Tis the season, you know...
And no, I'm not Scrooge this year. While I do have to admit that the radio stations in the Appleton/Oshkosh/Green Bay area ARE out to get me (I heard the SAME song by the SAME artist on the SAME station within TEN minutes AGAIN yesterday)...and then I heard Winter Wonderland, Jingle Bell Rock, Chestnuts Roasting, and Sleigh Ride on the ride home too...but I'm not bitter. Really. :)
Anyway, if I was Scrooge-like, explain to me why I've watched A Charlie Brown Christmas, Claymation Christmas, It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, Muppet Christmas Carol, Garfield Christmas, and It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie....all in the last couple days. Yeah, I'm a dork.
It seems like Christmas would be the time to look back, but it's not (save that for New Years)...
In regards to my own poll, I can't really pick a favorite Christmas TV special...but if I had to pick just one, it would be A Garfield Christmas. I remember growing up and watching that every year (multiple times)...but I also love love love A Claymation Christmas. And as every knows I'm very partial to Charlie Brown. And Muppet Family Christmas. And How the Grinch Stole Christmas. So, I can't pick a favorite TV special....
But I can pick a favorite Christmas movie: The Muppet Christmas Carol!! I think it's just about the best version of A Christmas Carol every made. I think has a lot to do with the face that the prose from the book is still included in the movie (narration by Charles Dickens, of course), and it's both funny, scary, and cultural...so if you haven't seen the movie, do see it! But if you buy the special edition that came out this year, make sure to watch the widescreen version, and then switch to the full screen version to hear the song "When Love is Gone" which is deleted from the widescreen version (for whatever reason...).
And having said that Muppet Christmas Carol is my favorite Christmas movie, I leave you with a song from the movie....

Life is full of sweet surprises
Every day's a gift
The sun comes up and I can feel it
Lift my spirits.
Fills me up with laughter
Fills me up with song
I look into the eyes of love
And know that I belong...
Bless us all
Who gather here
The loving family I hold dear
No place on earth,
Compares with home
And every path will bring me back
From where I roam.
Bless us all
That as we live
We always comfort and forgive
We have so much
That we can share
With those in need we see around us everywhere
Let us always love each other
Lead us to the light
Let hear the voice of reason
Singing in the night
Let us run from anger
And catch us when we fall
Teach us in our dreams
And please, yes please
Bless us one and all
Bless us all
With playful years
With noisy games
And joyful tears
We reach for you
And we stand tall
And in our prayers and dreams
We ask you bless us all
We reach for you
And we stand tall
And in our prayers and dreams
We ask you bless us all.
--Muppet Christmas Carol ~ Bless Us All

- posted by L. @ 9:33 AM

 
Speaking of Christmas Carols...
We weren't actually, but now that 24 out of 25 of the mystery carol questions have been answered, it brings me to my next topics....
First off, dear Santa, #24 was not Just Say Nowell....but dear fall '02 collegium folks, you should know this!!!!! :)
Secondly, I've decided that there are only like, five Christmas songs in existance up here....and I really don't like most of them.
Overplayed Christmas Song #1: Winter-fucking-Wonderland. I HATE that song. I LOATHE it. I wish that nobody had ever written that miserable excuse of a Christmas song. Let's build a fucking snowman and pretend he's in a fucking circus. Yeah, good plan. And every single station in this general area plays that song at least eight times a day. They excuse their actions by playing it by different artists. And not even that sometimes. Yesterday I was driving home from work and I heard that same song TWICE by the SAME artist on the SAME STATION within a timespan of TEN MINUTES!!! I HATE Winter Wonderland...it should die.
Overplayed Christmas Song #2: Sleigh Ride. Also a song I'm not fond of. At least when they put words into it. Instrumental is okay...I guess.
Overplayed Christmas Song #3: Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. I hear it at least four times a day...and that's only on the way too and from work...for which I spend less than an hour in my car and switch between 3-5 radio stations.
Overplayed Christmas Song #4: Jingle Bell Rock...make it stop. Please.
Overplayed Christmas Song #5: Varies from day to day...today's version was the Royal Guardsman - Snoopy's Christmas. Not a bad song, but I heard it three times on the radio today...so it could get old.
Also on the list, is half of Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney. They tend to play it just as I'm either a- turning on to my street, or b- turning into the parking lot at work....so I haven't actually heard the end of the song since last year....
Any other overplayed Christmas songs that anyone would like to share???

