Humpday Listday: The Lipton 10

If you've ever seen Inside the Actor's Studio with James Lipton, you know all about "the questionnaire." If not, you should really go watch it. It's absolutely fascinating. At the end of every interview, Mr. Lipton asks the same 10 questions to the interviewee. Originated by French TV personality Bernard Pivot, the questionnaire is my very favorite part of the show. And to me, the most interesting questions the actors answer the whole time.

Here's Hugh Laurie answering the questions:

I've actually posted my answers on my blog before, but it's been such a long time that I thought I'd do it all over again. Here are my answers to James Lipton's 10 questions:

1. What is your favorite word?
Rambunctious. I love the word, how it sounds, what it means, and how it feels to be rambunctious.
2. What is your least favorite word?
Stupid, when used to reference a person. Or quiver. Quiver gives me the heebie-jeebies.
3. What turns you on?
Honest-to-goodness laughter. Not a fake chuckle, but really hearty, from-the-the gut, uncontrollable laughter. The kind where your sides hurt and you pee yourself a little. It's the best thing in the world.
4. What turns you off?
Snobbery. Any and all kinds. Yuck.
5. What sound or noise do you love?
A harmonica being played well. Nothing better than a song with good harmonica.
6. What sound or noise do you hate?
God, I hate my alarm clock. And snoring. Basically, anything that keeps me from sleeping.
7. What is your favorite curse word?
Shit, in any variety.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
A baker. Making pretty sweets all day and going home smelling like sugar would be wonderful.
9. What profession would you not like to attempt?
Any sort of politician. I can't imagine anything less appealing or scary to me.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
"Welcome home."

If you were to ever sit across from James Lipton, what 10 answers would you give him? Leave it in the comments!
xoxo

Hi.

Just a quick hello to say that this is NOT the finished product. I got tired of staring at my computer screen, so I gave up for a while. I'm hoping to finish everything tomorrow, but tonight I've pretty much gone cross-eyed.
*Sigh* I really wish I was better at this side of computering (the code-fiddling part). Or that I had a friend who was... and would work for free. Oh well.

Goodnight.
xoxo

Spring (Summer) Cleaning

Just as a heads-up, I'll be working on a new blog design tonight and tomorrow. It's about time, right? Since I'm doing it all myself and I am NOT a professional, things may be a little wonky for a while, especially if you view this thing the normal way (in your browser). If you view it through a reader (i.e. Google Reader), I haven't the foggiest idea what may happen. Again, I'm not a professional. Most of what I can do is self-taught trial & error. But all should be resolved and the dust should be settled in a day or so. And hopefully, I'll have a pretty new blog design to show you! Yay!

In the meantime, here's a teensy preview....

(tape via puglypixel.com)

xoxo

Wild Nothing

I've been listening to this song for weeks now and I'm not showing any signs of getting tired of it.

Today I Love....
Wild Nothing - Chinatown

xoxo

Kentucky Fried Eew

About a week ago, Chris and I decided to be adventurous for dinner. I hadn't eaten at a KFC since I was in High School and was forced to on a band trip. So we decided to be brave and try that new chicken "sandwich." You know the one... the one that's just two pieces of chicken with bacon and cheese in the middle. The one that's supposed to look like this:


Doesn't look so bad, right? Well, if it had actually looked like that, we might have enjoyed ourselves, but instead, it looked like this:


Granted, that's after I'd had a few bites, but that doesn't account for the fact that it was soggy and greasier than anything I've ever eaten. We both left feeling more than a little sick and decided that waiting another 10 years to eat at KFC again wouldn't be such a bad idea.

So, what does this teach us? That the word "Sandwich" shouldn't be used on anything that doesn't include bread. And that sometimes, I make very poor food choices.

xoxo

Tiny Desk Concerts

I've been watching/listening to these all day and I just love them and thought I'd share.

Today, I love: NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeroes

Thao Nguyen

Dr. Dog

Phoenix

xoxo

Barracuda!

I grew up on Heart. My Mom had the cassettes. I've always loved this band, and this song. I woke up with it in my head this morning, and hummed it all through my shower and getting dressed. When I heard it on the radio at Subway while eating dinner, I decided it was fate...

Today I love: Barracuda!

