This is why I love Bethany Dillon.

Wine Glass Music.

SICK.  AWESOME.  and TOTALLY RAD.

Playing in the Dirt

At mom's house, out front, there is this huge pile of red dirt.  The boys have always like to play on it or in it...whether it's riding their bikes over the top of it, or playing with army men and match box cars.  Recently, the boys decided they wanted to dig a tunnel through it.  So, they got a shovel, and a couple of gardening tools and went after it.

When I was at mom's yesterday, Tristan was off camping with a cousin, and Sam wanted to show me the tunnel they were working on.  So, we go out there.  Sam, in his Lighting McQueen rubber boots, Wranglers, and white t-shirt, proceeds to squirm his way through the tunnel and says, "can you fit?"  Of course, I couldn't because he could barely make it through, so we grabbed the shovels and gardening tools and went to work making a bigger tunnel.  Here are a few pictures of Sam working and playing hard.

Sam throwing dirt he's digging away from the tunnel

 working with some gardening tools to loosen the dirt on the tunnel floor.

 This is before we started hollowing it out more.  You can see that Sam has to squirm like a worm on his belly to fit through.

 This is after, when we were running out of daylight.  He's actually crawling.  I think, all in all, we had a very profitable 45 minutes.

Brothers

You might think this is a war movie.  It's not.  It's a movie about the effects of war...about the stresses of the choices war presents...about relationships and family and misery and regret and guilt and love and understanding.  It's a movie about surviving the unimaginable.  I like this movie so much that last year when it came out I went and watched it in the theater TWICE.  And I NEVER do that.  But I went once by myself, and once with my good friend, Wendy.  It is superbly directed by Jim Sheridan, and beautifully acted by Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Natalie Portman.  It is definitely the best performance I've ever seen from Tobey, and might be the best thing Natalie has done to date.  And Jake's quiet, subdued performance is just as noteworthy. 

Seriously...watch it.

Rated R for language and violence.

Jars of Clay playlist

since i'm currently listening to all of my jars of clay music on shuffle, i thought I'd make a playlist of my favorite Jars songs.  Song first, then album  Enjoy.  I do.

(Note: these songs are not necessarily on the above album.  They are simply my Essential Jars of Clay songs).

Needful Hands, Exodus (compilation album)

Oh My God, Good Monsters

World Apart, Jars of Clay

They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love, Redemption Songs

Jealous Kind, Who We Are Instead

Two Hands, Long Fall Back To Earth

Frail, Much Afraid

No One Loves Me Like You, If I Left the Zoo

The Eleventh Hour, The Eleventh Hour

The Valley Song, Furthermore

Closer, Closer EP

Top Ten Favorite Sports Movies - For Kids

Having recently rewatched We Are Marshall, I thought about trying to make a top ten list of sports movies...like a best-ever list.  I read a few lists that other people compiled, and realized that i haven't watched enough of the "greats" to really qualify as an expert on the subject.  So...I rethought the idea, and decided to list my 10 favorite child-friendly sports movies.  Most are from my own childhood, but there are a couple that have come out in the last few years that made the list.  They aren't necessarily the most artful or penetrating movies...but they are great fun for kids.

10.  The Big Green.  Classic underdog story.  Some hilarious moments...and a rare movie about soccer.

9.  Angels in the Outfield.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Danny Glover, and Christopher Lloyd knock it out of the park.  Literally.

8.  Little Big League.  A brief, wonderful appearance by Jason Robards, and an endearing performance by Luke Edwards as Billy.

7.  Rookie of the Year.  A freak accident gives a kid the ability to throw 100 mph fastballs.  Lots of fun.  Suspension of disbelief required.

6.  Miracle.  The true story of the 1980 USA hockey team of college kids who beat the Russians in the Gold medal game at the Olympics.  And it has Kurt Russell.  Win, win.

5.  Remember the Titans.  A movie about so much more than football.  It's Denzel at his finest, and a fantastic ensemble cast including, Hayden Panetierre, Will Patton, Kip Pardue, Ryan Gosling, and Kate Bosworth just to name a few.

4.  Rudy.  The underdog movie of the millenium.  I cry every time I watch it.  Sean Astin is fantastic.

3.  The Mighty Ducks Trilogy.  Seriously...you can't pick just one.  Emilio Estevez is great as Gordon Bombay.  Plus...this movie introduced the world to Joshua Jackson.  Thank you, and thank you.

