Killed By Death

God, I'm really sorry about that Debbie Downer of a post yesterday. Sheesh.

I'm, of course, in better spirits today. (Tuesdays are always better than Mondays, right?) Also, this post means that I made it through Nablopomo and posted every single day in the month of November! As a celebration of sorts, I thought I'd talk about one of my favorite things: Harry Potter.

You may have noted a dearth of HP posts that corresponded with the day The Deathly Hallows Part One (let's refer to it as DHP1, 'kay?) was released in theaters. The absence is especially glaring when you read all of my pre-Potter posts leading up to opening night.

So why did I wait this long to write about DHP1? It's not because I was disappointed in it. (Believe me, I was not.) I just knew it would turn into a total geekfest. And honestly, I needed a little while to formulate my opinions on it, other than...uh, it was effing amazing.

They really stepped up their game this time around, don't you think? And by "they," I mean everyone involved in the movie--the actors, of course (especially Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson--OMG, how great were they?), as well as the director, screenplay adapter, cinematographer, and the list goes on.

Love these guys!

Most important, I couldn't be happier about the decision to split the seventh book into two movies. I admit, I was cynical at first, thinking it was just a money-grubbing ploy to get saps like me out to the theater twice. But even if it was, I'm fully on board. The amount of detail they were able to fit into the two and a half hours was astounding. That's one thing that sucks a little bit about the earlier movies--so much gets left out. I also like that I get a little bit more anticipation as I wait for DHP2 to come out next summer. (Oh, that will be a bittersweet day, when I see the very last HP movie.)

With the exception of the third and sixth movies, I haven't felt particularly moved by any of them (until DHP1, of course). At least not in any way that remotely compares to the emotional connection I have with the world and the characters in the books. But DHP1 had it all--the comedy (Harry making Hermione dance when the effects of the horcrux were making her sad), the quirkiness (Luna and Dobby in Malfoy Manor), the sweetness (Ron's speech when he finally is reunited with his two best friends), the action (taking Polyjuice Potion and sneaking into the Ministry of Magic and confronting Umbridge!), and the sadness (Dobby's death and funeral). And how cool was the animation in the scene where Hermione is reading the deathly hallows fairy tale?

I most definitely didn't say anything too insightful here, but I had to gush for a little bit about my favorite fictional world ever to be created. I re-read the first six books before seeing DHP1, and that helped me to get back into that world; it definitely made me enjoy the movie more. And it didn't hurt that I got to see it at Alamo Drafthouse, where I dined on butterbeer and fish 'n chips!

Do you love Harry Potter? What did you think of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One?

Witch

I'm normally not the biggest fan of Mondays (except for Monday nights! How I Met Your Mother and Gossip Girl, what up?), but Mondays after a four-day weekend are pretty much the worst.

Work hasn't been as fun lately since my co-worker left for greener pastures. We became pretty good pals sitting in cubes next to each other for seven months, and I miss her company! Additionally, I am feeling behind on my work, which is not a feeling I am comfortable with. To top it off, I got stuck on the elevator today for 30 minutes. Yeah, our elevators aren't exactly in the finest of conditions, and they frequently get stuck on the third floor. (For some reason, it's always the third floor.) I'm not exactly claustrophobic, but the idea of being stuck in an elevator has always terrified me. What if it just starts sailing downward and crashes at the bottom of the shaft? What if it opens up between floors and we have to climb out? What if someone gets chopped in half?

OK, maybe I'm being a bit melodramatic. It actually wasn't nearly as scary as I'd imagined it would be. But it wasn't fun--unfortunately one of the two men I was stuck on the elevator with was a complainer. Would not stop moaning about how horrible it was being stuck on an elevator the whole time. That really makes the time go faster, buddy! I wanted to sock him. But I just nodded politely and smiled at his belligerence.

I also had a mini-crisis today about wanting to be pregnant. I know that three-and-a-half months isn't that long to wait to start TTC again, but for some reason earlier today it just hit me how much I wish I was pregnant right now. If I was still pregnant with Bacon, I'd be into the second trimester and out of the closet! And it literally seems like EVERYONE around me is getting pregnant. Today alone I found out about four new pregnancies. But luckily a very sweet bee who shall remain nameless sent me an e-mail that brightened my outlook a bit. Oh, and I won this necklace on my friend Ali's adorable blog, His Birdie's Nest:

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So it totally wasn't all bad. But I'm writing off this Monday. Now the bad part is over, and I can enjoy the good part of the day: dinner with the Dude, two of my fave shows on TV, and an extra couple of cups of coffee.

Bargaining, Part Two

The Dude and I decided to hit up the outlet malls today in order to do a little Christmas shopping. We didn't really have anything in particular in mind that we were looking for--we just wanted to experience some holiday shopping and perhaps get a few good deals.

