My new favorite show.

This always happens to me. I hear about a new and upcoming show, get all geeked about it, and then never hear another word until it's been taken off the air. Yup, that's me. So the other morning I catch the tail end of the 5:30am showing of "Second Hand Stories" on my local PBS station. And nowhere on the PBS website (which is extremely hard to get around if you watch more than one PBS channel) does it even mention this wonderful show that just came out in October! Whatever. OK, maybe that was last October. But still, I never saw a single commerical for it and it looked like a really good show. It's all about two guys who buy a used ambulance off of e-Bay and set off across the country stopping at garage sales, Salvation Army stores and any place they can find used things. The soundtrack is even made up of LPs they found along the way. since I can't explain it very well, here's what the website says-

As they make their way across the land of cast-off objects, fighting cash flow problems and the disintegration of their cranky vehicle, the duo also uncover some forgotten history and bizarre incidences of discarded Americana: Who invented some of the most popular board games of the ’60s and ’70s? (Sid Sackson) What company manufactured the first professional skateboard in 1963? (Mikaha) What record seems to turn up in every thrift store across America? (Herb Albert’s Whipped Cream and Other Delights).Equal parts video travelogue and pop-culture archeological expedition, SECOND HAND STORIES reveals the passions and obsessions of Americans by taking a closer look at the second-hand stuff they buy, sell and collect and how it accumulates meaning along the way.

And guess what? I've owned a copy of Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream and Other Delights that I bought at a second hand store years ago. I guess in my head I'm ahead of the game. :-)

I've Been Redeemed! Or rather, Ordained.

I guess I should explain that since I'm in an employment hiatus right now, I'm been going to my parent's house and helping my mother go through stuff in my old bedroom and just kind of decluttering everything. I've been bringing boxes back to my house to go through and am amazed at the crap I've held on to as well as the foresight to save some things. (So far I've found the first issue of George- JFK's magazine and the tribute/commemorative issues of People from when Jerry Garcia and Princess Diana died.) Anyways, I found my certificate for being an ordained minister through the Universal Life Church. I remember doing it I just couldn't remember what I did with the card! So I found the card, dated December of 1990, and I think I'm going to frame it for prosperity purposes only.

Happy to be Second

My cookie tray is in the front and my mom's is in the back.


So today was the big cookie exchange at the Grand Oak Herb Farm. 18 people participated and I would have to say 3 brought pumpkin cookies (including my mom at my suggestion) and 4 brought snickerdoodles. I decided to make my mom's date balls which have been my favorite since I was a kid. Last week I asked her what would we do if I happened to win any of the prizes since it's her recipe. She said I made them so I'd get it but I figured we decide that if it ever happened. The lucheon was delish and when that was over a photographer from the Flint Journal showed up to do a story for their food section. Everyone got one of each cookie to sample, we voted on our top 2 and they tallied it from there. First place went to someone who brought Angel Cookies from the Joy of Cooking Cookbook. And guess what? I won 2nd Place!! Can you believe that?? I can't. I never win anything. And I didn't even have to use my brother's name. (He win's EVERYTHING. Many members of our family have been known to enter drawings under his name and they actually WIN.) I won a Bon Jour Cookie Press. I was (and still am) so excited because I actually have been eyeing one. The other part of my prize package was a really nice blank recipe book. Which, oddly enough, my mother has been asking me to get her for Christmas. So go figure. I actually did win and we split the prize evenly and we both got something we've been wanting! How many times does that actually happen?

And did you notice that for the first time ever I have a picture posted that I took myself? Dat's right, folks, I bought myself a new digital camera at the Thanksgiving Day sales on Thursday. It was pretty cheap and mine hasn't worked in forevah so I gave up and got a new one. I'm working on setting up my flickr account tonight.

I'm so glad I've had a great day with the new camera and stuff because otherwise I'd be severly depressed due to the fact that Prairie Home Companion is broadcasting live from East Lansing, Michigan at this very moment and I am not there to see it because the stupid tickets are always offered to the major donors to the radio stations first and by the time it gets to the common people they are sold out. It's a great show so far and I'm sad I'm not there. What really bums me out is that next year they are coming out with a movie about the show and since it's directed by Robert Altman I'm sure it won't be going straight to video. Then I'll never get tickets to the show. Unless I go to St. Paul....Hmmm.....

