Tag - I Really Love Being Named On Favorite Celebrity Lists

I was tagged by Harlene, who listed me as one of her favorite celebrities, so how could I resist? Here are 7 things about me, or something like that:

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex-

1. taller than me

2. makes up super absurd lyrics and sings them badly in place of real lyrics

3. smells like freshly cut grass and gasoline

4. wears the same thing everyday

5. has the kind of humor only I understand

6. doesn't give me grief when I spend money

7. takes me out to dinner and a concert, and then a walk to find dessert (or another dinner) in a small out of the way cafe where a jazz band is playing, and then back to the hotel...

7 favorite foods-

1. El Pollo Loco #2, with salad & cilantro dressing and pinto beans

2. Steak

3. Pizza

4. Delicious salads

5. Keva Kolada from Keva Juice

6. Chicken Scaloppine

7. Strawberries & cream - the real thing

7 things I can't do-

1. keep the house picked up

2. keep the house picked up

3. keep the house picked up

4. keep the house picked up

5. keep the house picked up

6. keep the house picked up

7. stop blogging

7 things I can do-

1. find a long lost relative with a misspelled and or poorly handwritten name on ANY census record (if he/she is on it). ANY I tell you - I'm that good. I'm a name whisperer (oh, except for Joseph Schindler, who immigrated from Russia and settled in St. Paul, Minnesota - I can't find him, but that's probably because the 1890 US Census went up in smoke - a genuine tragedy). Okay, that was kind of hyperbolic, but I am pretty good at it. It's one of the few things I can truly brag about, but I rarely get the chance - plus I'm too modest to boast ;-)

2. Body surf - no longer a pretty sight, but you don't have to look.

3. name that tune

4. remember what song was on the radio when [insert event, time and place], and what I was wearing when [insert event, time and place]. But don't expect me to remember anything I go to the store for.

5. read anywhere - in the front seat, in the back seat, while stopped at a light or a stop sign (in the driver's seat), with noisy kids, with quiet kids, with music or the television on, with music or the television off, in the theater before a movie begins or in a restaurant, and in a box and with a fox.

6. speak German. I use the word 'speak' here loosely though, because I'm very out of practice, and whenever I get the chance to speak it, I get all über-verklemft and then say very little. BUT, I can still read and understand it pretty well, so as to make people who don't know any German, think I'm super smart and fluent. But now that Laura, one of my mission companions, who happened to be the best German speaking missionary, excepting those missionaries from German speaking countries, is a sometime reader here, I won't be trying to impress. I will surely screw up all my reflective pronouns and adjective endings - and everything else too :) Schöne Grüße aus Reno Laura!

7. waste time like nobody's business!

7 celebrities I admire ('admire' being a relative term in this case) - these are a few who popped into my head. I admire low-key celebrities who mostly stay out of the tabloids. But then I always forget who they are, because they're not always in the tabloids. But here are a few

1. Jack Johnson, seems like a nice family guy

2. Andy McDowell, I've always liked her a lot, although I really don't know anything about her, which may be why I like her a lot

3. Van Morrison, it's his way or the highway. He only does what he wants to and doesn't care about grinding out the hits, or having work done - which is obvious. Mostly, he's a grouchy old man, but I can't help but admire his snubbing of all things he doesn't like.

4. Jennifer Garner - down to earth

5. India.Arie - love her down to earth vibe and positiveness. Her live show was a spiritual experience

6. Keith Urban - yes, I know he used to hit the crack pipe on a regular basis, but he seems to have overcome it for the moment- hopefully forever. But when we saw him at the Arco Arena and he stayed out on the catwalk signing autographs and shaking hands with fans after all the houselights were on, all the other musicians had left the stage and the roadies were cleaning up, my already won over heart was won over even a little bit more - and I was already completely smitten like never before!!!

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It's very late, and I don't have much to say about Dancing With The Stars - well I do actually, I just don't feel like saying it. Tonight I just wanted to write about me. ME, ME, ME, Me ;-) But I was very excited that they played one of my favorite songs, although not very well, and it was Kim Kardashian's choice, but that's beside the point. It gives me the chance to post it for all to enjoy, because I know you'll want to hear the real version since I said it's one of my favorite songs. And what are blogs anyway, if not somewhat self-indulgent? :)

Sleeping Beauty

On the way to Eva's soccer game today, I glanced back at the girls and noticed Eva had her eyes closed. I said, "oh honey, it looks like you're tired." She instantly perked up and assured me she wasn't.

