Ten Day You Challenge: One Photo

Until recently, I hated having my photo taken. Consequently, I didn't have a lot of photos of myself. I've been coming out of the shell recently though! Sidenote I don't think I've mentioned here before: My friends and I are managing a plus size fashion blog called Horizontal Stripes! Working on it has boosted my confidence considerably and it is so much fun! Now I can easily say, here is a photo of me:

Thanks for reading all. I hope this challenge will help me blog more regularly as I've really enjoyed it. Hope you have too!

The Ten Day You Challenge: 2 Songs

Two songs??? Faced again with narrowing down a long list of favorites, I have decided to visit my iPod and choose the song with the most play and the newest! Easy!

Day Nine: 2 Songs

My newest download: "Blurred Lines" – Robin Thicke, featuring T.I. and Pharell Williams

I can't believe this sexy bitch is Alan Thicke's son... just. Wow. This song is great for the gym, great for housework and very necessary for all car rides no matter how long or short!


Most played: "Badfish" – Sublime

Trust me, "Blurred Lines" is working on being my most played. I am tearing that thing up. It's a good thing iPods can't wear out like tapes used too!

I knew I listened to "Badfish" a lot, but I didn't realize it was my most played! Interesting. I just think it is perfect for so many things. It's great to chill too. If I'm on the porch drinking a beer or folding laundry or even painting my toes. It also brings up fond memories of my youth, my twenties. This was a must-listen at parties. I love it. I miss Sublime...

The Ten Day You Challenge: 3 Movies

I am a movie-aholic and there is no cure! I love movies! When I was in college my friend and I fancied ourselves future Tarantinos and started a film club called Brainwrap. True movie fans know what a brainwrap is! It's when the film gets stuck in the projector and stops advancing and then the heat of the lamp burns a hole in the strip. But I digress...

As a film buff, there is no way I can properly narrow my list of favorite films to three. But I am a thirty-something woman. I figure if I divide my life into thirds, I should be able to offer three movies that were important to my life. So here goes...

Day Eight: 3 Movies

1. The Great Muppet Caper. My sister-in-law and I were talking about this very movie last weekend! My entire family has always been Muppets fans, but this was the first Muppet film I remember watching. Oh, I loved it!

One of my favorite childhood movies, The Great Muppet Caper

Identical twin newspaper reporters Kermit and Fozzie (yes, you read that right) are off to London to investigate the theft of Lady Holiday's famous jewels! hijinx ensue in typical Muppets fashion and it is wonderful!

Classic lines:

"Thieves aren't breathing down your neck!" – Charles Grodin as Nicky Holiday, Lady Holiday's brother and * spoiler * also the thief (!) as he breathes down her neck.

Statler: "I guess all's well that ends well."

Waldorf: "Doesn't matter to me, as long as it ends."

2. Pulp Fiction. I saw this movie as a teenager and it was then I decided I wanted to make movies! Ok, so I'm not a famous director, but I did study movies in college when I found out that making movies is HARD and watching them is way more fun!

The most influential movie of my teen years, Pulp Fiction.

I don't recall ever seeing a movie told in such a non-linear fashion before. And I loved it! Revolving around three inter-related storyline, Pulp Fiction is brutal, ballsy an completely bad ass! I must've seen it in the theater at least 5 times!

Classic lines:

Brett: No, no, I just want you to know... I just want you to know how sorry we are that things got so fucked up with us and Mr. Wallace. We got into this thing with the best intentions and I never...

Jules: [Jules shoots the man on the couch] I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue, you were saying something about best intentions. What's the matter? Oh, you were finished! Well, allow me to retort. What does Marsellus Wallace look like?

Brett: What?

Jules: What country are you from?

Brett: What? What? Wh - ?

Jules: "What" ain't no country I've ever heard of. They speak English in What?

Brett:  What?

Jules: English, motherfucker, do you speak it?

Brett: Yes! Yes!

Jules: Then you know what I'm sayin'!

Brett:  Yes!

Jules: Describe what Marsellus Wallace looks like!

Brett:  What?

Jules: Say 'what' again. Say 'what' again, I dare you, I double dare you motherfucker, say what one more Goddamn time!

Mia: Don't you hate that?

Vincent: What?

Mia: Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it's necessary to yak about bullshit in order to be comfortable?

Vincent: I don't know. That's a good question.

Mia: That's when you know you've found somebody special. When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.

3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Do I get to list these as one movie? Yes. Yes I do, because they really tell one story. One beautiful, epic story my love for which began as a child (see yesterday's post on three books).

