It's a baby hippo, you guys

My head is pounding right now, due entirely to my pre-menopausal menstrual cycle. And also how all of a sudden I get headaches from using a tampon. So, in light of that, we (my woman parts and I) will be shutting down relatively early for the night.
I spent my afternoon putting up almost all of the Halloween decorations. I've got more work tomorrow.

It looks weird in photographs, doesn't it?

I have discovered the ridiculous beauty of having a container of sour cream in my refrigerator at all times for any reason. Typically, my life has been a very purpose-centric existence when it comes to sour cream. Need it for dip? Buy the correct size and container. Need some for dollops on tacos? Get a little thing of it.
But then I had lunch at my sister in-law's house a couple months ago. She had the most glorious thing in her fridge. It was one of those quart-size sour cream buckets "for whatever I want it with." I thought, what? That's almost forbidden and decadent. Are you kidding? Sour cream for any reason?
A couple weeks ago, sour cream was on sale in my grocery store, and I was pleased as punch to pick up two pints for the price of one. (They were not about to expire, either!) And I've been adding sour cream to a whole lot of goodness over the ensuing weeks.
Potato chips are even better dipped in straight sour cream. I dipped my chicken nuggets in sour cream for dinner tonight. I've used it for my tamales (a logical choice, to be sure). I was pleased to dip some pretzel crisps in it, too. ... The chicken nuggets were an inspired choice, I should tell you. I'm really proud of myself with how well that experiment turned out.
I will never live without sour cream in my refrigerator again.

Sure, I'll throw in with Trevor Noah

Tonight, we watched the very first episode of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Spoiler alert, it wasn't too bad. Noah started off with just the right amount of reverence towards his new position as Daily Show host, and began his tenure by thanking the legend who had hosted before him. It was really well done, as I expected it to be, knowing that a majority of the current Trevor Noah Daily Show writers are the former Jon Stewart Daily Show writers. Having said that, you can still hear and feel a different vibe to the broadcast's content and delivery. It's not a bad difference, not at all. Just a different difference, if you know what I mean.
Thoughts: his interview style can use some fine tuning, of course. He's already said that he just needs practice and confidence in that regard. His delivery is good, as it should be, what with him being a comedian who is used to words. And he's totally adorable, so there's that.
We will, certainly, be sticking around for a while. I think Noah will get better with experience, and within the next several months, he'll hit somewhat of a stride. I wouldn't expect him to have the same ease of nature as Stewart had in the last several years any time soon. The comedy is still there because, sadly, the fodder is still there.
So, color me pleased, as I'll continue to be a Daily Show enthusiast.

"... wasn't too terribly bloody..."

ITEM!: We went outside tonight to check out the blood moon and eclipse. We saw the eclipse, certainly, but the moon wasn't too terribly bloody from our little space in the desert. We checked out the moon at various times throughout the evening, and weren't disappointed by our view. As eclipses go, it was pretty impressive and beautiful.
ITEM!: I finished a most delightful book tonight, The Secret Life of Violet Grant, by Beatriz Williams. The characters were very well written, and the plot and finale were ideal to the spirit of the book. I get so mad at myself when I let a book sit for so many days before I even crack it, because of some random trepidation to get into it. This book was well worth the wait, which makes me even madder at myself for procrastinating.
ITEM!: September is over this week, and I'm getting excited to put up the Halloween decorations soon. I need to clean my house first, of course, because it's unseemly to put up pretty decorations in a dusty home. So that's my plan for tomorrow and Tuesday: to do the random cleaning up before the big project. Sydney is beside herself with excitement. Not only for the holiday, but also the closeness of her birthday.
ITEM!: Because I'm very susceptible to advertising and suggestion, I'm super hungry for Panda Express for lunch tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

Don't mind her, she's thinking about life

This is me, if I were a Peanuts character, because Internet.
Notice the brown hair pulled back into the pseudo-bun atop my head. Notice also that there are no strands of grey. Not permitted. She has porcelain skin, and should not be out in the sun for too long at any one time. She's wearing a striped shirt and pants. Pants, not jeans, because the jeans looked too blue and ridiculous. Also, she's wearing tennies.
I think she's pretty rock-solid awesome.
I enjoy these little Internet games whenever they pop up. They prove that "the man" can be both entertaining and fun. And that marketing departments can still intrigue and tickle us.

