Proximity

So, since I'm moving to California on Friday I've been looking up a lot of information about where places are in relation to my new home. For instance, Disneyland is about 6 hours away from Mountain View. Now, I don't consider this far at all. But I'm sure my mother would consider it an extreme distance.

The story of my parents' courtship places a heavy emphasis on the fact that their respective parents lived an hour apart. Therefore, to meet halfway meant they each had to drive 30 minutes, and they really felt that was quite the ordeal. When I first started dating my husband, he lived 20 minutes away (no biggie). Because I went to a countywide preparatory school for grades 6-12, it was not all that uncommon to have my closest friends live 45 minutes from my mom's house. She was disgusted at this fact, and pretty much never drove me to anyone's house unless it was a birthday party. I went to college 6 hours from home, and my mother only came up to drop me off originally, for graduation, and one other time because I needed a ride home after the end of a semester. She just felt it was too far to bother, LoL.

But she's not the only one. I've had several friends who don't want to drive two or three hours to a place and back in the same day. My husband and I certainly don't understand this point of view, as we have, on several occasions, driven ten hours in a day to get to and from a location. Even at 2:30am, we don't have a problem driving an hour and a half home from parts of Orlando. I'm not sure if it's because of the way we were raised (in a county where going to the movies or the mall was a half-hour drive), but distance is no big deal. Yosemite being 2-3 hours away (I forget which at the moment) is certainly no cause to make a fuss, and I imagine we'll head out there more than once in order to take in the full wonder of nature's beauty. For the next two days, his parents are about 50 minutes away, and it's been no hassle to run down there when necessary. I've been known to jump on I-95 and visit friends in Vero Beach and Fort Pierce at very little notice, no need to plan it all out a week in advance.

I guess my main point here today is that sometimes people make too big a deal out of going somewhere. West Palm Beach was less than an hour from my mom's house growing up, but in my memory the only time she went there for a reason other than the airport was to shop at CompUSA (where I demanded we go to pick up some stuff for college), and to look at the Kia dealership when I was shopping for my first car. It just isn't worth the travel time to her, I guess. Currently, Orlando is 60-90 minutes away (depending on traffic and where you want to go), and unless it's after 11pm, we don't mind heading up there to meet some friends. I even spent one summer working at a summer camp that was three hours away, driving there on Sunday mornings and back on Friday evenings.

What do you consider "too far" for a day trip? How far does your significant other have to be to consider it a "long-distance relationship"? Because for me, I think my limit is 5-6 hours on-way for a daytrip, and I'm curious to see how that fits in with the average...

The DJ Survey

Put your music player on shuffle with all your music in the list. Make a list of the first 40 songs that come up. You can repeat artists if you want. If you have any repeat tracks, skip to the next track.

1. Tango Maureen (RENT soundtrack)
2. A Whole New World (acoustic version from Disney's Wedding Album)
3. Ironic (Alanis Morissette)
4. Figure.09 (Linkin Park)
5. Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Grease Soundtrack)
6. Good People (Audio Adrenaline)
7. Maria (West Side Story soundtrack)
8. But For Now (Jamie Cullum)
9. Teenage Dirtbag (Wheatus)
10. Caberet (from Ultimate Broadway Disc 2)
11. I Turn to You (All-4-One)
12. Born in the USA (Bruce Springsteen)
13. Hand in My Pocket (Alanis Morissette)
14. Thrive (Newsboys)
15. Better Off (Pete Stewart)
16. Cruella DeVille (Disney's Rascal Songs soundtrack)
17. Don't Cry for Me Argentina (Ultimate Broadway Disc 2)
18. Leo at Work/What am I Waiting For (Parade soundtrack)
19. Conga (Gloria Estefan)
20. Send in the Clowns (Ultimate Broadway Disc 2)
21. Mind's Eye (dc Talk)
22. Drug Ballad (Eminem)
23. Belly of the Whale (Newsboys)
24. First Tube (Phish)
25. Revolve (Nine Days)
26. No. 2 March (Nutcracker)
27. I am Hydrogen (Phish)
28. Hey Mickey (Toni Basil)
29. You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! (Disney's Hero Songs soundtrack)
30. Bitter (Nine Days)
31. Ever After (Into the Woods soundtrack)
32. Good Life (Audio Adrenaline)
33. Poor Unforunate Souls (Little Mermaid Soundtrack)
34. Music of Heaven (Wearing Someone Else's clothes soundtrack)
35. Don't Turn Around (Ace of Base)
36. Free (Phish)
37. Hakuna Matata (Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse)
38. Cup O'Tea (Newsboys)
39. I Think We're Alone Now (Tiffany)
40. I Want You (Savage Garden)

01. Which song do you prefer, #1 or #40?
#40 has always been a favorite. I used it in karaoke once.

02. Have you ever listened to #12 continuously on repeat?
No, but I've heard it quite often.

03. What album is #26 from?
The Nutcracker Complete Disc 1.

04. What do you think about the artist who did #15?
well, this is the only song of his I've ever heard, since it's on the No Lies soundtrack. It's a good song, and it's fun to sing, he could be a good artist, LoL.

05. Is #19 one of your favorite songs?
haha, no. It's good for gym mixes and parties.

06. Does #20 have better lyrics or music?
lyrics. I love it.

07. Do any of your friends like #3?
LoL, who doesn't like that song?

08. Is #33 from a movie soundtrack?
yes, actually. The Little Mermaid.

09. Is #18 overplayed on the radio?
I don't think this song has EVER been on the radio, much less overplayed, LoL.

10. What does #21 remind you of?
it's the final song on that cd, so it reminds me that I need to change the cd (back from the days of cds, LoL.