2.  Little Giants.  Rick Moranis and Ed O'Neill crack skulls.  Devon Sawa in the movie roll that sparked as SERIOUS childhood crush.  A linebacker named Spike.  A guy who blows snot bubbles - unintentionally, and a wide receiver who can't catch.  and FUMBLERUSKI!  Genius.

1.  The Sandlot.  If you had any doubt that this would top the list, you're crazy. There is nothing better.  If you haven't seen it, and really need to be convinced to watch this movie, here it is: James Earl Jones.  And if you still don't want to watch it, I have four words for you:  "You're killing me, Smalls!" 

City and Colour

At the Bird's Foot.

I am not typically one to go for tree-hugger, save the whale's type stuff.  But this song is so stinking good...it deserves a listen.

Old School Country

Good:




Better:




Best:

The Swell Season - In These Arms

So Good.


In These Arms from banjo bandstand on Vimeo.

babysitting the niece

so...this past Wednesday and Saturday, i got to babysit my sweet niece, Brylin.  This is a rare treat because I'm usually working on both days, but because of the Thanksgiving holiday, I had the time off and we were able to have some awesome, sweet, aunt Kasi - BryBear time.  PURE JOY.

Top Twelve Lines: Glee: The Substitute

12.  Miss Holiday:  sorry for just coming over like this.  I wanted to do this in person.  Plus, I heard you had expensive beer

11.  Puck:  Mr. Schuester is the only teacher who ever touched me...except Mr. Rhyerson.

10.  Sue:  My first order of business: destroy the glee club
Will:  I thought we were friends.
Sue:  That got boring.

9.  Terri:  You have to admit that no matter how toxic our marriage was, I was always really good at taking care of you when you were sick.
Will:  That's because you like me best when I'm weak.

8.  Rachel:  In Mr. Schuester's absence, I'd like to go around and ask everyone what solos they'd like to hear me sing at sectionals.

7.  Kurt:  You smell homeless, Brett.  Homeless.

6.  Miss Holiday:  Cee-Lo.  That's what I'm talking about.
Santana:  Excuse me.  What would you like about Cee-Lo?  You're like, 40.
Miss Holiday:  Top 40, sweet cheeks.

5.  Rachel:  Hi Miss Holiday.  I'd like you to know that I have a very severe bruise on my right buttocks from your game of gangsta rap musical chairs.

4.  Sue:  It's broccoli.  When I showed it to Brittany, she began to whimper, thinking I had cut down a small tree where a family of gummy bears lived.

3.  Mini- Santana:  Lookin' good, Puckerman.  Someone's been eating his wheaties.
Mini-Puck:  [flexing]  These guns are fully loaded.
Mini-Rachel:  Mr. Schue, I for one, think we should use our set list for sectionals to start exploring the oeurve of one Bernadette Peters.
Mini-Brittany:  Someday, I’m gonna go to Paris and visit the Oeuvre.

Mini-Mike:  I just wanna dance.
Mini-Mercedes:  Mr. Schuester, you look a little green.

2.  Rachel:  Well, at least I didn't fall and break my talent.

1.  Miss Holiday:  Hi, I'm Holly Holiday.
Terri:  Are you a porn star or a drag queen?

new to twitter

so...yeah...i just started twitter.  i'm not really sure what i expect from this.  and i'm even less sure i know what i'm doing on the twitter network.  i feel like it's less user friendly than FB.  who knows.

I feel like i'm going to have to weed through all my FB friends and find out who's on twitter that I want to follow.  long arduous process that i'm not looking forward to.  Oh, well.  Such is life.

Anyway...blogger friends...if you want to follow me on twitter.  here's my profile page.  eventually i'll figure everything out.

https://twitter.com/#!/kasideeg

favorite things

So, i thought instead of a playlist, which has become a bit too common on this blog, today, i'd post some pictures from the past few years that captured some of my favorite moments.

this is from Tristan's 8th birthday.  I love his big smile...which is rare because he's a brooder, and has a very quick temper.  adn i love the reason he's smiling:  not because it's his birthday, and not because he got money in his card.  but because the card says, "poop."

this is a picture from Tristan's 9th birthday, after my niece, Brylin was born.  And, i love it because that is my grandma (Bry's great-grandma) holding her, and my PawPaw is sitting beside them.