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Arguably the best movies of the new millennium.

A sweeping tale of a group's trek to save their world from evil, LOTR is a story of courage in the face of danger and how one person, no matter how small, can affect great change in the world, if they just have the courage to try.

Classic lines:

“That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.” – Sam

“I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the Ages of this world alone.” – Arwen

"It comes in pints? I'm getting one!" – Pipin

“I’m glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee…here at the end of all things.” – Frodo

“I thought up an ending for my book. ‘And he lives happily ever after, till the end of his days.’” – Bilbo

Could I make a list like this without Honorable Mentions? Hell no! They go to: Forrest Gump, The Princess Bride, Star Wars, Slumdog Millionaire, Dirty Dancing, Grease, I could go on and on...

The Ten Day You Challenge: 4 Books

Gah! I'm so behind on this thing! Clearly I cannot be trusted to blog or post about something every day, even if it is only for ten days. Sorry all! I'll try and finish this up somewhere with the two week mark LOL - Close enough!

Day Seven: 4 Books

I love to read so, again, picking just four books is going to be a toughie. But I'll do the best I can!

1. To Kill A Mockingbird. I don't always agree with what people say makes a great novel. Catcher in the Rye? I hated it! But this books deserves to be one of the greatest novels of the century. In fact I argue that is is the greatest.

The only book I was ever assigned in school and then read again later for enjoyment!

Quotes:

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." -- Atticus

"Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks." – Scout

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." – Atticus

Indeed, I think it is one of the most beautifully written stories ever, but, sure, not everyone is a fan.

2. The Hobbit, Or There And Back Again. My brother, John, is 8 years older than me. I have beautiful memories of him reading this to me when I was a child. A lot of older brothers can't be bothered with their baby sisters. My brother was not that way and I love him so much for spending time with me.

Quotes:

"Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?" – Gandalf

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.” – Bilbo

"While there's life there's hope." – Bilbo

3. Bitter Is The New Black. Yes! I read non-fiction too! 

Jen Lancaster is my literary hero. It's like she reads my mind. She takes the most mundane occurrences and turns them into hilarity. She also makes me feel like all of my snarkiness and sarcasm is okay. I love you, Jen Lancaster. Never stop writing!

In her first memoir, Bitter Is The New Black, Jen tells the tale of her descent from a successful "dot commer" to the unemployed and then her rise to successful blogger and author. I adore her and have been lucky enough to meet her in real life. She is an inspiration to me!

Me with my literary hero, Jen Lancaster!

Quotes:

“I can't believe anyone would voluntarily run 26 miles. Sometimes I sit on the couch cross-legged because I don't feel like walking to the bathroom.” 

“You want to change? Lose the bitch. Be nicer to people. Stop telling them to "bite you" and threatening to kick them until they're dead.” 

“Despite my best efforts, I'm not quite perfect. Let's just say I'm like one of those Hopi blankets where they leave a tiny flaw so as to not affront the Lord.” 

“I've determined the ideal job for me is one where I can write clever essays about my life and my employer will give me enough money not only to live a comfortable existence, but also to buy many, many new pairs of shoes.” 

4. Palisades Park. I'm currently reading this title and though I'm not very far in, I am enjoying it. I do not yet have favorite quotes or memories associated with this novel, but I will revisit that when I'm finished. I just thought it would be good to include the book I'm currently reading.

I wish this would've been a post for the first or second day. I easily could've filled this with 9 or 10 books! I didn't even get to touch on my love for Young Adult fiction and the brilliance that is Rats Saw God and Speak! Or my foray into historical romance and my love for the Scotsman Jaime Fraser in Outlander! Perhaps I can blog about them another time.

Now, I'm off to figure out how this film geek is going to try and limit my post to morrow to just THREE FILMS! Impossible task!

The Ten Day You Challenge: 5 Foods

Five Foods? Those who know me, know I love to eat! Picking just five foods is harder than picking six places to go! But I'm not going to cheat and just list cuisines. Too easy!

Day Six: 5 Foods

1. Chicken Marsala. Without question the Chicken Marsala at Carrabba's is one of my favorite things to eat. In fact, I went out to eat with the bestie this weekend and my plate looked exactly like this one!

   

   Chicken Marsala and Cavatappi Amatriciana from Carrabba's. Yum!

2. Panang Curry. My sister and I used to frequent this Thai buffet in town. Just about every weekend we were there. I would try everything, but the trip was really about the Panang Chicken for me. That combination of sweet coconut milk and the spicy curry paste... Just thinking about it makes my mouth water! When the restaurant was closing permanently, I begged them to teach me to make Panang Curry. Turns out it's not hard at all! I make it pretty regularly and it still makes my mouth water every time!

