Friday Five

1. I loved Friday Night Lights and I loved Coach Taylor specifically.  So this video of "Coach's" PSA for the Alamo Drafthouse is pretty darn amazing!  From the music to the Clear Eyes, Full Hearts to the tagline at the end, everything is perfect!
          

2. I don't know much about Riley Curry, other than when her father was winning the NBA playoffs she was all over the press conference scene.  But apparently, she's also quite the little dancer as well.  However, Leah Still, whose father is a Cleveland Brown and who has been battling cancer for the last year, has decided she can dance just a bit better.  In case you were wondering, this is the perfect use of social media.  So cute!

3. While others may be obsessed with the pedicure, I've decided that the manicure is so much better.  I had my first today and while it may have taken forever, it feels wonderful to have my sorta-starter fingernails look so nice and even.  I've been trying to paint them myself but they've looked like a 3 year old did them, especially on my right hand.  But having someone else do them, just makes things so much easier.  Also, there's no awkwardness of having your feet out there to be judged and/or tickled (in case you're crazy ticklish on the bottom of your feet...)

4. This little guy is having the summer I want to be having!
        

5. In 72 hours exactly, I'll be taking off for England!!!  Not that I'm excited or anything... : )

Funny Ha-Ha

Today was one of those cold, dreary, rainy days in Maryland - one of those days when you'd much rather be in bed reading a book than pretty much anything else.  There were 2 things though, that made me laugh out loud and one other thing that made me very happy, on top of a great lunch out, yummy potato soup for dinner and some laughs at work - so I suppose it wasn't all bad.

Happy - If you can't tell already, I got my laptop back.  As my friend Jennifer says - Woop Woop!  It's very exciting and while I didn't have a lot of faith in it actually being fixed (Geek Squad could only tell me there were no viruses.  Apparently there were no notes in the file as to whether the wireless was fixed - which was, you know, the whole reason I took it to get fixed in the first place), it seems like it is. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it keeps on chugging along.  Blogging is way too difficult on an iPad.

Laugh Out Loud 1: I may have been the only person to read this story today but some dude decided to strip down to his birthday suit in an airport because his flight was too full.  I mean, I suppose I've been angry at an airport before, but what exactly does stripping down to your civvies do to help the situation?  I'm assuming it makes it worse because now you're cold AND you're not on an airplane, and I'm sure you now have that whole pesky TSA thing to deal with too.

Laugh Out Loud 2: Has anyone else seen the Hillywood Show?  I discovered it today when everyone was tweeting about their new video.  It's 2 girls that create parody sci-fi and fantasy shows and movies set to music.  It's hard to explain, however, they're super creative and super funny.  These girls have some serious talent!  The Supernatural one came out today, and was scene for scene a perfect match for the entire season - the dancing cameos at the end make for some serious laughs.  After that one, I wanted more so I tried Doctor Who's Time Warp which is also all sorts of perfect.  Love, Love, Love!  

         

          

Friday Five

1.  This little guy may be the absolute cutest hockey fan ever!  What a lucky little dude to have such great seats and for all the players to give him the night of his life.
          

2. It's good to know that there are others out there that are just as obsessed with Panera as I am.  I work all too close to one and it's the perfect lunch.  Also, their bagels have pretty much ruined me for all other bagels.  Yum!

3. I find random videos that "trend" all over the world, a little strange.  I mean how exactly does this happen?  And I never click on them on Facebook (I'm a little too paranoid about viruses) but after seeing this one show up one too many times, I just had to click.  This dog is pretty darn adorable! I'm fairly certain I've had mornings like this : )
           

4. The Big Bang Theory + Prom Re-do = the sweetest episode of the entire show.  Between Sheldon telling Amy he loved her and the prom photos at the end, it was the perfect 30 minutes of television.  The writers rely on a few too many obvious gags sometimes, but every once in a while they hit it out of the park!

5. Each year, I'm always slightly in awe of the whole John Lewis Christmas ad campaign.  I don't hear about John Lewis for 11 months of the year, but as soon as November rolls around, it's all anyone can talk about.  Last year's was cute, this year's may be cuter. Whoever is in charge of their marketing campaign must get some serious Christmas bonuses.
            

Kids Need to Know

             

I'm a little late to the party on this kid, but now that I've seen it, I'm pretty darn obsessed. It's not only about the cutest video with the cutest kid, but it's such an awesome idea.  And of course, as a recovering elementary school teacher, I'm imagining all sorts of fun writing assignments that I'm sure my students wouldn't appreciate as much I do.  What do kids need to know starting at their first day on earth?  I have to say for a little guy, he's seemingly got it all worked out.  He really covers the important ones.  