 This picture I love because Wendy and I were being completely ridiculous.  it was after a night out in Shreveport with the girls, and we were trying not to starte bawling like babies as she left for sunny CA.

 Samuel, a spiderman suit, and a mohawk.  enough said.

Sam found a pair of my mom's glasses and decided to put them on.  He was 3 at the time.  HILARIOUS. 

Tristan playing coach-pitch baseball two summers ago.  i edited the picture a little bit.  what I wish this could show was actually how good he was.  his team didn't make the playoffs, but he was picked up by another team. 

 This is my niece, Brylin's first birthday party.  you can see her smash cake.  what you can't see is how long it took her to realize that it was okay to play with her food because prior to that moment, she always got in trouble for it. 

 The boys playing in the living room of mom's house, wrestling like brother's do...until Sam gets hurt and starts crying.

 One of the first pics i ever took with my camera.  the focus and lack of focus was purely accidental...and subsequent attempts to copy this have failed.

 thanksgiving last year:  one of the rare moments where the boys aren't yelling at each other, hitting each other, or mad at each other.

 Also from Thanksgiving last year:  my sis, brother-in-law, and niece, Brylin.

 Mom and Bry.  Pure Sweetness.

And, finally, a pic of me and the boys from about two years ago.  it just makes me happy.



Everly

Okay...so, these girls are really fantastic song-writers and singers.  they've only got a few EP's out right now, but they're working on recording a full-length album.  If you like eclectic folk rock, you'll like them. 

they did a marvelous cover of Pat Benetar's "We Belong." 



check them out on itunes or youtube or their website

i made it through the A's

So...i randomly decided to start my iPod at the beginning.  And see how long it would take me to listen through every song alphabetically.  No small feat, considering I have 2600 songs on my iPod.  I started last Saturday. 

The first song:  "Abba Father"  by Shawn Groves. 

The Last song:  "Awesome is the Lord Most High" by Chris Tomlin. 

And in between there was a wonderful hodge podge of beautiful music like:

"Accompany Me' - Bob Seger
"Ain't that a Kick in the Head" - Dean Martin
"Alien" - Delirious?
"All I Ask of You" - Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack
"Amazed" - Lone Star
"American Love" - Jack's Mannequin
"The Answer" - Shane and Shane
"As Long As You're Mine" - Wicked Soundtrack
"Assassins" - Muse
"Attics of My Life" - Grateful Dead

Of course, that wasn't all on the list...and I must admit that I have a few repeats because of compilations or live albums, and I tended to skip the multiples.  But, I made it through the A's in seven days.  I don't think i'll continue with the "B's" just yet.  There are a few relatively new purchases i'd like to listen to more...as well as some older stuff that I was reminded of while listening through the "A's"...like my Star Wars: Episode One soundtrack, and my Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack, and my Petra album.  But...I'll let you guys know when I start back up, and also what wonderful gifts the songs are when i get through the B's.

Top Twelve Lines: Glee: Never Been Kissed

Oh, my Glee.  how I missed you.  Let me preface this whole thing by saying that i almost didn't get to see this episode.  I paused the DVR in the middle of recording the show, forgetting that another show on a different channel was schedule to record afterward, so, the last half of the show is the only part that recorded.  I'm still not sure how exactly that happened, since you'd think the first half would record and you'd lose the last half...but whatever.  I managed to watch it online early this morning, and subsequently have the top twelve list.  so, without further ado:

12.  Sue:  I beleive I just said that, Andy Sullivan.  You want me to sign it into your palm?

11.  Sam:  You're like a chocolate turtle.

10.  Rachel:  SPIES!

9.  Tina:  With those abs, you can be my very own "Situation".

8.  Mercedes:  How are we supposed to compete against a bunch of adorable old people?
Puck:  Are you kidding?  Brittle bones.  Give one of those old ladies a good luck pat on the rear.  It'll shatter her pelvis.

7. Sue:  This may be the moment I was waiting for.  A way to get Bieste out of the school, and your McCauley Culkin stunt double back in your arms

6.  Puck:  Yeah, you really can't put a dollar amount on talent plus fear.
Artie:  I can.  It's about three hundred bucks.

