The Eve of the New Year

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! It is hard to believe that the New Year is already about to begin. I am having a somewhat low-key NYE this year. The friends and I are going to dinner down in Philly and then heading to Keith & Michelle's for a small group party! There will be drinks, food, and games galore...(and, who knows what else...you can never predict anything with these people!)

Have you thought about New Years resolutions? Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. I'm sure everyone has at least one thing that they would like to do, if they really put their mind to thinking about it. I have quite a few things........here are some of them, in no particular order:

• Take my vitamins...yes, yes, I know...doesn't sound like much of a resolution, but for me it is...I get colds very easily, especially being an elementary school teacher!
• Exercise more...not only do I want to lose weight, I also want to go back to doing the exercises I was given at my last round of physical therapy. It's no wonder I still have back & neck pain...I haven't kept up like I should have.
  
• Get a massage...yeah, to help with the pain...anyone want to donate to my cause?
• Get a permanent teaching position...I want somewhere to settle in...I'm tired of floating from place to place.
• Move out...yeah, this is dependent on whether I get a permanent job.
• Worry less, open up more...I worry a little too much sometimes...I need to learn to go with the flow. I also tend to keep my feelings inside and dwell on them...Basically, I need to stop that!
• Say no (respectfully)...ok, get your mind out of the gutter...all I mean is that I too often don't take enough time for myself. I often give up my free time doing things other people want me to do. While I know this is sometimes a good thing when help is needed, I either don't get things done I need to do, or I get stuck doing what I don't want to.
  
• Pick my battles...I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, not necessarily towards others, just mainly on myself. I put too much pressure on myself to get things done and do it right. I need to continue to realize that you win some, you lose some...let it go!

Well, it looks like I've got a lot on my plate for this year. No time like the present to get started. See you in 2006! Feel free to let me know some of your own resolutions!

A Non Sequitur Christmas

I thought this was cute and wanted to share............Have a Merry Christmas!!

My Holiday Traditions
a novel

(you'll need some time to read this!!)

I've always been interested in finding out other people's holiday traditions. Today, in the 2nd grade I'm teaching all week, I led a discussion on holiday celebrations and traditions. Most of the students celebrate Christmas, while a few others celebrate Hanukkah, while still others celebrate both. We made a web on the board to show each child's favorite holiday tradition. It was great to see all of them get excited in sharing their own story. It was also interesting to see whose Christmas Eve traditions compare and contrast to my own.

In my family, our Christmas Eve celebration holds more tradition than does Christmas Day. That is not to knock Christmas Day or anything, it's just that more preparation goes into the Eve than the rest of the holiday. For many years now, the tradition has been that my parents, sisters and I, along with my aunts, uncles, and cousins from my Mom's side, all gather at my Mom-Mom & Poppy's house (my Italian grandparents) for Christmas Eve. My Gram (my Dad's Irish mom) has been spending the Eve with us too ever since my Granddad passed away...after all, no one should be alone on Christmas! There, we eat food, food, and more food. The dinner tends to follow the more traditional Italian Christmas Eve...that means fish. Typically, it is called "The Feast of the Seven Fishes." However, we don't always have seven. According to my grandparents, it's not necessarily important that you have seven...you can have more or less than that if you wish. And there are not seven exact types that you must have...but there do seem to be some fish that are typically eaten at Italian Christmas Eve dinners.

At our Christmas Eve, the fish we eat is usually as follows: shrimp, eels, calamari (squid), smelts, whiting, and king crab...this year we are also having tilapia (for those of us a little squeamish over some of the above-listed fish---usually the kids). My Mom-Mom, with help from her sister--my Aunt Dolly, and my Mom's sister--Aunt Jo--spend much of the day frying the fish to get it ready for later.

The food doesn't stop there, though. My Mom-Mom also makes some sort of pasta, usually cappellini (very thin strands, also known as angel-hair pasta). The sauce is usually baby shrimp in a thinner red sauce. Yum.

We're not done yet. Most years we also have something called zeppole (we say ZEE-po-lee)...it is otherwise known as fried dough. This is one of my favorite parts of Christmas Eve. Although, a little birdy told me we may not be having it this year...it is a lot of work for my Mom-Mom. She likes to make her own dough from scratch, and with frying all the fish...well, it takes up a lot of time. Anyway, back to the zeppole. There are many ways that Italian families eat it. Some eat it sweet, rolled in cinnamon and/or sugar...others eat it plain...others eat it filled with anchovies (as my Poppy likes it!). Still others may eat it with a tomato sauce or even jelly. Typically, my family eats it either sugared, with jelly, or plain...but we've also had it filled with tuna. We stay away from my Poppy's zeppole filled with anchovies! In addition to all the dinner food, we have too many desserts to count, which usually get passed on 'til Christmas Day.

Now, onto the rest of the night...for at least a week before Christmas Eve, it is common to hear "I can't wait until Christmas Eve" from my sisters, cousins, and me. Why? Well, because of polyannas. The torture (for the little ones) is that after eating dinner, they want to do pollyannas right away...however, the adults want to get the dishes cleaned up a bit. So, it's usually my job to keep them occupied with other activities, like karaoke or crafts. Don't be fooled though...every five minutes, you hear "Are we doing pollyannas yet?"

