Random Tuesdayness - Music, Bad News and Pud Von Schmidt

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday... How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I have no idea where that came from but let's go with it. Especially since I haven't done a RTT post in a while. It's funny, because I've always got ideas floating around in my head for blogging, but then when I sit down to write, it all escapes me... and really pisses me off!

I've gotten quite a bit of bad news over the last day or so, and I'm totally over it! Apparently, my uncle who has been in and out of the hospital for the last few months isn't doing so well. I also found out that a close family friend is having surgery this week because of complications from lung cancer. A very close friend (I'm not mentioning names because I know she doesn't want to talk about it) is putting her dog down today. I hope that's the end of the bad news. I don't know if I can take much more.

Found this artist via my friend/massage therapist, Amanda. Give it a listen... it's a fan video of the song Howl, by Florence and the Machine to clips from the first two seasons of True Blood. I think I'm in love! The video is about 3 minutes long, so give it a listen and a looky loo!

The Mistress, Auri that is, and I (and Trent, too, I think) are going to the Muse concert on Monday night. I had to postpone my next Alabama trip for it, so it better be good! Oh, who am I kidding? It will be fabulous... Silversun Pickups are opening and I'm excited! Plus, even if it sucked, any reason to postpone a trip is welcome!
In other news, Joss Stone was on Leno Monday night and she was wonderful! If you didn't see it, I'm sure it'll be up online sometime soon. I tried finding it for you, but apparently didn't look hard enough. Anyway, she's touring sometime soon and if she doesn't come to SLC, or somewhere close by, I will cry... a lot.

I just realized I start a lot of paragraphs with, "In other news..."

Bryson VomDorp fucking hates acronyms. He wanted me to share that with y'all. He's my bro's friend. We call him B-Love. Or Pud VonSchmidt, whichever you prefer.

Had to pause for Puppy loves... those kisses are the best! And I think puppies start developing dander, or whatever the hell it is I'm allergic to, around week 8. I'm starting to get hivey from the baby.

I found out this evening that the 8th book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood comes out on April 27th and I. CANNOT. FUCKING. WAIT!!!! This one is going to be about John Matthew and his boys. I will sooo be at Barnes and Noble when it opens that morning! Unless of course, I'm in Alabamer, then I'll have to go to Books-A-Million that evening!

I have a massive cramp in my right lower leg. At first I was thinking it's directly related to my hip issues I've been having. Now I'm starting to freak out and wonder if it's a clot... seeing how I've had clots in the past. I may be making a call to the doctor tomorrow.

Ok, time to make like Andrea, and head. If you don't know what that means, ask Wikiball!

Eclipse comes out in 93 days... can't wait! Oh, and I need to see Remember Me. Have any of you seen it? If so, what did you think?

New Moon Madness

As many of you (absolutely obsessed vampire freaks like me) know, New Moon was released on DVD on March 20th. And if any of you (read: obsessed freaks) are like me, you went to buy the DVD at midnight amidst massive crowds of screaming teenagers and their completely psychotic mothers (and various other women who were waaay too old to be dressed up and have their faces painted).

If you didn't, good on ya. Odum, Noelle, Mimi and I decided to go to Wal-Mart for the midnight release party. Jessica and Auri were going to join us, but Auri had to work and Jess didn't make it. If you remember from last year, our attendance at the midnight release party for Twilight was a bust, so I wanted to make the best of it this time around. More bang for our bucks!

I had heard there were going to be 3 of the cast members present at one of the Wal-Marts here, so I thought we should go big or go home. Once we got out there, we realized what a mistake that was. The parking lot was more crowded than it usually is at 5 AM the day after Thanksgiving!We figured we'd brave it and head in... Not the best idea any of us have ever had! We ended up walking all the way around the store, and then back, because we sure as hell were not waiting in those lines, and they would only allow people to enter and exit through one door. These women were effing crazy!!!

Needless to say, we booked it back out of the store and got the hell out of Riverton. We did, however, decide to go to another Wal-Mart so Odum could get his copy of the movie. See the problem was I wanted the one from Target because it came with 3 CDs like the Twilight movie did. Target is stupid and didn't stay open late for the midnight release, so we had to settle for Wally World to get our kicks. Plus, that's the version Odum wanted.

