Yep, I love a good Yankee Candle, but given my inability to follow the most basic fire safety rules and the budget restrictions heartlessly placed on me by my husband, I really shouldn’t be buying them at all. I do, now and then, take a trip to this nifty little place called T.J. Maxx Home […]
Friday Five: Five ways to use ’80s music lyrics to annoy your kids and entertain yourself
I’m eight years into this parenting thing, which is far enough along to develop a few”tricks” to help me get through the squimishes and mind-numbing monotony that come with your mommy badge. I think every mom has these little tools. They are like little idiosyncratic things I do to keep myself from boarding the crazy […]
Friday Five: Five surprising reasons to watch Real Housewives of Orange County
You might think that The Real Housewives of Orange County is a frivolous show, a time-waster, just another reason to move to Portland, but there are some perfectly solid reason to tune-in to those housewives on Bravo, Nov. 5th. In past episodes they have proven to be helpful, insightful, and entertaining, but possibly […]
Julie & Julia plus my top five romantic comedies
I guess I consider myself a romantic comedy connoisseur. Maybe even an expert or possibly an aficionado, for sure a snob. More than just casual 'date night' entertainment, I expect a lot from my romantic comedies and Nora Ephron (oh, add name dropper to the list), Julie & Julia's writer and director, almost always delivers. The worst […]
Five tips/factoids for the male readers of Alive in Wonderland
1.) Jane Austen is NOT Steve Austin's, The Six Million Dollar Man Bionic Man, sister. She's a famous author. 2.) Leaving a comment calling me a "spoiled, boy-chested, journalism school dropout," while accurate, doesn't hurt my feelings and in the end only makes me happy because it's obvious you've read my blog so thoroughly. […]
Friday Five: My top five ’70s TV crushes
In order of coolness to young girls in the ’70s–number five being my biggest crush. 1.) Baretta. Listen: He loved animals, he carried a gun, and he wore clean, white tanks. What more could a young girl ask for? 2) Stanley “Wojo” Woiciehowicz from Barney Miller. He had that Polish-American immigrant, big, dopey charm I […]
Five Ways You Know You Are Really, Really Late For Your Own Funeral
1) Your children, who are now fully-grown, cut you off in the parking lot with the Escalades they bought with their inheritance. 2) You unknowingly complement your husband’s new wife on her shoes. 3) Reading your eulogy, your brother keeps referring to you crossly as his “late, very, very late, beloved sister.” 4) The pew […]
Friday Five: Personal advantages of the financial crisis
You no longer have to sit through someone’s long, detailed description of their kitchen remodel. You now have a solid excuse to cancel your gym membership. You get to rediscover the knock-off magic of Old Navy. You have always secretly loved In-N-Out burger more than sushi. A nap is now considered a viable leisure activity […]
The four deadly party personality types
The Crashing Bore Favorite topics of conversation: Possible deadly reaction of buffet food to their medication. The "freaky" dream they had last night. How cool they were in high school. How to handle: Play interested. To everything shake your head and say "that's interesting." (Note: This only works if your spouse knows that when you […]
Friday Five: Five videos that would have been perfect on Noggin, if Noggin were around in the ’80s
…or five videos from the ’80s that could be children’s music videos made today and played relentlessly on Noggin…or Playhouse Disney. Toni Basil–Mickey Madness–House of Fun OMD–Locomotion Devo–Through Being Cool (Will require explanation of words “ninny” and “twit.”) Altered Images–I Could Be Happy (Running Lion and bouncing ball over lyrics makes this the clear winner.)