This is just another ordinary week in Edinburgh, which is strange for us.   We know that Thanksgiving fever is radiating across our homeland, and, man, do we miss it.  Prepping and cooking Thanksgiving dinner has to be one of our favorite things to do every year, and it is so odd that this Thursday, we will not wake up to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade, drink wine and beer with friends/family, and cook a ridiculously indulgent meal for all to share.

But what else is odd about this experience is the fact that, for all its propaganda (I mean, seriously, the pilgrims and the native Americans really weren’t that chummy, if you think about it), Thanksgiving has become a time that Americans are encouraged to reflect on what we are thankful for.  And somehow, without this explicit encouragement, we have found ourselves absent-mindedly forgetting to give thanks.  And so, for our betterment and yours, we are posting 50 things for which we are very thankful (50 things for 50 states… it’s amazing what living abroad can do for your goofy patriotism!).  Today, the first 25.  Enjoy!

1.  Family!  We have been blessed with blood- or law-relatedness of the highest sort.

2.  Wayne DeWald (aka “Dad”)– You inspire us to enjoy the little things in life– from birds to Lemonade Gatorade to naps.

3.  Norma DeWald (aka “Mom”)– We can always count on a conversation with you to make us laugh and lift our spirits.

4.  Nicole DeWald– You work hard and you play hard, and we appreciate your example of that precarious balance.  (Plus, you look so good doing it!)

5.  Bill Kline (aka “Dad”)– Your healthy perspective on life helps us live better.

6.  Karen Kline (aka “Mom”)– Your compassion and wisdom know no end.

7.  Ryan Baker– Your enthusiasm for all your endeavors (including your love for Elizabeth) reminds us that life is exciting.

8.  Elizabeth Kline Baker– You are the spur in the Kline family ass; without you, we’d go nowhere.

9.  David Kline– You are one of Peter’s closest and most trusted friends, which is such a gift for a brother.

10.  Hannah “Fairchild” Kline– A conversation with you covers the whole spectrum of human emotion (exhilarating!), and you have that fiery red hair and British accent to boot!

11.  Matthew Kline– You have the sort of single-minded passion that even the greatest of artists envy.  (Incidentally, we are among the envious!)

12.  Rebecca Kline– You teach us how to love and appreciate all of our relationships, especially those with our family.

13.  Pets!  A friend of ours says that animals are like little shards of Being; and we sure love loving our shard(s).

14.  Bono, our precious little beagle, you are our most favorite being to be with.

15.  Chelsea– We are thankful that you are the one that stuck around and continues to do so.  (For more on the Kline family pets saga, stay tuned for a later post!)

16.  Friends– too many to count and too good to describe.  We don’t know where we’d be in life without each and every one of you.

17.  Food!  Drinks!  Sustenance!

18.  Salt and vinegar potato chips, while not appetizing to some, are a daily staple in our home.  They keep us sharp-tongued.

19.  Cheese.  ’Nuff said.

20.  Tesco sells this incredible pre-packaged tiramisu that is single-handedly changing our lives.

21.  How can we declare the goodness of Weston’s Organic Pear Cider?

22.  Ginger ale, a staple in our house, courses through our veins.

23.  Music!  The Arcade Fire and David Crowder’s new album, “Church Music,” have their unique ways of soothing our souls these days.  How grateful we are for music!

24.  Skype!  Ohholynight, God bless the inventor of Skype.  Our Skype dates with friends and family have strengthened us for many-a-challenge.

25.  Healthcare!  Our Scottish doctor, Dr. McKenzie, is the kindest person we have met in Scotland, and her presence-of-mind-and-heart during our times of need has rekindled our oft-dwindling hope.

See you tomorrow for our next batch of ThanksGivingGoodness!