5.  Brittany: (to Artie)  I've been squeezing your leg for the last hour and a half.  Are you not attracted to me?

4.  Puck:  So, I turn around.  I flex my left pec, then I flex my right pec, and I say to the guy, 'leggo my eggo.'

3.  Sue:  ...Who'd rather be dry humping She-Hulk.

2.  Will:  Look, I'm not tossing the baby out with the bath water.
Brittany:  I've totally done that.

1.  Coach Bieste:  You crap on my leg, I'll cut it off.

Playlist: Blue Tuesday

"Am I Blue"  George Strait
"Blue Collar Man"  Styx
"Blue Eyes"  Cary Brothers
"The Mirror-Blue Night"  Spring Awakening Soundtrack
"Turtle Blues"  Janis Joplin
"Break the Blue"  Dime Store Prophets
"Summertime Blues"  Joan Jett
"How Blue"  Reba McEntyre
"Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)"  Rod Stewart
"Cool Blues"  Miles Davis

Monday Playlist: Chick Rock

It may not be a full-out girl band, but the lead singer is female...

"Head Against the Clouds"  Eisley
"Me and Bobby McGee"  Janis Joplin
"You don't Know What You've Got"  Joan Jett
"Between the Lines"  Sara Barellies
"When It Rains"  Paramore
"Better"  Regina Spektor
"Eyes on Fire"  Blue Foundation
"Zombie"  The Cranberries
"Satisfy"  Vedera
"The Hill" Marketa Irglova
"One Fine Wire"  Colbie Callait
"Make Your Own Kind of Music"  Mama Cass
"Eternal Flame"  Bangles

Thursday Playlist: Countrified

"Baby Blue"  George Strait
"Don't Take the Girl"  Tim McGraw
"Amazed"  Lonestar
"Young Love (Strong Love)"  The Judds
"One More Day"  Diamond Rio
"When I Said I Do" Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black
"I Love the Way You Love Me"  John Michael Montgomery
"Forever and Ever, Amen" Randy Travis
"Oh, Love"  Brad Paisley (feat. Carrie Underwood)
"I Am That Man"  Brooks & Dunn

loveliness.

Wednesday Playlist

"Downtown Train"  Rod Stewart
"Stuck with You"  Huey Lewis and The News
"Tell Her About It"  Billy Joel
"Be Straight"  Joan Jett
"Roll Me Away"  Bob Seger
"Hard Habit to Break"  Chicago
"Blue Collar Man"  Styx
"Whoa"  Paramore
"Broken"  Lifehouse
"If You Love Somebody Set Them Free"  Sting & The Police

Yes, Please

Tuesday Playlist 11-2-2010

"Just Like We Do"  Eisley
"Fever Dream:  Iron and Wine
"Fair"  Remy Zero
"Never Think"  Rob Pattinson
"Gravity"  Sara Bareilles
"I Hear the Drizzle of the Rain"  Simon & Garfunkel
"Low Rising"  The Swell Season
"Time In A Bottle"  Jim Croce
"Ripple"  Grateful Dead
"She's Got A Way"  Billy Joel

Loveliness.

Trick or Treating with Bizzarro and the Grim Reaper

So...typically, I'm not much for Halloween.  I don't decorate the house with jack-o-lanterns and ghouls and goblins.  Something about celebrating death that doesn't quite sit right with me.  Anyway, we were coming home from a family reunion and Sam was in the car with me and we were talking about trick or treating last night and about what he was giong to dress up as, and I randomly decided to join in the fun and dress up with them...just to dress up in a costume.  I thought about what I had in my closet at home, and realized that if I could find a purple tie, some face paint, a can of temporary hair color, and a purple vest or sweater of some kind, I could come up with something pretty cool.  So, we stopped at Wal-Mart, and I managed to find all those items...as well as some face paint and hair color for the boys.  And then we got dressed

Sam insisted on having his hair colored green and having face paint, even though he was wearing a superman costume.  So...I told him that he could be Bizzaro, an evil Superman, and he seemed to accept it. 

Tristan took an old mask and costume and made the mask a little gory looking so he could be the grim reaper.

And I dug out an old pair of pants, a souviner hat from Disney World, and the few items I found at Wal-Mart and went as the Mad Hatter.  I'm afraid a lot of people didn't get the costume...and were honestly, not really interested in it.  Oh, well.  I had a blast and it was super fun to dress up. 