Pssst! Want to know a little secret? This song always makes me think of Nash Bridges.

xoxo

Humpday Listday: Too Hot

The Mister and I live in South Georgia. If you've ever been to South Georgia, you'll know why it's so miserable in the summer, here. It's like being in a sauna fully clothed from May to September.

Here are 6 things it's just too damn hot to do in Statesboro in the summer:

1. Cook any slow-simmering stews or hour-in-the-oven cakes. Pot roast? No thanks. I'll just have a sandwich.
2. Have leather or vinyl seats in your car. If you have them, a well placed towel will be your best friend.
3. Blow-dry your hair. Adding even MORE hot air is just asking for a heat stroke.
4. Wear socks. Flip flops, sandals, and slide-on shoes only, please! My feet need to breathe!
5. Crochet. I try and try every summer to get ahead on crocheting for the fall, but it's just too hot. It's like wearing a sweater on your fingers. And yarn doesn't react too well to sweat. Eww.
6. Be outside for more than 5 minutes at a time. Seriously, it's soooooo hot here. And it'll only get worse until August.

And one thing it is NOT too hot for, This song...

xoxo

Jenny & Johnny

Let's take a moment to talk about how excited I am about this:

Jenny Lewis & Jonathan Rice doing an album together!

Download the first single, Scissor Runner from here for free. And you should put an ASAP on that. You can also pre-order the album (for which there is no release date yet), and check out tour dates.

I'm soooooooo excited!

A Day Late

Why am I always a day late with things like this? Oh well, better late than never.

Happy Father's Day!


Don't worry, I did actually tell my Dad yesterday... I'm not that behind.

Remembering

I was born in 1984. So, when I stumbled across I'm Remembering yesterday, I completely dorked out for like an hour.

Do you remember these 80's/early 90's things?

Tan M&M's. Before blue, there was tan. I totally remember the switch. Do you?

Stick-on earrings. When relatives didn't know what to get me for Christmas, I ended up with tons of these. I'm pretty sure there's even a picture of me putting them on my Grandpa...

Legends of the Hidden Temple on Nickelodeon. Every day after school. The Temple Run was always my favorite part, especially the Shrine of the Silver Monkey.

Hairbows made from shoelaces. I am absolutely certain that I had some blue & gold ones (my school colors from kindergarten until I graduated high school. W-W Tiger Pride!)

Life is like a hurricane, here in Duckburg
Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes - it's a duck blur
You might solve a mystery.... or rewrite history
DUCK TALES, a-woo-ooo!

Lydia, I know you remember this one! It was our favorite!

I think it's safe to say I'll be following the I'm Remembering blog from now on for the sheer happiness 80's/90's nostalgia brings me.

What were some of your favorite things from childhood?

Jumpin' on the Bandwagon

.....but, it's a really cool bandwagon.

I've seen this video posted on several blogs that I follow, but it's just so awesome and fun I thought I'd post it, too.

Today, I love...

xoxo

I Can Do Anything Good!

This little girl is a lesson in positivity. And I think we could all use a little bit of her attitude.

I pretty much love her.
xoxo

Humpday Listday: Chris' Birthday Edition!

Today is the Mister's Birthday and I thought I'd share a few reasons I'm glad he was born!

1. He helps me build forts out of the couch cushions and blankets in the middle of the bedroom floor when I ask.
2. He's a much more efficient shopper than I am. Without Chris, I'd spend hours in the grocery store aimlessly wandering around until I've spent $200.
3. He likes to drive around and explore just as much as I do. Maybe even more.
4. My skepticism is balanced out by his amazing ability to be eternally optimistic.
5. I'm not computer illiterate; actually, I'm pretty proficient. But whenever I can't figure out what's wrong with the computer, he always can.
6. By marrying him, I gained a whole new (really awesome) family.
7. He makes me laugh at the most unexpected times.
8. He gave me a kitty for my birthday.
9. He has more faith in me than I do in myself.
10. Because he knows how crazy I am and loves me in spite of (or maybe because of) it.

And now, a song:

Crash Into Me

I found this video of Stevie Nicks covering Dave Matthews Band's Crash today. I must say, I've never been a huge fan of this song, or DMB, but Stevie doing it is just heavenly.

Today I love:

Now I'm off to listen to more Stevie/Fleetwood Mac. I'm in that kind of mood today.
xoxo

Hey Katie

I'm sitting at work right now. As usual, I have pandora.com playing in the background and a few minutes ago, it got really quiet, then I heard a loud "Hey Katie!" from across the room. It was this song....

So what if he wrote it about Katherine Heigl? My name's Katie, too. And it made my morning.

25 Before 26: Update!

Six months ago today, I posted this list of the 25 things I wanted to do before I turn 26.


Well, I'm halfway there. Have I done everything on the list? Not by a long shot. But I have done a few. Here's what I have accomplished in the last 6 months:

1. Buy a sofa. Yes! We bought our sofa a few months ago and we all (Me, the hubs, and the kitty) agree that it was a very smart purchase!
   
2. Make a headboard. Not yet. But we did paint the bedroom and move it around, get a comforter, and hang my embroidered heart above the bed. There may not be a need for a headboard now.
   
3. Open an Etsy shop. I'm working on it. And I'm so close. Just a few more things to do before I can!
   
4. Start a record collection (and buy a record player). Yes! We bought a record player and have been collecting vinyl like crazy. We've found that the two best places to find records are Goodwill and our parents' old collections. We have some real gems!
   
5. Finish LDQ & Arrows quilts (and make another!) Oh gosh. I honestly haven't even touched either of them. I still have 6 months, right?
   
6. Find a great rug for the living room. We took a step in the right direction. We got rid of the old rug that just wasn't working. Great rugs are expensive and it's not exactly a priority in the budget. We'll see if we stumble upon something great in the next 6 months.
   
7. Camping on Cumberland. Take a picture of a wild horse. This is planned for the summer or fall. We really wanted to make a trip in the spring, but we just haven't found a free weekend yet. Fingers crossed.
   
8. Make health a priority. Yeah. I need to do that more.
   
9. Bake a Red Velvet cake. I still haven't done this one! And I can't believe it! It's an afternoon easy-peasy project, but it just hasn't happened. Soon.
   
10. Make a 17 song mixtape playlist for every month. YES! I'm proud that I really have done this. And now my mixtapes are downloadable!
    
11. Write a letter every week. Oh. I think I completely forgot about this one. Uh oh!
    
12. Read 20 books that aren't Twilight or Harry Potter. I've read 3. I'm working on it! Give me time..... geez!
    
13. Sew something wearable. Nope. Still no Katie-made wearable. It mostly stems from the fact that I have a hard time making anything and keeping it for myself.
    
14. Fill the pages of a sketchbook. Working on it! I'm about halfway there!
    
15. Mail 5 care packages for no reason. I think I've done 2 or 3. I'd better get to mailing, right?
    
16. Go to a state I've never been to. Yep! Just got back from Virginia/DC. This wish will probably always be on my list. I think I'll always want to go places I've never been.
    
17. Make a painting and hang it in our apartment. The painting 3/4 done! I swear!
    
18. Design a website. This one's tricky. I've registered my domain name (it leads here, to my blog) and talked to a friend about helping me out with this one. I'm pretty sure it won't be a full-blown website, but a sort of splash page that goes to my blog and etsy shop (when it's opened.) So, at the very least, there has been progress on this one.
    
19. Watch 5 movies in theaters. One. I've seen one. With plans to see another in June. Chris and I just don't go to the movies. I always go with Jessica. I guess we need to go more often!
    
20. Get a really great haircut. Done! My new bob is comfortable, easy, and cool for summer. I really kinda love it. I do miss my long locks, sometimes though. Pictures of braids on weheartit get me a little misty-eyed.
    
21. Drink a bottle of wine worth more than $20. Ummm... we just got married. $20 is a lot of money to spend on one bottle of wine. We did go to a local wine shop and spend around $75 on 4 bottles. That almost makes the cut.
    
22. Give at least 1 trash bag of clothes to Goodwill. I'm calling this one done. The bag is ready, packed and sitting in our bedroom floor and they're going with me the next time I make a Goodwill trip.
    
23. Buy Chris something he'd never buy for himself. Hmm... I can't say I've done this one yet. I'm still working out what exactly to do for him.
    
24. Eat a whole lobster. Nope. No excuses. Just no lobster yet.
    
25. Make business cards for myself. Sadly, no. But I am working on it! There should be progress on this one in the next month or so.

Well, it looks like I've got a ton of stuff to do in the next 6 months! But I'm going to give myself a pat on the back for what I have done. I'll let you know in December how many more items I can cross off my list. And what I'll have to keep on the list for next year!

xoxo

Humpday Listday: Guilty Pleasures

You knew this list had to be coming at some point. Here are some things I love, that I feel at least 20% guilty about.