Mimi and I saw this as we were wandering through the aisles... WTF are Thirst Pockets... on toilet paper? The visual makes me barf a little in my mouth.

Oncewe arrived at the new, much less crowded WM, we found some character cut-outs that we HAD to pose with. Well, I didn't, but the other three did! The best part was when Noelle headed over to pose with Mimi and Jacob, and on the way she knocked Bella over. And subsequently said, "Take that, Bitch!" You should have been there.

I'd like to share the picture of Noelle and Mimi with Jacob, but seeing that it's highly inappropriate, I'm not going to post it on here. You can email me and I'll send it to you though! Instead, I share Noelle and her favorite dinosaur, Steve. He lives at the Sinclair on the corner by my house and she's been dying to go visit him since I moved in. That night on our way home, she got her wish.

Thanks guys for another memorable Twilighty evening. I can't wait until Eclit, oops, I mean Eclipse comes out!

The Kitty On Her Titty and The Rest of Their Ink

***The pics here are not my grandparents' tattoos... but I will get you some***

For my Grandpa's 70th birthday he decided he wanted to get his bluebirds from the war redone. He had one on each of his shoulders and were looking sickly. They had faded pretty badly and just looked like blue lumps, so they went over to Southern Thunder Tattoo and talked with Bones. Bones ended up redoing his tattoos and adding color, and they turned out looking great!

Queue in Grandma's 70th birthday a few months later. She had been talking about getting a tattoo for a while but none of us really thought she'd follow through on it. So for her birthday, Grandpa bought her a gift certificate to get a tattoo and she marched on down to the shop, sat down in Bones' chair and let him go to work. The result? She has a kitty on her titty. I'm serious.

During the same visit to the Tattoo parlor, Grandpa got another one... it's a couple of dolphins jumping out of the water, and located on his upper thigh.

Fast forward to their 73rd birthdays and the both of them went in for more ink. They said they were going to wait 'til 75, but weren't sure they'd make it that far, so they moved it up a few years. Grandma got a new tattoo of a Koi Fish on the back of her right shoulder. Grandpa's new one is of a topless red-headed mermaid on the top of his other thigh.

I don't have pictures... I'll work on that!

After my grandma's first tattoo we had a family party at my parents' house for her birthday. She walked in the door, did this thing she does where she whips her boob out of her blouse and showed the tattoo to my dad. My dad took off so damn fast out the back door, I thought he was gonna eat shit. As he was running and covering his eyes, he said, "I don't even know that woman!" We haven't stopped laughing 12 years later!

So, if you ever get the chance to meet my grandparents and you're interested in ink, ask them to show you theirs. Just be forewarned, you WILL see my Grandma's boob. Just ask my friends, they've all seen it!

P.S. She says the cat's eyes look like MY mom's!

Puppy Love

Remember about a month or two ago when I told you my brother was planning on getting a dog? Well, we now have a new addition to our family. Meet NeNe (pronounced Nay-Nay)... she'd a full-bred Pitbull. Isn't she cuuute?!
She's blue, and has the most beautiful little blue eyes. She's so damn cute and snuggly. She's in the gnawing-puppy stage right now, so we're being very diligent with her. Zak says he's not going to let her become a wuss like Fergie! I say Whatever!

Zak said she looked like the Messiah in this pic... just thought I'd share. So, if you wanna come over and visit, give me a call!

What Have You Done Lately?

I saw this over on Ali's blog and thought I'd play along...

Here are the rules:

~Copy the list

~Bold the ones you've done with explanations if needed

~Share with friends!

I have:
1. Started my own blog

2. Slept under the stars - does in a tent count?

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disney World

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitchhiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - I've been close...

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - does it count if I was in a plane?

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Got a tattoo

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a lawsuit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

What about the rest of y'all?

The Hair Puller-Outer

I have a hair puller-outer. At least that's what I call it. The rest of the world, I think, calls it an epilator. I think hair puller-outer more effectively portrays what it does and how it works.