I was going for the semi-psycho look Johnny Depp acheives in the new version of the film...but I think I might have skipped the "semi" and went straight to full-on psycho in this picture.

Top Twelve Lines: Rocky Horror Glee Show

So...since i'm almost a full week behind on this, I'll skip right to the countdown.  there weren't as many lines to pick from this week as usual, simply because there was a lot more performance-driven material in this episode than others.  without further ado...

12.  Emma:  I've got the Carl
11.  Finn:  I don't need to hide behind my muscles like you do.
10.  Sue:  People who dress like librarians...all sex addicts.
9.  Will:  This is the face of a guy who stepped in it.
8.  Sam:  Ain't no carpool lane to sexy.
7.  Sue:  We've lost the true meaning of Halloween:  FEAR.
6.  Santana:  Earlier today Artie asked if he could make a gigantic ommelette when I'm done with the ostrich eggs I'm smuggling in my bra. 
5.  Sam:  Are you kidding me?  You can cut glass with these babies.
4.  Mercedes:  I'd like to preserve you...in a jar...in my basement.
3.  Sue:  Seventy percent of all teeth in this school are wooden.
2.  Brittany:  I'm going as a peanut allergy.
1.  Becky:  Give me some chocolate or I will cut you.

Top Twelve Delay...Friday Night Lights

I know you guys might be wondering where my Top Twelve Lines from Rocky Horror Glee Show might be.  Well, suffice it to say that yesterday I didn't have internet access, and today I walked out of the house without the list.  So, unfortunately, I will have to wait until the next time I am at work to post the list.  I also forgot my personal computer, so, I'm breaking my own rules now and am using my work computer during my lunch break to type up this short notice.

Please forgive me.  The list is coming soon.

Last night was the season 5 premier of Friday Night Lights on the 101 channel on DirecTV.  If you haven't checked this show out in the four previous years, shame on you.  It is a wonderful, beautifully accurate portrayal of small town Texas and football.  But, if you're not a huge football fan, you'll still enjoy the wonderful characters because, though football is the "vehicle" the show uses, it is not necessarily the primary focal point.  This is no Any Give Sunday with a bunch of teeth-jarring, bone-crunching aggression going on.  It falls more into the realm of The Mighty Ducks, but with football instead of hockey.  You care about the characters a great deal, which makes you want to see them have success.  If you don't have direcTV, you'll have to wait until the summer of 2011 to see the 5th (and final) season.  But, that gives you plenty of time to Netflix or iTunes the previous four seasons.  trust me when I say: It's worth it!

riese

Playlist Tuesday 10-26-10

"Fever"  Michael Buble
"The Mowtown Song"  Rod Stewart
"Tusk"  Fleetwood Mac
"Love That Conquers"  The Swell Season
"The Longest Time"  Billy Joel
"Swim"  Jack's Mannequin
"Can't Smile Without You"  Barry Mannilow
"Ten Cent Blues"  Eisley
"Accompany Me"  Bob Seger
"Volare"  Dean Martin

Today's Playlist

"The Freshman"  The Verve Pipe
"Dust in the Wind"  Kansas
"De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" The Police
"Lights" Journey
"New Slang"  The Shins
"Richard Cory"  Simon and Garfunkel
"Apres Moi" Regina Spektor
"One of These Things First"  Nick Drake
"Dancing Bear"  The Mama's and the Papa's
"Too Bad on Your Birthday"  Joan Jett

Beautiful

little brothers are so much fun!

Sam spent the night last Saturday.  I know...I'm way behind sharing this blog, but I left my camera's usb cable at mom's house.  anyway...we had fun.  And Sam was hilarious.

tender Sam and beautiful teaching moments

so...yesterday at mom's we were outside playing: me, sam, tristan, mom, and Brylin (my niece). anyway...we were losing daylight. it was probably 7:30 or later, and definitely time to come in and get baths and finish up homework before sending the boys to bed. sam got upset because he wanted to stay outside and play - he actually wanted to climb on top off a storage shed and jump down from about 7 or 8 feet up, and when he was told "no" and scolded a little, he stomped off toward the house, stopping to intentionally break off a branch from a bush in the yard. a sign of his anger (and a bad habit mom is trying to break). well, i saw it, and immediately snatched him up and got him in trouble for what he did: one little swat to the backside that wasn't hard enough to hurt him or even make him flinch. and then i told him he needed to go tell mom what he did and apologize. well...he fell apart, poor kid. huge tears come spilling out of his eyes as mom and I stood there talking to him about the difference between feeling angry and being ugly.