1. Sonic drinks at happy hour.
Every day I get off work at 2:00 and I drive past Sonic on my way home. Cherry Orange Sprite, Grape Sprite, and Cherry Cokes call my name as I pass. I think, "It's after 2:00. Happy Hour. Half price. I've got enough change in the ashtray in my car....." It's a terrible habit that I'm trying to break.

2. Nail polish. Which I told you all about yesterday. Serious problem.

3. Reading or watching TV in bed. Our bed is one of my favorite places. It's soft and cozy and the comforter if fluffy. Sundays in bed are my favorite.

4. Take-out Chinese food! Sweet and Sour chicken is my weakness! There's a little place between the grocery store and Papa John's pizza that has the best Chinese in town and we loooove it.

5. Haagen-Dazs' Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream. No chunks of cookies or candy or chocolate or fruit or anything else (although I do like those things). Just pure, perfect vanilla ice cream flavored ever so lightly with honey. It's absolutely the most perfect ice cream ever and a rare treat when I get it.
6. Goodbird's. Next to the Wal-Mart on Northside Drive in Statesboro, GA there's a little drive-thru that serves the absolute best chicken tenders and vinegar fries. They have the best yeast rolls and the best sweet iced tea. It'll clog your arteries and make you chunky, but if you're ever in Statesboro, you should swing through. Your mouth won't be sorry.

7. Yarn! I love yarn! And it really shouldn't be a "guilty" pleasure... but my collection has grown to massive proportions. I have to keep some of it our in our storage closet. It's bad. And I have yarn that's more than 6 or 7 years old... that I've never used. I keep saying that someday I'll make a scrap afghan with just bits and pieces of all my yarn in it. Someday...

8. Chapstick. Lipgloss. Lip Balm. Whatever you call it, I'm addicted to it. I'm the girl who picks up the junk they sell at the check-out line at the grocery store. Burt's Bees, Carmex, Blistex. I have it all. But you wanna know a secret? The best lip stuff ever is Vicks VapoRub. Yep, that stuff you rub on your chest when you're sick. My new sister Emily let me in on that one and I use it all the time. It makes your lips tingly and keeps your sinuses open. And it moisturizes like crazy! It really works!

9. E!
The Soup, Chelsea Lately, The Girls Next Door (before the big break-up), and all those other ridiculous shows? Yeah. I find myself watching E! when nobody's looking. Especially late at night. I can't help it!

10. Twilight. *sigh* Oh lord, do I love me some Twilight. This is probably the biggest one on the list. It's ridiculous, really, as I am not 13 years old. I just can't help it. Please don't judge me.... or my Edward action figure.

And yeah, I already have a date with Jessica planned to see the midnight showing of Eclipse when it comes out.

What's your guilty pleasure?
xoxo

Bazinga!

Today I love.... Dr. Sheldon Cooper.

More than a year ago, my cousin Rischa told me I should watch The Big Bang Theory. I'm not much for sit-coms. At least, that's what I tell myself. (Thursday nights on NBC tell a different story). But I watched the first season and half the second anyway, as that was all that was out at the time. I immediately fell in love with the show. And with Sheldon. He's probably my favorite TV character right now. If our cat (Liz Lemon) had been a boy, she would probably be named Sheldon Cooper.

Now that season 3 is over, I can't wait for the fall for new episodes! Anybody else out there a Sheldon fan?
xoxo

A Love Affair With Nail Polish

I have terrible nails, I always have. They're thin and brittle. They chip. They won't grow long. I tend to bite them- which of course doesn't help. And even when I can suppress my nail biting, I bite and pick at my cuticles- so bad that they often bleed. It's horrible, I know. It's my nervous habit. So, I usually paint my nails to make myself feel better about how terrible they look. It also keeps me from chewing them for a few days. You'll rarely catch me without my nails painted.

Today, (and everyday) I completely adore nail polish!

Here's a little mini-tour through my ever-expanding nail polish collection.....

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Fairy Teal. It's a great color, but I'm obsessed with the polish. It lasts forever and the brush is wide and covers so smoothly!

China Glaze, For Audrey. I'm crazy about that color! I know it looks the same as the one above, but it's really much, much lighter.