And now, for an updated Christmas TV Show poll:
What is your favorite Christmas TV Show??
a- Charlie Brown Christmas
b- Garfield Christmas
c- Muppet Family Christmas
d- It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown
e- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
f- Claymation Christmas
g- Rudolph
h- Frosty the Snowman
i- Mickey's Christmas Carol
j- Scooby-Doo Christmas
k- other (please specify)

Yeah, I added Muppet Family Christmas because it rules, and Claymation Christmas because I think it's MY favorite...tied with Garfield Christmas.... :)
- posted by L. @ 7:11 PM

 
And now ladies and gentlemen, it's time for Name That Christmas Carol!
I figure it's been since May since I've run the music trivia...but now it's time to spruce it up and make it holiday themed! Okay, so maybe I've taken this whole holiday spirit a bit far, but who cares? What's with this world and it's holiday cynicism anyway??
There are going to be some traditional carols mixed in with recent songs written...just a warning. :)
So now, you know the drill...

1. Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree, won't mean a thing if you're not here with me. Elvis - Blue Christmas
2. Want a plane that loops the loop, I still want a hula hoop! Alvin & the Chipmunks - The Christmas Song
3. Pray ye dutifully prime, your matine chime ye ringers, May ye beautifully rhyme, your evetime song ye singers. Ding Dong Merrily on High
4. She's candy apple red with a ski for a wheel, And when Santa hits the gas man just watch her peel. Little Saint Nick
5. Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss the little baby, you've kissed the face of God? Mary Did You Know?
6. He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all; And his shelter was a stable and his cradle was a stall. Once in Royal David's City
7. Son of God, love's pure light, radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace...Silent Night
8. Christmas bells those Christmas bells, ringing through the land, bringing peace to all the world, and good will to man. Royal Guardsman - Snoopy's Christmas
9. The choir of children sing their song, they practiced all year long. Paul McCartney & Wings - Wonderful Christmastime
10. Presents and cards are here, my world is filled with cheer and you. This Christmas
11. Fall on your knees, O hear the angels voices, O night divine...O Holy Night
12. See how the shepherds summoned to his cradle, leaving their flocks draw nigh with lowly fear. O Come All Ye Faithful
13. There be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting and caroling out in the snow. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
14. And what have we done? Another year over, a new one just begun. John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War is Over)
15. From God our heavenly Father, a blessed angel came, and unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
16. Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of rubbish imaginable mangled up in tangled knots! You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
17. Snowflakes in the air! Carols everywhere! Olden times and ancient rhymes, of love and dreams to share. Vince Guaraldi - Christmastime is Here
18. I won't ask for much for Christmas, I won't even wait for snow. I'm just gonna keep on waiting, underneath the mistletoe...Mariah Carey - All I Want for Christmas is You
19. Do you wonder as you watch my face, that a wiser one should have had my place? Amy Grant - Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)
20. If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb, if I were a wise man, I would do my part, but what I can I give him, give my heart. In the Bleak Midwinter
21. Our bread it is white and our ale it is brown, our bowl it is made of the white maple tree, from the wassailing bowl, we'll drink unto thee! Glouchester Wassail
22. I wanna wish you a merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart! Feliz Navidad
23. Glory! sang the angel chorus, Glory! echoed back the night, love has come to walk among us, Christ the Lord was born this night! Michael W> Smith - Anthem For Christmas
24. They should never give a license, to a man who drives a sleigh and plays with elves...Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
25. So climb down the chimney, turn on the brighest string of light I've ever seen, Slice up the fruitcake, it's time we hung some tinsel on the evergreen bough. We Need a Little Christmas (best version done in Muppet Family Christmas, of course!)

Not all of the songs are going to need an artist attached to them, so mostly the title is important, but bonus points if you can get an artist (especially for contemporary songs)....Good luck!!! ;)
- posted by L. @ 9:10 PM

 
A huge, enormous, monster-size crisis...
Yes folks, the terrible has happened.
Colgate has discontinued my toothpaste.
Now I have to embark on another number of years search for another perfect toothpaste!!
Damn you Colgate, for removing Herbal White from the shelves!!!!!!
p.s. if anyone ever finds that particular kind of toothpaste, let me know! I'm desperate!! :)
- posted by L. @ 9:08 PM

