top pop songs of 2009

the mash-up:

the beer bike

THIS IS AMAZING!!! Nothing like combining my two favorite things in the world, beer and exercise!!! Sign me up please....

still on vacation

So my body is back in VA but my brain is still on vacation. The neurons aren't firing right yet. Case and points:

1. I attempted to brew coffee in my press this morning with ice cold water. Then I tried to microwave it to get it warm, but remember it had metal in it and that I shouldn't light Betty's microwave on fire. Idiot.
   
2. At lunch I was heating a can of Spaghetti O's which I knocked over onto my kitchen floor and rug. There was tomato sauce and O's all over the kitchen. Sucks.
   
3. In the afternoon I rubbed my nose with my hand and ripped my nostril. I forgot about the new ring on my index finger. Ouch.
4. While getting ready for yoga tonight, I grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrig and throw it on the couch while I was putting on my coat. When I grabbed the bottle again it was empty, I looked and it had emptied into my couch because that bottle had no lid. Brilliant.

In summary, on my first day back I have a wet couch, a ripped nose, and a stained kitchen rug. But on a positive note I still have a microwave without burnt wholes.

new diagnosis tools

Sooooo, I recently found out that we have been working on a new set of diagnostic criteria for Lupus. Previously, we have about 10 of the most common indicators of the average patient that doctors use (like rashes, anemia, hair lose, fatigue, etc). Typically a new patient has been met 8 out of 10 (or something like this) in order to officially receive the diagnosis.

The good news is, after about 10 years, they are starting to review and update these indicators. Remember, the goal is early diagnosis!!! We need to get the word out about the Lupus symptoms so that doctors consider autoimmune diseases and patients are not bounced from one doctor to another getting sicker and sicker. This saved my life! I know I didn't have any organ complications because I had a doctor who said come into my office EVERYDAY so I can see what is now happening, and that didn't think I was crazy.

We are also working towards new research, so of course it makes sense we would now update the list of indicators. I noticed the new blood tests that are slowly becoming more scientific and specific.

Good news all around. I'll take it and keep fighting!

the trip back to VA

Order of operations for today's trip back to the big VA:

1. Make sure 40 pounds of ham fits into the trunk
2. Eat pancakes and 10 pounds of ham
3. Pee at every other rest stop due to massive amounts of soda and coffee
4. Eat more fried food
5. Take a poo and text Ma "I pooed"
6. Snack on homemade loaf'o bread
7. Text terri every landmark to make sure she is jealous we are 4 hours ahead of her and Mark (also driving back to DC)
8. Take a turn driving the silver bullet, thus giving a good reason to turn the vehicle stereo to Harry Potter audiobook instead of Stookie fang banger BS (driver rules).
9. Laugh till it hurts when I miss gears because betty is distracting me while shifting.
10. Reaffirm that volvo drivers suck my balls.
    
11. Make it to DC, only to unload and head to the bar....
12. Drive to Cville and discover there is STILL tons of snow in town, roads are dry through.
    
13. Stop to get fruit and veggies at Giant on the way into town.
14. Discover the 40 pounds of ham made it successfully to Cville.
15. Confirm christmas tree is generally dead but the plants survived.
    

top 10 notes from the holiday

1. You should not drive your sister's stick shift silver bullet on icey roads while trying to talk on the phone (at least I wasn't rapping, drinking a soda, or using the navigation at the same time).
2. 8 cups of rice makes lots and lots of sushi rolls, even for 7 adults fueled by excessive amounts of wine.
   
3. There were alcohol themes throughout the holiday season as everyone received or gave gifts of booze (Jameson 40, wine, etc.), of booze equipment (wine glasses, wine decanters, etc.), or of booze-themed merchandise (tequila butter knifes, Irish drinking team t-shirts, etc.)
4. I laughed so hard that I slightly peed my pants twice over the last week.
5. It was Keeter christmas, as my favorite dog joined us for two days of keeter fun. Although Keet has tumors and it much older than 10 years ago when he would chew his leather collar off and bring me frozen poopy diapers from the neighbor's garbage.
6. I only saw 1 movie, which is bringing my average down....hells bells I went to church more than I went to the movies.
   
7. I did all my favorite things while in Lansing, including: Pizza and a tall Labats at Leo's, a hamburger and cheesey fries at Sparty's, a shopping trip to Sam's, a drive through MSU with a basketball game, daily trips to the hot tub, and a day with HS friends (thanks Amanda and Leslie).
   
8. I'm the family's weakest link---was reminded that I was a little shit as a child by multiple people (actually many folks outside of my immediate family), that I was representing the lower 25%-tile of s-m-r-t-ness until 6th grade, and that I am/was extremely picky to the point that I've left scares in the collective fam psychie. Great.
   
9. I miss red meat, or at least a good steak every once and awhile.
   
10. I love fires in a fireplace.
    

freak bitch baby

Gosssssh I was one sezy bitch when I was little (it's xmas, I'm home and looking at old pictures):



Look at those glasses and that hat....style baby. Freak bitch. I know!

some holiday fun

Recipe for holiday fun:

1. 35 rolls of wrapping paper
2. 16 friends
3. Keys to a friend's apartment
4. 8 extra hours of your day

That is a GREAT holiday apartment now. And here is Louise coming home:



Merry Prankmas!!!!

top 10 books of the decade

Amazon announced the top best-selling books of the decade:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - JK Rowling
3. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
4. Twilight -Stephenie Meyer
5. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
6. The Tales of Beedle the Bard - JK Rowling
7. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
8. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
9. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
10. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

sitc 2

Sex and the City 2 in HD

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

the darkside was on wall st. yesterday

christmas photos

Awkward christmas family photos....luckily my family would NEVER do this:



Yikes this one is badddd too:

snuggies...damn you

So the world is coming to an end because those Snuggies are taking over. You know, that polar fleece coat which you wear backwards....seriously folks that is all a Snuggie is.....