Here's how it works...Every year, just before Halloween, we pick names out of a hat (it is restricted currently to only the grandchildren...there are 7 of us). We keep the names a secret and buy a gift for the cousin whose name we receive. No one is supposed to find out who had who until that night...but, the tricksters sometimes find out. Anyway, the big joke is that we try to fake each other out...don't ask me how this started, but some of us go so far as to put the wrapped gift in another cousin's lap, and then yank it away to hand it to the person it was really meant for. But, don't worry...it's not just the grandchildren that receive presents that night...we all give gifts to our Godparents as well as Grandparents...so, pretty much everyone goes home with something! The whole while, we also listen up for the sirens blaring...'cause typically every year we get a visit from Santa Claus on the local fire department's fire truck. We all run outside and the kids receive candy canes from Santa.

When all of us finally go home...my family's tradition continues at my house. My parents, sisters, and me exchange some gifts that night. My sisters and I give our gifts to each other, and we also give our parents their gifts. My parents usually will give each of us one gift to open on Christmas Eve...we receive the rest on Christmas morning.

I'd love to hear about your traditions...feel free to share!

Snow Day

So, yeah, it snowed last night (or, actually, very early this morning--depending on how you want to look at it). I'm really bored though, right now. Schools are all closed...my Mom took my Jeep to work...nowhere to go, nothing to see.

Kelli and I have already been out to shovel and salt the walk. At first shovel, it's a light fluffy snow...however, when you get below the surface, it's heavy and wet. And it's freakin' cold out there. Murphy hates the snow...his little paws can't handle it. Watching him try to walk through the backyard is hilarious though...he was trying to find a nice, low place to go to the bathroom (to no avail) so his legs were completely sunken in and his little butt got wet...it was quite funny if I do say so myself.

Before I go...here is a little Christmas trivia for ya...

Why is the word Christmas sometimes shortened to Xmas?

• Answer: Popular belief was that Xmas was a way to rid Christmas of it's original meaning. However, this isn't true. Xristos means Christ in Greek, also meaning anointed. Mas is an abbreviated form of the word Mass. Together, they translate as "worship for Christ."
  

My List of Must-Sees for the Christmas Season


So you've read Tim Ballisty's Christmas Song Extravaganza (oops, I forgot "Ultimate"). Now let's talk movies. You lika the Christmas movie? The Christmas movie is good, no? Okay...enough of the joking around. I love Christmas movies and specials. In addition to great holiday music, it's one of the best ways to get into the Christmas spirit. I've compiled a list of my favorites. I know some of you may not agree, but, that is why it's my list. Feel free to tell me what you think, though...I'm always up for a good debate.

In Chronological Order (with some of my favorite quotes):

• It's A Wonderful Life (1946) - "Daddy, teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings."

• Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) - "A toy is never truly happy until it is loved by a child."

• A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) - "Isn't there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?"

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas! - original (1966) - "It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags!"

• Frosty the Snowman (1969) - "Happy birthday! Hey, I said my first words."

• Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978) - I don't have a quote for this, but my favorite part is when Bert and Ernie each sell their prized possessions to Mr. Hooper in order to buy a Christmas gift for the other; Ernie sells Rubber Ducky to buy Bert a cigar box for his paper clip collection. Bert sells his paper clip collection to buy a soap dish for, you guessed it, Ernie's Rubber Ducky. In the end, good ole Mr. Hooper gives back their prized possessions, for nothing in return.
  

• A Christmas Story (1983) - "You'll shoot your eye out." and "Fra-gee-lay. That must be Italian."

• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983) - "Hey! Hey!...Unto you a child is born!... And it's Jesus!...So go on...go on!"

• Scrooged (1988) - "The catch...is that you need to shower, little man. You are ripe! Wooo!"

• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) - "Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?"

• Home Alone (1990) - "Bless this highly nutritious microwavable macaroni and cheese dinner and the people who sold it on sale. Amen." and "Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association?"

• The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) - "Light the lamp, not the rat! Light the lamp!" and "It's ok, girls. Life is made up of meetings and partings. That is the way of it. I'm sure that we shall never forget Tiny Tim, or this first parting that there was among us."

• The Santa Clause (1994) - "Charlie, stay away from those things. They're reindeer; you don't know where they've been. They all look like they've got key lime disease."

• Elf (2003) - "SANTA! OH MY GOD! SANTA'S COMING! I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM!" and "I just like to smile! Smiling's my favorite." and "You stink. You smell like beef and cheese! You don't smell like Santa." and "I'm singing! I'm in a store and I'm siiiiiingiiiiing!...I'm in a store and I'm siiiiiingiiiiing!"

• The Polar Express (2004) - My favorite part of this movie is when the three children-- known as Hero Boy, Hero Girl, and Lonely Boy--are standing outside the back of the train and they sing When Christmas Comes to Town.

So, there's my list. Now, if I only had time to watch all of these before Christmas...

Gotta Love Garfield

Happy Birthday, Granddad


Today would have been my Granddad's 82nd birthday...he passed away 4 1/2 years ago. Hard to believe that much time has already gone by. He is surely missed...I know his Irish eyes are smilin' down on me. I love you, Grand.

