Perfection

Last month, I was interviewed by a consultant in preparation for a staff retreat. As part of the process I was asked to describe my perfect work day. I asked if this was a trick question, as it was clearly an oxymoron. Once the consultant assured me she really needed an answer, I refrained from saying “A vacation day,” and instead concocted a scenario that involved “proactive research” and plowing uninterrupted through my to do list. When we got to the retreat and shared our scenarios with each other, I was surprised I had forgotten to include “fully stocked Coke machine” in my day, as so many of my coworkers had. My answer was clearly not as inspired as some of the others.


It would be much easier for me to construct my perfect after-work day. Last night I saw a glimpse of it when Connor acted the perfect amount of silly during dinner, the amount that caused his parents to chuckle and Chloe to dissolve into fits of laughter while imitating him (rather than the amount that makes us give him stern warnings about table manners). And I saw it again when Chloe finished her food and, instead of sticking her feet on the table and laughing as we shook our heads no, she hilariously requested that we turn on “Doe Diedo Doe.” (She doesn’t quite have the “g” sound down yet, but we know she means Go Diego Go.) A couple of nights ago I saw it when Connor played his memory game with us and didn’t cheat or try to hit me when I got a match. I also see it when Chip does the dishes after dinner while I go upstairs to cook in Chloe’s pretend kitchen, or when he gives the kids their bath and allows me a minute of time alone.


I know that all those things will never happen on the same night, just as I know there will never be a work day when I take vacation time and someone else plows through my to do list. But I do know that every night when Chip and the kids come home, they will all scream “Mommy!” and give me kisses and hugs. That's the moment when all the other scenarios fall away and I realize that this is, indeed, a perfect day.

About Last Night

Last night around 7:45 our power went out. We finished getting the kids in bed (by candlelight) and realized that a wire was down in the street in front of our house.

A fire truck came to make sure we didn't electrocute ourselves while waiting on MLGW. By 9:30, two MLGW trucks were there. They worked ALL NIGHT, which sucked for us because the blinking truck lights and backing-up noises and talking kept us from getting much sleep, but sucked worse for the workers because it was about 25 degrees and they were getting even less sleep than we were.

Having no electricity made me realize how old I am. Why? Because without lights I am apparently unable to climb the stairs. While holding two lit candles, I missed the first step and fell, landing directly on my hip. (I was so busy trying not to catch anything on fire that I forgot to try and break the fall.) So now I have a huge, swollen bruise and a limp. Am I old enough to have balance issues and a bad hip? Apparently so.

At 6:30 this morning, Connor came in our room and pointed at the blinking lights that were reflecting on our wall. "I've got that in my room too!" Fortunately that was the first time the commotion, which was located directly outside his window, had woken him. We looked outside together and explained to him that the trucks had been there all night trying to help us get power. He was upset that those guys had missed their bedtime. I was too, and I wished I had power so that I could make them (and me) a cup of coffee. Fortunately Mom lives right around the corner, so we were able to go over there to get ready for work and school and to have that coffee. Just us, though- we left the workers in front of our house. It wasn't until after 8:00 this morning that they got the power back on, but at least it's on.

Since I'm pro-MLGW this morning, it seems like a good time to link to the company's blog. The author is someone you know and love, even though it's not officially "her" blog so I can't name names. I'll give you a hint, though: she has several other blogs. So thanks, power company! Here's to a scandal-free year with no Christmastime executive firings! *fingers crossed*

Sports Photography

Three excellent reasons to go see the Rhodes basketball team this past Sunday:
1) We needed to get out of the house, so as to stave off the incessant "Wanna watch Dow Dow" (Dora) chants from Chloe.
2) The game was free.
3) I could try my hand at sports photography, something I've never done.



We took turns taking Chloe out to the lobby so that she could run around without causing injury to herself and/or the players on the court. During one of my turns, Steph took over the camera and proceeded to completely show me up (in a photographic sense). She just happened to capture the most spectacular play of the game:


Along with the bench's reaction to that play:


I will now light myself on fire.

Eye See

On the Big Stage

Last night I had an awesome date- dinner and drinks at Sauces, followed by the Foo Fighters at the FedEx Forum. (They rocked my face off. Seriously.) Over dinner, I discovered that my date, Cullen, had only been to a handful of arena-level concerts, almost all of them with either me or Shannon. And it made me realize, it was time to start another round of lists. . .