11. Which song do you prefer, #5 or #22?
5, I guess. Since I can't remember how 22 goes without pulling it up.

12. What album is #17 from?
Ultimate Broadway. But I guess it's also on the Evita soundtrack, LoL.

13. When did you first hear #39?
when Uncle Jess lets DJ and Stephanie stay up late to watch the Tiffany concert on TV (gotta love Full House)

14. When did you first hear #7?
no real idea. first fall at FSU maybe? I think that's the semester they played West Side Story at the SLB.

15. What genre is #8?
it's kinda jazzy. I never listen to it, but a good friend sent me the album over IM back in the days on campus, LoL.

16. Do any of your friends like #14?
well, Michelle and Ben and JB probably like it, since we all went to see that album performed in concert. But most of my other friends have probably never heard it

17. What color does #4 remind you of? black and grey

18. Have you ever blasted #11 on your stereo?
definitely not.

19. What genre is #37?
classical.

20. Can you play #13 on any instrument?
I've not seen the sheet music for it, but it's not a complicated song, so yeah, I bet I could

21. What is your favorite lyric from #24?
I only have it because a friend sent it to me, I'm not a Phish fan, LoL.

22. Would you recommend #23 to your friends?
sure, it's good. kinda wacky in that Reel Big Fish sorta way

23. Is #2 a good song to dance to?
sure is. It was the first dance song at my wedding! :)

24. Have you ever heard #16 on the radio?
it's doubtful

25. Is #32 more of a "nighttime" or "daytime" song?
daytime, it's upbeat.

26. Does #36 have any special meaning to you?
Definitely not, because again, it's Phish.

27. Do any of your friends like #31?
yes. it was a frequent song to sing in the grad carrel for a while.

28. Is #25 a fast or slow song?
about 120 beats per minute in the music, but the lyrics are much slower.

29. Is #35 a happy or sad song?
I guess it's sad.

30. What is one of your favorite lyrics from #9?
"He lives on my block / And he drives an I-Roc / But he doesn't know who I am / And he doesn't give a damn about me"

31. Is #34 better to listen to alone or with friends?
most of my friends wouldn't listen to it. so let's say alone.

32. When did you first hear #27?
no idea if I've ever heard it, it's a Phish song, LMAO.

33. Name 3 other songs by the artist who did #6:
Man of God, Big House, Mighty Good Leader

34. Do you know all the words to #10?
apparently not. I just listened to it and drew a blank 1:56 in.

35. Does #28 have better lyrics or music?
lyrics

36. What album is #29 from?
Disney's Hero Songs soundtrack. In like 1996, you could 3 Disney CDs at McDonalds or Burger King with the purchase of a Happy Meal, LoL.

37. Who does #38 remind you of?
Jonathan, as this was the first CD he bought me

38. What is your favorite lyric from #30?
I don't ask for your forgiveness I don't care much for your actress / That's just you though shallow and selfish / So I go now oh my hollow one today / If I could change anything then I would change everything

I Believe the Children Are Our Future

... teach them well and let them lead the way!

On Friday night I went with a friend to see the Sebastian River High School's Prism performance. As is defined in the program, 'prism' is what happens to a single ray of light when it hits glass and reflects in several beautiful bands. As a performance, it's basically a chance to see various student groups perform. Musicians, singers, dancers, the flag team, and others put together a fabulous show.

While the list of songs is very long (it was a two-hour show, after all), I will comment on a few favorites.

- The Wind Symphony opened with Anderson's Sleigh Ride, which is always a masterpiece when performed well.
- A Marimba Quartet (I know, right?!?) did a short Deck the Halls, which was easily one of my favorite pieces.
- Two flag girls performed a choreographed dance to Goo Goo Dolls' Iris, but unfortunately the stereo playing the song took away from the performance.
- A Clarinet Quartet did The Grinch, which was particularly a crowd-please because of the costumed Grinch who made his way through the auditorium during the song.
- A big surprise was the Theme from New York, New York... it started out as a Jazz Ensemble piece, but during the second verse a chorus of dancers came out, really making the piece outstanding.
- What the program deemed as Traditional Tune for the tuba section was really what string bass players know as The Elephant, and it was performed with the proper amount of gusto needed for the short ditty to appeal to the public.
- Then there was the Caribbean Ensemble (a surprise in itself - steel drums are not a typical instrument in high school) which did a medley of Buffet's Best.
- The trumpets fanned out in the audience to perform Final Countdown, but it would have been better if they were facing various directions, for a fuller sound.
- Immediately following that piece was arguably the most stunning Auxiliary performance. Fog, lighting, flags, guns, and dancers illuminated the stage and the main level of the auditorium, choreographed to Spiderman's Decisions. Thank God for Danny Elfman once again.
- An original piece, Cleanin' Up was fabulous. The percussion ensemble acted as a janitorial staff and used brooms, trash cans, and other tools to create a wonderful tune.
- The trombone section did a lively Carry on My Wayward Son, and a cute little swing choir ensemble did I've Got Rhythm.
- To finish off the night, the drumline did a few cadences, and then the space filled with members of the Marching Sharks Band, performing their 2008 Halftime Show.
The talent of these students fills me to the brim with happiness and joy. The devotion it takes on the behalf of these young musicians is astounding. I can only hope and pray that the dedication and perseverance they've learned through their music will carry on into other parts of their lives and help to better the world someday.

Perhaps I should clue some readers in on why I support arts education so much...
For seven years, I was a violinist. I played for at least an hour each day, in the later years at least two. As part of the Lincoln Park Academy orchestra program, we achieved Superior ratings six out of those seven years, and performed at the national and international levels. In Paris 2000-2001, we received an award for Best Direction, which was a big deal.
Anyway, because music was such a big part of my everyday life for so long, I have a genuine passion for keeping arts in education, and giving students the opportunity to excel in a melodic manner. I truly believe that it aids in concentration, attitude, and general demeanor.

Congratulations Sebastian River High School on a job well done!

Let the Holiday Season Begin!