Their infommericals are all over TV and they took it a step further when they created the much needed dog version. Now your dog can also wear the a backwards sweater....wait isn't that what a dog sweater already is????

Well now, hot for the holidays, are the themed Snuggies. I'm not talking about the Leopard skinned one, but instead this business:

You think I can get one of these with a big "L" right in my crotch. I would like a little more definition in my chest through.

Listen, my high school personal business ("Leslie's Crafts and Stuff"...brilliant and innovative title, I know) would have been all about ripping off the Snuggie idea. I would have polar fleeced the crap out of this idea and sold them at craft shows. I could have done the sports themed Snuggies and the college-themed ones. Too bad I've moved on to bigger and badder things now....

made it to MI

Well Betty and I rolled into the M-I without any major problems. We made it in about 10 hours with mostly dry roads......

let the holidays begin.....

player of the year

Well the PGA just announced that Tiger Woods was named "player of the year".....for the game of GOLF that is :)

hahahahahaha

Insert obvious joke here. "Player" of the year.....hahaha.

Listen I'm not a playa hata........

i heart muse

I'm so happy I got to see Muse in concert this year and they are still one of my favorite bands. They performed on SNL last weekend and were amazing:

the gov't shut down

Well the gov't is offically shut down today so Betty and I are starting our road trip to MI early. I made it up to DC yesterday after some rough patches in Cville. As expected the roads got better and better the more north I went and the closer to DC I got. Here's hoping the same thing will happen today as we venture towards MI.

Call the cellie, we'll be driving....

still snowed in

Well it has been an interesting 48 hours in the life of LL. It all started Friday morning and pretty much continued to go down hill from there, mostly in a funny way.

Friday morning started with a phone call from A that she had been vomiting all night and needed substance asap. Pulling out the good friend card, I hurried to get ready, ran to the store, and drove to her house with ginger ale, crackers and noodle soup. Well this will be news to A, but on the way over to her house, on the crowded downtown street, some stupid bitch opened their car door as I was driving and took off my passenger side mirror. YEAH!!! Nothing like an early morning minor car accident.

I was in a hurry to get to work because we were filming on the green screen that morning with our technology team, who consequently were 1 hour late and not ready with the supplies they were suppose to have. So hurrying back to work was un-necessary as my team wasn't really ready. And in the meantime I had teachers waiting and nothing was going right. But we got everything filmed after I was contemplating running into oncoming traffic....

I went home for a long lunch because my stomach/ovaries was starting to reject me. I was trying to get myself to relax but finally gave up and headed back into work to start calling the insurance companies. Turns out getting a minor car accident isn't the best thing right before the holidays when nothing is open on the weekend. So needless to say I had to take the afternoon off and run around Cville to get an estimate for my mirror for State Farm. Turns out they just duct taped that son'bitch back on for the meantime (which I could have done myself).

Around late afternoon on Friday my stomach really started rejecting me and I made it till 5 pm before dragging my sorry self home and curling up into the fetal position. I was in bed with the chills by 6:30 PM and secretly knew that the snow was starting to fall outside. Needless to say I got some stomach bug which meant I haven't anything in over 24 hours until this Sunday morning (and for those that don't know I eat a TON!!! so that means god was really hating me). It was OK because it was not like I had any food in my house anyways that was neutral flavored for my stomach and it wasn't like I could take my car anywhere to go shopping!

I woke up Saturday morning and had over a foot of snow on the ground and it continued to snow most of the day. I spent all day indoors making myself drink fluids, not being able to eat anything, and generally moving from my bed to the couch taking naps inbetween watching Alias and reading Twilight (both for about the billionth time, what would I do without Betty's resources?). No internet and no cable, but luckily I had power. If it was 20 degree out and I didn't have electricity there is a good possibility I might have died.

By the late afternoon I decided to get myself outside to start shoveling off my plastic pinto. This shit wasn't going to get any easier so I might as well make a dent in the snow before I passed out of exhaustion again, or barfed in the snow (I haven't done that since those drunken good times in MN). So I took a bucket, put on my snow pants that Gail made me buy 8 years ago while in CA so she could take me skiing on the mountain of death, and had some quality time with the now 20+ inches of snow. Turns out my complex was in better shape than the rest of the city as I discovered 8+ abandoned cars on Ivy Rd by the bridge of death.

So my car is shoveled out and the crews out this morning. I am packed for the holidays and in at the office now so I can use the internets and finalize some work stuff. I could actually eat toast and a granola bar this morning without wanting to stab myself in the stomach. SOOOO things are looking up. I might venture out to DC this afternoon if the roads are good. Otherwise I'm going to get some work done and go back to my couch until tomorrow.

Pray for better east coast/midwest weather so I can make it to MI before the holidays!!!

This photo was taken on my patio before I started shoveling off the plastic pinto yesterday afternoon. We continued to get snow until 5 PM, and around 20 inches in my neighborhood and up to 30 in my county:



Here are my knee deep foot prints across my work parking lot to get into my office this morning:

saw this one coming

Tiger inspired condoms....teheheh

winter has arrived

Well winter has arrived here in Cville, check out my plastic pinto this morning:

things to consider

If and when I decide to get that tattoo:

yes yes this is what I want

Really CBS, really??? Who is this guy????

a TH funny

How about a holiday flavored Tiger joke.....

What is the difference between Tiger Woods and Santa????

....(ready)......

.....(did you guess yet?).....

Santa stops at 3 HOs (or Hoes)

teheheheh

nativity scenes

Here are about 20 of the most depressing nativity scenes, in honor of the upcoming holiday season!

