Saginaw, Michigan is back on the map! A winning Mega Millions lottery ticket was sold at the South Michigan Express Stop, 408 S. Michigan - somebody I know may have just won a share of 35 million dollars! This is better than that Simon and Garfunkel song!
In case you haven't noticed, I have been on a spree using my Newcomers Club coupons, and today I went to pick up my free 1/2 pound of coffee from Big Ten Market. The whole experience was heavenly. At first glance, it looks like an old gnarly party store - I drove by it and had to turn around and try again. Once you walk inside, however, you are basically transported to the chi-chi-est food shop you've ever seen. I don't think even Zingerman's can compare to Big Ten. For one thing, it wasn't crowded. I think there were three other customers while I was in there. They had a zillion kinds of wine and lots of liquor up at the front of the store, then it moved to breads and meats and cheeses, and finally coffee and chocolate... and it smelled divine. The staff was incredibly friendly - the nice lady at the cheese counter gave me a slice of Comte that was so good, I had to buy the special Comte cheese and tomato sandwich. And yes, it was delicious. Nothing but bread, cheese, 'maters, and a little salt and pepper, and it might have been the best sandwich I've ever had. But I'd really like to focus on the chocolate. Big Ten Market might be dangerous, because they have hand-made truffles, little bits of really dark chocolate (the favorite of this household), funny fruity things from Japan, and other assorted goodies. It's a very good thing that Big Ten is nowhere near my way home, because I would have to start going there all time, and then I would be even fatter and poorer than I already am. Big Ten, also known as Morgan and York (the official name when they went big time), you are the cat's meow.
I used yet another Newcomers Club coupon to have dinner at Grizzly Peak last night. Nate and I weren't "feelin' it" as far as dinner at home was concerned, so we thought we'd scope out this brewery downtown. Well, to use Nate's phrase, it was uninspiring. It wasn't bad, it was just generic mid-to-upscale food that we could have gotten anywhere. I had cheddar ale soup, which is one of my favorite things at Grizzly Peak's sister restaurant, North Peak in Traverse City, but Grizzly Peak's version was nowhere near as good as North Peak's - no mustard pretzels and an oilier consistency. I also had a chopped salad, which was basically a Cobb salad but all chopped up, and it was fine, but nothing special. Nate had a Cobb Chicken sandwich, and it was just a bunch of chicken, bread, and lame bleu cheese. Like lots of restaurants around Ann Arbor, it served its purpose - we didn't leave hungry - but average at best, and certainly nothing to write home about it. Which is funny, 'cause I'm writing home about it right now.
Today, in my quest for my favorite brand of Christmas tree ornament, I went to the Dixboro General Store. Dixboro is a "community" on the outskirts of Ann Arbor - I call it a "community" because it's still part of Ann Arbor, but far enough away for people who live there to feel like they live out in the country. DGS had all those things that people hate about country houses: the cutesy little signs in the old-timey handwriting, the lopsided snowmen, tons and tons of Yankee candles, and those wooden reindeer that still have their log shape. Truth be told, I kind of like that stuff, but not all at once, and not all over the place. It was pretty overwhelming. DGS, of course, has Ann Arbor prices. It was pretty shocking to see how much those reindeer cost. Also, DGS says they're an authorized dealer of Old World Christmas ornaments, but they had a terrible selection. They had about ten different ornaments, and when I did some serious looking online, I found a store that has all the kinds of ornaments, in the hundreds. It was sad. 
Wanna know what I really want for Christmas? An Affenpinscher. I saw this dog on the National Dog Show on Thanksgiving, and his ugly little face stole my heart. Just look at him! I might choose one without chach in his hair, though.
Here are some things I like in movies: heists; unexpected endings; double- and triple-crosses; large sums of money changing hands; British accents. Unfortunately, while watching Layer Cake, I discovered that I can't really handle all those things happening at once. I'm still not really sure what happened in this movie, mostly because I couldn't understand what people were saying half the time. I mean, I got the main parts, but I think there were a lot of small things I missed, mainly relationships between people. I sort of liked it, but I think it would take another viewing or two before I could really tell you what Layer Cake was all about.
Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll. Hope the food is delicious, the parades festive and that your football team wins.
I'm thankful for the vast majority of you... OK, OK, I'm thankful for all of you. Twist my arm, why don't you?
Thanksgiving - A
It was great, y'all. Seriously great.
Please, say it ain't so.