Concerts seen in a Big(ish) Venue*
Barry Manilow
Rick Springfield with Til Tuesday
Morris Day and the Time with Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
Bon Jovi with Cinderella
Beastie Boys
Neil Diamond
Dixie Chicks with Michelle Branch
Aerosmith
Eagles
Bruce Springsteen
Prince
Rush with Mr. Big
Van Halen
Guns N Roses
Eric Clapton
Backstreet Boys
Pearl Jam with King's X
Foo Fighters with Jimmy Eat World
Sting with Natalie Merchant
*N Sync
311 with No Doubt
Barenaked Ladies
Edie Brickell and New Bohemians
Alison Krauss and Union Station
Death Cab for Cutie with OK Go!
Nickel Creek
Sarah McLachlan
Tori Amos

*This includes venues the size of the Orpheum and above. Does not include the New Daisy or Mud Island.

Concerts I drove to Tunica for:
Pat Benatar
Bela Fleck

Concerts I have seen on the Memphis State campus:
Living Colour
Indigo Girls

Outdoor festivals:
HORDE
Lilith Fair (2x)
96X Fest (That's right!)
Memphis in May
Sadly missing from this list: Lollapalooza

Concert attended at Nightmoves on the corner of Winchester and Mendenhall:
Mr. Big (have I seen them twice?)

Concerts at Mud Island:
A lot, starting with a-ha in 1986

Concert I famously did not attend:
Duran Duran

Concert I drove to New Orleans to see, despite having nowhere to stay:
Ani DiFranco

Concert I was subjected to after a Giants-Reds game:
Beach Boys (Kokomo/John Stamos era)

Concert I have seen the most:
311

Concert I did not include, just on principle:
Smashing Pumpkins (Three songs is not a concert. Billy Corgan is an ass.)

Concert I want most to add to this list:
U2

Colours and Shapes

Threes

Symptoms displayed by Chloe, keeping us home today:
Fever
Snot
Loss of appetite

Ways to trick my kids into eating:
Pretend you are going to eat something off her plate
Hand her some chopsticks
Tell him exactly how many bites he has to take to warrant a dessert

Chores I didn't want to do, but did anyway since I was off work:
Balance checkbook with bank statement
Dishes
Litter box

Books I am currently reading:
I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris
The View from the Upper Deck by DJ Gallo
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger

Reactions to the statement "Chloe has a fever":
Bless her heart! (Mom)
Poor Chloe! (Sassy)
The only prescription is more cowbell. (Uncle Shannon)

Weekend Lessons Learned

Chloe has no problems beating the crap out of Connor.



I can use some cheap makeup, but my eyes burn unless the mascara is from Clinique.

Chip isn't scared to spend money on a night out on the town.

The Tigers are #1!

Chloe only falls out of her "big girl" bed about once a night. The fall doesn't wake her.

I really can't resist real, homemade chocolate chip cookie dough.

Connor bristles at the prospect of playing Laser Tag with a bunch of 10-year-olds.

If I'm going to try out a new grocery store, I need to be able to concentrate. And therefore should not take the kids.

In other cities, MLK Day isn't that big of a deal. I find that sad- I thought it was a national holiday, not just a Memphis one.

It's fun to cook dinner when someone else supplies the main ingredients.

Being a brunette isn't so bad.



Buying reusable shopping bags doesn't do any good if you repeatedly forget to take them with you to the store.

Cartoon Nation

We always look forward to a three-day weekend, because we are all super-lazy. The only problem with this past weekend was that it was too cold to spend much time outside. Being who we are, we had no problem substituting physical activity for some time in front of the TV.

For four years now, I've wanted to write about some of the shows on Noggin, even though I know you don't care. So here goes. For the kids, the shows are great- they teach lessons (both social and scholastic) and they are free of weapons and cursing. They are on a level that the kids understand (unlike, say, SpongeBob, which passes right over Connor's head) and they can usually stand to watch at least part of a show without the company of a parent. This allows me 15 minutes to do the dishes or look at email or go to the bathroom- it's awesome. But the other 15 minutes- goodness.

Problem #1 with these shows, in general, is that so often they star anthropomorphic turtles or bears or rabbits, and yet they all have pets. That freaks me out. Why is a beaver your friend, but the goldfish is content to swim around in a bowl? When Franklin's mom had a baby, Franklin was thinking "baby sister!" and I was thinking "pet turtle that won't last more than six months!" It's just so hard to keep straight!

And the names. Franklin has a regular name, then his parents are Mr. and Mrs. Turtle, and his friends have names like "Bear." I don't get it. And what is the parental situation for wild animals, anyway? How come Little Bear lives with his parents, yet his friends Cat and Duck (again with that!) just live on their own? Are they his older friends? Are they his age but they moved out really, really early? Were they orphaned and the system failed them? I just hope Little Bear gets invited to their non-adult-supervised parties. He needs to live a little.