Celebrating her day our own special way?

Today is my mommy's birthday. I was able to post a ridiculous, fun picture of her, Sydney and I on Facebook, and it garnered a lot of attention for her. Which was my goal. She was showered in happy birthday greetings all day, and she should have been. I almost feel like my job was done well this year.
Also, we saw Everest. I had no illusions that it would be a happy-go-lucky story, since really, no mountain climbing and Everest movies are, but the reality of the ending was a bit ... disheartening. I had, foolishly, hoped towards the end of it for a nice, Hollywood-y ending. But it was not to be. I hate being all SPOILER ALERT, so I won't say anything more. But it was based on a true story, which made it harder to reconcile. But I will tell you that another one of my movie boyfriends was in it: Sam Worthington.
Also, we tried out the new Denny's in the area. It opened just days ago. Brian prefers Denny's to IHOP, so he was pleased to see the place under construction. For lunch, he had some big breakfast platter. I stuck with a two-item sampler: mozzarella sticks and chicken strips. I also had a strawberry shake with it. Brian ordered a side of grits, which really were quite good.
The whole day was a good way to celebrate Mom's birthday.

I don't like bugs in my bedroom

There's a small moth flying around my bedroom right now, and I'm in a fit about it. I almost got it about three times, but the little ass keeps flying away at just the right time (for him). I will not sleep well until the little bug is found and killed. And I'll have to do it myself because Brian is both asleep and jumpy of bugs. I haven't seen it in several minutes, but I know it's still here, plotting its next fly-by. It's taunting me. And I swear I can feel it everywhere at once.

Space movies are awesome

ITEM!: I'm watching Star Trek, the 2009 version, starring one of my movie boyfriends, Chris Pine. (Did you know he was in Smokin' Aces? He was totally not hot in that movie, but it tickled me that he'd been in one of my random violent faves.) Now, because I'm watching this beauty, which really is a good movie, I'll watch its sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, tomorrow. Young William Shatner, for the longest time, was my favorite Capt. Kirk. I'm super pleased with this new -- since 2009, anyway -- Kirk. We need to hang out again.
ITEM!: Have you see then trailers for The Martian? Doesn't that look like it's going to be such a great movie? I don't typically get super excited for Matt Damon, but this story looks fantastic. I think we'll be seeing this one on the first day it's out.
ITEM!: But as it is, Brian and I have a fascinating selection of movies to choose from for Date Day Friday. I'm drawn to The Intern, Everest, and Sicario, but not so much Black Mass. It'll be cause for negotiation, of course, but I'm up for either of the first three. I'll probably see The Intern on my own next week though, as it'll be one that Brian won't really care to see in the theaters. Sicario and Everest are both pretty heavy, but I'm down for them.

And with that craziness, Christmas has begun

In what may be a development of epic proportion, I have started composing my Christmas shopping list for this year. It's all Cooper's fault, really. He chewed up last year's Christmas stocking chewy to the extreme that it was all sharp points, and he'd hurt himself on it. So I threw away the old one, and went to the pet store to pick up a new one. Well, while there, I saw two other nifty toys for his stocking this year. I bought them, and with that, started my Christmas shopping.
This is ridiculous, you guys. It's, like, September.
But in that minimal start of my task for the year, I couldn't drop the other ideas I had floating around in my brain. This afternoon, I grabbed my trusty legal pad and started my list. The list, of course, begins with Sydney. I had a couple ideas for her. And one thought for Brian. And a couple ideas for Mom. And I found something for Brad and Lisa, too.
I'm also starting to formulate my budget and saving plan. It begins with the paycheck that lands tomorrow. I will have my Christmas nest egg, and I will not be denied or irritated about it this year. It seems like mid-September is a good time to start on it.
But really, my head is all, ALREADY??