Literally, less than a minute later...

...and another thirty seconds after that.

Her power nap must have been just what she needed though, because she played an excellent game, and we killed the competition!!! She has an amazing assistant coach, by the way, who really wishes her heel was feeling better so she could play during practice and score a lot of goals against a bunch of eight year olds. In the most extremely pathetic way possible, it's like reliving her glory days.

Matryoshka Fixation

I ♥ Russian nesting dolls, a.k.a Matryoshka dolls. Who does not love them? And what little girl would not want one? It's getting close to Christmas, so a couple days ago I decided to look for another one on e-bay for Sophie (she doesn't know it yet, but she's started a collection). Sophie ♥ ² (that's loves squared, which is A LOT) Russian nesting dolls, and she can play with them for hours!!!

This is an arrangement of toys Sophie left out a couple nights ago. I really liked this one (she does a lot of animal/doll arrangements), because it looks like the animals have come to worship at the feet of the Matryoshka.

In these photos, Sophie lovingly adorns her dolls and animals with the costume jewelery of those who have passed - Aunt Eileen's and Grandma Ruth's. I think this would make them happy.

But back to e-bay and Christmas shopping. E-bay has hundreds of nesting dolls to choose from and I love so many of them, it's difficult to decide on one. Not only that, but when I look at them, I want to become a collector myself, and I completely forget I'm shopping for Sophie. I'm not a 'collector' of anything really, but I could get into collecting nesting dolls. Since the fall of the USSR, I've wanted one that features Soviet dictators. The demise of communism in eastern Europe made me very happy, but mostly I want one because of Mikhail Gorbachev's birth mark.

I just want it!

This Lenin with Stalin wouldn't be bad either.

But then I saw this one

and I was smitten.

A Che Guevara nesting doll would be just the thing to tie the family room together.

Geez, what's wrong with me? Why do I want to collect dolls of the world's worst dictators? It's inexplicable really. But I would draw the line at Hitler, because that would be extremely poor taste, whereas having the others would just be regular poor taste. I think. Maybe I need help. Let me know.

Checking out all the dolls on e-bay made me want to become an obsessed fan of groups like KISS, Nirvana, Queen, U2, and Guns N Roses, just so I would have a reason to buy their dolls.

And then I realized the doll that's missing. The doll I really want to start my collection with - even before Che...

The Sarah Palin doll! I've come up empty handed in all searches. This is the closest thing, and their only using her name.

So get busy with it doll makers!!!!! I want Sarah sitting next to my Che Guevara in the family room. That would really throw visitors for a loop - not that we have visitors. But maybe I'll start inviting.

Here's my resquest. Sarah as the largest doll, of course, with her classic LensCrafter look. It should also have scenes from her life such as, Sarah hunting, a pipeline, a half completed bridge going nowhere, Sarah running track, and a beauty pageant scene. Next would be the First Dude, Todd. He's pretty handsome, I have to say. He needs to be looking hunky on a snowmobile, and a scene at home being a stay-at-home dad. Whose the oldest boy? Track? He needs to be in his military uniform. Bristol should be pregnant, of course. Don't know much about Willow - have to think about that one. Piper needs to be licking her hand, and Trig needs to be receiving the licked hand. And last but not least, the last doll should be a teensy weensy tiny little John McCain.

So get crackin' on it Matryoshka doll makers. I'll pay good money!!!!

Now back to shopping for Sophie...

How To Spam Your Own Blog...Week 1, Part 3 - Dancing With The Stars

You're in my sights Kim Kardashian...

The Jonas Brothers couldn't do anything better than the some cheapy rope lights? And hastily thrown down at that? PUUUHLEASE!

