I found this cool new website: www.pandora.com.  So there's this thing called the Music Genome Project, and the people invovled with that made this Flash program that helps you find music you might like based on music you already know you like.  Then you tell it if you like or dislike what it picks & that helps it pick better songs for you in the future--and you can save about 100 "stations".  So far I have three:  Weezer, Ben Folds & Nat King Cole Holiday (so I can get my Christmas groove on).  But sometimes it just gets it entirely wrong--my Weezer station has played Hilary Duff, Amy Grant & Mandy Moore.  I think that would make Rivers sad.  I did discover Missy Higgins though, I like her.

Monday I went out to lunch with my aunt Chris, my cousin Heather, her son Bobby & the two girls she watches (nannies?).  Bobby is hilarious.  He's started doing this thing where he sticks his butt out at you and yells "I RIPPED MY PANTS!!" which I've been told he got from SpongeBob.  It's about the funniest thing I ever saw.  He was cracking me up.  I could tell that he's been doing it for a while--Heather & Chris seem to be getting a little tired of it, so I tried to stifle my laughter as best I could.  I learned that lesson a while back:  Things that entertain me, may not always be entertaining to the people who are going to have to see it a LOT more; and little kids love to make people laugh.

Here is the story of how I learned this:
 

Oops.  Lesson learned.

Last night I went out for delicious Melting Pot dinner with Gretchen, Jen & The Slug.  So good.  Valerie, do not feel like this means I don't still want to go to Melting Pot with you, I am a Melting Pot addict and will take a fix whenever I can get it.  Jen & Gretchen were laughing at me because I know what I want and I ask for it.  I was all "Can you do this this way?" and "We're going to need some more of that & those."  Hey, I don't get to go very often, I have to make the most of it.

Gretchen's having a baby!! Yay!  (The aforementioned Slug)  Jen & I want a baby blog, Gretchen refuses.  Gonna have to keep needling her about it.  Gretchen, may I call your baby Slug even after it's born?

This week at Thanksgiving, I got Halloween pictures of the twins.  So cute!  Grant was Prince Charming, but I don't have a picture of that.

Also, my dad has completed his shrine to his own nutcase-ness, see below:

Sadly, I don't think he got much use out of it before they got snow in Pittsburgh.  I think he needs to add a windmill in front of one of the holes, don't you?
 

Read Comments Leave Comments  11/27/05

Ever since Wednesday there's been a huge horsefly sitting on the crossbeam directly over my front door (outside).  I don't know what kind of an omen that's supposed to be, but it can't possibly be a good one, can it?  I noticed it finally flew away yesterday.  It was gone when I carried in the last load of groceries--that's right: I have food!  $120 worth of groceries, actually, but I can finally cook balanced meals for myself.

See, I'm in this competition with my dad and my aunt to see who's THE BIGGEST LOSER IN OUR FAMILY :)  So far I'm winning.  I'm down 5, my aunt isn't starting to count until after her surgery, so she's at 0, and my dad is up 10.  Go me, I'm the biggest loser.

Since I've already referenced Harry Potter in the title of this post, I might as well go ahead and talk about it:  During Black Friday shopping yesterday I hit the Harry Potter motherlode at Target:  The first 5 books for $25, and all three DVDs for $5.80 each (one's a rain check, but close enough).  Plus I bought HP SceneIt as a gift.  That, plus two Narnia books & some Care Bear card games for the twins, and that is the extent of my actual gift buying on Friday.  Pretty piddly, but I mostly go to hang out with my aunts & cousins.  Sarah came along for the first time--and we lost her at the very first store (who tries things on during Black Friday?), but she found us back.  I was supposed to buy a ShopVac for Josiah, but Home Depot said they had a line when they opened and those went pretty fast.  So now I have to think of something to buy him on my own, damn.

Thanks to all my friends who have offered me advice or gotten me out of the house in the last few days (or offered to get me stinking drunk or kick someone in their tender parts, even if I didn't take them up on their offers).  I love you all.  I think only two of you read this.  Oh well.
 

Read Comments Leave Comments  11/26/05

I went to see Harry Potter again today.

I can't help it.  I'm such a nerd.  More things to comment on, same black out rules as the last post to avoid ruining anything.

This is something that I noticed:  In the books, when ever anybody was killed by the Avada Kedavra curse, they just sort of collapsed, [but Dumbledore flew across the room & out the window in book 6--which is a point that some people have used to argue that Dumbledore is not actually dead.  In this movie, Cedric flew when he was cursed, just like Dumbledore.]

