Oh No They Didn't: Not How You Motorcycle
Now I have never ridden a motorcycle myself, so maybe I am incorrect here, but I would think that's not what you are supposed to do? Thankfully, from what I can gather, he only broke his wrist, pride and penis-bone.
Pop Culture Happenings: Dubstep Christmas Lights
Two things I don't care for, dubstep and Christmas lights, have teamed up and made one thing I will begrudingly admit I do actually like. Real craziness kicks in around 1:55.
Pulling At My Heartstrings: Puppy Dreams
This puppy knows what's up. It's Monday morning and only half of me is awake. So basically what you are looking at is the animal equivalent of my lower brain functions (And maybe some of the higher ones as well).
Clarifications and sincere apologies
Clarifications
I, the blogger, would like to clarify a few things and would like to apologize for certain posts that I may have written.
Rudeness to Celebrities:
I would not be as rude if I was famous enough to meet any of them in person so I have to be a bit snarky to get attention.
A Regrettable Remark about Justin Bieber
We as a people do not want someone as cute as Justin Bieber to die to die and it was inappropriate to joke about that when someone reported that he died. And there is a lesson for me here, do not offend the Bieber fans. Who seriously RULE.
Rudeness to Sarah Palin and Adoration of Levi Johnston
I may have overplayed the Levi Johnston aspect of the story a bit much. And, since, he is a hick and not a former rightful resident of the governor’s mansion, he’s probably not an ass hole that I would be attracted to. Unless of course I was forced to play naked quarters with him.
Negative Comments about Victoria Beckham
Extremely difficult to retract given her uppity ways.
Religion:
When I’ve written about the Religious Right and Sarah Palin, I am not factoring in all of the nice people I know who happen to be Christian. I also appreciate all of the good work many, but not all, Christian and other religious organizations do to provide for their communities. If you know of a good Church that can save my Heathen soul, please let me know.
Barbie:
I apologize deeply to Barbie for my intense jealousy to her for her beautiful clothes and her lovely, lovely house that she built herself. I just hope she and Ken can figure things out.
Sexist Comments:
I did say that Usher was sexy or something along those lines and have the slight impression that some men with less than fabulous abs might be offended by my comments. I’m not worried about offending them.
If I offended Usher with my comments, I would like the opportunity to apologize to Usher in person.
Bacon Comments:
I do not want more fat people eating more bacon just because they think it is cool. Buy Bacon Lube or Bacon lip gloss instead.
Sex:
When I wrote previously about being attracted to people that I shouldn’t be attracted to, I meant men that were ass holes. I did not mean any of the gutter-like things that you may or may not be imagining based on your knowledge of Cup Chicks, the Stranger, and old Playboy issues.
Not that it is really entirely any of your business. But since you, whoever you may be, are so incredibly fascinated with people who have sexual attractions to others, that’s my big confession. Should I do penance for that?
I don’t think so. I’m not even Catholic.
I’m actually incredibly good at NOT sleeping with ass holes. It’s seriously been years since I’ve knowingly slept with an ass hole. I just don’t like them. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t attractive or that they aren’t charming or that they are Evil with a capital “E.”
The bad part, as I apparently should have clarified AT THE TIME I wrote about my sexual attractions, is that sometimes I want to sleep with guys who are douche bags. Which doesn’t necessarily give me a warm happy feeling at all.
I know that in one of the sex capitals of the world--well, sort of--Las Vegas still rules--I’m definitely a Prude. We do have Dan Savage living here after all and he for sure ups the sex street cred ante of our little city by quite a bit. And there are tons of people with open marriages and blah, blah, blah, blah.
But I’ve never even had a threesome. And, unfortunately for the curious, I’m not going to publicly share my fantasies or any of yours in writing. That’s your business. What you do, or have done, is your your own business. Unless you want it not to be.
Harlequin.com: Christmas Countdown Deals
Get book deals for yourself or as gifts for loved ones during the Harlequin.com Christmas Countdown. Free books and other offers are available throughout December 2012.
Toys for Tots: Give $10 of Toys for $5
Use this deal to give Toys for Tots $10 worth of toys for just $5, a savings of 50%. This deal is available until Christmas 2012.