My Recent Visit to Virginia

I forgot to post these pics from a couple weeks ago. My travel buddy, Tom, and I went down to VA for a weekend, to visit Alicia & Tommy. Below are just a few of the pics I have. Within the next day or so, I'll be putting the rest up in my online photo album.

The girls--Alicia & Me--at dinner

The boys--Tommy & Tom...aka Tom²

Alicia & Tommy with their new dog, Shadow (a lab-dachsund mix)

I just couldn't resist!!...Shadow reminds me so much of my first dog, Pappi, who died when I was 10.

A pic at the Civil War Museum, where we went sightseeing

Cruise Has No Control

I am fed up with Tom Cruise. He is seriously getting on my last nerve. For me, my true disdain started back when he was on The Today Show with Matt Lauer and seemed to profess to know more about psychiatry than everyone else. I had never seen the entire interview, just snippets here and there. So, on Monday night, I watched his interview on Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People of the Year special, and I saw another piece of the aforementioned appearance on The Today Show, where he told Matt Lauer, "Matt, Matt, Matt... You're glib... You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do." That is so condescending; if he had said that to me, I probably would have slapped him. Yeah, I'll believe that statement when I see the letters DR. before your name. I really think he has no business deciding what is scientifically right or wrong. Of course, he can have his opinions, but to spew them like his word is the Bible is just irresponsible and arrogant. For him to say that there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance, shows to me that he is refuting the evidence of years of scientific research, by people who actually know what they're talking about.

Then, taking that a step further, while speaking with Barbara Walters, Cruise credited himself with "465,000 children" being taken off of Ritalin after he spoke out about the dangers of psychiatric drugs in the Matt Lauer interview. Give me a break. Who died and made you the authority on psychiatric drugs??

I can see it now...a hypothetical conversation...

Person #1: "Yeah, I decided to stop taking anti-depressants...but my doctor doesn't think it's a good idea."
Person #2: "Oh really? So, why are you doing it then?"
Person #1: "Well, because Tom Cruise said so."

And to top this all off, I read today that old TC has bought a sonogram machine so he, himself, can do the sonograms at home. Here's a snippet that explains the position of the American College of Radiology:

The ACR issued a statement warning that Cruise and Holmes could potentially harm their unborn baby by performing ultrasounds without the benefit of a doctor's supervision.

"This is a patient safety issue. Untrained people, even if they have the financial means, should not buy, or be allowed to buy and operate, ultrasound machines which are, in fact, medical devices and should not be used without a medical indication," said Dr. Carol M. Rumack, chair of the ACR Ultrasound Commission.

"The ACR is concerned that Tom Cruise has been badly advised regarding the use and potential abuse of ultrasound," Dr. Rumack stated. "There are many abnormalities that may be missed by the untrained eye. Also, if it is not medically necessary, the use of ultrasound raises unnecessary physical risk to the fetus."

His behavior actually stops me from wanting to watch his movies. I'm still convinced that's the reason why War of the Worlds didn't do so hot in the box office. I rented it recently because I typically like Steven Spielberg movies but, sad to say, Mr. Spielberg---Arrogant Mr. Cruise killed it for you.

The Holidays are Here


Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday...mine was just OK because I spent most of the past week sick. Nobody wanted to hug me on Thanksgiving because I sounded like death. I don't have the flu, but I do have a sinus infection and cough, plus I feel very weak and tired...when I talk, I sound like Kermit the Frog in a glass jar. And forget about tasting the food I ate...yes, I was able to eat a little, although my appetite is severely decreased, but I couldn't taste much of what I ate. Other than being sick...Thanksgiving was peachy keen! Nah, it really wasn't that bad, it's just that I didn't have the energy to put into talking or doing much of anything.

So what did I do on Thanksgiving, you ask? (OK, you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell you anyway!) At my Grandparents' house, I ate my dinner in the kitchen at the "kids table," surrounded by my sisters and my younger cousins. The whole while, my twin, Erin, was trying to get the little ones to be quiet, eat their food, stop burping, and stop talking about gross things...and, honestly, it didn't even phase me...I just sat there in my own little world of illness. Kelli, being her 17-year-old self, didn't help any because, even though she wasn't starting the trouble, she encouraged it by laughing...she can never not laugh when the kids are acting silly and stupid. And, of course, all of our parents kept calling in from the dining room, wanting to know what the noise was all about, but that didn't do anything...they just wanted to make sure they weren't killing each other.....("otherwise, carry on"). Later on, things finally quieted down when the football games were over. I had brought the movie The Polar Express for them to watch, so we did that...it was a nice way to end our Thanksgiving together and look forward to Christmas.

So, this is what holidays are like in my family...the kids are so excited to be together, they can't contain themselves...they act silly, they get riled up, they do stupid things, but everyone loves it (well, maybe not everyone). I exaggerate a bit in good fun, but I do love my cousins dearly...I have a great time being with them. Thanksgiving is always just a semblance of what Christmas Eve is like...yikes, that's a whole other beast.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here is a little something I wrote...