I got this wonderful teaching moment with him: "It's okay to feel angry, Sam. You will never get in trouble for how you feel, but you will get in trouble for what you do. You aren't in trouble because you're angry. You're in trouble because you acted ugly when you came over here and broke the limb on purpose."

Later, he was still pouting a little, and i went into his room and he said, "everybody's being mean today." I asked him who was mean, and he said, "you." (of course, I knew where it stemmed from.) and I said, "do you think i was mean because I got you in trouble?" and he nodded his head.

so i got another teaching moment: "Sam, when grownups get little kids in trouble, they don't do it because they want to be mean. It's a grownup's responsibility to teach little kids how to be good and do what's right. " he looked puzzled, and I asked him if he knew what "responsibility" meant, and he said no. so, I said "responsibility is like a job. It's a grownup's job to show little kids how to be good and do the right thing. so, when little kids act ugly and do the wrong thing, we have to get them in trouble so they know not to do it anymore."

Well, he's so tender-hearted that he started crying again. And i had to remind him that he wasn't in trouble. we were just talking. and then he said, "tristan was mean to me." and I asked, "Well, isn't he mean to you every day?" and Sam nodded, so I said, "well, if he's mean to you every day, you really shouldn't be so upset about it."

And as i said that i realized, that it's a truth bigger than just that small little relationship between two brothers. It's applicable throughout life in every situation...especially as Christians. when the world comes against us, when the Enemy of our souls comes against us daily, why do we get all bent out of shape over it? The devil has been doing this ever since his fall from grace; we really shouldn't get so upset and emotional about it. just like it's a parent's job to teach one's child to do the right thing, it is the devil's job to try and destroy humanity. at some point, we just need to get past the emotionality of feeling attacked and hated and get to the place where we can just shrug it off and keep on doing what's right.

So, not only did i get two wonderful teaching moments with my sweet, tender Sam. I also got a beautiful teaching moment from the Lord.

Good day...aside from Sam bursting into tears twice. that always breaks my heart.

bry, the boys, and billy joel

so, yesterday I went over to mom's and hung out with her and the boys. And then my sweet niece, Brylin came over to stay at her Gigi's house because, unfortunately, my sister was sick, sick, sick...and was headed to the doctor. So...I got to spend bonus time with my favorite girl. always a plus!

The boys are so good with her. they get a little wound up at times and get too excited and play a little too hard around her, but it is so much fun to watch them dote on her. and mom, too. mom LOVES getting to spend time with her grandbaby.

Bry and the boys have a favorite game. the boys go hide behind a loveseat, and bry goes to look for them, and they come tromping out on hands and knees and chase her, and she turns on one foot and goes running into Gigi's lap, squealing and laughing. I wish I'd caught it on camera, but anytime i pull the camera out, Bry stops playing and wants to mess with the camera. but last night i was able to snatch a picture of her being silly. you can't really tell, but she's trying to be a monster. it was so funny, and I wish i'd gotten a picture of her facing the camera, but it didn't happen.

Anyway...needless to say, last night was loads of fun with Bry and the boys. And tonight, I'm gonna go back and see the boys again. Bry will be home with my sister, but the boys and I will still have fun.

And now...as a sort of unrelated adendum to a post about my niece and little brothers, I will just say that I purchased Billy Joel's greatest hits Vol 1&2 on iTunes today. So, I get to listen to the wonderful, "Piano Man" and "Only the Good die Young" and "Uptown Girl."

Yeah...it's a good day.

It's fun to be a blessing

So...last night I went to mom's house again because I didn't get to watch Castle the night before, and I also wanted to watch Tuesday's 19 Kids and Counting. (Love me some Duggars). Plus, any day I get to see my little brothers is a bonus. Anyway, I got there around 7:20 or so and found out mom felt bad. She was sick; the boys were all over the place, and she was all wrapped up in her robe on the back porch shivering.