Week 1, Part 2 - Dancing With The Stars

• Lance Bass - Something about doing the Quickstep to a Cure song is just wrong. I can take him or leave him, but I think he'll stay a while. Oooh, his partner Lacie's top wasn't very flattering.
• Misty May Traenor - Loved it!!! And Maksim is H-O-T hot!
  I have to take a minute to mention something I saw during the Olympics though. Did anyone see the story about how her mother died, and she took some of her mother's ashes to spread at a competition? I lifted this blurb about the ash episode from a website I don't remember the name of, and I don't feel like going back to look:
  The star beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor’s mother passed away in 2002 after a battle with cancer. While going through chemo, she was lucky enough to cheer Misty on as she finished fifth at the 2000 games in Sydney. Sadly, she didn’t live long enough to see her daughter’s stellar gold metal victories in both the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing summer Olympics. But she’s there in spirit and then some! After her two gold medal winning matches, Misty May-Treanor has grabbed a small vial of her mother’s ashes and sprinkled them across the sand of the beach volleyball court, her way of sharing the victory with her mom. Not a bad way to spend the hereafter, basking in the glory of your daughter’s gold metal victories.
  Okay, that's kind of weird and everything, but the weirdest thing of all, was that she had her mother's ashes in a brown prescription pill bottle. I thought she could have at least put the ashes is something classy, and more befitting the occasion. Just thought you'd like to know.
• Maurice Green - Looks great in gold! Loved it. His partner kind of looks like Paige from Trading Spaces.
• Brooke ? - She was great. Is she nursing, because I could swear when they were being judged, her right side was significantly smaller than her left. Go back and look if you tivo'd it.
• Frau Blucher - Go Frau Blucher! Did you read her lips when Carrie Ann gave her score?
• Toni Braxton - Maybe she should go soon, because I don't want to see her die on the dance floor. How long do you think it will take her to get those eyes off?
• Warren Sapp - There's just something wonderful about seeing a 300 plus pound defensive tackle left breathless after the Quickstep.
At this point, I don't care much about the people left, but I will press forward.
• Ted - Definitely ALL white boy! Nuff said.
• Cody Linley - He's in love. It's amazing he was able to concentrate long enough to learn the dances. Thought they were very good.
• Susan Lucci - They were good, but I'd really like her to go into Erica Kane mode and slap somebody.
• Rocco - Love his name. How can you not love the name Rocco? Too bad about Madonna using it though. He's slightly less ALL white boy than Ted. I didn't think he moved his hips as much as they said he did, but he's mighty fine, so he can stay a while.
• Kim Kardashian - I'm not feelin' her. Maybe because she's the famous for being famous type. Why is she even on this show? She must go next!
Which brings me to the elimination. Yay! The viewers got it right! Jeffrey Ross was gracious in defeat though. Ciao Jeffrey. May Kim Kardashian join you soon...
• I hope you people appreciate my bullet points. I did it all for you.

Is one of you willing to do recap duties next week on your blog? Please don't feel you need to live up to my like totally amazing commentary.

Week 1, Part 1 - Dancing With The Stars

Is anybody else watching this? Here are my thoughts, because I know you're just dying to read them.

Cloris Leachman was a rock star! I voted about 20 times for her. How the heck did she get her leg up on the judges table like that? She'd better get the same treatment Marie Osmond did, and stay on longer than she should!!! The not very funny comedian should definitely go home first. I don't care how he dances tomorrow.

Warren Sapp danced to one of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs 'Do I Do' which was fun, and Maurice Green danced to 'Are You My Woman' by The Chi-Lites, which is the song Beyonce ripped off for 'Crazy In Love'. You can depend on me to bring you the best in useless information/music trivia (I have a particular love and passion for finding out who ripped off whose music). I didn't figure that one out on my own though - a friend clued me in a while back. And so I pass it along to you now, because I knew you'd want to know :)

Kind of a pathetic recap, huh? None of the other dancers really mattered to me much at this point. It was all kind of of the same stuff. But Susan Lucie sure has had some good 'work' done.

Mountain Pose Mastery

As part of my reverse pregnancy plan (see sidebar baby widget explanation), I've started to exercise, but at home, because I have to get into a little bit better shape before I go back to the gym (it's the same concept as cleaning the house before the housekeeper comes (not that I have a housekeeper, but if I did, I would clean the toilets before he/she came)).

