Miscellaneous: Hairstyles for Girls

School picture day is here! Well, it was here. The dreaded day came and went. I haven't had a whole lot of time to do fun things with A & M's hair. A likes it down without any embellishment if possible. M hates the way it gets in her face and always - no exaggeration - wants it in a pony tail. With the massive amount of hair the two have, we could have a virtual field day on hair styles. Do I get to experiment? No.

What I hate about picture day is that even if I got to experiment I'd still have no idea how the picture turned out until a month after the day. That's what makes it so difficult. Well, that and what the heck do I do with their hair. This is just the long way of saying I did an Internet search and stumbled on this site: Hairstyles for Girls.

Can we say awesome?! I love all the variations on ponytails and braids and twists and you name it. I'm so going to do this to A & M's hair soon. They'll have to fight me. They may have black eyes (just kidding people) but their hair will be gorgeous =)

I may come back and post a picture. In the meantime, cross your fingers that they look good for picture day. It's costing me $100!

Men: Marcus Patrick

Name: Marcus Patrick (Patrick Marcus Osbourne)
Best Known For: Actor, Passions, All My Children, Days
Year of Birth: 1974
Status: Single
Height: 6'1"
Fun Fact: He's a vegan

I keep getting drawn back to the cuties I've already posted about, so it was nice to find someone new. Born in England, he's been or is a fighter, a dancer in a club, a singer, and an actor. I found out he's a pretty cocky guy from this interview I read about him. Apparently PlayGirl thought so too (ahh, puns :)) because he also did a spread that cost him a soap job. He was engaged to a adult movie star and has a large gay fan base. I don't think I'd want to know this guy personally, but he's nice to look at.

Chocolate: Blogs

I'm not getting any chocolate love over here. I know that if you knew where "over here" was, then you'd send me some. But alas, I'm chocolate-less. As such, I can only indulge with pictures. So I went searching for blogs where pictures were very clear and close up.

Chocablog
Blog Chocolate - the last time she posted was in March, but there is the most awesome song posted (YouTube vid) about chocolate you have to hear.
Chocolate Blog - and no, they aren't the same!
My Chocolate Blog
Choklit - UK blogger

Now that I'm done, I need to get some towels to clean up the drool on my screen. Eeeew, you say? Send chocolate.

Books: Old Books

I haven't been able to read and one book I want to write about will work best in October. So I went searching my bookshelves for something I wanted to share - and found nothing... until I spotted Checklist for Expectant Mothers. It was a book I picked up from a Goodwill store years ago. Even then it was just for fun - it was written in 1965.

Talk about funny. To be fair, there is a lot of advice in the book that really still applies to today. However, the stuff that doesn't is so far off it's alien. For one, the book recommends that you talk to your doctor about your smoking and drinking habits as in, how much can you still do. Especially because you'll need those cigarettes and a lighter in your hospital bag. Another is the constant reference to your MALE doctor. Maybe they just used he to be easy, but I highly doubt it.

There are 2 full pages about the steps required to sanitize cloth diapers. Rinse immediately and store in a container of disinfectant. Three hot water rinses, four sudsings, six rinsings, thirty minute boil, vinegar rinse, spin dry, doctor recommended antiseptic treatment, and finally line dry. That would have put me off having kids right there.

I got a good laugh at clothing recommendations to stay away from bright dresses and prints. You know, so as not to draw attention to your changing shape. There is absolutely no advice at all about wearing pants - because you wouldn't do that at all (I'm exaggerating, it just isn't on the list of good dos). Definitely ask yourself if your husband would enjoy seeing you in a particular maternity outfit before buying.

Don't even get me started on the paragraphs describing how well rested your husband should be before going to work so he can't be bothered with you or baby at all. In fact, he needs to come home to a "quiet, restfull, well organized house and a fresh looking wife."

Lastly, there are the financials. How much does having a baby in a hospital cost? $160 dollars a day. I know! But it doesn't make up for making arrangements to have your husband's meals and clothing taken care of while you're away.

HA, HA, HA!

TV: New Stuff

I'm enjoying the start of the new season. I watched Mr. Super Hottie on Supernatural Thursday last week. I'm not sure how I feel about the rise of Lucifer or how they get him to go back where he came from. I'm feeling really cautious about it right now. So I'm happy to just keep watching those nice close ups. Hey, B even rewound so I could see him close up a second time. Love that B.

I also watched The Biggest Loser. It looks like it's going to be a good season...some very interesting people. One is the heavest person ever on the show, another passed out when they had to "run" their first mile, and yet another who's been on the show before. The theme is second chances so I get that one. Of course, I had to cry during the premiere. One woman lost her husband, 5 year old daughter, and 2 1/2 week old baby to a car accident. I couldn't fathom losing my family.