My favorite is the belt buckle nativity scene. I would totally wear that with my santa hat and reindeer nose (PS, I really don't wear those things, shocker I know).

iron 2 man

Can't wait to see it....too bad it isn't out this holiday season:

music of the moment

Still loving Paramore.....I like this song and I need to see them in concert:

my name

Did you know that one of my favorite names is Shea???? And one of the people who introduced me to this is a comedian I used to follow how now is apparently doing spots for TIME, check her out and don't steal my name:

spa treatments I would(not) do

Well it is the season o' top ten lists, and this one cracked me up. Time mag did the top 10 oddest spa treatments:

• Bird Poo Facial----spend thousands of dollars and get rubbed down with feces, I know I know it probably has healing properties.
  
• Snake Venom Facial or a Snake Massage----and my mom just peed her pants.
  
• Fish Pedi---OK this one I would do, where the little feed off your dead skin.
• Hay Bath---I think Robin snorted. Really? Hay? Apparently laying in "fermented hay" is good for your skin. I don't buy it, plus I can make it myself at the farm.
  
• Beer Bath----YESSSSSSSSSSSS please.

it was only a matter of time

It was only a matter of time before men came up with the equivalent of women's push up bras. Men, of course, has been doing this for years....padding their packages, stuffing rolled socks in places they don't belong....but now you can buy uddies this way!!! They are called Unno Anatomic, and I bet they come in all sizes!

I sort of wonder if they actually think women don't know what is going on. For years, we have been working on size enhancers (well not me as I don't have a problem in that area) and know all the tricks. Bulge enhancement, yep we know about that :)

I heart colbert

Love it!!!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

let award season begin

So the Golden Globes nominees were announced today, which is the precursor to the Oscar and every other awards show coming up. Now everyone knows that I generally get more excited about the red carpet and who is wearing what. BUT I have to admit there were a couple nominations I was excited about:

1. The new movie Up in the Air was nominated alot. Yep I'm DEFINITELY going to see this movie. It looks really good and there is some good eye candy in it.
2. I still need to see the Inglourious Basterds remake by QT because it too was nominated for a couple awards. Again, eye candy but I've also heard it was pretty good.
   
3. Here hoping Emily Blunt wins because I'm alittle shocked that Sandra Bullock on a nod for the Blind Side (which I did see and it was good but not in that Oscar nomination way).
   
4. Anyone ever heard of Nine? Nope didn't think so. Oh yeah it is a movie I'd never go see, that's why I don't know it.
   
5. I really really want Anna Kendrick to win because she is brilliant and make my words, an up and coming star.
6. I'm surprised that Where the Wild Things Are wasn't nominated for more awards....
7. For GOD SAKE can Kyra Sedwick please win for the Closer, it is the number one cable television show for like 5 seasons straight (plus I love her).
   
8. Glee broke through in nominations but I wonder if it will be able to overpower the yearly competition like 30 Rock or Mad Men.
9. Go NPH (Neil Patrick Harris)!!!

Bring on the red carpets!

back to a student status

I, last minute, decided last week that I was going to take another course this spring, in light of not being in data collection mode and my boss have triplets. And luckily a class I was SUPER interested in was added last minute that meets multiple goals of mine: 1) getting back into adolescent/youth work and 2) getting an in with the new Positive Youth Development center director (who is the teacher). Apparently next spring I'll be "Developing and Designing Intervention Studies for Youth" Yeah yeah I know what you are thinking....I've already taken this course....and you'd be right, but nothing like a refresher to get me excited about the research I wish I was doing :)

One of my bosses, with a horrified look, said to me (while in my euphoric morning of registration) "you can't leave us until the grant is done!" Don't worry, calm yourself, I'm loyal and will stay through next year. But we've got to start thinking about next steps bitches!!!

YEAH, I'm excited! And plus it is pass/fail class so I don't have to work too hard, and UVA is paying for it. Rockin.

a PPK rewind

So PowerPoint Karaoke went down last weekend and Jeff and Dan were the big weiners....Good work gentlemen but the women are bringing it next time, although Katie did win best overall performance.

Here are some pictures:





And here is a good one of Claire and I:



Top presentation topics were:

1. Unicorns
2. Food & You
3. Dinosaurs
   

music of the moment

Taking back a couple years....this song has been on my rotation:



We wasn't suppose to make it past 25 but jokes on you cause we're still alive!!!!

congrats kate

Congrats to my good friend Kate who apparently is getting married next week. Her boyfriend will be home on leave from his Army duties abroad and was planning a quickie marriage. Nice work on finding this out so that it wasn't a surprise!!! Now she could have her freak out session and be more pleasant for the celebration on Tuesday. Sorry to miss it!!! I'll be somewhere between VA and MI ;( Boooooo.

Sounds like this week is going to be wicked crazy!!!! Can I come dress shopping????

I don't undestand soccer

So yesterday afternoon I arrived at the gym and all these ladies were crowded around one of the TVs in the cafe. I, not having my glasses on, glanced up and saw they were watching some sports game and I assumed it was Sunday football. Once I got on my stairmaster (tehehehe), I noticed all these other exercisers were watching another TV with a game. Figured out this time it was a soccer game but feck if I could see who was playing. People kept cheering and yelling. Turns out UVA men's soccer team won the national champion in a nail biter shootout--where you just kick balls at the goal in hopes of winning after an even match.

Well good for them, except I just don't understand soccer. Red flag, green flag....I would like to see some more girlie colored flags, like purple or pink. The commentators would say "ahhh that was a bright pink flag, or wait from this angle perhaps it is lavender." And all this running around and around, makes my thighs hurt just thinking about it. Plus I don't get the off sides thing, sort of like blue line stuff in Hockey. Just get me some football, basketball or baseball :)

a little twi-snl

my weekend entertainment

Last night's Powerpoint Karaoke went well....I did laugh till I almost peed my pants!

