blue girl

Live Blogging Halloween 2006

Halloween as I've known it for the last 14 years has come to a halt.  So, I'm sitting in the living room like a loser, dressed like a witch, live blogging Halloween!  Take that, Pinko Punko! 

Well, I'm kind of live blogging.  I don't have Internet access downstairs, so I was just writing as the night went on...

Door bell just rang...cute kids dressed up.  Little kids.  Little cute kids.  Sweet, little innocent non-teenager kids.

Sniffle

My son and his gang dressed up as "Preppies" -- They think they're so original by NOT dressing up.  Are they bigger losers than me? 

Yes!  They are!

It's 7:00pm.  Trick or Treating's been going on for an hour.  I feel like no one's come to the door, my husband just said....It's been busy this year!

Bizarro Halloween!

I've got chili simmering on the stove and Alien vs. Predator on TV. 

I don't like this movie.  My husband just said...

It's actually pretty good!

Bizarro Halloween!

Doorbell hasn't rang in 5 minutes.  What should I talk about?

Candy!

I'm giving out Baby Ruths, Tootsie Rolls, Kissables, and Reese's Cups. 

No shag candy at this house!

Nothing's going on so I'll watch Alien vs. Predator for a second...let's see if I can get into it at all....

An entire civilization went out overnight.

So the humanoids are the hunters? 

They use us like cattle.  This whole thing was a trap.

(Icky, gooey head sticks out of some wall.)

Stupid movie.  I don't like it.

Doorbell!

Aw.  Two little six year old girls.  One's a witch, one's a scarecrow.  So excited!  Cute!  I gave them each TWO pieces of candy cuz that's the kind of person I am!

A LIBERAL liberal!

Back to the movie...

Are you crazy?

Don't arm the hunters!

We're at war!  It's time to pick a side!

We have to make sure those serpents don't reach the surface!

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. 

/dramatic look

I'm bored with this movie.

I'm going to go stir the chili.

My chili is so good.  Hopefully the preppies will like it when they get back.  I'm sure they're getting lots of lectures from parents in the neighborhood about NOT being dressed up.  GOOD!

Hope they're not toilet papering anything.

Hope the cops don't show up at my door.

Big music in the movie!

Gross monsters fighting each other!

Green goo!

The girl's crying!

The monster's going to get her!  The monster has a mouth within a mouth!

Gross!  But so fake, it's completely stupid!

Now fake monsters are blowing each other up with death ray green lasers.

I hate movies like this.  Major goo everywhere.

When's Friday the 13th on?

8:00, I guess.

Good.

I actually like this movie.

It's too gooey and FAKE!

I see headlights.  Ooh!  It's the Fuzz!  Hope they don't have my son in the backseat.

Yay, they just drove passed my driveway.

Phew!  But, I'm not in the clear yet.

Off topic for a second...Did anyone see Bush giving that speech this afternoon?  Can he BE anymore fake with that FAKE-O southern accent of his?  Ick.  Makes me feel bad for my southern relatives.  Him imitating them like that.  I love southern accents.  Reminds me of my Grandma and her awesome cooking.   She made the best pies!  And banana pudding!  He's a disgrace.

Preppies are back.  Without a police escort.  Yay!

They got a lot of candy.  They showed up with two girls, dressed like twins.  Cute.  Red and white striped stockings and black tops.  At least they tried.

Now, they're all watching Alien vs. Predator.

What do you guys think of this movie?

I'm not telling you unless I can copyright my words.  Will you pay me for my opinion?

No.

Well, we're not telling you.

Wise guys.  Preppie Republican Capitalists in the making!  Pshaw!

Everyone's eating candy and I've got to get them to eat real food.  Cuz I'm a good witchy mom.

No police showed up at my door!   Success!

The kids just went into the basement and I just turned on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

No police, Larry David, and a nice glass of Merlot, relaxing in my witch costume on the couch in front of the fire.

A successful night indeed.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

The King, Halloween 1994

Go, cat, go!  Blue Kid as Vegas Elvis before he had any control over his own life. 

He became a local legend when this shot was printed on the front page of my hometown's newspaper.  Now this image has gone global, appearing on Blue Girl In a Red State!  He's going to kill me.

I'd leave you with the obvious Elvis song to go along with this photo, but I'd rather backtrack to 1956.

This song has been called the first true rock 'n' roll hit, in the sense that it was an "all market" hit. Some R&B hits had sold well in the pop market (most notably Chuck Berry's "Maybellene," which had even outsold the white cover versions); likewise, some country records had crossed over into the pop market, and Bill Haley had defined his own pop/R&B hybrid. But there had never been a record that had sold well in all three markets.  While it seems almost pointless to try to pinpoint where rock 'n roll began, it's fairly clear that the music incorporated elements of blues, country, and pop.  "Blue Suede Shoes" was the first record to borrow from all three categories and become a hit on all three charts.  That is Carl Perkins' achievement, and it is worth a detailed looked at exactly how it happened. 