Thanks-giving...Giving thanks...
It’s something we celebrate each year.
It’s a time to thank God for all we have,
And a time to hold loved ones near.

I’m ever so thankful for family and friends...
I won’t forget what they’ve given me.
Love, friendship, support, and guidance...
Without all that...just where might I be?

And those that have passed on...
They will never leave my heart.
I’m thankful for the time I had with them,
Even though, right now, we are apart.

Life is so very precious...
I remember this every day.
I know it can be a struggle for many;
It is for those that we should pray.

So today I count my blessings...
Even though it is so cold and gray.
I am warmed by the true spirit
Of this Thanksgiving Day.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire


I saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire tonight. I thought it was excellent and, definitely, a bit scarier than the previous films. Had a bit of a slow start, but not boring in the least bit. It is worth seeing in the theater if you are a Harry Potter fan.

I must say, though, I wish I had more time to read the books first, before seeing the movies...I've been too busy reading for my Book Club. My sister, Kelli, has read all of them so far and continues to remind me that I should read them. I find myself asking her questions after I see each movie, because I seem to forget little details from film to film.

Oh well...one day I will get around to reading the books, but for now, I think I'll need to go back and watch all the movies in order again!

Zach Braff Talks to Fans




Do you like Zach Braff? Do you know who he is? Braff is the star of the popular TV show, Scrubs, as well as movies Garden State and Chicken Little (plus a bunch of other random things he's done). Ever since Garden State came out, I've followed Zach Braff. I think he is amazing at what he does--acting, as well as directing. He continues to update a blog originally started to coincide with the release of GS; he is also in the process of starting up his own site, independent of Fox Searchlight Pictures.

After receiving an overwhelming number of positive responses by fans, he decided to continue posting to the blog as time allows. I check back in to the blog every so often and came across a very recent video entry. So, if you are a fan of ZB, want to know what he's been up to lately, or just want to know who the heck he is, check out his video post here.

And if you haven't seen Garden State...what are you waiting for? It is a great movie...go...run to the video store!

Great Experience, but...Feeling Old!

Today, I was a substitute for a 7th grade Learning Support Teacher. (Yes, that is outside my area of certification, as I am K-6, Elementary-certified, however, when a school is in need of a substitute teacher and can't get one in the cert. area necessary, they'd much rather have any certified teacher, than none at all.) Learning Support is considered Special Education because the students need support for difficulties in learning (usually in reading and writing--due to speech and language, sensory, and neurological disorders, among others). I was mostly in a self-contained LS classroom today, where small groups of students came to me for Social Studies and Reading. However, I also had to go to two Inclusion classrooms for Math & English. Inclusion means that the LS students are included in a regular education classroom with other students for certain subjects of the day. As a LS teacher in an inclusion classroom, I was to monitor the LS students and provide help as the regular ed. teacher led the lesson. The final period of the day was the time for me and other LS teachers to work in a Resource room with LS students, helping them with homework, school assignments, studying, organization, etc. The Resource room is a place for Special Ed. students to go, away from their homerooms and regular ed. classrooms, to work specifically with LS teachers and students on their level. Overall, it was a very good experience for me...a chance for me to put into practice LS instruction I had only previously seen in videos, read in textbooks, or observed as a student-teacher. Even though I had taken a class in Special Education while in college, as part of my coursework in Elementary Education, there is much more to it than anyone could gain out of one college course.

Now, onto why I feel old...make that short and old. It is really weird walking through the hallways of a middle school having 7th-9th grade boys (and some girls) tower over you and look at you as if you are a new student. Many of the boys there look like the boys in my high school used to. Anyway, I feel old because a few of the students I had as a 1st grade student-teacher in the district were in my 7th grade LS classes today! As soon as I saw their faces and read their names, I remembered them. And, they remembered me. When I refreshed their memory, their eyes lit up like they couldn't even believe I was standing there in front of them. One of the girls told me at the end of the day, "It was really nice to see you again." I seriously almost cried; I thought that was so sweet.

Although it is hard, and many times uncomfortable, not to be settled in one school, one classroom right now...I am enjoying the experience of meeting new children and teachers every day. Hopefully sometime in the near future, I will find a place to hang my hat.

Humor Differences in Men and Women


Today, I found this Science news article while searching the net. Even though it's well-established that there are many differences, overall, between men and women, this article specifically talks about the differences in their reactions to humor. It always seems to be that men find things funny that may not be so funny to women (and vice versa). For example, how many men do you know that still find the "pull my finger" joke funny? Probably alot more men than women find flatulence a humorous occurrence (unless we're talking about the strange happenings at Keith & Michelle's on Saturday night!)...but that's a story for another time.

Basically, what this article boils down to is that researchers feel that women have different expectations when it comes to humor ( like when they are viewing a cartoon or hearing a joke). It is thought that women are more analytical about humor and may not necessarily expect a joke, for example, to be funny from the start. Therefore, when something turns out to be very humorous, women's brains more actively respond with a sense of reward and a feeling of unexpectedness. Men, on the other hand, go into the humorous event with the expectation it will be funny.

