has started a flood relief fund. Every single cent of donations will be used to help families who have been directly affected by the flooding.

Have a great weekend, y’all.

Filed Under: Lovin' On People
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