Anyway...the boys went to bed around 9, and mom laid down and crashed with them, and, I was still there watching TV, and I looked around the messy kitchen with all the dirty dishes from that day, and just mess from having two boys...and I thought...well, why not? So, the clean dishes went in the cabinets, the dirty dishes were washed, the stovetop, counters, and kitchen table were cleaned. The floor got swept and the trash got taken out. And I'm excited for mom to get up today and see that someone took care of her for a change.

I loved the opportunity to love on my mom a little.

Top Twelve Lines/Moments from Glee: Duets

So, I'm going to preface this by expressing a few opinions on the show. This show was full of wonderful moments. I think the song choices for all characters involved were wonderful and spot on. Especially Mike and Tina's duet, and in actuality, I feel like theirs was the best duet of all. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the set up of the Sam/Quinn romance, and I'm eager to see what direction they're going to take them. Namely if Quinn will maintain her self-esteem and individuality. I just hope their budding relationship doesn't obliterate her "independent woman" attitude set up so well by last years choice to sing "It's a Man's World" (in what I personally believe was her best vocal performance all year) for a class assignment, and her insistence that she doesn't want to get lost in "needing" someone like she needed Puck last year.

I loved the hints of humanity they gave Brittany: that's she's more than just stupid one-liners and an easy lay. She's really not just snark. She has some heart. I also loved how they explored the depths of emotional pain Artie feels about his paraplegia, adn the huge ramifications of seemingly simple decisions. I loved the selfishness that drove Rachel to make a sacrifice, realizing that winning the competition might be bad for the overall goodness and cohesiveness of the group. Who cares that it was all just so Sam would stay and help them get to and win Nationals? Classic narcissistic Rachel, but this had a tint of thoughtfulness. And I loved how the plumbed the depths of Kurt's loneliness and isolation as the only openly homosexual person in school. Gay or straight, that truth resonates with everyone. We have all felt alone and isolated at some point in our lives because of some struggle we're going through.

I will say that if I have one ax to grind with the show it is their over-sexualization of Santana and Brittany - not only as individuals, but also in this grotesque bisexual co-dependency they have with one another. The scene with the two of them on Britt's bed all kissy, kissy was too much. At least they didn't go lip to lip. I've honestly never met anyone as sexualized as the two of them...but especially Santana. Somehow with her character it's more offensive. Maybe it's the fact that she's all up in everyone's face about it. Maybe it's because she has a guy's perspective of sex as some self-satisfying pleasure to be had as often as she wants. I'm not really sure, but I feel as though her character is little more than a high-school hooker in a cheerleading outfit. They took Santana a little too far this week...making her almost depraved. It's disgusting, even if it produces hilarious lines. And, because I'm so disgusted by it, I have to leave out some of her little snarky comments from my countdown because I honestly find them more offensive than Rachel and Finn dressing up like a Catholic priest and nun and singing about being "born again" in each other's love. (I will say that I thought they handled that number well. It was intentionally offensive to serve a purpose, and I don't feel they did it out of disrespect. I feel like by showing that it was disrespectful, that it produced a small teaching moment for people watching the show: that there is a thing as TOO far. Maybe they should listen to their own preaching and relax on the sexualization of the teens.)

So, now that I've written a novel about my opinion of last night's episode, let's get down to the list. Some of these will be multiple lines from multiple parties that lead up to a punchline:

12. Brittany (about Puck): He might be the dumbest person on this planet, and that's coming from me.

11. Rachel: The fact is, I'm only really generous when there's something in it for me.
Finn: Yeah, but I still like you.

10. Kurt (speaking about Sam's blond hair): I have three gifts: my voice, my ability to spot trends in men's fashion, and my ability to know when it comes from a bottle.

9. Finn: You tried to kiss her? Major Glee party foul, dude!

8. Mike: You can get salad at Dim Sum. My mom got salad last night.
Tina: There were chicken feet in it. It was a chicken feet salad. All I want is a normal salad that doesn't have chicken feet in it!

7. Santana: Look, I don't mean to be a B****, well, actually, I do.

6. Brittany: So, i just wanted to you to know...I'm really into you.
Artie: Sorry, I'm a little confused. You've never even made eye-contact with me
Brittany: I know. For a while I thought you were a robot.

5. Sam: He sent me like, sixty MP3's of him singing and I thought it was Faith Hill.

4. Quinn: The blueberry flavor is the worst. Especially if it gets down your pants. I looked like a creature out of Avatar down there when I got slushied.

