The Great Elmo Debate

*

I have always been a fan of muppets. Sesame Street, Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock. If there's a giant colorful puppet involved, I'm totally down. However, and let me just put this out there, I have never liked Elmo. He came on the Sesame Street scene in the 90's and was immediately elevated to SS "mascot" status. He took the Sesame Street glory from all the older, more established, dare I say more deserving muppets like Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, and even Telly. And he did it in annoyingly cheerful third person banter. Rather than idolizing Grover, who has a superhero alter ego for crying out loud! Small children fell in love with a creature whose only claim to fame is that he likes be tickled and is the owner of a pet goldfish named Dorothy. I have found this to be a rather disturbing phenomenon.

I will admit that, as I've gotten older, my deep-seeded hatred for Elmo has diminished. I don't find him nearly as repulsive as I did in high school and college, but I still maintain that he might be a little bit evil. And I will always, ALWAYS have a special place in my heart for poor, sweet little Grover who can never catch a break. I mean, have you read "The Monster at the End of this Book?"

*This seems like kind of a silly topic to break my multi-week blogging silence, but I discovered this photo on flickr and just couldn't pass up the opportunity to share my long dormant feelings about the Grover vs. Elmo debacle.

Random Thoughts for a Monday Morning

(Told you it was random)

South Beach:
Today marks the completion of Week #1 of the South Beach Diet. One more week on the extremely stringent menu. I don't really like to talk about dieting, it's usually annoying to hear someone say "I can't eat that," "I'm so hungry," "I just drank a glass of water and ate a carrot so I'm full," etc. But, I'm proud of myself and am pleased to report that I made it through the first week without giving in to my weaknesses. I even attended three parties (one was a pizza party - HARD!) and still had the will power to stay away from all non-approved items - which is pretty much everything right now. I am feeling better, less tired, more healthy, etc. and it is getting easier and easier everyday. I am thoroughly sick of having omelets for breakfast though! Justin has gotten a hot breakfast almost every morning, so he is loving this diet!

Golden Globes:
I love movies! I usually make an effort every year to see all of the nominated movies (especially when the Oscar noms are announced), but it's been harder for me to get to movies this year. (Not having a car might have something to do with that.) :) Thanks to the early posting of winners on both eonline.com and cnn.com, I knew who won what before the Globes even started. I think Slumdog Millionaire was a great choice for one of the Best Picture categories. It was a great movie (and not in the depressing - typical Oscar-fare kind of way.) And although I haven't seen either of Kate Winslet's movies (both look too depressing and "real" for me), I LOVE her and am thrilled that she won TWO awards last night! I hope 2009 brings her the first Oscar of her career! Not much for me to say about Heath Ledger's Best Actor award. Was he amazing and scary in The Dark Knight? YES! Would he have won the award without the death factor? Not sure. It's still a shame that he wasn't around to see all the kudos he got for the role.

24:
JACK'S BACK! I love 24, but since action movies and television shows tend to put me to sleep, I haven't done so well following the last couple of seasons. I am, however, loving the change in scenery thus far. SPOILER ALERT: With CTU disbanded, Jack on trial for all of his indiscretions in the line of duty (HELLO? How many times has he saved the world? Beggars can't be choosers people!), and Tony Almeida back from the dead - AND EVIL! - the 24 scribes seem to have shaken things up a little bit. Tony's status has been a poorly-kept secret in entertainment circles, so it didn't come as much of a surprise to me, but it's still strange to see him working on the dark side. And was anyone else confused by the change in the storyline of the President's son? Wasn't he alive and well-adjusted during the prequel that aired in November? I'll have to do a little digging to get more scoop on what's going on there.

Uggs:
I got some for Christmas and can safely say that real ones are FAR superior to the fake ones I've been trudging around in the past couple of months.