With Thanksgiving now behind us, it's time to look forward to the most wonderful time of the year: Christmas. And, like always, the action officially began this morning, circa 4am. Black Friday kicked off with sales at many stores across the country, and many internet sites are taking part as well (although technically when Cyber Monday takes place in a few days, there will be many more sales, I'm sure!).

I've been taking part in this economic-boosting tradition for over ten years now, and have always been able to find a good deal or two. I've been in several cities (Jensen Beach, Tallahassee, Fort Myers, and Melbourne being the major ones) for this event, but I must say that the traffic in Melbourne was pretty minimal, provided that you take back roads to get from one store to the next.

Last year was the first time that I utilized anything other than the flyers that come in the newspapers and mail the week before. With the internet being so readily available these days, and the fact that people leak out information in advance, the opportunity to plan becomes ever-so-much easier. With a simple spreadsheet, one is able to check out all the stores offering the same item, in order to not only compare prices, but to compare store opening times as well. Thanks to the insane amount of work that was put into that, after shuffling through the flyers to get some general ideas, you can easily check to see if you missed something you've been on the lookout for (you can sort by categories!).

I would love to hear about how your own shopping experiences went (where you found deals, what stores were crowded, how long the checkout lines were, what kind of coffee you picked up to stay awake, etc.). I'll recap my own morning below.

So there were three of us in the car this year, and it was the first Black Friday for one of my friends. We got a late start (having spent the night out-of-town last night), so we arrived at our first stop, Staples, at around 7am. We quickly grabbed both items we wanted, and waltzed through to a cashier in no time. Next stop, Kmart (which I always forget still exists until I see a sale flyer from them, LoL). Because they had already been open for quite a while, we missed out on the big-ticket item we were shooting for (gift for my brother), but picked up a couple other things. There were only a couple of people in front of us in line, so it was pretty fast too. Then it was over to Ace Hardware, which had been open for all of forty minutes when we walked through the door. Unfortunately for them, it seemed like there were only a few people who had been in there. The three open registers had no customers, and on our way to pick up the tools on the list, we passed four workers waiting to help somebody.

At this point we had a slight divergence, where I went to the mall, and the others headed to Circuit City. They went 3 for 4 at Circuit City (where there were long lines), and I made out with a beast of a deal at JCPenney. I cruised the rest of the mall while they checked out, but there was nothing too great on sale. We converged for a quick breakfast at the Chick-Fil-A in the food court, then headed on to Sears. We went 2 for 3 at Sears (and at this point I should mention that the missing item is the same thing we were after at Kmart and Circuit City), which was amazing, considering we got the last of one of those items (my sister's gift). It was almost 10am as we drove back to the house, and the guys chose to nap and watch a movie while I headed out for the final stop: Walgreens.

Walgreens is the store on my list that I always get to last. Every single year I try to make it there, but since the items are not as "big-ticket," I often don't make it there until after the sales end (around noon). This time, however, I was one of the few people in the store, and was able to take my time as I perused the Christmas card selections, carefully chose rolls of wrapping paper, and picked up gift tags, tape, and bows. As I headed back to the house, I felt an extreme sense of accomplishment, knowing that even though there are still presents to buy, we are 100% ready for the formalities of wrapping and sending gifts.

Oh, and to round out the tradition, we had Young's Chinese Buffet for lunch, then made a last minute purchase on Amazon, picking up gifts for my mom and brother (whose gift was almost 50% off there, so that was good enough).

Luckily, we steered clear of Wal*Mart (as per my husband's request), since an employee died after being trampled by customers in New York!

Just a Little Something

so... Wordle is cool. It made this for me. :)

It's kinda blurry, you can see it better here.

Remember the Big Red Boat?

So I'm a Cruise Addict. I took my first one in May 2007, my second in May 2008, and am planning to go on a third next month. I find them to be absolutely fabulous vacations, especially since they enable you to see all sorts of different places and experience many different activities for a very reasonable price. My current experiences have all been with Carnival, and I'm a big fan. I do plan on trying out other lines in the future, as I've heard great things about Disney, Royal Caribbean, and Holland America.

When I was beginning to research to book next month's cruise, I was considering a few different cruise lines. At one point, the commercials for the Big Red Boat began running through my mind, and I took the time to look up the company, since it had been years since I last saw an advertisement from them. Turns out they shut down in 2000, which intrigues me, since they were so well known for so long.

The cruiseline known for Big Red Boats was Premier Cruise Line, which operated from 1983-2000. They were first affiliated with Disney, but when Disney began its own line of ships and ended their relationship, Big Red went with the Looney Tunes (which is how I remember them). The also were partnered with Universal Studios at some point.

There were several Big Red Boats, and a few others to sail under this cruiseline as well. All have been scrapped at this point, with the exception of 3: one sank off the coast of Virginia in 2000, one was purchased by the city of Rotterdam in The Netherlands to be preserved as a historical landmark, and the final one (Big Red Boat I, now Oceanic) is still sailing, as part of the Pullmantur fleet in Spain.

So, what happened to make Big Red go out of business? Well, the ships were older... built before a lot of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations were put into place. So, in 1997, ADA sued them for their lack of ability to accommodate the disabled. They eventually went bankrupt in 2000. :(

Parking

Parking is one of those things that can be an extreme hassle from time to time.
-When you first learn to drive, parking can be a challenge. Especially parallel parking, which I know many people can't do even after years of trying.
-If you attended a larger University, daily parking was probably a crisis.
-When you go to the airport (or on a cruise for that matter), you are faced with either a LARGE fee, or a lot that is so far removed from your destination that it takes an extra hour to get there via waiting for and then taking a shuttle.
-Those who work downtown must master the art of the parking garage.
-Staying at a hotel in a big city means paying a valet charge (or, parallel parking a few blocks away, for those of us confident we will find our cars and that they'll be safe).
-Heading to the mall during November and December can yield in a stealth hunt for a vacant space.
-There's probably some jerk who parked over the line so much that the adjacent parking space becomes useless.
-And let's not forget that when a parking lot/garage is at full capacity, there is that inevitable other driver who will steal the spot that you were calmly waiting for with a blinking signal.

