Sweet & Sour Meatballs – What can I say? I’ve been dieting all year and haven’t had the guts to make up a crock pot full, but I miss ‘em soooo much…
Meeting My Niece Madelyn – My little sister had a baby a few months ago, and so far she’s posted roughly 1,000,000 pictures, of which 99.9% of them are adorable. Also, video! Definitely looking forward to meeting her and holding her and not cleaning up baby vomit off of my shirt afterwards.
I’ll Be Home For Christmas – Give or take a day, anyways! We’ve actually traveling up north to see both families this year – hers in West Virginia and mine in Michigan. Aside from my Grandma’s funeral a couple of years ago, it’ll be the first time I’ve been home for the holidays since … well, ever! (I’ve lived in Florida for 8 years now…)
Hitting the Road with My Wife – 2011 has been a very busy year and we haven’t spent nearly as much time together as we would like, so believe it or not, actually getting to see my wife is something that I’m really looking forward to on our 3,000 cross-country sleigh ride!
Mom’s Santa Cookies – Well, I look forward to these every year, but really, who wouldn’t with a face like that???
Putting Up Christmas Lights – Granted, I don’t have a clue as to how I’m going to do it yet because our rooftop is at least 15 feet tall and out of ladder range, but it’ll be our first Christmas in the new house, so it’s always fun to come up with new ways to decorate with lights!
Giving to Charity – This is becoming a big part of my enjoyment of the holidays – already with the toy drive I ran a few days ago, and I’m also excited because Child’s Play added one of our local hospitals here in Tampa to donate toys and games to this year. ‘Tis the season to be sharing, Fred…
Holiday Celebrations @ Disney – It’s probably no surprise that my favorite time of the year is also my favorite time to be around Disney World as well, so as usual any time that we get to spend around the parks and resorts this time of year is extra special!
Relaxation – More so that most other things on this list, I guess I’m just looking forward to taking a break here once we hit that last week of the month!!! I’ve been working like crazy this year trying to get moving with this writing thing of mine, and not for nothing, but I could kinda use a vacation to recharge the old batteries!
Snow – Just kidding – still not looking forward to this one even in the slightest…
Not to mention, it’s actually part two of a series of incredible dominoes setups regarding The Simpsons!
I, myself, would never have the patience for dominoes, mainly because they would most likely end up resembling something like this, but like in so many other arenas as well, I’m kinda glad that somebody else out there has a little more coordination than I do… 😉
Folks – this is what we call a confession, and yet there are still people who believe that Occupy Wall Street is just a bunch of entitled whiners and that the market crash was nobody’s fault but all of those naive, irresponsible homeowners…
“The bigwigs of the corporations knew this, but they figured we’re going to make billions out of it, so who cares? The government is going to bail us out. And the problem loans will be out of here, maybe even overseas.”
So I don’t entirely know how I feel about this, but my gut feeling is that I don’t like it…
Just recently, Herman Cain “and his people” created this new website called Women for Cain!basically with the intent of trying to defuse all of the sexual harassment allegations that have surfaced from the honorable pizza tycoon’s past. I really have no desire to debate the audacity of the site itself because only in conservative politics does someone running for public office turn to calling his victims “losers and liars” instead of pretty much any other more sensitive response to hint that they’re just not true. Nonetheless, the real reason I wanted to write up this quick post was more along the lines of authenticity after a simple blog comment pointed out that the main logo for the website makes use of a stock image of happy womenas opposed to actual happy women who are, in theory, in support of this potential pizza-touting pootie pirate.
See, here’s my problem – while I certainly understand that websites use stock images all the time to represent their customer service reps or random enthusiastic customers, I guess I’m kind of impartial to those because we all know that they look ridiculously fake, but I guess I’d just like to think that when you’re running for President of the United States and are trying to defend some pretty serious allegations against your character, it would actually be worth taking the next step to use imagery that suggested that your “strong base of female supporters” is a real group of people who actually exist!
Because if they don’t care enough for the logo to be actual Cain supporters, how am I supposed to know whether all of the letters below from his “loyal supporters” are actually real people, either? Sure, maybe all of these hard-working Americans for Cain just rose up on their own to fight back against the heathens who dared to sully their savor’s name with fabrications of love and lust … or maybe a handful of Cain staffers spent an afternoon sifting through Facebook photos in search of real red-blooded Americans to run alongside the supportive blurbs being cranked out by their staff writer counterparts.
In this digital age, what’s it take to even trust a simple testimonial anymore? Much less in the name of a politician?!
As I mentioned a little in my intro post, I’ve actually been listening to a lot of Christmas music in the last week or so since they started playing it on the radio … the other night while I was driving home in particular, which got me thinking about which ones were actually my favorites.