And tonight is Sharon Jones at the new Jefferson in town and a little dance party out till the wee hours (if we can make it). I think I'm going to like the Dap-Kings with all those amazing backup band members:

more homage

I was thinking the other day about women and body image messages, prompting me to pay homage to the ladies representing pastey white women everywhere. These women are more original and go all natural compared to others in the spotlight. I like that they don't give two shits and are just comfortable in their skin.

Turns out the tides are continuing to turn, as companies like Dove and Glamour promote women of all physical types. Dove has been doing their Campaign for Real Beauty, and Glamour has done a couple of spreads representing women's bodies of all sizes. I like it. Listening to young children talk about why they are beautiful inside and out, makes me want to design more programs! Watching empowered women take a stand, inspires me.

Keep it up!!! (and PS, Dove, want to hire me?)

the art of shoes

You have to LOVE these....I wouldn't be able to pull it off but I like it....

OR perhaps these, which any of my preschoolers could maybe do:

happy chanukah

the lazy man's holiday decorating

Thanks Mary!

music of the moment

My new jam is James Morrison...his sexy, smooth voice is a little more addictive than Michael Buble:

things I learned yesterday

1. While on the phone with my uncle, I learned that there are 5x more cattle in the state of Montana than people.
2. Also, he is considering making the recommendation to only feed the cattle instead of the citizens due to the fact of shear numbers (this also crossed my mind).
   
3. I also commented that he should recommend to pronounce the city Butte, as Butt with an "e"
4. I can't make anything dirty out of christmas cookie cutters.
5. I actually enjoyed decorating cookies, especially when it involved wine and friends.
6. Our research and technology teams has actually made all our development goals this year, and are on track to launch 2/1/10
7. No one has finished their PPT slides yet for PPT karaoke tonight--will see how that goes...
   

it's a bitch getting old

In the words of my crazy grandmother, "it's a bitch getting old." Crazy grandma used to say this to me every time I'd drive her to the Olive Garden to get her all liquided up, and she'd have to climb out of my low riding plastic pinto. And this fact couldn't have been more apparent to me over the last year that I've been volunteering at a local nursing home painting old ladies nails.

Two months of ago my favorite lady who ALWAYS got bright red nails passed away. Then last night I was painting my second favorite lady's nails and I swear she had a stroke right in front of me. She loss consciousness and all this other stuff (which I won't describe because it makes everyone but me uncomfortable---death is a part of life), but I was like "oh christ my night is about to get worse" as she stopped breathing...

I pushed her emergency button and got nothing so I had to go seek out help. She was conscious when I left and knew who I was....so here's hoping she is still around when I get back after the holidays. But seriously it is a bitch getting old!

I need to stop making friends with old people because the probability of departure is so much greater. Sucks.

oh no george

OH NOOOO say it ain't so George! That sexy greek god, George S, is moving from my beloved This Week to the ABC Good Morning America show. Isn't that a step down? I'm not sure how that is advancement from a hard hitting Sunday morning politico show to the soft news that is early AM.

This means I can't stake him anymore when I'm in DC and around the Newsmuem. Now I'll have to go to NYC and pray that between Robin Robinson (who has a first and last name like that anyways?) and those other ass clowns I get a George view.

Apparently George is replacing Diane Sawyer. I'm not sure I like it, George...not sure.

paying homage to the pastey white

So I've noticed lately that people, celebrities included, are more OK with being pastey white. I, of course, am loving that my forever albino-ness is in vogue. That whole ball of death in the sky thing, doesn't work well for my skin or new lifestyle. BUT I notice that popular stars like Taylor Swift or Kristen Stewart have continued to make appearances this year in all their non-tan-ness. These girls are always pastey white. First I like the boldness of going all naturallll, and second I like that they are just themselves (even without wearing nylons, gasp!).

I love that this is more of a message that is going out to teenage girls!

if I still lived in the froozen tundra

....I would be all about these gloves so that I could still work my iTouch!!! Brilliant!

This gloves company is currently hawking three types of glove with "In Touch fingertips," which allow glove wearers to stay warm and operate their touch-screen technology. There is a tight-knit acrylic yarn glove ($20), a supersoft extra thick acrylic yarn glove ($20), and a sub-zero glove with a nylon shell and fleece lining ($25).

for you female NRA fans

Here is a christmas present for you....bullet inspired ear rings:


Don't worry they are only like $150 a pair!!!

chewy on your head

OK...someone do it....make the chewy noise....just for me!

Than consider buying me this hat for halloween next year!!! Or for hunting season.

I heart craig

hahahaha, I heart Craig F and his late night show. Check this out:

1. Yes HP rocks--they had me at flying balls too :)
   
2. Twilight is so-so
3. Just say NO to the Jonas Brothers

Douche dilemma!!!

don't waste produce

Seriously Minnesota, don't waste good produce!!! Some MN man was arrested for throwing fruit at Sarah Palin during a books signing at the MOA recently.

This isn't the first time Palin has encountered some resistance during her national tour.

But seriously, I like tomatoes and not when they are flying throw the air.

a hit of BO

Need a hit? Perhaps a hit of BO??? Texas po po found these Ecstasy Pills...

ambien

I feel like I'm being bombarded with information about Ambien lately. First, I hear that Tiger and one of his now 10 women used to take it before getting busy (PS, seems like these women just keep coming out of the woods, pun intended...by next weekend we may have another 10 women). OK so I'm not sure I get this, because Ambien is supposed to be a sleeping drug, but apparently an "ambien haze" = better sex. I'd probably just pass out and start snoring :) (and that is sezy, let me tell you).