So...anyway...there's lots of good TV coming up. Looking forward to House and Fringe for sure. Make sure you tune in.

Miscellaneous: The Prodigy

I haven't posted much about music. I listen to several different things. Right now I can't get enough of The Prodigy. I can't seem to get enough of some of the songs - playing them over and over in the car on repeat. They are described as being big beat, electronica, electropunk, and rave. I mostly love the last three LPs, Fat of the Land; Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned; and Invaders Must Die.

Anyone who knows me might be a little freaked out by the album covers and the look of The Prodigy. And they are labeled with explicit lyrics (only on some of the songs). Medusa's Path is my favorite repeat off AONO. Love. Them.

Men: Sean D. Sullivan

Name: Sean D. Sullivan
Best Known For: Model
Year of Birth: ca. 1984
Status: Single
Height: 6'2"
Fun Fact: Seriously?

Second man who is a gorgeous hunk of a model. Used to play football too. But now he's a commercial real estate broker in SF who does modeling on the side. There are pics of him with the curls instead of the cut and he looks good both ways. Although the curls make him look more like Matthew McConaughey. As with this pic and the last man, there is a little more to the picture I didn't show. Hubba hubba.

Chocolate: Recipes

This is a really short blog entry. Some recipes I've found...

Kevin at his Closet Cooking blog featured a recipe for chocolate cheesecake. The photo is truly drool worthy. The only travesty of his site is the severe lack of chocolate tags so I can locate the chocolate recipes easier.

A while ago B. wanted me to try this recipe for making a chocolate cake in a mug. I can't find the one he emailed me, but here's one from WikiHow.

Chocolate Cookies from Nathalie at SerialCooking, le blog. They look delicious! Beware some of the recipe includes metric measurements.

For some reason we can't keep fresh eggs in our house (Not true, I can't eat eggs anymore, but the statement sounded good.) I found this recipe which really intrigued me at The Natural Madison Blog. The cake is make with a can of pumpkin and chocolate cake mix. How easy is that?

I haven't tried any of these recipes...yet. Time is kinda short around here. But I really hope to try at least the egg free one soon. Enjoy! Oh, and if you try one comment about it please.

Books: The Ones They Make You Read

I was sitting with some of my coworkers and there was a short discussion about one of their favorite books, To Kill A Mockingbird. I remember being forced, and I do mean forced, to read that book. I hated it. My coworkers couldn't believe I felt that way about such a classic book. I cannot read depressing. It doesn't matter what pretty prize winning wrapper it's encased in.

Since I haven't been able to read lately, I decided to post the titles of a few other books that I was forced to read that I absolutely hated.

The Good Earth
Patty Reed's Doll
The Chosen
The Scarlet Letter
Crime and Punishment

Just to name a few.

B. says, "But the books are good because of the writing, not the entertainment value." For me, the writing didn't outshine the pain I felt reading these books. I don't like pain.

*BTW, I do understand the significance of the books - just hated reading them.

TV: Fall Lineup

The fall lineup is long out from TV Guide. I like the little table format laying out each day for us, even putting in what shows will disappear and appear through sports and reality shows. I was waiting for Ain't It Cool's view because he usually gives us a little preview of the new shows, but as of my writing (yeah, back in late August) there isn't anything. I will add an update if necessary.

Back to the lineup. Here's a run down of my nights.
Monday: NBC/8=Heroes; FOX/8=House...9=Lie to Me
Tuesday: NBC/8=The Biggest Loser
Wednesday: NOTHING, but I might like Eastwick ABC/10
Thursday: FOX/8=Bones...9=Fringe; CW/9=Supernatural; CBS/9=CSI
Friday: CBS/8=Ghost Whisperer...9=Medium...10/Numb3rs; FOX/9=Dollhouse; ABC/9=Ugly Betty
Saturday: NADA
Sunday: ZIP, but I might end up watching Family Guy FOX/9

While I'm interested in what ABC can do with Eastwick, B wants to see what they can do with The Forgotten. So we may be watching that as well. There are some heavy nights with so much on, I won't be able to keep my head straight. In comes our wonderful cable complete with DVR and OnDemand. Take a look at the line up and make your plans before the shows premiere. You might look at some of the new shows by going to the network page and watching their promos. :)

Chaos

The movements were frenetic. The volume was deafening. The atmosphere was filled with nervous energy. As a defense mechanism I pulled away from the noise and the swirling action. I hovered like an out of body experience over the din, thankful for the reprieve from the chaos. But the doom was quick to settle over me, a cloud on a clear horizon. It was reality, the knowledge that I couldn't live on the periphery forever. I felt it tug on my tether, and I dreaded my return.

And thus begins September.

Sigh. I know. I'll live.