Pocket Aces

This looks awesome.

I had no idea I would be this excited about the Spike Jonze adaptation of "Where The Wild Things Are". Truthfully, when I heard about it, I was not pleased that anybody would attempt this. But WOW, y'all.

I'm not certain the embedding will work - it's been wonky in a few places I've seen it. If it doesn't work, go here.

What the 'L'?

Wow. What a terrible title. And you know what? I'm not gonna apologize for it. Live with it.

So it's a meme-y time of year, it seems, and they just go 'round and 'round. I like them, particularly for the kind of day/week/month when I don't have anything topical to ramble about. This one is about listing 10 things you love that start with a particular letter. I grabbed it over at Jambalaya, and the lovely wordnerd assigned me the letter 'L'.

I gotta say, 'L' was hard. I had to get Marc to help me out. I should have had 'B'. 'B' would have been a no-brainer. Here we go, in no particular order:

1. Lilacs. Not my favorite flower, visually - that honor goes to the short-lived peony - but hands down the best smelling.

2. LOST. Oh, come on. Too easy.

3. Licorice. Specifically, red. Specifically, Twizzlers.

4. Lipstick. Clinique, Raspberry Glace. I've worn the same color since high school. I'd think that was a little sad, maybe, except that I can't seem to find another color I've liked as consistently.

5. Louisville and Lafayette, CO. I wasn't born there, and I've lived other places since, but this is my hometown. They are two distinct little towns, with rivalries and everything, but really it's all one place. A certain someone I know who uses a lot of exclamation points will likely jump in the comments to list the differences between them like I don't know them, but I will just say that with time and distance, in my mind they are one now. It's where I grew up.

6. Libraries. What's not to love about a library? Stacks and stacks and STACKS of books. In college, I loved those little study carrels. Like a little private world with your books. Trouble was, then, I wasn't always reading for pleasure. I think I need a study carrel now.

7. Lennon, John. Looking purely at the Beatles years, I'm a Paul girl. But John's solo career, despite (or maybe because of) being tragically shortened, certainly packed more punch.

8. Liquor. Yes, there, I said it. I like this, and this, and sometimes even this. And just to show that I'm an equal opportunity boozer, I drink more than my share of wine and beer too.

9. Literature. Well, duh.

10. LISTS! Of stuff I love! Top 10 lists! Top 100 Songs of Any Year lists! Top 10 list of all the lists I've ever made! Bring 'em on!

For posterity's sake, here are some 'L' items I considered, and discarded: lollipops, limbo, lampshades, Louisiana, love, little things, lemonade, Little Debbie Nutty Bars, laughing, linens, and life. Not that I don't love those things, of course. Life is great and all, just - zzzzz.

Also, Marc lobbied hard for lesbians. When I resisted, because, you know, it's not that I don't love lesbians, it's that I don't LOVE lesbians, he tried to appeal to the wordsmith in me by going for the double word score with lipstick lesbians. I was so tickled, I almost gave it to him. Almost. Besides, I told him, I already talked about lipstick.

Wanna play? Consider yourself tagged. Ask me in the comments, and I'll give you a letter.

My dungarees make them hungary.

Why I'm not watching "Flight of the Conchords" is beyond me. This is not new stuff. I've seen "Business Time", I've seen "HipHopopotamus & Rhymenoceros", ('cause my Nana's tea party don't stop!). And now I've seen "Sugalumps":

Wait, I know why I'm not watching it. We don't get HBO. But we do get Netflix! Marc, put Season 1 at the top of the queue. Or no business time for you.

Don't bother me tonight.

Yeaaahhhhh, baby.

Where you get to see how hopelessly mainstream I really am.

A week or so late, maybe, but I love being late to a party. Here, in a vague sort of order, are my favorite songs from 2008. Also, I could only come up with 9. Wow, I kinda suck at this. 

9. The Ting-Tings, "Shut Up and Let Me Go". I like this one despite the unfortunate use in an iPod ad.

8. Flo Rida, "Low". I know. Boots with the fur? Kills me. Love it.

7. Finger Eleven, "Paralyzer"

6. O.A.R., "Shattered". This was an end of the year addition for me. Now, it's a shower favorite.

5. Estelle/Kanye West, "American Boy". I think Kanye West is a total douche. But he happens to be a talented douche.

6. T-Pain, "Church". "Some bitches think they're hard, so why they think I'm not?" This one is always a mood lifter.

5. Matt Nathanson, "Come On Get Higher". Just yummy.

4. Jason Mraz, "I'm Yours". Despite that needing a dictionary thing, this song is a keeper.

3. Katy Perry, "Hot and Cold". I tried to stay away from this one, to stay away from Katy Perry in general. But it can't be stopped. This one gets the whole house rocking, and the whole family jumping. You can keep your "I Kissed A Girl" - I don't care for it.