Second, I'm listening to Jay-Z this AM (who doesn't want to listen to a little J at 7 AM), and realize he raps about slipping an Ambien for NYC that never sleeps!!!

Well crap, the Ambien stockholders are getting all this free press lately. Bet they are OK with it in these crap-and-a-half economic times.

those stupid UPS commercials

I hate those stupid new UPS (what can brown do you for you?) commercials. Who was I talking about this with???? They were saying how they were amazed how that guy could draw so well on a white board with a brown marker. I was more like, GROOOOSSSS, that guy has long hair and I swear is secretly a lady.

Well apparently SNL (which was amazing on form this week with Tiger Wood shorts too) was thinking along the same line:



FUNNY! I love it!!!!

They totally need to do more of these shorts soon.....especially if there are going to be werewolves next week.

new HP released

So they are splitting the last HP book into two movie and finally we are getting some footage....exciting!


Dh Preview One - Click here for more home videos

PPT karaoke

Thanks to the brilliance that is my best friend, my happy hour friends are trying a new adventure this week. It is called PowerPoint Karaoke and it is an impromptu Pecha Kucha presentation where you know the topic but not the slide deck.

This some good friends, food and booze this is bound to be a good time. Check out a review, suggesting this is more than just a geek's friday night fun....

I've already got my slides done and they will be funny! I can't wait :)

a tiger inspired t-shirt

LOVE IT!!! Order me one.

brilliant decorations

Bri-lliant christmas docorations!!! love it.



Thanks poppa.

some running throughts

So someone sent me this picture and the first thing I thought was.....

1. WOWWwwsa the Catholic Church better be all over this business!!!
2. I never thought that an over-sized cross could cover all the important goodies.
3. Some of those dogs are creeping me out, check out the one right below the 'J' in Joanna.
4. Is Triumph the Insult Dog in there too? There has to be one with a cigar in it's mouth...
5. Thank god she has a halo otherwise I would have never known she was suppose to be an angel.
   

Ohhh phhh, the Catholic Church is upset about this....the Catholic League President said: "PETA actually kills 95 per cent of the adoptable pets in its care and that cats and dogs are a lot safer in pet stores than they are in the hands of PETA employees." OHHHHhhhh snap.

They also accused PETA of "cheap irreligious scams"......ohhhh boy PETA not sure you want to piss off the religious section of this country, not a smart move.

the christmas card winner

Soooo I would like to announce who is the Christmas Card winner of the LL award this year--that is, what is the first Christmas card that arrives at my house.....goes to....drum roll....(can you feel the tension?)....my good friend Jean from Pullman, WA. Good work lady getting cards out in the first week of December!!!

Now granted Jean is about 80 years old and probably has more time on her hands than the average person, but she did just pull together a wedding last month and is probably in the middle of some type of moving situation! Still pretty amazing those organizational skillz of yours, Jean!

Well I suppose I get points because I already bought my Christmas cards and stamps, and pulled them out last weekend whilest decorating my tree. They have sat ideally on my dining room table this week, but I'm planning on getting organized this weekend!!!

WTG Jean!

really?

Are you sure anyone who might check this isn't already at the wedding?

Case and point #3452 why I am slightly anti-facebuch.

corduroy skirts are a sin

I got a kick out of this picture and accompanying article....good for that student:

tiger scandel screwing his friends too

I just read about some of the endorsements that Tiger has in the wake of Tigergate (I know, I know, no one has private lives anymore), and turns out the guy was going to be on the cover of Golf Magazine next month....

Turns out the editor of Golf Magazine pulled some MAJOR strings to get Obama and Tiger to be on the cover of their Golf Digest January 2010. Can you guess what the title of the article was going to be????? Check out what Tiger did last January....

Well of course it is a top ten list!!!! And next month's was suppose to be: "10 tips Obama can take from Tiger" HAHAHAH I bet they are running around NOW trying to figure out what to do. What type of "tips" does Tiger have now for the big BO??? (insert jokes here). Perhaps how not to get caught cheating...

Not a good idea to piss off your golf friends, Tiger.

fo-shizzle my tom tom

All I want for Christmas is Snoop Dogg's voice coming out of my Tom Tom navigation!!!

Well your wish can come true! Snoop lent his voice and style to appear to your Tom Tom navigation, so now when you need to go Left on I-90 instead of some sezy voice telling you, Snoop will state the directions with a little flare..."fo-shizzle man go left baby"

If I needed a Tom Tom I would be all over this business. Would make me laugh...."re-calculating route, DOGG!!!"

Check it out:

well this is weird

So a small town in Brazil has over 80 families with blonde hair and blue eyed twins......



I could do some interesting studies there!!!

some tiger one-liners

tehehehe:

1. It was just reported that Phil Mickelson contacted Tiger's wife to pick up some tips on how to beat Tiger.
2. Apparently the police asked Tiger's wife how many times she hit him. She said " I don't know exactly but put me down for a 5."
3. Tiger Woods is so rich that he owns lots of expensive cars. Now he has a hole in one.
4. What's the difference between a car and a golf ball? Tiger can drive a ball 400 yards.
5. What were Tiger Woods and his wife doing out at 2:30 in the morning? They went clubbing ...

anyone who hasn't slept with Tiger, raise your hand?

Well you would have to be living in a hole the last week to NOT know about the Tiger Woods drama which has continued to unfold since Thanksgiving night. Tiger Woods crashed his car a block from his house in his super secure neighborhood. He hit a fire hydrate than crashed into a tree. It was reported that he was barefoot at 2 AM, and that his wife had to break the back window with a golf club to get him out (really the wife had a golf club ready to break the window when he could have crawled into the backseat and opened the door?). He was taken to a local hospital and then he locked him and his family in their house, refusing to talk to the authorities and/or media.