My thought is that maybe women have been conditioned, in a sense, to be this way. How many times have we heard that the bumbling husband isn't expected to do something correctly in the house, so when he does, the woman is pleasantly surprised? Or...the husband plays dumb and pretends not to know where something is, just so he gets out of doing something he doesn't want to do (*cough*-Dad-*cough*). When he does what his wife has asked...well, she's happy and pleased. Don't get me wrong...these are definitely the stereotypical views of the roles of men and women (which I don't necessarily subscribe to), but these views are kind of fitting to the article at hand.

Personally, I like the fact that men and women are different...I think it makes life unpredictable and more exciting. If men and women always found the same things funny or interesting or annoying or acceptable or enjoyable, etc., then how might we ever be exposed to anything new? Getting to know your partner's likes and dislikes, and being introduced to new things is half the fun.

What all the arrows seem to point to is that women, in general, respond positively to spontaneity (whether it be in regards to humor or whatever else).

So, what do you think??

My Prime-Time TV Schedule

So, most people have tv shows they try to catch each week. I've realized that this is the first new tv season where there have been many shows I'm actually interested in watching. I don't know if it has anything to do with the quality of the programming lately, but I've definitely gotten hooked on quite a few shows (some new, some not-so-new). It also doesn't hurt that presently, as a substitute teacher, I have much more free time at night to actually watch TV, compared to the many nights I was too busy with work as a full-time 2nd grade teacher (I think I only caught maybe 2 or 3 shows faithfully each week -- if that). Now, onto the list!

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Viewing Key:

Yellow = Must watch (or record, if I have to miss)
Pink = Like to watch, but won't kill me if I miss it
Blue = Eh, depends on my mood...I might watch

Sunday

8:00-9:00 -- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC) (this makes me cry!!)
9:00-10:00 -- Desperate Housewives (ABC)
10:00-11:00 -- Grey's Anatomy (ABC) (one of my absolute faves since it began last season)

Monday

8:00-9:00 -- 7th Heaven (WB) (Shhhh...no comments...I like it!)
9:00-10:00 -- Related (WB)
10:00-11:00 -- CSI: Miami (CBS)

Tuesday
*My favorite TV night.

8:00-9:00 -- Gilmore Girls (WB)
9:00-10:00 -- Supernatural (WB)
10:00-11:00 -- Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

Wednesday

8:00-8:30 -- George Lopez (ABC)
8:30-9:00 -- Freddie (ABC)
9:00-10:00 -- Lost (ABC)
10:00-11:00 -- CSI: NY (CBS)

Thursday
*This is a really slow night for me...I know people love Smallville, which is fine, but since I had never watched it previously, I figured I may have missed too much in earlier seasons...yes? no?

8:00-9:00 -- Channel surfing, or no TV at all
9:00-10:00 -- CSI (CBS)
10:00-11:00 -- Primetime (ABC)

Friday
*Another extremely slow night...I may not be home or, if I am, I may not feel like watching TV.

8:00-9:00 -- Supernanny (ABC) (my Mom won't watch this because of the screaming kids)
9:00-9:30 -- Hope & Faith (ABC) or
9:00-10:00 --Most Haunted (TRAVEL CH.)
10:00-11:00 -- 20/20 (ABC)

Saturday
**Definitely a sucky night for TV...mostly repeats of some of the more popular shows of the week...If I'm home, this night usually consists of movies or random channel surfing.


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So, that's it...(this is for you, Kel...in my best Corky Romano voice): "Questions?...Yes? No? Yes? No? Yes? No?"

Kel, did I get it right???

A Dummy and His Dummy

Well, this is an interesting story...What some people will do to shave off a few minutes of travel time. It's actually pretty sad.

From the AP--Thursday, Nov. 3rd:

[SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - Say what you want about police officers, but they are no dummies. The California Highway Patrol gave Kevin Morgan, 28, of Petaluma, a $351 citation for driving in a high occupancy vehicle or "HOV" lane with a kickboxing dummy propped in the passenger seat. The dummy was wearing a Miami Dolphins windbreaker and a baseball cap but Officer Will Thompson noticed that the "passenger" had no legs.

"When I looked inside his window, I thought, 'Oh, that's cute,'" Thompson said. "I didn't even ask him where he got it. I think he was pretty embarrassed because all the people driving by were laughing."

Thompson often parks next to a car pool lane and stands on his car door rail to look down into passing vehicles. His point of view allowed him to see the legless dummy.

"I think about the only thing he said was, 'Well, that didn't help me very much today, did it?'" Thompson said. "I said, 'No, it didn't.'

Thompson then placed the dummy on a freeway shoulder to deter other commuters from similar schemes.]

Happy Halloween!

As promised, I have some pictures of our dog, Murphy, all dressed up for Halloween. Unfortunately, I had to snap these quick because Murph does not like having things on him...he shakes and cowers until we take everything off. Kelli and I only spent $5 on this costume from Target because anything more is just not worth it for him. Our Mom thought we were nuts when we brought it home.

Darth Murph

This costume actually also came with a felt mask with little holes for his eyes, but there was no way he was keeping that on...he scratched it right off. Here he is with the helmet. He managed to keep that on for a few minutes. I also had to roll up the pant legs because they were too long and he kept tripping on them when he tried to walk (even more reason for him to hate the costume).