We struck gold at the J. Crew outlet, finding these jeweled-button cardigans for $19.99! I got one in this chartreuse color.

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The Dude even got some corduroy pants, marked down from $50 to $30. And he hardly ever buys clothes! I hope I haven't turned him into a J. Crew addict because it is a dangerous habit. But he was talking about how much better quality his new pants are than the Target brands he usually buys (duh)...

We struck out at Banana Republic, Bath & Body Works, Neiman Marcus Last Call, and Pottery Barn. But we found some pretty good stuff at Crate & Barrel. And note to self: the Dude loves home goods stores. Can't really stand shopping for clothes and thinks everything is either ugly or overpriced. But he loves him some Pottery Barn.

On the way home, we stopped at a flea market (the one where we got a ton of vases on the cheap for our wedding) so I could search for some teacups for the big order of candles I've got. Luckily, we left with three cup-and-saucer sets for five bucks. Not too shabby! 

I got two of the toile one on the left there.

Oh, and we picked up a nutcracker for a buck, too. Gotta add to the Christmas-decor collection.

Ever since I saw the episode of How I Met Your Mother, "When Lily Stole Christmas," I have longed to replicate the explosion of holiday decor in my own home.

This is the best screenshot I could find, but trust me--their NYC apartment is EXPLODING with Christmas joy. (Source)

I could take or leave outside lights, but I love having a plethora of decorations inside, ranging from cheap Target day-after finds to vintage hand-me-downs. Normally, I'm all about the "less is more" approach to home decor (don't get me STARTED on clutter), but for some reason all that goes out the window when it comes to Christmas decorations.

The Dude and I started a tradition four years ago where we each buy a new ornament for our tree every Christmas. We then label our respective ornaments with the year we purchased them. It's funny because when we were decorating the tree last night, the Dude kept taking my ornaments out of the bag and getting excited over them. He said, "You pick out good ornaments!" I said "I know. And you pick out stupid ones." He agreed, though he still claims to like his. He usually picks things like Santa riding a tractor or a cowboy with pistols and legs that shimmy. (I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.) I, on the other hand, pick out things like a miniature Eiffel Tower, or a ceramic pink flamingo, or a felt penguin. You know, cute things!

Anyway, the point is, this year I picked out this mouse:

The Dude still hasn't found his ornament yet, but I'm betting it's gonna be a good one.

Bargaining, Part One

I braved the shopping crowds yesterday to get a jump on Christmas shopping for this year. Not really sure why--I think mostly I was feeling adventurous and curious as to how bad the crowds would be. Consensus? Ahh, it weren't no thang. But that's probably because I waited to head out into the throngs until early afternoon. I think I missed a lot of the early-bird discounts (for instance, Banana Republic was doing 40% off of your ENTIRE PURCHASE before noon).

I hit up the mall, including the watch repair shop, where I finally got my dad's watch sized to fit me. Only $18.

I dropped by The Body Shop to use a Groupon I bought a couple weeks ago. I loaded up on body washes and lotions (and even threw in a cute fuchsia lipstick), only to be told that I couldn't use my Groupon that day because it "cannot be combined with other offers." Boo. I just left all my stuff at the counter and told them I'd come back later.

I swung by Banana Republic to look for stuff for my mom. I may or may not have found something--but since she reads my blog, I will not say. I did find this killer necklace/choker on pretty steep discount.

I freakin' love it. This had no price tag, so the cashier had to spend like five minutes looking it up in a binder to figure out how much it was. To my surprise, he told me $25 or something similar. I stopped listening as soon as I heard the "twenty" part--sold. I have recently started looking for chunky necklaces to spruce up my work wardrobe, but I got discouraged easily when looking at the prices on J. Crew's website. There's really nothing under $100, and I'll be damned if I would pay that much for one necklace.

Anyway, moving on. I picked up my watch, and then headed to J. Crew. Not going to say what I found there, but walking into that store is dangerous to my checking account balance. Seriously dangerous.

I left the mall and decided to go to Urban Outfitters before heading home. I may or may not have gotten a stripe-y cardigan (with pockets!) for the Dude. I also picked up some sheer black tights to carry my work dresses into the winter season. I'm loving the look that Maggie Grace demonstrated so chicly in December's Glamour magazine.

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The Dude and I have always believed that Christmas is not only a time to spend money on the ones you love, but also a time to spend money on yourself. I definitely lived up to that yesterday.

What's on your shopping list this year? Find any good deals on Black Friday?