But, since I'm suffering at the moment from plantar fasciitis, I have to take it easy on the foot pounding, so I did yoga today at home with Rodney Yee. I'm so proud and happy to report that, incredibly, I've already mastered the mountain pose, as seen below. Can you believe it?

It's kind of surprising, but I can actually hold this position a super long time and still breathe properly.

Deflation

Matt mentioned to me this evening that he was surprised I didn't know that Stevie Wonder wasn't singing the first two lines of 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life' (see previous post). He said it's always been obvious to him that it wasn't his voice. What?! You mean I've been listening to this song nearly my entire life, and this detail escaped my notice, but Matt has always been clued into it? This from a person who thought The Police were singing:

Oh, can't you see

You belong to me

I'm a pool hall ace

(it really says, How my poor heart aches)

With every breath you take

Every move you make

Every vow you break

Every smile you fake

Every claim you stake

I'll be watching you

I'm not making that up.

He also thought the Dire Straits song 'Sultans of Swing' was actually called 'Sultans of Suede'. He was so convinced of this fact, that after driving for a couple of hours on our way home from being out of town, we had to pull into the nearest record store as we came into Reno (this was before the prevalence of cell phones), to settle a bet we'd made on it. Aaaah, the glory that was mine!

So now I'm feeling completely deflated that Matt already knew that wasn't Stevie Wonder. If he, of all people, knew it, then who else did? Every. One. But. Me?

Useless Information

I go through musical phases. Lots of them. Some phases last longer and are more intense than others, which is the case right now. I nearly drive my kids to drink with my favorite music, only they're not old enough, and they'd be in huge trouble. This latest phase has been all about Stevie Wonder. I've known his music since childhood, and have several of his albums, but recently I've been delving deeper. I've always thought it was weird that on 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life', the female singer only sings two lines at the beginning, and that's it. Does that even qualify as a duet? She sings her two lines right after Stevie opens the song with

You are the sunshine of my life

That's why I'll always be around

and then she sings

You are the apple of my eye,

Forever you'll stay in my heart

And then Stevie sings the rest of the song.

Only, it occurred to me recently that the very first two lines don't actually sound like Stevie Wonder. I mean, it does sound like him, but something about the first part was just weird to me, so I decided to investigate. When I investigate something as important as who is singing the first two lines of 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life', I go to Wikipedia first, as I always do when I want the most accurate and reliable information ;-)

Tangent alert

You know, I just can't get enough of Wikipedia. I love it all - the good info, the bad info, the vandalism, and all the surprising random tidbits I never expect to stumble upon. One of the most fun things I've ever seen happen on Wikipedia was when Ella looked up Michael Phelps during the Olympics, and his profile had been vandalized. It had been taken over by the 'Zodiac Killer', with a menacing message to the world, complete with the Zodiac Killer's symbol. Michael Phelps' profile was frozen and none of the links worked. The Zodiac's message was somehow placed over the page, but you could still see some of the Wikipedia content in the background. Then, when we refreshed the page, wah lah - just like magic, it had been fixed. I also like finding info I know to be wrong, because it makes me feel super smart. I also like to see how many clicks it will take me to get from one subject to another completely unrelated subject, and I try to do it in the fewest clicks possible. For instance, on their homepage, they have a randomly chosen featured article everyday. I choose any subject in the world that pops into my head, like 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life', and I see how many clicks it will take me to get from the randomly chosen feature article, to my subject of choice. You have to choose your links wisely to be successful.

I just made it from Anekantavada to You Are The Sunshine Of My Life in ten clicks. I think I could have done it better, but I thought for sure the Jehovah's Witness page would have a list of famous members that would include Michael Jackson, but it didn't. Getting to Stevie Wonder would have been easy that way. Oh dear, I'm really living up to my profile description, ain't I?