I saw Just Like Heaven today at the dollar movie theater in the mall... only, Tuesday is 50 cent movie day! What a bargain! I could have seen it twice! 
You know how varieties of flowers are given crazy names? For example, we have the Miss All American Beauty rose, the Estella Rijnveldt tulip, the Easter Bonnet daffodil, and the Bayou Scarlet begonia, just to name a few. Well, I think I have the flower with the best variety name EVER. It's an epiphyllum, sometimes called an orchid cactus (it's not really an orchid, though, so don't be fooled!). Just look at its loveliness. Now, what name did some grower think would be perfect for this lovely bloom?
As you can see, I am being licked on the face, and as you can also see, I like it.Last night was the '80s karaoke birthday party of my friends Scott and Lisa. I wore an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt, a little denim skirt, legwarmers, cowboy boots, enormous hoop earrings, and tons of white eye shadow, and I was one of the least dressed-up folks there. I saw some mall bangs and a couple lace gloves with no fingers. It was inspiring. The karaoke was sweet, and the party favors were awesome. I have a new Rubik's Cube keychain now.
Of all the people to run into at the bar, I saw my old camp counselor, Bobbi Fischer. She's married, teaching math at Saginaw High, and looks fabulous. She's also only six years older than I am. I always thought those counselors were so much older. Who knew?
'80s karaoke birthday party - A- (my hair wasn't nearly cool enough to merit an A)
I went on a field trip this morning to the Museum of African American History in Detroit. As you can see from the picture, it's a super-sweet facility. The dome is huge, and has amazing acoustics. There's also a huge mural on the floor, of Africa, the U.S., a woman giving birth, "the Book of Knowledge" and some other stuff. It's really impressive. We went through the core exhibit, a history of slavery, which is called "And Still I Rise." It was incredibly well-crafted, educational, and... huge. Seriously. We went on the top deck of a ship and then through the hold underneath where all the slaves were kept, and there were African villages and 1950s-era Detroit recreations, too. It's probably the coolest museum I've ever been to.
Amer's is an Ann Arbor institution - I remember getting a Torani steamer at Amer's when I was in high school (before I drank coffee) and I'm sure it was around before that. I had a coupon for five free dollars at Amer's (remember when the Newcomers lady came to my house this summer?), and decided to see what they had to offer me for dinner last night. Everything at Amer's is expensive, so I opted for a bagel with veggie cream cheese. It was delicious. I think a lot of it had to do with the addition of a thinly sliced tomato. I could have gotten bell pepper, onion, cucumber or sprouts, too. Not so much a bagel anymore, is it? It's a delicious meat-free bagel sandwich. It wasn't as hot as I would have liked, but I blame the walk back to work - my bagel was wrapped in foil, but that can't compete with below-freezing temperatures. My bagel with accoutrements was $2.11, which means I have $2.89 left on my little coupon. That won't get me very far, since a typical sandwich at Amer's is over six bucks, but I'll try another bagel again soon.
I think this is my new favorite video. If I were into girls, I would be so in love with Shakira - she is so hot. In this video, she prances around in a little nightie with a leather strap tied around her arm. Yowza. Also, the new Ford Mustang is prominent in this video, and I think it is one of the sexiest cars to come around in a long time. I love that Shakira plays the guitar in a junkyard. It seems like a video cliche, but when you're Shakira, you can do whatever you want. And the song's catchy, too! Don't bother, she'll be fine. This is one smokin' video. If you haven't gotten on the "morning videos instead of morning news" bandwagon, "Don't Bother" is your excuse.
I'm trying a new look for my blog. I think I like it. It was a pain in the ass to change, though. What do you think?
my blog's new style - I for Incomplete... tell me what you think of it
UPDATE: final grade - D - the votes are in and you say "too pink." I'll start shopping for another new template soon!
So today, I was sitting around at home, channel surfing and looking for something to watch to pass some time, and I stopped on Bravo... and behold, I saw a commercial for season 2 of Project Runway! I almost wet my pants with excitement. 
It's the opening day of firearm deer season in Michigan. I don't think I've ever been in Michigan for the opening day on a Tuesday - it's kind of a letdown for all the hunters who can't turn it into a three- or four-day weekend. Never fear, the fanatics are out there: Newaygo Public Schools have the day off today, for "Deer Day." Go out and bag one, son! I call this post "Watch Yourself" because if you're traipsing around out there, wear your orange!