"Mixtape Masters" Fridays: The Prom

OK, so I totally just made up that theme based on the fact that I only have a handful of Buffy episode titles left to use as blog-post titles. So I'm going with the theme of songs that I would play if I were a DJ at a high school prom. Never mind the fact that I'd get kicked out as soon as I started playing the first song on this playlist...

I'm loving how non radio friendly Kanye's new album is. And the fact that Bon Iver is on a ton of the tracks.

Can't hear this Tommy James & the Shondells song without thinking about the movie Buffalo '66 and that scene at the end of that Veronica Mars where Logan is waiting on the boat for Veronica, but she thinks he's a rapist so she never shows. Sooooo good!

I wanted to include the Mates of State cover of David Bowie's "Starman" but couldn't find it on Mixpod. So you're getting the David Bowie version, which of course is excellent as well. I just like the Mates of State version because it brings a sense of playfulness to the song.  Look it up if you want. It's on a four-song EP that they released a few years ago.

Smashing Pumpkins are a band who, for me, have stood the test of time so far. I love their dream-pop/shoegaze songs especially. Pretty much anything on Siamese Dream. Like the one I included here.

OK, that's enough slow-dance songs. What about something else fun and pop-y? Is it wrong that I like this Far East Movement song because they reference Three 6 Mafia? Heh. That reminds me of high school.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Kanye West - "Monster"

Tommy James & the Shondells - "Crimson and Clover"

David Bowie - "Starman"

Smashing Pumpkins - "Mayonnaise"

Far East Movement - "Like a g6"

Don't forget to check out the other mixtape masters' mixes this week:

Ashley

Angie   

Tyler

Lizzie

Dana

Jolynn

Lisa

Lyn

Josie

Kerry

Stephanie

Ms. Bunny

Sarah

Heather

Robin

Blood Ties

This year, I am thankful for...

My husband. He went to the store this morning for me because I had a headache, even though he knew it would be a madhouse.

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My family, old and new. They love me unconditionally. Not sure what I did to deserve it.

My friends. You know who you are. Thanks for still being my friend even if I forget to call you for a month (or two) at a time.

My kitties. No matter where they fall asleep at night, they always manage to be curled up at our feet when we wake up.

Weddingbee. These women are like the sorority sisters I never had. I love all of them. Working with Mrs. Penguin on the editing side of things is just a bonus, although a pretty damn nice one.

Harry Potter. There, I said it. I am thankful that J.K. Rowling wrote the amazing series, and I'm thankful that Warner Brothers has stayed true to the spirit of it in making the movies.

Memories. The memories of my father on Thanksgiving, a holiday that he took charge of once my grandmother died, are priceless. Like my first year of college, when I declared myself a vegetarian and my dad cooked two separate dishes of dressing: one with chicken stock, and one without. Sure, he grumbled about it, but it was all very good natured. I think he secretly didn't mind at all.

My job. I feel lucky to even have a job in this economy, much less one that I don't mind going to every day.

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Coffee. Couldn't live without it. Don't plan on ever having to.

Hope. Maybe 2010 hasn't been the best year ever, what with the miscarriage and our house getting robbed for the second time. But overall, I feel very blessed and hopeful for the future.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! If you're not from the U.S. and you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, then happy Thursday!!

Dead Man's Party

As I was getting the "Happy Thanksgiving" post ready to run on Weddingbee for tomorrow, I stumbled upon some photos of Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson's wedding. (Yeah, I know, they got married like over a year ago, but this is the first I've seen of the photos!)

It's funny to see them being all sweet and love-y to each other because their characters on It's Always Sunny are always such dicks to each other!

Source for all photos in this post

For example:

If you watch the show religiously like I do, you'll notice that Mac and Dee don't interact as much as some of the other characters. And when they do, they're always incredibly horrible to each other. I think it must be a conscious choice for them in order to keep the "integrity" of the show.

Honestly, the fact that the cast are all friends in real life is one of the reasons I think It's Always Sunny is such a great show. They have amazing chemistry, and you can tell that they all love what they do and are having a great time with every episode.

Selfless

I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow, as I have Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving, and I'm leaving work two hours early tomorrow. Am I the only one who actually likes Fridays better than weekends? It's the anticipation, I think.

Tomorrow the carpenter who repaired our door after the break-in is supposed to be coming back to take apart and put back together our two other doors in order to better protect against intruders.

And then, I suppose I'll have to brave the Thanksgiving crowd at the grocery store. Luckily, we're not hosting T-day this year. The Dude and I are going our friends' house, along with my mom and one of my brothers who's in town while he's on fall break from his college. I decided I'm going to make Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuits because what other time of the year is it OK to indulge in something so decadent? I had originally thought I would bake a pie from scratch, but I'm not so sure if I'm going to have the energy for that.