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Trick...or Treat?

So, now, onto the story of the trick I played on my little sis, Kelli. Let me preface this by saying that I am a very nice sister; however, sometimes duty calls. I have had the idea in my head for this trick for a few weeks now, just waiting for the right time to carry it out. The right time happened to be this past Friday night. Kelli had gone to the mall for a couple hours with her friend. Since the mall closes at 9:30, I knew she'd be getting home soon after that. As soon as my Mom left to pick Kelli up, I quickly filled in my Dad on my idea and enlisted his help. Basically, the idea was to put the movie "The Ring" (which I own) into her DVD player in her bedroom and freeze frame it on the scary character Samara's face (there's a really good closeup of her at the end of the movie). Knowing full well that Kelli would be freaked out by this, I decided to take it a few steps further. My plan included unscrewing the light bulbs from her overhead light, bedside lamp, and upstairs hallway light. So, her room was dark except for the glowing light of her TV. Plus, we put a Halloween Sound EFX CD on in the room next to hers so she could faintly hear the creepy sounds coming through her wall. So, this was all set up for when she got home from the mall. I also needed the help of my Mom to get her up to her room as soon as they got home. My Mom had the idea to tell Kelli she had left some pictures on her bed that she had forgotten to carry down earlier. Therefore, as soon as they walked in the door, Kelli sat down on the couch and my Mom pipes up, "Kelli, before you get comfortable, can you run up to your room? I left some pictures on your bed that I forgot to carry down earlier. I need to look through them for Aunt Jo." My Dad furthers this by saying, "Kel, try to hurry up though because we're going to put a movie on." So, Kelli goes running into the living room to head upstairs. Now, I knew she'd put on the hallway light before going upstairs, so when she flicked the switch and it didn't go on, she called out, "Um, the hall light must have burned out." My Dad calls to her, "Okay, I'll get a new bulb...just hurry up and get those pictures." Kelli runs up the steps anyway and into her room. Not even 30 seconds later we hear her barrelling down the stairs screaming like she was being chased. Then she goes, "Who put that on my TV?? Get that off my TV!!" The rest of us ran into the living room laughing hysterically and she started laughing too. She said it was so freaky because just as she was turning into her room, she saw the glow from the TV and wondered who had left it on...she peeked around the corner of her dresser to the TV screen and that's when she started screaming.

This is basically the picture that was frozen on her screen (without the background and words):


She says she will get me back, but I really don't know what she could do to scare me. She says it may not be just scaring me for revenge...and I'm not really sure what she means by that, so I'll keep you posted.

Happy Halloween!

Countdown to Halloween: 1 day!!!

My Costume History - Part 6

Well, this is the final installment of my Halloween costume history. Tomorrow is the big day already! I have one last costume to show though. My costume in this picture is yet another homemade one. I have usually preferred to go the homemade route whenever possible. It just always seems like more fun that way.

Example:
Me as an Old Lady, Erin as a Pirate, Kelli as Roadrunner - I think Erin and I were around 12 or 13 here...Kelli looks to be around 2 or 3.


I wore an old shift dress that belonged to someone in my family and we stuffed the top of it to look like I had big you-know-whats. The cane was also borrowed, as well as the shawl (which I believe my Great-Grandmother made). We already had the wig. If you look closely, you can see I am wearing knee-high stockings that I ripped to make them look old. I can't remember where I got those ugly glasses from, but I do know my Dad made up my face to look like I had wrinkles. He also gave me lipstick drawn outside my lip line.

The plastic parts of my sisters' costumes were store-bought, and again, my Dad did Erin's makeup. I think somehow they made the sword...possibly from cardboard and duct tape??

Recently, when my Mom and I found this picture, she started laughing because she said my face looked so little and lost beneath the glasses and wig. This has been a lot of fun for me, finding these pictures again. Not only because I know people are laughing at me, but also because it's been a great chance for my family and I to relive some of our favorite Halloween memories.

I hope all of you have enjoyed reading about and seeing pictures of some of my Halloween costumes. Tomorrow, I'll post a special Halloween picture of my doggy and re-tell my recent Halloween trick on my sister. 'Til then...goodbye and good night.

Countdown to Halloween: 2 days

My Costume History - Part 5

I am still continuing my history, now going from showing you more traditional costumes to just a bit more eccentric. By eccentric, I mean not what just anyone would come up with for a Halloween costume (especially as a kid). I'm not really sure how I think of my ideas, but for this one, I imagine I was wandering the costume store to see what appealed to me...I probably thought, "This looks unique and different...I'll pick that." Erin looks like she came up with her costume the same way...see, us twins sometimes do think alike. I'm pretty sure we were about 10 years old in these pictures.

Example 1:
Erin as a Hobo, Me as a Gypsy - Erin wore our Dad's suspenders and one of his plaid shirts stuffed with a pillow...I don't remember how we did those patches--not sure if we pinned them on or had Mom sew them on old jeans (maybe Erin remembers?). Her big plastic tie and jacket were the costume set. Oh, and that's Dad's hat. We both had a pair of the sneakers she was wearing...do you remember those? They were checkered and glowed in the dark! My plastic vest and skirt were my costume set. I tied my Mom's gold shiny scarf around my head. Dad did both mine and Erin's makeup.