These things happen. And they're annoying. But life goes on, it's no big deal. However, I do have a particular parking pet peeve that I bet others share...

But today, I laughed out loud when I pulled into my local Wal*Mart parking lot. Some people I'll just never understand. As you may already know, Sunday afternoons at Wal*Mart are notorious for being obnoxiously full of a ton of people. The disabled parking spots are illegally used, you see more "sick kid/expecting mother" senior citizens than ever, and every aisle moves as slow as molasses because families allow their children to roam rampantly toward the store. As you pull into an aisle, you may consider a variety of things... distance from the entrance, shade, proximity to other cars, location of the "return cart" corral, availability of street lights, etc. But for some reason, an exorbitant number of people care only about that first concern. Today, as often happens, there were a few cars trolling along at an infant's pace, watching the shoppers leaving the store, in hopes of a close spot. I passed a couple as I drove down the row, and parked 25 cars or so from the entrance. As I walked toward Wal*Mart, I watched those same cars (who had held up traffic in my reaching my spot, by the way), still crawling along. At what point do they decide that it's a waste of time to stalk for a spot 100 feet closer, when the lot isn't full in the back? I just don't get it.

Now, maybe I'm a little partial because I've parked a full mile from my destination on occasion. For 4 months I regularly parked a quarter mile from my building, because I knew there was always going to be a cost-free available spot because so few people bother to parallel park and then walk (particularly in Florida where it has a tendency to rain at the drop of a hat). So if I'm at the mall, or the store, or the beach, I don't really comprehend the big fuss about getting a "good spot." I waste less time, use less gas, and get more exercise by just finding an available space and moving on. Sure, when "rockstar parking" is available, I use it. But the way I figure, that's just karma paying me back for not being a pain-in-the-@$$ when it comes to parking.

Stop being so foolish and lazy, people!

... For the Next Ten Minutes

On Tuesday night, I went to Vero Beach's Riverside Theatre to see Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. A fairly recent show, it had its off-Broadway premiere in 2002, it is a unique musical in many ways. First, it defies the long-held stereotype of musical theatre being big and splashy. Instead, this show features very little dancing, and with a cast of only two can hardly be considered "big and splashy." The show is not the typical chronological plot, nor is it a series of flashbacks. Rather, the story covers a relationship across five years, with Jamie's songs progressing from the first date, while Cathy's work backward from their separation. Jamie, a Jewish novelist, and Cathy, a smalltown girl trying to make it as an actress, appear on-stage together throughout the show, but only recognize one another's presence during their engagement and wedding ("The Next Ten Minutes").

The music in the show is amazing, and both Jason Robert Brown (book, music, and lyrics) and Kim Douglas Steiner (musical director/pianist) are to credit. I am normally a big fan, and Steiner's talent just made the music all the more enjoyable. From the opening "Still Hurting"to Jamie's biographic "Moving too Fast" to Cathy's epiphanizing "I Can Do Better Than That," the piano part is never simple. And while the symphonic sound of the multi-instrument orchestra (the score can be done with two cellos, a violin, a guitar, a bass, and a piano) can never be topped, the performance on piano heard that night was elegantly beautiful.

Norbert Leo Butz (Roger from Rent) was the Off-Broadway Jamie, whose talent far surpassed that of Vero's actor, Kevin Reed. I tried hard to like Reed (as I love Jamie's character), but it just wasn't going to happen. First, it's clear in the musical that Jamie is in his twenties, but Reed looked to be approaching 40. When there's a minimal stage, and your eyes are kind of drawn to the only character on-stage, it helps when an audience member can look at the actor's face and not be creeped out. Reed not only has a vein that tends to bulge in his forehead, his irises are small for his eyes, leaving you staring at the whites... very unattractive. Now, the worst part was his lack of vocal range. He could not hit the high notes of Jamie's songs, so sometimes he was harmonic with the piano, and other times he was down an octave. Regardless, for those familiar with the soundtrack and/or score (which was few in Tuesday's audience), he was deplorable.

Julie Tolivar, who played Cathy in this production, was adorable. With her various costume changes throughout the show, she epitomized how I envision Cathy every time I play the soundtrack on my Zune. She had a lovely voice, but was over-amplified. There was no need for her to be miced in a auditorium that only had nine rows of seating.

But perhaps what was the most impressive aspect of the production was the lighting/scenery. I combine them in praise because of the inextricable way they are linked in this particular version. Using screens, each scene is set via projection. Various background are created upon both solid and pieced screens, allowing for disjointed environments when called for. The result, while very minimalist, gives the audience a complete feel of change, ambition, and hope. And that's what one needs to not only enjoy this production, but to enjoy life.

Mommies and Daddies

Rather than discuss the election that just took place (I had strong feelings for many candidates and amendments which did not go as hoped), I figured I would do a post on a somewhat similar topic: political books. But not just any political books, specifically Children's Books.

Why Mommy is a Democrat is a book written in 2006 which got a lot of press, especially in Talk Radio. Cute squirrels demonstrate why Mommy Squirrel is a Democrat... things like sharing toys, the importance of education, and making safety #1. In 2007, a second book, Why Daddy is a Democrat was published, outlining why a Daddy Bear teaches his cubs Democratic values.

However, in between these two, a response was written for the more Conservative crowd. Why Daddy is a Republican uses a family of Eagles to illustrate terrorism, taxes, and abortion, among other issues.

While all the cartoons are cute, and some of the statements in all three books make sense, it's amusing nonetheless that these (and so many other) political books have been aimed at the youngest of crowds. Hmmm...