XD es que no puedo dejar de recordar las declaraciones de la sexy Megan, alegando que TODAS las mujeres piensan que es una zorra solo porque es bonita y por el cuerpo de tentacion que tiene, pues para que vean que ella es una actriz seria y dama de sociedad, salieron a la luz las fotos que realizo para el New York Times Magazine, abriendo las piernas como es su costumbre y dejando ver un poco de su vajay yay!! claro Megan, despues de esto NADIE creera que eres una puta… bitch please!

click en las pics para agrandar

]]> http://tarheelinnashville.com/2009/11/23/always-kiss-the-girl-part-thirty/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:20:36 +0000 Dave Myers http://tarheelinnashville.com/2009/11/23/always-kiss-the-girl-part-thirty/ http://meganberni.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/gobble-gobble-gobblie-goo/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:41:59 +0000 meganberni http://meganberni.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/gobble-gobble-gobblie-goo/

The Last of the Leaves have slowly made their way down to the damp ground.  A few have become caught in some traps along the way; gutters, windows, roof tops, mail boxes, ect.., but the gusty lungs of the mighty wind man is blowing them out one by one. Yes fall is leaving us (no pun intended) and the short cool gray days of winter are approaching.

Before autumn closes its eyes to hibernate for the next 8 or so months, we celebrate with a fantastic gathering of family, friends, and of course delicious food.

Yes Thanksgiving, one of the greatest gifts I believe we have been passed down from generation to generation.  Giving Thanks for the bounty of the earth, the love and warmth of our families, the hearts and great words of our friends, and of course whatever or whomever you believe in just giving thanks. Appreciating one and another, enjoying and respecting this amazing planet, remembering that we are all in this together. I just love this day, a day to just celebrate life and making are tummies smile.

As I ride my bike home from work at night I find the streets to be calm and quite.  The cool air kisses my cheeks and stings the tops of my ears.  The sky out here is just breath-taking.  It seems so close and crystal clear.  The stars are out dancing and shining their brightest.  I love to see them out and about!  The closer I get to my home I look straight at a mountain that is scattered with polka dotty patterns of dim lights.  Houses tucked neatly in the mountain sides.  It is just a sight of beauty.

On my rides I try to clear my head and focus on the parts of life that make me happy.  Some how or another food always seems to end my thoughts.  Last night I caught a light waft of smokeyness in the air.  The mild tobacco notes lurked in the background and I started thinking of my grandma’s stuffing.

Like everyone elses grandma I do find her stuffing the best.  She makes the broth from the turkey neck and giblets and then adds the usual ingredients.  Then she makes little cakes out of it and fries them to perfection.  They have that crispy seal around them and moist stuffing goodness inside.  I can not open a jar of rubbed sage without seeing her standing over a skillet with a fork flipping the cakes. mmmmmmm

So that is when I decided to try something a bit different but keep the greatness in tact. I would like to confit the turkey legs this year, then make the stuffing, stuff the stuffing with the turkey confit, cut into squares, wrap it in caul fat and sear it off.  Serve it with a molasses and bourbon turkey jus or an orange, cranberry and horseradish compote or hell both. We shall see.

Until then I raise my glass of mulled cider and give thanks for life and all that it entails and I wish to all a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Be Safe!

Peace to all!!!!!

Oh one last thing.  As I was driving back to North Carolina a few weeks ago, I had the previledge to see the sun rise and caught a few shots.  How spectacular it was and I want to share it.  Now this should be another wonderful reason to give thanks.

I’ve never been a good sleeper, and my parents will still tell you that my older sister would fall asleep on command as an infant and small child, while I cried and moaned and groaned and whined and, essentially, attempted to throw the whole world into a non-sleeping frenzy whenever it was bedtime.  (Mom and Dad, you’re welcome for the character-building).

In some ways, I think, my insomnia served me well.  I was able to stay awake and alert while writing papers, studying, and doing all manner of ungodly work- or school-related tasks late into the night.  But, come morning, my body would so vehemently reject waking up from whatever stupor I had finally managed to grab hold of that I would transform into the worst MorningMonster you have ever seen.  (Hence: the coffee addiction).  In fact, when my father and Peter had their “barter-for-the-bride” talk (or, something like that…), my dad’s words of blessing over the intrepid-future-son-in-law included, among other things, his great delight and joy that he would no longer bear any responsibility in dealing with Megan-in-the-Morning.

Part of the problem, I’m sure, is that my mind refuses to get quiet any time quietness is desired.  I have learned, for example, after years of failed attempts at developing a habit of prayer, that I have to vocalize or write or read a prayer for it to have any sort of substance.  Otherwise, the prayers I try to pray become intricate webs of ideas and images and thoughts that take me entirely away from my original purpose, and I suddenly start to drift into daydreams about various scenarios and plans for what I’m going to eat the next day…

So, sure enough, whenever night falls and the world around me settles in for a long and peaceful slumber, my mind starts racing, and it’s all I can do not to jump out of bed immediately and start dancing around whilst reading Kafka in the hopes of crashing out of pure, physiological collapse.