Family Game Night ideas aplenty

I love that Facebook is an excellent place for brainstorming and crowd-sourcing ideas. Sydney has decided that we need to extend the playing field on Family Game Night. We don't have Clue or Monopoly, which will be added, but I wanted other ideas, too. So, I asked Facebook. My friends did not disappoint. I have a ton of ideas and suggestions. Only a couple weren't a good fit for us, so I have a very long list of games to check out. I did read up on them online this evening, and am eager to check out the prices soon. (I think Sydney and I will go do some shopping on Wednesday.)
A few that caught my interest: Ticket to Ride, which was suggested repeatedly; Apples to Apples, which is one that Sydney has been asking about lately, too; Scattergories, which is fun; Scrambled States, which looks cool and educational and fun; Yahtzee, which has math, I think; and perhaps Blokus, which is strategic and colorful. Some of those will have to be played when other people are visiting (*cough* Mom *cough*) because they require a minimum of four people. Other ideas were a bit advanced for the 8-year-old still. But most were excellent, and I'm excited to see what we can come up with for our game cabinet.
I rediscovered my own Rummikub and Taboo games, as well. I've got an awesome Trivial Pursuit, but it'll be some time before we can play that with Sydney. So, I think, once Sydney and I do some shopping, we'll have some excellent new choices for fun.

Sunday, football and sofa, Sunday

While I love football Sundays, I am not a fan of the feeling of tired, unproductivity associated with sitting on the sofa all day. Here it is, 10:30 p.m. I'm tired. My eyes are sagging. I'm yawning. My neck hurts from whatever random angle I held it most of the day. My ass is very sofa-cushion-esque.
Today was great, but I can't help feeling like it was a bit of a waste of the day. I would have preferred some kind of activity beyond moving from the sofa to the bathroom, to the upstairs and back to the living room at times throughout the day.
While I'd love to sit and really whine about it all, we did have a few cool things happen today. 1. My Patriots won, and I got to watch the game, because Brian and I decided that we can't really deal with football season without NFL Sunday Ticket. I was able to subscribe online, and they had our access up and running less than a minute later. Technology is super. 2. Our local Hawaiian barbecue place made us some kick-ass dumplings and chicken katsu for lunch. Also, they switched out the cabbage for rice on my plate. They made me a happy girl. 3. Perhaps most awesomely, I got to FaceTime the second half of the Emmys with Andrea, and we were able to dish on the people, clothes, winners and goings on. It was fantastic.
Sundays are such a mixed bag for me. Terrific, great stuff, and then crushing, depressing inactivity. I look forward to cooler weather so I can hike the trail in the morning, at least. Today was both a bust and the best.

My first big read, and gateway drug

The first Jackie Collins book I read was Lucky. I was 12 years old, and it was during the first summer I was allowed to stay home by myself during the day rather than go to camp or anything. Mom had the book sitting on her headboard in her room. I mean, look at the cover there. How does it not intrigue and tempt a girl? It doesn't. Not at all. But I picked it up anyway, and read it in secret and on the sly every day. I have no idea how long it took me to finish the book. All I know is that it was/is an incredibly inappropriate book for a 12-year-old to read.
I spent the next several years of my life catching up on all the Jackie Collins books in existence. I was obsessed for a super long time. I can't tell you when exactly I stopped reading them religiously, but it was some time in college, I think. Or maybe after. Like I said, I don't really remember. I'm trying to remember why I stopped reading them. I think because I stopped liking one of the main characters. I still have my treasure trove of paperback and hardcover Collins books.
The weird thing is, with the release of her new book, The Santangelos, I had decided to catch up on what's been doing in her universe, and added that book to my library reading queue. I had a bunch to catch up on first, of course, but have this one in my phone, just to be sure I remembered to dig into them.
So, as you can imagine, I'm pretty heartbroken to hear that she died today, of breast cancer. She didn't tell anyone, not even her famous sister, Joan, until two weeks ago. She died surrounded by family and close friends, as is befitting.
She was an incredible author, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I mean, come on, Hollywood Wives? Gold. Lovers & Gamblers, Hollywood Husbands, and Chances were great. One of the things that I enjoyed most about her, as a writer, was that she wrote all her novels in long hand on legal pads. Isn't that crazy? Even in today's world, she was old school, with paper and pen.
I'll always remember her as the catalyst for my obsession with reading. Who knew that books could be like that? Who knew that authors could write stuff like that? She opened my eyes, friends, to all the good and bad that could reside between the covers of a book. She'll always have my gratitude for that.