His number one and best advice is to be awesome.  Kids aren't told that enough.  They should be told that they can be anyone and anything they want to be and whatever that is, it will be awesome.  Another thing I would add is for them to be kind always.  So many people today are only worried about themselves, but if we had a bit more kindness and love in the world & a bit more caring for the little guy, earth really would be a happier place (I realize that sounds utterly and completely sappy but deal with it - I'm a sap!)

Oh and last but not least, don't forget to have fun!  Life is messy, and crazy, and awesome and fantastic with brief moments of sadness and regret, but for the most part, hopefully it's an amazing ride where the awesome outweighs the terrible.  If we can teach kids to treat it as an adventure with new things happening around every corner, they'll  be happier and more ready for any challenges that come their way.  

Long story short, new little humans should have fun with it and attack life with all they can muster.  Enjoy it to the fullest and revel in the magic of the everyday.  Treat everyone how they wish to be treated and always remember to kill with kindness. Be who they're going to be and stand up for what's right.  It might be a little too idealistic, but in today's world, you kind of have to be.  It's the only way we can change it for the better!

Cute and Cuter

You know it's a good entertainment week when the new Muppets trailer comes out during the 50th Anniversary celebrations for Doctor Who.  Yes, I have to say that I've been spending a bit too much on the Pinterest Geek boards and YouTube this week.  Enjoy!

Super Storm Survival Kit

And with that, it seems that the super storm of the century has left as quickly (and fairly violently) as it came in.  It's terrible to see the damage that seaside towns took.  However, it seems our little area seemed to make it through pretty darn well.  We never lost power, had no flooding and no property damage.  Though,  since the entire Eastern seaboard shut down in preparation, it did mean that everyone was stuck inside for 48 hours while we rode out the storm.  I've realized that if you're going to get stuck, you really need the right supplies. 

First, you need good company.  I was lucky to not have to spend my 48 hours alone, in my 3rd floor home worrying if the roof might collapse.  I spent my days with my parents who always make for good company.  Then, you need good food.  It certainly didn't hurt that my good company contained a very good cook.  3 hot yummy meals a day with snacks, never hurt anyone.

Then, you need entertainment.  This would have been difficult if we had lost power (and subsequently cable) but luckily that never happened.  As I said a few weeks ago, I enjoy BBC radio shows.  Fairly geeky, I know...so sue me!  My new BFF YouTube suggested I give "Double Income, No Kids Yet" a try.  It's a 3 series set of 30 minute shows centering around Dan and Lucy, a 30 something couple who don't want kids but are surrounded by friends who have all had them (sounds slightly familiar, without the not wanting kids bit).  It was fabulous!  I got so invested that I literally laughed out loud at parts (garnering strange looks from my company I'm sure) and teared up a bit at the end.  I strongly suggest a watch if you have some spare time.  But since it was a radio show, I needed something to do while listening (curse my ADD!) so of course Pinterest was my only other option.  It really is the king of lost time.  You can spend hours on it and never realize it and that I did.

Luckily, this was all we really needed to ride out Sandy.  It could have been a lot worse and we are feeling very thankful today. 

For me, Super Sandy was just a lovely few days to relax and realize how lucky I am before returning to the boring as heck grind tomorrow.

Just Call me Tevye...

If you don't get the title of this post, you are obviously not a musical fan.  Tevye is the main character in "Fiddler on the Roof" which contains the song "Sunrise, Sunset".  And this is my long winded (and fairly nerdy) way of saying that I worked from sun up to sun down today literally.  It was still dark-ish when I got to work this morning and the sun was setting as I drove home again.  I never do that.  And might I say, it stinks!  However, the day wasn't a total washout.  I worked so long not because I was constantly "working", but because the darn stuff I was waiting for was coming from the West Coast so the time difference bit me in the butt. 

So while waiting for "work" I actually got to get my stuff done.  Everything I wanted to get done I did. Bills, notes printouts, course registration, you name it, I did it. It was great to finally check off everything on my To Do list!  I'm on a technology kick due in part to the whole revamping the British tech curriculum article I read. So added and checked off the list were the 3 1/2 courses I finished over the last few days.  Granted, they weren't ground breaking (Tumblr and YouTube: Don't judge, I've never really understood either!) but they were super informative.  I'm brimming with ideas on how to use them, ironically not in Education, but for charities. (Just hire me on, and I'll share my ideas - believe me, they're that good : )

Love days like this when I accomplish so much, if only I could get myself in gear all the time!