The worst offenders on the absentee parent list are Max and Ruby's parents. For some reason, they have never been seen, and it is up to Ruby to mother Max until I run screaming from the room, clawing at my eyes. I violently hate this show. Why, when Max gets dirty, does Ruby have to take him to the laundrymat and spend her money getting his clothes clean RIGHT THEN, then when she notices it's almost noon, why is she in charge of feeding him? Why is it her job to tell him what he can and can't play with, and to nag him constantly? She can't be more than eight. WHERE IS HER MOTHER?

There are shows that feature animals who speak with offensive stereotypical accents (Wonder Pets) or who can ska-do into a book or picture (Blue!). Some of them feature lovely Latinas who have no human friends, only animals. But we love her and will not speak ill of Dora or her equally starved-for-human-interaction primo, Diego. Little Bill is a good show, full of humans, and Pinky-Dinky-Do actually teaches vocabulary and themes and other reading comprehension skills, although there is no reading involved. Other shows are fun and harmless and educational, and some even acheive the perfection that is Yo Gabba Gabba.


There is one show, however, that deserves its own paragraph: Lazytown, a show about how you should go outside and play and not be lazy. Not content to teach shapes or colors, this show has taken on the formidable task of teaching your preschooler irony! Amazingly, they have chosen to do this with three human characters who live in a town of puppets. Two of the humans, Sportacus and Robbie Rotten, are named something like Magnus in real life and struggle to speak well enough to be understood (think Governator), while the third is a girl named Stephanie. Stephanie has bright pink hair and has recently moved to Lazytown to live with her uncle who, in addition to being mayor of Lazytown, is also a puppet. I often wonder which of Stephanie's parents is a puppet. Was her mom a fat, ugly human who could only find a mate in the puppet world? Was her dad a weird fetishist who trolled the puppet message boards looking for love? Fortunately, the only thing puppet about her is that hair. And her friends. Somehow the people behind the show (they are also named Magnus) felt the best way to voice the puppets would be in a weird, nasally voice, which makes the songs extra-annoying. And the songs! They all have a weird techno dance beat that makes me think I'm at 616. Connor is obsessed with these songs, which I tried to fight but then I ended up dowloading the CD for him. I guess he will learn the white man's overbite in addition to irony.

Thank goodness this channel comes on 24 hours a day. I'm not sure I could cover all these life lessons on my own.

Picking up the Slang

Max's Mom: I'll use the pink marker. That's just how I roll.

Connor: Sometimes my mom rolls.

Let's Get It Over With

71. I believe I'm destined to be PTO president someday.
72. I wish I could write songs or draw or write fiction, but I'm just not creative and artsy.
73. I envy people who are.
74. I like getting dressed up.
75. I'm not comfortable in jeans.
76. I am not an animal person.
77. I have a pet cat anyway, and although I love him I will never refer to him as one of my kids.
78. I think white wine is the most perfect beverage in the world. I could drink it instead of water.
79. But I do love Memphis water, and when I leave town I realize how spoiled I am by its quality.
80. I play the same numbers in every Powerball drawing. I have no problem spending $2 a week on this, and I am under no delusions that I might actually win. At this point it's just a superstitious/OCD thing.
81. I knew Chip was "the one", right from the start.
82. I watched the entire run of Sex and the City, despite my intense hatred of Carrie Bradshaw.
83. I always have to have polish on my toenails, and I won't stand for it to be chipped or smudged.
84. If I had the time and money, I would get a weekly pedicure. I've only had three in my whole life.
85. I was born in Ripley, WV.
86. My dad is buried in Huntington, WV.
87. I have lived in Memphis since I was five.
88. I own all 10 seasons of Friends on DVD and I watch them regularly.
89. When the show was originally on, Chandler was my favorite, but repeat viewings have led me to appreciate just how funny Ross is.
90. I made an effort not to talk about specific TV shows on this, because I love so many, but Friends is Friends-what are you gonna do.
91. My early teen crushes included Doug Flutie (He did it!), Christian Laettner (So not gay! OK, maybe), and Jon Bon Jovi.
92. Only Jon remains in my top 5, but this country music thing he's got going has him hanging by a thread.
93. I am not good at spelling.
94. I like math.
95. Growing up my nickname was Nee Nee (or just Neen), although my step-dad sometimes referred to me as Bertha Buttinski.
96. (Bertha went on her first diet at age 10.)
97. As an adult, I have been called Steffa, Steff-Annie (that one is easier to say than write), and Steph.
98. I think nicknames are fine, but I almost always refer to myself as Stephanie (not Steph), even when I sign a note to a close friend.
99. I like the hot weather of the summertime, because I'm used to it and because summer clothes are so comfortable and cute.
100. I like being cold in the winter, because I get to wear boots and because gloves and scarves make cute accessories.
101. I think living someplace like San Diego, where it's 70 degrees all year round, would be perfect. I wouldn't miss the seasons at all.
102. My favorite vacation is to the beach, mainly because you aren't expected to do anything except lounge. And I love the textures, smells and sounds of the sand and sea.
103. I am shocked to realize that I now consider sushi to be comfort food.
104. I didn't find this exercise to be difficult at all- I could easily write another hundred.
105. I like symmetry.

