Small Talk on the Web

Blogging about the weather is probably lamer than talking about the weather, but it must be done: it is COLD here. I just checked weather.com (mostly because I'm trying to avoid a tiny bit of homework) and it is 0 degrees outside. Not Celsius, mind you. Fahrenheit. It is no degrees right now.

People who should not respond to this post: Lisa, because you'll just laugh and go put on a bikini; Erin P, because you'll just laugh and then go hitch a ride on the ice truck. Anyone whose current temperature range falls between Miami and the Antarctica is free to say whatever they want.

super cold weather - C+

resorting to blogging about the weather -D-

Life Cereal

Oooh, I LOVE Life Cereal! It is so delicious. I've been eating mostly cheap cereal the past few months, but last night I bought some Life and had it for breakfast this morning. Yummy yummy in my tummy! I could probably eat the whole box in one sitting, but then what would I have for breakfast tomorrow?
I wish Life was a little less expensive, but the taste is almost worth four bucks a box.
Almost.

Life Cereal - A-

A Real Preemie

Okay, let's do a little compare and contrast. Real preemie - looks real. Plastic preemie - looks plastic. Real preemie - wires and stuff. Plastic preemie - all sorts of wires and stuff (not in this picture, but keep watching Grey's Anatomy). Real preemie - eyes! Plastic preemie - tape over eyes! (again, watch GA and other medical shows) Real preemie - looks like a real baby, only mini. Plastic preemie - looks like an alien.

Hands down winner: real preemie!

Thanks to my friend Sarah for allowing me to post this picture of her baby, who is now about 18 months old and doing great, by the way.

Medical people (you know who you are) - do you think fake preemies are at all accurate?

Real preemies (as opposed to fake ones) - A
Emma's brush with Internet stardom - A+

Animatronic Preemies

Years of watching ER coupled with the last two weeks of Grey's Anatomy have taught me something: the animatronic guys still need a little work on premature babies. When I look at that baby in the picture, I don't think "oh, sad little preemie." No, I think "mildly creepy baby-esque hunk of plastic." I'm not personally acquainted with any premature babies, but to me, the ones we see in TV shows always look fake. Step it up a little, folks, 'cause you know we can't use real premature babies.
However, I have to say that the likeness of that Sharpie marker is dead on!

Animatronic Premature Babies - C+

Saddam - The Musical?

Say what you will about Saddam Hussein - military genius or crazed psychopath, I don't care. This isn't a political blog. I just want to point out that I think this picture looks like a scene from "Saddam - The Musical." Look at the staging, with one man right in front of the other, as well as the onlookers on the sides. Also, though it's an action shot of sorts, you can see that both men are raising their arms, sort of like the final pose in "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" from Evita or "It's An Art" from Working. Plus, Saddam sort of has that Topol thing going on. If you look very closely, you'll see that he's really saying "TRADITION!"

What are some songs we might hear in Saddam - The Musical?

Saddam - The Musical - B (in the right hands, it could be quite good)

Fondue

Oh my heavens, do I love fondue. I went to a Christmas party last night and ate about as much fondue as I could stand... and then I ate some more. I mostly ate pound cake dipped in the chocolate, but I also had strawberries, cherries, grapes, pineapple, and itty bitty rice krispie treats, which I had never had as a fondue item before. It was sublime.
My roommates and I once had a dinner party where we served cheese fondue as the dinner course and chocolate fondue for dessert, and it was a big hit. Everyone sat around on the floor and made fun of each other when our food bits fell in the fondue. Good times.

Fondue - A-

Face/Off

I know I'm not the only one who's been thinking about Nic Cage and Johnny T. since we found about this face transplant thing. Remember this movie? I loved this movie. I think I've seen it about six times.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Face/Off:
"It's like looking in a mirror. Only... not."

"If I were to send you flowers, where would I... no, let me rephrase that. If I were to let you suck my tongue... would you be grateful?"

And my favorite of favorites: "I want to take his face... off."

Oooh, I love this movie!

Face/Off - B+

The New Ten-Dollar Bill

Oooh, I like it. Still, not as cool as European money.

I also like the tie of the guy in the background.

The new $10 - B+

Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Sound of Music?

Yes, this concerned me when I first read it. Seems like Lord Lloyd Webber is going to mount a stage production of the movie version of The Sound of Music - upon further investigation, I discovered that he's just acting as producer, and is not adding any new music to the score, so that's definitely good. However, he is going to do a reality TV-style search to find the woman who will play Maria, and the show is tentatively titled - brace yourselves - "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" Ouch. How do you solve that problem, indeed. It's not like Julie Andrews could reprise her role - she's 70, for Pete's sake - but I think an American-Idolesque contest is a bad idea, too. Whatever happened to good old fashioned auditions?

stage version of movie version of The Sound of Music - B+ - on the plus side, it's the version everyone knows, on the down side, it's the version everyone knows
"How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" - C-

Yeah, Saginaw!

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!

Saginaw's new claim to fame - B+

Big Ten Market/Morgan & York

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.

Big Ten Market - A

UPDATE - the coffee was delicious!