What's up with Harry's Scarf?

I forgot to mention that I noticed in the 4th Harry Potter movie his scarf has changed patterns. Maybe they switched it in the last movie and I didn't notice. (I've searched all over the web and there doesn't seem to be an image of Harry from the 3rd movie with the scarf on so I can't really say.) Anyway, I noticed this right away because being the crafty person that I am, I've already made a couple of the scarves according to the first pattern. So why did they go and change it? To keep Harry hip and modern? To make every little kid demand the new patterned scarf for Christmas? To make crafty people like us go nuts until they run out, buy the yarn and make the new patterned scarf as quickly as possible? I'll let you know my feelings on the subject as soon as I get back from the yarn shop.

Harry Potter is growing up

This weekend my husband took me to see the latest Harry Potter movie. Errr...so when did all of the Hogwart's kids become, er, um, hot? The Weasley twins threw me for a loop at first. They are smokin' compared to how young they looked in the first movie. Oh, and if anyone thinks I'm crazy, they are 19 and legal so don't be calling the cops on me quite yet. The other one that blew me away was Neville. Now, I'm not saying he's smokin' quite yet (he's only 16) but give that boy a few years and I'll be lining up to check him out.

What irks me is that years ago all the rage on the web were countdown sites to Mary-Kate and Ashley's 18th birthday. Everyone thought it was funny and cute. Now, a woman has put a countdown clock on her blog to Harry Potter's 18th birthday, and everyone thinks she's sick and wrong. Freakin' double standard.

WTF Friday v. 11.18.05

There's snow on the ground. Seriously. Those of you in the know would know that the first snow of the season never stays because the ground is still warm. Yeah, well, not this time. It snowed all day yesterday and it's still on the ground. Not all over but there are definately some patches still laying around.

And to fill that void in your life, here's a snowflake generator for ya.

Wow.

San Francisco in Jell-o.

Finally.

Rumor has it that MTV and Bunim/Murray Productions (the makers of the Real World) has rented some loft space in downtown Royal Oak, a snazzy suburb of Detroit. Could it be? Has MTV FINALLY ventured out and taken the great leap forward and decided to host a season of the Real World in Detroit?? Well, of course it wouldn't be right in Detroit, their insurance premiums would be astronomical, I'm sure. And of course they wait until what, the 18th season to have it here? I've been a follower of the show since the beginning, but now it's so lame I'm not sure I'd even watch the Detroit one. And I'm sure that it has something to do with the Super Bowl coming to town next year.....

WTF Friday v. 11.11.05

I just learned that Anderson Cooper, my news junkie heartthrob, is the youngest son of Gloria Vanderbilt. WTF???? I’m still blown away by this bit of news.

Not a whole lot to write about. Halloween came and went. My husband was severely disappointed that we squeaked by on the candy and had absolutely none left when the night was over.

I saw that they have a made the movie Aeon Flux. Some may remember her from the early 1990’s MTV show "Liquid Television". but then again, some may not. The first thing that comes to mind is, isn’t 15 years a little late? I mean, does anybody remember this cartoon? The only reason I know about it is because I used to watch Liquid Television for “Stick Figure Theater”, which was absolutely hilarious. After searching for any trace of it on the web, this is the closest I could get- click here. It’s similar but not quite the same. Unfortunately you have to know about the Burning Man Festival to find it truly funny, but like I said, this is all I could find. Sorry.

Speaking of historical television shows, I was explaining Schoolhouse Rock to my nephew the other day. He’s currently obsessed with Liberty's Kids so I’m going to let him borrow my Schoolhouse Rock tapes. *Sigh* It’s so sad but I still know all of the words to the history ones.

Hey Holly, how’s "Little Britain"? Isn’t it great to know that I know exactly what you have at your house from Netflix cuz we’re “Friends”? BTW, Vicky Pollard and Daffyd are my absolute favorite and Aaron loves Lou and Andy. Here's what I was going to ask for Christmas, but when I found out she doesn’t even say “Yeah, but no, but yeah, but no, but yeah..…” I decided against it. Oh, and with the exchange rate AND s & h, it’d have been $60+.