A Little More

After the overwhelming response to yesterday's post, I couldn't wait to put up more of the list!

I dedicate #36-70 to my new BFF, Aunt Katherine:

36. I just don't get the whole Wilco thing. I wish I did, because the people who like them REALLY like them. But I just don't.
37. I was a contestant on The Knowledge Bowl when I was in high school. I was too scared to ring in, so I only answered one question. My answer was "Pete Rose," and it was correct. We lost anyway.
38. I enjoy reading internet spoilers about my favorite TV shows.
39. I require eight hours of sleep each night.
40. On a completely irrational level, I will do anything possible to avoid getting out of bed in the morning. Within a few minutes of getting out of bed, I come to my senses and start to feel awake for the day, but when I'm still under the covers I am completely insane.
41. I wish I took the time to read books more often. The sad truth is, I just prefer TV.
42. When I do find time to pick up a book of fiction, I have trouble putting it down until I'm done.
43. When I gain weight, I gain it exactly evenly all over my body. So people are always surprised when they hear how much I actually weigh.
44. Not counting pregnancy, my weight has fluctuated within a 50-lb range in the past 15 years.
45. My favorite color is red. This isn't because I'm "fiery" or "passionate" or because I'm "a Leo"- I just like it.
46. I don't put any stock in astrology, but I like to pretend I do on the subject of being a Leo.
47. I've had plenty of joe jobs, nothing I'd call a career. In addition to Subway, I worked at a movie theater concession stand, as a waitress, a receptionist, a teacher, and whatever it is I do now.
48. My dream career is housewife and mother. I would have rocked the 1950s!
49. I'd like to spin you a tale about how The Godfather or Citizen Kane is my favorite movie, but I can't. My favorite movie of all time is Wayne's World, followed by Christmas Vacation and Bull Durham.
50. I do love The Godfather. But I've never seen Citizen Kane. (Gasp!)
51. I have a real weakness for garden-variety romantic comedies. I always cry at the end of the second act, when it looks like Meg and Tom won't end up together, and again at the end of the movie when they do.
52. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year.
53. Knowing this, Chip proposed to me on Christmas Eve. Then we got married during the following Christmas season.
54. I have been pregnant four times.
55. Two ended in miscarriage, two ended with a c-section.
56. If I could afford plastic surgery, I would have a tummy tuck.
57. My favorite baseball team is the Chicago Cubs, because they were my dad's favorite team.
58. I prefer professional sports to college sports. I imagine that would be different if I lived in an SEC city.
59. I wish I watched more hockey.
60. Part of me likes being Southern.
61. Part of me hates living in the South.
62. I wish I didn't have to raise my kids in this part of the country. (I mean, how is it that Connor is already a NASCAR fan?)
63. I'd love to live in San Francisco or Boston.
64. Everyone agrees that Austin is a cool place to live, but I can't get over the fact that it's in Texas.
65. I love to sing and dance, although I'm not good at either.
66. I have no problem making a fool of myself in front of other people.
67. That's why you have probably seen me sing and/or dance. (Or lead cheers.)
68. It drives me crazy when people take themselves too seriously.
69. I will only take a sick day for myself if I have a fever or if I'm vomiting.
70. I will take a vacation day at the drop of a hat.

My Turn

Lately I've been working on my own list of 100 Things, since I'm one of the few who hasn't done it yet. Sassy's recent post inspired me to get it done, then when I mentioned it to SAM she recommended splitting the list into several posts. So here we go with part one.

You might remember that Chip sweetly posted 35 things he knows and loves about me not too long ago. My list starts with my take on those 35 things.