Also, the first sexual inuendo in the Harry Potter movies:
 

Enough geeking out for now.  I realized that I've written 7 posts so far and 5 of them reference Harry Potter.  I will try to control myself.  No promises though--it was a really good movie.
 

I just got back from seeing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  It was fantastic.  I wanted to go back in and watch it a second time.

Because I would have been pissed off if anybody ruined any of the movie for me, any descriptions of actual events in the movie are in black, so you'd have to highlight the text to read it or stare really hard (but don't do that, ok? it's probably bad for your eyes).

Cedric Diggory is perfect in this movie.  Totally dreamy.  My favorite Cedric moment is when [he's first introduced and Hermione and Ginny just look at each other & nod]. Exactly perfect.  He totally filled the cute boy void left by Oliver Wood's graduation.  Who will be our cute boy in Order of the Phoenix? Bill or Charlie Weasley, maybe?

I knew what was going to happen & all the twists, but I was still on the edge of my seat watching it.

I definitley think the scariest part of Lord Voldemort was [the creepy baby Voldemort that got dropped in the cauldron].  That was freaky.

Also big ups to Neville Longbottom, doing some quality work in this movie.  Especially since he [stayed out all night cutting a rug with Ginny Weasley!  He did an admirable job of filling in for Dobby with the Gillyweed, and he was a good choice with his herbology background].

I am definitely not one of those people who gets all pissed off when something is missing from the books.  I think those moments would flesh out the story more, but don't really take away from the core story.  Like in Prisoner of Azkaban when they don't address who the Marauders are, or why Harry's patronus is a stag.  It's NICE and COMFORTING for Harry to know that aspect of his father, but it's not really a critical element in the story.

Also, on a completely unrelated note--desperate times: they've closed the Schnuck's up the street from me, and I gave the last of my canned good to the boy scouts today.  The food shortage continues.
 

Cold is just stupid if you don't have anybody to snuggle under the covers with.  Also, I'm stingy and refuse to turn my thermostat above 60.  I didn't take my coat off yesterday until I put on my PJs.  I think I may have taken this too far.  Plus, cutting out tiny squares inhibits my ability to use my electric blanket.  I've also started hotboxing my bathroom.  Last night I turned my space heater on high and stood in front of it while I built up shower steam.  I waited too long--I had to cold rinse my hair.  This morning I made it so hot in my bathroom that it was a relief to go out into the rest of the cold world.

Today I had a can of corn and two pieces of bread for dinner.  I need to go to the grocery store.

I'm reaching the final stages of cutting out tiny squares.  Samples to enjoy:

Read Comments Leave Comments  11/17/05

Harry & the Potters pics:

There are a few more in Jen & Bob's gallery
 

Today I became the proud owner of a new CD: Voldemort Can't Stop the Rock, from Harry & the Potters--which I bought at their kickass rock show tonight at Webster University.  As Jen & Bob's official liaison to weird shit at local universities (see MacHomer), we decided to check it out. 

I was SHOCKED at the number of people who could sing along to all the songs.  I heard about them through a podcast, and listened to the songs on their website, but these kids knew ALL the songs, even the non-website songs.  Is there some underground Songs About Books community that I'm unaware of?

So, the premise of this group is that Harry Potter year 7 got a time turner & went back in time to get his alter-ego, Harry Potter year 4, and now they sing rock songs about their adventures.  And tonight they brought their friend, Charlie Weasley, to play the drums.

We ended up behind a tiny knot of SuperFans--these kids knew EVERY song and were SUPER excited everytime a new song started.  The guy in the group got so into it that he worked up a sweat and (we hope accidentally) flung sweat droplets onto Jen!  EWW!!

Bob took a bunch of pictures with his digital camera, so hopefully tomorrow you can SEE the Harry & the Potters experience.  It was fun & the songs were really cute & clever.
 

Read Comments Leave Comments  11/14/05

Several hundred tiny squares.  827 1"x1" squares, to be exact.  I'm working on a project to make a cover for my air hockey table, so now I spend my free time cutting tiny squares out of magazines.  See?  There are times when it comes in handy to be a little bit OCD.  If I wasn't, I'd never have the patience to cut out all these squares, despite the fact that I know it's going to be awesome when it's finished.

Today I took advantage of the kindess of the people at Borders.  I read all of Lemony Snicket #12.  Took about 4 hours.  One very cute line from the book: 
 

It's Katie Connolly's birthday today, she's 26.  That's OLD.  She is also not answering her phone, so I hope she's out having a good time.

Since Valerie seems to have a need to comment about this blog, there's a link to leave comments now.  It's just a guestbook, but it's something, for now at least.

How about another quiz?  Tim found this one.  What movie nerd are you?  We're both Hermione.