Sometimes, I feel like I’ve tried all the fixes out there.  I’ve tried reading and watching TV and counting imaginary things.  I’ve tried sucking on melatonin tablets and eating turkey.  I’ve tried taking an antihistamine before bed, drinking a glass of wine, and/or drinking more than one glass.  In my most desperate moments, I’ve tried prescription sleeping pills, such as Ambien.  Of course, the prescription almost always works, but I certainly do not want to become reliant upon drugs to do something any normal human being should be able to do– like sleep!  Plus, for all the good nights I’ve had on Ambien, I’ve had as many nights with some pretty insane stories of loopiness.  Like, for example, the night I went camping with one of my best friends and started hallucinating in the tent, watching with utter amazement as the tent roof started swirling with different colors.  So, there’s that.

Anyone who has struggled with insomnia knows the frustration and agony it can cause.  It can feel as if you are utterly powerless in the face of the darkness.  It descends on you in a menacing way, mocking you as you lie in bed and try to get your mind to settle.  The peace and darkness of the night becomes ominous, and it’s really difficult to calm yourself in the throes of it.

And so, two things have occurred in the past few weeks that I’m not quite sure how to deal with.  The first is the fact that living in Scotland consists largely of living in darkness, especially this time of year.  The encroaching darkness comes on earlier and earlier, as we drift into our winter months, and we find ourselves in complete sunlessness at 4:00 p.m.  I feel like I have two options: either I hide away in my flat and avoid the darkness as much as possible OR I embrace the darkness, see what I can learn from it, make it my friend.  Perhaps, in making it my friend, it will have less power over me.

The second occurrence is the development of an incurable, minor ailment: tinnitus.  I have been having trouble with my ears for months, but I am terrible when it comes to being proactive with my health.  Unless something is genuinely hindering my ability to live my life, I ignore the problem.  Cut to now, when the development of trouble with my ears has resulted in a constant ringing.  The ringing is relatively easily ignored during the day, when I can watch TV or listen to music or read a book or do something to distract my mind.  But, come bedtime, I lay upon my mattress, and suddenly, when I close my eyes, I am Quasimodo on duty.  At noon.

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring…

Maybe there’s a lesson in the madness.  But, for now, it’s quite an adventure.

Pues esta entrada la tenía en mi anterior blog y era la más visitada por todos mis asiduos lectores.
Entonces, debido a que me garantiza un alza de visitas, acá está de nuevo:

La chica anterior:

La chica nueva:

Soon to be SuperStar Cheyenne and her friend Megan caught backstage Flaunting with the Amazing Dionne Warwick

It has got to be her again. The sexy goddess… with so many controversial comments one after another, with the most remembered comment that she said she “felt like a man” in the show of Transformers 2: The revenge of the fallen, then went and spinned off to be “She is a man”!!! Lol… The news got so “real” that I have friends that went on to argue with all of my Megan Fox friends that we have fallen for a man!! haha..

Anyway, now she goes on to say that she has put up many faces to the public, so has in a way to protect herself… and we will never know what she is really like… who she really is beneath that beautiful body…
Well, it’s fair enough for me that she has her privacy… just keep herself sexy and load us with more pictures and movies and we will ALL be contented!

Here are a few pictures for today’s worshipping…

In an effort to get to know the participants in our Triple F nights everyone will take turns answering some food related questions in a series of blogs called “Meet Your Friend.”

Our next guest star is Megan!   Megan was the one who came up with this great website and took a great idea and made it better.  It’s all in the Details, as she would like to say (for our group, they will understand the double meaning behind this one).