"An epilator", according to Wikipedia, "is an electrical device used to remove hair by mechanically grasping mulitple hairs simultaneously and pulling them out. The way in which epilators pull out hair is similar to waxing, although unlike waxing, they do not remove cells from the epithelium of the epidermis."

In other words, it is a little device similar to an electric shaver, but instead of shaving the hair off at the base of the skin, it rips the hair out of its follicle. And yes, it hurts like a sonofabitch. Personally, I think it hurts less than waxing.

The biggest difference is the wax adheres to all of your skin and is the procedure is over quickly. Using an epilator takes a lot longer, since it is so similar to shaving, but it only pulls out the hairs.

And beleive me, it's hard to voluntarily inflict pain on oneself. The first time I used an epilator, I nearly cried and was pretty sure I'd never use one again. Then I became aware of the benefits and haven't looked back. You really do get used to the pain after you've used it a few times. All my friends think I've become a masochist.

Like waxing, because the hair is removed from the root, your skin remains hairless and smooth for longer than with shaving. In addition, when your hair does start growing back, it comes in a lot finer and grows in pretty sparsely. Since I've been epilating for so long, I have very little hair that grows on my arms and legs any more.

I think I would really like to have laser hair removal done on certain parts of my body, but it's just so damn expensive. I think I'd rather spend that money on decorating the house or traveling!

So, have any of you ever used an epilator? Do you prefer to shave or wax? Or, who has had laser hair removal, and would you recommend it?

I Can't See It

A week or two ago I mentioned that I want to paint my house... the inside, not the outside. I've been to look at paint samples at least three times since I moved into my house, and with Jessica's help, finally decided on two colors... they're kind of a brownish taupe. I was originally thinking of painting the two walls facing each other one color, and the opposite two walls the other color. The problem with that is I have rounded corners and taping them off is going to be a pain in the ass. The other problem is that if I extend the paint into the hallway, there's no logical stopping point which means I'm going to end up painting the hallway, up the stairwell and the hallway on the 2nd floor. So, I guess I'll start with one accent wall and then go from there... I'm sure I'll end up painting the whole damn house by the time I'm done!

In addition to painting the main floor, I've also decided to install a backsplash in the kitchen. Lisa and I went to look at tile a couple of weeks ago and this is what I decided on. It's kind of sparkly and fits perfectly! Lisa is going to help me do it (and I'm sure the rest of the girls will as well) and that way it'll only end up costing me about $300. I'm so excited to get it done!

The last thing I want to do in the kitchen is add handles to the cabinets and drawers. I haven't decided on anything yet, but something like the picture to the left seems to strike my fancy. I'll definitely go with the stainless steel or brushed nickel option, but I'm not sure if I like the linear look or something more curved. What do you guys think?

I ended up finding a really cool abstract painting at Home Goods a few weeks ago and am planning on hanging it in the family room. I'm also planning on buying a neutral colored slip cover for the couch... because it's kinda ugly. Then Jess suggested I find some funky fabric and buy some over-stuffed pillows and she is going to make me some pillow covers. I'm very excited for how it's all going to turn out!

My biggest problem with decorating is making decisions because I can't quite picture what things are going to look like. I guess I'm going to have to trust my designer (Jessica) and go with it. I'll take pics and let you know how it turns out!

Another Date Gone Awry

I went on a date last Friday night. After all was said and done, not sure I'd call it a date. He was fairly boring... pretty much your typical nerd. He needed to cut his fingernails, yes, they were way too long for a dude, and he ordered duck... ewwww!!! When the check came, he asked if I wanted to split it! Then, after we were waiting for the server to bring us back our cards, I asked what he was doing over the weekend. He said he was probably going to spend some time on Match.com so he could get his money's worth, seriously. Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. Next!?

Random Tuesdayness - The One Where I'm Dying

Well, better late than never... even if it's not really random...

I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. Isn't it generally understood that after a course of antibiotics, one should start feeling better? Well, I have one more dose, but who's counting?

Went back to the doctor today after I took my bro to Urgent Care. He tested positive for Influenza A. He said the lady who stuck the swab in his nose touched his soul.