Much like one certain S. Claus, I quickly started making a list:
Deck the Halls (by Mannheim Steamroller) my parents are both big fans, so for years this used to be the first song playing on the stereo when we came out to open presents on Christmas morning
Feliz Navidad (by Jose Feliciano) first introduced to this song by the ice skating scene in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street … it’s just a fun song!
the medley from A Muppet Family Christmas all sorts of good ones – I’ll Be Home for Christmas, It’s In Every One of Us, We’ll Be Together on Christmas … love me some nostalgia at Christmastime!
Christmas Don’t Be Late (by Alvin and the Chipmunks) long before they were digitized into a series of horrible CGI movies, they were but three woodland creatures – one of whom really wanted a hula-hoop for Christmas…
Happy Xmas (War is Over) (by John Lennon) And one more non-goofy song to wrap this collection up – possibly one of my favorite Christmas songs of all-time, reminds me of New Years, for some reason…
Now I’m sure I’m going to think of about a dozen more that I want to swap around with these the moment I post this, but I suppose those will just have to wait for volume 2, won’t they?! 😉
In the meantime, however, apparently YouTube actually lets you embed playlists these days, too, so feel free to just click on the play button below and sit back to jingle out to my entire mix tape in all of its 44-minute glory!
Last night the D&D group that I help to run collected over $350 worth of toys and money for our local chapter of Toys for Tots here in the Tampa area.
It was an idea that I just sort of picked up and ran with on a whim, really – one of the other gaming groups at the store where we play had mentioned trying to put together a toy drive in the forums and the thought that immediately came to mind was, “Hey – we should be doing something like that!” and so we did. That was a little over two weeks ago, so we didn’t really have a lot of time to prepare or gauge interest, so frankly I was a little concerned whether anybody was even going to donate! But we pushed ahead anyways – soliciting raffle prizes to give away and spreading the word the best that we could in the short amount of time that we did have.
So fast forward to the night of the event – I stop by Little Caesars to pick up pizzas, and the second I walk in the store … we’ve already got donations – lots of ’em! And so I spend the next 45 minutes before actually starting the game that I was to run that night scrambling to get everything set up – containers to place donations in, displays of all of our swell raffle prizes, the many pizzas for everyone to eat. The night ended up being one giant whirlwind where I barely had a chance to eat dinner amidst it all, however by the time it had all come to an end, we had collected not only the three mountains of toys seen in the pictures below, but also a fair amount of cash to buy additional toys with as well, and I feel fairly confident that everyone involved had a great time doing it, too.
Some people gave literally bags of toys, where others maybe just bought a raffle ticket or two, but we all came together and with everyone doing whatever they could do, less than two dozen people managed to raise enough to ensure that many local children have a brighter Christmas and you just never know when something as simple as a favorite stuffed animal or board game unwrapped could mean all the difference in the world for somebody whose parents had more to focus on simply keeping food on the table than toys under the tree for their little ones to play with. I especially enjoy giving toys for the charities that I try to help each year – I’m a big fan of Child’s Play, in particular, and maybe it’s just because I have so many wonderful memories of opening presents myself on Christmas morning growing up, I just can’t imagine the thought of anybody not partaking in that magical experience on one of the happiest days of the year!
As for our little D&D toy drive, it may only be a day behind and technically the toys haven’t even been picked up by the Marines yet, but I’ve already been brainstorming how to make next year’s event even better. Cooler raffle prizes, more notice, maybe even suggesting a longer drive itself that pits us against the guys who play Magic and Warhammer and all of the other gaming factions that call our local game store home! It’s funny how just days ago I was absolutely terrified at the thought of not being able to collect a single dime, and yet now in hindsight I can’t wait for another chance to do even more!
Giving is fun and a little addictive, and yet still only one of the many reasons why I love this time of year…
I’m not sure what it is, but I’m feeling a little extra into the Christmas spirit this year.