   

   Mmmmm.... Panang Chicken!

3. Sushi! Love it! I'm not a big fan of the kind with cream cheese in it, but I'll eat anything else. Favorites include the spider roll (with soft shell crab NOT spiders!), spicy tuna and  seafood salad!

   

   Spider Rolls may sound scary, but they are delicious!

4. Frozen Greek Yogurt. I've mentioned on the blog how I've started Weight Watchers. I've been doing pretty well on it on the whole. Some days are better than others. And some days I just really, really want something sweet! I've always loved ice cream but buying it now is too much of a temptation. I can't have it in the house! Then, thanks to my Weight Watchers leader, I discovered frozen greek yogurt. At only 3 points apiece, a half cup of this tasty treat is every bit as creamy and decadent as a serving of ice cream. I love it and buy it regularly!

   

   My friend when I want a little something sweet... frozen greek yogurt!

5. Fried Eggs. No food brings back as lovely and beautiful memories for me as the fried egg. My dad made them all the time. He didn't hang around the kitchen too much. He was more of a grill guy. But he DID love to cook a big breakfast! I can remember waking up to the smell of sausage patties cooking in the skillet, grits boiling on the stove and coffee brewing away... Smells like happy! 

   

   I don't eat the sausage patties anymore, but I think I'll love fried eggs until the day I die.

"Honey, how do you want your eggs cooked?" he'd ask. And I would respond that I wanted my eggs "with paint, daddy!" That meant fried over medium with a nice runny yolk that I could drag about my plate with the corner of my toast.

Many a mornin' was spent at the table eating our breakfasts. I never felt so close to him. I can't cook an egg without thinking of him and I can't eat them any other way than fried. Don't think I ever will.

The Ten Day You Challenge: 6 Places I Want To Go

I grew up right outside DC, so I have experienced many different cultures, but never first hand! I've seen appallingly little of my country and nothing of what's beyond it. I've never been outside the United States! But this girl has travel dreams, baby! Someday I'll get there. Here are just 6 of the many places I want to go!

Day Five: 6 Places I Want to Go 

1. New Orleans. Let's start with the most simple, right? It's not even that far from me. Yet I've never been. I've either got to stop watching Treme or take myself there to experience this place in person!

   

   I need to be in the NOLA baby! New Orleans tops my list of places to visit.

2. Ireland. This should really top my list as I feel a strong sense of pride in my Irish heritage. Even just thinking about the lush, rolling green hills makes me feel serene. I wish to visit my family's homeland! And if I could run into Colin Farrell while I'm there, all the better!

   

   Someday I'll visit the land from which my family came, Ireland.

3. Greece. So much beauty and history. I've just got to take it in!

   

   Behold the historic beauty of Greece.

4. Italy. This is Venice specifically, but I'd be happy anywhere in this lovely boot-shaped country! The art! The fashion! The FOOD! 

   

   Venice, Rome, Naples... I'm not picky. I just want to visit Italy!

5. Las Vegas! And they call New York the city that never sleeps? Well then what exactly is Vegas, baby? I want to test the gambling waters, sure. But for me visiting Vegas is more about the shows and the food. In Vegas I can mingle with my culinary icons (well at least my palate can), Gordon Ramsey, Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and so many more! They've all got restaurants there and I need to go!

   

   Vegas is so money! I want to go to there!

6. Phuket, Thailand. Look at these beautiful waters! So peaceful and beautiful. Plus Thai food has long been my favorite cuisine. I'd love to visit the culture behind it and experience everything first hand. So beautiful!

   

   The beautiful coastline of Phuket, Thailand.

So that's it! Tell me, if you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? These are just six places on a very long list for me! Share with me. Where are you dying to visit?

The Ten Day You Challenge: 7 Wants

Haha! This one should be easy! Do I have to limit to just seven?

Day Four: 7 Wants

1. A happy ending
2. To travel to Europe (more on that tomorrow)
3. To own my own home
4. A pug
5. New furniture
6. A promotion! 
7. A real vacation (got one coming in September!)

The Ten Day You Challenge: 8 Fears

I knew I shouldn't have started this thing before I went to my mother's! LOL OK, well, I'll just pick up where I left off, howabout? 