It's a Disney Halloween

Short post today, I have a lot to do. And that's because we're hosting a major bash on Saturday. The reason: Halloween. The event: a Disney-themed party. That's right, costumes, decorations, jack o'lanterns, the whole thing has a bit of a Disney twist. Some guests have mentioned that they've made costumes from scratch, some have bought costumes in stores or online, and others have used old costumes and just added a few props to make them Disney-esque. As I have a rather ridiculous Disney vocabulary, I've been helping on and off.

Tonight a few of us will be doing some pumpkin carving. I thought I'd share a few of the links of patterns we'll be using, in case you'd like to carve one of your own in the spirit.

This one has some great designs, but the difficulty is a little much.

Easy and a little lame, but Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather make a cute pumpkin.

Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto have some cute designs here.

Simple, but classic patterns.

Some good, some bad, and all classic Disney.

This one is difficult to navigate, and the patterns are not free. But the examples are amazing, and if it was a SuperHero themed party, I'd definitely be doing the Spiderman pumpkin!

This site was wonderful, but the Disney links are not there this morning. Not sure if they'll return, but I sure hope so!

Fox and the Hound. No lie. If I'm feeling bold, I may try this one.

Captain Jack Sparrow. But reallllly detailed.

An ADORABLE Lady & the Tramp. Another one I'd love to be able to pull off... (and if you click 'next,' you'll see a Mickey!)

I really with PumpkinGlow was working right now, their selection of villains was wonderful, especially Hades and Maleficent, from what I remember... :-\

Fun with Words

One of my greatest hidden talents is knowing random (and often useless) facts. And since I was able to utilize one today, I figured I'd mention it here. Category: Words. (Today I explained to someone that a pangram was a sentence that included every letter of the alphabet)

Typewriter: the longest word you can type using just the first row of letters.

Reverberates and Stewardesses: twelve-letter words types with just the left hand

Authenticity: each letter alternates the hand that types it.

Verisimilitudes: a long word (not sure if it is the longest) written in alternating consonants and vowels

lillypilly: the longest word written with only letters that are ascenders, descenders, and dotted letters.

gyp: the shortest word written in all descenders.

Sequoia: a word that uses all five vowels.
Facetious: uses all five vowels in alphabetical order. ;)
Facetiously: even tags on the 'y' for super alphabetical order!

Uncomplimentary: a word that uses all five vowels in reverse-alphabetical order.

Spoonfeed and Sponged: two of the longest words with their letters arranged in reverse-alphabetical order.

Rhythms: a fairly long word that includes none of the major vowels.

Strengths: a nine-letter word (I think that's pretty long) with only one vowel.

Uncopyrightable: a fifteen-letter word where no letter repeats. I know there are a few words out there that fits that description, but this is the only one I can ever remember.

Catchphrase: has six consonants in a row! (can you beat that?)

couscous/COUSCOUS: visually, you can't tell the difference between the upper and lowercase versions. any longer ones you know of??

Ushers: contains 5 personal pronouns! (he, she, her, hers, us)

Finally, you have probably known that "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" is a pangram since you were ten. BUT, that sentence has 33 letters. you can do it in less with "Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow!" (29 letters)

Amaze me with your word trivia!

"Parents Weekend"

The topic of this post is not my own, but I thought it was very amusing, and deserved my mulling.

Yesterday was a home football game in Tallahassee, so my husband and I made a daytrip of it, to watch the Seminoles take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. The game was good, although there were some strange calls ("illegal snap" comes to mind, for one), and no huge plays. Both Ponder and Richardson had some playtime, and I'm proud to say that our defense forced VTech to use their third-string quarterback, as they injured the other two.

This was my seventh Parents Weekend in Tallahassee, although two slipped by without causing me much notice. At Florida State, Parents Weekend is marked by a circus show, a big football game, a BBQ lunch on the Green, and some sort of philanthropy event. Of course, fraternities and sororities have all sorts of activities going on, especially for their legacies, but that's besides the point. To someone coming into town for the game who did NOT know that it was Parents Weekend, the most noticeable difference: girls' attire.

Granted, it was a sunny 71 degrees out at 2:30 in the afternoon yesterday, but the throngs of young ladies walking across campus and meandering around the stadium were dressed very differently than they had in weekend home games past. There were no short skirts and midriff-revealing tops on every fifth girl you passed. No deep-cut v-necks and re-designed t-shirts with rips, tears, and knots. No mesh tank tops with scanty lingerie underneath. In fact, many of the girls wore polo shirts, dresses, and khaki pants this week. My husband noticed the odd aura of outfits first, and we were both puzzled as to what was going on. Haha, turns out all the little girls and boys were just being on their best behavior in front of and Mommy and Daddy. It makes me laugh, and I love it.

But at the same time, doesn't it make you laugh to consider that a typical outfit to see at a home game is (lefts), and on Parents Weekend it turns into (rights)? Seriously.

Halloween Horror Nights

Another 'pro' to living in Florida: Halloween Horror Nights. One of the largest Halloween events in the United States, HHN has been going on annually for 18 years now. For the past few years, it has only been in Universal, although the last time I went it was a dual-park event, spanning Islands of Adventure as well.

My first trip was in 2000 (HHN X), when the theme was "Not Afraid of the Dark? You Don't Know Jack." Jack was a clown, so there were a lot of scary clowns roaming the park. The only haunted house I vividly remember was 'Dark Torment,' where you rode Earthquake, then wound up walking in (what seemed like) circles through tunnels of demons. There was also a Festival of the Dead parade. But honestly, what stood out the most to me about that trip was what my friends and I did on the way up... we styled each other's hair in crazy 'dos. I had about fifteen tiny ponytails all over my head (which looked even more exciting since my hair was about 5 inches long). I did another girl's hair in spiraled coils. I thought they looked amazing, she was all but completely embarassed, LoL.