Example 2:
Here's me sitting on our steps showing off my Dad's decorations that were meant to scare the trick-or-treaters as they came to the front door (this was in addition to whatever he had set up outside). Of course, though, the lights were turned off to add to the effect.


Okay...only one more day of my costume history...I know, I know, you are sooo upset. Well, alright, I'll throw in a couple extra things...like, maybe, my dog in a costume and a really good trick I played on my sister...[in best evil voice] ha ha ha.

Hasta mañana...

Countdown to Halloween: 3 days

My Costume History - Part 4

Yesterday, I showed pictures of myself as Cyndi Lauper. Even though people often dress up as their favorite musicians and movie stars, I wouldn't consider Cyndi Lauper a typical Halloween costume. So, today, I will be showing a couple traditional costumes I've worn. It seems that every few years I felt the need to dress up in the more well-known kind of costume. It is always interesting on Halloween to see different people's interpretations of the classic Halloween characters. Some prefer to go all out scary, while others prefer to stay "pretty" or more appealing. I usually chose to make my costumes somewhere in the middle...not too extreme either way.

Example 1:
Erin as the Devil, Me as the Witch - This particular Halloween, we both went the traditional route. This is us standing by our old light-up Haunted House. We still have it in our attic somewhere. I remember pretending there were real people living in that little house...yes, I had quite an imagination!



Example 2:
Me as a princess, Mom as a Man, Erin as GI Joe (she was always a tomboy!) - I wore my Mom's old prom dress, which we had to pin up and fold at the waist to make it fit. My Mom wore one of my Dad's suits. Looks like Erin had the boxed plastic costume with mask! Oh, and standing between Mom and me is our old Black Lab, Pappi (I think she was wearing one of my dad's t-shirts). If you asked anyone in my family, they'd tell you that this princess costume was typical of me (I never wanted to be ugly on Halloween!).


In case you are wondering, my Dad never wanted to be in the pictures. His costumes always consisted of some horrifically scary mask that he would find at the store. I can't tell you how many times he would be lurking around dark corners waiting to scare us on Halloween night. Also, he used to set up elaborate decorations in the house to make it scary -- including fake spiderwebs, skeletons, black lights & black light posters, weird lighting set-ups...you name it--he's done it.

This is a little digression from the costume thing for a minute...I remember one Halloween when we were in either high school or the very beginning of college. Erin and I had a sleepover at our house that night...we invited a few of our girlfriends and rented scary movies. After Kelli (our little sis) was done trick-or-treating, my parents took her to visit the Grandparents for awhile. So, we stayed at the house and continued our party. Well...somehow we decided to start dancing...(Susie or Dee, if you are reading this, surely you'll remember this night!). We turned off the lights in our den (except for the black light) and blasted the music. Where we were dancing, we have a big bay window that looks out over the backyard. Unbeknownst to us, my parents and sister had returned while we were having our little dance party. My dad parked the car out front and walked up the driveway to the backyard. Of course, he had his scary skeleton mask with him, so he slipped it on and stood staring in the bay window until one of us saw him...Sure enough, one of us caught sight of the skeleton face and screamed...which led to everyone screaming and diving down to the floor. It was extra freaky because, when standing outside the bay window, only his head was high enough to be seen. Once we realized it was him, we started laughing hysterically and yelling at him. I still haven't forgiven my Mom and Kelli for being part of his scheme.

I think it's stories like this one that has made me love Halloween so much...my parents always made it fun for us, which makes me want to keep that going every year.

Tomorrow...Part 5...More costume fun!

Countdown to Halloween: 4 Days

My Costume History - Part 3

Okay...so yesterday we looked at those old plastic costumes that we know all too well. After a few years of having those plastic ones, I started getting into making my own (usually by borrowing various articles of clothing from family members). Sometimes, I wanted to just be something typical of Halloween, like a devil, or a witch, or a ghost.

However, one particular Halloween, I was going through my Cyndi Lauper phase. Yes...I loved Cyndi Lauper...and I have pictures to prove it. Somewhere I have a cassette tape recording of me singing her songs...but that is for another time.

I don't really know how my infatuation with Cyndi started. I remember seeing her on TV, but it became serious when my Godmother, Aunt Jo, bought me my first Cyndi Lauper record for my birthday (I believe it was my eighth). See, Aunt Jo, was always (and still is) the "cool aunt." So, when I got this record, it was just the greatest thing in my life.

Sure enough, that Halloween after my birthday, I decided to dress up as...you guessed it...Cyndi Lauper.

Example 1:
Here's where it all started...the record:



Example 2:
Me as Cyndi for Halloween (don't ya just love the accessories?)



Example 3:
Closeup - And, no, there was nothing wrong with my jaw...I must have had a huge piece of candy in my cheek! The smudged, 80s-blue makeup is wonderful, by the way. Also, the wig was a regular clown's wig that we spray-painted with this glittery stuff to make it "extra-Cyndiish."



Tomorrow...Part 4..."A Traditional Halloween."