I went to my doc later this afternoon, got swabbed, and tested negative. WTF? If I could breathe, I'd feel a bit better about the whole situation, but since I can't, I'm kinda freaking out. I went to the hospital to have a chest x-ray to make sure nothing funky was going on with my lungs. Since I had a pulmonary embolism in the past, it's better to be safe. Ya know!?

So, sorry for the lack of posting, lack of visits and comments on your blogs, and general lack of excitement from my life. I hope to be back soon with something fabulous.

Thanks for Ruining My Plans

I had plans this weekend. And they've all been cancelled because of this GD Effing cold/sinus infection/bronchitis/whateverthehellitisthatihave. I'm not writing this for sympathy, just wanted to bitch as I'm sitting here on the couch with nothing better to do. The cold symptoms started early last Friday. I was fairly miserable for about three days after which I started feeling a bit better each day. That was, until Thursday afternoon when the shit lodged in my lungs. From Thursday night until this morning I was coughing (and I'm not talking a little cough cough, woe is me, I'm talking cough cough, I sound like a barking dog) pretty uncontrollably. I took some Delsym as it's supposed to be the good stuff for coughs... and I think it just made it worse.

I had to take my parents to the airport at 6AM this morning so Noelle and I decided we should get an early breakfast, since I'd be up. (We went to Friday's up by her house last night and I drove while she left her car at my house. On our way home we decided I'd drop her off at her place and she'd get her car this morning after breakfast.) When I woke up, I felt like total ass. Dizzy, tight chest (and not in the way that made my bubbies look good), wheezing, headache, runny nose, you name it. I dropped the parentals off at the airport, picked up Noelle and apologized profusely for feeling near-death and having to cancel breakfast. We picked up the dog from my parents' house and came home. She got her car and headed home while I got in my bed for some much needed sleep.

I woke up around 1:30 PM and asked Noelle to take me to the urgent care clinic because I wasn't sure I could drive. I took my temperature while I was waiting for her to pick me up and it was up around 100 degrees. I don't think I've had a fever in 15 years. You should have seen me... by the time we got to the clinic the fever was breaking and I was soaking wet. Why I felt the need to wear sweat pants and a sweat shirt is beyond me. I should have taken pictures. (Think sweaty as in the pic to the left... too bad I didn't look that good.)

Apparently I don't have bronchitis or pneumonia which I thought would be the verdict. I might have a slight sinus infection, but not much to indicate such. I just feel like complete and total shit. Thankfully the PA gave me a prescription to combat whatever is going on in my body. I'm praying I start to feel better after the drugs kick in and a good night's sleep.

Anyway, because of feeling like death was coming for me, I had to cancel my breakfast plans, afternoon coffee plans, and the rest of my damn day. I was supposed to go see Mimi in the final night of her play at school and I had to miss that, too. I'm pissed. Especially because this play was her breakout performance. Oh well, as an honorary Auntie, I hope she forgives me.

Well, I hope the rest of you are having a fantabulous weekend and having fun to make up for the fun I'm missing out on. I can't wait to hear all about it!

P.S. The best part of the coughing fits, I was coughing so hard yesterday that I peed my pants. Try not to be jealous.

You Gotta Hear This Band!!!

Y'all know how much I love music, and I've recently found a fabulous new band I want to share with you. Well, I guess I didn't find them per se, but you know what I mean. I first saw them on Letterman (2/17) and when they started playing I wasn't quite sure what I thought about them... by the end of the song I was intrigued. I saw them again about a week later (2/26) on Craig Ferguson and decided I was in love and had to have the album. Of course, my pea brain forgot about it the next day and it took me until today to get it.

Anyway, the band is Mumford and Sons... I thought they were Irish, but apparently they're British. They've got an old school Irish sound in my opinion, but they were listed as "Alternative" at the store. Whatever! You can check out their website if you like.

Just watching them perform mesmerizes me. There are four guys... one on guitar, one on banjo, one on the keyboard and one on the upright bass. The lead singer plays a drum with his foot while he sings and plays guitar. I don't know how performers sing and play one instrument at a time, let alone two. I'd fall over without a doubt!