From the very beginning I said, well hells bells there is wayyyyy more to this story than is being reported. Then the rumors started to fly with all these women coming out of the woodwork to say "I slept with him" or "I sexted with him" or "I had an affair." The guy continued to deny everything until shit hit the fan this morning. Finally some hard evidence surfaced including real voice messages which unfortunately for Tiger, cannot be doctored like text messages or emails.

That is when Tiger basically fessed up and released a statement about how people should stay the hell out of his business. I remember when I used to put pictures of Tiger on my bedroom wall and how I used to believe that there were partners that didn't cheat on their significant others. Damn Tiger, you should have taken the Dave Letterman route--confess and get out in front of the story.

I've been thinking of some new headlines for Tigergate:

1. Mulligan?
2. Not out of the woods yet.
   
3. Tiger's birdies.
4. (there has to be something with lions, tigers and bears---leave in comments!)
   

I can honestly say I have NOT slept or sexted with Tiger. I'm one of only a few apparently :)

the good news

So the good news of yesterday was I found out that the paper symposium which we submitted to the Head Start conference for this coming June was accepted. For those that don't know, getting paper symposiums accepted at any conference is not an easy task, plus at Head Start. We had submitted this previously to SRCD and it was rejected. But I revamped it and got it accepted this round.

This means I'm the chair of the symposium and one of the presenters as well!!! I'm already nervous!!!! Not sure I'm smart enough to stand up in front of a room of my peers and talk through a PPT presentation....good thing I have 6 months to grow a pair.

Good stuff through...perhaps people are starting to focus more on the ecology of preschool classrooms, and take into account activity settings when examining children's behavior. This has been my goal the last 3 years :) And we have 2 papers going out that address this month too!

flying fish in MI

So I'm always reporting about the strange things happening in MI--like a 28% unemployment, or someone having sex with a vacuum or some lady calling 911 while driving home drunk!!! And thanks to Betty, I now know about the flying fish problem that is attacking MI.

The story gets all racial because these apparently are "asian carp" and not just normal carp. From what I read, being asian just means they can fly or jump out of the water. Isn't that exciting???? I would think that would be a positive but apparently it is a bad thing. Asian carp kill other fish, and us Michiganders are concerned about this. My favorite quote, in a northern/minnesoooootan voice, is:

"asian carp have got me real concerned about its future affect on my fishery"

hahahaha he said fishery!!! OK I have some kung foo kickery....that it I'm adding -ery on the end of everything from this point forward :)

sucking at life part 2

Per my other post today, I realized that I had a charge on one of my bank accounts that I did not recognize. After getting some more information about it from my bank, they decided to reissue the card and reimburse me. I admitted sucking at life....

Well turns out, after a short conversation over lunch today with Helga, that I did make that charge!!! Thus illustrating I really really suck at life, in that I can't remember the things I buy. Or better yet when I reimburse my friends from trips to Austin.

Guess I need to call my bank again tonight and tell them to halt their investigation due to the fact I'm an idiot. I guess I'm getting a new credit card though. Exciting times here at LL household!

sucking at life

So I care less and less about my files and bills and all those life things....I really only attempt organization once a year during tax season :) But once a month I monitor my bank accounts with the intention of being a reasonable adult. This month I actually noticed a discrepancy on one of my many credit cards. Turns out at the beginning of November someone took a good amount of cash out of one of my accounts. Surprisingly that is the only withdrawal in those 3o days.....

So anyways the card is now canceled, the money reimbursed, and some ass kickers are investigating who in San Fransisco used my information with Wells Fargo. Forget those Wells Fargo people, not being able to help track down my thieves :) I'm on it, a whole month later!!!!

OK I'll try harder not to suck at life.

news of the weekend

1. Congrats to the Grant Family on the new addition: Adam John. Sammy Sam is doing well too, I hear. I'm glad Elizabeth tells everyone it is her baby!
   
2. I got my Christmas tree up yesterday whilst drinking hot apple cider and cooking. No picture because it looks exactly the same as last year! Presents are already under it :)
3. I got a little more seafood in my life over the holiday weekend, including calamari on Saturday in Chinatown.
4. I got to see New Moon again this weekend, and yes I decided I officially like it (except for the cheesey tween parts).
   
5. No cross country trip this week.....booooo!!! No extra cash and afraid it will push me over the Lupus ledge. Sad.
6. Got to have a couple beers with Brian on Saturday night once he got back from MN!
   
7. Had a great gobble gobble gobble weekend!
   

music of the moment

Soooo I wasn't a fan at first but Owl City has slowly grown on me....turns out they started in MN, so of course I'm more on board so that we are supporting those Minnesotans!!!

Here is the most popular song now, which is OK, but some of their other stuff is better:

things that make for a happy holiday

Here are some of the things that make for a good holiday weekend up herrrre in DC:

1. Perfecting my gobble gobble gobble noise into the next octave (the ability to break glass will be a goal for next turkey day).
2. Watching Terri throw down her knife and folk to exclaim "AND NO ONE TOLD ME THERE WERE WALLEYE FINGERS!"
3. The asian shoe guy at Macy on Black Friday at 9 PM who asked me if he could go wash his hands while going crazy in the tornado that was the shoe department
4. Buying new brown boots! And brown tights!
5. Getting to catch up and visit with Yvonne
6. Shooting oysters, eating crab cakes and adding creamy mussels to my list (I've been trying mussels and carrot cake all over the country the last 6 months). Yum, good DC seafood!
7. Brazilian turkey day celebrations including two crazy old people named Fran and Joanna (yeah Fran is the husband)....no judgment.
   