Two years later, for HHN XII, I went with a different group of friends. "Islands of Fear" was the theme, and it was a very interesting night. Originally, a little demented girl was the icon, and her playthings were going to control the houses. But, after a string of child abductions in Central Florida, the icon changed to a Caretaker. The villains ruled Superhero Island. There was a house of humanoid dinosaurs. 'Maximum Carnage' was also a memorable house, with superheroes dead at every turn. We also went to Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure, which was the highlight of the night for me. I think I'll always remember The Green Lantern ride in, and then use a remote to "lock and arm" his flying thing.

This past weekend, a mixture of the first two groups (plus some) went to HHN XVIII, "Reflections of Fear." As we entered the park, we walked through 'The Path of the Wicked' ScareZone. First we went to 'Creatures,' which was some sort of backwoods hillbilly house. It was a good first house. Then, 'The Rocky Horror Tribute Show.' We were herded into the amphiteather and told where to sit (which I did not appreciate), then squished in uncomfortably. There was supposed to be on-stage guest involvement, but there was not. :( The typical audience shoutbacks were in place, and there was a large section of the audience down front who knew all of the lines. Unfortunately, where I sat, nobody seemed to know the show, so I was alone yelling "slut," "asshole," "you have no neck" and the like. As could be expected, they cut "Sweet Transvestite" and the Brad-Frank sex scene. I was actually surprised with how many people left mid-show, considering how NOT over-the-top this rendition was. From there, we hit up Interstellar Terror, which was the least exciting haunted house. Then we walked through 'American Gothic' to get to Mel's Diner. After a quick dinner stop, we cut across the park, through the ScareZones 'The Skoolhouse' and 'Fractured Tales,' both of which were pretty good. I wish we would have had time to go to all of the ScareZones (and Bill & Ted's for that matter), but alas, not this time. We waited for an hour to see 'ScaryTales: Once Upon a Nightmare,' but it was easily the best house of the night. Amazing attention to detail, and some pretty graphic scenes. Plus, the Wizard of Oz room was amazingly fun, except I got a stream of water to the eye that knocked me down. It was nearing midnight as we got in line for 'The Hallow,' but it was a good time.

The main thing that's changed (to me) are the lengths of the events. I remember going from like 7pm -2am the first time. But this year, it was just 6:30-midnight. But maybe that can be attributed to the different nights that we went. Also, now there are texting games you can play while waiting in the lines, giving you a heads-up on the house and its backstory. Lastly, I sort of wish the ScareZones would stay open a little later... we walked through 'Asylum in Wonderland' on our way out of the park, but since it was after midnight, there were no more 'scare actors,' so the park looked a little plain. Can't wait for another year!

Aquariums

When Disney's Finding Nemo came out, there was an exponential increase in small saltwater aquariums sold. Why? Because every little child believed that he could care for a clownfish. In reality, they are quite the needy little species, and many parents had the unfortunate responsibility of flushing a little Nemo or Nema down the toilet.

I'm not quite sure why, but watching little fishies and other marine animals swimming around in a glass tank has always amused me. Maybe it's the bright colors, or the variety of body shapes, or the modes of locomotion. Until I was nine, my parents had a 55-gallon freshwater tank, but there were only a few fish, a red-tailed shark, and a suckerfish. But there were plants, rainbow-colored rocks, and the standard castles and shipwrecks that were popular at the time. Now, a roommate has a 35-gallon saltwater tank, and it's a focal point in our living room. The fish are active, and we've had a variety of different specimens in there. Currently we have a shrimp, two clownfish, a blue one, and a black-and-white-striped one. Fun to look at, but not all that exciting in the long run, LoL.

Living in Florida for the past fifteen years, I have come to take places like SeaWorld for granted. The amazement of the fish in those aquariums is only fascinating for so long. On the other hand, the fish you can see snorkeling never seem to get old. Even if you swim along the same reef or in the same cove, the marine life can be so distinct and beautiful. Still, the San Francisco aquarium was pretty neat, and I wouldn't mind visiting it again, the next time I am in the Bay Area.

ICEBAR Orlando

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of heading out to Orlando's newest club, ICEBAR. It's near Pointe Orlando, almost across the street from WonderWorks. It's a pretty chill place, not as exciting as other clubs, but with the right crows, it's a great time. It's free to get in and hang out in the Chill Lounge, where they have some tasty drinks. The prices are a bit high, but they do have specials on martinis, if you're a fan of the flavor of the day. If you want to experience the 27-degree Fahrenheit room, it'll cost you $35 ($5 off promo codes available on MetroMix) for 45 minutes. You'll receive a light-up lanyard (pictures left) noting your Ice Time, which you'll trade in to get your thermal cape and Magic Stretch gloves.

Once inside the room (maximum capacity 50 people), you can see ice carvings of different shapes and sizes, with the theme changing every six months. Currently, "The Snow Queen" is the motif, and the room features a throne, a polar bear (seen left), a fireplace (LED logs, of course), and several encased stars, moons, and globes. There are multiple photo opportunities with the in-house photographer, or feel free to snap your own (somehow in an hour I managed to take about 150 photos!). After taking in the ambiance, you can sit on ice benches (topped with fur to keep you dry) and enjoy some drinks. Grey Goose is the official liquor, and you can enjoy several flavors (lemon was my favorite, although most of my group preferred the pear or cranberry-orange) in glasses made in ice molds. But be careful! If you hold the class for too long without rotating it or putting it down, it will melt to your glove!

The song selection during the time we were in the ICEBAR was a little weak. "Yeah" and "The Cupid Shuffle" were among the bigger hits played, and although it was nearly all "newer" music, the choices were just strange. Hardly any music worth dancing to was played in the first half hour we were there (could just be that the 10:15-10:45 part of the playlist was lame), but it was still a great time that livened up when things got hopping. Overall, some of our group (12 of us) thought it was just too chilly to be a great time (although a few of us weren't cold at all), but everyone agreed that it was well worth the price, and definitely worth doing again!

I Think Peeps are Fun!

