Memperingati30 tahun perjalanan kariernya Addie MS menyuguhkan penampilan yang spektakuler. Suguhan orkestra berharmonisasi dengan kemerduan vocal dari para penyanyi bertalenta. Sungguh suatu konser penghujung tahun yang sayang untuk dilewatkan.Acara yang digelar 29 November 2009 di Plennary Hall ini ibarat album dokumentasi kesuksesan Addie MS sebagai pianis, musisi, arranger dan konduktor orkestra yang namanya melejit senusantara, Twilight Orchestra. Diawali dengan narasi oleh Nicholas Saputra disusul dengan penampilan Kevin, putra Addie, di salah satu karya David Foster.

Ternyata karier musik Addie berawal dari musik pop. Mulai dari mengaransemen “Nuansa Biru” Keenan Nasution yang dibawakan secara apik oleh Vidi Aldiano, pianis di Band Staff yang dimotori Ikang Fawzi hingga menciptakan lagu-lagu Vina Panduwinata yang melegenda. ‘’Banyak sekali karya-karya Aldi yang dinyanyikan ulang. Ada sekitar 12 lagu,’’ tutur Vina dengan gayanya yang khas sebelum menyuguhkan lagu yang melambungkan dirinya “September Ceria”. Lalu berturut-turut Afghan dan Memes membawakan karya Addie yang dipopulerkan si Burung Camar itu.

Addie bukan hanya jenius menciptakan lagu bergenre pop. Sudah berkali-kali ia didaulat menggarap original soundtrack seperti Cinta Pertama, Dealova dan Heart, juga theme song iklan dan mengaransemen lagu-lagu nasional.

Medley lagu-lagu soundtrack yang dibawakan secara instrumentalia ini mendapat tepuk tangan meriah dari penonton. Applaus juga mengiringi ketika Addie mengenalkan putra keduanya, Tristan yang baru berusia 12 tahun. Remaja pria ini dengan lincahnya memainkan jemarinya di atas grand piano membawakan nomor “Flight of The Bumble Bee”. Tak kalah cantiknya nomor The Phantom of The Opera yang dilejitkan Sarah Brightman. Duo soprano dan tenor asal Australia ini mendapat tepuk tangan bergemuruh dan decak kagum dari para penonton.

Virginie Says…

Mondays are always so much fun.  I get to cruise around the blog world and check out all the books everyone received – and I get to share my own.  

From Paula Krapf at Author Marketing Experts, Inc: Runt Farm: Under New Management and Runt Farm: Beatrice and Blossom by Amanda Lorenzo.  I also received Sea Clearwater by Selene Cardenas.  My daughters will review these books.

From Early Reviewers @ Library Thing: Powers: A Novel by John B. Olson.

From Graf-Martin Communications: The Unfinished Gift: A Novel by Dan Walsh for review.

From Authors: Nastassiya Palikarpova sent me her book Men With Red Ties: Diary of an Emigre for review.

From Carol Fass Publicity: Samson’s Walls by Jud Nirenberg.

Wins and Purchases: From Savvy Verse & Wit, as part of a Blogger Appreciation Week prize, I received Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates.  From a Quickie Twitter Giveaway, I received the Ociee Nash trilogy by Milam McGraw Propst, from J. Kaye’s book blog.  I purchased Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll and These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer.  (it turned out to be a double.  If anyone would like to swap for something else, let me know!)

Sayre of Sayre Smiles asks:

How will you express your inner-Giver this season? Do you donate to a major charity? Do you serve food in a soup kitchen? Is your generosity something private that you do without recognition or do you hand the guy on the corner a dollar whenever you drive by?

Not only do I want to know what you do, but how you do it, why you do it, and a story about your activity and how it made you feel.

As far as money goes, my tendency is to slip something in the Salvation Army kettle or the jars for various charities you see on checkout counters in stores.  Little things do add up.

My main way of giving is something I’ve done for years–I give blood. With the standards for giving blood becoming stronger than ever, what I can give helps all the more. And I feel better for doing it, both mentally and physically.

How many lives have I saved? I have no idea. Even if it’s just one, it’s worth it.

Go visit Sayre Smiles and see who else is playing today.

(taken from here)

Would you be willing to have horrible nightmares every night for a year if you would be rewarded with extraordinary wealth?
As I really very rarely remember my dreams*, definitely. If part of the condition was that I had to remember the nightmares, I’d probably still do it. I have faith in my coping mechanisms.

What was the most recent movie that made you cry?
Not a movie, but I cried during the Waters of Mars episode of Doctor Who.

Would you rather be stranded on an island alone or with someone you hate?
Alone. I have no problem with being alone but I usually hate people because they don’t leave me enough space and on an island that could really be a problem.

—

*Speaking of which: a few weeks ago I dreamed that I in Johnny Depp’s house to interview him. He was most charming and had pictures of musicians everywhere. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you any news since I don’t remember doing the actual interview.

Day 01 → Your favourite song
Day 02 → Your favourite movie
Day 03 → Your favourite television programme
Day 04 → Your favourite book
Day 05 → Your favourite quote
Day 06 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 → A photo you took
Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 → A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 → A fictional book
Day 14 → A non-fictional book
Day 15 → A fanfic
Day 16 → A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 → An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 → A talent of yours
Day 20 → A hobbie of yours
Day 21 → A recipe
Day 22 → A website
Day 23 → A YouTube video
Day 24 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 → Your day, in great detail
Day 26 → Your week, in great detail
Day 27 → This month, in great detail
Day 28 → This year, in great detail
Day 29 → Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 → Whatever tickles your fancy

Today, I have to write about my favorite movie.

I don’t watch a lot of movies, but when I muster up enough courage (and tolerance) to view a film, I often put it on a list of must-see films. Some of these films have deep-seated messages, and others are good for cheering one up from a state of gloom. My favorite movie is a member of the latter category. And guess what, it’s an old favorite.

Forrest Gump.

“Run, Forrest, run!” That quote never ceases to make me smile. Forrest Gump is my favorite movie because it speaks to what simple people can accomplish. If one pays attention to interviews taken with well-known successful individuals by journalists and talk show hosts, one notices one of the common threads: the most successful people are often very simple in their tastes and lifestyle. It’s true that there are some famous people who like to throw their money around to indicate that they have that much to spend, but many more notable ones tend not to be extravagant in their possessions and actions. Forrest Gump became a celebrity because of his simplicity. He didn’t need to invest a lot of thought in his good deeds, and he didn’t have very complicated reasons why he did them. He was just a good person, and that was that.

Forrest’s simplicity is something that should be modeled by many more people in this society. If people would let go of their inhibitions (not all, just the ones that prevent people from doing the right thing in many situations), our society would be much more morally upstanding. People would be nicer to each other. There would be less crime.

Of course, all of this is wishful thinking, and with simplicity does come a general dumbing-down of sorts, but if this were to occur in just the right proportion, imagine the kind of world we could live in. This is no utopia, that is certain. But selflessness breeds selflessness, and from the example of Forrest’s actions, we can learn to be better friends, helpers, and supporters of the people around us.

Oh Meme Monday, how I look forward to you so…

Today’s Meme Monday is brought to you by Giant Enemy Crab!

The image is brought to you by Halolz and was made by Olly Moss.

Of course, there are some other stuff in there, not just Giant Enemy Crab. See if you can catch, and laugh at them all, for massive damage!

I giggled fondly at the Hideo/Psycho Mantis one, the Mario one and the Pokemon one.

Oh, make sure to watch the video of the Sony conference where it originated from. Nothing funnier than being told it’s “based on japanese history… now here’s a giant enemy crab!”

I’ve been seeing the word meme a lot lately, and it piqued my interest. So this post is about memes.

A meme is…
Wikipedia says it’s pronounced like “cream”.
Ultimately a cultural inside joke (especially on a subcultural level).

Enter the Angry Video Game Nerd. But in my opinion this meme is questionably meme-able.

The AVGN

Enter The Irate Gamer. Accused of plagiarizing the above nerds reviewing style. This kid appeared about two weeks after the AVG nerd.

That issue of plagiarism gets tossed around until an “internet war” starts between the two factions. Flaming, trolling, and all sorts of point-dexter trickery erupts and the long and overly drawn out battle ends (so I’m told) with a sheepish apology from The Irate Gamer. You can wiki these poor souls, the Angry Nerd,James D. Rolfe, and, the Irate one,Chris Bore.

It’s a pretty nerdy story, but when you break it all down and look at it. These two kids built an army of haters and went to nerdy, online war. All that effort in a couple not-for-profit videos.

This is exactly why you should try to disconnect from all this social media. Do you really want to waste your time fighting over who told a joke first? That’s not the big picture though. This little history-bite was witnessed by about 300 thousand people. Sides were taken and tempers flared.

Just look what we’ve become.

Nigga stole My Bike

-Divertida (y un tanto racista) frase que se volvio una moda en internet hace un par de años, derivada de un video del juego punch-out en el que se le añadia letra a la cancion y se ponia dicho texto en lugar del password, la moda llevo a cientos de verisones derivadas, como estas.

Fui indicada pela Michele (thanks, Mi!) para responder esse meme de Natal.

Eu que eu quero de Natal?

Neste Natal eu quero…

… ganhar e  dar muitos presentes;
… comprar a TV de 32″ que eu tanto quero;
… estar junto da minha família e da cachorrada!

=))

E aí, Nanda? O que você quer de Natal?

hello nice reederz its dennis the vizsla dog hay welkum to this weeks sunday awards and meem show feetchering darth vader singing my theem song wot i wrote myself!!! welkum to the show darth vader!!!

ok first is not an award nor a meem it is in fakt a treet!!! my gud frend doraz handed owt this yummy candy flower to all her frends chek it owt!!!

doraz verry jenerusly shayrd her candy with the following wurds:

This delicious chocolate flower lollipop is being sent out to ALL OF YOU that have a sweet tooth…like me! I love to have a piece of chocolate with my coffee in the morning! It REALLY gets me going! So, enjoy! Have a WONDERFUL day! Smile, laugh, and eat lots of chocolate!

mmmmm choco — oh wayt i cannot eet chocolat on akkownt of it is bad for dogs!!! oh woe!!! wel stil i wood like all my frends hoo ar abel to eet chocolat to hav sum tayk wun down and pass it arownd as they say!!! ok and now tayk it away darth vader with the first vers of my theem song!!!

ha ha ha ummmm rite ok nekst is sort of a meem it is miss kylies twennyfive days of krismas!!!

now miss kylie is dooing drawings and donayshuns evry week until krismas yoo can reed all abowt it at her blog!!! thanks to miss kylie for hosting this fun eevent!!! ok and ummmmmmmmm now bak to darth vader for maybe the sekund vers of my theem song!!!

ummmm shoor yes that is just how it goze ok now heer is owr last award for the day it is the best blog award from my noo frend tasneem!!!

now yoo may remember this award frum last weeks awards and meem show wen nuthing bad happend to the peepul wot wer suppozed to be singing my theem song ennyway the roolz for this award hav not chaynjd sinse then it is suppozed to be givin to fifteen other blogs so hayng on and i wil fetch the abakus agin ok heer goze!!!

1. pam and bobo and meja hoo say they think jerry sweet suks but reely dont think that at all!!!
2. and the beeyootiful blak dog stella and her advise dispensing feeline sidekik ali z!!!
3. and bodi the gud vizsla dog!!!
4. and the very skilful snatcher of crums!!!
5. and my old fart frend the old fart!!!
6. and of korse their is lynn hoo is tripping with rip!!!
7. and my gud frend dozer!!!
8. and my other gud frend hoo luks like dozer or dozer luks like her i am not shoor witch but its daisy the dog!!!
9. and the fabyoolus fiona and doktor liz!!!
10. and we cannot forgit nala the hiking ridgeback!!!
11. nor can we forgit norwood hoo is unleeshd!!!
12. and then their is nooter the dog hoo is … um …. my gud frend!!!
13. and my luvly frends the boo bears!!!
14. and jan frum the farm wot is funny!!!
15. and to rap things up it is jd and max the schnauzers!!!

ok now bak to darth vader for the third vers of ummmmmm oh hoo am i kidding he is going to sing wotever he feels like singing tayk it away vader!!!

ha ha ha yes ok yoo ar the man all rite darth vader ummm can i hav my howse bak now???  oh deer he duznt seem to want to leev!!!

ummmm thank yoo trouble i think!!! ok bye

Later …

There’s a meme on LiveJournal that I thought would be nice to throw on here. This is a fairly new blog, so I feel it’s necessary for you readers to learn a little bit more about me, the author. In this meme, which takes place over thirty days, I am to write about the topic of the day. In case you wanted to give it a try (and as a point of personal reference), I have included all thirty days in this post.

I feel this is going to be an interesting month.

So, here we have it: 30 Days Meme: Day 1.

Day 01 → Your favourite song
Day 02 → Your favourite movie
Day 03 → Your favourite television programme
Day 04 → Your favourite book
Day 05 → Your favourite quote
Day 06 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 → A photo you took
Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 → A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 → A fictional book
Day 14 → A non-fictional book
Day 15 → A fanfic
Day 16 → A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 → An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 → A talent of yours
Day 20 → A hobbie of yours
Day 21 → A recipe
Day 22 → A website
Day 23 → A YouTube video
Day 24 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 → Your day, in great detail
Day 26 → Your week, in great detail
Day 27 → This month, in great detail
Day 28 → This year, in great detail
Day 29 → Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 → Whatever tickles your fancy

I don’t think about “favorite things” very often, so I had to take some time to think about this. After much contemplation, I would have to say that my favorite song is Images of Heaven by Peter Godwin. It’s not a very well-known song, so here are the lyrics.

Nothing is sacred, so give me your soul, my love
Nothing is wasted on someone like you

Somebody killed me and tore out my heart, my love
Somebody filled me with photos of you

And there’s nothing I can do: the media made you
There’s nothing I can do, ’cause you don’t exist
you don’t exist

Just images of heaven that take me to hell
Images of heaven, of something for sale
Images of heaven, Images of heaven

Something possessed me: an image of you, my love
Video visions that play on my mind
Nobody blessed me with power to reach, my love
One cheap illusion can still be divine

And nobody believes In this new religion
Yeah, nobody believes, ’cause nobody sees
nobody sees these

Images of heaven that take me to hell
Images of heaven, of something for sale
Images of heaven, Images of heaven

Images of heaven, images of heaven

And there’s nothing I can do: the camera made you
There’s nothing I can do ’cause you don’t exist
You don’t exist

Just images of heaven that take me to hell
Images of heaven
Of something to sell
Images of heaven
Images of heaven

This song, by many definitions, is not entirely substantive; neither is it the most profound thing on the planet. However, it’s important to me because it reminds me of my struggle with reconciling my dreams with my reality. In this song (and music video, which was very well done), the speaker invents his “dream girl”, and becomes very involved with the idea of her, but he has to come to the realization that she’s not real, that she’s a concept forged by the media.

This song is actually a great social commentary, but that’s not why I like it. I like it because it constantly reminds me that there’s a world out there that’s real, and sometimes my fantasy will never become a reality, and I need to become reconciled with that.

It’s a lesson we all must learn, in order to be remotely successful at anything we do. It’s easy to get caught up in frustration about why things don’t go the way we want them to. However, if we can learn to hold off on our dreams long enough to work so that they become our reality, the world is our oyster, and nothing can stop us (except God, of course).

A demain.

I am so entirely uninspired, so I’ve picked up the meme that has been going around and have provided you with my oh-so-fascinating replies as well as those of my wife. I’m not tagging anyone, but if you need something to help you through the final days of NaBloPoMo, or if  you simply feel like answering a bunch of random questons, I tag  you!

1. What is the color of your toothbrush? T: Blue J: Orange and blue

2. Name one person who made you smile today. T: Baby Genius J: Baby Genius

3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? T: Helping J bathe the baby J: Having a bath with the baby

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? T: Staring blankly at my computer J: Watching a painfully censored/edited version of Thelma and Louise

5. What is your favorite candy bar? T: Take 5 J: Take 5

6. Have you ever been to a strip club? T &J: Yes, we went with a friend in college who was applying to work there as a stripper. It was closed, and we didn’t want to go inside, but the sleezy owner (dressed in an all white suit with a partially buttoned red shirt) came out to the parking lot and insisted we come inside. Gosh, I feel like I need a shower all over again just recalling that memory.

7. What is the last thing you said aloud? T: I read the question J: You should make sure you say that the strip club was closed at the time.

8. What is your favorite ice cream? T: B&J’s Everything But The    J: Chocolate Espresso

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? T &J: Water

10. Do you like your wallet? It’s okay. T: It’s serviceable.    J: Yeah.                                                                

11. What was the last thing you ate? T: TJ’s Maple cookies J: Prunes

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? T&J: No

13. The last sporting event you watched? T: The 2008 Summer Olympics J: Part of a 49ers game

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? T: Cheese J: Butter and salt

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? T: My wife J: Kari

16. Ever go camping? T: Many, many times J: Oh yeah.

17. Do you take vitamins daily? T: Prenatals and Fish Oil  J: No.

18. Do you go to church every Sunday? T: Only occasionally to UU J: No

19. Do you have a tan? T: Not really, but I still have tan lines from my bathing suit top. J: Nope.

 20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? T: No  J: No way!

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw? T: I don’t really drink soda, but on the rare occasions that I do have soda, I always need a straw. J: I don’t drink soda, but if I do, I don’t use a straw                                                                                                                                       

22. What did your last text message say? T: Don’t buy coffee. I already did. J: Who knows.

23. What are you doing tomorrow? T: Maybe some photo editing, lots and lots of nursing, and playing with our boy.  J: Starting a new book and playing with my son

24. Favorite color? T: Red J: Orange

25. Look to your left; what do you see? T: A drape J: Pierre (the cat)

26. What color is your watch? T: Black J: Black

27. What do you think of when you hear “Australia”? T: A Baz Luhrman film that I didn’t paricularly enjoy J: Foster’s

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? T&J: We don’t eat fast food

30. What is your favorite number? T: 13 J: 13

31. Who’s the last person you talked to on the phone? T: Our son’s doctor J: T’s sister

32. Any plans today? T: Going to bed ASAP  J: No way. That was the best thing about today–no plans.

33. In how many states have you lived? T: 1 J: 3

34. Biggest annoyance right now? T: Having my second postpartum period J: The crack of the couch that I keep falling into.

35. Last song listened to? T: Adele’s “Daydreamer” J: Whatever was on the cable radio “Soundscapes” station

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? T: Yes, I’ve done it many times. J: No, not without looking.

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house? T: Um, no, but I happen to be the dishwasher fairy (shhhh…don’t tell) J: No, but I do employ a dishwasher fairy.

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? T: Normally, a pair of Azalea clogs, but these days, it’s a black pair of Converse J: Flipflops

39. Are you jealous of anyone? T: No J: No

40. Is anyone jealous of you? T: I honestly don’t know. I suppose it’s possible. J: I don’t know.

41. Do you love anyone? T: Lots of people! J: Oh yeah! I love a lot of people!

42. Do any of your friends have children? T: Very few, but yes.  J: Yes

43. What do you usually do during the day? T: Care for my son, spend time with my wife, work from home J: I take care of the baby and my wife and the house.

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now? T: No. I try not to hate. J: No.

45. Do you use the word hello daily? T: Yes. J: Yes.

46. What color is your car? T: Burgundy  J: Black

47. What size wedding ring do you wear? T: 7 J: T would know better than me, but I think it’s a 5.

48. Are you thinking about someone right now? T: Not really–not enough room in my brain for that and a meme. J: Not right now, but I’ve been thinking a lot about my friend A lately.

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags? T: Yes, in CA  J: Yes

50. How did you get your worst scar? T: I was bathing my cat, and he sliced my arm from my wrist halfway to my elbow.   J: A tuna can

Angharad Wyvern AKA Yewtree over at the dance of the elements has tagged me with this impossible task. It’s called “The Bible in Five Statements” challenge:

Summarise the Bible in five statements, the first one word long, the second two, the third three, the fourth four and the last five words long. Or possibly you could do this in descending order. Tag five people.

Ay yi yi.

Okay, but only because I don’t know how to say “no” to memes, and this one, if nothing else, is quite a puzzler. And also because I’m looking forward to inflicting it on my five victims. Disclaimer: this is nothing more than a snapshot of where I happen to be at the moment. Check back with me next year, next month, next week, or even later this afternoon, and I’m sure I will come up with entirely different responses.

To summarize the Bible in five statements…

1. Interruption
2. God story
3. Sacred myth evolving
4. Transformational mystery expressed textually
5. Western wisdom source, often misunderstood

Yewtree mused on the challenge of this exercise so eloquently that I’m just going to quote her:

What aspect of this multivalent text to focus on? The liberal or the conservative interpretation? Western Christianity or Eastern Orthodoxy? A Kabbalistic or esoteric interpretation? The Arian and Unitarian views? Changing human perceptions of the divine – from tribal thunder god to all-embracing universal consciousness? How notions of justice changed from tribal codes apparently dictated from the top of Mount Sinai towards concepts of compassion and inner conscience (starting with Micah and Amos, and later promoted by Yeshua)? Very tricky to summarise all that in 15 words…

Yup. That pretty nicely summarizes the craziness of this exercise.
So I am tagging Mike Morrell, Fencing Bear, Darrell Grizzle, Episcopalifem, and the Girl Who Cried Epiphany. But there are others I’d like to hear from, so even if you’re not on this list, please wrestle with this knotty problem and share your offerings with me, here on this blog. You all know that I’m a lame slacker when it comes to reading other peoples’ blogs, so please, post your thoughts here. I know that’s an irritating thing for me to say and an annoying request for me to make… but try to just embrace it as an interruption to your day…

Today is Freezer Food Friday.

Please post a recipe that can be made ahead and frozen for later use. Link it below using Mister Linky and make sure to visit each blog who shares. I am on Twitter if you want to follow me and have started collecting Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a search engine where you can win bucks for searching ( I just use it in place of Google ). Check it out and see if it works for you!

Do you have leftover turkey? Of course you do. Here is a recipe you can double and use one now and freeeze one for later!

Turkey Tetrazzini

Yield: Makes 8 servings

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
2/3 cup milk
1 (16-ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
3 1/2 cups chopped cooked turkey, chicken, or ham
12 ounces thin spaghetti, cooked
1 (10-ounce) package frozen petite peas, thawed
1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cups shredded baby Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup crushed garlic-and-onion seasoned croutons
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Whisk together soup and milk in large mixing bowl; whisk in Alfredo sauce. Stir in chopped turkey, next 4 ingredients, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Pour into a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch baking dish.

Stir together remaining Parmesan cheese, crushed croutons, and paprika; sprinkle evenly over casserole.

Bake, covered, at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 more minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Note: Casserole may be assembled and frozen up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight; bake, covered, at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you prefer a smaller casserole, use 2 (11- x 7-inch) baking dishes. Proceed as directed.

Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts a “Friday Fave Five” in which we share our five favorite things from the past week. Click on the button to read more of the details, and you can visit Susanne to see the list of others’ favorites or to join in.

1. Thanksgiving praise service. Our church moves its usual Wednesday night service to Tuesday night during Thanksgiving week since many travel Wednesday, and the majority of the service is given over to whoever wants to share a testimony. To me it is one of the highlights of the year.

2. Thanksgiving Day. Though we should be thankful year round, it is nice to have a time set aside specifically for that purpose. Plus I like that it is an untarnished holiday — no controversial origins, nothing bad associated with it, the time for family gatherings. I enjoyed the extended time with all the family.

3. Thanksgiving food. All the usual stuff, having a meal in the early afternoon so that one clean-up is over, I’m “off” the rest of the day. Then heating up leftovers or making a sandwich in the evening. Plus it was nice to share the cooking with a new daughter-in-law this year!

4. Thanksgiving Day naps!

5. Playing a few rounds of Apples to Apples Thanksgiving evening.

Bonus:

My son shared with me a fun site called Face Ahoy: it’s a collection of photos of faces that people “see” in everyday objects. Some are very cute, some are funny.

Bonus 2:

Magazine deals! Thanks to a post at Skip to My Lou, I saw that Amazon is selling subscriptions to several magazines for $5 between now and Dec. 1.

Thursday Tea is a weekly meme hosted by yours truly. To play along, all you need is some tea, a book, and the answers to these questions: what tea are you drinking (and do you like it)? What book are you reading (and do you like it)? Tell us a little about your tea and your book, and whether or not the two go together.

The book: I have literally just started The Sophisticated Traveler: Great Tours and Detours. I’m at the beginning so I have no idea if I like it yet, but considering its a short story collection of travel stories I’d guess it’d be pretty hard to dislike it, you know? But it seems like it’ll be a real trip (excuse the pun) because it covers nearly the entire world, excluding the Arctic.

The tea: Today is not tea day. Today is eggnog day. I know! It’s bad for you. But I can’t help myself– I love eggnog! I don’t drink it year-round, but as soon as Thanksgiving shows up it’s time to start chugging the eggnog.

Do you know the origins of eggnog? For some reason I had thought it was a Middle East kind of thing (because of the spices), but actually it was probably invented in England. Here’s a bit from Wikipedia:

The origins, etymology, and even the ingredients used to make the original eggnog drink are debated. Eggnog, or a very similar drink, may have originated in East Anglia, England, though it may also have been developed from posset (a medieval European beverage made with hot milk). An article by Nanna Rögnvaldsdóttir, an Icelandic food expert, states that the drink adopted the “nog” part of its name from the word “noggin”, a Middle English phrase used to describe a small, wooden, carved mug used to serve alcohol. Another name for this British drink was Egg Flip. Yet another story is that the term derived from the name “egg-and-grog”, a common Colonial term used to describe rum. Eventually the term was shortened to “egg’n'grog”, then “eggnog”.

 

And here’s an eggnog recipe from Alton Brown, and a vegan eggnog recipe. I’ve never made my own eggnog– have you?

Do they go together? Okay, let’s be honest. Eggnog would only go with books set in the winter time. The Sophisticated Traveler? Not set in the winter time. So, no: eggnog doesn’t go with this book. (I don’t care!!)

What are you drinking/reading this Thursday?

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I participated in a thankful-meme as prompted by some friends on Facebook:

Nile Tallman…

says Oh heck.. everyone else is doing it: I am grateful for my amazing hard-working wife that goes above and beyond to keep our family in funds, sanity, and love.

is thankful for the wonder of modern science through which we were able keep my baby girl alive and well.

is thankful for his daughter, Kaya. Her spunk, creativity, intelligence, and independent streak keeps me energized. She amazes me each and everyday.

is thankful to Bhante Sujatha from Blue Lotus for his thoughtful instruction and warm real human genuineness. He has opened my eyes again and again. He’s one rocking monk!

is thankful to Shyla for her quirky sense of humor, her thoughtful approach to life, and her little bear hugs that melt me.

is thankful for living in a time and a country where I have the freedom to express and live my beliefs without persecution. The founding fathers wisely established freedom of speech and separation of church and state which we enjoy often without realizing how lucky we are.

is thankful for his parents. They are amazing grandparents to my wild brood.

is thankful for snuggles. ‘Nuff said.

is thankful for those rare moments when we are able to see beyond our own deep layers of selfish motives and desires to see and experience the real warm loving-kindness of our family and friends… and our own inner warmth as well.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Ich glaube mich zu erinnern, dass mir das Folgende bereits früher schon mal aufgefallen war, aber erst jetzt traf mich diese Erkenntnis an diesem grauen frühherbstlichen Samstagnachmittag während ich mich in den schönsten tiefen der Remix-Mashup-Cultural Commons-Internetwelt befand:

Die kreativ aktive Internetgemeinde setzt sich überdurchschnittlich deutlich aus Katzenmenschen zusammen. Oder anders gesagt, wenn das Internet eine Tierform hätte, dann wäre es ein Katze.

(Um diese These irgendwie mit Inhalt zu füllen habe ich erstmal Hunde- und Katzenmenschen gegooglet und dabei auf einen wunderbar blödsinnigen fünf-Fragen-Test “Bist du A oder B” gestoßen dessen vorletzte Frage allen ernstes ist “Was würdest du lieber geschenkt bekommen: A ‘Wellnessset mit Duschgel, Parfum und Kerzen’ oder B ‘Gutschein fürs Fitnessstudio’?” Wie das bei der ‘Hund oder Katze’-Frage helfen soll verstehe ich nicht ganz…)

Aber zurück zur Katzenform. Warum Katzen? Neben den unzähligen süßen Katzenbildern, liegt der Grund natürlich in der unglaublichen Vielfalt an katzenbezogenen Internetmemes: die LOLcats, die Longcat (die wirklich lang ist) und die Ceiling Cat. Nicht zu vergessen auch die Keyboard Cat, die 2009 immer wieder gerne der Aufforderung “Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat” nach kam und sich dadurch zur filmischen Äquivalent des FAIL-Macros und der Vaudeville-Pausenclowns entwickelt hat.

Und dann gibt es noch meine persönliche Favouritin “Kittens inspired by kittens”. Als Variationen gibt es auch sehenswerten “inspired by David after Dentist” und “inspired by Barak Obama“. Und Owen, wie er sich das anguckt, aber da fragt man sich manchmal wovon Leute eigentlich alles Filme machen…

Ein schönes Metavideo gibt in bester Internetmanier auch: “Kitten watching kittens inspired by kittens”. Hunde? Irgendwie lieber nicht… Obwohl ich mich für Cupcake Dog doch begeistern könnte…

Giving thanks every day for my beautiful, crazy boyz . . .

Please head on over to my sister’s blog where she is hosting an awesome giveaway to raise awareness about National Epilepsy Awareness Month.

Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!
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So I was flipping through a magazine today and they had a page of photos of Twilight-themed goods available to buy online. One of these was a wall transfer that said:

It wasn't quite the same as this particular decoration, as it was in gothic script and had the '...' after 'Edward,' but this one is close enough.

 Yep. “I’m just a Bella, waiting for my Edward…” Oh how I lolled.