Let me start by saying I only saw about twenty minutes of this movie - Nate came to see it and when I was done working I joined him - so I can't give it a completely accurate review. What I did see was completely wacky. Mirrormask is, I think, the story of a girl who draws a bunch of fantasy worlds and gets sucked into one of those worlds, through the windows she draws, by a princess who is trying to escape her evil queen mother. It was very Labyrinth-esque. The princess in the "real world" destroys the drawn worlds by crumpling the drawings - no more windows, no more ways for the real girl to back to the real world. I probably would have thought it was kind of confusing even if I'd seen the whole thing. One nice thing I discovered while watching this movie is that Gina McKee, who plays the queen (and of course, the real girl's mother - very Wizard of Oz) and was also in Notting Hill as Bella, isn't paralyzed at all. That whole wheelchair thing in Notting Hill? A clever story device.
Remember that episode of Desperate Housewives, season 1, when Lynette flips out and cries at the kitchen table? That's sort of how I feel. I tried to program my VCR and it didn't work. No new epsiode of Desperate Housewives. No new episode of Grey's Anatomy. No nothin'. Thanks for the VCR, old roommates, but three years later I still can't program it.
This movie was really, really great. I'm always a big fan of ensemble pieces, especially if they're family-oriented. Not family-friendly, mind you - In the Bedroom and Junebug are definitely not for the kids. The Squid and the Whale is the story of an incredibly intelligent family going through a divorce in New York in the mid-'80s. One of the things I really liked about this movie was that it was obvious that it was set in the '80s, but not in a ridiculous way, like parts of Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. It's exciting to me that the '80s can be used as a historical time period now. Anyway, the acting was superb - Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney were fabulous, and the kids were just wonderful, heartbreaking and hilarious all at the same time. In fact, I'd say that pretty much sums up the whole movie - heartbreaking and hilarious. It has a Wes Anderson flair (he was one of the producers and the writer/director of this movie co-wrote The Life Aquatic), the music is superb, and the dialogue is completely believable. Watch for the scene where Jeff Daniels' voice breaks a little - that's going to be his Oscar clip.
Have you seen this commercial? It makes me want a dachshund real bad. Okay, that's not true, doxies are evil little dogs who will turn on you if given the opportunity... but this commercial makes me forget that. Little dog, big toy. So cute. So, so cute. And when she runs the toy through the checkout and the little doggie is holding the new toy in his mouth and so HE gets run through the checkout, too? I love that. Way to go, PetSmart advertisers.
Lots of really important things happened in 1965. Canada adopted the red and white maple leaf flag. Disney launched Epcot Center. Dr. Dre. Bjork and Shania Twain were all born in 1965, and A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered that very same year. But perhaps the best thing of all happened on November 11, 1965. No, not the independence of Rhodesia, although that happened that day, too. 11/11/65 was the day that Nell McNutt and Monte Strong tied the knot. Those crazy kids!
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad - as Dr. Dre would say, Still doing that shit, right?
Mom and Dad's 40th wedding anniversary - A+!
some guy named robb's latest release is his best yet. Robb McCormick, sgnr's front (and often only) man, pushes the envelope with his third album - it's definitely darker than his previous stuff, but more subtle and more raw, too. The album's first track, "Between These Strings," is for me the focal point of the album, a love song with some heartache behind it. Also, Robb includes some spoken word tracks, "Three Cheers" and "The Common Distance," which show he's not just a good musician, but a real poet as well. The final track is a reworking of one of his most-loved tunes, "Express Lane Love." Not just everybody can poke fun at themselves. Way to be, Robb.
It's Edmund Fitzgerald Day - on November 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald, loaded with over 26,000 tons of iron ore and 29 crew members, sank in Lake Superior, only seventeen miles from Whitefish Point, Michigan. 
I like to keep up with the goings-on of the Willis girls, and this month, Teen Vogue gave me a little gift - an article and photo shoot on Rumer, Scout, and Talullah! It was just so refreshing to read about how much these girls love their mom and trust her totally when it comes to fashion. Little Lullah even loves to play dress up in her mom's old designer castoffs! Ha ha! Rumer slums it in one picture, wearing a sweater from J. Crew. Hello? That's like the celebrity version of the Salvation Army! Also, I was so happy to hear that Bruce stopped by and Ashton waved hello during the shoot. These girls are just so loved!