Peeps. You know, those marshmallow-and-sugar confections that have become synonymous with yellow chicks and pink bunnies. Over the years, they have become a year-round thing, with pumpkins for Halloween, snowmen for Christmas, and even hearts for Valentine's Day. I'm personally not a big fan of eating them (not a fan of that much sugar!) but I sure think they're neat and fun to play with (you know, like silly putty). And they've been around for over 55 years (take a look at their website).

And I'm not the only one who thinks about peeps. Ten years ago, Peep Research was apparently popular. These guys even got an article on CNN's website mentioning their attempts at Peep destruction via boiling, liquid nitrogen baths, and more. While part of their research is clearly hilarious (like observing the effects of a Peep smoking a cigarette), other parts make for an interesting read. I think my favorite part is the Lit Review.

This group is pretty goofy, but it makes it all the more amusing. The "researchers" are both now professors at other universities, which makes me think my own work might entertain someone enough to hire me someday as well. What is my research about? Yeah, that'll come in time. ;)

Political Recruitment

Both of the major political parties have tried exactly once each to win me over for voting purposes in this year's Presidential Election. But they've tried in quite different ways, and that amuses me.

Yesterday, around 5pm, the doorbell rang. I assumed it would be FedEx, as they had already visited once that morning, and we're almost always expecting something. But instead it was a gentleman in his fifties, greeting me with "good afternoon madam, I am here campaigning on behalf of Barack Obama." He had my name printed on his sheet, and asked if my household would be voting Democrat or Republican in the election. I kindly informed him, "we have decided not to disclose our voting preferences to anyone." He seemed shocked, and after a moment replied, "so you're undecided then." I said "sure, put that down." He handed me a short and useless handout, and thanked me for my time.

Two weeks ago, the Republicans tried to win me over, via the internet, and through Sara Palin. I'm a big fan of Twitter (check it out at twitter.com), and I was surprised to find that "SaraPalinPalooza" was following me one afternoon. I took a glance at the profile and tweets, and promptly decided that I would not prefer to have this group reading my status updates each time I post them. It appeared that they looked at what people were posting about, and matched Pain/McCain's stances with yours to make it seem that you were on the same wavelength. So I blocked them completely.

With the election now four weeks away, I wonder if any other attempts will be made. More importantly, I'm interested in the method in which they'll appear...

Entertaining Events

While I don't live in NYC, I am far from living in a small town. And THANK GOD, because the wretched city I call my hometown boasted nothing to do throughout my teen years (it has since gotten much better, but now there's nothing to do for twentysomethings).

This anecdote revolves around what I've had to eat in the past few days. Why? Because several meals have led to entertainment, or vice versa.

Yesterday, because there was a *major* football game on, we spent a couple hours at Uno's Chicago Grill, feasting on quesadillas and pizza. My husband and I happen to be on the "exclusive insiders" list, so we were able to sample their new Chicken Parmiagiana pizza which will premiere next week. The food was great; we were stuffed when we left. But I sure am glad that we chose to watch the first half at the restaurant, because I don't think we would have been able to tear our eyes away from the screen during the second half long enough to take a bite! What a crazy game it was, but it was by far the most entertaining of the season, thus far.

Last night, in honor of Iron Man coming to DVD recently, a couple friends came over to watch it on the projector in high-def. Of course, this meant an emergency trip to our local Burger King, in order to have "American Hamburgers" to eat along with Robert Downey, Jr. at a specific point in the movie. Oh, and I should add that we went all-out on variety: 3 hamburgers, 3 cheeseburgers, 3 Whooper Juniors, and a Spicy Chicken sandwich came home with us, only to be arranged in a burger mountain on the coffee table.

For lunch this afternoon, my husband and I had a hankering for sandwiches. And, often as the case is on Sundays, a friend planned to meet up with us at a local Jewish Deli. We drove out there only to find that it had closed down, so after alerting our friend to this fact, we headed over to the Meat Market. Apparently they're not open on Sundays, so that plan fell through. We then headed downtown to a small, Mom-and-Pop-type place simply named, "Downtown Hoagies." While it was certainly entertaining to drive halfway across the city (frequently consulting to make sure all parties were headed to the same location) in search of a delectable lunch, we stumbled upon a little afternoon entertainment on accident.

The "big" art festival is early in the year, but we found out today that there's another Art Fest that takes place in October. So, for a little less than an hour, we were able to wander around the various booths throuhgout the streets of Downtown. Jewelry made from antique buttons, geodes and other rocks turned into oil lamps, driftwood carved into a variety of shapes, paintings, sketches, artistic photography, and metal work were among the beauties that we examined. We also discovered a local popcorn shop, specializing in seasonal flavors (today they had pumpkin popcorn!).

Tonight's dinner will consist of leftovers (both pizza and sandwiches), but I am certain that it will become entertaining in some way. Why? Because my life is hardly ever boring when it comes to meals!

Political Parties

So I'm not big on politics, mostly because of the heated debates over who believes what and why so-and-so is an idiot. But at the same time, I do love to volunteer, and have spent some time working on five local campaigns over the past three years. I also love parties in general, especially themed ones.

Tonight, for the Vice Presidential Debate, we had an impromptu party. And by that I mean my most-political friend texted me at 1:30, alerting me that he was coming over at 5 to start Moose Stew. Shortly thereafter I found out I was charged with finding red and blue shot glasses. Well, by the time things were rolling, we had a pack of 36 Americana temporary tattoos, a 6-pack of red, white, and blue glow sticks, moose stew, Palin Punch, and 14 different BINGO cards (tracking phrases and keywords from both Palin and Biden). Oh, and noise squawkers to sound each time you cross something off your BINGO card or when you particularly agree with a point made during the debate. And since the others are all techy, we had Twitter Election scrolling on the wall via LCD projector, catching a few witty comments here and there.

Because of the short notice, the party was only five people, but intriguing nonetheless. Lots of laughs, horn-blowing, and faces made over the taste of the stew. Nobody got BINGO, Twitter Election had to quit due to an overwhelming number of related tweets, and "maverick" was used a few too many times.