I am very excited to start Christmas shopping this weekend! My first order of business is to head to the mall to use my Body Shop Groupon that I bought last month. Then...San Marcos outlet malls, here I come! I'm determined to get really good presents for everyone this year. Too bad I can't post what I'm thinking about getting for my family because some of them read this blog.

However, all I have to do is tell the Dude not to read this post, and he won't. (He hates it when surprises are ruined--especially Christmas ones! I'll have to tell you about the time when I found out that he had already bought the ring before he proposed. He was not too happy.)

Anyway, here's what he has said he wants:

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His Telecaster got stolen a year and a half ago, when our house got robbed the first time. I can't exactly afford that one, so I'm hoping maybe his family will go in together and get one for him?

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A wireless mouse to replace the one that I maybe sorta broke a few weeks ago?

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This album on vinyl.


And here's what I want to get him:

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Ped Egg! Gross, hilarious, but also useful. I wonder if I can find one at Big Lots...

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The Dude has really found his own personal style in the last couple of years, and I think a stripe-y man cardigan would really fit with it. He would never think to buy one for himself, but I bet if I get one that's soft and comfy, he'll wear it.

I definitely need some more ideas. I'm thinking something involving Transformers. Can't go wrong with that.

Tough Love

Well, I'm going to try to keep up with the last nine days of Nablopomo, but things are starting to get a little hairy. Mrs. Penguin went on vacation and left me in charge of Weddingbee for the next couple of weeks, so I am crazy busy! Not to mention really feeling the pressure. If I screw up, hundreds of thousands of readers will know. Not to mention, I don't want to let Penguin or anyone else down.

On top of that, I have an order for 25, yes that's TWENTY FIVE, teacup candles, and I promised to get them out by mid-December. And I only have 17 teacups at the moment. Finding them is the hardest part, by far. And finding time to find them.

And, as I think I've mentioned before, my eight-to-five job is getting busier and more stressful by the day. I enjoy the challenge, but at the same time I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the higher level of trust that is being put in me.

To sum up, most of the pressure I'm feeling right now is self-imposed, but I can't help but feel it. I think I need to start doing yoga again, or some other type of stress-relieving activity. Listening to music helps me a lot. I mix it up between Indie Hits on Slacker Radio, my Smashing Pumpkins station on Pandora, and Glee videos on YouTube.

Speaking of Glee, I watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show last night on Netflix Instant Viewing (take THAT, Very Long Wait) and loved it. It's camp heaven. Tim Curry as a platform-and-corset wearing evil alien drag queen? Um, why haven't I seen this movie before? Thanks, Glee, for helping me fill a gaping hole in my pop culture education.

Source

Oh, and speaking of Netflix, I got an e-mail today from them saying that my plan is going up from $16.99 a month to $19.99 a month. WTF? I mean, yes, my mom always buys me a Netflix subscription for Christmas every year, but still...I think I'm going to have to ask for a downgraded plan this year. Boo.

How was your Monday?

Intervention

Trying not to dwell too much on our house getting robbed, but I think I should do one last post with a list of helpful hints to prevent burglary in your home. I'm not sure how universal this list will be; there may be a lot of things that apply to houses but not so much to apartments. At any rate, seeing as how we're now experienced with home break-ins, I thought I'd share the knowledge I've gained.

Securing Your Home

• If possible, have at least one car parked in front of your house or in your driveway at all times. If a potential burglar sees a car, they may not take the risk of someone being home.
• Cover all windows and doors with some type of shade or blind so that no one can see in.
• Secure all weak entry points. Install or have a carpenter install larger bolts and extra metal plates to reinforce deadbolts on doors. Install stronger locks on windows.
• Install bulletproof tint on windows. Burglars won't be able to break it, and bonus: you might save money on your energy bills. (The tint should still allow good light to come in. It shouldn't look much darker than before.)
• Consider a fake security camera mounted outside a major entry point, or even a device that plays a siren or a the sound of dog barking when someone approaches the door or tries to force entry.
• Consider putting a fake sign in your yard that says you have a security system installed.
• Put up a fence with a gate if feasible.
• Always wanted a dog? Consider it. But smaller dogs probably won't do you much good. And you'll also want to make sure that your dog isn't the type that runs up to strangers and licks their faces. That probably won't help much. If you get a dog that will bark when something is amiss, chances are the would-be burglars will run, or perhaps a neighbor will come outside to investigate.