1. I am compulsive about saying "good night" as the last words spoken before I fall asleep.
2. I truly hate tomatoes, especially the texture.
3. Although I prefer pizzas with pesto or olive oil instead of red sauce (see above), I do consider pepperoni pizza with extra cheese to be the greatest food ever, and would choose that as part of my last meal. (If I were ever in a position to request foods for a last meal, that is.)
4. I am absolutely in mourning regarding the “upgrade” we recently made from our old TiVo to a newer HD DVR unit.
5. I never was interested in cooking until about ten years ago, and now it’s one of my favorite things to do.
6. I don’t love baking, though. Too much measuring.
7. I really, really love shopping, either for myself or others. Personal shopper is one of my dream jobs.
8. I am really truly lazy about some things, especially the laundry.
9. This is almost a cliché at this point, but I like to work from a list.
10. I am good at knowing when I’m being irrational. That doesn’t mean I can stop, it just means I know.
11. I often giggle when I get into bed at night, for no other reason than I love going to sleep.
12. I sleep with a full-body pillow that my mom gave me during my first pregnancy. The pillow’s name is Scott, and our relationship is strictly platonic.
13. I was salutatorian of Ridgeway High School’s class of 1991. I was also president of the Honor Society, secretary of the student body, and captain of the cheerleading squad. And I was named “Most School Spirited.” I haven’t really done anything since.
14. The Color Purple is my favorite book of all time.
15. I don’t care at all about the cleanliness of my car.
16. I have a lot to say, and I usually say it quickly and sometime loudly. (That’s not something you didn’t know, but I’m trying to follow Chip’s list!)
17. My brother is one of my best friends. Not everyone can say that about their sibling, so I feel lucky about that.
18. I do love sports. Not just on a casual basis, but in a “watch SportCenter daily and read sports blogs and have more than one fantasy team in any given season” way.
19. I generally don’t get along well with men who are total jock/sports fan/frat guy types.
20. For most of high school I thought I wanted to go to Duke University, but I was too chicken to even apply
21. My favorite CDs of all time include 311, Music; Prince, Sign O' the Times; Ani DiFranco, Not a Pretty Girl (or maybe Out of Range- I go back and forth on that one); Tori Amos, Little Eartquakes; U2, Joshua Tree.
22. I am married to a guy who would list some of those same CDs as his favorites.
23. I cry easily.
24. Have a staggering amount of pop culture knowledge at my command.
25. I love to play games, from board games to poker. I don’t like to wager with real money, though.
26. I have a weakness about subscribing to magazines.
27. I was once a Sandwich Artist at Subway. I worked there from 1989-1991, and back then we weren’t called that, but I still consider what I did to be artistry.
28. I often fall asleep thinking about what I'll do when I win the lottery.
29. I like doing research, especially about people, although some people call that snooping.
30. I truly don’t enjoy writing, so it’s weird that I keep up with this blog.
31. Chip thinks I transcend the cheerleader stereotype, but I honestly don’t know what that stereotype is. Dumb? Bimbo? Catty? I think of cheerleaders as being wildly supportive and a little cheesy, and let’s be honest- I have not transcended that stereotype at all.
32. I am one thesis paper short of a master's in Sociology.
33. I have researched and debated nearly every choice I've made as a parent, but I still think most of them have been wrong.
34. I taught elementary school for 2 years, and sometimes I miss it. I would love to work with kids again, just not as a regular classroom teacher.
35. I considered law school, but once Chip entered law school I decided that seemed like too much work.

36. I just don't get the whole Wilco thing. I wish I did, because the people who like them REALLY like them. But I just don't.
37. I was a contestant on The Knowledge Bowl when I was in high school. I was too scared to ring in, so I only answered one question. My answer was "Pete Rose," and it was correct. We lost anyway.
38. I enjoy reading internet spoilers about my favorite TV shows.
39. I require eight hours of sleep each night.
40. On a completely irrational level, I will do anything possible to avoid getting out of bed in the morning. Within a few minutes of getting out of bed, I come to my senses and start to feel awake for the day, but when I'm still under the covers I am completely insane.
41. I wish I took the time to read books more often. The sad truth is, I just prefer TV.
42. When I do find time to pick up a book of fiction, I have trouble putting it down until I'm done.
43. When I gain weight, I gain it exactly evenly all over my body. So people are always surprised when they hear how much I actually weigh.
44. Not counting pregnancy, my weight has fluctuated within a 50-lb range in the past 15 years.
45. My favorite color is red. This isn't because I'm "fiery" or "passionate" or because I'm "a Leo"- I just like it.
46. I don't put any stock in astrology, but I like to pretend I do on the subject of being a Leo.
47. I've had plenty of joe jobs, nothing I'd call a career. In addition to Subway, I worked at a movie theater concession stand, as a waitress, a receptionist, a teacher, and whatever it is I do now.
48. My dream career is housewife and mother. I would have rocked the 1950s!
49. I'd like to spin you a tale about how The Godfather or Citizen Kane is my favorite movie, but I can't. My favorite movie of all time is Wayne's World, followed by Christmas Vacation and Bull Durham.
50. I do love The Godfather. But I've never seen Citizen Kane. (Gasp!)
51. I have a real weakness for garden-variety romantic comedies. I always cry at the end of the second act, when it looks like Meg and Tom won't end up together, and again at the end of the movie when they do.
52. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year.
53. Knowing this, Chip proposed to me on Christmas Eve. Then we got married during the following Christmas season.
54. I have been pregnant four times.
55. Two ended in miscarriage, two ended with a c-section.
56. If I could afford plastic surgery, I would have a tummy tuck.
57. My favorite baseball team is the Chicago Cubs, because they were my dad's favorite team.58. I prefer professional sports to college sports. I imagine that would be different if I lived in an SEC city.
59. I wish I watched more hockey.
60. Part of me likes being Southern.
61. Part of me hates living in the South.
62. I wish I didn't have to raise my kids in this part of the country. (I mean, how is it that Connor is already a NASCAR fan?)
63. I'd love to live in San Francisco or Boston.
64. Everyone agrees that Austin is a cool place to live, but I can't get over the fact that it's in Texas.
65. I love to sing and dance, although I'm not good at either.
66. I have no problem making a fool of myself in front of other people.
67. That's why you have probably seen me sing and/or dance. (Or lead cheers.)
68. It drives me crazy when people take themselves too seriously.
69. I will only take a sick day for myself if I have a fever or if I'm vomiting.
70. I will take a vacation day at the drop of a hat.