 
So it's weird that I'm at home right now...
But not really given that my car is going to blow up.
Okay, so I'm overly dramatic sometimes, my car is not really going to blow up.
But somehow, while driving 72 mph past the Ballard Road exit on Hwy 41, my little silver Mazda 626 somehow morphed into an army tank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (soundwise, anyway)
Anyway, those fancy words that I used last time I posted about my car were part of the problem. The exhaust system has some serious problems, the catalytic converter is like, rusted or something. And the entire car vibrates. And driving from Ballard Road to College Ave to the car place on the other side of 441 (couldn't take the hwy!!!!!!!!!!! why not?? because if you get the car up to 45 mph or faster, the car shakes so much that you can't see clearly outside of the back window! it looked like i wasn't wearing my contacts! aieeeeee), was DEAFENING!!!!!!!! (haha, that's why i wasn't driving the car...poor andy)
So, even though I'm at home until 9:15 or so tomorrow morning, can't really do anything. I guess the car-naming contest will be halted. I will make sure there is a prize involved though. I think my car needs to have a nicer name, because maybe the fact that I call it the Ghettomobile and the Beast is part of the problem...:)
But the good news is that once I get home, I have cookie dough in the fridge with which to make pepper nuts, and I have Garfield and Friends: Volume Five....
- posted by L. @ 11:41 AM

 
Up and coming contest (with a prize)...but first, the Mystery Light Switch....
So, as I was contemplating the meaning of life on the way home from work tonight (haha, I am so philosophical), I decided that the good old Mazda needs a name. Now, I swore that if I ever owned a silver car, I would name it the Silver Streak II, but the Silver Streak II (after my dad's old 1988 Bonneville which was also grayish silver) doesn't seem to fit the Mazda. And unfortunately, methinks that part of the reason that the Mazda doesn't like me very much is because I alternate between two nicknames: the Ghettomobile and the Beast. Yeah, I don't think I'd like me very much either.
So, put your thinking caps on folks, soon there will be a contest (complete with a prize that I haven't yet thought of) on names for the Mazda! I will take some pictures to show some of it's *cough* better qualities....but in the meantime, start thinking of good names for the Silver Streak II (someday, I will name a car the Silver Streak II, someday). :)
In the meantime...
Does anyone else have the following problem???
When I first moved into my apartment, I noticed a light switch by the door. However, this particular light switch doesn't seem to have any function at all. I've tried everything and to no avail. I thought maybe it was just me, but a few weeks ago when Joe was at my apartment, he told me that he too has a mystery light switch as his apartment, and Andy has a mystery light switch at his apartment! So, I think part of having an apartment is having a mystery light switch, one that serves no purpose but is in a somewhat convenient place...
Okay, so that's my theory for the day. I told you I was pondering the meaning of life.
- posted by L. @ 10:38 PM

 
Why I HATE Wisconsin...
Yes folks, it's December 1 and what does that bring?? SNOW (aka that white shit that messes up our roads)!!! I woke up this morning to snow...an inch or so to be exact, all of which was all over my car. Luckily, after the brief scrape (no pun intended) two weeks ago where I had to scrape the ice off of my car with (i kid you not) a wire coat hanger that happened to be sitting in my backseat from the time that I locked my keys in my car and attempted the age-old fix of breaking into my car with a coat hanger (fyi - did not work), I did get an extra snow brush/ice scraper thing-y from home when I was home for the funeral two weeks ago. So, I brushed the snow, scraped the ice, and then drove off on the slushy, un-plowed road (it was 9am people, get on the bandwagon...hadn't been snowing for over an hour, yo!). So, once I get on a road where the speed limit is faster than like, 5mph, all of the snow on the front of the car blows up, covers the windshield, and then, to top it off, the car starts fogging up from the inside...and then it all happens AGAIN once I get on 41. I fucking HATE snow.
And let's not forget that my car is going to blow up at some point. I just hope I'm not driving it at the time. Okay, realistically, there nothing wrong with the car, but I am going to have to take it in because of some stuff that I'm going to have to pretend I know what I'm talking about. I think maybe if I sound like I know what I'm talking about and use fancy words like catalytic converter (did I spell that right?), exhaust and gasket, then perhaps my car won't sound like it's blowing up every time I use the gas pedal....it's great, really. The car is going to blow up. As if it's not ghetto enough that the roof leak - every now and then, and the antenna is being held together by alumninum foil....
But, Kazakhstan was in the news!!!! And tomorrow is Friday (casual day!!!)...and then it's the WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Take the Christmas movie/tv show poll, if you haven't already :)
And speaking of Christmas happiness, there is GOOD NEWS FOR MUPPET FANS!!! The Muppet Christmas Carol soundtrack has been re-released, so it's not going to cost you upwards of $40-60 on ebay anymore. However, after looking at the specs of the so-called "special edition" of the soundtrack, that's just another marketing ploy...the disc is exactly the same as the original release of the soundtrack, it just has different artwork on the cover (and, might I add, my original soundtrack artwork is WAY cooler, in my opinion), nothing new, nothing taken away. But, for a measly $9.99 plus shipping on amazon, it's definitely worth picking up, unless you can find someone with the soundtrack already to burn you a copy...(not that I condone burning cds!!) ;)
- posted by L. @ 7:28 PM