Securing Your Valuables

• Keep small valuables, such as jewelry, extra credit cards, passports, laptops, etc. in a small, wall-mounted safe. Preferably one hidden out of sight somewhere, like a closet.
• Mount flat screen TVs to the walls. Maybe a burglar would rip out the drywall, but chances are they will not want to risk the extra time it takes.
• Consider purchasing a metal locker to store guitar equipment or spare video game equipment. You can find old ones on Craigslist and then spray paint them to spruce them up. Put a padlock on it. Most petty thieves will not have tools to allow them to cut through a metal lock. Anyway, they won't waste their time because they don't want to get caught.
• Don't leave expensive items lying around your house when you leave. At the very least, hide them under a pillow or in the back of a closet. 
• Hide valuable jewelry in a small pouch or bag inside your underwear or sock drawer instead of keeping it out on your dresser or vanity.
• Make sure you have a renter's or homeowner's insurance policy. Consider purchasing separate policies for any big-ticket items you may have, such as guitar equipment or engagement/wedding rings.

Keeping a Record Just in Case

• Save receipts from all major electronic purchases and write down serial numbers. Put all of this information somewhere safe. This is so key. If your stuff does get stolen, this is the only way police and pawn shops have to track it. It also makes reporting for insurance claims easier. 
• You can also take photos of stuff that you don't have receipts for. That probably won't help the police, but it will make it easier to get money from your insurance company if stuff does get stolen.
• For gaming systems that connect to the Internet, such as XBox, PlayStation3, and Nintendo Wii, sometimes your serial numbers will automatically be saved online if you've ever gone online and registered them.

What to Do if Your House Does Get Robbed

• Make sure everyone is safe and that there is no one in your house that shouldn't be (duh).
• Try not to touch anything that might have fingerprints on it.
• Do a quick inventory of your home to try and figure out what all was taken. Write it down.
• Call the police immediately (just dial 211 if you live in the States and ask to be transfered to your local police department if you don't know the phone number). They will ask you all the appropriate questions, including what items were stolen. You'll have to call back later and give them serial numbers. 
• The police will perhaps ask if you want them to send someone from the forensics team out. Say yes. They will come and dust for fingerprints and take notes.
• Make sure you do call back and give the police department all of your serial numbers from your electronics.
• Call your insurance company and report the robbery. They will also need a list of your items stolen and what they were worth. They will mail you a form to fill out, so you will have a couple of days to add stuff to your list if you find out more stuff is missing. 
• If your house isn't secure, for example if the door was kicked in or a window lock broken, call a carpenter as soon as possible to get them to secure your home. This is so important. We found a carpenter who was willing to rearrange his schedule to come out to our house asap.  We only had to sleep without our front door locked one (kinda terrifying) night.

I think that is pretty much everything I know on the subject. If you have other tips, feel free to leave them in the comments!

Enemies

So maybe some of you are curious about the little incident we had on Thursday where our house was broken into and robbed. (Forgive me if those aren't the correct legal terms, but it's been a while since I took criminal law.) Anyway, on Thursday, the Dude and I took separate cars to work (which is rare since he usually drops me off on his way to work and picks me up on his way home), so we arrived home separately. I had stopped at the bank on the way home, so he got there first, finding the cats standing in the driveway looking confused and the front door wide open. Yep, they kicked in our front door.

I got home shortly thereafter, and we inventoried the house. What was missing? Our two TVs, purchased a year ago with a zero-percent-interest credit card that we're still paying off. One of the Dude's guitars. My Mac laptop. A Playstation 3. A Wii. Five video games. Three Wii remotes. Luckily, the Dude's laptop was in our safe. Mine should have been in there, too, but I have been pretty lax about putting it away lately.

What's really annoying is that the thieves took the power cord to the Dude's computer, probably thinking it was the Mac power cord. Obviously they were total novices since they left the white Mac power cord on the floor underneath the desk where they took the computer from. Idiots. If I were a petty criminal, I'd at least make sure to do my homework before breaking into a house. Do a little research at Best Buy. Figure out that Mac power cords are white. They also failed to grab the power cord for the Wii and the Wii Fit pad, which was sitting right underneath the TV stand.

It could be a lot worse. We have homeowner's insurance, so that will kick in to pay for replacing our stuff, minus the $1500 deductible. We're thinking about purchasing a policy with a lower deductible, seeing as how this is our second time in two years to have our house robbed. We're also thinking about reinforcements. When the carpenter repaired our door yesterday, we had him install some metal reinforcements into the frame so that if someone tried to kick it in now, it would be next to impossible. In the next couple of weeks, we'll make sure to get him back out to work on the other two doors. The cop who came out after we called in the robbery gave us a few tips. He told us that we can get tint put on our windows that is virtually bulletproof. If someone tried to break the glass, they wouldn't be able to get through. I think if we take those precautions, as well as reinforcing the locks on the windows somehow, it will be extremely difficult for anyone to get into our house uninvited.