1. Sweet or salty? I like a combination of both… served together!
2. Which ingredient(s) do you use most? a good Sherry wine
3. What’s your favorite cooking smell? Fresh baked bread!!!
4. What’s your favorite kitchen gadget/appliance? A Kuhn Rikon red chef’s knife  & yellow paring knife from williams sonoma.
5. What won’t you eat? Any and all Seafood!
6. Most unique creation? I’m not very creative when it comes to the main course but I like to have fun with desserts. To answer this question I’m going to go with the mini burger cupcakes.
7. Who taught you your skills in the kitchen/inspiration? My grandma… she’s Italian and loves to cook and share her food (not recipies) with others.
8. Who is your favorite Food Network Star? Duff Goldman & Bobby Flay
9. What’s your favorite dish to prepare? Cupcakes… even more than making them I LOVE telling people they are from a box!
10. What is your favorite sit down restaurant? I go through phases… currently I’m never disappointed by a filet from Bonefish.
11. What’s your favorite cuisine? I’m going to go with Mexican… I love me some tacos!
12. What are you craving right now? Tacos!

Yes yes, my first dedication should be to her instead….

This sexy woman first burst into our scenes via Transformers the Movie… that face, those eyes, full lips and great body got men and women going ga ga over her…
Now with this sexy horror flick.. she really working her charms to the fullest, though, it is amongst a pretty bad review on the movie…

I have yet to watch it myself… but whenever I walk past the cinema and catch Megan Fox in the poster below, I can’t stop thinking I have to get my hands on her… I mean on her poster… haha…

Sexy Megan Fox

Yes guys, dun drool, below are a sexy pic of her, courtesy of GQ magazine….

Megan Fox in bikini

First Earrings: Beads are handmade out of recycled magazine.

Earrings by Megan, $5.00

Earrings by Megan

Earrings by Megan, $6.00

Earrings by Megan

To purchase, send an e-mail to latenightdesigners@gmail.com (etsy page coming soon!)

When I received my M.Div. from Princeton, it said, among other things, that I have been found “blameless.”  I’m sure there is a long, theologically-rich tradition of why my degree states this, but I am not going to bother with discovering that tradition now.  What I AM going to do, however, is convince you that, having been found blameless by an institution such as Princeton, you should give weight to my opinions on popular culture.  (Obviously).

You’re welcome.

Opinion Number One, in the realm of FASHION:

For the love of everything holy, WOMEN!  STOP WEARING LEGGINGS/TIGHTS AS PANTS!

I’ve been away from the States for a little over two months now, and so I can only attest to American trends based on my limited viewing of American television and avid reading of The New York Times.  But, here in the UK, I am shocked no less than twice a day by the sheer and skin-tight fabric that is passing for legitimate pants these days.  Let me be as clear as possible:  Leggings and tights are not pants.  Stop the madness.

Now, some will say, “Surely, in your blamelessness, you recognize that there are some appropriate situations in which leggings/tights are suitable?”  To which I respond, “Yes, of course.”  However, there is a fine line between relying on these accessories to accessorize and relying on these accessories to serve the purpose that God only intended more substantial fabrics to serve.  And why bring God into it?  Well, naturally, because God was the first one to set this fashion rule up.  Remember when Adam and Eve sewed clothing out of the insubstantial fabric of the fig leaves?  And God was all, “Ummm, no.”  Then God made them more suitable clothing out of animal skins?  Remember?  REMEMBER?

I’m just sayin’, y’all.

Need some tips?

This is ok.

This is not ok.

This is ok.

This is not ok.

Are we clear?

Opinion Number Two, in the realm of TELEVISION:

There are some countries where the concept of America’s Next Top Model works.  CANADA is not one of them.  (Sorry, Jay!)

We stumbled across the atrocity the other day.  It was painfully boring.  Painfully.  Even writing about it right now is making me sleepy.  YAWN.

Sorry to do this to you, but a girl’s gotta prove a point:

Opinion Number Three, in the realm of MUSIC:

A good friend was asking for music suggestions on her blog, and in the spirit of this snarky, nonsensical post I thought I’d give some recommendations of music to avoid.  ’Cause, why not?

Katy Perry.  The reasons are too numerous to record.

Lady Gaga.  I’ll admit: she can sing, she can play the piano, she is invested in her performances.  Yet, I can’t quite get my head around the fact that she NEVER WEARS PANTS.  Also, come ON.  Learn to write some lyrics, lady.

Let’s have some fun, this beat is sick

I wanna take a ride on your disco stick

AND

P-P-P-Poker face, P-P-Poker face

Point proven.  The End.

First wire rings:

Ring by Jenn, $5.00

Ring by Megan, $10.00

Ring by Megan, $5.00

To purchase, e-mail latenightdesigners@gmail.com (etsy page coming soon!)