3. Mercedes: Okay, do I even need to say it?
Sam: That was really rude.
Tina: But like REALLY rude.
Quinn: I seriously wanted to punch both of you.

2. Kurt: Once again, your closeted homophobia seeps to the surface like the contents of a crack cesspool.

1. Santana: I'm like a lizard. I need something warm beneath me or I can't digest my food.

Things that tasted better when I was a kid

I recently purchased a snack that I used to love when I was a kid, and was sorely disappointed by how "blah" it tasted. So...I started thinking about all the things that I LOVED eating as a child that I've had in the past few years that have left me decidedly dissatisfied.

1. Sugar Wafer cookies. Maybe it was because the ones I ate recently were sugar free, but I was sorely disappointed. They tasted a little like vanilla flavored cardboard and were almost not sweet. Cookies that aren't sweet are just unnatural. And pretty gross.

2. Cheese Waffles. I used to eat these in droves as a child. potato chips sandwiched together with that fake cheddar powdery cheese. My sister and I went in together adn bought a case of them a few years back, adn I couldn't make it through an entire bag.

3. Vienna Sausages. Maybe it's because I now understand what it means when they take the spare parts of beef, chicken, and pork and put it together in a sausage-like item. Maybe it's because when i was a kid I smothered them in ketchup and couldn't tell what they actually tasted like. But now...YUCK.

4. Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (condensed). I know it shouldn't be on the list, but it is. I've never really liked the chicken bits in that soup - I would venture to say they aren't real chicken bits. Nevertheless, the soup as a child was a comforting thing. Now, it makes me want to gag.

5. Circus Peanuts. You know the orange rubbery things that are some amalgamation of sugar and foam rubber? Yeah...used to love them as a kid. I ate part of one yesterday and almost puked. Who likes them? That's what I want to know. I don't even know what flavor they're supposed to simulate. It sure as heck isn't peanut.

6. Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli. Used to eat that like it was going out of style. It was the quick dinner I'd make myself on Fridays before getting on the band bus to head to the football games, or getting home from football games at midnight, or between after school volleyball practice and marching practice. Now...meh. As I said with the chicken in the soup, I'm not sure that's real beef in the ravioli.

I'm sure there are other things, but for now, those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. anyone else have those childhood favorites that you've gone back and tried and been sorely disappointed over? If so, don't be afraid to share.

Top Twelve Lines from Glee: Grilled Cheesus

I have to say that this week's list was difficult, simply because the episode was so serious. It's a departure for Glee, which I liked, but it made finding funny lines pretty hard. At least, I had a hard time finding funny lines that weren't completely sacreligious. So, while most of these lines are funny, I did throw in a couple that actually had some resonance in them. Hope you enjoy.

12. Puck: At this time, I'd like to continue my streak of only doing songs by Jewish artists.
11. Kurt: Suzanne Sommers says that skipping breakfast is suicide.
10. Coach Bieste: It's in your hands now, Lurch.
9. Emma: God works in a lot of mysterious ways, but I'm pretty sure He doesn't spend a whole lot of time trying to speak to us through sandwiches.
8. Tina: Last week we were too sexy. This week, we're too religious. We just can't win
Brittany: Now I know how Miley feels.
7. Finn: Thank you, grilled cheesus.
6. Brittany: I did a book report on heart attacks, if you want to give it to the doctor. It got knocked down an entire letter grade 'cause it's written in crayon.
5. Finn: Jesus appeared to me on a sandwich.
4. Brittany: I made him a card that says, "heart attacks are just from moving too much."
3. Rachel: Let's discuss your newfound love for Jesus, and how it's affecting me.
2. Sue: This country isn't a monarchy, William. Trust me, I've tried.
1. Jean: God never makes mistakes. That's what I believe.

The back room project

So, i had this entire blog all but finished, and I hit some mysterious button and it deleted everything. I'm not going to put forth the effort to rewrite everything i already wrote once. So, i'm just giong to say this. I have a spare bedroom that for years has looked like a UPS truck threw up in it. I finally got tired of tripping over everything when I wanted to get back and work on my computer. So, i decided to clean it up. The following shots are some before and after pictures. And, because I'm not much of an organizer, I'm pretty proud at what I accomplished. Proud enough to embarrass myself by admitting it was this bad to begin with.

Before:

After: