I can’t believe winter break has started. Finals are complete and I have traveled to north Florida…it’s still chilly here! funny story of the day my sister can’t pronounce my name…instead it sounds like ” hi ho” haha.

Currently watching old school Willy Wonka and I’m starting to believe finding a guy in college who wants a relationship is like finding the golden ticket…ughh dear Santa…haha.

Happy Holidays to everyone out there. I hope you enjoy it with family and friends. What better thing to have during those endless parties and gatherings but a delicious piece of candy. The only problem is standing in the candy aisle with all those options staring right back at you. Ever since you first set eyes on the row after row of delectable treats as a child you’ve had this problem. Well we here at Eating The Road have taken the hard work out of it for you. Follow this handy flowchart to sweet bliss. The only thing you’ll have to decide now is whether or not it’s okay to flirt with your hot cousin that’s coming over for the family Christmas Eve dinner.

You may also enjoy our other flowcharts:
Beer Edition
Fast Food Edition
Chain Restaurant Edition
Cereal Edition
Freezer Aisle Edition

Don’t forget to enter our Christmas Giveaway with over $250 in free swag.

(click image to view full size)

Only 1 week left (phew)… For those of you who didn’t make it out last weekend due to lousy weather, overindulgence, or more pressing engagements, there are a few more artisan oriented shopping events this weekend, if you still need to pick up some last minute unique and special gifts.  And if you’re not interested in shopping, scroll down (after photo) for other noteworthy events…

Friday, December 18th

• Oakland Artisan Marketplace (10am – 4pm)

  Shop Oakland Artisan Marketplace, featuring fine and craft artwork by local and regional artists
  http://www.oaklandculturalarts.org/main/oaklandartisanmarketplace.htm
  

• Smokey’s Tangle Shopping Mall and Holiday Something to do (6pm – 9pm)

  Smokey’s Tangle Art Gallery has turned itself into a mall this December. Get your photo taken with Santa, make a holiday card, test out the chair massager, and listen to demented christmas music all in our heartwarming mall-like atmosphere.
  http://www.smokeystangle.com/
  

Saturday, December 19th

• Lil Tuffy @ Kuhl Frames + Art (11am – 4pm)

  The 2nd Annual Exhibition of works by SF designer Lil Tuffy continues with over 225 limited edition screenprinted rock posters for Bay Area, National and European shows. As always, ready-made frames will be available…remember your music and art loving friends this holiday season!  http://KuhlFrames.com/

• Stocking Stuffers Craft Fair @ We Art Space (11am – 4pm)

  Original ready-t0-hang art, and hand-crafted items such as jewelry, clothing, housewares, and more… http://WeArtSpace.com/

• Swarm Gallery Shop/Show (12pm – 6pm)

  A curated pop-up shop exhibition including small work installations, limited edition prints, art books, art t’s by Oaklandish, jewelry and much more.
  http://www.swarmgallery.com/gallery/exhibitions/Shop_Show.htm

Sunday, December 20th

• Stocking Stuffers Craft Fair @ We Art Space (11am – 4pm)

  Original ready-t0-hang art, and hand-crafted items such as jewelry, clothing, housewares, and more… http://WeArtSpace.com/

• Swarm Gallery Shop/Show (12pm – 6pm)

  A curated pop-up shop exhibition including small work installations, limited edition prints, art books, art t’s by Oaklandish, jewelry and much more.
  http://www.swarmgallery.com/gallery/exhibitions/Shop_Show.htm

Mountain View Cemetery Holiday Circle of Lights

For those of you ahead of the game and actually ready to kick back and enjoy that vacation you’ve been waiting for for months, here are some interesting local oaktown holiday and non-holiday events to check out…  have fun!

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (friday, 12/18)

Mentioned in yesterday’s post too… part of the Paramount’s classic movie series.  Tickets are $5 and include pre-film entertainment. Doors at 7pm… movie starts at 8pm.  paramounttheatre.com

Reality Playings: Experiments In Experience/participation Performance (friday, 12/18)

CRITIC’S Choice: East Bay Express… Frank Moore, world-known shaman performance artist, will conduct improvised passions of musicians, actors, dancers, and audience members in a laboratory setting to create altered realities of fusion beyond taboos… Temescal Art Center at 8pm.  http://www.eroplay.com/events.html

Holidays at Dunsmuir Estate (sat/sun, 12/19 – 12/20)

Experience the wonders and classic beauty of the holidays at Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate. Walk back in time through our beautifully decorated mansion, enjoy live holiday music, have breakfast with Father Christmas, find the perfect gift in our Holiday Shops, activities for the kids, and much more!  (11am – 5pm)  http://www.dunsmuir.org/calendar_holiday09.html

Ghost Town Farm Tour (sunday, 12/20)

Due to popular demand, Novella Carpenter is having another farm tour!
When: Sunday, December 20, 11am-2pm
What: Signed copies of Farm City, Goat Town t-shirts, fried green tomatoes, and hot chocolate made with goat milk for sale. Goat snuggling and tours free.
Where: Ghosttown Farm, 665 28th Street, at Martin Luther King
http://novellacarpenter.com/

Charlie Hunter at Yoshi’s, Oakland (sunday, 12/20)

Celebrating 10 years of Home for the Holidays CHARLIE HUNTER With Very Special Guest Doug Wamble… saw this show Saturday night… Awesome.
When: Sunday, December 20, 2pm matinee and 7pm shows
http://www.yoshis.com/oakland/jazzclub/artist/show/954

“A Christmas Carol, the Musical” at Lisser Theater, Mills College (12/19 – 12/23)

Charles Dickens’ classic gets the full Broadway treatment by the Broadway team of Alan Menken (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Little Mermaid,”), Lynn Ahrens (“Ragtime,” “Seussical”) and Mike Okrent (“Crazy For You,” “Me and My Girl.”)  This spectacular musical retains its emotional power and pure joy, thanks to the marvelously-told story, and the score with beautiful melodies and emotional lyrics.
http://curtaincallperformingarts.net/tickets_-_a_christmas_carol

The Oakland Ballet Performs the Nutcracker (12/24 – 12/27)

The Oakland Ballet Company presents Carlos Carvajal’s Nutcracker accompanied by the Oakland East Bay Symphony, performing the beautiful Tchaikovsky score.

This beloved holiday tradition has a spectacular growing tree, a spirited party, battle scenes, and a trip through the snow forest and the land of the sweets. The San Francisco Chronicle describes Carvajal’s Nutcracker as a “time-tested production, featuring glittering costumes and a live orchestra.”

TICKETS: $15-$50 with student and senior discounts through www.ticketmaster.com  or 1-800-745-3000.  Or better yet, avoid the butt-load of convenience charges that Ticketmaster applies by going directly down to Paramount Theatre (Box Office on 21st street – if you bring a non-perishable food item for the Alameda County Food bank, you get at additional 20% off your tickets – not a bad deal!), 2025 Broadway 510-465-6400, paramounttheatre.com http://www.oaklandballet.org/

Not everyone wants to watch a football game (especially with the Detroit Lions as one of the teams playing) on Thanksgiving and with that in mind I offer up these top 10 movies to watch on Thanksgiving. Most will be shown on your local cable or network channels but some may require a trip to the DVD rental store. Also, if you don’t feel like going out on Black Friday you may wish to settle in and watch one of these Thanksgiving movies.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

All that Neal Page wants to do is to get home for Thanksgiving. His flight has been cancelled due to bad weather, so he decides on other means of transport. As well as bad luck, Neal is blessed with the presence of Del Griffith, Shower Curtain Ring Salesman and all-around blabbermouth, who is never short of advice, conversation, bad jokes, or company. And when he decides that he is going the same direction as Neal…. Written by Murray Chapman {muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au}

Home for the Holidays (1995)

After losing her job, making out with her soon to be ex-boss, and finding out that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson has to face spending the holiday with her family. She wonders if she can survive their crazy antics. Written by Cyndi Kessler {ckessler@ix.netcom.com}

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)

The world is astounded when Willy Wonka, for years a recluse in his factory, announces that five lucky people will be given a tour of the factory, shown all the secrets of his amazing candy, and one will win a lifetime supply of Wonka chocolate. Nobody wants the prize more than young Charlie, but as his family is so poor that buying even one bar of chocolate is a treat, buying enough bars to find one of the five golden tickets is unlikely in the extreme. Charlie, along with four somewhat odious other children, get the chance of a lifetime and a tour of the factory. Along the way, mild disasters befall each of the odious children, but can Charlie beat the odds and grab the brass ring? Written by Rick Munoz {rick.munoz@his.com}

Pieces of April (2003)

In a very poor zone of New York, April Burns and her boyfriend, the Afro-American Bobby, are preparing to receive April’s family for a thanksgiving dinner. While Bobby tries to borrow a suit for him, April realizes that her stove is broken and she tries desperately to find a neighbor that can let her cook the turkey, since she does not want to fail (again) with her family. Meanwhile, in a suburb of Pennsylvania, her dysfunctional family is preparing to travel to New York. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Tadpole (2002)

Beautiful, sophisticated women are all over Oscar Grubman. He is sensitive and compassionate, speaks French fluently, is passionate about Voltaire, and thinks the feature that tells the most about a woman is her hands. On the train home from Chauncey Academy for the Thanksgiving weekend, Oscar confides in his best friend that he has plans for this vacation–he will win the heart of his true love. But there is one major problem–Oscar’s true love is his stepmother Eve. Oscar is certain that he could be a better mate to Eve than his work-obsessed father. He fails to win Eve’s heart and is consequently dejected. Oscar’s path to his true love is further crossed by Diane, Eve’s best friend who, one night while wearing Eve’s borrowed perfumed scarf, offers him temporary comfort in an unconventional tryst. For Diane, Oscar fills a void in her life. For Oscar, Diane is somewhat of a distraction, as his continued pursuit of Eve leads to an unexpected resolution. Written by Sujit R. Varma

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

During a Thanksgiving Day party we make aquaintance with a numerous and problematic family. The leading characters are three sisters: Lee, the woman of Frederick, an old misanthrope painter; Holly, who dreams of becoming a writer, or an actress, or who knows who…; Hannah, famous actress, beautiful, intelligent, good mother, good wife, good sister, in short perfect, the pivot of the family. The balance begins to break up when Hannah’s husband, Elliot, falls in love with Lee, who leaves Frederick. Holly goes through a deep crisis and meets Mickey, the former husband of Hannah, a hipocondriac TV producer. The affairs evolve and at the last Thanksgiving … Written by Maurizio Semolic {semolic@oat.ts.astro.it}

Home Alone (1990)

I realize this is movie depicting events around Christmas but it shows every Thanksgiving and is a part of that holiday by association. – ed.

Kevin McAllister, 8 years old is accidentally left behind while his family rushes to the Airport to go to France for their Christmas vacation. Kevin learns that he made his family is gone. He spends his first day having fun in his house. Kevin learns that Mav and Harry (The Wet Bandits), two crooks are trying to rob his house. Kevin fends for himself and protects his house from the thieves, by setting traps everywhere. Meanwhile, Kevin’s mother discovers that they left Kevin in Chicago and tries to go back to Chicago while the other members of the family stay in Fance. Written by Inhotenjoys

Grumpy Old Men (1993)

John and Max are two former friends turned enemies and have been feuding for a long time, we don’t really know why at the beginning of the film. When they see a new neighbor moving in on the street, a very attractive older woman named Ariel. Now the boys have something new to fight over and are competing for her love. But it almost drives them crazy how much they keep playing tricks on each other and can they realize that it’s finally time to grow up and act their ages or will they stay as grumpy old men? Written by Kristine

What’s Cooking (2000)

In LA’s Fairfax district, where ethnic groups abound, four households celebrate Thanksgiving amidst family tensions. In the Nguyen family, the children’s acculturation and immigrant parents’ fears collide. In the Avila family, Isabel’s son has invited her estranged husband to their family dinner. Audrey and Ron Williams want to keep their own family’s ruptures secret from Ron’s visiting mother. In the Seelig household, Herb and Ruth are unwilling to discuss openly their grown daughter’s living with her lover, Carla. Around each table, things come to a head. A gun, an affair, a boyfriend, and a pregnancy precipitate crises forcing each family to find its center. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over to Charlie Brown’s for Thanksgiving, and with Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock, he attempts to throw together a Thanksgiving dinner.

My girlfriend and I took her 6 year old to Zoolights the other night… I’d been reading lots about it and people really seem to love this holiday light display and show. It consistently gets ranked in local editors’ picks for holiday to-do’s and gets 4 stars on Yelp. As someone who’s never even been to the Oakland Zoo (and I hear it’s quite lovely for the small zoo that it is), I was pretty excited to see this show too. And for the most part, I’d say it didn’t disappoint… just check out these lights!

From an artistic standpoint, these animal representations are pretty darned impressive. And the kids love ‘em! If you have young children, or the maturity of a kindergartner yourself, you should definitely check this out.

Though not free, it’s for a good cause as all proceeds go towards The Oakland Zoo, a non-profit organization that depends on your support. A regional treasure for over 80 years, the Oakland Zoo’s mission is to inspire respect for and stewardship of the natural world while providing a quality visitor experience. The Zoo is open daily 10:00am – 4:00pm. And the Zoolights holiday shows run evenings through January 4th…

5:30pm – 9:00pm (Monday – Thursday)
5:30pm – 9:30pm (Friday – Sunday)

*Note that Zoo animal residents will be nestled all snug in their beds, with visions of fresh fish and steak, dancing in their heads.

And just in case you were worried, you don’t have to feel guilty about indulging in the electric spectacle, because PG&E has collaborated with the Oakland Zoo to make the lighting display extremely energy efficient through the use of LEDs (which use about 1/10th of the electricity of regular xmas lights).

Shown below is the Holiday Light Show Safari that’s set up in the zoo’s meadow. It’s a light show sychronized to a musical/theatrical soundtrack, and if I were to be totally honest (which I am), I would have to say that this was somewhat disappointing, at least for grown-ups. The lights were great, but the medley soundtrack was an awful disjointed mismash of stuff that might appeal to the sensibilities of a 2 year old, but frankly, was just plain bad. It could have been way cooler. Sorry.

Pretty blue tree.

You still with me? I hope so, ’cause we’re just getting to the really cool stuff. Below is the entrance to Candyland, which is where the carnival rides are: merry-go-round-where-you-can-ride-a-tiger, airplane spinny rides, little racecars, and of course, the launching point for the mini-steam train, the Snowball Express.

This is the view of the bay from our train ride… and yes, you have to pay extra for this. But aren’t you used to the whoosh of cash flowing through your hands these days? And remember, it’s for a good cause. This, truly, was my favorite part of the night. Do ride the train, but do dress warm!

The ultimate experience was travelling through the tunnel of light… it totally reminded me of that scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory…the psychedelic boat trip…

“there’s no earthly way of knowing
which direction we are going
there’s no knowing where we’re rowing
or which way the river’s flowing…”

Watch it here. It’s AWESOME.

Which reminds me: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, this Friday night 8pm (doors at 7), at the aptly named Paramount Theatre in Oakland. Part of their wonderful classic movie series… pay five bucks to see a great work of art, in a great work of art, with pre-film entertainment to boot. This is one of the best deals in town. I love the Paramount. More on it during Art Deco Days…

Good Sunday to you all.

Here’s the news, better late than never…

First a shoe, now a statue – A statue was thrown (or was he punched?) at the ever scandalous Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi who was signing autographs during a rally in Milan. An innovative, but an extremely silly thing to do since the assailant is already in custody. Drawing blood from an Italian prime minister? Not so smart.

Tiger loses another sponsor – and no one is surprised.

Hopenhagen – as the summit continues, U.S. responsibility over the Alberta oilsands has surfaced, and activists are a plenty (and are arrested left, right and centre).

And finally, my two favourite weird news pieces this week:

In the most Willy Wonka fashion, a man dies from exploding chewing gum, and a woman was arrested for impersonating a witch and scamming a lawyer out of over $100,000.

Happy trails to you.

Amazing.

So, have you ever thought how it would be to work at Willy Wonka’s factory, yet skip the orange dye and have no height limit? Well if you have then you might want to work at Google Inc. Their headquarters is literally a playground. Literally. They have a slide!

Pictures from : Swipe Life

I interrupt my blogging break (still ongoing) with this random post. If I were a guy, I’d dress like these gentleman above…by which I mean ‘purple.’ Say what you will, it takes a real man to wear purple. I’d also carry a skull cap pimp cane so that I may beat the insolent and say cool lines like “Do you warble, my little wren?” Wait, I already say stuff like that in real life minus the skull cane (on my Christmas wishlist).

In other news, I hereby confirm that while I was away crafting eccentric characters, I’ve BECOME an eccentric character. Check in on me when I’m 80. I’ll have stories to tell…

P.S. Am I the only one who considers Willy Wonka a fashion icon?  Would it scare you if I told you I’m slowly putting together a femme-friendly Wonka outfit to wear…in real life?

Hmmm….my head is still somewhat fuzzy from my nocturnal adventures with Johnny Depp last night. I might still be trying to fall back asleep, if it would have been the Johnny Depp that was in Donnie Brasco, and if Al Pacino were tossed into the mix, I wouldn’t be typing this right now, I would be fast asleep spending time with these two dark haired hunks! Heck, I ‘d even be willing to substitute the “badly in need of a shower Capt. Jack” from Pirates of the Caribbean….anyone other than Depp’s Wonka character.  But unfortunately, my dream starred the rather odd, border-line creepy character that Johnny played in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words…..take a gander at the photo above…need I say more. I don’t even think the stunning Jacki O could have made a fashion statement with those shades. I can’t really get worked up over a man who’s hairstyle rivals that of Dororthy Hammel. Don’t get me wrong, Johnny is all that and a bag of chips…the man floats my boat, except when he is prancing around a confectionary factory sporting a shiny chin-length bob.                                                                

Hmmm, then of course you have the original Wonka, good ole’ Gene Wilder. He also has that rather odd border-line creepy thing, plus the hair. What was up with his hair? Maybe that bob wasn’t so bad afterall.

If I had to choose which Wonka would star in my next dream, I suppose I would choose Depp. Hollywood really should do another re-make with George Clooney as an edgy fun-loving smooth talking W.W., a version that moms could get into. Let’s not lose sight that moms are the ones who spring for the tickets, popcorn, and Milk Duds.                                                                                         

Luckily I woke up before any memorable moments occurred between me and the crazy candyman. It must have been that insatiable craving I had last night for chocolate that brought on this weird dream.You know, the kind of craving that has you digging through drawers and cabinets in hopes of finding one long forgotten Hershey bar, or a tiny morsel of Halloween candy that never made it into the big orange plastic bowl. 

After coming up empty after my initail search, I resorted to the old “fake out”. Some of you might be familiar with this one, it’s when you attempt to substitute something else for the real thing. Sort of like replacing a perfect cut diamond with a cubic zirconia. My “fake out” was a handful of CoCo Puffs… Ha!….who was I kidding! Did I honestly think a CoCo puff would even come close to a replacing the magic  a piece of Godiva dark chocolate provides! I have now decided that the name CoCo Puffs should be revised to Coal Coal Puffs….that is a much better description of the actual taste.

On my third search through drawers filled with dry rice and pasta, I suddenly discovered a bag of trail mix. My spirits lifted as I thought to myself, maybe, just maybe, there will be some chocolate mixed in with this expensive squirrel food. I scoured through the bag and found some pseudo chocolate chips…other wise known as that five letter word…c-a-r-o-b. My five letter word for carob is y-u-c-k-y. I’m not sure if carob actually falls into a food category. I again pulled out my handy Webster and looked up carob. Definition: “a tree with a sweet pod.” I don’t like that word pod. Sounds like something out of a Speilberg flick….come to think of it, aren’t pods where aliens are birthed? Yeah, remember that movie where the senior center had alien pods at the bottom of their community pool? Pods are also border-line creepy….Wonka probably sleeps in one at night! Ooooh, I am getting chills just thinking about it. I pray I have a normal girls dream tonight, maybe Brad and I riding his Harley through windy roads of Italy. The clean cut Brad that is.

Chocolate, or as I call it “Candy of the Gods” should have absolutely no connection whatsoever with pods. The only edible item that should be allowed anywhere near a pod, are peas. Case closed. In my opinion, carob should strictly be sold at Pet Smart as a tasty treat for hamsters, rats, and gerbils, marketed soley as critter cuisine. I think carob could also make a killing in the weed industry….the “you’re ruining my lawn kind of weed!”…not the “hey man, where are the Cheeto’s kind of weed.” I am positive carob would be a top seller on aisle 3 at Home Depot. This is where you will find organic based lawn fertilizers…never tasted manure, but I imagine it’s very similiar to carob.

As the night rolled on, I became a desperate woman in need of my drug of choice, chocolate. Would this require a trip to 7/11? You know you’ve hit rock bottom if you are willing to risk shopping at a 7/11 past 10:00 p.m. After ten, the name of the store changes to “Gansta, Thugs, and Creeps Mini Mart,” not the kind of store you linger to read food labels or browse thru the latest issue of People’s Sexiest Man Alive. At that hour you do what I call speed shopping, this is where you plan your in-store route while still outside. This is to be done as you sit in your locked car, while you carefully peer thru the store window. After you have memorized the entire store floor plan, including all available exits, you then approach the store as if it’s on fire. Move, move, move. Enter store, eyes down, grab Reese’s peanut butter cup, pay, pray, eyes still down, and run, run, run!  Always have a back-up spotter in the vehicle, and keep the engine running at all times. You need to think like a robber, you need a get-away plan…you want to “Get Away” from the store as quickly as possible….hopefully with all limbs intact.

Oops, I got somewhat sidetracked….anyhow back to my craving:  I began to ponder how I could talk my hubby into leaving his cozy spot on the sofa, where he was dosewatching (that’s my word for how men over the age of 50 watch t.v.) a sacred sporting event with only one eye open. I quickly let go of my fantasy, and suddenly remembered we have been married for ten years, way past the trying to impress each other stage. I then realized I had no leverage….I wasn’t in my12th month of pregnancy (although there are days I feel like it), I wasn’t hooked up to an IV with both legs in a cast, and I didn’t have a pair of championship boxing tickets for a major bout in Vegas that I could casually wave in front of him. To make matters worse, it was 32 degrees outside, he was in his worn out sweats, the fireplace was going…long story short, hell would have to freeze over before this dude was going to run out to get me a Butterfinger. sigh….lesson for you single girls out there…enjoy life now, and most importantly…..work it, work it, work it!

I never did hit pay dirt last night. However, I did find my favorite  potato peeler, a very cool Pampered Chef spatula that I thought was long gone, some much-needed Ricola Cherry Honey cough drops, and one stale fortune cookie from Panda Express. I am sort of superstious…okay I am very superstitious, I figured that cookie had a message inside that was meant for me (you know, my angel’s whispering to me again) and sure enough it did! My fortune read “Seek and you will find, if not, is was not meant to be.” Sweet Dreams everyone zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

P.S. My sincerest apologies to anyone who owns a pair of gawdy oversized sunglasses, is a huge fan of sugar-coated breakfast desserts, oops I mean cereals, thinks carob is the greatest thing since wheat grass juice, anyone who prefers to shop at convenience stores instead of impersonal wharehouse membership stores, and any person, male of female, who is sporting a hairstlye from the 1970’s. This post was all done in jest. thanks.

Can someone explain the above to me?

Interesting reading for music lovers, lovers, but not love seats…

If one buys this, does the homeless tag disappear?  (sorry toy alert)…

Good thing Violet Beauregarde didn’t try this…

Mothers Against Drunken Amish Buggy Driving (M.A.D.A.B.D)…

Two cunning linguists…

Disclaimer: I endorse the clicking on the links at right and signing up for email alerts when new material is posted to this blog and you should too… Don’t take it from me, see who else supports Highlights…

“Mission Accomplished” – G. Bush

“I always need a couple of Highlights to really spark the passion for a project.” – L. Hallstrom

“Check the Highlights” – T. Blair

jffcrmr.

look at the girls struggling to get free....

The only thing else is to find out that the kid has a Mensa level IQ, or is hing like a horse.  The DailyMail brings the good news to light.

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen has given birth to a son.

The boy is the first child together for the 29-year-old and her husband, American football star Tom Brady.

Brazilian Bünchen is already stepmother to Brady’s son John Edward, two, whose mother is his ex-girlfriend, actress Bridget Moynahan.

I bet you want to see what is in here...

Bündchen is the world’s highest paid model, with an estimated $150million fortune.

Bündchen  and Brady started dating in December 2006 – just weeks after the athlete ended his three year relationship with Sex and the City star Moynahan.

Just a two months into his relationship with Bündchen, Brady was surprised to learn Moynahan was pregnant with his child and she gave birth to John in August 2007.

You are able to make your move that fast.  If he was like most guys, you try to make that one last move for break-up sex.  This move is dangerous, but worth the rewards. If you are ending on a good note and not due to scandal, you might get that one to remember the relationship by.  He was smooth enough to not wear a hat and got caught slipping with John.  But, is it really slipping if you and the mother have wealth and love?  He might have gotten  caught up, but I am trying to get caught like that.

The nose is kinda large, but everything else is super on point.

This is the proverbial golden ticket.

Look at it shine in the light....must be nice to have one...

]]> http://wilderside.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/sunday-is-the-last-day-willy-wonka-in-long-island/ Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:29:03 +0000 kwilder http://wilderside.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/sunday-is-the-last-day-willy-wonka-in-long-island/ http://grublife.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/our-10-favourite-wacky-frontmen-part-25/ Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:46:34 +0000 Raihan Sangherra http://grublife.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/our-10-favourite-wacky-frontmen-part-25/ http://halfmanhalfdog.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/not-even-for-17-million-dollars/ Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:22:44 +0000 halfmanhalfdog http://halfmanhalfdog.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/not-even-for-17-million-dollars/

Earlier this week, as we all know, Notre Dame fired head football coach Charlie Weis.  Sad story for Weis right? Wrong!  As a parting gift, Weis and Notre Dame need to settle on a buyout price.  Weis has a contract through the 2015 season, and the buyout appears to be around the 17 million dollar mark. 17 million dollars to get fired? I would love for that to happen.  This got me thinking however about how many jobs I wouldn’t even consider doing for 17 million dollars, and would quit for free.

If someone offered me 17 million dollars to sort and sift through the garbage at the local dump, I couldn’t accept it.  You are probably thinking that the dump wouldn’t be that bad, but you didn’t have the same experience that I once had.  On one of my rare trips to the dump, I found myself running into a small mountain of rotten and ripped apart cow carcasses. The smell of that trip, still haunts me to this very day. 17 million for the chance to smell that again? Hell no!

The next job I thought about, is the position of an Obstetrician.  For all the men who don’t know what that is, it would be the doctor that has or will deliver your children.  I would like to apologize to my future wife for I may not be able to stay conscience during the birthing process.  I have seen movies in health class, and that was all I needed to see.  I think that the miracle of reproduction is amazing, I just don’t want to see it happen, and especially not from a front row seat.  Doc, go ahead and pull my offspring out, I won’t do it, not even for 17 million.

The last one I would for sure deny is a morgue worker.  I will openly admit that I am not a fan of scary movies and going to haunted houses, so why would I ever work in a morgue?  For far too long have Jason, Freddy Krueger, Micheal Myers, Thomas Hewitt, and that scary boat scene from the first Willy Wonka haunted my dreams.  I would be paranoid the entire time thinking that the corpses are either moving, or going to come back alive, ya zombies, not so friendly.  I wouldn’t take 17 million to sit alone with a corpse for 5 minutes let alone every night.

Other jobs I considered were a septic tank cleaner, anything to do with tomatoes, and coming on fast is the New Jersey Nets head coach job.  Charlie Weis, you can honestly retire now that you are cashing in.  I guess some people do get a reward for doing a job well….undone.  Hey on the bright side, now you can join a nice gym.

Egentligen hyste jag någon slags naiv förhoppning om att stora J skulle ta med sig flytande ost från over there. Istället kommer han med godis till min unge. Och så säger han att det är till mig, men är inte jag lite för stor för Willy Wonka-godis? Jag tror att han försöker ställa sig in. Vägen till kon går via kalven, som bekant.

Last Sunday I went with my friend, Aaron, and watched the disaster movie 2012. The movie theater was packed which surprised me. I thought everybody would be at the Twilight movie that opened that weekend. By the closing credits of 2012, I am sure everyone wished they had made that choice.

Loosely based on the Mayan prophecies that the world will end on 2012, the movie exploits that premise. It does not do a good job of really delving into the prophecies themselves but simply references them  like an excuse to continue on with the plot.

What a plot it was! It was painful  to watch it unfold on screen.  I could not buy its plausibility even in the Willy Wonka world of imagination.  It was based on the increase in solar flare activity and planet alignment, which affected the melting of the earth’s core.  I know that was a movie spoiler but frankly who cares….the movie was so bad…it does not ruin anything with that reveal.

Why did one of my favorite actors, John Cusack, do this movie?  He must have needed the cash.  He tried to show that he cared and get into his character.  I just don’t think he bought it. It showed in his performance.

I found myself not really caring if his character or his family or anyone else survived the destruction.  In moments of terror onscreen, I found myself laughing out loud because it was so stupid.  Also, I agree with Aaron when he pointed out all the music that was played to try to direct our emotion. It did not work.

Now the only redeeming factor of the movie, were the special effects. It was like a visual orgy of disasters gone wild.  It was like taking every disaster movie in history and shaking them up together and exploding them into the screen.  They should take the disaster action sequences and make a Disney ride out of it.

Adam Lambert’s song “Time For Miracles” plays during the closing credits.  I am afraid nothing miraculous could save this movie from its disastrous awfulness.

Dieses Schmuckstück von Keiondou ist inspiriert von Willy Wonka aus Charlie und die Schokoladenfabrik – lang bin ich drumherum geschlichen, nun kann ich meine erste männliche Büste mein Eigen nennen… ein Traum für mich als Tim Burton, Johnny Depp und Keiondou Fan

It’s been a long hard year folks!  Between moving, school, high pressure-low appreciation jobs, keeping up with three kids, money troubles…our mojo went into the tank!

When we first met, it was HOT…and by that I do mean HHHOOOOTTTT!  Every night, every morning, he works shift work, got home at 3 am and I was more than happy to wake up and get busy.  In the living room, in the dining room, in the kitchen, in the tv room, and even in the bedroom.  Learned a sexy strip tease lap dance, broke out the video camera a time or two (shut up!  Betcha you’ve done it too…just won’t admit it!)

Fast forward a year…I’m tired, he’s tired, our kids are non stop energizer bunnies.  I work early early mornings (my shift starts at 4 am **shudder**) he works late nights (his shift starts at noon) I am running a business from home too so we don’t live below the poverty line, kids are in dance, gymnastics, play group.  I have NO energy left.  Zip, nada, zero!  It takes less energy to pretend to be asleep than it does to say no (sad, sad, sad!)