I'm sure looking forward to our Election '08 party though, that's bound to be a night to remember...

Flea Markets

I have a long history with flea markets. I've been going to them since I was nine, maybe younger. Many a holiday gift was purchased from the vendors at these often muddy, crowded markets. The selection was generally good, to my recollection. When I was in college, a few friends and I checked out the local flea market, only to find row after row of disappointment. Overpriced toys, a poor selection of movies, and a lack of acceptable board games were a problem. Additionally, the few things we did purchase were of poor quality (I bought a 24-pack of Sharpie (c) markers, only half of which were not dried out and useless).

This past weekend, my husband and I decided to check out the local flea market, as we had not yet been since we've lived here. We found an odd menagerie of items, but found a nice, wooden mortar & pestle, a shoe horn, and a set of wooden spoons. I imagine we'll go back, as many booths were not open yet (snowbirds aren't quite in town yet).

We have a friend whose mother frequents flea markets and festivals as a vendor. She sells beach bags, water bottle holders, and other similar items that her husband sews. I have a green and blue bag they made, and it's lovely. They use canvas umbrella material, so it's waterproof as well. I'd never thought about the fees to sell at a flea market, but they are rather absurd. I checked out the website for our local flea market, and not only is the cost dependent upon where in the market your space is and its size, but there are so many odd charges. First, there's a difference in rental cost depending on whether you are selling new or second-hand items. There's a charge for an electrical outlet, security (a whopping fifty cents), having an ad and being listed on the map, leaving items overnight (covered, locked, or in a trailer/shed) on weekends, and even an application fee to be considered! Glad I'm not an entrepreneur, LoL.

Specialty Language

Certain professions require a set of words that only those who are "in" understand. Think ER doctors using terms to describe the symptoms, tests, and results of patients. Or lawyers in the courtroom using jargon that deals with laws, previous cases, and random clauses. Even in theatre, we use terms that few others understand when we talk about lighting design or costuming, for instance. And God only knows what those strange engineering terms mean.

But it's not all profession-specific. It's clear that there is a need in various occupations for such specific wording. But think about nicknames, inside jokes, code words, even music... they all have the ability to stop certain people from being able to understand the conversation. What's point? Just to be exclusive? Because that sounds terribly mean. Not that I can talk, my friends and I definitely had tons of code words so that eavesdroppers would be clueless. And it's not a phase, it clearly lasts a lifetime. C'est la vie.

The Simple Pleasures

Sometimes, a snack puts me into such a fantastic mood. On Sunday nights, Ben & Jerry's does a $2 ice cream cone and $3 shakes (provided that you come in your pajamas). I've been several times, most recently this past Saturday, for such a treat. I try different flavors all the time, and found that my recent pick, Chocolate Therapy, to be rather scrumptious. It may join the rotation of favorites. :)

Today, as I dined upon my Chick-Fil-A #1 (pretty much the only thing I've ordered there in the past ten years), I savored their tangy lemonade. It's another personal favorite that can basically make my day. Frozen custard, soft pretzels, macaroni and cheese pizza, chocolate chip cookies, and vanilla wafers are also on this list. I believe that simple foods are soothing, and that many people take joy in pleasing their palates.

Which leads me to ask, what foods just make YOU happy?

The Price of Entertainment

I love competition. I was practically bred to play board games, have loved video games since I first saw Mario when I was five years old, and follow multiple sports. I love strategy and logic. Game shows amuse me, and I can’t wait for Opportunity Knocks to premiere next week. When it’s time for the Olympics, I meticulously schedule what events I’ll be watching, and which I’ll just read up on later. While I am not a fan of soccer or basketball, live baseball, hockey, and football are among the most popular sports I love.

I have only missed watching two televised FSU Seminole football games since the 2001 season. I have been to about 30 games at Doak Campbell Stadium, and this past weekend I traveled up there to watch my Seminoles take on Chattanooga. Although we are still playing with several players out on academic dishonesty charges, we came out winning 46-7. But what was more amazing than the game itself was the Tallahassee mindset.

I lived in Tallahassee for six years, and have encountered more than my share of morons. However, this past weekend, more stupidity than usual was present. Somehow, the city decided that Hurricane Ike hitting Texas was going to mean no gasoline for a long time. So, the citizens of my beloved city went out and filled up. And filled up, and filled up, and filled up. By the time I rolled into town for the game around 2:30pm, there was no gas anywhere. Every single station we passed was closed.

After asking around a bit, we were told that this was completely locals-induced. There was no real concern or catastrophe coming; the mass that is Tallahassee just took it upon themselves to bankrupt the city of its gasoline. Only one truck of gasoline had come in the day before, and 18 were scheduled to arrive sometime Saturday. Calling AAA yielded no help, the second representative I spoke with actually told me that they had been informed to refer people to the Highway Patrol in this case. Because my husband is very tech-savvy, it was as simple as a flick of the wrist to bring up the nearby gas stations on his smartphone, and we both called gas stations on our cells until we found someone with gas. And this was no small feat – the only gas we located was in Quincy, and that was mostly due to the fact they have two truck stops. More intriguing, price-gouging was in full swing. We paid $4.59/gallon, and the gas stations refused to quote a price over the phone. No worries, we kept the receipt and will be reporting them. We spoke with another family who traveled in for the game as well, and they saw it as high as $5.89/gallon on their way in.

It’s strange to think about how bad the gas situation can get. I lived in Florida in 2004, and there were gas shortages throughout the disastrous hurricane season that struck that fall. However, I had never before feared that I would be unable to leave the city because there was no gas. It really makes you think. Season tickets to seven home games… 330 miles one way… 37 miles/gallon… I use a great deal of gas for entertainment in the Fall. Yet, I love Seminole football enough that it’s just water under the bridge.