8. Learning that some people have a more "friendly" walk than others.
9. Wondering if people think I'm a stalker because I'm friendly and welcoming in the morning :)
   
10. Getting to try about 40 different kinds of booze: 15 year old whiskey, san-bouka, french spicy business, and lots more!
    
11. Eating two a-mazing nights of steaks (real good beef, friends).
    
12. Seeing Blind Side, and being the only person I know who hasn't cried during the movie. Good movie and not as cheesy as I thought.
13. A wonderful dinner and drinks with Terri and Mark!
14. My apple pie was a hit.....ohhh and the pickle/ham roll-ups. I'm continuing to spread the pickle/ham goodness across the country, Seattle check, DC check....
15. Betty's navigation saved the day again after we looped around I-66 a couple times. You just have to laugh!
    

if you were a true runner

To all my friends who are runners,

If you were a 'true' runner you would consider running in Stiletto heels like these dedicated ladies!

Love,
LL

this year's ruby slippers

Ruby slippers are legendary thanks to the Wizard of Oz and each year designers reinvent those shoes. This year we are going with the invisible heel:



Don't worry these can't be added to your Christmas list because they are over $1000 and the designer is only making a total of 10 pairs!!!!

10 pairs, or 5 pairs with 10 shoes....way to make a demand!

craig making me laugh

Craig was making me laugh on Monday night with his opening about the weekend movie excitement:

I heart the muppets

Just in time for the holiday season, the Muppet Studio has produced another heart felt video. This time the Muppets are singing Queen!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!

If you can watch this without giggling a little, then you have no soul:



Momma, Momma.....

they call me martha facher

Well about once a year I pull a martha facher, put on my baking hat, and make a pie. When I make a pie, I typically like to go all out, making my own crust and cutting my own fruit. So last night I got motivated to make my Thanksgiving dessert....apple pie! And surprisingly it went really really well. The crust is always the most difficult but it went smoothly this time. I even got some designs in the top. Check it out:



Cooking goals for today include making the turkey day celebration appie, pickle ham roll-ups. YUM!!! The goal is not necessarily getting them made, but trying to stop myself from eating half of them while I make them! That shit is soooo good.

HAPPPY early turkey day!!!! gobble gobble gobble.

my turkey day prayer

Well PETA nailed it for me....this is what I say before every gobble gobble meal:

a new cville venue

Soooo since I've lived in Cville, they have been renovating the historic downtown Jefferson Theater. Well its grand opening is happening this weekend, and if I was in town I'd be all over Trees on Fire (who I hear are really good). I want to see pictures of the inside....but hopefully T and I will make it for a concert in the beginning of December.

Again, why is everything named about TJ???? Oh TJ you zexy bitch/slave owner, you.

I hope the local Cville scene can sustain all these new venues....

dirrrty unibomber

I'm like a dirrrty version of the unibomber this AM. Here I am, at my favorite coffee shop with a hooded sweatshirt, layering the stank. Like that jhole at the DMB concert last year, I probably look like a yellow version of the unibomber with my hood up. I don't need people to recognize me! But I doubt that the unibomber listened to Luciano Pavarotti or worked on manuscripts that describe children's behaviors across preschool activity settings. He did probably stink though!

Will someone finish this paper for me please?

Focus LL, focus.

where pumpkin pie comes from

Thanks B, love it!



Now you'll be sitting down for your turkey day dinner and be thinking about this....

Making an apple pie tonight for my turkey day celebration!

I'm not the only ashamed adult

I just read a crazy funny article about adults who are ashamed they are addicted to tweeny books. I'm one of those people! First it was tweens, then it was twi-moms and then it was the rest of us. This was a great quote:

"One minute you're a functioning member of society, the next you're succumbing to the dark side, wondering how deep you're willing to go -- and what that longing says about you."

HAHAHA, that is perfect! Apparently older women (cougars, teheh) are really into the books too, since WA Post and CNN find this newsworthy. You avoid the books for years and then someone gives you a copy and before you know it you are missing work to read....this madness isn't going away in the next two years (but I'm hoping it leaves me soon).

my new fav ring

Sooo here is a stocking stuffer I can get on board with.....floating rings are all the rage (well probably not but they still sort of crack me up). I would snap this shit off before I could even make it to whatever event I was attending....happy hour, the club, work....none the less I would still attempt to rock it:

performance of the night

The AMAs were last night and the performance of the night was a tie between Adam Lambert's performance (not convincing me you don't want to be the poster child for the gays) and this:



I vote for this one, although I've already admitted I'm in LOVE with J and this song.

it's like a great simpson episode

So D forwarded me this list of professional names, which was discussed and laughed about much during HH this week, that are slightly dirty....after reading it and seeing photographic evidence, I can't help but thinking this is a really GOOD episode of the Simpsons. Like Bart would call the bar and ask for all these people just so Moe would yell it out!!! Ahhh good times.

My favorites:

1. Prof. Fuck (pronounced Fcuk probably like that damn clothing company in the UK)
2. Sally Mangina (yep she is most likely a lesbian)
3. Prof. Assmann (clearly I like the academic names because those make me giggle a little more)
4. Ben Dover (hahahah, and it says "a name you can trust" hahahahah)

Maybe someone can come up with a name like reach-around or butt humper...

sarah made an opps

Palin has been promoting her new book and going rogue all across the US the last couple weeks. Well recently during a stop in Indiana she didn't end up by signing all her fans books, after many people waited in line for hours (apparently everyone is waiting in lines this weekend with books and movies, and black friday coming). Listen to the crowd get upset outside her tour bus....yikes don't piss off the Hoosiers:

more bothered

I can't believe how Jimmy Fallon hasn't been sucking it up on late night as much as I originally thought. He did steal some of my favorite blog writers for his staff. Anywho, you know I love this series:

music of the moment

Norah Jones has released a new album and the first song is entitled Chasing Pirates!!!! ARrrrrggggghhhhh. I want to chase pirates....I bet I would win too because I have two good legs and eyes. I would be cooler if I had a peg leg or an eye patch, but it won't work well in the chase:

got mine

Officially got my tickets for the new movie this weekend. I'm NOT going to state it again because it is just too shameful for a grown women to.....ANYWAYS, I'm aiming to go later in the weekend so I won't be tempted to see it twice in one weekend. Over the holidays Betty and I will go again too :)

Should make for a better weekend of happy hours, yoga, Curry school appreciation events, and feeding my movie series addiction!!!