If we thought the first break-in last April was a wake-up call, this one is even more so. After the first one, we got a safe and we started hiding our valuable belongings from plain sight when we left the house. We also put shades up on all of the windows. But the fact is, our house is still by far the nicest one on the block and therefore a target for thieves. Aside from never buying electronics again or making the outside of our house look ugly, I'm not sure what else we can do besides install barriers to entry like I mentioned above. We have thought about getting an alarm, but the cost and annoyance of them does not seem worth it to me. Besides, I know plenty of people who have alarms and have still had stuff stolen out of their homes.

As Dooce often says, these are first-world problems. After the initial rush of anger and feeling like I wanted to move to another house with less risk of this type of crime, I am feeling pretty OK about the whole thing. We are lucky we have the money to buy nice things, lucky we have a nice home and insurance, lucky we have jobs to go to during the day. Lucky I upload all of my photos to Flickr now, so our sentimental losses this time were minimal. That's two times our house has been broken into and neither time has my dad's acoustic guitar, one of my most treasured possessions, been stolen. Lucky.

"Mixtape Masters" Fridays: Listening to Fear

This week I set a record for the fastest I've ever compiled a Mixtape Masters playlist. I was fueled by pure rage at the dumbasses who robbed our house yesterday. Take my plasma TV and my laptop, but you shall never take my music!!

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

The Police - "Don't Stand So Close to Me"

Rage Against the Machine - "Killing in the Name"

Tool - "Die Eier Von Satan"

At the Drive-In - "One Armed Scissor"

Cee Lo - "Fuck You"

Ahhhh, that feels better.

Don't forget to check out all the other Mixtape Masters this week!

Ashley   

Angie    

Tyler    

Lizzie    

Dana    

Jolynn    

Lisa    

Lyn    

Josie    

Kerry   

Stephanie

Ms. Bunny

Sarah

Heather

Villains

Fuuuuuuuuuuck.

Our house got broken into again.

The Dude and I and the kitties are all OK, just pissed. Well, the kitties aren't pissed, they're just freaked out. Well, they were freaked out--now they're just sleeping it off.

I'll be back tomorrow with some (probably angry) music for Mixtape Master Fridays!

The Yoko Factor

OK, it's serious post time again. (Not "Sirius* post" time, although maybe that would better.)

It's not a secret that the Dude and I want to have a baby. When we got pregnant and then lost the baby early on in the pregnancy, that experience just reconfirmed for us how ready we are to have a child. Well, we're emotionally ready, and we figure that the other parts will work themselves out once the kid gets here. Anyway, although we hadn't exactly made a firm decision on when we would start trying again, we were loosely thinking the beginning of 2011 for a TTC start date. We didn't want to start any sooner than that because of our trip to London in May that we've had booked forever. Yes, we've even had it booked since before we found out we were pregnant in September, but luckily we had the foresight not to cancel it when we found out we were pregs.

At the time we booked the trip, I was at my current job, but I didn't expect the job to last more than a couple months. Now, although I'm still technically a temporary employee, I have a verbal agreement to stay through the end of June 2011. And after getting a raise and some increased responsibilities (seems like I'm getting new ones every day), I am starting to feel more committed to this job, temporary though it may be. At the beginning of this week, I found out that I won't be able to take time off in May to go on our trip. It's a very busy season for my office, and taking a week of vacation is out of the question.

I talked with the Dude about it, and it's not the end of the world. We purchased trip insurance, so apparently we can cancel our trip and we're only out $100. Then we can easily reschedule for a later date. The only problem is, we were planning on going to a soccer game while in England, and we were both really looking forward to it--but May is the end of football season in England. So if we still want to go to a game, we'll have to wait until at least next August, the beginning of football season, to go to London. I think for us, waiting until August will be worth it, especially because we'd be able to schedule the trip for no earlier than July anyway. But I'm still upset.

I know what you're thinking. Oh, boo hoo, I have to postpone my fancy London vacation for an extra three months. Well it's not a big deal of course. Until you take into account my biological clock, which feels more like a ticking time bomb these days. If we postpone the trip until August, we'll have to wait until at least end of February/beginning of March to start TTC; that way, even if we get pregnant right away, I still won't be in my third trimester yet by August. And frankly, I really don't want to wait that long. It sucks. I admit that even though I know I should be grateful to have a decent job in this economy, I feel a little resentful that I have to give up a vacation and postpone our TTC timeline for a job that may never end up being permanent. I feel like a spoiled brat writing that, but it's true.

For now, the consensus between the Dude and me is to wait. Book our trip to London (after looking at 2011 soccer schedules, of course) and then count backward to when we can start TTC. Enjoy every carefree moment between now and then. Eat a ton of sushi and rare-cooked meats, drink a lot of booze, live a little less carefully. And I'm sure the time will fly by.