But back to the matter at hand, which you may or may not remember at this point, is who sang the first two lines of YATSOML. Wikipedia reveals, that indeed, Stevie Wonder did not sing these lines. It was his back up singer, James Gilstrap. Do you have any idea what a genius I feel like? It doesn't take much, I know. This is exactly the kind of useless information I love knowing. Now I'll be waiting the rest of my life for this to be a trivia question. It can't be when I'm alone watching Jeopardy though. It has to be when other people are around, maybe with some friends playing games. I need witnesses when the question "who sang the opening lyric on the classic Stevie Wonder cut 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life'?" is read aloud, and I answer, without hesitating, "James Gilstrap of course. I can't believe no one here knows that." Aaaah, the glory that will be mine! I can taste it already!!!

There are two versions of YATSOML, btw. The singles version for radio play has horns, but the album version doesn't (thank you Wikipedia).

Friend

Now that my friend Trisha has her own blog, I feel like blogging about her. Although, I just remembered I'm still mad at her for moving away. This happens all the time when I think of her. I remember I'm still mad. They moved to FREAKIN' Utah over a year ago, but I'm still not over it. She used to constantly borrow things from me. It would go something like this:

Trisha on the phone "I can't believe I forgot to get a packet of au jus sauce mix at the store last night."

Me "I think I have one, let me go look. Yeah, I have a couple."

Trisha "Oh my gosh, you're so awesome! Who else would have extra packets of au jus sauce lying around? I'll send one of the kids right over."

See, I miss that. No one has borrowed anything from me in ages now, not even Karen W (I wish Karen would though, because she always sends over some of the cookies she made using our ingredient). Who is here to make me feel like I'm a totally with it person for having much needed au jus sauce on a Sunday afternoon? Or flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, onions, bread, tomatoes, etc.? No one.

The park is finally finished, and when we walk ten feet down the street on our way there, and pass their culdesac, there is no one out in the street to wave to. No one to shout out to "hey, come to the park with us." When I drive home past their street, sometimes I still glance over at their house out of habit, to see if anyone is out front to say hi to. But no, the house sits empty and lifeless.

Friday evening, I went to her cousin Jenny's baby shower and her mother and sisters were there, looking and sounding just like her. That really ticked me off ;-)

When I do my grocery shopping late every Saturday night, she's not here to come along, so we can't call each other on our cell phones while we're shopping to see if we're going to finish at the same time.

She's not here to go out on a spur of the moment dessert run to Mimi's Cafe.

She wasn't here to go to the lake with us - not even once! Why am I even writing about her? Clearly she's undeserving!!!! I'll have to rethink dedicating an entire blog post to her...

...alright, I'll go ahead with it on condition that she she only tag ME every time she does a tag, even though I probably won't actually do the tag. And that she make me the only person on her blog roll, and that she agree with everything I ever say on this blog :)

Come back Trisha! I know of just the perfect house for you to move in to.

The End of an Era - 80 Nightowl Drive, Part 3, The Kitchen Island

We'll miss all the action in the kitchen, especially the birthday cake scenes around the center island. The singing was always out of tune, out of time, and with lots of cha cha chas. Then there was a mad rush by the kids to lick as many candles as possible.

2001

2001

2005

Lighting

Singing/making a wish

Blowing

Grabbing

Licking

2008

2008

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Dancing With The Stars

I just saw that Cloris Leachman is going to be on Dancing With The Stars! I will be watching!!! She's a classic. But at the age of 82, I just hope she doesn't beak a hip :( I'll be crossing my fingers for her.

Go Frau Blucher

Another reason I'm excited about Sarah Palin

This quote from the Las Vegas Review Journal:

"And Palin passed one test that many out-of-state politicians have failed: correctly pronouncing Nevada."

Hear the correct pronunciation here, and don't let me ever hear you (to whom it may concern) say it the wrong way again!!!

And check out the Elsmore's blog here for an incredible photo!

Part 3 of The End of an Era coming soon...

The End of an Era - 80 Nightowl Drive, Part 2, Easter

We'll miss surprise visits from the Easter Bunny, and Easter egg hunts in the backyard and garden area.