Day Three: 8 Fears

1. Drowning -- Don't even ASK me to swim out deeper than knee high!
2. Grasshoppers – Yeesh. It has to do with a dream I had as a child that still gives me the willies. * shudders *
3. Clowns – Unoriginal? Maybe. But this scene from Poltergeist flipped me the hell out! 
4. Flying – I know driving my be more dangerous, but I'm still one of those girls that believe man belongs on the ground.
5. Fish – Not all fish. I used to have a beta fish named Toshi. I loved that little guy. But then I got the idea that I wanted an aquarium with many fish. and then the bottom feeder grew to be big enough that I could tell when he was looking at me. It gave me the heebs to see his beady little eyes focusing on me. Never had et fish again.
6. Tight spaces – We covered this the other day. Trust me. You don't want to be stuck in an elevator with me!
7. Public Speaking.
8. The Zombie Apocalypse! Hey, it could happen! That's why I spend as much time as I can preparing myself by watching The Walking Dead! When the shit goes down, I'm ready!
   
   
   
   Prepare yourselves!
   
   
   

The Ten Day "You" Challenge: 9 Loves

I love a lot of things. It will be hard to narrow it down to just nine! But I will try...

Day Two: 9 Loves

Stella, Girl's Best Friend

1. Forget Man's Best Friend. This is Girl's Best Friend.  My Stella. She is my heart, my child, my best friend. I never knew how close a human could feel to their pet before her. But I can't help it, I always had cats before her!
2. My family. This could and should really go first. I have an amazing family. My mother is so artistic and kind and funny! My brother has always been a kind and supportive older brother. He married a wonderful lady and they have five amazing kids, each of whom I adore! Family life may not always be perfect. But I love them all anyway!
3. The Spring and the Fall. When the air is crisp and not too hot and not too cool. It makes you just happy to be alive! Days off during this time are the best when I can sit on my back porch, enjoy a cup of coffee and take in the air. Ah, it's the best!
4. My friends. Moving from a town I lived in since first grade was difficult for me. But after many years, I feel like I have a great group of very stable friends. From my co-workers to my trivia and fashion blog buddies, to my beloved bestie, Rachael. I just love you all and I am so glad you're in my life!
5. Fashion. I used to hate buying clothes. But my friend, Kelly, recently turned me on to the world of online shopping and now I can't seem to stop! Forever 21, The Avenue, City Chic! I can't stop online shopping. Keep up with my fashionable adventures on the plus size fashion blog I share with my friends, Horizontal Stripes!
6. My car. Yeah, it might be lame. But this past November I found myself for the first time in my adult life in a position where I could actually take my time and shop for a car that I wanted and I love my little baby. She is so fun to drive! 
   
7. Thai food. I think I covered this yesterday. I love to try new foods. But I find Thai to be my most favorite cuisine thus far. Rich, sweet curries, like Panang. Spicy fresh salads. Fresh cilantro in almost everything... Yum!
8. Polar bears, sloths and other weird but cute animals. It started when the baby polar bear Knut was born in a German zoo. He was so flippin' cute I decided I wanted one for myself. "He'll eat Stella!" everyone would say. But I know better. My polar bear will be a sweet, gentle soul because I will love him and cuddle him all the time and I will keep him well fed from the local all-you-can-eat sushi bar! I've also been known to post about baby sloths, meerkats, raccoons and jaguars on Facebook. Basically if it's a baby and cute, I want it!
9. Cookouts! We just had one at work to celebrate the upcoming 4th of July holiday and it was all sooooo tasty! What is it about a grilled hamburger that just makes you happy to be alive? And my homemade refrigerator pickles were a hit! Looking forward to more summer filled with tasty cookouts!

Honorable mention goes to Henry Cavill, Bradley Cooper and Matt Bomer! My boyfriends...  I love them all, but I think I gush over them enough and to include them on the actual list would be a bit obvious, no?

The Ten Day "You" Challenge: 10 Secrets

I probably shouldn't be starting this before I head to visit family for a few days, but I saw this on a few blogs that I follow and I couldn't resist. It's the Ten Day You Challenge, where I blog a little something about myself every day for ten days. Who's ready to see what you can learn about me and what I learn about myself?