I have decided that I want  NEED to get my mojo back!  I am one of those women who loves to get busy!  Love it!  Would love it to be every single day if at all possible.  My lovely mate is getting on in years…lol…he’s 50 and I am 30 something…so yes, there is a bit of an age gap, but if you saw him, you’d never guess he was 50!  Anyway…I digress…he is not so energetic anymore.  DANG!  I ask for it!  Believe me…I DO!  I tell him that he is lucky to have a wife that want’s to get jiggy with it and that he should do the proverbial “make hay while the sun shines” if you get my meaning.  Often, with his shift work and my shift work and our kids and other demands on our time we (by we I mean me…he gets at least 9 to 10 hours of sleep a night…I am lucky to get 6) he often tells me no.

I have told him time and time again that I am going to get me a boyfriend/sex boy toy if he doesn’t start putting out!  He laughs…but ladies I am SERIOUS…as serious as a fat kid in a candy store!  I need and want more candy and if he isn’t going to be my Willy Wonka of Love, I will kick down those chocolate factory doors and find me an Oompa Loompa who will PUT OUT!

We I had decided that we are going on a SEX diet for 2010…not a “no sex” diet but an ALL OUT SEX FEST for 2010…maybe I’ll call it “Again and Again in 2010!”  That’s catchy don’t you think??

Check back to see where we are…what we’ve been doing…(cover your eyes if you don’t want to see) and feel free to butt in with suggestions, recommendations and positions you all think we should give a go!

Cheers!

Maniacal Mom

by Stephanie Hanson

I have a confession to make, a confession that I am almost ashamed to make. I am an anglophile. I always think people obsessed with other countries are rather silly, after all, you should love the one you’re in unless it’s very horrible. Which our country is of course not. But we are always drawn to the exotic. For me, it’s the chocolate. English chocolate is just…so much better on a basic level. And they really have the best candy bars. Especially Cadbury. You can imagine how much I wanted to visit Willy Wonka as a child, and how much I envied Roald Dahl when I found out that he had a childhood job as a chocolate taster for Cadbury. Oh, I enjoy other traditionally English goods like clotted cream and bangers. But it’s really all about the candy. The chocolate. I think they must have better cows making the milk over there (actually English Cadbury has more milk than American Cadbury, which has wax instead).

For your basic chocolate bar, Cadbury has the Dairy Milk. It’s a classic. And it pairs well with a nice cup of English Breakfast or Assam. Something nice and malty to balance out the sweetness of the chocolate.

Then there is the Crunchie. This has to be one of the most decadent candies I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying, and I can only eat about half at a time because it’s so sweet. You see, the middle is a “honeycomb.” It’s not really, honey, but it sure tastes like it. So basically, it’s chocolate covered sugar. And what’s wrong with that? But because it is so sweet, it really needs to be paired with something on the other end of the spectrum. I like it with a nice spicy masala, something with pink peppercorns.

Then there’s the Yorkie from Nestle, which has to sell most of its bars because of the clever reverse-psychology slogan: “Not for Girls.” Apparently this was controversial, as a way of marketing to men, but I took it as ironic, and bought it happily. It’s chunky chocolate, but I did have a variety with raisins once that was lovely. It’s not much different than the Dairy Milk, but I feel like it needs a good strong tea just because of the name, so I go with an Irish Breakfast.

Go ahead. Look at the British chocolates, and just see if they look so much better than the bars in line at American grocery stores. I know where my allegiance lies in chocolate patriotism.

Stephanie publishes her own blog called The Tea Scoop. Check it out! It’s great!

Regular readers of this blog probably know that I am a big fan of Tim Burton’s work. Thats why I was exited when I read on Wired that his art-work is now bundled in a 434 page thick book, displaying over 1000 drawings, doodles, paintings and evocative concept art dating back to Burton’s teen years in Burbank, California.Burton himself describes it as “40 years of notebooks, scraps of paper, napkins, etc.” Author and co-editor Leah Gallo writes that Burton’s intention is “to allow his fans a broad look inside his private pages.”

Check out a selection below. Pretty cool to see where Burton’s Willy Wonka, The Joker and The Mad Hatter come from:

Available in both limited-edition lithograph ($300) and standard hardcover ($70) versions, The Art of Tim Burton can be pre-ordered from Steeles Publishing and will be available at the MoMA bookstore in New York and Forbidden Planet in England.