So I got to thinking about Twilight, which led to thought on vampires in general, and then I came across a general vampire meme, and I thought: I need to blog about this. So here we go, Ace’s Vampire Meme.

Ace’s Vampire Meme!

Why do you think people are fascinated by vampires?

The thing about vampires is that they appeal to our subconscious. People often associate vampire with death, or with sex, but it’s more than that. Vampires are dead, powerful, faster and stronger than us, dangerous, and often gorgeous and alluring.  They appeal to people because they’re like we are, only better. They’re also the perfect predator. Vampires represent the mysterious, the erotic, the dangerous. They’re all about the repressed or the darker side of our psyche. They’re dangerous, alluring, sexually desirable and aware, near-invulnerable, and they can do anything they like without fear of the consequences. They appeal to us because they are an outlet for all the things in our subconscious that we cannot let out.  In the past 15-20 years there’s been a lot of tortured-soul vampire stuff; from Angel in Buffy or Edward Cullen from Twilight to name the two most well-known examples; and that’s another aspect that appeals to people. Lots of people have some dark secret, some dilemma or addiction that is mucking up their life, and that’s what the ‘vampire as a tortured soul’ stuff really is. It’s a metaphor. So much vampire stuff is a metaphor for something.

 Coolest vampire stuff out there?

Well, obviously Buffy has to be on this list, which in a way is kind of a shame, because it deviates quite a bit from the established vampire mythos of pop culture. Vampires as soulless, ugly demons? Who steal their names from Doctor Who and look like Dark Lords from Harry Potter, only less cool? (You don’t know what I’m talking about, check out this guy. Totally Voldemort with a nose. And with no fashion sense, obviously.) All the same, Buffy is nonetheless a good show and doubtless reinvigorated the vampire mythos for a new decade and a new generation.

My personal favorite part of the vampire pop culture is the Betsy Taylor series of novels by MaryJanice Davidson, about a blonde valleygirl-type airhead who dies and wakes up Queen of the Vampires, much to her horror and dismay. The earlier ones are strongly comic supernatural romance, but the later ones are a lot stronger on plot and a little bit darker as Betsy reluctantly takes on the responsibility of being the Queen.

Finally, Carpe Jugulum (‘Seize the Jugular?’) by Terry Pratchett is awesome, for parodying the vampire genre even as it tells a great story. 

 Since everyone is asking this question; Team Edward or Team Jacob?

*frowny face* Honestly, I don’t particularly like either of them. Let’s go Team Alice. She’s bouncy and fun and slightly eccentric, and the actress who plays her in the movie is pretty, and hot.

Favorite vampire stereotype?

The true predatorial vampires, that is the dangerous killers vs. seducer type, probably, and the ‘Gothic Lolita’ female vampire you see a lot in manga; that is, flirty and feminine and kind of goth, but with frills and lace and cuteness. If they’ve combined gothic vampire dress with cute feminine dress and hairstyle, it’s probably a ’Gothic Lolita’ vampire.

A sketch of a 'Gothic Lolita' vampire... is it just me, or does she look vaguely like Britney Spears?

Keyboard Cat is an Internet meme that consists of 1984 footage of a cat wearing a blue shirt and “playing” on an electronic keyboard.

From Wikipedia:

The clip, originally posted to YouTube as “Charlie Schmidt’s ‘cool cat’”, has gained popularity by being appended to blooper and other viral videos as if to “play” that person offstage after the mistake or gaffe in a similar manner as getting the hook in the days of vaudeville, usually accompanied with the title Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat or a variant.

Keyboard Cat was further popularized by Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart during a toss, and also when Green Day played off Stephen’s most famous injury.

Below the cut are some other Keyboard Cat videos. You can also view a collection of videos here.

The images below best represent what I think of the SW and WL classes in tiers 1 through 3.

Miz B and Teaser Tuesdays asks you to: Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

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My teaser comes from page 51 of When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka.  At 144 pages this is a minimalist story told by a young boy about his Japanese American family during WWII, when they are split up and sent to the internment camps.

My (step) grandparents were children during WWII and went to the camps with their families, so I have a personal interest in these kinds of stories.  I’m pre-reading this one to see if it would be ok for my 12 year old daughter to read.  So far, so good.  Here’s the teaser, from page 51:

“There was a window above the boy’s bed, and outside were the stars and the moon and the endless rows of black barracks all lined up in the sand.  In the distance, a wide empty field where nothing but sagebrush grew, then the fence and the high wooden towers.”