Fall 1955.  Johnny Cash joins Carl Perkins for a show in Amory, Mississippi.  He suggests that Carl write a song based on a saying he had heard in the chow line while he was in the service, "Don't step on my blue suede shoes."

A few nights later Perkins is playing in Jackson, Tennessee, when he sees a dancer in the crowd trying to keep his girlfriend away from his new blue suede shoes.  It connects with the idea that Cash had given him.  At three o'clock the following morning, Perkins awakens with the genesis of the song in his head.  He goes downstairs and writes out the lyrics in pencil on an empty potato bag.  Suede is spelled Swaed.

Read the rest here.

Happy Halloween, all you rockin' cool cats!  May you get all the mini chocolate bars and peanut butter and 'nana sandwiches your little hearts desire.

Weekend Highlights

I kicked off my weekend by going to the Mike DeWiner/Sherrod Brown debate on Friday afternoon.  It was very exciting.  The room was packed, 2/3 Democrats, 1/3 Republicans.  There was booing and hissing and cheering and warnings from the moderator. 

Six more years!  Six more years!  Six more years!

Eleven more days!  Eleven more days!  Eleven more days!

There was lots of mud slinging and rolling around in the gutter.  I'll write a more detailed post soon.  I can't do it now, because I'm exhausted.  But, I will leave you with the best line of the debate.  DeWiner was listing all these horrible, terrible, atrocious things about Sherrod Brown and included this little gem...

In 1986, Sherrod Brown had an employee who laced a banana with marijuana and ate it!

Pshaw!

After the debate, I jumped in the car and drove to Columbus to spend the weekend with my best friend.  We had a great time.  We were up till 3:30am Friday night, woke up Saturday morning at 8:30 and popped open a bottle of Dom Perignon at 10.

While we were lying on the bed, drinking champagne and listening to music, I was showing her pictures on my laptop. 

Look at this one!

She almost fell off the bed laughing.

We then had to go through our favorite scenes from the movie.  And then she said to me...

I can't believe Owen Wilson's dating Kate Hudson.

What??!

Owen Wilson's dating Kate Hudson!

Oh my God, he's cheating on me!

You didn't know that?

No!

What kind of rock.  have.  you.  been.  living.  under?

A blog rock.

Oh my God, you have got to start reading People magazine!

We talked and laughed and talked and laughed and talked and laughed some more.  We talked about our funerals and what the other had to promise to do.  I had to promise that I would make sure she looked good, because no one else would care.  I promised.  I told her I didn't care what I looked like, I just want her to plan the whole thing, make sure it was standing room only, put a soundtrack to it -- play really sad, morose music throughout the service because I want the tears to be flowing.  I want all the lyrics from the songs she chooses to be printed in some sort of program, so people can dwell on the words and feel horribly sad.  I want everyone as sad as humanly possible.  I don't want a dry eye in the house!

We finished our bottle of champagne, got dressed and headed down to the bar.

We have too much fun together.  It's almost not fair how much fun we have.  I am absolutely exhausted.  I can't wait to do it again.

Friday Cat Blogging with Pumpkins & Politics

Lest Tom Watson thinks that the main point of this post is frivolous and a complete waste of my time, I want to say right off the bat, that I'm posting the recipe below again because pumpkin season is almost over and everyone who reads this should make it!  I mean it!  Do it!  It's too good not to.

And another reason I'm posting this real quick is because I don't have time to write a proper post.  I'm getting ready to go to the Mike Dewine/Sherrod Brown debate.  And hopefully a post that Tom Watson can be proud of will come out of that.

***

Yes, You Put The Entire Pumpkin In The Oven.
That's our new kitty, Jack, investigating two baking pumpkins.  Don't worry, he's not part of the recipe.

Couldn't let fall pass by without sharing this most awesome recipe with that portion of the blogosphere that visits my humble pixelated abode.

This is not only unbelievably delicious, but it also makes for a great presentation.  It's one of those recipes that makes you feel as though you've accomplished something really special. 

And don't think to yourself, "I hate pumpkin pie, so I'm not going to make it."  Pumpkin pie taste has nothing to do with this.  Pumpkin is indeed only one ingredient in this truly magical mixture!

*****

BAKED PUMPKIN
with Apple-Raisin Filling

1 4-5 pound pumpkin  (kind of a smallish one, and the *lines* that crease down the sides are not too deep - that's how you can tell a good baking pumpkin - or so I was told by the pumpkin farmer guy last Fall.)

1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 - 5 cups sliced, peeled apples (I think I used Granny Smiths, but don't quote me)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Cut out the top of the pumpkin.  Reserve the lid.  Scrape out the seeds and stringy gunk.  Brush the inside of the pumpkin with the melted butter and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brown sugar inside.  Replace the lid.  Place the pumpkin in a shallow roasting pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl mix together the apples, and remaining ingredients.  Spoon all of the mixture into the pumpkin and replace the lid.  Return to the oven and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.