Shameful, I know. For all those haters, I thought this was funny (besides the gay reference):

new LFA video

Check it out...the Lupus Foundation is getting more techie, good work:



I'm a WAYYYY better narrator than that lady! She is looking above the camera!!!! Makes it look like she has crazy eyes (at least I disguise mine).

Thanks Sara!

crime on campus

I just got an email about some serious crime occurring on campus, and some not as serious crime....OK OK all invasion of people's right is "crime" but I found this report more humorous than serious (I know I'm going to hell):

"...to a male who has been seen in the stacks in Alderman Library loitering for long periods, and who has allegedly attempted to look up the dress of one or more female students."

I know of the "stacks" as a popular place for college students to get busy, so of course there are probably nerdy creeps trying to look up girls skirts. Did the guy have a stack of books in his hands, bottle cap glasses, and a pocket protector????? I might so bold to suggest that perhaps these UVA girls shouldn't be wearing stiletto heels and short skirts in NOVEMBER!!! Just a suggestion....

tehehehe library mc-creeps. LOVE IT!!!

team goat

I'm officially on team goat!!!! We have had repeated incidents of goat riding buses lately.....I'm not sure what it means but this appearance is a little more disturbing. Pretty soon parents are going to be worried about "goat flu" with these furry family friends befriending their children:



Goats are in every aspect of my life lately!

I'm a big weiner

So I met with my financial adviser this morning and it turns out that I actually made money in my portfolio last year. I was shocked at this because the economy has been in the shitter, but apparently others also did fairly well. Anywho, let's all take a moment that I actually am saving money---no less making money! We made some new investments that will hopefully make me a big weiner for this coming year as well!!!

One conversation which cracked me up was when he was trying to get me to save MORE money, and I said I need to look at my budget of "clothing and booze." I found this humorous whereas he didn't as much. Most men spend their money on women and booze, me...retail therapy and booze! OK maybe I should plan for my future better, one that doesn't include drinking.....

couple more days....shameful

OK it is positively shameful that I'm such a tween, twi-addict, vamp fan. I can hardly admit it. But last night I watched the live US red carpet premiere for New Moon along with 120,000 other fans around the world. It was fine, nothing exciting, but I did have to point out my favorite fan sign. I couldn't have said it better:

Amen sister. I'd take them both. Movie out in just 2 more days. I'm going to try to only see it once this weekend and once over Thanksgiving.

for all us academics

So Betty has officially got me addicted to the Big Bang Theory....as we have been watching the first season all this weekend. All the academic talk that no normal person understands, makes me laugh. And how the four guys like all the star wars and superman and video games.

Can't wait to get the other seasons and continue the marathon over Christmas....

music of the moment

Another older album in rotation, Kate Havnevik:



How hard do you think it was to film that video????

my helga is moving...

Well it is official, all my lovers are all grown up and changing their lives. Who ever would have that thought that Brian would have left MN, and now he is talking about a CA move. And to boot, my Helga has officially accepted a position in San Fran and will be moving from MN within two weeks. Who is going to rub my butt when I'm in MN now? (guess I'll have to settle for crazy grandma).

a BIG CONGRATS to my butt humping friend, who is doing what is best for her, even through it means a promotion to lead telemarketer. Can't wait to visit and reenact some of the scenes from Full House where we lean off the trolleys!! Can we eat sourdough bread too?

XOXOXOX

music of the moment

I know that this is one of Regina's older songs, but I love love it and it keeps coming back into my rotation:

some "r & r"?

I'm not sure I really am that good at getting some "R & R" (i.e., rest and relaxation). After years of yoga, I'm much better--but during a class last week they read a paragraph about how R&R is not a state but a process or something more meaningful than that :) A constant process....

Anyways I was just thinking about this morning because I'm a workaholic. It is ingrained in my blood (hello, have you met my fam?). I'm suppose to be relaxing today but I'm already doing some work. Don't worry through I'll dick around today and tomorrow some!

So I'm in my DC home wearing my MN sweats, with my MSU alum mug (that is not a shot glass and has a handle that I can really grib on), drinking tea and thoroughly enjoying the wonders of the internets and cable. I will get outside today and go for a run on the flats. Yesterday Betty and I went for a long walk (did you know that I love cities with water in them?---urban canhooing) And this morning it was amazing seeing the sun rise over the Potomac and the national monuments.....

headline of the weekend

"Goats try to hitch a ride on the C-Tran in Vancouver"

found her dress

That is a hot wedding dress for A:

mayo drama

Soooo I had no idea there was all this drama going down right now between my beloved Colbert (the "t" is silent) and the Miracle Whip company. It all started here last month:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Mayo-lution Will Not Be Televised
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

THEN Miracle Whip responding with a letter, a challenge, and buying out all the commercials during yesterday's show (can't anyone confirm this?). I did not personally see the show, but I did read this letter which was published in multiple newspapers from the their BOLD MARKETING team. I believe the next move is yours Mr. Colbert....

Can't wait to see what happens next!!!