Eva as the Easter Bunny

2005

Sophie's turn

2005

Jordan as the Easter Bunny

2002

The Easter Bunny making a quick getaway before being seen

2002

Sophie

2003

Eva and Ella

2002

Jordan

2002

Ella and Jordan

2003

Jorge, RJ, Jordan, Ella, Eva, Sophie

2003

The End Of An Era - 80 Nightowl Drive, Part 1, Out Back

Marv and Joanie (my in-laws) are officially moving out of 80 Nightowl Drive this weekend. It marks the end of an era for the Hamrick family. They moved out to Mogul when Matt was twelve, and the house has been the center of Hamrick family activities and get togethers ever since. It's a place of many happy memories, and some sad as well. But we'll only talk about the good times here, as we take a little trip down memory lane. These are some things we did out back that we'll miss.

Matt, 1993

After a huge storm, the guys built a couple of ski jumps

That's my guy

There were lots of pretty bad basketball games...

...and kids eating ice cream while bad basketball was being played

It was always entertaining and fun to watch!

Part 2 coming soon...

Achievements

We were aiming high here last week in the Hamrick household, and had some amazing results.

1. Ella decided to do cross country this year, which surprised us. She doesn't like running, even though she did track last year. She tried to just get away with doing the long jump, but ended up in a relay race at one of the meets when another girl couldn't run, and then ran the relay the rest of the season. But after not running all summer, they started cross country last week with a 3 mile run! She was exhausted. She's kept a good attitude though, and woke up today and noted that she wasn't sore anymore.

2. Eva hit the Pepsi sign at Grand Sierra Aqua Range. She was even trying to! She did not win a Pepsi however, because her ball did not stay in the bucket - what a rip off! She did get ice cream with Matt afterwards though. So the next generation of Hamrick golfers will include a girl who will undoubtedly make way too much noise while others are teeing off :)

3. As many of you know, Sophie struggles in school. She is 'learning disabled', and has never successfully completed even a simple spelling test. She tries her hardest in school and never complains in class, but when she gets home, she wants to unwind and not fry her brain anymore. So last Tuesday, when Matt asked for her homework, she cried. This happens a lot, and it's truly heart wrenching, because she's just tired of being wrong all the time, not understanding, and knowing her peers don't struggle as she does. Matt was going to work on her spelling with her and decided to use a different approach. This time he set her up on the computer to practice her words on Microsoft Word. Something about this was inspiring to her, and she took right to it. She did it all week long, and several times a day on her own, without our usual prodding. One time I noticed she was typing each word in a different color. Somehow, she was able to internalize her spelling words like never before. She'd never been so excited about her homework, and she even did her other work with more enthusiasm.

So, drum roll please...

Sophie's first ever completed spelling test was 100% correct!!!!!!!!! (she usually doesn't reverse her 'a')

We are so proud!

The Balloon Races with Eva and Sophie - party poopers Matt and Ella thought sleeping in would be more fun

The Bunny failed to inspire them as I snapped my 10,000th picture!

Dear Sarah Palin,

Please never go on Oprah's show (click here to see why). I will vow eternal devotion to you if you never give her royal O'ness the satisfaction. Don't do it when the backlash sets in, and she regrets her blatant royal snub. Don't do it after you've won the election and become the first female VP in history, and she keeps calling and texting you day after day. Don't do it if you ever become the first female president. And definitely, never get caught with an 'O' on your copy of Anna Karenina or East Of Eden. Hopefully, you read them before her O'ness chose them as her book group selection, so people won't think you're reading them because Oprah said you should.

Thanks, Rachel

Mission Accomplished

My mission to return hot merchandise using option two was easily and expertly executed! Either I'm really good, or Petco gives a lot of five finger discounts. But I think the latter is the case, so head on down there if you've been low on funds and need some pet supplies, or even a pet. You could probably grab a leash on aisle 3, meander your way over to the puppies, hook up your puppy of choice to your new leash, and walk right out. I can't imagine anyone would stop you. If your dog starts making yellow spots all over your lawn though, I don't think we can help out too much. There's really not much you can do about that problem. But I did see some crazy lady's post about her solution to the dead spots on her lawn here.

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Palin for Prez

Gloria Steinem wrote today that "Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton". YAY, that's excellent news, and a fantastically wonderful unintended compliment Gloria!!!! I'm not a John McCain fan, and I initially had a negative reaction to his VP pick, but have since changed my mind, BIG TIME. Plus, her youngest daughter knows how to get the job done too.