And what's funny is that I have a feeling that in a couple years when I'm at home with a baby and trying to get the damn thing to stop crying for five minutes so that I can crank out a blog post or perhaps brush my teeth, I'll be thinking, "Damn, what was the rush?" Still--hard to argue with hormones.

*Can't help it. I've been reading the Harry Potter series in pretty much every second of my spare time the past few weeks.

Him

How can you not love a show that opens up with this?




Starting now, this is the video clip I play when I'm feeling down. It makes me feel like I just finished my first beer.

First Date

This post ran today on Weddingbee as the kickoff for our new "Bees Then & Now" series, where bloggers write about what they were like in high school. I thought I'd post it here for those of you who don't read Weddingbee. And also, for the sake of not having to write a new post for Nablopomo.

In high school, I struggled a lot to figure out who I was. (Who didn’t?) I went through several phases, beginning with my grungy/skater/poseur phase during my freshman year, where I never combed my long, ratty hair and wore baggy sweaters, baggy jeans, and sparkly maroon Airwalks. Sadly, no evidence exists of this phase, at least none that I can find. During this phase, I was also in a “band,” the members of which were chosen based not on talent, but on our collective love for Hanson. Yup.
At the end of this phase, I cut my hair off, inspired by Natalie Imbruglia’s chic short ‘do. Even though looking back I am mortified at how it looked, at the time it actually made a boy who I liked notice me and ask me out, so I guess it wasn’t all bad. Well, you can judge for yourselves:

By sophomore year, I had a whole new set of friends. For some reason, we enjoyed dressing up like the Spice Girls. (I was Sporty, which is ironic considering I don’t have an athletic bone in my body.)

You can also see that this was the phase where, embarrassed by my thick eyebrows, I started tweezing them into oblivion. Unfortunately, my face has never fully recovered from that low-self-esteem-induced affront on one of its most prominent features.

Junior year, still trying desperately to find my place, I dated a wannabe cowboy and later got a job at Schlotszky’s. The boy was all wrong for me, but the job kinda made sense. Maybe I was getting somewhere. Although I think I took a few steps back with this hairdo that I wore to the Valentine’s dance. (Incidentally, I did actually have a date—it was one of approximately seven total dates I went on in high school. I’m not sure why the only photos I have are of me alone with the ceramic dog! Also, I’m not sure why I’m touching the dog.)

By senior year, my head was so far in the clouds that I was practically out of my small town already. At least I was starting to look normal?

In high school, I pretty much never felt like I 100% belonged. A big part of that was not meeting a guy who I really felt like I clicked with. I desperately wanted a “serious” boyfriend, but it never happened for me. I don’t think I was pessimistic about my love life, though. I just knew that as soon as I got to college, I’d find someone (or several someones!). And I was right. After three years of carefree partying and the occasional random hook-up (OK, and some obsessing over the wrong guys), I met the perfect guy for me.

What were you like in high school? Did you have good hair? What were your views on love and relationships?

Helpless

So it looks like the Dude and I are going to be sending out Christmas/holiday cards this year. Hopefully. If I can get it together. I did sign up to send/receive holiday cards with my fellow bee bloggers, so at least I have that as an incentive.

I think the easiest thing to do would be to create some postcards online through Shutterfly or Vista Print or Moo Cards. I know that Shutterfly is doing some type of giveaway where if you blog about them, you can get 50 free cards. But I am feeling too lazy put in the effort. Besides, I'd need more than 50 cards anyway. I know Vista Print has great prices, but I can't vouch for their quality since I've never bought anything from them. I love Moo Cards. We used them to make little mini photo cards for our wedding, and they were so adorable. I also ordered free promotional business cards from them a while back and was happy with the quality. I'm not sure what the price would be to order 100 postcards, but if it's affordable, I think that's the way I'll go.

But now comes the hard part. What photo will we use? Our wedding was over a year ago, so I'm pretty sure it's too late to use wedding photos. But if I did, I'd consider using any of these:

Above photos by The Nichols

We haven't taken any professional photos since the wedding, and we're pretty balls at taking photos of ourselves. But maybe it isn't too late to get a friend to take some quick photos of us? Otherwise, we might be able to use a photo from our New York trip. I'm just not sure about the quality: they're all pretty grainy or blurry.

(Actually, this one isn't bad because Deniz took it, haha.)

What do you guys think? Can we get away with the wedding photo this many months later? But wouldn't our family and friends want to see something more recent? Are any of the NYC pics workable? Or should we just scrap them all and get a friend to take some last-minute flicks?

Lies My Parents Told Me

I've always had an odd relationship with the state of Texas. For someone who has lived here my whole life, I'm not particularly enthusiastic about calling myself a Texan. Although, for better or worse, that's what I am.