Grizzly Peak

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.

Grizzly Peak - B-

Dixboro General Store

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.
To give the Dixboro General Store some props, I used another Newcomers Club coupon and got a free Yankee Candle (and they aren't cheap) and 20% off something else I bought there. If I had more money and the ambition to have a completely country house, I would go there again, but until that day, I'll stick to my side of town.

Dixboro General Store - C+

Affenpinscher

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.

Why do I love this dog? Well, roughly translated, Affenpinscher means "monkey dog" in German. This is awesome. In French, however, the dog's description translates to "mustachioed little devil." This is for sure the dog I want. Monkey devil with a mustache? Yes, please!

So I don't really want one of these dogs for Christmas, but I do want to spread the love for this mostly unheard-of breed. Go, little Affenpinscher, go!

Affenpinscher - A+!

Toothpaste for Dinner and Natalie Dee

If you haven't checked out Toothpaste for Dinner or Natalie Dee, go right now to www.toothpastefordinner.com and www.nataliedee.com - these are some of the funniest drawings you'll ever see. Drew and Natalie are married, so I think they borrow from each other in their drawings. Check this one out. I think Natalie used me as a model for the girl on the right.
Toothpaste for Dinner - B+
Natalie Dee - A-

Layer Cake

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.

Layer Cake - B-

Nick and Jessica Split

The thing that bothers me the most about this is that you can still buy the "Hollywood Weddings" special issue of People with Nick and Jessica's wedding pictures all over the front (and presumably, all over the inside, too - I've never actually looked inside, believe it or not). I just saw it at the grocery store yesterday. Not that there weren't already a thousand ways for these two to be reminded of their marriage. I just think it sucks that every time Nick or Jess goes in a grocery store, they'll see pictures of their happy day staring back at them. Wait, what am I saying? They don't go to the grocery store!

Nick and Jessica's split - C

Thanksgiving

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

RENT

It was great, y'all. Seriously great.

You want specifics? OK. The cast is as amazing as they were ten years ago, and Rosario and Tracie can totally hang with them. Rosario was actually pretty impressive - I always kind of liked her, but now I REALLY like her. Anthony Rapp, who for some reason gets last billing in the credits, is phenomenal. As for Jesse L. Martin and Wilson Jermaine Heredia - there are no words. They blew me away. They were absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking, and just so you know, Jesse is my new celebrity crush. I think I want to marry him.

Only two things I didn't like: 1 - Adam Pascal's hair. Ew. It's really shaggy and gross and makes him look like an aging rock star, especially since they show "early Roger" with short hair and he looks great. 2 - I also didn't like "Living in America." It was really music video-y, and none of the rest of the movie is, so it was sort of bizarre.

High points: "I'll Cover You - Reprise" - cried like a little girl; "La Vie Boheme" - I felt like I was in the Life Cafe; "Without You" - for once, a good use of the video montage!; "Out Tonight" - I'm telling you, Rosario is GOOD! This movie isn't going to win any Oscars, but it might just be the newest addition to my top ten list. It was everything I wanted it to be.

I'd also like to give a huge shoutout to all the people who were with me in the theater this snowy morning. You are die hard fans, yet you were able to restrain yourselves and didn't sing until the closing credits, which meant that I got to hear the movie instead of you. For that, you get an A.

RENT - A-

Oh No, No, No

Please, say it ain't so.

Britney's 'Charity' Act?
Despite reports that their year-old marriage has hit a rough patch, Britney Spears and Kevin Federline looked very much together as they descended on New York late last week, but was their trip to the Big Apple more business than pleasure?
Although the London Mirror says the déclassé duo hit the town to shop their problems away (aka "retail-relationship therapy"), the Insider claims the semi-retired pop tartlet-turned-fashion-challenged mom of Sean Preston is in the midst of "serious negotiations" to take over the starring role in the Broadway production of "Sweet Charity."
If the thought of Britney warbling live eight times a week gives you a nervous twitch, consider this: Former backup hoofer-turned-underemployed wanna-be rapper Kevin could join her onstage.
"He'd be a dancer in the show," a mole tells the Insider. "The producers really want Britney and will do anything to make this happen."
Christina Applegate is currently starring as the titular lovelorn dancer in the revival, which the Federlines took in on Thursday (for their big night out, Spears wore a sparkly jacket stolen off the set of "Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," while Federline sported snake-like cornrows that would have even Bo Derek rolling with laughter).
Britney's camp isn't commenting on the board-treading talk, but we'd be surprised if the new mom decides to make her debut on the Great White Way so soon after the arrival of her still under-wraps bundle of joy.
After all, it was just one year ago this week that the Britster gushed on her Web site, "To be a really good mom, I feel your child needs to be your full-time job. I want to raise my kids and share all of those precious moments with them and not rely on nannies."
Still, perhaps Mrs. Federline feels a connection to the production, filled as it is with ditties that some might say (hey, don't look at us) echo her own relationship, from "Big Spender" to "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This" to "I Love to Cry at Weddings."

This is bad, folks. Very, very bad.

Britney on Broadway - F