It's not the time for that yet, damn it

Last year, there was a very elaborate Santa Claus display, activity center, and visiting place in my local shopping mall. The lines to see Santa in this mall can usually run quite long in any year, but with this new display place, they were really ridiculous. But this particular set-up also invited parents to make reservation times for when they'd like to have their child begin the Santa experience. When Brian, Sydney and I decided to visit, we actually made her reservation for 40 minutes from our arrival, just so we wouldn't have to wait in the line. The reservation moved us to the front of the line, certainly, but we still had to wait the 40 minutes, and entertain ourselves, until her time.
Anyway, today I received the most offensive e-mail I'd gotten all year.
It was an invitation to reserve Sydney's date and time for her Santa Claus experience.
Of note is the fact that today is, in fact, SEPTEMBER 17.
Not jumping the gun a little, are we Santa experience place? Not eager to be sure you get our money at all, are you? I'm beyond annoyed that it's this e-mail, and not some stupid commercial on television or a Christmas carol played at an inopportune time to remind me that Christmas is coming faster than I think it is. I'll hold on to the e-mail, of course, for November, when it would be appropriate to begin scheduling Christmas activities such as this.
This e-mail has unsettled me. And made me pissy and anxiety-ridden.

An update on not having a job

1. The interview I went to a few weeks ago, that lasted two full hours, sent me a delicious e-mail this morning about not wanting me.
Hi Kimberly:
[Organization Name] wants to take this opportunity to thank you for interviewing for the [Job Title] position. This letter is to let you know that you have not been selected for the position.
The [Organization Name] Publications team greatly appreciates the time you took to meet with us and we wish you much success in your job search.
Thank you again for your interest in our organization.
And that's the end of that. A bit informal to be all, "Hi," but that's how they do it these days, I guess. It's nice to be friendly when crushing someone's dreams for a decent paycheck, yes?
2. I filled out a super involved and thorough application for another organization that I would really, really enjoy working at. It's a place that's actually close to my heart, and I'd love to be a part of it. The job position itself is a little off track from my normal thing (it's a marketing job), but I know I can still be a viable member of their team. I filled out all the little online boxes and stuff, and even wrote (I paraphrase): "Seriously, give me a shot, and I'll be a great asset to your team." Let's see if the straightforward approach there will get me anything. I've been wanting a job at this place for a super long time. I hope the interview comes through, because I'll crush it.
3. Well, she makes looking for a job a lot more glamorous, doesn't she?

Homework not on paper

So this is something new for the parents of kids in elementary school these days: Google Classroom. Today, I got schooled on the newest format for teaching my 8-year-old kid, from my 8-year-old kid. Required electronic classroom participation is a real thing now, you guys.
We had to download Google Chrome to my computer, then she proceeded to sign herself in to Google Classroom. She's got her own e-mail address for logging in (it's not active for actual e-mails yet), and a password that she's already memorized. There were menus and click-throughs, and all the bells and whistles. I tried to keep up while sitting alongside her, but she flew through the pages and clicks so fast that I could barely register what she was doing.
She submitted some homework on it, as kind of a primer activity, I guess. She kinda showed me around, but was so proud of herself for knowing it all so well, she wasn't interested at all in slowing down too much for me. As for the activities on the web site, she's got a chat function (sorta) with the teacher and her classmates, she can keep track of all her assignments, and she can set up reminders and all that for anything else. As an example, her weekly paragraph is no longer to be printed and turned in, but proofread on the screen and submitted to the teacher's inbox. Granted, saving paper. But really, I miss homework for being homework. But I guess that makes me OLD.