Rimmel's Lasting Finish PRO in Steel Grey. It also has the wide brush and lasts forever like Sally's, but it's about half the price. And that color? Gorgeously chic. And goes with everything!

As with the rest of China Glaze's Up & Away set, I loooove Grape Pop. I usually find China Glaze a little more work to apply, and a little less long-lasting, but with colors like those, I don't really mind so much.

My go-to dark shade, Essie's Wicked. It's almost black, but not quite.

And lastly, the almost Barbie-pink Shrimply Devine (also Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure). It's summery and classic. And seriously, it's the best brand of polish I've come across... and available at drug stores.

What's your very favorite shade of nail polish?
xoxo

Here Comes The Sun

On a Monday morning, sometimes you just need a little pick-me-up. This works for me.

Today I love, love, love....

"And I say, it's alright."

Male, Middle-Class & White: Chris Made a Mixtape!

I'm really excited about this one! This month's mix is a little different and really special... Chris made it!

I asked him about a month ago to make a mix for my blog and he did! He picked the songs, and put them in order. I helped a bit with the title and artwork. It's some pretty good stuff, too, lemmetellya. Lots of classic rock and some 90's thrown in there, too, with just a sprinkling of current stuff including: Queen, Weezer, Vampire Weekend, The Beach Boys, Ben Folds, and more!

Click HERE to download it directly from Dropbox (it's waaaay easier than megaupload, just click and you're downloading!)

Or, listen before downloading below, via 8tracks.

Sorry for the wait, but I think it's worth it. Next month we'll be back to our regularly scheduled Katie-made Mixes. But in the meantime, let us know how you liked Chris' mix in the comment section!
xoxo

Free Font Friday

Hello again! Here's another batch of super cool fonts that are totally free to download! I think this may be my favorite bunch yet.

Blackout by Tyler Finck

Plexifont by Jess Latham at bvfonts.com

Vintage by Flavia Bocco on dafont.com

Reklame Script by HVD Fonts. This one isn't exactly free, but you can download a free demo from FontSpring.

HVD Steinzeit, also from HVD Fonts, but this one's entirely free from dafont.com!

There you go! Five pretty new fonts to add to your collection!

Golden Years

Today I love Bowie's Golden Years. It just makes me happy.

I'm hoping to get June's mixtape out tonight or tomorrow. I'm excited about this one... you'll see why...

Happy Friday!
xoxo

Humpday Listday: Girl Crushes

Every girl has Girl Crushes. Every guy has Man Crushes. It's a fact of life. These are my celebrity Girl Crushes. And I'm sticking to live ones for this... Ms. Hepburn (both of them) will just have to sit this one out.

1. Jenny Lewis. Oh, Jenny. I want her hair. I want her voice. I want her sly smile. I want her way with words. She's just perfect, isn't she?

JENNY LEWIS 'BLACK SAND' from the infantry on Vimeo.

2. Sarah Michelle Gellar. She'll always be Buffy to me.


3. Dolly Parton. Classic and always unapologetic. There's just nobody quite like Dolly.
"I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb... and I also know that I'm not blonde."
4. Billie Piper. Former teen pop Queen (like the Britney of the UK), who's played companion to The Doctor, and a high-class quick-witted call-girl. She's gorgeous, funny, smart and British. Pretty much perfect, right?

5. Summer Glau. She kicked Reaver butt as River in Firefly, and she's been a Terminator, for goodness sake! At this point, I'd watch her in anything!

6. Kate Moennig. You watch her in The L Word as Shane for 6 seasons and just try not to love her. It's impossible!

7. Zooey & Emily Deschanel. They're sisters, so I'm counting them as one. Basically, the prettiest siblings around.

8. Felicia Day. Penny from Dr. Horrible, Queen of Twitter, and writer/creator/star of The Guild. And a redhead! Best. Geek. Ever.

9. Kristen Bell. She's tiny, blonde, and has a wit so sharp it could cut through steel. And she's got mad detective skills in Veronica Mars.

10. Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck. I'm pretty sure she could kick your ass. And everybody else's.

Honorable Mention: Allison Janney (C.J. Cregg is my hero), Tina Fey (Um... our cat's name is Liz Lemon for Pete's sake!), and Alicia Silverstone & Liv Tyler in Aerosmith's Crazy video.

Who's your Girl Crush?
xoxo