71. I believe I'm destined to be PTO president someday.
72. I wish I could write songs or draw or write fiction, but I'm just not creative and artsy.
73. I envy people who are.
74. I like getting dressed up.
75. I'm not comfortable in jeans.
76. I am not an animal person.
77. I have a pet cat anyway, and although I love him I will never refer to him as one of my kids.
78. I think white wine is the most perfect beverage in the world. I could drink it instead of water.
79. But I do love Memphis water, and when I leave town I realize how spoiled I am by its quality.
80. I play the same numbers in every Powerball drawing. I have no problem spending $2 a week on this, and I am under no delusions that I might actually win. At this point it's just a superstitious/OCD thing.
81. I knew Chip was "the one", right from the start.
82. I watched the entire run of Sex and the City, despite my intense hatred of Carrie Bradshaw.
83. I always have to have polish on my toenails, and I won't stand for it to be chipped or smudged.
84. If I had the time and money, I would get a weekly pedicure. I've only had three in my whole life.
85. I was born in Ripley, WV.
86. My dad is buried in Huntington, WV.
87. I have lived in Memphis since I was five.
88. I own all 10 seasons of Friends on DVD and I watch them regularly.
89. When the show was originally on, Chandler was my favorite, but repeat viewings have led me to appreciate just how funny Ross is.
90. I made an effort not to talk about specific TV shows on this, because I love so many, but Friends is Friends-what are you gonna do.
91. My early teen crushes included Doug Flutie (He did it!), Christian Laettner (So not gay! OK, maybe), and Jon Bon Jovi.
92. Only Jon remains in my top 5, but this country music thing he's got going has him hanging by a thread.
93. I am not good at spelling.
94. I like math.
95. Growing up my nickname was Nee Nee (or just Neen), although my step-dad sometimes referred to me as Bertha Buttinski.
96. (Bertha went on her first diet at age 10.)
97. As an adult, I have been called Steffa, Steff-Annie (that one is easier to say than write), and Steph.
98. I think nicknames are fine, but I almost always refer to myself as Stephanie (not Steph), even when I sign a note to a close friend.
99. I like the hot weather of the summertime, because I'm used to it and because summer clothes are so comfortable and cute.
100. I like being cold in the winter, because I get to wear boots and because gloves and scarves make cute accessories.
101. I think living someplace like San Diego, where it's 70 degrees all year round, would be perfect. I wouldn't miss the seasons at all.
102. My favorite vacation is to the beach, mainly because you aren't expected to do anything except lounge. And I love the textures, smells and sounds of the sand and sea.
103. I am shocked to realize that I now consider sushi to be comfort food.
104. I didn't find this exercise to be difficult at all- I could easily write another hundred.
105. I like symmetry. (This was originally posted in three lists of 35.)

What We Drank With What We Ate

One of the best presents I got for Christmas is the book What To Drink With What You Eat, which I consult on a daily basis. I don't mean to sound pretentious about pairing wine and food, because I've had plenty of frozen dinners paired with a cheap glass of wine, but when I spend more for a higher quality bottle of wine (which I resolved to do this year), I like to try and have the best possible experience with that bottle. But yeah, there's no way to say that and not sound pretentious.

Another great gift I got for Christmas was a bottle of rioja that Wine Spectator put at #18 in their list of the top 100 wines of 2007. We don't usually drink rioja (or spend $50 on a bottle of wine) so I figured this was a perfect opportunity to put the book's recommendations to the test and plan a meal to go with the bottle.
While the main course was in the oven, we nibbled on some Manchego cheese. It paired perfectly with the wine, which we loved. We were excited to have something so flavorful that was a little more subtle than the Australian reds we've been drinking so much of lately.
For dinner we had rack of lamb with Creole mustard crust, rosemary jus, herbed potato cake, and green beans. Lamb is apparently the most perfect thing to pair with rioja, with herbs and green vegetables also getting a mention in the rioja section of the book. The meal was wonderful (if I do say so myself!) and paired perfectly with the wine.
For dessert we drank Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui paired with dark chocolate. We figured we should have something on the menu that we knew was a sure bet!