Day One – 10 Secrets

1. I'm a bigger reality TV junky than I let people know. True, I don't really know what goes on with the Real Housewives anywhere, but I love Food Network's Chopped, Next Food Network Star and The Next Iron Chef. I also love Bravo's Top Chef (I recently died when I found out the uber-sexy Fabio made am appearance in town and I did not hear about it until afterward) and Fox's Hell's Kitchen. Basically, if you throw a camera in a kitchen with a bunch of people, I'll watch it. I don't give my reality TV love only to chefs, however. I'm a Survivor junky and since it's just become summer, I'll share that summertime belongs to Big Brother! My sweet, guilty pleasure!
2. I tend to obsess on things. Not creepy stalker obsessive. But, yeah. If I like an actor, actress or director, I have to see everything they've ever done! Sometimes that leads me to gems, like watching Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures because I loved The Lord of the Rings so much! Sometimes it's not so good and I want to forget the things I've seen. Let's pretend you never made the A-Team, okay Bradley Cooper? And Kevin Smith, I'll forget Jersey Girl if you will! It's also why I am currently burning through episodes of The Tudors like a house on fire. I love you, Henry Cavill!
3. I love video games. I enjoy playing them, but I also enjoy sitting back and watching others play. That's right, gentleman; take note! I am lady who will rarely complain that your gameplay is keeping me from my "stories." In fact, I used to have this friend who was always sick of watching her husband play God of War. She's look to me for back up. But, in all honesty, I got lost in the story. I actually liked watching him play. Sorry, girl. Can't back you up!
4. I worry that I'll have no one to care for me when I get old and decrepit. Don't get me wrong, I love my single life. I date and have fun, but I've never settled down and had kids. Now that I'm older and facing mortality (yeah, I know, I'm not even 40 yet, so I need to chill), I sometimes look at my 91-year-old grandmother and wonder who will care for me when I am her age.
5. Crowds freak me out. I think that's why I get pissed off at WalMart. I can't stand to have my exits impeded. Yeah. You wanna piss me off? Be one of those two elderly ladies who pick the end of the buffet line at a wedding or the tiniest walkway at a party to stop and have a conversation! If I can't get by it makes me nervous. Which will manifest itself in bitchiness. So just let me by and we'll all be happy, K?
6. Overly picky eaters bug me. I mean, don't get me wrong. You don't have to love every food. I don't like onions! Or most mushrooms! But I've lived in the South long enough to see my fair share of eaters (mostly men, but not always) who refuse to put a vegetable in their mouths. If it's not meat, covered in meat with sauce and more meat on the side, forget about it. And don't try to feed them any ethnic food, like Thai or Indian, even Chinese. Maybe growing up outside the nation's capital gave me a broader perspective about food and I shouldn't be so judgmental. But if I'm handing you a delicious bowl of Pad Thai and you won't even try it because it doesn't look like a piece of fried chicken, then I pity you, And yeah, I think you're a little silly. There. I said it. This has stopped numerous first dates from leading to second dates. If I had a dating profile, it should read "Unadventurous Eaters Need Not Apply."
7. I am anal about my toenail polish. While it does not bother me to see others whose toe polish does not match their fingernail polish, I cannot stand it on myself! My toe color must match my finger color! The exception, of course, being if one set of digits is painted clear or in the French manicure style. That does not count. French manicured fingers pair nicely with a variety of toe colors, IMHO!
8. I am addicted to Youtube tutorials. Mostly makeup ones, but really any tutorial will entertain me. I watched about a dozen on how to make the perfect ripped T-shirt. And I can watch makeup tutorials all day long. My favorites? I have several, but my top three have GOT to be:
1. Kandee Johnson. AKA Kandee the Makeup Artist. This woman is just so damn cute! I just want to pull her through my laptop and give her hugs and make her my friend!
2. Lisa Eldridge. Lisa is like the Bob of makeup videos. No. She doesn't put happy little trees everywhere. But her voice is so gorgeous and soothing. And her advice is very good. When she puts up a new video, I can't even wait to get home to watch it!
3. Makeup By Tiffany D. I love this woman's style. Her makeup is always flawless and I want to be her when I grow up. Yes, I realize I am probably older than her. I still want to be her when I grow up.
9. I'm a bit weepy. This is no secret for those close to me. But I try and hide it from the rest of the world. I'm happy? Tears of joy! Sad? More tears. And if I'm angry? Get the tissues ready. I cry every time I'm angry. More so than when I'm sad. I don't know what it is, I just don't know how to process those feelings and it comes out in tears. Yep. I'm a crier. So much so that is anyone could actually experience being bored to tears, it's probably me. Fortunately, I try to keep myself busy so I don't experience that. LOL
10. I do not understand why women find Benedict Cumberbatch sexy. Everyone is entitle to their own opinion, sure. But I just don't get it.

Sex symbol (?) Benedict Cumberbatch

Why dream about this when you can dream about this???

My future husband and star of The Tudors and Man of Steel, Henry Cavill.

That's all for today, kiddos. Back tomorrow with more about me! LOL