 Source

I think I've always felt like maybe I would fit better somewhere else in the U.S. or maybe even the world. However, I do find some of the more persistent stereotypes about Texas pretty funny. For instance:

1. Texans all ride horses and live on farms. People actually still think this! When the Dude moved from Nebraska to Texas when he was eight, he tells me he was terrified that he would have to ride a horse to school! In fact, Texas is the second most populated state in the U.S. (and growing rapidly) and has more highway miles than any other state. Maybe this myth is perpetuated by the fact that there are large rural pockets, especially in the western part of Texas where ranching is still a huge part of life. But I have never met a single person who used a horse as a form of transportation.

2. We all talk like this. Yes, I grew up in Northeast Texas. Yes, I grew up with a fairly pronounced regional accent. But Texans do not talk like Forrest Gump. There is a HUGE difference between a "Southern" accent and a Texas accent. Southerners, as in people from Georgia, North Carolina, etc., have a tendency to drop Rs. Texans have a tendency to enunciate the hell out of them. Have you ever heard a Texan say "Dr Pepper"? It's quite enlightening. Additionally, among Texans there are a huge range of accents. And the more urban you are, the less likely you are to have an accent that's distinguishable from standard American. I mostly blame Hollywood for perpetuating this myth by getting the Texas accent wrong time and time again. (I can think of a couple good exceptions, like The Good Girl.) And yes, we do say "y'all." Texans are mostly in agreement on that.

3. We all listen to country music. OK, I'll admit that I went through a brief country music phase in high school, but is that really any more embarrassing than my gangsta rap period? Otherwise, I've never understood modern pop/country and how it's any different from "mainstream" pop. Austin has a thriving music scene that includes everything from electro-dance pop to death metal. Country doesn't have a particular hold here. It does seem to be quite popular in rural Texas, though.

4. We're all conservative. Forty-four percent of our state voted for Obama in the 2008 election! True, we have a Republican governor who looks like he's gonna be around for a while, but really Texas is just as divided politically as the rest of the country.

And just for fun, here are some myths that Texans have about their own state:

Texas can secede from the United States. Rick Perry (our governor) in the past has made some statements that implied Texas retains the right to secede from the Union. This is completely false (as I'm sure Governor Perry knows). But that doesn't stop people from believing it.

The Texas flag is the only flag that can fly at the same height as the U.S. flag. I have heard my whole life that because Texas is the only state in the U.S. that was once its own republic, this means that the Texas flag is the only flag that can be flown at the same height as the U.S. flag. I'm embarrassed to admit that I believed this to be true until a few weeks ago when I was reading a book that refuted this myth. In fact, any state flag can fly at the same height as the U.S. flag. But if both flags are on the same pole, the U.S. flag must be on top.

Bigger is better. Jury's still out on that one.

What state are you from? Are there prevalent stereotypes out there about your home state?

Wrecked

Um, was I the only one unaware that J.K. Rowling wrote a Harry Potter prequel? OK, it's only 800 words, but still...I feel like I've been living under a rock that I just now found out about this!

Click here to read it, if you're curious.

Beneath You

Our yellow CB2 chairs came in this morning! I was so excited to see the package sitting on our front porch when we got back from some mid-morning errands. The Dude and I raced to see who could put their chair together faster. (I won.)

I freaking love them. Still having heartburn over the price (and we've depleted our home/decor budget until next March!), but I think they are pieces that we will love for many years to come.

Care to see them in action?

After we reorganized our living room last time, I changed out the artwork over the dining table and hung these little framed postcards and photos from the summer I spent studying in England. (See that yellow one there? That's a postcard of the Bodleian Library in Oxford. It was right across the street from the college I stayed at, and it just happens to be used as the hospital wing in the Harry Potter movies!)

We've still got a lot of blank or under-filled wall space where we could stand to hang some photos or art, but the dining chairs were the last really essential purchase for our living area. Yay!

(OK, now back to reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix like a mad person. I've only got six more days until the movie to finish books 5 and 6!)

"Mixtape Masters" Fridays: Primeval

I promised you guys something more rockin' this week, didn't I? Well, I shall try my best. Happy Friday!

The Henry Clay People - "Slow Burn"

Silversun Pickups - "Growing Old is Getting Old"

Local Natives - "Airplanes"

Eisley - "Brightly Wound"

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Contender"

I realized after compiling this mix that I've seen the first four of these bands live. I need to start going to shows again! I miss it.

Don't forget to check out the other mixtape masters this week!

Ashley   

Angie    

Tyler    

Lizzie    

Dana    

Jolynn    

Lisa    

Lyn    

Josie    

Kerry   

Stephanie
Ms. Bunny
Sarah
Heather