Our tree is up early, I surprisingly already have some shopping done, and I’ve even caught myself keeping the dial on the all-Christmas, all-the-time stations on the radio a bit more often than usual this year. And mind you, it’s not like this is totally out of character because in general, Christmastime is typically my favorite time of the year, but for some reason that I can’t quite seem to put my finger on, 2011 just seems special as far as Christmas celebrations are concerned…
Anyways, it’s because of this that I thought I’d do something a little special here on my blog this year to commemorate said Happy Christmastime Cheer, so for the next 24 days, I’m going to try my hand at mixing the essence of your traditional advent calendar with my own blogging to create Scott’s 2011 Holiday Advent Blog!!! The goal is one post a day devoted solely to Christmas and the holidays and whatnot, and whether I’ll continue blogging about other stuff or just stick to the holidays for the next month … well, my guess is a little bit of both, but we’ll see. 😉
Back at the beginning of the month, I spent some time while I was supposed to be writing a humor column a couple of evenings instead tweeting some of my best advice to the latest folks to take on NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month – the annual challenge in which thousands of people try their hand at writing the first draft of a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Because as you’ve probably already guessed, yours truly is just bursting with sage-like wisdom and with deadlines quickly approaching, what better way to avoid doing actual work than by “helping” others?! 💡
Truth be told, I had intended to make a fun, little series out of these and tweet a few new ones each day throughout the entire month, however instead below is all that I ever got around to! Still, it was a fun way to kill some time, albeit I’m sure probably more than a little obnoxious for anyone looking for actual help via Twitter while they were trying to write…
I think it’s time that I helped out with this, too! Not sure if you realize this, but 50,000 words is A LOT!!! #nanowrimo#helping
Tip #1: If you give me a cameo reading my last tweet, that’s 23 words right there! #nanowrimo#helping
Tip #2: Look at those trees outside your window. Tell us about them. Boom – two more chapters, easily! #nanowrimo#helping
Tip #3: If your dog really could talk, he’d be hauled off immediately for scientific testing. Be realistic. #nanowrimo#helping
Tip #4: Women have more feelings than men, so include some to keep your story balanced. Also, boobs. #nanowrimo#helping
Tip #5: Give your characters something to fight for – cash money is something that all readers can relate to. #nanowrimo#helping
Tip #6: OMG – what’s that behind you?! Inspiration. Hope you’re writing a thriller… #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #7: Try to devote at least 500 words each day to writing about the weather – you know, so people can relate. #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #8: Ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery is scientifically proven to help improve your word count. #NaNoWriMo#helping#gottahaveit
(that last tip was sponsored by your wife, who really wants you to take her to Cold Stone)
Tip #9: Name the evil villain after your boss – I mean, he’s never gonna find out anyways! #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #10: Don’t write the sex scenes you’re having, write the sex scenes that you WANT to be having. #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #11: Word Count spelled backwards is TNUOC DROW. D&D fans will recognize that as a type of dark elf! #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #13: If you need to take a bathroom break, have your characters take one, too. Plot twist! #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #14: If her nose is truly as delicate as a wavering rose petal, for god sakes, tell us more! #NaNoWriMo#helping
Oh, what the heck – let’s do just a few more, for old time’s sake!
Tip #15: If you’re just starting NaNoWriMo today, you need to write 34 words per minute for the next 24 hours straight – no pressure! #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #16: At least three of your characters should be dead by now or you’re not really writing a comedy. #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #18: Some leftover pumpkin pie would really hit the spot right about now… #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #19: Word count still short? Try a table of contents – all of the best novels have at least 3 or 4 of them. #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #20: Use your dedication to smooth things over with the girlfriend or spouse who you’ve been neglecting to “write your stupid novel.” #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #21: Montages don’t work nearly as good in books as they do in the movies, even if you put songs from Rocky in the margins. #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #22: Sometimes the most unexpected conclusions involve aliens. #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #23: You might already be past this, but I’ve always liked the name Snidely for an antagonist. Or maybe Mortimer… #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #24: It’s natural to cry on the last day before your deadline. Welcome to being a writer. #NaNoWriMo#helping
Tip #25: If I were to write a novel about writing tweets for NaNoWriMo, I’d already be 1% done. See, writing’s easy! #NaNoWriMo#helping
Glad I could be of service – same time next year?!
Although I didn’t get a chance to watch all three Lord of the Rings movies this weekend, unlike John Scalzi who also took the opportunity to live tweet each of them … and for which I am incredibly jealous, but nonetheless I did catch The Return of the King late on Encore this evening in all of its Extended Edition glory and quite frankly, found it to be a lovely way to wrap up a lazy holiday weekend!
And while I may still be torn at whether The Two Towers or The Return of the King is my favorite movie of the trilogy, what I can do here now shortly before retiring to bed is to quickly share with you my own five favorite scenes from the one that I just finished watching… 😉
(listed in the order they appear in the movie, not necessarily a ranking…)
The Lighting of the Beacons Between Gondor and Rohan – Just because this seems like a very clever and cool medieval means for two peoples some 150 miles apart to quickly signal one another for aid.
Elrond Presents Aragorn with the Newly Reforged Blade of Elendil – If you twisted my arm, this one is probably my all-time favorite scene in the entire series because the dialog between the two is so powerful.
Pippin’s Song – Granted a very sad moment, as Faramir and his men are sent off to their deaths by a crazed Denethor, but you can’t deny that the choreography between the song and the onslaught is second to none…
The Army of the Dead Arrive at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields – Actually, this clip has three cool scenes intermixed – the army of the dead being, well, awesome, the defeat of the Lord of the Nazgul, and Legolas’ ridiculous, but equally awesome feat of taking down an oliphaunt single-handedly … and then surfing down its trunk.
*ahem*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqFrS417OnE
King Aragorn Bows to His Hobbit Friends – And finally, just to prove one last time that the ranger was the right guy for the job, the man bows at his own coronation ceremony to the four little hobbits who started (and finished) it all…
…
P.S. I noticed while finding the clips that Warner Bros finally appears to be ok with people posting their content on YouTube, as assumed through the Contains Content by Warner Bros. link in the info box on each clip’s page … now isn’t that an interesting turn of events?! 😯