This Beach Ain't So Great

I know it's really cliche to start a diet in January, but I'm nothing if not predictable, so I decided to join the hungry masses and start 2009 off with a diet. I'm usually not one to diet - I prefer a regular exercise regimen that allows me to eat whatever I want. Unfortunately, regular exercise hasn't been a priority in my life for several months, but eating whatever I want has and now 25 extra lbs are disrupting the fit of my favorite outfits! I decided this "development" required some serious action and am now on Day 2 of the South Beach Diet. The upside, I get to eat regularly and don't have to count calories. The downside, my food choices are EXTREMELY limited and I can't have sugar or carbs for 2 weeks! I can have as many vegetables and lean meats as I want though! Hooray! (Note the sarcasm.) I am learning to "love" V8 juice and romaine lettuce, and find myself getting excited about vanilla soymilk and cheese sticks. I have slipped up once - had a brush with some jello yesterday that was masquerading as sugar-free but really wasn't. I'll admit, I am taken in by the South Beach "promise" that I will lose 8-13 lbs in the first two weeks. I'm skeptical, but if it helps me win the $40 in our little co-worker weightloss challenge, bring on the celery!

Happy Holidays from the Perry's!

Christmas cards didn't happen for us this year. I've discovered it's difficult to accomplish things during the holiday season without a car. Anyway, I hope a digital holiday greeting is the next best thing. Here's to a wonderful Christmas to all!

Favorite Holiday Films

I love the Christmas season for many reasons, but one of the best things is watching my favorite holiday films. I realized this year just how many favorite holiday movies I have. Here is my top 10 list:



1. Charlie Brown Christmas
Why? It's a classic! And when Linus tells Charlie Brown the true meaning of Christmas I always get a little choked up. This movie epitomizes the true spirit of Christmas for me.

2. Elf
Will Ferrell in an elf suit! This is one of my favorite movies to quote. "I like to smile, smiling's my favorite." "I'm singing! I'm in a store and I'm singing!" "I like to whisper too." "Santa! I know him! I know him!" And the list goes on.

3. Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas
One of the lesser known muppet holiday specials, this one has been a staple in my family for years. Kermit even makes an appearance!

4. Miracle on 34th Street (the original)
Another Curry family tradition. It's witty and touching. It reminds us that Christmas is a state of mind that should be felt all year round, not just once a year. And if the federal government can acknowledge the existence of Santa Claus, it must be so!

5. While You Were Sleeping
This makes my list of top movies in general, but the fact that it is set during Christmas makes it a must-watch as I kick start my holiday spirit.

6. Home Alone
What can I say? I love when he fools Joe Pesci and the other guy into thinking he has a house full of guests with all the mannequins. I think of that part every time I hear "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree." Why exactly did they have all of those mannequins anyway? I also like his heart to heart in the church with his neighbor. Something about his grandparents buying him a sweater with a giant bird on it. "I'm in the 4th grade, a guy can get killed over something like that." It also has some great music!

7. Love Actually
My favorite part is the pageant at the end. I'm a sucker for the Mariah Carey song and also for all the kids dressed like sea creatures during the manger scene. I especially love when the kid in the octopus costume gets wedged in the car between Hugh Grant and "Natalie." I giggle through the whole thing.

8. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
One word. Hermie. He's just so passionate about his love for dentistry!

9. Serendipity
This movie always makes me want to go to New York at Christmas. And go ice skating...Someday it'll happen.

10. Tie between Mickey's Christmas Carol and A Christmas Story
I haven't seen the first one in years, but it was the first rendition of "A Christmas Carol" that I ever saw and it's stuck with me. And what can I say? The pink bunny suit in A Christmas Story is pretty much amazing.

What's your favorite holiday film?

Cat in a Box

I stole this from my friend Kate because I love it.

The following takes place in 1994...

Can the limitations of 90's technology stop Jack Bauer from saving the world?

Food, Water, Heat...Basic Cable?

Justin hooked up our rabbit ears and new digital converter box today so we can stop being Amish and get a few basic channels of television. I actually watched The Office "live" on television for the first time all season! So exciting! He is now back in my good graces after this morning's boot incident.