2. This may be cheating, but the whole album "Feed The Animals", by Girl Talk. I love a good mash-up.

1. Weezer, "Pork and Beans". "Working out at the gym to fit my underwear." Genius.

No longer riding on the merry go round.

Happy Christmas, John Lennon. Thank you for writing one of my favorite Christmas songs. Oh, and for that whole Beatles thing.

Now my day is complete.

Looks like the Dept. of Useless R & D is up and running:

1. Spider gestation: 90 days. Number of offspring: 60. Excuse me while I go throw up.

2. Yes, Jason Mraz did write "I'm Yours". Perhaps with the royalties from the song, he can buy a dictionary.

3. Yes, I screwed up my Princess Bride trivia, and I should be flogged mercilessly. Yes, I knew Inigo Montoya said the line, but I was certain it was also in the Battle of Wits scene and for whatever reason, preferred to use that one. I even thought about it while i was typing it, and still I was wrong. Thank you, YouTube, for always being around to prove this. I put myself at your mercy.

The Dept. of Useless R & D does take requests, in case you have any burning questions. Also, whoever runs that Dept. may be fired, because hey, don't I have enough to do?

System malfunction.

My Command Central is out of order today - technical difficulties, waiting on tech support, may try alcohol soon. Due to these, uh... delays... I am unable to form any cohesive block of words for you to read and be fulfilled for the rest of your days. Best I can manage is to toss you some memos from the only Departments that have bothered checking in around here lately:

From the Dept. of the Sick and the Sad:

• I'm not sure I believe in Hell, literally, so understand that I don't have any clue what I'm talking about when I tell you I'm totally going there because I thought it was the best thing in the whole world when, the other night, Riley was talking about Swiper and referred to him as "that stinky box". I know. Believe me, I know.

• Also, technically under the jurisdiction of this department is the announcement that Mason has been sickity sick all week - like, actually sick, not just mental like me. None of us are sleeping well. Woe has been greatly upon us, but things are looking up.

NEXT!

From the Dept. of Gainful Employment:

• I have a department for this? Hmm. Well, ok. Maybe I'll be forming one soon. Let's just say - Under Construction.

NEXT!

From the Dept. of There Is Something Seriously Wrong With Me:

• Yesterday as I was stringing up some lights I felt a tickle in my ear and since have been certain that a little bug crawled in there. I am now having relentless images of baby spiders streaming out of my ear in nine months (wait, how long is the spider gestation period? Looks like I need a Dept. of Useless R & D) and OMG, just typing that has made me hyperventilate. I have poured peroxide in my ear but so far have recovered no incriminating evidence. I don't want to talk about it anymore. If you are half as grossed out as I am, I am SO, SO sorry.

• I am also bothered, as I get sometimes, by what I see as blatant incorrect word usage. My victim today is Jason Mraz, who sings (and I presume wrote) (again, I need research) that lovely ditty "I'm Yours". Nice song. I sing along freely - even to the Hawaiian guys. And there's ukulele, and who doesn't love some ukulele, am I right? But - BUT! I would like to submit this stanza for your perusal:

"Listen to the music of the moment people, dance and sing
We're just one big family
And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved."

Do you know what godforsaken means? Because I know what godforsaken means. And in the famous words of the Dread Pirate Roberts, I do not think it means what Jason Mraz thinks it means. Call me, Jason. We'll work this out over coffee or something.

NEXT!

From the Dept. of So, How's Your Holiday Spirit?:

• Ok, ok. Things have been looking grim around here. Sick baby, lost a week to Thanksgiving (whyyyyyyy was it a week late this year and do you think I'll ever stop whining about it?) and have been scrambling about basically trying to hold my shit together. Well. No more. Mason is ok, and I really, really, REALLY love the holiday season. So, the attitude adjustment starts right.... now. Wait - I have to put on some appropriate music. Ok, now. I have decided that although there is a lot to do, it is all stuff that I genuinely enjoy doing, so I'm going to lose the Grinchiness and just love it. For example - tonight, after all the craziness of the week, I'd love to just curl up tonight and watch a good Christmas movie. But we have our first holiday party of the season, and I will get to see people I love seeing, and so I'm going to put on my red heels and have a good time, dammit.

I mean, come on. Don't those shoes make YOU want to have fun?

This is irrelevant if your name isn't Marc.

My Christmas list:

Love, your lovely wife who makes you dinner and takes care of your drycleaning and occasionally cleans your house and sometimes tries to let you sleep in and ALWAYS scratches your back and, you know, gave you some beautiful kids.

(I can hear you scoffing. At least I'm not asking for this:)

The cynic inside longs to see a fresh start.

Indeed.