Serve hot, scooping out pumpkin mixture.  Make sure you take a spoon and scrape the pumpkin *flesh* -- Ooh!  Scary sounding!  Ok.  Kind of gross sounding -- from the sides of the inside of the pumpkin.  It's part of the scrumptiousness.

*****

If you don't overbake the pumpkin, (which doesn't hurt the taste at all by the way) you can serve it, pumpkin and all, on the table.  I overbaked it last year and it was a little droopy on the table, but still just as delicious.

Don't think of this as a dessert.  I mean it!  Don't think that.  Don't think to yourself, "That would be great with ice cream!"

No it won't.  Ok, it might to some people.  But it's not a dessert.  It's more of a starchy side dish to a main course.

It's really, really good.  I can't recommend it enough.

You've Got My Vote! In A Way.

If there's one person I'd really love to vote for but can't, (Darn that felony!) it's Harold Ford, Jr. of Tennessee.  I just can't stand the sleaze being thrown at him.

By now you've probably seen or at least heard about the TV spot that plays into racial stereotypes and the fears of interracial dating.  The one where the sexy white girl says she met Ford at a Playboy party (Oh!  The horror!  Pshaw!) and then at the end of the spot, winks into the camera and says, Harold, call me.

Ick.  Just another example from, what Tom Watson calls the Racist, Gay-Bashing, Mysoginist Merchants of Fear.

Since I can't vote for Ford, I just sent him a little money.  I really want him to win.  Go Harold!

If you want to make a contribution, click here.

If you live in Tennessee and want to volunteer, click here.

If you want to read about his voting record, go here.

If you want to know his rating on the Idiometer, go here.

If you just want to learn a little about his background, go here.

The Tennessee Senate race is one of the most competitive of the midterm election.  The Republicans have even taken money away from DeWiner here in Ohio so they can throw more sleaze at Ford in Tennessee!  And right now the race is considered a toss up.  The Democrats need to win it!  Go Democrats!  I just wish I could do more to help that happen.

And just in case you're reading my blog, Mr. Ford, and you can think of something else I can do to help you win ... wink, wink ... call me.

If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out

As I stood in the shiny aisle, I heard sing song chattering and a thwumping sound.  Thwump, thwump, thwump, thwump.  I looked around the heaping mound of homegrown tomatoes and first noticed the fat rolls where ankles should be.  His tiny blue jeans pulled up just enough to see his Power Ranger socks.  The rubber soles of his saddle shoes hitting the cart over and over again.  His face was covered in a slimy, sticky red goo from the Ring Pop he was sucking on.  He was sitting all alone smiling, blue eyes sparkling, pointing at the people walking by.

His mother was on the other side of the aisle picking out mums.  Every now and then, she'd turn and shush him.  He'd thwump louder. 

In between sucking on his candy, he would sing...

Goo ged to Sesmeee Seet...

Bobby!  Shhh!

Thump, thwump, thwump...Sesmeee Seet!...thwump, thwump, thwump.

Shhh!  Quiet!

I filled my bag with tomatoes, tied the top off and put it in the cart.  As I passed him, he pointed at me and smiled from his little clown face.  My heart melted and I said hi and smiled back.  And as I walked away I heard his mother shushing him some more.  And then I heard more singing and thwumping.  And I was glad.

BG & The Google

Sometimes when I don't have an idea for a post, I quickly use The Google for inspiration.  The Google's sorta let me down today.  What I've found so far hasn't inspired me much.  At all.

Thanks to Shakespeare's Sister. Her simple LOL! to this little Bushism has had me LOL! about it since yesterday.

How Cool Is This?

Look!

Freshman Homecoming 2006

I'm 15 for a moment...

~•~•~•~

Incredible stretching photoshop technique by Blue Kid.  He did it because he said it's cooler this way.  If by cooler means everyone appears taller and skinnier, then I agree.  I've given him 25 years worth of photos of me to manipulate.  Cuz I want to be cooler, too.

"Behold, the nightmare that is “Eggs Casino”!

Having a hard day?  Bored?  Wish something really fun would come into your life at this very second?

Well, do I have the post for you.  Go read...

Horrors from the Depths of Time and Madness

Still not inspired to click?  Well, here's a little teaser:
This particular horror calls for 18 soft-cooked eggs to be peeled. Six of them suffer the hideous fate of being coated with a mixture of tomato puree, red food coloring, and “coating mayonnaise”. WTF is “coating mayonnaise”, you ask? Why Dear Reader, it’s plain old regular disgusting mayonnaise made extra barftactular with the addition of gelatin! Anyway, once you’ve got these six eggs looking like something out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, you cut out little pieces of the yolk and white of a hard-cooked egg and use the pieces to make a design like a daisy on each blood-drenched egg. How very dainty! Put these in the fridge.

Res?  Will you marry me?