It was a fun night of cooking and drinking, the kind we used to have before sushi took over our Saturday night plans for the past million weekends. Thanks to the generosity of the Millfills, I believe we'll have more nights like this to try out new wines and fun recipes.

Choice #4

Looking Ahead

Career paths Connor is interested in pursuing:

1. Anything involving weaponry

2. Chef

3. Becoming strong and doing lots of exercise

4. Professional basketball player

5. Breakdancer

6. Superhero

Good morning

Trotting the Globe

Thanks to an inspired, timely email suggestion from Mimi, we decided to take Connor to see the Globetrotters on Saturday night. We lined up Grammy to hang out with Chloe, so that it could be a "special" night for Connor. (We agree with Stacey that these "one kid only" excursions are important.)

When I was a kid, my dad took me to the Mid-South Coliseum to see Geese, Curly, and the rest of the Globetrotter gang. I was already a fan, from seeing their annual performances on the Wide World of Sports. (Whatever happened to that show?) Basketball was already my favorite sport, and mixing it with comedy was a sure bet for me. Sure, the jokes were stale, but they hit me square in the funny bone at age 10.

There was a bit of concern early on Saturday, when at Target Connor announced that he needed to pick up some toys so that he could take them to the game, as he "didn't know if he could watch that much basketball." Yikes-- do we spend the $60 for us to attend the game when Connor is doubting his ability to pay attention before we even get there? As the day went on, we felt more comfortable that it would be worth it as his excitement grew. Not only had he not ever seen (or even heard of) the Globetrotters, he had never been a basketball game at all. And he let us know that he wanted to.

We went early so that we could rustle up some grub at the downtown Flying Fish, which is a regular lunch destination for us parent types. Connor ate just about nothing, but he did get a big thrill out of the vibrating coaster that told us when our food was ready.

After dinner, we walked to the FedEx Forum, via Beale Street. What an odd experience, to walk with my 4-year-old down Beale Street on a Saturday night. Connor immediately announced his frame of reference: "Lookit all the neon! It looks like Radiator Springs in the Cars movie!" We managed to hold his hand tightly and put our bodies between Connor and the bums, hookers and drunk tourists.

We went from one overwhelmingly new experience to another. I somehow knew the Forum, with it's retina-searing bright colors and impressive Jumbotron, would put Connor into an observational stupor, and it did.

The game was very entertaining. I realized what a tradition the Globetrotters are-- they've been around since since the 1920s. (Incidentally, this Chicago-based team only labeled themselves "The New York Harlem Globetrotters" because Harlem was considered the center of African-American culture at the time, and an out of town team name would give the team more of a mystique. They didn't actually play a game there until 1968.)

The same jokes and routines were there-- the "Sweet Georgia Brown" warmup circle; the bucket of water thrown at the referee, followed by the bucket of confetti at the crowd; the "football on the basketball court" routine followed by the whole skit "on rewind"; the overweight doofus referee; the enthusiastic white woman who dances with the Globetrotters like there's no tomorrow. The names are different-- "Geese" is now "Showtime" and "Curly" is "Sweet Pea"-- but the parts they played were timeless. "Showtime" was miked, and was effortlessly funny, just like "Geese" always was.

Connor made it the whole game, and loved it. Because the humor was so broad and universal, he got almost all of it. He participated in the "YMCA" dance in between quarters, and also gawked at the "Soulja Boy" dance and the accompanying looks of disgust on his parents' faces as they talked about the extremely misogynistic tone of that song. These were all great "firsts" to experience with him.

(Editor's note: There are no pics because I didn't take my camera. I couldn't have gotten it into the game anyway, since the Globetrotters had roving photographers to take pics of the crowd, hocking the prints on their website. These paid photographers did, however, have good cameras-- Nikon D50s, the ChockleyBlogs' camera of choice. How spoiled are you folks, that you get pictures to accompany every single post we put up? Well, you're roughing it this time.)

In Response

Shannon- I'm impressed you could find anything of note between Memphis and Nashville! Plus, if you're going to do Tiff and Cullen that way, I figured you needed your own link. (Doesn't she know Lee is a boy's name?)