If I've piqued your interest, check out the video from their Letterman performance below. If not, then I don't know what to tell you!

(Sorry about the captions, but it's the only video I can find that will load!)

I'm a Bit Late Jumping on the Bandwagon

Auri and I went to see Avatar this evening. Yes, I'm a bit late getting around to things. I've heard from multiple people that yes, the graphics and CGI is absolutely amazing, but there was really no storyline. Um, did you pay attention at all to the movie? There was a very prominent storyline that I caught... apparently the rest of y'all fell asleep. Yes, it was loaded with political undertones, but aren't most movies these days? Have you heard of the Hurt Locker or the Green Zone, or Tommy Boy? Ok, maybe not Tommy Boy, but come on guys... it was an amazing movie. It had a fantastic storyline... yes it had a message, yes it was pretty obvious, no it didn't ruin the movie.

If you haven't seen the movie yet, see it while it's still in theaters. I can't imagine it would be anywhere near as fantastic on your TV at home. I also can't see how it would be half as good in 2D... make sure you grab a pair of the funky glasses when you go in! I'm planning on seeing it at least one more time because I know I missed a ton trying to take everything in. Plus, I thought it started at 8:30, but it started at 8:10, so I think we missed about 5 minutes of the beginning.

For those of you who've seen it, what did you think?

On a completely different note, I'd just like to mention that I love Michael Sheen. He's the actor that plays Aro in the Twilight movies. He's completely creeptastic in the movies and hilarious in person. Well, not in person, but when I've seen him on Craig Ferguson. Look up some of his clips, I adore him! He's Welsh and he's fabulous! Try and pull up a clip of him on the Ferguson... you won't be sorry!

Reminiscing and The Education of a 17-Year-Old

On Friday night Noelle, Mimi and I got together for a little crafting. Now, if you've read my blog for a while, you'll know that my crafting comes in spurts, so be prepared to hear about upcoming projects... although, I think most of it will be focused on the house from here on out. Therefore, I guess I should refer to it as home-improvement projects, not crafting... I digress...

Anyway, we had a fabulous time making flower hair clips for ourselves, our friends and family... if you're nice, you might expect one or two in the mail! Don't those two look like they have old fashioned swim caps on?

I'm not quite sure how we got on the subject, but we started talking about old school Janet Jackson... you might remember her from her album Janet, which was the one we reminisced the most about. To our astonishment, Mimi confessed she doesn't really know that much about Miss Jackson... so naturally, we pulled up our favorite videos on youtube and gave her a mini education. We watched videos for "That's The Way Love Goes," "If," "Love Will Never Do Without You," and this one.... one of my favorite performances ever!

This was from the 1993 MTV VMAs - I can't tell you how many hours I spent in front of the TV trying to learn the choreography from that performance. Loved it! (Hey, I was 14, don't judge.)

After the Janet-a-thon, we watched Bell Biv Devoe's video for "Poison." If you don't recall it's awesomeness, Google it. It'll bring the memories a-floodin' back. That girl is poi-ee-zunnnn!

A few of you may recall a group from the early '90s by the name of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch... we made Mimi watch part of the "Good Vibrations" video as well. Don't try and tell me you didn't think it was hot... the video, or Marky Mark. I looked for a picture of him from back-in-the-day, but I couldn't pass up the one on the left. The man is effing sexy.

Last, but certainly not least, we exposed Mimi to a little bit of the Rico Suave... aka Gerardo. You know you loved this song when it was popular. Stop lying to me and yourself. (I kept the picture small so as not to cause any of you a migraine.) Don't tell me that you're not looking up the video on YouTube right now... It's ok, I'll wait...

Needless to say, Mimi was quite impressed with Janet, not so much with Gerardo. We didn't say he was good, just entertaining!

Famous quotes from the evening:
"Is this a sport?" - Mimi, upon walking into my house and seeing the curling competition on TV.
"That's a pretty big dinosaur..." - Mimi, in regards to the dinosaur at the Sinclair station that her Aunt Nellie wants to ride.