Links for December 2, 2012
J.K. Guardian columnist says that until we develop new technologies, nuclear power is currently the best alternative to oil. guardian.co.uk
Harvey Wasserman says that the disintegration of America's rust bucket reactor fleet is fast approaching critical mass. guardian.co.uk
Fukushima ‘hotspots’ spread to new areas. enenews.com
Arnie Gundersen says that Fukushima contamination will be “redeposited onto the surface for 300 years.” enenews.com
Weekend box office report: Brad Pitt's new movie bombs and sparkly vampires continue to rule
The news is anything but good for Brad Pitt right now, because his big new movie, the indie action-thriller Killing Them Softly, pretty much bombed at the weekend box office. The film opened on Friday, and managed to scrape up a rather pathetic $7 million during its opening days. Yikes.
On the other hand, Twilight fans continued to flock to theaters to see the final installment in the sparkly vampire series, Breaking Dawn Part 2. Once again, it took the top box office spot -- a position it's held since it debuted last month.
No one should be surprised by the Twilight juggernaut, but I am a little shocked that Killing Them Softly fared so poorly. The film boasts a stellar cast, including Pitt, Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini and Sam Shepard. It's directed by Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) and distributed by The Weinstein Co. Reviews were pretty solid, so what's going on?
Audiences, it seems, really hate the film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Killing Them Softly got a "rare F CinemaScore." That's really, really bad and kind of hard to do unless your movie simply sucks. I suspect Killing Them Softly will be out on DVD before we know it, so I guess we can save our money. Did anyone go see the film this past weekend and, if so, is it really that bad?
Now, for the rest of the top five: Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 was number one, followed by Skyfall, Lincoln, Rise of the Guardians and Life of Pi. I haven't seen the latter two, but I do hear both are solid films. I'm still impatiently waiting for Silver Linings Playbook to open here. Talk about a slowwwwwwwwww rollout for a film!
New Orleans' best restaurants reveal reveillon dinners
Oh, how I adore Christmas in New Orleans. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: It really is one of the greatest times to visit this incredible, vibrant city. NOLA knows a lot about celebrating, and when you combine that knowledge with the holidays, you get the best recipe for fun imaginable.
If you are planning a trip to the Big Easy in coming weeks, here's a term you need to learn: the reveillon dinner. What, exactly is a reveillon dinner? Trust me, it's a beautiful custom and one your taste buds will find delightful.
Reveillon dinners are a longstanding Creole tradition. What began ages ago as an elaborate holiday feast in someone's home after Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve now extends to many New Orleans restaurants. Several offer special reveillon dinners throughout the holidays, and sometimes well into the new year. The menus are elaborate and festive, and never ever disappointing.
A great reveillon dinner can certainly be pricey, depending on where you go. Some dinners can cost upwards of $60, but there are bargains to be had. The key is finding the right reveillon dinner that combines all of the flavors you want. Want a traditional reveillon dinner, or do you prefer a more contemporary menu?
One of my favorite New Orleans restaurant memories in recent years is having a reveillon dinner at Antoine's Restaurant. Antoine's is offering a wonderful traditional reveillon dinner for $49 that includes choices of stuffed pork tenderloin or sauteed chicken breast with champagne sauce, and a dessert that is guaranteed to knock your socks off: eggnog bread pudding.
When you're making dinner reservations at your favorite New Orleans restaurants, be sure to ask if they're serving reveillon dinners. Enjoy! Then, when you get back, post here in the comments to let me know what you had and what you loved.
Explore The Secret Garden
I like to add projects to the homeschool curriculum that I purchase. That is one of the freedoms I enjoy as a homeschooling parent. Recently, I started my daughter on The Secret Garden book project. I didn't think much of it, but this past week another homeschooling parent found out I was doing it and wanted the information so that she could do it with her daughter. I e-mailed her the information of course, but then I thought it would be a great tool for any other homeschooling moms out there.
First, you'll need to get your own copy of The Secret Garden written by Frances Hodgson Burnett and illustrated by Lucy Corvino. You can purchase the book on Amazon, eBay, or simply request the book at your local library. I had already purchased our book several years ago when it went on sale at a great discount.
Second, you'll need to print out The Secret Garden book project PDF available through Festival Theatre Edinburgh. It is 94 pages long. What I actually did was save the link. Then each day I print out the pages that go along with the chapter my daughter is reading. I thought it would be better on my printer to print a little each day than all 94 pages at once, but this is entirely up to you.
Lastly, you should create a schedule for your child. I simply have my daughter read one chapter per day and then do the work pages that go along with that chapter. Some of the chapters are quite long, however, so you may need to break them up into two days. Give your child a hole puncher and a folder to keep all of the pages in when they are completed. Save the book project for your records.