C-Dog- I'm glad you had fun at the beach. We were so glad to see you when you got home! Connor loves to play with Charlie, and we love to see you and the Prof. But I have to ask: Weren't you supposed to host Christmas THIS year? (insert winking emoticon here)

Sassy- Most of you know that I love to make resolutions, mainly because I love the idea of a blank slate. Tiff and I used to love buying school-year-length calendars in August, getting our new syllabuses (I know, syllabi- it's not as fun, though) and putting all the assignments on the calendar. It was a shiny new semester, and we were going to make the most of it! (P.S. We never did.) Anyway, this year I resolve to lose the weight I gained over the holidays, make better financial decisions, take at least two trips without the kids, read more books written for adults (see below), watch more movies and drink fewer, but higher quality, bottles of wine.

SAM- Here's my list of things I love about my home state, West Virginia:
1. I don't live there anymore.

Spicklers- I'm glad it's not just us! It's time for Connor to start getting less stuff.

Aunt Elizabeth- A list of books I read in 2007:
1. Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
2. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
3. Waiting for Birdy by Catherine Newman
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
9. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
11. Can I Keep My Jersey? by Paul Shirley
12. Television Without Pity: 752 Things We Love to Hate (and Hate to Love) About TV by Tara Ariano and Sarah D. Bunting
13. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
14. Seven Seconds or Less by Jack McCallum
That list is sad. If I hadn't read all of the HP books in preparation of book seven, this list would have one work of fiction-one I've read countless times already. Horrible. (See resolutions above.)

Not Your Everyday Italian

Connor has a new favorite TV show. No, not Sponge Bob- Everyday Italian with Giada de Laurentis. Connor's love of cooking shows is certainly fascinating (and more than a little ironic), but it's no surprise why he likes Giada the best. She has huge. . . teeth.

While we're watching, Connor will say things like, "Mom, you should make that!" This gets me excited, thinking that maybe he wants to try something new, but he usually follows it up with "I don't like that, but you and Dad probably will."

Last weekend when I was getting my grocery list together, I asked my standard question. "Connor, what can I buy that you will eat?" I am used to answers that range from "chicken nuggets and pizza" to "chicken nuggets and potato chips," so you can imagine my surprise when I heard "chicken nuggets and pizza and NOODLES!" Whaa? He repeated his request for noodles- plain noodles with maybe some butter and white cheese.


Later that night, I excitedly put a plate of angel hair with butter and white cheese down in front of him. I couldn't believe he was going to try something new! "NO! These are the WRONG NOODLES, Mom!" Of course they were. When pressed to describe the noodles he was interested in, he told me he wanted flat, thin noodles. Suddenly it dawned on me- we had just watched Giada make a carbonara with homemade fettuccine. He wanted something new that he had seen her cook! Since then he's had fettuccine with butter and cheese many, many times. I know that's not an especially exciting dish, but what's important here is that his crush on a hot chef might finally convince him to try something new every now and again. There's a whole world of non-orange food out there, and thanks to the Food Network my son just might discover some of it.

All Good Things. . .

If you read this blog regularly (hi Mom!), then you know that at this time last week I was struggling to deal with two children who were still overstimulated from Santa's visit, but also bored with being at home for a week. You'll be glad to know that we snapped out of that pretty quickly and had a glorious final four days of vacation. Tuesday night, I snuggled in bed with Connor and we both shed tears over our impending separation. I made Chip take the kids to school Wednesday so that I didn't have to deal with the heartbreak before entering the workplace, which was a good idea since Connor cried that morning as well. Chloe, on the other hand, was as happy to see her friends as she had been the day before to see her family. She's just happy these days. A happy girl with a lot to say.


Wednesday ended up okay, though, because Uncle Shannon and Aunt Carrie spent one last evening entertaining us, Grammy brought sushi, and Uncle Cullen stopped by as well. I was sad to bid the Millfills adieu, but kept trying to comfort myself with the idea that I'd see them again in February. I still got a little teary-eyed - two nights in a row!


The sun rose today on a totally normal, boring, non-holiday day. We went to work and school, we came home grumpy, no one joined us for dinner, which was sadly cooked at home rather than served out of take-out styrofoam, and now we find ourselves fighting to stay awake at 8:00 at night. The house is a wreck, and a few Christmas decorations linger here and there, but we'll deal with that over the weekend. Right now we're just going to have a drink, watch some football, read the books we got for Christmas, and sit. And try not to cry.

Go Blue!

Revelry

A few times when I was younger, I did the big-crowd thing for New Year's Eve. After that, I realized that I much prefer to sit in one place, around a few folks I know well. Less unwanted saliva and beer on my clothes that way too.

This year, like the last few, was spent at Cullen and Gina's. (The kids celebrated with Grammy by drinking sparkling grape juice.) The midnight kiss, as far as I can remember, was spectacular. And I'm pretty sure it was Steph.

(Don't worry Mom and Dad-- I didn't drive home.)

Here are a few pics-- the rest are here.