Countdown to Halloween: 5 Days

My Costume History - Part 2

So are you finished laughing about yesterday's pictures yet?

I don't know if any of you remember these types of costumes, but they were the ones that came in a box, with the cheap plastic costume and mask. The plastic smelled like the liner of an old swimming pool and the mask started to smell after you kept it on for awhile (ya know, you couldn't breathe so you drooled all over the inside of it). Well, maybe that was just me. Sorry. Anyway, I still remember every year going in to Toys R Us to pick out my costume, seeing the shelves lined with those costume boxes. It was so much fun to peer down into the clear plastic top of the box to see the mask looking back at you...the question was always, "Who do I want to be this year?"

It's a shame they don't have those kind of costumes anymore...I'm not really sure why they don't, aside from the fact that maybe children were suffocating inside them? I sure hope not. I mean, you do see children's costumes out there, but now they're actually made of quality cloth material. Bleh...who needs that?! It's just not the same.

So, anyway, onto the costumes.

My mom couldn't remember exactly when these were from, but she's pretty sure they're from our Kindergarten year...so, five years old.

Example 1:
Erin as Oscar the Grouch, Me as Cookie Monster (we loved Sesame Street). This is us standing in the foyer of our Mom-Mom and Poppy's house. I don't know if you can see this, but I have a real spiced wafer cookie taped onto the front of my costume....pretty ingenious, huh?



Example 2:
Here we are with Mom visiting our Grandmom and Granddad. Every year, they would give us a little ziploc bag of some candy (usually Snickers & Milky Ways), spiced wafers, and a red apple...yes, that's right...an apple on Halloween. Gram always said that she had to give us something at least a little healthy. I just remember that when I decided to eat my apple maybe a day or so later, it always tasted like a spiced wafer. Erin could attest to this.



More to come tomorrow!...Part 3 "My Punk Years"

Countdown to Halloween: 6 Days

My Costume History - Part 1

I love Halloween. Always have. The best thing about it (besides the candy) is dressing up. Every year you get a chance to be something you've never been before. Of course, the possibilities are endless! I've had my fair share of wacky costumes (most of them chosen by me). However, most children go through their early years at the mercy of their parents' picks for Halloween costumes.

My twin, Erin, and I know this all too well. Our parents are sick, sick people, I tell ya. When we were 3 years old, my parents dressed us up as Playboy bunnies. Who, in their right mind, dresses their little girls as Playboy bunnies? Umm, my parents...people with a sick sense of humor. Oh, you know, they say it was just so cute...and, oh, it was so funny. But, I can't believe they let us go out of the house like that!

Example 1:
Erin & Me - front view...looks fairly normal, right?



Example 2:
Me & Erin - side profile...What? Little girls don't have those yet!! And don't ask me what the glasses/noses thing is...'cause honestly, I have no idea what that is all about.


Yep...that's right...our parents took us out like that! After I grew old enough to know what they did, I questioned my Mom about it. Nonchalantly, she replied, "Well, I didn't make you go to nursery school with those in."

As if that makes it all okay.

To be continued...(Part 2 tomorrow).

U2 Comes to Philadelphia

So, last night, I got to see U2 in concert. It's really kind of a long story how it came to be that I went to see them...but, I'll spare you all the details of the backstory. Basically my friends, Keith & Michelle, had originally bought four tickets to the sold-out concert. As of last week, 2 tickets were still not spoken for. When they asked me at that time if I'd be interested in going, well, of course I was, but decided not to because I'm trying to save some money. Flash forward to yesterday afternoon (the day of the concert)...I'm in the grocery store with my Dad, shopping for my Gram. I get a call from Keith on my cell, explaining how they still had 1 ticket (his sister had taken the other) and asking if I was interested. My response: "You know what?...Yes, I'll go!" I started jumping up and down in the store (even though I got funny looks from my Dad and other shoppers). Yeah, money might be an issue right now, but how many times does U2 come to town?...especially since, I've never seen them live before.

Anyway, it was an excellent night...The concert lasted just a shade over 2 hours. We were on our feet the whole time (except for during the slow songs when we sat because the people around us were too). It's amazing because you don't realize how many of their songs you know until you see them in concert. I've heard people complain that U2 doesn't change up their setlist enough from night to night. That well may be true, but for someone who has never seen them live and has no previous U2 show to compare to, then it's just awesome.

The crowd immediately around us was pretty subdued (we were almost in the nosebleeds)...not too many annoying people except for the guy in front of Michelle and me...we decided he must be learning to count on his fingers or something because he held his hands up for long periods of time, constantly switching the number of fingers he was showing. The occasional fist pump...ok...but if you have to have your arms up through an entire song, it gets very annoying for the people behind you (especially because I'm not that tall and so his hand was pretty much right in front of my face).

Here is the setlist (from U2.com) :

Main Set: City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Elevation, Electric Co., The Ocean, I Still Haven’t Found What I'm Looking For, Beautiful Day, Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own, Love and Peace or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bullet The Blue Sky, Miss Sarajevo, Pride (in the Name of Love), Where the Streets Have No Name, One

Encore 1: The First Time, Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of, Fast Cars, With or Without You

Encore 2: All Because of You, Yahweh, 40