I got a little gift certificate to Arbor Brewing Company at my last work meeting, so we scoped the place out for lunch on Sunday. The atmosphere is fine - it's right on Washington, one of those downtown Ann Arbor streets - but the food was not so good. For some reason, I decided to order buffalo wings. Don't judge. They were fine at the time, but I sort of felt gross for most of the evening, and I think the wings are to blame. Plus, the sauce aggravated a hangnail. I think that's a bad sign. Nate had a Georgia Reuben, with turkey instead of corned beef, and he said it was cold and sort of nasty and the fries probably came from the bottom of the fryer batch. No good, ABC. If I get another gift certificate from work, I'll eat there, but it wouldn't be my top choice.
Everything you've heard about this movie is true. It's really, really good. Philip Seymour Hoffman will get nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Truman Capote. It was intense, and dark, and had just the right amount of shock and gruesomeness, and it absolutely drew me in. Sure, it's a little slow at times, like most dramas, but the dialogue is great and the costumes are wonderful and the music is creepy and perfect. It's one of the best movies I've seen this year. Still, there's something about it that I can't put my finger on, and I can't give it a solid A. There a few scenes that seemed pretty contrived, with dialogue that people would never say in real life. Also, PSH was just tremendous, but no one's talking about Catherine Keener and Clifton Collins, Jr., whose performances give this movie its meat. I hate that. I loved both of them. Also, this may be farfetched, but I'm afraid that this movie is going to have a DaVinci Code affect. You know, all those people going on tours of the Louvre and monasteries in France and England to see where it "really took place." I don't like the idea of hordes of people travelling to Kansas.
Capote - A-
Zingerman's Deli is an Ann Arbor institution - they sell the most awesome cheese, olive oil, chocolate, bread, wonderful spices and brownies and sausage and it's just an all-around amazing place. Zingerman's Roadhouse joined the ZCoB (that's Zingerman's Community of Businesses) in 2003. It's located right off the freeway in a little shopping center, in a building that used to be a Bill Knapp's. I've eaten at the Roadhouse a few times, and it's good, but I just don't think it's all that it's cracked up to be. For one thing, it's incredibly expensive, even by Ann Arbor standards. You have to work hard to get out of there for less than $50 for two people. Second, the food crosses that line from down-home to high-brow. It's great that the food is made by local artisans, and doesn't have preservatives and is incredibly fresh, but I don't need the cheese on my burger imported from a tiny dairy in England to make me feel good about said burger. Finally, it's utter insanity in the restaurant if you go at a normal eating time. I've been there twice around 4 PM, and it's fine, but much later than that and it's loud and crowded and dark. Not my idea of a joyous dining experience. Yes, the food is really good, but in this case, it's just not good enough.
Zingerman's Roadhouse - B-
Tomorrow night I am going to a Euchre party... and there's money on it, so I have to play well. I haven't played a good hand of Euchre in a few years, but I am confident that I will remember all the rules and make some good decisions and come out a winner! I'd better - Mama needs a new pair of shoes.
Euchre party - B
I love stamps. There are so many sweet stamps available for purchase, I hardly know which ones to buy. I like my stamps to look good on my envelopes - I'm currently using these babies with the lovely flower. There's enough white in the stamp to look good on a colored envelope, yet enough color to look good on a white envelope. Yes, I consider these things. You got a problem with that?
My brother called me last night, all crunked up on Spanish wine, wanting to know if there was a special song his wedding DJ could play for me and Nate. Isn't that sweet? I don't know if Golddigger by Kanye West is appropriate for a wedding, but it was very thoughtful of Pat and Natalie to think of us. Ha! What's your song?
Wedding Songs - B+ (they're all wonderful, but some are cheesy, and you know it!)
Today is November 2. Thanksgiving is three weeks away. It's not even Veterans' Day. And yet, 100.3 in Detroit has started to play all Christmas music. Over fifty days until the big holiday, and I'm already hearing Amy Grant's wacky version of O Come All Ye Faithful and the Drifters singing I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas. It's too early, folks. Now, I am not a Scrooge - I love Christmas, and I've done a little pre-shopping (where you think about what you want to get people), and yesterday I contemplated buying Christmas cards, but it is too early to hear nothing but Christmas music on the radio. Please, wait until after Thanksgiving.
I ate some Cheetos yesterday, and they were so good. If you haven't had Cheetos in a while, I highly recommend you get some. Mine were straight out of a vending machine, but still retained their freshness. Cheetos are great because they can be a nice addition as a side when you're having a sandwich, but they can also stand alone as a snack.
I've seen the man in a tie before, but shoot, does he look like a real adult or what?
Charlie's professional attire - A+!