Random Rants on a Thursday

Today’s post was going to be about how amazing my husband is for putting up all our Christmas lights on his day off yesterday. (As I walked around the corner on my way home from work, I was met by a beautiful light display on our house. Super exciting!) But, today’s post is no longer going to be about that because he fell rapidly out of favor this morning. First off, he made fun of the fake uggs I was wearing to walk to work. I should know by now to ignore him and wear whatever I want, but one can only be called “boots” so many times before a negative complex starts to set in. So, I changed into my heels and left the house only to get about two blocks before I realized that I left my keys at home. I stomped up the porch steps hoping that my two-year-old temper tantrum would elicit some type of sympathy from Justin, who was walking out the door. I did my best pout-y face, laid a guilt trip on him about never driving me to work, and stomped off with keys in hand expecting a nice offer of a ride in return. NOTHING people! No offer(something about being “late” to his own job – whatever!), only some nonsense about “I don’t even get a kiss?” A kiss? Bah! Make fun of my boots, make me walk to work my heels (in the cold!) and expect a kiss? He may have gotten an obscene gesture instead as I walked crankily down the street. (I'm not proud of it.) I think I have shin splints now from walking in my heels, not to mention the mini-run in my nylons (which I know are “Fashion Don’t #1” for style conscious women, but they couldn’t be helped today.) I’m over it now, but Christmas lights or not, Justin's still on my list! And tomorrow I'm wearing my boots - teasing or no! :)

Farewell Four-Wheeled Friend

(Not my car, but this is what the scene looked like)

I had to say goodbye to my car last Friday. It had been sitting in front of the house dead for almost 3 months, but I'd been in too much denial to do much about it. It was basically my fault that the car stopped working (mostly due to gross negligence on my part). We decided an operation was way too expensive for an 8-year-old car with a lot of miles on it, so we pulled the plug. I ended up donating the car to a non-profit organization and watched it get towed away for the last time on Friday. I definitely had a mini-outburst when I saw the tow truck pull away from the curb with my poor, sad, dead car.
Now Justin and I are officially a one-car family. Fortunately, I walk to work, so a car isn't necessity in my life (a HUGE blessing!) I definitely miss the little things though. For example: Justin won't take me to Target. He insists that no matter what I go in for, I always spend more money than necessary. He is willing to spend more $$ for the same product at Longs than allow me to set foot in a Target. It's awful! Target is like Disneyland for adults! I love it! To get there I either have to steal his truck when he isn't looking or beg someone else to take me.
I'm making light of the situation, but inside I really am sad about my car. :( It's the first time in 13 years of driving that I haven't had a car to call my own. I did learn a good life lesson from the situation though - I need to make time to take care of my personal life! And let this be a lesson to all of you - a) don't ignore a service warning light and b) make sure you change your timing belt every 90,000-100,000 miles! Don't let bad things happen to good cars!

A first look at Firstlook

My brother-in-law Jeff and his cousins started a band earlier this year. They're all really musical, so many of our family functions turn into some type of jam session anyway, so it just seemed natural for it to happen. Firstlook just finished recording their first 6-track CD and they are planning to kick off a small tour next summer. They're just starting out, but I'm really proud of them! And, as the wife of their band manager, I feel like I share some responsibility in helping them achieve future success.

You can check out their newly revamped myspace page and listen to an album preview now!

Seattle

Looking back over 2008, I realized that I've gotten to cover a lot of territory attending various conferences for work. This year I've been to Austin, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, and now Seattle. Seattle's a pretty hip town that kind of reminded me a lot of K Street in Sacramento, only with bigger buildings and more rain. It was a short conference, so we didn't have a lot of time to sightsee. We managed to make it down to Pike Place Market just as they were closing up for the night. We also stumbled across the original Starbucks where I went in and ordered a pumpkin hot chocolate - a drink I randomly made up (it wasn't bad) - and took the obligatory "I'm in the first Starbucks" photo!

Normally I attend conferences by myself, but this time I went with two other people from my division. I tend to revel in my own company, but it was nice to have people to enjoy meals and walk around with. I stayed in a hip W Hotel that kept most of the lights turned off and played techno dance beats in the lobby and elevators, which gave me some moderate concerns about my safety, but I had a great window seat in my room and had some nice quiet moments staring at the pretty lights down below. I also had the chance to walk around a bit downtown and check out some of the holiday decorations.


And here I am enjoying my "original" Starbucks drink by the Macy's. Yay Seattle!